Some not so nice things are done to our favorite abused elf in this chapter, so be warned! :/

Also, the capitalized He and Him does NOT refer to God. This refers to Durza, because he was the biggest thing in her life at the moment, and I don't use names in this fic (if you haven't noticed) because Arya's trying to distance herself to what's happening to her. Hence, He and Him. Ok? Good. :)

Oh, and some gigantic thank-yous to reviewers Writer of the North, Massa, Totally Random Solembum, ToLazyToThinkOfAGoodName, Inkweaverabc, and arya 54329. Your encouragement means a lot, lot, LOT to me. I love you all! *hearts*


Crack. Unable to take the strain any longer, her shoulders ripped from their sockets, causing her to let loose an agonized scream. Waves upon waves of fire wracked her body, but she did not voice anything other than her original wordless cry, even though useless tears ran down her bloodied face. She couldn't move her arms, and, looking, she could see bone standing out unnaturally against her slick, reddened skin. When she didn't continue to scream, one of the guards reached over and struck her on the side of the head, and she could feel blood trickling down her face.

Carefully, someone took her trembling hand in his. She didn't have to look to know that it was Him. Disgustedly, she closed her eyes, waiting for fresh agony to tear through her. But suddenly, birdsong erupted through the room. Just the sound, the voice, of the joyous little bird singing just for the task of singing brought a radiant smile to her face. It hurt, to smile, for not ten minutes earlier, hot brands had been pressed forcefully into her cheeks, and her face was now a mess of blood and blackened, oozing flesh. But smile she did through the blood, because the bird was happy. Something in this world was happy.

Crack. Someone, it could only be Him, twisted her finger, and the bones snapped audibly. But she didn't cry out this time, and the bird didn't stop singing to her. Crack. Another. Crack. And just as swiftly as it had come, the bird's voice was gone. She was back in the cold, dank room that had no voice. She was still stretched out, bloodied and broken, on the harsh plank table that was stained with so much of her blood, over so many days, while He snapped her fingers one by one. Crack. Crack.

His contemptuous voice reached her, even though it sounded as if it came from a thousand miles away. "Still nothing to say, elf? Very well. Rot in your cell until I next have time to attend to you, pathetic creature."

Haughtily, she turned to Him and spat contemptuously in His face, causing Him to snarl in spite and anger, before whirling away in a billow of black cloak and crimson hair.

Rough hands grasped beneath her dislocated shoulders, hoisting her to her feet, and for a few seconds, her vision went black with Pain. But slowly, her senses returned, and flashes of bright color danced mockingly in her field of vision as she was dragged down the hall and thrown roughly back into the stone block that she didn't see as fit for habitation. It wasn't like home. Home… at the thought, she was suddenly, magically, there. Perched atop a thick branch in a mighty pine. Warmth suffused her from the auburn rays of the setting sun, and she closed her eyes in utter bliss. She could hear the soft voices of her kin babbling all around her, as well as the air passing lazily through the trees and the ambience of the animals. The bark of the tree was rough upon her hands: hands that were, upon further inspection, mutilated beyond recognition.

She frowned. She was home, in Ellesmira. This wasn't right…

In a rush, her home vanished as though it never were, the transition causing her to lean over and dry heave. In all fairness, perhaps home never did exist. The single candle that illuminated her space guttered pitifully, and despair washed over her. Home was gone, just like everything else. How could she have possibly forgotten?


Is anyone else a little weirded out over the insane contrast between my bright, cheerful ANs and my dark, depressing writing? I think I'm giving myself whiplash... :P