~Elena~
The halls were abuzz with the news of Tyrion's guilt and the death of my uncle. Rosette's hand gripped my arm tightly as we trudged through the currents of people. She'd donned a brown cloak, the hood falling to cover most of her ravaged face, as she hunched within herself, small whimpers of pain stamped beneath the flow of voices. A twinge of guilt stabbed my heart as I .shifted to take on more of her weight. I knew she was silently screaming in pain, but she muscled through for my sister.
Icy water trickled down my spine, jolting every abused nerve in my body as I awoke with a desperate gasp of air. Raw wrist singing with pain as they jolted against rusting cuffs. My face burned with a thousand bee stings. Ribs filled with white hot fire.
"Oh good. You're awake." Cold soul-less eyes stared down at me as a smirk pulled at the mouth of Tywin Lannister. My breath hitched as tears burned in my eyes. My body barking with the reminder of his last visit. He knelt before me, trailing a finger along my swollen split cheek, rubbing the blood across my lips, the metallic taste blooming across my tongue as I fought not to be sick.
"My son will be put to death tomorrow. I thought I might unchain you long enough to watch. What do you think about that?" He whispered in my ear as he leaned in to smell my sweat slick hair. The darkness surged, my teeth snapping at his exposed neck. Lightening stuck my abused cheek, colored burst flashing before my eyes as the metallic tang of blood coated my mouth.
"I suppose I'll have to teach you another lesson in manners." He growled darkly as he stood once more.
"It's not much... Further now." Rosette panted through the pain, hand gripping my arm so tightly her knuckles were white and my fingers tingled. We'd received a few odd looks in passing, but no one had thwarted our journey so far. An electric charged hummed in the air as we rounded yet another corner, my heart thumping painfully as the sound of boots pounding against stone echoed in my ears. Rosette made a distressed noise in the back of her throat as I looked for an exit.
"She's just through those doors up there." Rosette announced softly as I walked backwards, hoping for a place to hide until the guards passed. They'll kill us before we get to her. No, I had to get to her. There was no other option.
"Stay behind me Rosette." I ordered as I stepped in front of the hunched woman, pulling my knife from my sheath to hold behind my back as I pressed us against the wall. Their shining armor and pounding boots greeted me as the leader of the pack regarded me with thinly veiled distaste.
"What are you doing here whore?" He sneered as the surrounding guards gripped their weapons tightly. My hand tightened around the leather bound handle as I tried to stand up straighter, eyes widening with feigned innocence.
"I'm taking this old kitchen worker to see the Grand Maester sir." I lied, voice pitched just above a whisper. A smirk pulled at his lips as he stroked his soot colored beard, boots clinking again as he rocked, arms folded.
"Let me inspect you first." He laughed before stepping closer, hand reaching out to brush hair from my face. I felt sick, enraged. Empowered. I stepped away from him, making sure to keep Rosette behind me as he snarled, hand curling into a fist.
"You'll open your legs for dwarf cock, but not for a real man?" He spat as he snatched up my arm, a gasp of pain leaking past my lips as he buried his face in my neck. Darkness surged once more as blood sprayed my face, warm and sticky, my blade buried deep into his neck. There was a moment of silence as everyone registered what happened, before they began shouting angrily, pulling swords from their sheaths, darting forward.
"Get to Lucia. Get her to the port." I barked before rushing forward to meet them.
"I can see why my son kept you." Tywin's voice oozed along my battered skin as I curled tightly within myself, bare back pressed against the cool stone wall as he admired himself in the mirror, dabbing at the bloody scratches on his cheek with a large grin. I wanted to peel my flesh from the bones, purge myself of his touch. Choking sobs welled in my chest as I closed my eyes. Wishing it all to go away.
"I was disgusted when he'd first been presented to me. A hideous creature who bore my name, though I doubt we share little more than that. There is, unfortunately, no way to prove that, so I was stuck with the monster for a son. I may have been able to tolerate that, but he'd become a stain on the Lannister name. Drinking himself into whimsy stupors, spending gold as if it fell from the sky. Then, he married that whore." His hand gripped a belt he'd had sitting on the vanity. Knuckles ghost white as his fiery gaze landed upon me.
"I couldn't have my son turning us into an even bigger laughing stock, so I got rid of her." He tapped his hand with the folded leather, head shaking with remembrance.
"Then, just when I think he might actually have a chance to do something for this family. I find a beautiful snake in his bed. A Dornish whore turned spy, how quaint. I couldn't have the name ruined once more, so I dealt with that to. Now, I'm sure you didn't leave home without invitation, so the only question that remains is who sent for you?" He smacked his hand tauntingly as he came to stand before me. My body trembled as I looked up at him with swollen eyes.
"I don't-" A scream burst forth as the belt bit deep into my exposed thigh.
"Let's try again. Who sent for you?" I bit my lip, blood pooling in my mouth as the belt stung my back.
"I'm not a bad man. Really, I'm not. Just tell me who sent for you and this can all end." He cooed as he flashed me a smile. I'll never talk.
Metallic thunder echoed loudly in the hallway, sweat trickling down my brow as I dodged another blow to the ribs, knife snaking to catch a guard across the cheek. He hissed in pain, his fist shooting out, the forced wind knocking my hair from my face.
"When I'm done beating you bloody. I'll pay another visit to your lovely sweet sister." Another cackled. I was twelve again, facing down a pack of rabid dogs, my sister screaming for me. My body moved without thought, knife seeking blood as it bit and ripped into my enemies. A sword clipped my thigh, and even though I saw the blood trickling down my leg, I felt no pain. There was no room for pain. No room for fear. There was only the darkness. An iron fist caught my jaw, sending me sprawling to the floor. Knife tumbling from my fingers to slide across the floor as fingers dug into my throat, lifting me high into the air. My lungs screamed, craving air as I pulled at the clasping fingers.
"To bad I can't play with you. You have more fire then that other girl." Fingernails dug deep into the face of my attacker, ripping skin as he howled in pain, tossing me to the side. My head smacked against the stone, vision swimming as a boot connected with my back. The metal of my blade twinkled just out of reach as the boot stomped again. Please. Gods help me. I begged as I coughed for air, ribs screaming as they met the boot as well.
"We're going to have fun killing you." I stretched, body protesting loudly as I gasped for my next breath.
"I'll make-" Words came to a gurgling end as my knife dug deep into his soft throat, blood spraying my face, warm and sticky sweet. I was empowered once again, the darkness, now having tasted blood, demanded more. Our fight was soon a death dance. My blade kissing tender flesh as their yells of pain set the tempo. Blood pooled at my feet, slick against my skin as the rabid dogs fell before me, their voices falling on deaf ear as they tried to fend me off, but I was no longer in this body. I was outside of it, watching as the darkness consumed me.
"Sister!" My chest heaved as I pushed the last of the guards from my blade, looking up to a vision of gold. Lucia was struggling to reach me. Eyes wide as her hand reached out desperately.
"Sister, no!" There was a pinch in my side, then numbness, though I could detect the rushing of liquid meshing with the crimson staining my dress. Rosette looked at me, mouth open in shock as the pain came, white hot, a silent scream falling from my lips as I looked down to see a dagger plunged deep into my side. My knees gave way, ground rushing to meet me as my vision blurred.
"No. Let me go! Elena!" I tried to gulp for breath, body engulfed in flames as I tried to pick my body up on trembling hands.
"Not yet dear." A cry of pain fell from my lips as the dagger sunk deeper, blood pooling beneath me.
"Stop it! Please!" Her hair was a tangled mess. A bruise blooming on her cheek while scrapes and cut patterned along her arms. It's my fault she got into this. I can't fail her again. A scream of pain pushed forth as I heaved myself up onto my hands and knees, wheezing as I gave my sister one last look.
"Good-bye Lucia." She screamed for me as Rosette took the message, dragging my sister behind her as she turned to run. Tywin smirked as I turned to face him, legs wobbling as I struggled to my feet, swaying as blinking eyes tried to focus.
"My, you are predictable. I snatch up your sister and you all but throw yourself at my feet." He laughed as his hand cracked across my face, before pushing the dagger in hilt deep. My legs gave way again as I fought to stay awake, tears flooding my eyes as I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for death to finally take me.
"No death for you yet. I still have use of you." Gods, help me.