Chapter 4
Hilde had to duck and doge around the bustling crowds of the city, but Duo seemed as if all he had to do was walk a straight line and no one seemed to get in his way. She tired to keep up, but ended up running into someone. For a moment, she lost sight of Duo. When she tired to find him, she saw that he had disappeared. Her gaze shot around as she continued to walk. I was then that she knew she was lost.
Duo had just turned into the doorway of a small pub, assuming the girl was right behind him, but as he turned the cynical little grin that always seemed to be plastered on his face slowly disappeared, finding that she wasn't there as he had expected. He immediately shot back out to the street and saw only a sea of heads. Some shrouded, others bald, graying, blond, brown, black, he couldn't see over them. His eyes scanned the area and saw her and a wave of relief washed over him. Within moments, he reached her and spun her around by the shoulder. He was about to reprimand her for her lack of attention when he realized that hew s staring into green eyes instead of deep blue.
"Hey! Get your hands off my girl!" Duo looked up just as a huge first came flying at him. Today was definitely not turning out to be a good one.
"Hilde had somehow managed to wedge herself between some crates and curled up. The city had changed so much since she last visited. She had no clue where she was or how to get out. Then the memories began to flood back into her mind, filling every crevice with the pain. Everything came back; the attack, being stuffed into a cart with her family. Her mother somehow got loose and she fled carrying Hilde in her arms protectively. They weren't caught, but her mother stated she was going to go and see what had become of the others. She placed Hilde into a small crevice of a building, leaving behind her shawl to keep her daughter warm until her return. She never did. Hilde was eventually found by a guard and was thrown in with some more slaves on their way into the arena. Hilde never cried after last seeing her mother.
At the moment, Hilde felt like that little girl all over again and she struggled to shut out the memories, but she was drowning in them, feeling her very existence slipping away from her into the pool of despair that had slowly accumulated around her. For some reason, she had felt that man would protect her, or at least guide her, but she had been fooled. Abandoned, once again, she buried her head in her folded arms and she tucked her legs in closer, guarding against the intrusive fingers of the cold sweeping through the city now that darkness was falling.
Duo assumed that the girl had run away, but he continued to scour the city's alleys. Darkness had settled by now and Duo's search was reaching its end. He had grown tired of this fruitless search for her. There must have been thousands of dark haired, petite young women in this sector alone. As his determination began to wane, a small growl from a nearby alley attracted his attention. A soldier was kicking someone sitting in a darkened corner.
"Get up you piece o' filth," he growled. The small object uncurled painstakingly slow and stood in the shadows. The soldier slammed the slight figure up against the wall.
"I'm taking you into the pits you little rat."
"My name… is… Hilde," she hissed out through her closed throat. With that she lashed out with a kick to the stomach. The soldier gasped as the force sent him flying into the wall on the other side of the alley. From there, Hilde unleashed a mirage of blows the soldier had no chance of dodging. Her rage seemed to overwhelm her as she continued to beat down the helpless man. Duo saw she was not watching or even realizing what she was doing. It was as if she was being driven by some inner rage. He ran forward, to try to hold her back.
Hilde saw another figure lash out at her, or so she thought. She turned away from the body of the dead soldier and swung on Duo. Surprisingly, he was faster and dodged, all the while, trying to avoid her attacks.
"Hilde…" he cried out to her. She was too far gone to recognize him. Some shouts off in the distance could be heard coming closer and Duo knew he had to hurry and get Hilde to come to her senses.
"Hilde! It's me! Duo!" She lashed out at him once again. She was mumbling something as she sought to destroy her enemy. Flipping around, she lifted her knee intending on crippling him and possibly keeping him from ever having children. That's it… screw claming her down! With a quick movement, Hilde went sprawling completely knocked out.
The voices were getting closer, as Duo hurriedly scooped up the limp body and threw her over his shoulder. He made one regretful look at the dead soldier nearby and proceeded to take off. There would be a lot to pay for in the morning once he was found. Sighing, Duo turned and left, he would deal with that if it came down to it.
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Cathy's vision was blurred at first as she attempted to pen her eyes, but her head throbbed. Sighing, she raised an arm to rub her abused skull. She didn't know where she was for a moment.
"Orpah…" she grumbled her grandmother's name. "Orpah, I had the strangest dream. I was in a big arena and everyone was dying. I died…" Just then, Cathy's surroundings sank in and she made a quick intake of breath. Her eyes wandered around the dim room. There were tables with people stretched out on top of each one, just as she found she was currently lying on. A young man was lying on a table next to hers. His face was ashen and his chest was not moving. Just as a thought was beginning to form, two people wearing black robes came by and laid a white sheet over the man's face. Tears formed in Cathy's eyes, but a sudden shift at the foot of her table diverted her attention. Her eyes darted to the movement and found a young man, also wearing a black robe with the hood pulled up around his head. He seemed to be writing on a piece of t hick parchment, as if he had been watching her. He stared at her with blank dull eyes. They were green, a forest of green. It was a huge contrast to his robe. Black… black is death, thought Cathy. Just then, the young man spoke, but not to her, yet he still watched her closely.
"Number 54 is awake; take her to the third cellar. I'll e in to examine her again later, if she's still alive." Cathy's eyes narrowed rising up to the challenge she saw him giving to her. For a moment, she thought she saw amusement n her eyes, but then she decided it was a trick of the light. It was then she realized she was in the death room below the arena. Before Cathy could respond to his challenge, she was roughly pulled from the table. Her head spun once again. As she was dragged by the man at the foot of the table, she scowled at him.
"I'll live," she grumbled under her breath.
"You better," said the man. "Orpah wouldn't be pleased." Cathy gave him a sharp look before she was dragged out.
The cellar was less than hospitable. It was just like the last cell she and the other wounded were thrown into, if not, worse. She was alone, except for the rats. No light, no warmth, and no reason t live. Cathy shook her head sharply to rid the thoughts from her mind. That young man had laughed at her and she couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand the jibes and false hopes. She just wanted to go home. She missed the mountains. Her grandmother lived up in a small dugout, entrenched into the side of the huge mountain, right over the meadows. Cathy's little sister stayed with her grandmother when Cathy snuck out one day to help the slaves and ended up becoming one. She later escaped and trained in the mountains further south. Cathy loved the mountains. The way they looked, smelled, and their winter storms; those were her favorite. She felt as if she was sinking back into those days of a warm dug-out with her grandmother sitting nearby as Cathy and her little sister would wrestle on the floor, gathering strength to fight off the wolves in the warmer seasons. Cathy was wondering how little Teresa was fairing in protecting Orpah. She rethought that; Teresa wasn't really that young anymore. She must have been 17 summers by now. It had been four years since Cathy had last seen her family. She was only a year younger than Teresa when she had left, to find something new and exciting. Cathy scoffed at the thought now and wondered what it would have been like to have listened to Orpah. Cathy threw those thoughts into the back of her mind. The night before she ran away was horrible. The voices still echoed in her ears.
"You are not leaving! I will not have you meet the same fate as your mother!"
"My mother is dead and therefore I will not take on her legacy!"
"I promised her I would take care of you and Teresa!"
"I'm not your child! I was my mother's and she left me!" Tears had run down her face at that point. "I won't make her mistakes either. I won't love anyone. I won't follow him and die for him as she did. He laughed at Teresa and me! Don't you remember, Orpah?" Her grandmother backed away as if being slapped. "He stood and laughed at us when we went to him for help. Then he walked away!"
"Catherine…" It was a plea. Cathy only shook her head and backed away.
"No! I won't! I HATE THIS PLACE, THESE MOUNTAINS AND YOU!" With that, she ran. Her mind was jumbled and she ran. The pain of that moment overwhelmed Cathy as she sat in that dark cell. She didn't go back to the mountains after that; she couldn't face her grandmother after that exchange. Perhaps Teresa was taking good care of Orpah. Cathy had no doubt that was what Teresa would do. Her sweet little sister… she regretted ever leaving sometimes.
The sudden jolt of the cell door opening shook her from her reverie. The slow steady steps of someone entering the cell resounded off the stone walls. The person slid to a halt in front of Cathy, standing just within of her vision. Cathy's gaze slowly made its way up the legs, standing firmly before her. Then her own eyes connected with blazing green orbs.
"Get up," he said flatly. It was the same young man from before. Cathy thought a moment to refuse to obey, but realized it would do her no good. She gathered her strength and moved to get up, and as expected, received no assistance. Her legs gave out once, but she caught herself with her arm. A strong arm reached out and grabbed her just below the elbow and continued to drag her towards the door. Cathy refused to struggle because whatever she did the pain flared once again. After what seemed like forever, they stopped in front of a small wooden doorway. The green eyed surgeon threw open the door and then roughly turned Cathy around to face him. He shoved a pile of rags into her hand and pushed her into the doorway.
"Get in there and clean yourself up," he growled. Cathy stood in confusion for a moment. Then she turned and saw she was in a small room with a metal tub filled with cold water. It was dimly lit by torches. Before she knew it, the door was slammed shut and she was left to her own doings.
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Hilde had to duck and doge around the bustling crowds of the city, but Duo seemed as if all he had to do was walk a straight line and no one seemed to get in his way. She tired to keep up, but ended up running into someone. For a moment, she lost sight of Duo. When she tired to find him, she saw that he had disappeared. Her gaze shot around as she continued to walk. I was then that she knew she was lost.
Duo had just turned into the doorway of a small pub, assuming the girl was right behind him, but as he turned the cynical little grin that always seemed to be plastered on his face slowly disappeared, finding that she wasn't there as he had expected. He immediately shot back out to the street and saw only a sea of heads. Some shrouded, others bald, graying, blond, brown, black, he couldn't see over them. His eyes scanned the area and saw her and a wave of relief washed over him. Within moments, he reached her and spun her around by the shoulder. He was about to reprimand her for her lack of attention when he realized that hew s staring into green eyes instead of deep blue.
"Hey! Get your hands off my girl!" Duo looked up just as a huge first came flying at him. Today was definitely not turning out to be a good one.
"Hilde had somehow managed to wedge herself between some crates and curled up. The city had changed so much since she last visited. She had no clue where she was or how to get out. Then the memories began to flood back into her mind, filling every crevice with the pain. Everything came back; the attack, being stuffed into a cart with her family. Her mother somehow got loose and she fled carrying Hilde in her arms protectively. They weren't caught, but her mother stated she was going to go and see what had become of the others. She placed Hilde into a small crevice of a building, leaving behind her shawl to keep her daughter warm until her return. She never did. Hilde was eventually found by a guard and was thrown in with some more slaves on their way into the arena. Hilde never cried after last seeing her mother.
At the moment, Hilde felt like that little girl all over again and she struggled to shut out the memories, but she was drowning in them, feeling her very existence slipping away from her into the pool of despair that had slowly accumulated around her. For some reason, she had felt that man would protect her, or at least guide her, but she had been fooled. Abandoned, once again, she buried her head in her folded arms and she tucked her legs in closer, guarding against the intrusive fingers of the cold sweeping through the city now that darkness was falling.
Duo assumed that the girl had run away, but he continued to scour the city's alleys. Darkness had settled by now and Duo's search was reaching its end. He had grown tired of this fruitless search for her. There must have been thousands of dark haired, petite young women in this sector alone. As his determination began to wane, a small growl from a nearby alley attracted his attention. A soldier was kicking someone sitting in a darkened corner.
"Get up you piece o' filth," he growled. The small object uncurled painstakingly slow and stood in the shadows. The soldier slammed the slight figure up against the wall.
"I'm taking you into the pits you little rat."
"My name… is… Hilde," she hissed out through her closed throat. With that she lashed out with a kick to the stomach. The soldier gasped as the force sent him flying into the wall on the other side of the alley. From there, Hilde unleashed a mirage of blows the soldier had no chance of dodging. Her rage seemed to overwhelm her as she continued to beat down the helpless man. Duo saw she was not watching or even realizing what she was doing. It was as if she was being driven by some inner rage. He ran forward, to try to hold her back.
Hilde saw another figure lash out at her, or so she thought. She turned away from the body of the dead soldier and swung on Duo. Surprisingly, he was faster and dodged, all the while, trying to avoid her attacks.
"Hilde…" he cried out to her. She was too far gone to recognize him. Some shouts off in the distance could be heard coming closer and Duo knew he had to hurry and get Hilde to come to her senses.
"Hilde! It's me! Duo!" She lashed out at him once again. She was mumbling something as she sought to destroy her enemy. Flipping around, she lifted her knee intending on crippling him and possibly keeping him from ever having children. That's it… screw claming her down! With a quick movement, Hilde went sprawling completely knocked out.
The voices were getting closer, as Duo hurriedly scooped up the limp body and threw her over his shoulder. He made one regretful look at the dead soldier nearby and proceeded to take off. There would be a lot to pay for in the morning once he was found. Sighing, Duo turned and left, he would deal with that if it came down to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cathy's vision was blurred at first as she attempted to pen her eyes, but her head throbbed. Sighing, she raised an arm to rub her abused skull. She didn't know where she was for a moment.
"Orpah…" she grumbled her grandmother's name. "Orpah, I had the strangest dream. I was in a big arena and everyone was dying. I died…" Just then, Cathy's surroundings sank in and she made a quick intake of breath. Her eyes wandered around the dim room. There were tables with people stretched out on top of each one, just as she found she was currently lying on. A young man was lying on a table next to hers. His face was ashen and his chest was not moving. Just as a thought was beginning to form, two people wearing black robes came by and laid a white sheet over the man's face. Tears formed in Cathy's eyes, but a sudden shift at the foot of her table diverted her attention. Her eyes darted to the movement and found a young man, also wearing a black robe with the hood pulled up around his head. He seemed to be writing on a piece of t hick parchment, as if he had been watching her. He stared at her with blank dull eyes. They were green, a forest of green. It was a huge contrast to his robe. Black… black is death, thought Cathy. Just then, the young man spoke, but not to her, yet he still watched her closely.
"Number 54 is awake; take her to the third cellar. I'll e in to examine her again later, if she's still alive." Cathy's eyes narrowed rising up to the challenge she saw him giving to her. For a moment, she thought she saw amusement n her eyes, but then she decided it was a trick of the light. It was then she realized she was in the death room below the arena. Before Cathy could respond to his challenge, she was roughly pulled from the table. Her head spun once again. As she was dragged by the man at the foot of the table, she scowled at him.
"I'll live," she grumbled under her breath.
"You better," said the man. "Orpah wouldn't be pleased." Cathy gave him a sharp look before she was dragged out.
The cellar was less than hospitable. It was just like the last cell she and the other wounded were thrown into, if not, worse. She was alone, except for the rats. No light, no warmth, and no reason t live. Cathy shook her head sharply to rid the thoughts from her mind. That young man had laughed at her and she couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand the jibes and false hopes. She just wanted to go home. She missed the mountains. Her grandmother lived up in a small dugout, entrenched into the side of the huge mountain, right over the meadows. Cathy's little sister stayed with her grandmother when Cathy snuck out one day to help the slaves and ended up becoming one. She later escaped and trained in the mountains further south. Cathy loved the mountains. The way they looked, smelled, and their winter storms; those were her favorite. She felt as if she was sinking back into those days of a warm dug-out with her grandmother sitting nearby as Cathy and her little sister would wrestle on the floor, gathering strength to fight off the wolves in the warmer seasons. Cathy was wondering how little Teresa was fairing in protecting Orpah. She rethought that; Teresa wasn't really that young anymore. She must have been 17 summers by now. It had been four years since Cathy had last seen her family. She was only a year younger than Teresa when she had left, to find something new and exciting. Cathy scoffed at the thought now and wondered what it would have been like to have listened to Orpah. Cathy threw those thoughts into the back of her mind. The night before she ran away was horrible. The voices still echoed in her ears.
"You are not leaving! I will not have you meet the same fate as your mother!"
"My mother is dead and therefore I will not take on her legacy!"
"I promised her I would take care of you and Teresa!"
"I'm not your child! I was my mother's and she left me!" Tears had run down her face at that point. "I won't make her mistakes either. I won't love anyone. I won't follow him and die for him as she did. He laughed at Teresa and me! Don't you remember, Orpah?" Her grandmother backed away as if being slapped. "He stood and laughed at us when we went to him for help. Then he walked away!"
"Catherine…" It was a plea. Cathy only shook her head and backed away.
"No! I won't! I HATE THIS PLACE, THESE MOUNTAINS AND YOU!" With that, she ran. Her mind was jumbled and she ran. The pain of that moment overwhelmed Cathy as she sat in that dark cell. She didn't go back to the mountains after that; she couldn't face her grandmother after that exchange. Perhaps Teresa was taking good care of Orpah. Cathy had no doubt that was what Teresa would do. Her sweet little sister… she regretted ever leaving sometimes.
The sudden jolt of the cell door opening shook her from her reverie. The slow steady steps of someone entering the cell resounded off the stone walls. The person slid to a halt in front of Cathy, standing just within of her vision. Cathy's gaze slowly made its way up the legs, standing firmly before her. Then her own eyes connected with blazing green orbs.
"Get up," he said flatly. It was the same young man from before. Cathy thought a moment to refuse to obey, but realized it would do her no good. She gathered her strength and moved to get up, and as expected, received no assistance. Her legs gave out once, but she caught herself with her arm. A strong arm reached out and grabbed her just below the elbow and continued to drag her towards the door. Cathy refused to struggle because whatever she did the pain flared once again. After what seemed like forever, they stopped in front of a small wooden doorway. The green eyed surgeon threw open the door and then roughly turned Cathy around to face him. He shoved a pile of rags into her hand and pushed her into the doorway.
"Get in there and clean yourself up," he growled. Cathy stood in confusion for a moment. Then she turned and saw she was in a small room with a metal tub filled with cold water. It was dimly lit by torches. Before she knew it, the door was slammed shut and she was left to her own doings.
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