A/N: Hello there! Here's chapter 13, hope you guys like it! As per usual, a big thanks to all my readers and all who have followed/fav/reviewed! Much appreciated! Have a good weekend folks, and I'll see you again next time!


Chapter 13: Terrified

It was just before the break of dawn. The sun still hung dormant beneath the horizon, when the front door of the farmhouse slammed forcefully enough to cause Astrid to spring out of her bed in fear. She only had one thought - one person - that came to mind. Reiner. He was home, and she was living on borrowed time.

Her every muscle tensing, she crept to the door, pressing her ear against it to listen to his movements. Perhaps he'd guzzled enough alcohol to pass out and leave her alone to live for another day. Upon hearing his frantic stumbling and misguided footsteps, she realized that he wasn't hitting the floor any time soon. Astrid then decided that the gods had, indeed, chosen to punish her to the fullest extent.

Astrid winced, hearing the sound of glass shatter against a nearby wall. Things weren't going well for her - at all. The steps became more frenzied, more irate, and more unpredictable. Astrid's every muscle drew tight, her every hair rose, and her mouth felt as dry as the sands of Hammerfell. She jerked, slightly startling as a small, black spider scurried out from under the door, probably fleeing from the approaching chaos on the other side.

Before she could completely comprehend or act on any impulses, it was too late. The door flew open, forcefully kicked from the opposing side. The heavy wood hit Astrid square in the jaw, knocking her to the floor. She cringed from the initial pain, tasting fresh blood in her mouth.

She shrieked, seeing Reiner's menacing silhouette in the darkness. The smell of alcohol and blood reeked in the air, penetrating what used to be the only safe room in the farmhouse. The light of day was still waiting to rise, filling her room with dark, twisted shadows, both dancing and delighting in her torment.

"Lyin' little bitch..." Reiner growled, his voice deep and heavy with intoxication.

A sharp, crushing pain filled her side as he kicked her with full force, making a stifled gasp fall from Astrid's trembling lips. Hot tears stung her cheeks in the icy darkness that had become her reality.

"No! Please!" she begged, but her cries fell mercilessly upon deaf ears.

"I told you not to cross me! You've been takin' me for a fool!" he yelled, turning and violently kicking an endtable over. Its contents spilled upon the floor beside Astrid's writhing body, scattering like the racing thoughts through her mind.

"Please...don't..." Astrid wailed, waiting for the moment when she'd cease to exist. It was only now that she completely realized the magnitude of the monster before her. Astrid knew the man was dangerous, but only now did she truly, truly see.

"Get up!" Reiner spat, kicking her square in the ribs, as she whimpered defenselessly.

Still begging for her life, Astrid held onto her her throbbing abdomen, standing as best she could. She could barely muster more than a crouch, given the pain she was experiencing. Reiner grabbed her by the collar of her dress, pulling her to eye-level and causing a scream to burst from her lips.

"How long have you been doin' this, Astrid?" he growled from between clenched, grimy teeth. The smell of alchohol on his breath was strong enough for her to nearly vomit.

"I...don't...know..." she sobbed pitifully, feeling like a helpless child.

"HOW LONG?!" he yelled furiously, his saliva hitting her face and causing her to wince, mixing with her tears.

"A...while...Oh gods...I'm sorry...Please don't kill me...please..." she weeped, becoming hysterical, all the while feeling like the world would open up and swallow her whole before she'd come out of this alive.

"SHUT UP!" Reiner spat, and Astrid saw stars. Billions upon billions of stars as broad and expansive as the plane of Mundus began to fill her vision, her mind, and her physical being. Blow by blow, she started to grow numb as her body began to succumb to the unconscious realm.

"No...no..." her sobs began to fade out, as she heard the final words fall from Reiner's vile, wretched lips.

"Nona, you little bitch! I'll murder you if you do it again!"

"Wh...at?" Astrid mumbled, before sinking into endless darkness.

A predatory, desperate, and vengeful thought had flickered through Astrid's mind just before the world gave way to the black abyss of nothingness:

I'm not Nona. If I live through this, I'll make sure you remember that.


The pounding of her heart in her ears had somehow pulled Astrid back into the world of the living. Every ounce of her energy was required just to open her eyes. She blinked a few times, attempting to straighten out the blurry world before her.

Then it had dawned on her: she was alive. She sighed, relieved that she hadn't faded away for good. Her relief was brief however, for it was cut short by copious amounts of pain and terrifying memories of what had rendered her unconscious in the first place.

Feeling the cold, unforgiving floor beneath her, she tried desperately to sit upright. Her body, both extremely weak and reeling from pain, barely complied with her demands. Sitting had never been so difficult in all her years of existence. She felt dizzy, fearing she'd go out again. She nearly retched from the nausea-inducing rush of blood pooling to her lower regions.

It was then that her eyes gazed across her arms, noting deep, purple bruises where Reiner had grabbed and shaken her. She winced, stifling back unwanted tears from the very memory of it all. After Astrid reasoned that she'd gained some semblance of equilibrium, she stood on wobbly legs, nearly falling to the floor.

One unstable foot in front of the other, she willed herself over to her mother's old vanity to inspect the full range of damage he'd dealt. Seeing her own battered reflection was like looking at some unfamiliar, undead corpse.

Astrid's lip trembled, seeing her swollen face, blackened eyes, and busted lip. Her neck was painted with brown bruises that seemed to trail down a bit. Reiner had spoken the truth - he was a monster. He was a hungry, feral beast that her mother had offered her to like a bloody sacrifice.

Apparently the bright sunshine from before had grown too much for the clear skies to bear, sending them crashing straight down on Astrid's skull. Her faint hopes, childlike wishes, false security, and vain dreams were all a stupid facade - a bright color from the deceitful paintbrush hiding the grim scene beneath. The warmth of the sun only filled a beaming sky for so long until it was forced to set, allowing the terror of night to burst forth. Darkness. That was her reality.


The day seemed too real and far too infinite. Astrid laid on her back, staring vacantly at the ceiling. The farmhouse was hauntingly silent, implying that Reiner had left again. Of course, fearing that he was merely laying in an unconscious stupor somewhere within the vicinity, Astrid simply stayed put.

Tedious seconds turned to grueling minutes, and those passed excruciatingly slow, building into exhausting hours. Astrid simply laid there, numb and trying desperately not to think. Suddenly an image of her mother shot into her mind. She was pale and withered, speaking quietly on her deathbed.

"Astrid, promise me you'll remember everything I've taught you. This is a harsh world we live in, dear child. You must stand firm and hold on to your beliefs, or else you'll crumble."

Astrid did remember. She remembered the way it felt to live a life of poverty and desperation, and then the way it felt to stray from her mother's pedestal of wisdom and light. Astrid found the latter choice to be the far better option. There was something about the freedom of following the crooked path of immorality that just felt so right. Immorality - that's what her mother called it, anyway. But was looking out for oneself really so wrong? If that was the case, then Astrid reasoned that she would rather not be right. Self-preservation - that was what she believed in, and now she was sure of it. Priest-like charity, devotion, and selflessness were definitely not her forte.

Her mother was a being of divine justice that she simply couldn't fathom. If that monster was her brother - the same brother that had mercilessly beaten Astrid just last night - and her mother found fit to trust him, then she must have believed in extreme powers of forgiveness. Astrid also found it hard to believe in those ideas. Had Reiner beaten Nona, too? Or was it something else? Either way, despite her uncle's drunken identity mix-up, she was certainly not her mother.

...

Astrid turned her head, gazing blankly through the window to the dusk horizon on the other side. Not a soul stirred downstairs, and given the time that had passed, Astrid decided it was finally safe to move. Reiner must have taken off. Gods only knew how long he'd leave her in peace, but she hoped he would somehow die out there and never return. The man was a stain on her already tarnished life - she'd had enough of him.

She stood wearily, still holding her throbbing abdomen and slightly hunched over in her pain. Walking slowly, she stepped through the doorway, noting that her bedroom door had nearly been knocked from its hinges. Gods, that man was despicable.

Astrid crept through the dark, silent hallway and down the creaky old stairs, wincing with every noise they made. She felt as if any minute Reiner would wake up from somewhere on the floor and make his way to finish her off. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of her paranoia. He was most likely gone to have stayed quiet for such a long period of time.

Standing at the bottom of the steps she stared, wide-eyed, at a busted wine bottle, scanning the burgundy stain where the former contents had painted a nearby wall. The man had been furious - enraged like a rabid dog. Astrid shuddered, moving her gaze to the front door of the farmhouse, which was strangely left open.

Reiner had likely fled in his drunken stupor, not bothering to shut the door. Astrid stepped warily to the open doorway, scanning outside. She sighed with relief, seeing Reiner's carriage missing. He was gone. Thank the Divines.


Astrid eyed the large tub of steaming bathwater she'd prepared in a back room of the farmhouse. Her body ached, and she was covered in sweat and tinged with blood. This would give her a small comfort, if only for a moment. Letting her filthy dress and undergarments fall to the floor, she stepped into the hot, but welcoming water.

She settled in, sighing and eyeing the locked door. Just to make sure she felt safe, she'd previously pushed a heavy dresser in front of it, grimacing and groaning through the intense pain of doing so. Her eyes wandered over her bare form, wincing in disgust when she took note of the dark bruising on her left side. Bastard. She hoped he was somewhere rotting by the road. Of course, she figured she wouldn't find herself to be so lucky. Monsters like Reiner seemed to always gain the upper-hand in her life, continuing to exist and reek havoc on those who couldn't escape their clutches.

Astrid gasped, throbbing from the pressure on her skin as she washed herself. She inhaled deeply, wishing Delvin could be there to comfort her. However, he wasn't. Nobody was there when she needed it most - not even him.

Feeling a twinge of anger well up inside of her, Astrid shook the negative thoughts of him away, scolding herself for being so foolish. Of course he couldn't be there, he had to be inconspicuous as to not set off her uncle to their plight. Delvin had gone through a great deal to help her, she forcefully reminded herself.

She ducked her head under the hot, soothing water, lingering underneath for a bit. Her glassy stare watched the ceiling distort from the rippling surface above her, as she mentally dared herself to hold her breath as long as she could stand it. It was a strange habit she'd formed since childhood, somehow internally tempting the fates to try and take her, while knowing she had the power...the control to come to the surface.

Of course, nothing was stopping Delvin from coming down to the farmhouse and doing something terrible to Reiner. He may not have known about her recent assault, but he knew enough to want to beat Reiner senseless by now, didn't he? Why hadn't he done that already?

Suddenly, Astrid burst forth from the water, gasping for air and beating the fates again. She composed herself, lathering up her blonde locks while brooding on the subject some more. The guild - that was it. Delvin had to abide by the rules to operate from within his organization and get her in. He had a strict code to live by...

Astrid stopped, lowering her hands and growing still. Her mother lived by a strict code, too, and that only caused Astrid to suffer. Was Delvin leading her to...suffer, as well?

No, of course not. He would help her. He would find out and seek revenge on her behalf. Delvin simply didn't know about the current situation. Once informed, he'd never let it happen again. He'd probably have Reiner's head. Wouldn't he?

Astrid sighed, rinsing the lather from her hair. Fearing where her mind was going, she simply leaned back, eyes fixating on the guarded door across from her. Thinking wasn't such a good idea, she decided.