Title: Black Swan; Shadow on the Water
Disclaimer: I don't own it, some day I might, but I highly doubt that, all characters and places belong to Tolkien, bar the few characters and places I manage to come up with ie. Missalah. Cries I wish I owned it but I don't so please don't sue me because I have no money...I want some money!
WARNING: This chapter contains violence. This may be offensive to some so please do not read any further if you are opposed to violence. And if you do read anyway and get offended please do not complain to me because you have been warned. Thank you.
A/N I'm so so so very sorry that it has taken this long to update but I have been snowed under with school work. I should actually be doing homework now but I really want to get this chapter done because I know how annoying it is when someone doesn't update for ages. ( So enjoy!
Chapter Four: Honey
The cellar floor was cold. Hard stones dug into the flesh of Missalah's bare back, but she didn't feel it. From a distance she looked serene, a child sleeping peacefully, curled up in a ball. But as Haldir got closer, he knew this was not so. Slashes of red decorated her naked body. Shades of black, blue and purple marring her once perfect skin. There was only silence, save the harsh sound of her breathing, short, shallow, uneven breaths. Haldir rolled her onto her stomach and ran his hands down her body to feel for any broken bones. He cursed, at least two of her ribs had been broken, and he could feel the bones sticking out, almost puncturing her skin. Once he was sure it was safe to move her he lifted her carefully in his strong arms and bore her away.
Thick golden honey, so sweet...so deadly. Missalah was swimming in a sea of it, so viscous that she could barely move. Cramps had developed in her arms, sending waves of pain along them every time she tried to move. Honey filled her nostrils, dulling her senses. She opened her mouth to scream, honey poured in, choking her. She realised she couldn't breathe at the same time she began to choke. Panic took over; she thrashed her arms around wildly, but still could get no closer to the surface. It was like trying to touch the moon. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, but she could not cry, she would not allow herself. Then there was a voice, it was male, deep and calm. It called her name, softly at first, then louder, telling her to come back, to fight. Water. No more honey, now she was swimming in water, the sudden change of viscosity was shocking at first, but Missalah soon took advantage of it and swam towards the surface. She could see a bright light at the top, shining, guiding her back. Glistening water sprayed in all directions as her head broke the surface, she breathed in lungful after sweet lungful of precious air. Then the memories hit her. Wave after wave of painful remembrance of all the abuse she had suffered in her life. And then the physical pain. Her entire body ached, jolts of pain shot through her body with every tiny movement, every laboured breath. She couldn't move and she could barely breath, her entire world was pain.
Breathing hard, Haldir ran through the palace halls towards the healing quarters. Missalah was awake. It had been three days since he had brought her in, after finding her bruised and broken body in the cellar of her father's house. He had been mortified by her treatment. She had remained unconscious for the entire time; no sign of life save the steady rise and fall of her chest.
Pain. Missalah lay curled in a ball and sobbing uncontrollably. Every time the healer tried to touch her she would scream out in agony, everything hurt. She felt as though she had been crushed under some great weight, like every muscle had been pulled so tight, almost to breaking point, and as though every joint had been dislocated. All she could think of was the pain; all she could hear was her own screaming. Nothing else existed for her accept for the brief flashbacks to the cause of her agony. Her father
Flashback Her face was on fire, and he still kept striking it, ignoring her tears and her desperate pleas of mercy. Then she was on the ground and all she could feel was the heavy booted feet slamming into her sides over and over. The pain just wouldn't stop. Over and over, a new colour created every time his foot collided with her, bruise after bruise. She cried out as she felt a rib snap, pain of the worst kind pulsed through her body, and she couldn't help but scream. Darkness was closing in fast, everything began to spin, she could still hear herself screaming, but it was faint, and even fainter was the sound of laughter. Then there was black, an endless nothing that stretched from here to eternity and back again. The great void.
End Flashback
She let out a tortured scream, one that Haldir would be haunted by for the rest of his long immortal years. She writhed on the bed, as if trying to fend off some unseen foe. The old healer, far beyond his prime, tried to hold her down, but his scrawny, malnourished arms were too weak to hold the distressed elf maid down. Haldir crossed the distance between himself and the bed in two long strides and placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing the elleth under control quite easily. She let out a small sigh and her eyelids drooped, and then closed. A small smile played across Haldir's lips, she was asleep.
Disclaimer: I don't own it, some day I might, but I highly doubt that, all characters and places belong to Tolkien, bar the few characters and places I manage to come up with ie. Missalah. Cries I wish I owned it but I don't so please don't sue me because I have no money...I want some money!
WARNING: This chapter contains violence. This may be offensive to some so please do not read any further if you are opposed to violence. And if you do read anyway and get offended please do not complain to me because you have been warned. Thank you.
A/N I'm so so so very sorry that it has taken this long to update but I have been snowed under with school work. I should actually be doing homework now but I really want to get this chapter done because I know how annoying it is when someone doesn't update for ages. ( So enjoy!
Chapter Four: Honey
The cellar floor was cold. Hard stones dug into the flesh of Missalah's bare back, but she didn't feel it. From a distance she looked serene, a child sleeping peacefully, curled up in a ball. But as Haldir got closer, he knew this was not so. Slashes of red decorated her naked body. Shades of black, blue and purple marring her once perfect skin. There was only silence, save the harsh sound of her breathing, short, shallow, uneven breaths. Haldir rolled her onto her stomach and ran his hands down her body to feel for any broken bones. He cursed, at least two of her ribs had been broken, and he could feel the bones sticking out, almost puncturing her skin. Once he was sure it was safe to move her he lifted her carefully in his strong arms and bore her away.
Thick golden honey, so sweet...so deadly. Missalah was swimming in a sea of it, so viscous that she could barely move. Cramps had developed in her arms, sending waves of pain along them every time she tried to move. Honey filled her nostrils, dulling her senses. She opened her mouth to scream, honey poured in, choking her. She realised she couldn't breathe at the same time she began to choke. Panic took over; she thrashed her arms around wildly, but still could get no closer to the surface. It was like trying to touch the moon. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, but she could not cry, she would not allow herself. Then there was a voice, it was male, deep and calm. It called her name, softly at first, then louder, telling her to come back, to fight. Water. No more honey, now she was swimming in water, the sudden change of viscosity was shocking at first, but Missalah soon took advantage of it and swam towards the surface. She could see a bright light at the top, shining, guiding her back. Glistening water sprayed in all directions as her head broke the surface, she breathed in lungful after sweet lungful of precious air. Then the memories hit her. Wave after wave of painful remembrance of all the abuse she had suffered in her life. And then the physical pain. Her entire body ached, jolts of pain shot through her body with every tiny movement, every laboured breath. She couldn't move and she could barely breath, her entire world was pain.
Breathing hard, Haldir ran through the palace halls towards the healing quarters. Missalah was awake. It had been three days since he had brought her in, after finding her bruised and broken body in the cellar of her father's house. He had been mortified by her treatment. She had remained unconscious for the entire time; no sign of life save the steady rise and fall of her chest.
Pain. Missalah lay curled in a ball and sobbing uncontrollably. Every time the healer tried to touch her she would scream out in agony, everything hurt. She felt as though she had been crushed under some great weight, like every muscle had been pulled so tight, almost to breaking point, and as though every joint had been dislocated. All she could think of was the pain; all she could hear was her own screaming. Nothing else existed for her accept for the brief flashbacks to the cause of her agony. Her father
Flashback Her face was on fire, and he still kept striking it, ignoring her tears and her desperate pleas of mercy. Then she was on the ground and all she could feel was the heavy booted feet slamming into her sides over and over. The pain just wouldn't stop. Over and over, a new colour created every time his foot collided with her, bruise after bruise. She cried out as she felt a rib snap, pain of the worst kind pulsed through her body, and she couldn't help but scream. Darkness was closing in fast, everything began to spin, she could still hear herself screaming, but it was faint, and even fainter was the sound of laughter. Then there was black, an endless nothing that stretched from here to eternity and back again. The great void.
End Flashback
She let out a tortured scream, one that Haldir would be haunted by for the rest of his long immortal years. She writhed on the bed, as if trying to fend off some unseen foe. The old healer, far beyond his prime, tried to hold her down, but his scrawny, malnourished arms were too weak to hold the distressed elf maid down. Haldir crossed the distance between himself and the bed in two long strides and placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing the elleth under control quite easily. She let out a small sigh and her eyelids drooped, and then closed. A small smile played across Haldir's lips, she was asleep.