Deanessa
Flames rose toward the dim lit moon sat in the sky looking down on the world. A strong breeze blew through the air carrying ash and the foul smell of burning flesh. A small village sat burning to ash under the night sky. Within the ashes were no signs of life except for a few limbs that were still partially intact, thrown about by the flames. From a cottage just outside the village screams could be heard echoing through the cracking flames. Men in black cloaks shielded their figures from the spread flames as they surrounded the small cottage. Once at the flames edge, not a single person moved as the blood curdling screams rose with the flames like screams coming up from hell. In the orange glow, it was as if the onlookers were nothing more than shadows watching the scene unfold, silently waiting for the light to die down so they could freely move forward. Down fell the stone walls. There was no more screaming, just the crackling of the flames, but eventually those too died down. Silence was all that remained. The distinct howl of a beast rang through the mountains as the cloaked figures walked into the burnt remains of the cottage, embers letting out their final sparks as large boots released them. Darkness enveloped everything now making it difficult for the men to see, but that didn’t stop them from pushing forward.
In a clear formation, the men spread out using their feet to turn over rubble and move away debris that was stacked up. Two bodies were found, still bleeding from being impaled and buried by the debris. A young woman lay burnt and falling apart, the only thing that stood out was her faded silver hair and a bundle in her arms. Pale light descended from the moon in a sudden burst leading down to the woman’s arms. One of the figures approached the woman with caution, sword at the ready, not knowing what this sign could mean. Steady steps propelled him forward. His eyes were alert as he looked down to see the bundle moving. He put away his sword and used the sheath to move the cloth and reveal what was underneath. He froze in shock. His sheath stopped just shy of yanking the cloth from around an infant child. The color drained from his face as though his spirit was escaping his body. Silence filled the air once more as the men stood around waiting for his word. A faint cry could be heard now as the baby breathed in the uncomfortable ashy air. The man reattached his sheath to his belt and kneeled to the ground., picking up the child. Her body was warm but appeared entirely untouched by the flames, and her one-of-a-kind silver hair was unmistakable in the pale moon light.
Having finished their search through the wreckage, they retreat with the infant as the only survivor. Placing her in a small woven basket attached to one their horses, they rode off down a mountain path in the opposite direction of the main road. The group traveled through the forest for several days before reaching a small town that looked to be abandoned by life. Even at midday when they entered the town gates there was no one to be found. The group of men stopped at a stable to tie off their horses before grabbing the basket with the child and entering a rundown inn. Without hesitation they bring the child into the inn and carried her down a deep stairwell to a hallway full of rooms. Each room had a large wooden door with iron locks securing them shut. Every window was covered in iron bars, and the only light was from candles in the main hall. They put the girl inside one the small rooms.
Over the next fourteen years, the group of rough, unruly men raised her. She was never allowed to leave her room, but they all took turns reading to and teaching the small child how to speak and act properly. One of the men, a much older and grayed figure, stood out as giving the girl the most attention. He was kind to her. Every day he would bring her meals to her, making sure to show her the proper way to eat. When it was time for her to bathe or dress, he took extra care not to allow anyone near and kept a close eye for any bruises or marks on her body. He would tell her of how he always wanted to have a daughter, but sadly his wife died leaving him with only two sons. At night, he would watch as she fell asleep saying it was to ensure she got plenty rest. It was important for a growing girl to go to sleep early to wake up beautiful.
Small streaks of light peeked their way into the girl’s dark room. “Wake up!” A deep raspy voice rang out through the halls echoing in the mostly empty stone rooms. The sun was barely up, but it was time for the morning rounds. The small girl stepped on to the cold damp floors, shrinking back for a second as her feet got used to the slimy feeling beneath them. The small hatch at the bottom of her door shot open, startling her almost causing her to slip. “Breakfast,” the same voice stated as an old man slid a tray of bread and soup into the room.
“Thank you, Duclep,” she replied, grabbing the try and walking back over to her bed. As she sat on the edge of the bed starring at the food, the bed made a several loud straining sounds. She sighed and sat on the floor, eating her food silently.
“Why are you eating down there? The floor is no place for a lady such as yourself! You make fourteen years today, time to grow up!” His voice was sweet, almost joking, but there was something else behind it. Before she could ask what though, another voice rang through the hall.
“Move! Keep walking,” an angry man yelled as he dragged a group of crying young women down the hall. “Stop your crying before it gets you lot killed.” Down the hall men could be heard talking, pulling their own share of tied up women. Every week a new group of young women would be brought in, blindfolded with their hands tie back, it was normal here. They would get shoved into the cells for a few hours before disappearing with men in black masks and fancy clothes. The men in black masks would walk through the hall, looking into each room, to pick one of the women to leave with him. Young women would be pulled out of the cells screaming as the men forced them to swallow something in a small glass. After that, he would carry the woman he chose out and she would be gone forever. Usually the masked men would hand over a small brown sack full of beautiful gold coins to Duclep before leaving the hall.
Today was an exception to the normal routine as there was an unusually large number of women today compared to what the young girl was used to seeing. She tried counting, “one, two…ten…fifteen,” but once the number was over thirty, she gave up. Standing on her toes grew tiring, so she stepped down and walk back to her bed. On normal days when masked men were coming to the inn, she was given a hood to where over her head and the bars on her door were covered, but as she sat waiting for the hood to be sent through the door hatch men began to show up. Quickly her window was crowded with masked faces peering in on her. Shock cast over their expressions as they looked upon the young girl sitting on the old creaking bed, doing her best to hide in the dark corner of the room, covering her ears trying to ignore their comments and remarks.
“Look at that hair.” A man wearing simple, black attire matching the small black mask that sat on his cheek bones stared down into the dark room surveying the girl. His face drew nearer to the iron bars, eyes blinking as if the light was deceiving them.
“What of it?” Shouted a much heftier man as he pushed to the front of the crowd. “What is so shocking?” His thick, nasally accent echoed through the small stone room blocking out all other noise. “What is this now?” His voice had become quitter as he spoke, shocked at his own vision.
“Well now,” began yet another unfamiliar man peering at her through a black mask. His expression was not as discernable as the people around him. His features were much soft and less exaggerated, well other than his squinting eyes that sparkled as they scanned over her small frame. “This is truly a prize. How much for this girl?” He yelled to one of the men who had cared for her these last fourteen years.
A shocking response hit the girl’s ears like a ton of bricks. “One thousand gold pieces should do the trick.” Duclep wasted no time giving his greedy answer to the inquiring man. His face was now visible through the bars, a wicked smile crossed his chapped lips. “She is a rare find after all.” With those words the girl’s vision began to blur. Only after feeling a wet drop on her leg did she realize she was crying. She pulled her legs closer to her chest, as if to shield herself from their stares, and continued to listen.
“A fair price, I will take her.” An uproar began in the hall as the calm onlooker from before actually agreed to the outrageous price. Peering over her knees, she watched as three men wearing all black entered with sacks of gold coins at the ready. “I don’t have time to count, so please, keep the extra.” With those words he turned to face to girl through the iron bars and gave her a simple smile that was impossible to read in to.
Duclep took his time in shock to assess the situation. Once realizing what was handed to him, he quickly scrambled to get the keys out of his pocket and open the cell door. There was no hesitation. The men in all black rushed into the room, grabbing the girl by her thin arms, surrounding her with their bodies so she could not run, before exiting the cell with her. Duclep gave them a small bow as the group quickly moved to leave the hall. Going up through the shop the girl looked around, fear creepy up in her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run but didn’t know how. She just made sure to keep moving her legs, not wanting to slow down in case they decided to hit her. These men were large and a lot more intimidating than the ones she had been around the last fourteen years. It sent shills down her spine wondering what they wanted with her.
When the men came to a stop she was brought out of her thoughts and back to reality. They tossed her ahead of them, making sure not to throw her to the ground. The man who purchased her stood there with the same unreadable smile on his face. They were far enough away from the town, so he removed his mask. Making sure no one else was around, he took the girl’s hand in his and they began to walk into the woods, alone. As they walked, she could not help to notice his firm grip on her hand. His hand was much larger than hers locking her hand in place. She watched his face’s unchanged expression. His eyes never moved from in front of him. His hair was neatly trimmed above his ears, showing off his smooth facial features. For such a serious man, he looked to be somewhere in his twenties at most. As though sensing her roaming gaze, he stopped and peered down at the girl.
“I have no intention of harming you, but just to be clear it does not mean you are safe with me. Surely you noticed how differently men treat you compared to other women.” His eyes were dark as he spoke, the sparkle from before gone. His tone was firm and demanding while remaining calm. “Of course not,” he began as he placed a hand over his face, letting his emotions show for the first time since she saw him, “this was your first time being around people who hadn’t raised you.” He kneeled to put his face directly in front of her own, placing his hand over her shoulders. “This world has not been kind to your family. People have craved their power for hundreds of centuries. In this world, even despite your age, men will lust after you and everything you have. They will torment you. You will never be safe, so it will do you well to keep your head down and stay in the shadows. It would be a shame if something happened to you before you awakened.” Ending his sentence, he stood up. He took her hand in his once again and they continued down the wooded path.
They reached a clearing after about an hour of walking in dead silence. A large ornate carriage sat in the clearing, its gold trimming shining in the midday sun. The beautiful green and gold patterns covering the outside gave the impression that not just anyone should approach it. Sensing this, the girl began to shrink back. The man tugged at her hand, pulling her along toward the carriage. Only a few steps until they reached it, the door swung open. Out walked an older gentleman appearing to be in his fifties, like Duclep, and a woman who came off as young and beautiful, an opposite to the man next to her. The older man’s eyes widen at the sight of the girl. He threw his thick cape behind him, exposing his arms and embracing the girl. The woman stood in place, hands held together in front of her body, smiling down at the young girl in the man’s arms.
Pushing away, the older man spoke, “I hope the journey was not too long. You must be tired.” He stood and ushered the girl into the carriage. The others piled in at their own pace before the carriage took off. “This must be a bit frightening for you. I am King Rosamond Prendion of Terrafirma, and this is my queen Estria.” He gestured to the woman sitting beside the girl. She gave a soft smile before he continued to speak. “The man who brought you to us is Allister, my person advisor. I hope he did not frighten you too much.” He gave a sympathetic smile as he saw her push closer to the corner of the carriage where she sat.
“What is your name dear?” Rosamond stared, shocked, as Estria asked this question interrupting the conversation. “You looked a little tense my dear, so I thought it would be best if we learned more about you.” Her gentle eyes laid on the scared girl as she spoke. She raised her hand and slowly brought it over the girl’s trembling fingers. “We are not here to hurt you. You will be staying with us from now on, so you might as well let us know your name.”
There was a moment of silence as all eyes fell on the girl. “Dea,” she answered meekly, “Deanessa, that is what they called me.” Estria smiled at her answer.
“It is great to meet you Dea.” Estria gave her hand a small pat before turning to face out the window. Her hand still rested over Dea’s holding firmly and protectively to her small fingers.
The rest of the ride was silent. It was three days of traveling before the carriage stopped for more than just a few minutes to relieve ourselves. Rosamond and Allister left the carriage to change their clothing, while Estria and Dea stayed in the carriage. Estria helped dress the young girl in a beautiful green dress, with accents of gold around the waist and neckline, that sat on the floor when she stood. The queen laughed not expecting the girl to be so petite. She helped the girl into a dainty pair of white flats before sitting her down and braiding back her long silver hair. When her hair was successfully pulled back, Estria placed a green hood matching her dress over Dea’s head being sure every strand of hair was hidden. The men returned shortly after the pair finished getting ready. Seeing everyone returned, the coachman took off. It was afternoon before the carriage pulled through a large city.
Towns people stood around watching the carriage pull through the streets. They cheered at the return of their king and queen. Dea could not help but stare in amazement at the crowds covering the streets. She had never seen so many people before. In the distance, a large stone castle could be seen sitting high on a mountain side. Green and gold banners flew high as the group drew closer to the castle. When the carriage was nearing the castle gates, the coachman brought the horses to an abrupt unexpected halt causing everyone in the carriage to nearly fall out of their seats. A tense atmosphere filled the air as the coachman called for Rosamond to look out the window looking ahead of them. The room went from silent to deathly hushed.
