Author's Note: Meant to have this up a while ago, but Fanfiction.Net
wouldn't let me get onto the site.Grr grr, I say. Well, here it is. ^_^
Time stopped, and Farrah was suspended in air. She was floating. Flying! She wasn't moving at all.
Farrah lifted her head, and gasped. Before her were two very awesome, very different women. One was young, beautiful, and detached. The other was an old crone, ugly as a hag. She was grinning, either in mirth or sadistically, it was hard to tell.
"Who are you?" Farrah's voice wavered. "What's happening?" Damn it, she couldn't even just end it, could she? It had to be prolonged.again.and again.and again.
"Now, watch your tongue, girly," The old one said. "Is that any way to speak to your deities?"
Farrah stared coolly at the old crone. "Deities?" She muttered. "I'm dreaming. Or I'm dead. I've probably drowned in the Zekoi by now. None of this is real anymore; what do you want from me?"
The younger woman lifted an eyebrow composedly.
"We want you to live, girl." She stated. Farrah snorted.
"Why? I'm a slave, damn it. There's no reason to live."
"Well here's one - because we told you to." The older woman smiled at Farrah. "Come now, who in Carthak would disobey the Graveyard Hag?"
"I'm not Carthaki," Farrah muttered.
"Then you wouldn't disobey me, now, would you? No Tortallan would ignore the Goddess. Especially a woman."
Farrah stared at the two. The Graveyard Hag, and the Goddess? But why would they care? There had to be other woman, in all of Tortall and Carthak that needed their help more then she.
Maybe there isn't, a selfish part of herself muttered. Maybe she was the most important to the goddesses now.
"Don't get cocky," the Hag muttered. Farrah blinked, and blushed angrily.
"Leave me alone!" She spat at the two of them. "I want to die, damn it! Let me!" The Hag was quiet, and the Goddess stared at Farrah with hard eyes.
"And why do you want to die, child?"
Not realizing that, as a goddess, she would have known, Farrah looked away and did her best to explain. "I'm pregnant," she whispered miserably. The Goddess glanced at the Hag, and then began.
"And isn't pregnancy a joyful time, for a woman? Why would it be a cause for intentional death?"
Farrah's shoulders shook. "It can't be joyful! It's not possible! Of anyone, you should understand. Don't rape victims go to your temples? Don't they seek justice in your temples? Don't they get help if they want to get rid of a child they've been left with? IDon't they?"/I
"If it was rape, yes." She lifted an eyebrow at the girl. Farrah blushed furiously, and glared.
"Well there Iaren't/I any temples dedicated to you here. And if there were, how would I get there? I can't leave the palace." She sneered scornfully at the structure over her shoulder. She lifted her hands to cover her face, and her shoulders shook violently as she sobbed. She'd nearly forgotten she floated on open air.
Farrah looked up at the divine beings, he face tear-streaked. The Goddess sighed, and nodded her direction of the balcony. A strangely wonderful sensation ripped through Farrah's body as she was floated to the floor of the terrace. When her feet touched solid ground, her knees seemed to give out, and she fell, her hands coming out to catch herself.
"You can't die yet," the Graveyard Hag said tiredly. "It's not your time. There are plans that have not yet played out. And in order for them to finish as they need to, you can't die yet."
"Then when?" Farrah cried. "Why are you keeping me alive?" she wanted to scream, but her voice was rasping.
"You'll know." The Graveyard Hag faded, and was gone. Desperately, Farrah looked to the Goddess. She shook her head sadly. "Don't try something like this again. You cannot die yet. Try to understand." And she was gone.
Farrah fell forward on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees. She cried herself out, until she realized that she was very vulnerable where she lay. Shakily, she got up. If she couldn't kill herself, then maybe someone else would.
Time stopped, and Farrah was suspended in air. She was floating. Flying! She wasn't moving at all.
Farrah lifted her head, and gasped. Before her were two very awesome, very different women. One was young, beautiful, and detached. The other was an old crone, ugly as a hag. She was grinning, either in mirth or sadistically, it was hard to tell.
"Who are you?" Farrah's voice wavered. "What's happening?" Damn it, she couldn't even just end it, could she? It had to be prolonged.again.and again.and again.
"Now, watch your tongue, girly," The old one said. "Is that any way to speak to your deities?"
Farrah stared coolly at the old crone. "Deities?" She muttered. "I'm dreaming. Or I'm dead. I've probably drowned in the Zekoi by now. None of this is real anymore; what do you want from me?"
The younger woman lifted an eyebrow composedly.
"We want you to live, girl." She stated. Farrah snorted.
"Why? I'm a slave, damn it. There's no reason to live."
"Well here's one - because we told you to." The older woman smiled at Farrah. "Come now, who in Carthak would disobey the Graveyard Hag?"
"I'm not Carthaki," Farrah muttered.
"Then you wouldn't disobey me, now, would you? No Tortallan would ignore the Goddess. Especially a woman."
Farrah stared at the two. The Graveyard Hag, and the Goddess? But why would they care? There had to be other woman, in all of Tortall and Carthak that needed their help more then she.
Maybe there isn't, a selfish part of herself muttered. Maybe she was the most important to the goddesses now.
"Don't get cocky," the Hag muttered. Farrah blinked, and blushed angrily.
"Leave me alone!" She spat at the two of them. "I want to die, damn it! Let me!" The Hag was quiet, and the Goddess stared at Farrah with hard eyes.
"And why do you want to die, child?"
Not realizing that, as a goddess, she would have known, Farrah looked away and did her best to explain. "I'm pregnant," she whispered miserably. The Goddess glanced at the Hag, and then began.
"And isn't pregnancy a joyful time, for a woman? Why would it be a cause for intentional death?"
Farrah's shoulders shook. "It can't be joyful! It's not possible! Of anyone, you should understand. Don't rape victims go to your temples? Don't they seek justice in your temples? Don't they get help if they want to get rid of a child they've been left with? IDon't they?"/I
"If it was rape, yes." She lifted an eyebrow at the girl. Farrah blushed furiously, and glared.
"Well there Iaren't/I any temples dedicated to you here. And if there were, how would I get there? I can't leave the palace." She sneered scornfully at the structure over her shoulder. She lifted her hands to cover her face, and her shoulders shook violently as she sobbed. She'd nearly forgotten she floated on open air.
Farrah looked up at the divine beings, he face tear-streaked. The Goddess sighed, and nodded her direction of the balcony. A strangely wonderful sensation ripped through Farrah's body as she was floated to the floor of the terrace. When her feet touched solid ground, her knees seemed to give out, and she fell, her hands coming out to catch herself.
"You can't die yet," the Graveyard Hag said tiredly. "It's not your time. There are plans that have not yet played out. And in order for them to finish as they need to, you can't die yet."
"Then when?" Farrah cried. "Why are you keeping me alive?" she wanted to scream, but her voice was rasping.
"You'll know." The Graveyard Hag faded, and was gone. Desperately, Farrah looked to the Goddess. She shook her head sadly. "Don't try something like this again. You cannot die yet. Try to understand." And she was gone.
Farrah fell forward on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees. She cried herself out, until she realized that she was very vulnerable where she lay. Shakily, she got up. If she couldn't kill herself, then maybe someone else would.