-The Secrets of the Seer-
Prologue: The Tragedy
"Little Brother! Over here!"
Theresa stood in the middle of a field under the shade of Oakvale, near a scarecrow. She was tall and pale, with rusty brown hair tied in disorganized pigtails. She eagerly awaited her younger brother to approach her and wish her a happy birthday. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he was standing in front of her, looking small and sheepish.
There was a moment of silence between them.
"Hello, Brother," Theresa began, "don't you have anything to say to me?"
Her brother looked up at her sheepishly, then shouted as loudly as he could, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THERESA!" He handed her a box of sweets. She did not know this, but he had just bought the box about five minutes ago.
"Oh, thank you! Sweets! These are excellent! I just knew that you wouldn't forget…" she trailed off after her display of gratitude.
She started again. "I'm sorry if I've been keeping you up at night, Little Brother… I've been having those dreams again. That's how I knew you'd bring me sweets! I just knew it!
"But that wasn't all… You and I… We were standing here, and then something happened… But I just can't remember what it was…."
Her brother waited for her to remember, but there was no time. Theresa saw what she was supposed to see as soon as she remembered it. She saw the image in her dream again: The town, burning. That's when she could put it all together…
"Brother! Look!"
Theresa was pointing to a group of men, looking barbaric and muscular. Many of them were wearing what appeared to be the bones of various animals. It was clear that these men, also raggedly clothed, were Bandits. But, one was different from the rest. He was visibly stronger and more intimidating. He was muscular and wore silver plated armor. He donned a red cloak, tucked into the armor. He didn't look like a Bandit, but yet he wasn't fighting the Bandits. It seemed that he was with them, actually.
"BANDITS! THERE'S BANDITS IN THE VILLAGE!" someone shouted.
The men, with the red-hooded man at their head, entered Theresa and her Brother's home.
Brother's breath caught in his throat as he stammered, "W-what… What are they doing? Why are they going inside?"
But Theresa was well ahead of being surprised. She sprinted as quickly as she could to the house, fearing for the lives of her parents.
"Theresa! No! Don't!" Brother screamed after her and ran, panting, to keep up with her. Theresa was already in the house and watched her father's throat being slit and people rummaging through her family's belongings. A lump gathered in her throat; she was petrified.
"What—? " She began to say, but she couldn't get past the fear to continue.
Suddenly there were hands on her shoulders, and then sliding down her arms and to her wrists, pinning them behind her back. She couldn't get her hands free.
"Well well," one of the Bandits who wore antlers said in a thick British accent, "this one will be a great help in searching for the boy. Take her to Jack."
The Bandits holding Theresa's wrists turned her around and pushed her to the doorway. As she was walking, she saw her dear young brother, sitting in a tree, watching the burning town with a horrified gaze. She could no longer bear to look at him. She put on a brave face and continued with the Bandits' guidance. She knew she would tell them nothing. She hoped others would do the same. That was when she realized with a start that she had no idea where her mother was, or if she was even alive. She wanted to cry, but didn't know if her brother was still watching. She bit her lip and blinked constantly to stifle the sobs.
Jack of Blades came to meet the advancing group.
"Sir," the Bandit to Theresa's left said, "She be the boy's sister. She can lead us to 'im."
Jack of Blades chuckled. "Perfect," he said. He crouched down to Theresa's height. "Little girl, can you tell us where this boy is?" He held up a sketch of her brother: a short boy with dark brown hair and a cherubic face and smile. It broke Theresa's heart to see him so happy, even when she knew that he was in a tree, fearing for his life.
She turned her face away from Jack of Blades, refusing to say a word.
Jack of Blades pouted. "Well, I suppose we should set up a little camp. We shouldn't go too far from Oakvale until we find the boy."
The Bandits holding on to Theresa dragged her to a cage on the edge of the formerly-idyllic village, where she was to wait for an interrogation. She knew now what was to happen; she could remember from her dreams. Once the Bandits left her, she cried harder and louder than she ever had before.
Hours passed. The sun set and rose again. The village was desolate and charred.
The Bandits returned to Theresa and opened the cage. They did not bring food for her; they had come to bring her to Jack of Blades. She went with them, knowing that there was nothing to be done about what was to happen to her.
Jack of Blades sat around the ashes of a fire that had been set the night before. He pondered the best ways to get information out of Theresa. He could use torture… or threats…
He decided to try and be nice to her first.
"Good morning, Theresa," he said cheerfully. He had learned her name from her mother, who would only say "Theresa, Theresa, Theresa," over and over again. He had gagged her to get her to shut up. "Did you sleep well?"
"Fine, sir," she replied, her voice trembling. She looked around her very carefully. Despite the village being burnt beyond belief, Theresa knew that this was the last time she would see her dear home of Oakvale. She wanted to take it all in.
Jack of Blades half-smiled. "Good. Now, Theresa, I really am in need of your help. It is very important that I find the boy I told you about yesterday. Won't you tell me where he is?"
Theresa was silent. She wouldn't say a word. In truth, she really didn't know where he was. She hoped her brother had run far away from the remains of Oakvale. She hoped he had found a wealthy traveler to live with peacefully. She hoped he would be safe.
Jack of Blades was an easily frustrated man. He wanted answers, and he wanted them in that exact moment.
"Look," he growled, "if you do not tell me where he is, I assure you that bad things will happen to you. Many bad things. So, why don't you save yourself the trouble, and tell me where he is?"
Theresa looked up at the brute, and a tear trickled down her face.
"No," she proclaimed audibly, despite the lump gathering in her throat again.
Jack of Blades sighed. He really wished she would be helpful, but it was clear that she refused to do so. He mumbled something about how no one ever wants to help the honest working man and fumbled for something in his pocket.
Theresa began to whimper and cringe backwards as she saw Jack of Blades bring out a small dagger. She knew where this was going, and it would not be pleasant for her. She hoped again that her brother had run away as fast as he could.
Jack of Blades suddenly swung the small blade into Theresa's eyes.
Theresa cried out loudly, but she did not scream. She intended to stay strong, in case her brother was still watching. She hoped he wasn't. She felt the blood running down her face from her eyes. She could no longer see the devils around her.
"Now," Jack of Blades said authoritatively, "are you sure you don't want to tell me where your brother is?"
Theresa held her hands to her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't condemn her brother to this. She was certain that if she told them, he would be killed.
"Very well, then. Take her to the tent," Jack of Blades ordered. The Bandits behind Theresa chuckled and picked her up from the ground.
They walked her through most of the camp, or so it seemed. Then, finally, they stopped, picked up a tent flap and pushed her inside of the tent. She thought she heard them follow her in and button the tent flaps shut. She knew what was coming, and knew she couldn't stop it. All she could do was scream in her head: No, no no no no no no no no… Her head was like a broken record.
Then suddenly Theresa could feel hands on her. It seemed as though there were thousands of hands, running up and down her entire body. She couldn't stand it anymore. She could no longer care if her brother was watching. She screamed loudly, hoping a pack of guards would come miraculously to her rescue. But she knew no one would come for her. She screamed the loudest as one of the Bandits forced her skirt up and pinned her to the ground.
One of the dirty, smelly men plunged himself into her. She gasped in pain.
Why? She thought. Why did they take my sight? Why couldn't they have taken my feelings, my pain?
She begged for the end, and tried to find a happy place in her head, shutting out as much of the pain as she could. It wasn't much. The men continued to torture her in this way for what Theresa thought was an eternity. She wanted to stop them, but couldn't find the strength. She cried out in her head for the pain to end.