Good Guest, Snuggle Bunny, Cheese Meister, AlmightyWarrior. You are the best reveiwers a writer could ever have :'D Thank you for joining me in telling that troll off. I write for you! Enjoy!

Nadia lay on her side after another horrible night. Despite her best efforts she couldn't sleep, not even to visit the man in her dreams. The Kurgan slept beside her peacefully, how a man of such evil could do so she didn't know. Time had lost its meaning since her imprisonment and when she realized that she tried to think about how long she had been kept as a slave in his chambers, never leaving never moving. Only bowing to his will and power without hope of ever getting out. The strange thing was is that she was sure she had been there for over ten years now but still hadn't aged a day.

As time went on The Kurgan took to leaving for long periods of time. Nadia was left alone and cherished each moment of her solitude. Of course she never tried to escape, she knew there was no hope. The Kurgan would only find her again and she knew it. What made her really think was that she hadn't aged a day. When she looked into the mirror she saw the same face of the girl she had been, her eyes showed a different story. One of sadness and longing.

No matter how long she had been kept there she was still alive and although she hated it she counted it as a blessing. It was better than what had happened to her parents and the rest of her once powerful household. She still remembered that day with perfect clarity. The red sun, the smoke, the blood, the agonizing pain. The smell of smoke made her nose twitch and for a moment she thought she could actually smell the smoke. She finally closed her hollow eyes.

The smell became stronger and she shot up in bed. "That isn't my memory," she thought to herself.

At that same moment there was a urgent pounding at the door. The Kurgan awoke almost instantly and dragged himself to the door after pulling on his trousers. He growled and the door swung open to reveal a soot covered sentry standing there with an alert presence.

He spoke quickly to The Kurgan and after he was given firm orders the door swung shut and was locked again. Nadia sat up and used the comforter to cover herself. She looked at her master with a frightened expression.

"What is happening?" She asked.

He didn't respond as he quickly went to work putting his barbaric armor on. He didn't ask for assistance and it didn't look as if he needed any. He methodically tied the pieces together in little time and she was surprised by his speed.

She asked him again, "Tell me what's happening! I don't understand their language!"

He didn't look at her as he continued to dress, he went to a to a table and opened the wooden box that was the only thing occupying the space. He opened the box and revealed his sword, she had seen it many times before when he went on long trips away and the way he treasured it was almost sacredly. He picked it up and then put it in the sheath at his belt.

"There is a war outside. A rival of mine has come seeking a fight and he shall get one," he went back to the stand where his armor rested and picked up his helmet, tucking it securely under his arm. "My castle is presently burning, something you should be familiar with." He grinned when she shuddered and looked out the window. He turned to face her before leaving the room and stood by the door in all his powerful glory, the armor adding to his powerful presence. He smirked as he looked at her one last time before departing. When he closed the door there was a loud click.

With terror creeping up on her she picked up the billowy shift on the floor and flung it over her head. The smoke grew thicker in the night and she whimpered as memories swam through her head, with smoke beginning to drift past the open window she crawled under the bed and waited for the smoke to go away.

The screams of men and women echoed through the castle, Nadia screamed in fear and then covered her ears trying to block out the images of her past. The fighting got worse and was audible from her room. After minutes of waiting she heard footsteps running through the halls outside her door. Smoking even began creeping in under the door. She scooted away from it and began coughing as she scrambled out from under the bed.

Just as she sat back on her heels and coughed the door burst in. She jumped and scrambled back to the protection under the bed. A man entered the room but she could only see his muddy, bloody boots as they walked across the room. She knew it wasn't The Kurgan. It was obvious he was looking for something but she had no idea as to what. He stomped across the room and stood still as she guessed he examined the chamber.

Nadia had to cover her mouth to stop him from hearing her frightened whimpers. To add to her horror another man rushed in and started shouting at him in the language she didn't understand. She scooted close to the wall and pressed herself against it. The torches they carried cast orange light and shadows on the walls yet she couldn't make out their features.

They spoke hurriedly and then left, the light going with them. When their footsteps couldn't be heard she cautiously made her way out from under the bed and used her sleeve to help block the stining smell of smoke. She coughed as she stumbled out into the hallway and was met with a large wall of flame to the left of her. Her eyes watered and she ran from the danger, down the stairs over and over. She hit each landing only to go round again and run down more stairs.

All around was the chaos that war entailed. Along the way to the foyer she saw numerous people laying dead all around and fire was slowly eating away at the mighty place. She yelped as she tripped over something solid and soft. When she twisted back around she met the glassy dead eyes of the women that had attended to her. It wasn't the same old hag as before, that woman had died long ago. In her place had come three more women, the eldest of which now lay dead at Nadia's feet. She gasped and then chocked and scrambled away to the nearest wall. She bit her fist and was covered in soot and dirty. The old woman was a gruesome sight with her neck slit wide open.

The girl was frozen on the floor as she looked at the dead woman and smoke drifted all around. Time slowed, there was no sound, no smell, nothing except the dead gaze of the dead woman. Suddenly a voice came into her head, the masculine voice of the Man in Red from her dreams.

"Move girl," he said. "Run, run! Get out and run!"

She nodded and then pushed herself up and stumbled drunkenly through the chaos. She went unnoticed as she ran across the crumbling foyer, the fear and excitement mixed together and made her bare feet numb to the rumble she stepped on, causing them to bleed, she didn't care. Finally she burst out of the damned castle and felt cool air on her face , the fresh taste of freedom washed over her face. She opened her mouth and felt the air rush in, filling her lungs. The coolness was short lived when another wave of heat rolled through from the fire. She was knocked back into her senses and glided through the courtyard, passing more death and gore.

The gates were in view through the black, the fire casting light on the high stone structure, the metal gates had been knocked down by a battering ram. Both of which now lay on the ground, forgotten in the heat of battle. She smiled, it was so close, the path to a new life was right in front of her. But she didn't make it.

All she felt was a sharp pain shoot up her back and explode through her body. She gasped and her smile quickly ran away as she stumbled to her knees. She pitched forward to the harsh cobbled stone courtyard and her dull eyes stared at the gate that had been swept aside by the intruding army. She reached out for the gates but her hand fell limp to the ground. An arrow protruded from her back, a parting gift from The Kurgan himself.

In her chase for freedom she didn't notice him when she dashed by, he was fighting off another man just as hulking as him. When the other man fell dead The Kurgan saw his slave run past and glared. He put his sword away and then grabbed a bow, along with a single arrow, and quickly had her in his sights. When he struck her he grinned. She would at least be stunned until morning, leaving him free to fight again.

Blood slowly seeped through her shift and stained her dress, yet again, with red.

Wait for it. . .