Dream

this was a dream i had once

            Concrete walls. All surrounding either side of me, grey, tall and fierce. Turing slightly to the side I walked down the short corridor and was met by the eyes of a tall, muscled, dark skinned man. His ebony hair loosely touching his collar bone and leading the eyes down a bare tanned chest. The thick metal and copper plates that acted as a cloth disguised everything below the shallow dipped v. It was clear from his stance, the way he held the crescent shaped weapon between his fingers, that he was a warrior. Noticing me watching him, he silently smiled and turned back to continue what I had interrupted. Feeling something on my shoulder I turned around to see a girl, two or three inches taller than me. She smiled a smile that warmed my insides and I immediately felt comforted in the mist of strange surroundings. Taking hold of my hand she began to lead me out into a back garden when, directly parallel from the dark skinned man we heard a sound. It was unnatural, vicious and I knew whoever’s foot prints made that noise was not a person I wanted to meet. Snapping my head to the side I saw a blur and something sharp, powerfully deflected by the man’s crescent blade. He glanced an order, one I knew too well. Run. I took off following the girl closely at her heals, my harsh breathing the only sound reaching my ears. I began to lag behind, watching as the girl reached the first corner, shifting her body for the turn her arm was impaled by another one of those same strange arrow. Only it wasn’t an arrow, it was shaped like a stake with a sharp end that thickened at the middle before closing into another dangerous looking side. She reached for me and I reluctantly stepped forward when another hit straight between the bridge of her noise violently smashing her head into the ground. Staggering backward a few stepped I prepared to about face, seeking comfort in the warrior I had first seen when a mad stood before me. Though he was slightly smaller framed then the first his built was just as defined. His clothing came down to lose fitting pants with gold embroidery and a thick gold neck plate that spread from the center of his throat, to his shoulders and  rounding off at the tip of his chest. His hair was loosely pulled back, leaving strands that had fallen out if place to linger there, at the mercy of the slow moving breeze. He was beautiful, and ready to kill. I ran, fast. Forcing my legs to carry me farther than I ever thought they could. He caught up with me instantly as if I were moving no faster than a light jog. Sensing the failure of my attempt I picked up the first thing I could grab, which was to my pleasure; a rock, as he roughly turned me and hosted me in the air at eye level. Cocking my arm back as far as I could I struck his face with such velocity it shook me. Again and again I struck him, until I felt the release of his large, calloused hands. The hard gravel made my knees burn as the weight of my body pressed on top of them. There he lay in front of me; a large gash spilling blood threw the side of his abdomen. This was a wound I hadn’t produced so I immediately look up in a panic to search for the new threat. Then a breath, harsh ragged but very much alive. This horrible, beautiful man was still alive and I was so close I needed to get away so I began to hoist myself up when a deep voice instantly stilled my muscles. The dark skinned man approached slowly and I felt myself relax in his presence, that odd familiar feeling of safety drowning out the fear I had just recently felt. He faced the man lying on the floor, compassion filling his eyes. He called him brother and as quickly as the word had left his lips all the safety that had held me was instantly ripped from my senses. Unable to speak all I could do was listening to the exchange between the two men. It was brief and spoken in hushed tones to I was not able to make out much but I realized they were making an exchange of some sort. It wasn’t until the dark skinned man stood up and tossed a antiseptic cloth to his brother; looking back only once to say in an even tone “It’s settled then, take the girl and never cross these borders the time for kinship has ended.” It was a slap in the face, he traded me, the man which I had so foolishly trusted had sent me away. The ache dug into my soul, leaving a scar which could never be mended. Tears distorted my vision as I stared into the steady black eyes below me and accepted my fate.

 

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            I was not sure how I got there or even what I was doing. My first conscious sight was of a dirt road. Looking to the sides of me were shops lining a busy street selling everything from holy water to Persian rugs. The sun was bright and strong causing the jewels in the windows to reflect its radiance, so clearly that they could blind anyone who dared to get to close. The people were dress in clothes dripping with lush colors and embroidery. I had noticed after a few moments that there was something very similar in the people I passed by, they were all staring at me. It was then that I had noticed I wasn’t simply moving through the paths I was following something, or rather someone. In front of me were two very large coopery horses, one carrying the man that had attacked me while the other held a delicately framed woman. The delicacy of her body did nothing to hide the sharp way she held her mouth, which on any other occasion, I am sure would have been full and lovingly adorned with a cupids bow. She was angry and I could feel the sting of it directed at me and the man cocked his head slightly to the side and said in a tone that was low but firm “you’ll just have to grow accustom to having her around, she is, or in time will be my wife.” My heart broke out into a feverish rampage, pounding against my rib cage as the words sank in. His what! There was no way in hell I was marring some man, gorgeous as he was, who had tried to kill me. I could run. I mean I was standing behind two people who barely noticed I was there. I could but somehow I couldn’t, I felt compelled to keep on walking following the very man who had taken claim over my life so I kept a steady pace behind him wonder why I could seem to make my feet do a 180 to freedom. While walking I had heard a man say something, I’m not sure what but I could feel the offensiveness of his words. They were directed toward me, my people, they place where I had come from, the place which held the man who sold me, forfeiting my trust. I walked up to him boldly and without realizing what I was doing I told him off shouting words that had shocked me more than the man they were directed at. What I did see was the anger that rippled through his face putting his brow in a semi-permanent frown. “Didn’t anyone teach you some manners girl, he growled, well if your sire won’t teach you any I will.” His hand came down so quick I wouldn’t have been able to see it if it wasn’t for the stronger one holding his suspended in mid-motion. It was him, my tormentor, and he looked at the man who attempted to strike me with something I would have never associated with his eyes, protectiveness. I felt a shiver run through the nerves of my spine and quickly adverted my eyes, something terrible was going to happen. Not here, but when we got back, to where I did not know, but I knew this would not end well. Keeping my eyes on the ground I followed the edges of the small puddle inches from where I stood. For the first time I looked at my reflection, it was a sight I would never forget. Staring up at me was a small girl who was young, real young, she was a baby stripped of her defenses, she was me.

 

Author's Note

after this scene i woke up