SHE WOKE UP somewhere soft and wet. Dirt itched between her fingernails. It scattered through her clothes and clung like second skin. She groaned, eyes fluttering as she lazily pulled herself up with her hand before they widened in realization.
She was in a forest.
Sunlight refused to touch the ground, instead it glittered leaves. Tall trees arched up, unbecoming all around her. She could feel nature's breath as birds chirped around, cleaning their nests and feeding their hatchlings; unaware of the lone, panicking girl.
She stood up quickly, looking at all her surroundings. The jeans she wore crumbled with dried up dirt. Her shirt was heavy and sticky as her limbs moved. Looking down, she was glad to see that at least she had shoes on.
A series of voices invaded her head, causing her breath to hitch. They all whispered to her, talking in a language that she didn't understand. A deep and coiling feeling settled within her gut, building up inside her before settling back down like a tide. It's goes on and on, and on.
It wasn't long before she heard footsteps moving towards her.
Her reaction was instant. She twisted and turned, running as far as her legs could stretch, avoiding the branches and far trenches over wherever the hell she had woken up in. The voices behind her yelled, and she screamed when somebody tackled her by the side. They dragged her up before pinning her back to the ground.
"Let me go!" She moved against the constraints. "You bitch!"
Her hunter, a man who wore worn-down wool for a shirt and had leather strapping across his thighs, pushed her back against the tree. She fell back down, winded and out of breath. The fuck are these people?
He had a sword sheathed beneath the tattered straps, his hair cut to a low ponytail that reached his elbow. He looked at her from head to toe, a disgruntled expression etched in his horrid face.
A couple more men appeared in similar fashion. Like her captor, they all wore the same type of woolish clothing. They all looked at her like she was some type of alien. The feeling was mutual.
One of the men, a blonde with a huge scar marked on the side of his face, spoke up to her captor. Her eyes darted back and forth between them as they spoke in tongues. She pushed herself up against the tree, forcing herself to not shake.
"What do you want from me?"
Her captor looked back to her, before nodding at the brutish man. He unsheathed his sword and the last thing she saw was the glitter of silver before her world went black.
She awakes in a wooden pen, nestled against pigs. She took in a sharp breath, clenching her nose at the smell. Her eyes widened when she saw the state of her clothes. Someone had changed them. A lump formed in her throat as she held the flimsy cloth on her hands, a long dress that went from her neckline to her ankles. Someone had pinned her hair up as well, her long brown locks were up in a braid.
She steadied her over-beating heart by placing a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath before getting up.
The girl gripped one of the posts, maneuvering herself to get up. She yelped when one of the pigs jumped towards her foot. She hastily moved it away.
She was in some sort of hut. Light shone in through little cracks in the wooden panels and ceiling. The girl jumped through the pen, dusting herself off. Chickens started brawling and hooting over the noise.
A man called out to her, making her jump in surprise. She turned swiftly, cautious eyes sweeping through the pen. By the farthest corner of the little hut was another person. A man with dirty blond hair and sky blue eyes. His lip was bloodied and bruised, his hands were both tied up to a wooden post. He wore the same sort of clothing as her captors had. Medieval, almost.
A loud horn blasted from outside the pen. Along with the sound of people yelling and cheering. Her head turned just as the man called out again, speaking in words that she still didn't understand.
Did she hit her head? She was sure she understood words before.
The man groaned and tugged his ties, jerking his head from her to his hands at the wistful expression in her face.
Well, that part she understood.
The girl slowly walked up to him, fearing that he might suddenly attack. But by the looks of it, he seemed to have been taken as well. Steeling her resolve, she dropped down to his level and began untying the knots.
When the rope became undone, she flexed it taut and held it up. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, but it was the most threatening thing that she could think of.
Perhaps she should have tried to look intimidating first before releasing the unknown man.
Blue-eyes raised a brow in response, scoffing. He roughly took the rope from her hands and threw it away. The girl stayed clear out of his way as he stood up.
Another horn blew out. She followed the noise, wincing at the sudden swell of pain in her head. She shook her head to clear it. She felt the silhouette of the man creep behind her back, making her tense. But she could hardly react when she saw what was outside.
People rallied towards the little village that she was in, swords and fists raised. An influx of arrows began shooting out. The girl gasped in fright, taking a step back. She turned swiftly, but when she came to look, she realized that the man she had just saved was already gone.
Well. That was a little disappointing.
She runs the moment third horn blows out, going to the opposite direction from where everyone else was heading. Her feet padded against the ground, and she gasped when she felt tiny leaves and branches graze her bare feet. She didn't know how far or long she ran when another group of men blocked her, swords raised.
They glanced at her appreciatively, the tallest and widest among the group momentarily dropping his weapon, a small smirk falling upon his lips.
She screamed when he lunged.
Her breath left her when they dropped the ground. His hand gripped tightly against her waist, and she felt him press his entire weight on her. Her face flushed and she struggled to push him back.
"Help!"
He covered her mouth by placing his upon hers. The swell of his tongue met her soft flesh- and she bit hard.
The man yelled in pain, jolting back from her in an instant. The girl crawled backwards away from him immediately, spitting the blood from her mouth. She heaved, looking wildly from him and his men- who all wore looks of astonishment. The pressure in her head grew stronger.
Her assailant stood up, snarling. His mouth was open as he panted like a dog, face painted red with the blood she smeared open. gross gross gross. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, raised it up to the sky and slashed down. The girl rolled, gasping as she stood up in fright.
Another man moved and jerked her to the side. She cried out when he kicked the back of her shin, falling back down to her knees. Her assailant spit on her face, wiping the droplets of blood away from his face before raising his sword again.
The girl's eyes shone brightly as she screamed and ducked down. The pressure inside her head exploded in a blast, throwing everyone away from her and knocking them out in the process. She heaved, looking at the wispy blue that came from her hands, almost like smoke but not. If she could see herself, she would've noticed the bright blue hue in her eyes.
She gulped, standing back upright.
What the fuck was that?
The girl didn't wait to bother and find out, hearing another horn blow out. Her feet, still barefoot- dammit, uncomfortably skidded on the ground. She took the opportunity and grabbed the boots of the man closest to her. Jumping lightly as she placed them on. She wiped her face clean, wiggling her feet to test the feel of the shoe, before she ran again.
She was close to escaping when she heard swords clank together. Her jaw clenched and she jerked to a stop when she ran directly to two men sparring. Or it would've been a spar, if they were actually friendly to each other.
Her reaction was instant, natural. It was like her body knew what to do before her mind did. Her hand went up and it began to glow eerily once again. It was blue, almost cyan. The color clung against the person's body. She lifted him off the ground and to the side, grunting when she met some resistance.
The sound of him landing on the ground broke her out from whatever trance she was on and she blinked. It was second nature, saving him. Like she was used to exercising whatever thing she was capable of.
Her hand remained glowing and she looked at it with amazement. At the middle of her palm was a cluster of light and it pulsed in time of her breath. She guessed it was cool.
When she looked up to who she saved, she almost grimaced. It was the same man she 'saved' earlier.
He stood up fast, slashing his sword down. The girl gasped, flinching to the side. She turned sharply, there was another person behind her- seemingly on the way for a sneak attack.
She looked back towards the man, eyes wide. He held both of his hands up, eyeing her critically. "Mikael," he pointed a finger at himself then to her. The girl blinked and shrugged.
Her mouth felt dry as she spoke, "I have no idea, either."