The Introduction of Arielle

Author's Note: This section was written by AngelsInstead.

Part 2

She had saved him.

She had found him beaten and abused. He had been chained in a hidden room. She too had escaped from their cruel experiments. For months they had tortured her. When she could take no more, she had killed a guard and broke free of her cell. On her way out of the facility, she found him. Just like her, his wrist had been marked with a tattoo. Their captors had branded them just like cattle.

He hadn't eaten in days when she set him free and helped him to safety. He was disoriented when she helped him through the corridors. He made grunting noises and tried to speak, but he was unable to say anything intelligible. As he leaned against her for strength, she lead him into the woods and together, they found a stream. He drank deeply of the cool water as she tenderly caressed his hair.

"It's going to be alright," she told him. "My name is Arielle."

He stared at her with his expressive sapphire eyes, but he didn't say a word. He was wounded deep down in his soul, and she wasn't sure he'd ever speak. She understood, because she too had been wounded that deeply. Everyday, she lived with the scars.

They found an old shack in the woods, and Arielle did the best she could to cleanse and tend his wounds. Her heart was heavy with pain when she saw what those biting chains had done to his flesh. As he slept, she kissed his damaged skin. "You'll be alright," she crooned to him as he rested his head against her bosom.

He was weak and wounded, unable to walk or speak. She found roots and berries in the woods and nursed him back to health. As the days passed, his flesh began to heal and his strength gradually returned. "Arielle," he called out to her as she was leaving the shack one day in search of nourishment.

Immediately, she came to his side. Tenderly, she took his large hand into her small one. "Thank you for saving me," he said in a hoarse voice. "My name is Victor. I will never forget all that you have done for me."

Arielle smiled and pressed his hand against her cheek. "You're going to be alright," she told him. "We are both going to be alright."

"What did they do to you?" Victor asked as he looked deeply into her eyes.

Her dark orbs were clouded with pain. "I never want to speak of it," she said. "It is best forgotten."

"Then we'll do our best to forget it," he said. "But we have to find a safe place where we both can recover."

"Do you know of a place?"

Victor nodded. "I will take you there. And I will keep you safe for once. From this day forward, you are forever in my care."

Hearing his words, Arielle's heart skipped a beat. Now that she knew him, she never wanted to be apart from him again.

"We'll leave tomorrow," he said. "Let's get a good night's rest."

After they had dinner, Arielle fell asleep in his arms.