PHM: Heyla there! This is my story about one of my characters from an RPG called Mina. I really don't know what lead me to write about all this, I only remember knowing I had to write it. Oh, you guys still hafta meet my muses! Come on out guys!
-Loor, Nomara, and Yami Loor come out of suddenly appearing door-
PHM: These are my muses. Nomara is from my first story, "Within Blue Eyes." –Smiles as Nomara glares at her- Loor and Yami Loor are from an upcoming story called "Friends Long Past." I still hafta write that…..
Loor: Hello everyone! –Waves to screen- Have fun reading the story!
PHM: Yami, you wanna do the disclaimer? –Smiles after receiving nod-
Yami Loor: Pearhead does not own any of Mercedes Lackey's characters or places –though she wish she did- but she does own Mina, Cira, Merik, and some other characters you'll meet later on. –Nod-
Nomara: Ok, now let them alone and let them read…-glares-
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:I just don't understand.: Mina Fallon rested her head against a nearby boulder, her mouth not moving, yet talking all the same. :Why is he so upset at me? What does he not love me?: The girls blonde head swung from side to side, as though expecting an answer from an unknown source.
One came. :I do not know, child Mina.: A pause. :Perhaps he fears your power?: The little voice didn't seem to be coming from anything in particular. The only thing nearby was a small little deer.
Mina shook her head once again, a laugh mixed with a cough coming from under her veil of hair. :How many times have I told you, he doesn't know! He better not find out; him or any of the Wives. They would surely kill me.: The deer moved a little closer, now staring the child in the eyes.
:Then don't let him see you now.: The girl looked up startled, her hands grasping the soft feel of the grass under her. She couldn't see anything! Was he there? She stood up, the deer now gone from her view, and saw him. Her father stood like a tall building against the deep green of the lush grass where she sat…and heading straight for her.
Mina's father, Kieran Fallon, runner of Dayton Holding -the wealthiest Holding of the Holdings- was the kind of man people loved to fear. Actually, he only got love from fear. None of his Wives truly loved him…well, not outside of bed at least. And they were certainly in that place too much. Mina was the youngest of twelve children. Twelve children from the first three wives. The other Wives were on other lands and Kieran went to them, and there the children were raised; but, no one seemed to mind. Mina found it absolutely appalling.
And right now, she couldn't think of what to do. She was helpless next to him. Her body was frozen in place; she could do nothing but stare hopelessly at him, terror in her sapphire eyes. "Mina Keitha Fallon," His voice could kill men twice Mina's age and strength. She whimpered a bit; he either didn't notice or didn't care. "What were you doing just now?" His hands were folded across his chest, a sadistic grin licking across his perfect lips. Mina didn't answer, her mind trying to form words, yet somehow not working. "Were you talking to that deer?" Even Mina knew what he said sounded stupid, and he knew she knew just that. He stepped closer, a mere foot from his youngest daughter. He reached out, madness and pure anger in his eyes like none she had ever seen. "No. I'll make sure you don't do that again." He grabbed both her wrist, so fast she didn't have time to react, and bound her to the tree, staring at her struggling helplessly under his grasp.
Mina could only do one thing: Scream. With everything she had, she screamed. Birds fluttered from behind her, animals crying out to her pain. Tears fell from her unusual blue eyes. Her body hurt, the bark scratching into her skin and thrusting itself into splinters and past her thin shirt. Her hair was matted, tearing as her father moved her across the forbidding tree. Repeatedly, he smacked her across her young face, leaving marks in his wake. His strong hands held her two in his one against the bark of the tree.
Wives and littles came from their jobs and places to see what was happening, then dismissing the fact that something might just be happening. "'Tis only Milord Fallon. Be not worried; his little did something to displease him and he is merely punishing her." They said, returning to their work, and shooing littles back into their places. Mina continued to scream.
Footsteps could be heard coming from the right. Mina dared to open her eyes, the world spinning underneath her feet. Her father had released her as soon as the person had appeared. Now, he purely strode off, hands clasped behind his back, as though not a care in the world.
The young girl looked up, tears still falling from her eyes, and saw the person she loved more then anything. "Cira!" She cried, taking hold of her older sister by the neck and hugging herself to her. "Oh, Cira, he is horrible! Horrible! Why do I have to stay here?" Mina cried helplessly, not caring what happened. They all hate me anyway, she thought to herself. No one loves me except for Cira, and they are going to take her away soon. I know it!
Cira said nothing, only cooing to Mina, slowly rocking her back and forth. Soon, the crying subsided, and Mina looked red-eyed up at her older sister. Mina pushed away tentatively from her sister, and began to get up. "I am going to get back to work. Thank you, Cira." She hugged herself to her sister before running off, tears still blurring her vision.
Two days passed with relatively little commotion. Mina was beat, as she often was, by the Wives, and her father had managed to tell the entire family what she had done. Soon the whole Holding would know exactly what Kieran said happened.
Mina awoke on the third day to find her older sister holding her hand tightly, as though afraid to let go. "Mina…" Cira spoke softly, her short brown hair curled upwards under her stubborn chin. "Father…he-he is disowning you…The Shunning has started." Cira's normally calm brown eyes watered as she held Mina. Mina still not quite grasping the fact of what was happening.
"The Shunning?" Mina questioned, holding her sister back and looking her dead in the eyes. "No. You are joking…" Mina's voice was sarcastic and disbelieving, yet she watched her sister, waiting for her to jump cheerfully up and head out to make breakfast. She never did. Cira nodded her head, replying to Mina's worst fears.
Mina had been told stories by older children about the Shunning. It was a horrible thing. Everyone in town turned shoulders on the one being shunned. They neither looked nor talked to the One. The One had to do everything himself, and often was beat when ever someone approached him. It was truly horrible. The One had no home, no food, nothing. The One was driven into madness and often ended taking his own life. Mina could not bear it. She could not do this. She was a mere seven years old! How could this be happening?
Mina tried to figure something out. But as she looked around, she noticed she had nothing. No clothes, no shoes, no toys, everything was gone from her bedroom.
So it had begun.
The first thing Mina wanted to find out was why this all was happening? Had she forgotten to do some major chore that one of the Wives had set for her? No, that certainly was not it, for Mina never disobeyed her Elders. What was it then? The memory flashed back to Mina suddenly… :How many times have I told you, he doesn't know! He better not find out; him or any of the Wives. They would surely kill me!: No, not kill. Shun; a fate even worse then Death. Mina gasped, as Cira backed up a bit to look at her younger sister with tears in her eyes.
"What is it?" Cira asked, anxiously awaiting the answer Mina would supply.
"I was talking to a deer…" Mina began, knowing she certainly sounded stupid though Cira knew. She had told Cira about her secret powers all along, the way she could move things without touching it and the way the animals knew how she felt and thought. "Before you showed up when Father was beating me three days ago, I had been talking to a deer. He figured it out." Mina stopped; her sapphire eyes wide with fear and her face blanched from horror. "What am I going to do? Where do I go? First Wife Mactha has taught me little."
"I'll help when I can." Cira replied, still holding her little sister's small hand in hers. "There is a fort house no one uses since Lord Rayberth…"
"Old Man Berth!?" Main interrupted, her face twisted into a disgusting mask even as she pulled away a bit. "He was murdered! I know it for a fact that Father killed him. He didn't die by drinking poison accidentally from gilderlilly! Father paid a servant to put the mashed pieces in his liquor!" Her voice trailed off as she remembered seeing the body of the old man. It had been so white…so cold…
"There is no other place for you to go, sister." Cira countered, shrugging her square shoulders in defeat. "Go there and maybe I can save you."
Cira left then, leaving Mina to wash her face in the bathing house and make her own breakfast. It is late, Mina noticed, as she opened her curtains. At least 8:00, I'm usually up at 4:00, even on festival days. The Wives woke her, of course, or her brothers, but still she was up by then. It felt so odd.
Silently, Mina headed towards the bathing house behind the house itself. The Fallons themselves, leaders of Dayton, did not have to "stoop to the levels of commoners" as her Father had put it, and thus had their own bathing house. Mina was not surprised when her oldest brother, Merik, approached her with a smile of contempt and repugnance. She was surprised however, when two of her other brothers and even some of their friends appeared behind him. They were a horde of monsters that stopped Mina from going anywhere. They always had…the watched everything Mina did, making sure they were never far from their grasp. Their cold eyes penetrated her skin like a thousand knives. Her blood chilled as they stepped forward, their hands writhing like snakes around her body. They wanted to harm her. To beat her. To kill her. They could too, with the Shunning going on. No one would notice that Mina was gone; no one would mourn, save Cira.
"You little bitch! Father has told us you've been a naughty like wench. He told us we were to punish you for what you've done…" Her brother's words were harsh and trenchant, pulling at the strings of her mind, unraveling her sanity bit by bit. Already his hand was around her wrist, cutting into it and cutting the circulation off. Some of the others had knives, but not to kill her with, to torture her with. They were going to have fun.
"Brother…please….no…." Mina begged, knowing it would have no effect on them.
"Shut up bitch! Speak only when we tell you!" He smacked her hard across the face and grabbed her hair as she screamed in pain. "Scream and we'll do worse to you then this!" She knew what he meant.
One of her brother's friends had his eye on her. A gleaming eye full of wanting and lust. His eye was so black, so cold, so void of emotion. Mina looked away as she tried to remain calm. Her other brothers came closer, grabbing parts of her body. As one, they thrust her against a wall and began to bite her and tear at her skin. It hurt, but Mina would not scream. She lifted her soul out of her body, willed her mind to feel nothing. She would not move, would not scream. Perhaps her brother would leave her alone.
Sadly, her spirit watched her body fall to pieces. The boy with the eye came over and began to touch her in places she did not wish to be touched. She had no shirt on by now; her brothers had long ago ripped it off. Her face was covered with blood and cuts from her head and cheeks; fresh, clean, bright blood that one of the boys even tasted. He had killed before, Mina noted, she remembered watching him kill a woman who had refused him. She did not like the feel of his tongue against her cheek, but she forced herself harder not to feel.
Soon, even her breeches had begun to be torn off. The boy with the eye ripped them off while moaning with pleasure from seeing her brutally beaten. Not to mention from the pleasure he had received from playing with her breast. His clothes had not come off, nor would her brother allow them too. But, still they did not care whether hers came off.
Her eyes were now swollen from a cut that slashed across her forehead and left cheek. Her chest had cuts that bled freely and one that seemed to cut into her breast. Bruises and fresh cuts lined her legs as they continued to beat her. Skin had been torn off her arms and legs from the boys who had been biting her. The boy with the eye had turned to playing with her groin and cutting her thighs. Her bright skin flashed with dripping blood, both old and new. Some of these scars would last her a lifetime. She only anted it to end.
After what seemed like hours, her spirit knew it would be safe to return to her body. Her brothers seemed to have had their thrill, as the boy with the eye had also, and they now dropped her unconscious white/red body to the ground. Her clothes lay in a pile in shreds under her chest and a lake of blood lay scattered on the wall and on the ground, new blood being added every minute.
It felt so bad. Even in darkness she could feel the cuts along her body, feel of the wind washing across the field. She could even feel the cold, hardness of the ground under her. She just wanted it to end. She just wanted it to be over….
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PHM: So? It's kinda sad really. But, I had to write it. –Pets Mina- poor dear.
Loor: O.o; Um….yea…..go review please! After PHM gets 2 reviews she'll do the next chapter! Te one where Cir-
PHM: -smacks Loor over the head with a board and Nomara drags her off- Yea….-runs away-
