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Claps of thunder roared over the fierce battle below. The horrid cries of man and vicious growls of beasts echoed for miles. The field, once full of colorful wildflowers and light green grass, was now covered with mangled bodies and blood. This battle was one of the last battles upon Daroon's open fields since the Great War that had begun nearly two hundred years ago was finally ending. This long and tiring war against the cold-hearted sorcerer, Vanroth, was finally coming to its long desired end.

Only one person recently in the years had seen him and right before the man died he had described Vanroth to be nothing but skin and bone with long white hair and piercing gold eyes similar to those of a snake's. Just looking into his eyes could cause a person's death, although it was rumors, there was nothing more than that in what his fearsome look could be.

The commander for Darroon's army, Herrick had joined into the battle since he was losing men too quickly and needed aid. He fought swiftly on the battle feild, cutting down any enemy that came at him. His sword stained with the blood of both man and monster. Every beast, he sliced. Every man, he ran through. Every enemy, he killed. All around him, his men being killed and torn apart, yet he fought as if he was invincible, as if no one could touch him, but he was still a mortal man. His body covered in fresh wounds, from small cuts to large ones. Most of these wounds could kill a man, yet somehow, he fought as if he had not a scratch on him. As if the great gods above wanted him to live and fight, and so he fought with all his strength to seize victory across the field.

Fighting and fighting he kept. Stronger and stronger he felt. Moving at a possessed speed, the enemy barely saw him coming, until he stood right in his tracks. There standing before him, a cloaked man with his sword drawn. Herrick looked around him and saw none of the enemy men and monsters charge at him. It was as if they were not meant to harm him but let this cloaked figure challenge him. Herrick looked back at his enemy and readied his weapon, but the cloaked man stood still. Herrick began to feel uneasy as the man just continued to stand. He could feel the cloaked man's gaze from the darkness. Herrick took a deep breath then as quickly as he possibly could, he charged at the man. The cloaked man blocked Herrick's blow with ease as if he knew when and where Herrick was going to strike. The cloaked man swiftly made a counter attack wounding Herrick on his right side. Herrick stumbled back as he placed his hand upon the wound.

"Surely you can do better than that, General," the cloaked man said in a teasing voice.

Herrick stood up straight once more and charged once more. Once again, the cloaked man successfully blocked then made a smaller cut on Herrick's arm. Herrick continued to charge at different positions, and the cloaked man continued to block and slice every time. It wasn't long before Herrick's wounds had finally taken its toll. Herrick fell to the ground exhausted and growing dizzy. He closed his eyes and admitted defeat, then patiently waited for death to take him. The cloaked man sheathed his sword then walked over to his fallen enemy. The dark figure stood next to him. Herrick opened his eyes and his heart began to race as the figure knelt down. He placed his hand around Herrick's chin forcing straight eye contact. Hey may not have seen the man's eyes but he felt them. Felt them pierce right into his very soul, just like rumors have told, he knew who his duel was against and felt more afraid than he has ever felt in his entire life.

"Do not fear," a cold voice said, "You will see your family again, General. Soon, Very soon, you will be reunited with them. Then you can watch them laugh and love, then watch as their blood runs across this dreaded earth."

A tear fell from the corner of Herrick's eye. The figure let go of Herrick's chin and held his hand over Herrick's face. A small faint blue light formed and slowly Herrick began to drift.

"Now sleep, and dream of your precious Violet."

2: Chapter 1

Violet shot up from her bed, breathing heavily. Drenched with sweat even though her room was quite chilly, another night terror forced her slumber to halt. She slowly recollected then placed her face within her hands. She wanted to cry but held it in. For days now, these horrible dreams disturbed her and almost made her loose her sanity. She looked around her room to notice no light shined in through the shutters. I wasn't even dawn yet. She lit the candle beside her bed and pulled out her journal from underneath her mattress. She grabbed the bottle of ink and a small quill from her drawer and then began to write once more about her terrors.

Why is this happening to me? Tonight I went through the same dream. It lasted longer this time, but not too long. These dreams continue to have me running in a forest. The forest isn't like the one outside the walls. The forest is cold and dark. It sends chills all through me as I am running. Just running, running and running from something or someone. I'm taking turns trying to lose it but I can hear the steps almost right behind me. No matter how fast I run, it is always right behind me. I make it out of the forest, but only to a strange dark palace. The castle looks to be made of pure black stones and extends up higher than the Nimond castle. One large tower forces me to stop as I see someone standing on the balcony from the tower. Hearing the steps stop behind me, I feel a touch, forcing me to confront the terror and all I see is a dark figure, either cloaked or a walking shadow. The figure had golden eyes that you see on a snake, staring right through me. Then I wake right before I scream. In my previous dreams I manage to wake before I see this place. This is the first time I see a dark palace like this and that figure. I'm not sure if it was a man or beast. I suppose I should talk to Norm tomorrow about it. Maybe he could explain it much better and could even help me rid of these terrors. I long for the beautiful dreams I once had that made me excited to go to sleep, now, I dread each night, fearing the dream is nearly real and once it grabs complete hold of me, I may never wake up.

She closed her journal and relaxed. If anyone knew how to help her it would be Norm. He was an entertainer for children showing them things that looked like magic but wasn't truly magic since magic didn't exist and if it did it was forbidden so to prevent any bad disasters happening in the kingdom. He was as well Nimond's head healer. He helped many people with the normal flus to the strangest of illnesses. He spent most time researching upon the unnatural in this world rather than the normal Being so old made people wonder if he should elect someone to continue his work after he passes but as long as she has known Norm, he won't die anytime soon. He always answered Violet's questions in the most honest way and explained things to her she didn't understand. In a way he was like a second father to since her father was always away fighting in the war. Violet looked up at the shutters. There was a little bit of light creeping in but the sun had yet to rise. She put up the quill and inkbottle before sticking the journal under her pillow this time. She blew out the candle as she pulled the covers up over her and lied down facing her closed window.

She began to think what she could tell her mother about going over to Norm. Going to Norm was unusual unless you were ill or found something he could be interested in. She did have a strange light blue gem she could take to him, of course he may not be interested in it, but she didn't want to worry her mother with her strange dreams so she decided to make up a story with it. Slowly she began to fade and soon fell into a dreamless sleep. The most peaceful sleep she has had in days.

Light shined in from the shutters onto Violet forcing her to wake up. Morning had finally come. She quickly got up and changed from her night clothes into her day dress. Her grandmother made it for her when she turned sixteen but she never had a growth to stop her from wearing it. It looked almost like a formal dress with the yellow laces around the collar and the waist. The body of the dress was dark green with a tan stream in the front of the skirt. There was one problem with it. There was a large hole in the stomach from when she accidently burned it while helping her mother cook. They never got a chance to stitch it but Violet had something to cover it up. She wore a light brown leather vest that was once her fathers. With help of her mother, they fitted it to her and the dress. She quickly put on the vest, grabbed the blue gem from her shelf, then pulled out her journal and stuck it inside her vest before heading out of her room.

Violet walked into the kitchen where her mother prepares meals and her sister sat at the table running her fingers through her hair. Trixie looked up and smiled at Violet.

"Good morning, sister," Trixie said to Violet. She replied with a tired smile. Trixie was only six years but she never acted her age. She acted much older just like Violet did and still does, but no matter how old she acts, she will never go anywhere without her doll.

"Ah, good morning, my dear," her mother said as Violet sat down at the table,

"Good morning, mother," she answered back with a faint smile.

Violet and Trixie ate in usual silence but Violet moved her breakfast around more than ate it while she continued to play the dream in her head over and over. The lost expression upon her face was all to revealing.

"Are you alright, dear," her mother asked in concern. Violet was snapped out of her dark thoughts and smiled.

"Yes," she answered back as she met with her mother's concerning gaze. The gaze refused to break.

"Are you sure," Violet's mother asked, "You're not feeling ill?"

Violet chuckled in hope to remove the dreadful look.

"Yes, mother, I'm perfectly alright."

Her mother let out a sigh of defeat but the gaze never left.

"If you believe so," she said, "Well you better hurry on. Don't need to be late."

Violet nodded and ate her breakfast quickly then kissed her mother on the cheek before dashing out the door. She began running past the stone-built houses of Nimond. Being the capital is was necessary to be one of the best looking cities in Daroon. She ran past the Market to the next section of houses that weren't as gracious as the others but they were still kept up. She came to a smaller building where Norm worked and lived. His doors were always open, even late at night because an emergency always happened. She smiled and walked in. Inside Norm was wrapping the leg of a little boy with the mother standing right next him. The father was probably gone off to the war since it was required for every household to support warriors of the war.

"Now, Albin," Norm said, "Promise me you will stay off them tall trees. I think you are a marvelous child but I don't want to see you only for a broken bone." Norm chuckled as well as the mother.

"Yes, Norm," the little boy said before the mother picked up the boy and began heading out.

"Thank you, Norm," the mother said before departing,

"It is no problem, Angeline." Norm then turned to his new visitor as the mother and child left.

"Well now," he said walking up to Violet, "What is it today, Violet. Is it a broken ankle, a cut off toe, or perhaps a swollen tongue?"

Violet was one of the constant visitors to Norm for injuries. Trouble always seemed to find her and he always found a joke out of it. Recently she had been scolded by Norm for her carelessness because Trixie was now becoming another constant visitor. Violet knew she had to be more careful around her sister since she seemed to mimic everything Violet did now.

"No, I am perfectly fine," Violet said with a false smile. She was unsure how to tell Norm about the dreams now that she was here.

"Oh, well then what can I help you with, Violet." Violet froze then quickly pulled out the gem and handed it to him.

"What is this?"

"I….its…I found it yesterday and last night…it glowed."

Norm took it from her hand and examined it. He looked at it all over trying to see what she is talking about. He then looked at her with one eye brow up.

"Violet," he said, "I sense no energy with this. If the gem was glowing last night, surely I would be able to feel it, but this gem is empty."

"Empty," Violet repeated.

"Yes, it is just a normal gem, a quite valuable normal gem in fact. Show it to Rooke, he may be able to sell it for a very nice price if you do not wish to add it to your collection."

Violet took back the gem and looked down. Norm cocked his head to the side.

"Yet, I am looking at something that isn't quite so normal."

Violet looked up and met his dark blue eyes.

"I can see something is strangely bothering you, child. Please tell me, I am here to help."

Violet let out a large sigh then pulled out her journal and handed it to Norm. He looked at it and slowly took it.

"What is this," he asked before opening it up to the page she had marked with a small piece of blue cloth.

"For the past few days," she started slowly, "I have had nightmares that are so real and frightful, and I continue to have them. I'm scared to sleep, Norm. I'm scared that I'll be pulled right into them and never awake."

Norm sped through last night's entry with a very concerned look. He tore his eyes from the pages and looked at Violet.

"This is the first time you have seen this place in your dream?" He voice was shaky. Violet was slow to answer as she picked up on the hint of fear in his words.

"Yes."

Norm looked back down at the page and rubbed his brow. He mumbled underneath his breath then dashed over to his desk. Violet was very concerned about what was going on in Norm's mind.

"N...Norm?"

He looked at her and realized just how scared he was making her.

"Oh, my dear," he said with a smile, "There is nothing to worry about, it's just that your dream may have pinpointed a location to something extraordinary so don't be afraid." He came over and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "Come back later and I will explain everything that I can. It may help you get rid of these dreams."

Violet smiled then slowly nodded before leaving. Thoughts swarming with questions, she walked back over to the main gate and walked to Merchant's Shop.

The Merchant's Shop was exactly what the name said, a merchant's shop. Travelers from all over came in to buy, sell, and trade goods. Violet enjoyed working there because she was always fond of all the things the travelers brought. It was amazing to her to see the treasures that came from other parts of the world. Some had such remarkable beauty that after she was paid, she almost would spend every coin on that item just to have it for her collection.

She entered the store to see Rooke preparing the rare object displays for the long day. He turned around and smiled at Violet.

"Good morning, Rooke," Violet said. He had insisted that he be called by his name other than sir or mister. That was his father as he always stated.

"Good morning to you as well, darling," he said back with a nod, "You're late."

"I'm sorry," Violet said, "I went to see Norm."

"Everythin' alright?"

"Yes, just needed to ask him a couple of things."

Rooked nodded slowly and smiled.

Rooke was about the age of twenty-five, so there was not connection other than friends with Violet, although she did believe him to be handsome; she didn't believe him to be the one. Rooke was nice enough to let her keep treasures that travelers brought in, but as long as she actually bought them. If his father was running the shop, then Violet would never be allowed to buy things with such value, but when Rooke's father passed and the shop being one of the top in all Daroon, it was required for Rooke to be there. If his father was still here, he would've been on the front lines of the war. Rooke was a fighter and always has been, and Violet doubted that that would ever change.

The morning was rather slow of customers but after noon, locals and travelers entered to do business. Violet was in charge of getting the items set for the customer that purchased them. It never got so busy that she couldn't ever handle it and if it did, she was very lucky of how patient the customers were with her. Near the time when the sun was setting, the store began to quiet down from the foreign travelers and to silently fill with the locals, just as curious as Violet to see what the travelers brought. She began to feel proud of herself because not one item a traveler brought interested her to spend her pay today. That was until a strange man walked in looking around as if he was lost. He was rather old, wearing a long brown cloak over himself. His eyes were of a pale grey. She wondered if the old man was blind or going blind.

"Can I help you?" Rooke walked over to the old man. He looked up at Rooke with a smile.

"I would like to sell," the man said.

"Of course" Rooke turned to Violet, "Violet here can help you with your item." Violet smiled and nodded as Rooke brought the old man over to where Violet was standing behind the counter. Rooke went back to wrapping up the items and storing them away in the other room to protect them from thieves.

"What can I help you with," she asked with a smile.

"I have this necklace here that I'd like to sell to you," the old man said and pulled out a golden necklace. The necklace worried Violet a bit because the necklace resembled a body of a snake. It had beautiful diamond eyes and seemed to be attached to its tail. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry and terrifying at the same time. Something like that could be worth a small fortune. She wanted to touch it but was afraid to until the old man placed it into her hand.

"Why don't you try it on, Violet," the older man said with a nearly toothless smile. Violet nodded and put it on. It gave her a small sick feeling inside yet gave off joy. What was this thing?

"It looks darling on you little one." The old man said. Violet smiled slightly but then the smile vanished. She suddenly had a strange tingling all over her and her vision started to spin. She tried to take it off but instead it clung onto her as if it was tightening around her like a real snake. The necklace was sending some sort of energy through her while it began to choke her. Violet had tears in her eyes as she tried to call out, but nothing came out of her mouth. She noticed the old man just continue to smile that twisted smile. Fearful, Violet ran out from behind the counter and fell to the floor. She clawed at the floor, tears streaming as she heard the older man walk over to her. She rolled onto her back trying to call for help once more but still nothing came out. Her lungs were screaming from lack of air and she grabbed the older man's foot. He just stood and watched as Violet began to drift out of consciousness. The older man knelt down to her and placed his hand upon her brow.

"Fear not, child," he said, "You will be taken care of."

Violet's eyes rolled into the back of her head before finally drifting off.

 

Violet! She heard a very faint voice call her name.

Violet! Can you hear me?

Yes I can. She answered back in her mind.

Oh Gods, Norm! Please help me; I don't know what to do?

Norm? Violet questioned, where is Norm? What happened?

Violet suddenly felt a strong ache in her head. She groaned.

"Norm," Rooke called, "I think she's waking up."

Norm rushed over to Violet with a bowl of cool water and placed his hand upon her head.

"She still has a fever," he said as he dipped a rag into the water then placed it upon her head.

That feels nice.

"Tell me exactly what happened again," Norm said.

"A..an old man came in looking to trade a necklace of some sort. I let Violet take care of him while I put up shop and when I got back, three men were in the shop and one had Violet thrown over his shoulder. They wore black armor with some sort of symbol painted on the chest. The other two charged at me while the third man ran away. I thought for sure I lost her after I had taken the other two. If not for the guards at the gate, she may have been lost."

"I agree," Norm said, "Sometimes the king's men are not all useless. Thank the heavens that that soldier didn't know magic or he would be gone."

Violet groaned again at the pain she began to feel all over.

I feel sick. Where am I?

Violet slowly began to open her eyes. Everything was blurry but she could tell that two figures were standing over her, or sitting, she really couldn't tell.

"W...what...happened," she asked.

"You were poisoned," Norm said. Violet looked over at him.

"Norm?"

He smiled.

"Wh...Where's Rooke," Violet slurred.

"I'm right here," came the voice on her left. She looked at him and blinked. Once her vision was clearer she saw a large dark cut straight across his left eye.

"What happened to your face," she asked.

"Don't worry about me," he said smiling, "lets worry about you. Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel sick."

"I know which is why you are going to stay here for a little while."

"But, my mother," Violet moaned.

"I've already sent word that you were alright, she'll be her-"

Suddenly, the door opened to Norm's hut and Violet's mother rushed in and ran beside Violet, nearly knocking Norm out of the way.

"Darling, sweetie," she said, "are you alright."

"I'm fine, mother, just tired."

Her mother bent over and kissed her on her forehead.

"Ooh, child. You are so warm. Will the fever go away," she asked as she turned to Norm.

"It may take a day or two," Norm said as he walked over to his desk, "The poison was a strong one. Not one to kill thank the gods, but enough to make her very week."

"What did they want with my daughter?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that, but I swear I will find out. I do have a suspicion on who is behind it but I'm not certain and I do not want to cause unnecessary alarm."

"What are you talking about, Norm," Rooke asked.

"Dear, boy," Violet's mother looked at Rooke in alarm, "What happened?"

"It's not nearly as bad as it looks," he answered, "I've had worse."

"I pray not!"

"What I mean is that what you told me about the symbols on those men's chest could mean many things although my suspicion is one I am praying is not correct. It's obvious they are combat soldiers but they are not Daroons. I know what the soldiers from Vale, Talon, and Yorik look like and they are none of them. The symbol represented a 'V'. Who else could have soldiers?"

They were all silent for a moment until Violet's mother gasped and knelt back down to her ill daughter.

"Vanroth," Rooke asked. Norm only nodded.

"What could he possibly want with a seventeen year old girl?"

"That's what I'm not sure about. No doubt after this failure if it is him, then he'll come here himself."

There was a long silence except for Violet's groaning and moving around.

"Mother," Violet said, "Where's Trixie?"

"She's alright, dear," her mother answered, "She is safe with Meranda and her son."

Violet nodded.

"She should rest now," Norm said, "Let the medicine work. I'll be here so don't worry, she is safe here."

Violet's mother nodded then kissed Violet on the head once more.

"Rest well, my dear."

Violet nodded and closed her eyes.

Violet awoke to a strange sense of fear. What could she be afraid of. She opened her eyes and froze. A dark figure stood over her. The figure placed a finger to his lips that were not covered in darkness.

"Shh," he whispered, "I do not wish to deal with the kings men right now so if you would please remain silent as we leave. Do you wish to be drugged?"

Violet kept her eyes on the stranger. Was he involved with those men?

"Get away from me," she said as brave as she could.

"Or what," he questioned. A smile formed on his lips revealing sharp white teeth.

"Go ahead. Scream, fight back, struggle all you want. I'm not leaving here without you."

"Then neither are you," Norm's voice came. He stood directly behind the man with a sword drawn and with the tip of the blade poking into the stranger's back.

"How do you do, Norm," The stranger said, "Long time no see?"

"I do not know who you are," Norm replied.

"Ouch, that hurts! Surely you would remember me."

"I remember what you did."

"That should be enough. Now please, Norm. Lower your weapon and I'll take the girl off your hands. She seems to have recovered rather well."

Violet sat up and felt normal again. No headache or uneasiness was present.

"There, you see?"

"Leave," Norm demanded.

"Alright, as you wish."

The stranger took a step forward reaching for Violet. She backed up away from the stranger.

"Leave without the girl!"

"Oh, come on, Norm."

"Leave, now!"

There was silence between them. Suddenly the stranger turned around drawing his sword, clashing it with Norm's. The loud sound of steel upon steel caused Violet's ears to ring.

"Go, Violet," Norm said as he slashed at the stranger who successfully blocked.

"Go now to the castle!"

Violet dashed out of the hut and ran as fast as she could. She reached the market district and saw fighting had broken out. Men in black and red armor fought against Daroon's blue and gold armored men. She saw that two men spotted her and dashed to her. She panicked and looked around. She spotted a dead Daroon soldier with his sword still in hand. She quickly ran over to him and snatched up the sword. As the two men approached, they began to laugh.

"Oi, this lass thinks she can beat us," said one of the men. Violet took a deep breath and tried to remember all her father had taught her.

Don't let your enemy see your move. Any twitch can signal them on which way you plan to go. You can use that to your advantage. Let them underestimate you. Hustle them then make your strike. They won't see it coming. Many men once they see you, a young girl, will laugh and forget the basics and just try to scare you. Watch them closely, Violet. They will tell you exactly where they are going to strike.

Violet smiled. The two men got into battle stance but she could tell they weren't truly in the right position. Their footing was all wrong and Violet watch carefully. The man that had moved to her right had moved his right foot to face Violet's side. Suddenly he swung his sword at her side and she successfully blocked it. She lifted her foot up and kicked him sending him back and into a ball.

"Oi, you bitch," called the other man as he swung at her head. Violet had backed up into the wall and then successfully ducked and rolled behind him and as he met with the wall, Violet stuck the sword into his back. She smiled at the victory, but the victory was short lived. Her smile immediately vanished and she dropped the sword. The man fell to the ground dead.

Oh gods, I killed him!

Violet has never killed anyone before and she didn't feel good about it at all. Suddenly a black gloved hand covered her mouth and a cloaked arm wrapped around her. She struggled to get free from their grip but it was no use.

"If I had known you were going to be this much trouble," said the stranger, "I would've brought more men. I'm glad you know how to fight, Violet. It will take some work away from me, but now, you must sleep. You've had quite the evening, dear, you must be tired."

Violet suddenly felt the urge to fall asleep in the man's arms.

No! Don't!

She tried her best to struggle and kick at the man, but her strength soon left her and her vision blackened.

"That's a good girl," the man's last words were heard as she fell into a heavy slumber.

3: Chapter 2

Violet slowly opened her eyes. Her vision blurred and her head was pounding. She went to place her hands upon her brow to try and cease the headache but she found that her wrists were bound in dark leather. She pulled against the bounds but didn’t have enough strength to tear them. She blinked a few times to clear her sight while sitting up and looked around. She lay on a hard wool bedroll inside a tent. It wasn’t big but enough that one person can rest in it. The only light came from a dimly lit lantern across the way which shed very little light inside. A light breeze was blowing through the tent flaps across from her sending in a chill. As her headache receded, she once again tried to break out of her binds. Pulling as hard as she could and twisting them as much as they would go, but they still held place. The tent flap opened and a rather disturbing man came in smiling at her. Fear hit her as he approached her. He wore dark armor but the light didn’t shine the details. His face was covered in dirt and dark eyes glared at her in a very frightening way.

“Well hello there, darling,” he said revealing yellow crooked teeth. Violet backed away from the man as much as she could but the man only gave her more of a smile.

“Aw, what is the matter, dear? Don’t you want to have a little fun?” He chuckled as he came up right next to her and knelt down. He went to touch her face but she moved it away before his nasty hands could reach her.

“Now, now let’s not try to play hard to get.” She turned back to him giving him as much of a glare she could before spitting right in his face. His look turned sour as he wiped his face.

“Why you little bitch.” He chuckled. He quickly grabbed her arms and pushed her down on the bedroll. With her bound hands she attempted to beat him off of her, but he only laughed again.

“Oh you are going to be fun.”

The smell of ale and mud filled her nostrils as he spoke. He leaned in on Violet attempting to kiss her but she turned her head. Instead he kissed her on the cheek then moved to around her ear. Violet began to whimper as the man’s face rubbed across hers and tears began to form in her closed eyes. He bit her lobe causing a small cry to escape her lips. He chuckled again then began to kiss her neck while attempting to untie her vest with one hand while the other still pinned her down. He slightly bit her collarbone and she released a cry once again a bit more loudly as he left a small bruise. Suddenly she heard the tent flap open and felt both relief and afraid.

“What are you doing?” a younger man wearing the same armor called out to the older man.

“Be quiet!” he snapped at the younger man.

“If he finds out what you are doing, he’ll kill you then piss on your grave!” the younger man argued. The older man let out a sigh.

“Well he isn’t going to find out,” he grabbed Violet’s chin and forced her to look at him with tear filled eyes, “Is he, because this beautiful darling isn’t going to mutter a single word to him or anyone else. It can be our delicious secret.”

Violet looked at the younger man in pleading eyes. He looked outside and fear gripped him.

“Oh don’t be too sure,” he said with a shaking voice, “He’s coming.”

As the younger man left, the older man went pale. He leaned in on Violet once again.

“If you dare tell anyone, you will regret using that pretty mouth.”

He released her chin then quickly got up and dashed out the tent door as hoof prints approached. Uncontrollable tears streamed down her eyes as she placed her bound hands to her chin. Unable to control herself any more she rolled over to her side away from the tent flap and cried as hard as she could. She didn’t care if the older man could hear her or if anyone else heard her. She had to let it out for it was all too much for her. Was she to become a whore to men? Was she captured to become a slave? Disturbing questions and thoughts pierced her mind causing her to cry harder.

Suddenly, her cry stopped as she heard the tent flaps open and footsteps approached her. Has he come back to finish what he had started? She began to shake violently as if she had a fever. She felt a hand touch her brow and she jumped at the sudden touch but relaxed. Unlike the older man’s hands, these hands were soft and warm. She felt a bit more relaxed with the hand upon her and even as it retreated, she wanted the safe touch again.

“Violet,” a soft male voice said. Perhaps it was the younger soldier to who warned the older man. She wanted to turn over and look at the person but fear held her head still.

“You need not be afraid, Violet. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She let out a breath then slowly turned over. A man between the ages of thirty and forty was kneeling down beside her. His dark hair was combed back and tied. Violet could see his light green eyes stare at her with concern. She could see that his face was covered in light stubble, recently shaved but only a couple of days ago. He wore dark armor with chains on the shoulders. He must be a general. There was a red mark upon the chest of the armor but in the dim light, Violet could not tell what it was.

Who…who are you?” she asked in a small voice.

“My name is Von,” he simply replied.

“Where am I?”

“You are in a tent at our camp.”

“Whose camp?”

He smiled.

“You’ll find out soon, don’t worry. His lordship is most eager to speak with you.”

Tears flooded Violet’s eyes in fear.

“I want to go home,” she said.

“I’m afraid you can’t. Not yet anyway. Not until his lordship is finished with you.”

“What is he going to do with me?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What does he want with me?” Violet almost shouted and Von’s hand quickly covered over her mouth.

“No shouting,” he said, “No screaming. You need to be a good girl and show his lordship you are good, or else he’ll just throw you away. You don’t want your sister to be harmed now do you?”

Violet froze in terror.

“Where is she,” she demanded.

“What did I just say about the voice? She isn’t close by, but I’m sure she is already meeting with his lordship.”

“Don’t you bastards dare touch her!”

“Now, now—“

“You sick men, taking and touching young children. “His Lordship” probably isn’t any better.”

The man tilted his head in confusion.

“What gave you the idea that his lordship only wants you and your sister for such acts?”

Violet remained quiet.

“His lordship can get any woman if he so pleases, but I can assure you, a dreaded thought like that would never cross his mind.”

Violet shook her head unconvinced. Why would a man who would never think of it have a man serving him who would?

“Did someone touch you?”

Violet looked up at him.

“Did one of these men deflower you?

“Tried,” she said in a mouse like voice. The man’s eyes grew wide with fury.

“Who?”

“I…I don’t know. He… He was an older man—“

Von put his hand up and looked away.

“I’ll have his lordship deal with him when he arrives.”

“Who is he?”

Von looked back at her and smiled.

“His lordship?”

Violet nodded.

“His lordship prefers to be called, Vanroth.”  

4: Chapter 3

Violet woke to a sudden rush of hoof beats and the sounds of horses. She shot up with her heart beat quickly growing pace. She heard the murmurs of men outside in the camp but couldn’t hear what they were on about. Suddenly she heard someone walking in her direction so she quickly lied back down on her side and closed her eyes. She heard the tent flap open and the person walked right over to her. She felt a cold gloved hand stroke her cheek then her hair.

            “I know you are not asleep,” a soft male voice said, “Your breathing is much too quick for that.”

Fear once again grasped her as she looked into those piercing golden eyes of Vanroth. Just like the rumors spoke, they were exactly like a snake, but unlike the rumors, the eyes didn’t match the being. He was much younger, maybe only a few years older than Violet. He had short dark brown hair and only little strands hung over his eyes. His face was soft and handsome and his body appeared to be fit under dark snakeskin clothing. Violet lie in shock as Vanroth smiled revealing sharp teeth behind his full lips.

“I suppose we are both surprised at each other’s appearances.”

Violet still could not find words to reply.

“It’s alright, Violet,” he said in a comforting voice, “you don’t need to speak now. You need rest.”

He gently gripped her wrists and pulled out a small dagger then cut the binds on her wrist. He got up and began walking out of the entrance.

“W…Wait,” Violet uttered. Vanroth stopped in his tracks and looked over at Violet.

“Where is my sister?”

Vanroth smiled.

“Safe, for now, that is if you behave and do as you are told, then she will remain in solitude. That is a warning.”

Tears formed into her eyes.

“What do you want from me?

Vanroth’s smile vanished and brows furrowed.

“You mean you do not know?”

Violet only shook her head.

Vanroth looked away from her and appeared to be deep in thought. He turned and left the tent leaving Violet all alone once again. She felt calmer since she had a little freedom but she was still a prisoner. Slowly she lied back down and closed her eyes but a sudden outburst forced her to open them.

“No, my lord,” Violet knew the voice was the older man she encountered but instead of his voice full of command, it was full of fear.

“Please I beg you! Please forgive me, my lord! No! Please! No-Ahh” He was cut off with as the sound of blade slicing the flesh filling the air followed by a wet choking cough and gurgles before the man fell to the ground. Fear surrounded Violet like a dark blanket as she overheard what had just taken place. She had very little pity for the man but still it made her feel sorrow. Soon after Violet recovered, the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the night, wind blowing through the tent, and the midnight crickets chirping. The sound of peace finally sent Violet into a much needed rest.

5: Chapter 4

The peaceful sounds of the morning birds and the light morning breeze woke Violet gently. She smiled and almost forgot where she was for a moment but soon, that smile faded and fear crept up on her once again. She still didn't know why she was there in the first place or why Vanroth was so gentle to her. Vanroth, was it really him or has she gone truly mad? Maybe this all was a dream of her. Maybe, just maybe Violet will wake up again and she will be in her room. She continuously closed her eyes then opened them in hopes to wake up in her bed, but to no avail. Sighing in frustration she sat up and pulled her knees to her chest the moment she began to hear the voices of men outside. They were only faint enough to hide what they conversed about. What did they want with her? That is all she wanted to know. Until she had answers she decided she would be brave. For her sister’s sake and for her own, she would not cry in fear. She would stand up for herself, but it seemed harder to do than when it was said. The tent flap opened and Von walked in carrying a small plate of fruit in one hand and a dark mug in the other. The center crest was a red painted symbol of what appeared to be a "V". The man made his way over to Violet and set the food and mug in front of her then left without even saying a word. She looked at the food nervously. She was starving to say the least but she was afraid that the food could've been tainted with a drug of some sort. She remembered reading about certain drugs that were mixed in with foods for prisoners in order to calm them and make them easier to transport. Norm told her once that it was nearly impossible to tell if a food was baked with a drug since some drugs didn't lose their potency when they were cooked but it was very easy to tell if a drink was tainted. If the mug held water and was tainted, a very unusual odor would come from it, almost in a faint perfume and sometimes had a faded color. Slowly Violet picked up the mug first. Her dry throat cried for her to just gulp the entire thing down but she resisted and leaned in to sniff it. She caught no odor coming from it so she decided to take a little sip. No strange taste either but the tiny sip of cool water that rushed down her throat was so overwhelming that it forced her to forget about drugs and caused her to drink the entire thing. Once she set it down, she felt both guilty and worried. Guilty that she was able to give into herself so easily without any control and worried that the water was tainted but with an odorless drug. Giving up she grabbed an apple and bit into it. She decided that if any of this was drugged then maybe it'll make her feel better and take away the fear. She quickly ate off the plate of fruit only leaving the cores to the apples and pears. It wasn't too satisfying but it was enough to cease the pain in her stomach. She set the plate and empty mug to the side of the bed roll and looked around. Even though the lantern was gone, the morning sky did give Violet light to look around her tent, but it didn't resemble anything different when it was dark. She eyed the tent flaps nervously. Was she allowed to leave the tent? Could she roam around the camp if there was one? Was Vanroth out there? Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly made her way over to the tent entrance. Her limbs making cracking and popping sounds as she moved. She slowly grabbed the flap and pulled it back just enough to see outside.

There was a large carriage connected to two black horses across the way and three other tents surrounded the camp site. Only five men were spotted in the camp. Three men including the man who brought her the food sat around the burnt out fire pit talking and laughing. They each made turns to look at the other two who Violet recognized one of them as the young man who tried to help her, in only a verbal way. They were sparring with each other, each taking hits with their swords and causing cuts and wounds. Violet wondered if they were really practicing or if they were actually trying to kill each other. She then began to look around the camp for more soldiers and for Vanroth, but didn't see either. Violet wondered what would happen if she went outside. Would they suddenly dash at her and throw her back into the tent or not even make a note of her? Since she was no longer bound either they didn't see her as a prisoner or they didn't worry she was going to escape and right now, she didn't believe she would get past her own tent if she escaped. She then heard a small child laugh. Trixie’s laugh. She looked around but didn’t see her, but she did spot tiny legs by the horses. The tiny legs moved and Trixie came into view as she continued to feed and pet the horses. Violet smiled. She slowly crept out of the tent but none of the men stirred. She stood up hoping it was alright. Von noticed her and smiled.

"Ah," he said with a smile, "The cat has crawled out from hiding."

Violet ignored him and looked at Trixie who continued to laugh and feed the horses. Violet stood up as straight as she could and began walking over to her. Trixie failed to notice the approaching Violet so Violet stood only a couple feet away before she spoke.

“Trixie,” she said in a small soft voice. Immediately, Trixie stopped laughing then turned around. She smiled and screamed then ran to Violet and hugged her. Violet knelt down and hugged back. Tearing up from how happy she was Trixie was okay. Violet tore herself from the hug then examined Trixie all over lifting her arms and tilting her head all around.

“What are you doing,” Trixie asked.

“You’re not hurt are you,” Violet asked, “No cuts, bruises….they didn’t touch you in places did they.”

Trixie tilted her head completely confused then shook her head and smiled.

“He’s been really nice,” Trixie said, “I thought bad men were supposed to hurt good people?”

“They do.”

“Then…why didn’t he hurt me? Am I a bad person?”

“No,” Violet said, “of course not.”

“Are you hurt?”

Violet smiled then shook her head.

“Are you a bad person?”

“No.”

“Then he isn’t a bad person. I heard he killed a man who tried to hurt you so he rescued you. He is a good person.”

“Who is a good person?”

“The man with yellow eyes. I forget his name. I hate to be rude and ask again.”

Violet’s smile vanished.

“At first his eyes scared me, but now they’re okay.”

“Trixie,” Violet said in a low voice, “He is a bad man. He will hurt us if we don’t leave.”

“There is no good in that man. He is tricking you. We need to leave and go back home.”

“That’s where we are going.”

“What?”

“That’s where we are going. We are going home. A new home he says, since our old home is bad.”

Violet shook her head.

 

“Don’t believe him. He is lying, Trixie. Every word that man says is a lie.”

“Why don’t you like him? If he hasn’t hurt you or me, then why is he bad?”

“He has hurt other people.”

“Who’ve hurt others as well?”

Violet placed her hands on Trixie’s face.

“He is an evil snake-like man whose words are filled with venom. I will not let you fall prey to him, Trixie. He is a villain, a very bad villain. There is no good in that heart and he will hurt us. He is a bad man, Trixie. He is bad!”

“Now I’m quite hurt by that statement,” a voice behind her said. Violet jumped and stood up in front of Trixie. Vanroth stood with his arms crossed. His cloak was gone and only wore his dark uniform.

“You’ve hurt him,” Trixie said.

“Stay away from her,” Violet spat, ignoring Trixie’s statement. Vanroth’s eyebrows rose.

Trixie dashed away from Violet then ran to Vanroth.

“He’s not bad,” she cried, “You’re bad!”

Trixie ran to Von who took her and left Vanroth and Violet. Vanroth’s eyes never left Violet.

Violet glared back at Vanroth for poisoning her sister’s mind. With red hot anger swelling up inside her she swiftly ran up to him and tried to bash the smug smile off of his face. With speed as suspected, Vanroth grabbed her arm and twisted her around to where her back was facing him. He wrapped his arms around her and held tight. She began to kick and scream trying to fight him off of her but his strength was no match for her.

“Let go of me you bastard!”

She continued to fight and kick until Vanroth threw her to the ground. He laughed.

“You poor pitiful child,” he said.

“I’m not a child,” Violet growled, “I’m seventeen. Practically a woman and you do not scare me, Vanroth.”

Vanroth tensed then knelt down beside her. She looked away, avoiding his eyes but he grabbed her chin and forced eye contact.

“Really,” he said, “You’re not afraid?”

Violet smiled a little and shook her head.

“Now that I see you, you’re nothing. Without your power, what would you be able to do?”

Vanroth smiled.

“My, my,” He said, “I find your bravery impressive.”

Violet shook her head away from his grasp and began to dust herself off. Vanroth roughly

grabbed Violet’s arms and helped her stand. She pushed away from him and he released

her, but continued to smile.

“You should get back to your tent, Violet,” Vanroth said, “There’s nothing for children to do

out here. Why don’t you take a nap?”

Violet growled then quickly launched herself at him. She aimed to grab his sword but as foolish as she was, she didn’t even think of Vanroth snatching her wrist. He twisted her arm causing her to fall to the ground. All the while he smiled and Violet hated him more. She fought to free herself but it proved useless.

“Do I have to tie you up again,” Vanroth asked. Violet dare not look at him, but focused on pulling her arm. His grip was so tight that if she tried too hard, she could probably pull her arm out of her socket. Vanroth sighed then released his grip.

“Take her back to her tent and don’t let her out for the rest of the day,” Vanroth ordered and Von came over then grabbed her arms. She struggled but stopped as she was lead back into her tent. Violet was thrown on the bedroll and Von laughed before he left. Violet laid there for a moment before she sat up and brushed the dirt off of her dress once more. As she did, she noticed a large tear on her hip. One good tug of the loose twine and the dress could fall completely apart. She groaned then threw her fist to meet contact with the hard dirt ground. This was an absolute nightmare for her. She just wanted it to end. The rest of the day, she was forced to stay in her tent. All she could do was lie down and watch as the wind moved the tent slightly. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on the sound of the birds and trees blowing in the wind. She ignored the chatter of the men right outside.

She opened her eyes and released her tent had grown dark. She could hear the crickets chirp but nothing else. No laughter of men, no chatter, just the sounds of the night. She sat up and grew curious as she looked at the light moving tent flaps. Were the men asleep? Did Vanroth have guards posted? Violet doubted Vanroth needed watchers around all corners of the camp. She slowly edged towards the entrance and pulled back the tent flaps. She looked around and saw the camp completely empty. The fire had dulled out to only lightly smoke and small red spots upon the burned wood. Her heart began racing. This was her chance to escape with Trixie. They could try and run back to Nimond or find some travelers and guards amongst the roads. Violet swiftly ran over to each tent and silently peeked inside to find Trixie. There were five other tents besides hers and none of them had Trixie. She ran over to the carriage and gasped when she spotted Trixie’s doll, but Trixie was nowhere in sight. Violet grew hot with fury at the thought of Vanroth taking her somewhere. She looked over at the horses and spotted one was missing. She looked at the ground and frowned. The dirt showed nothing of any tracks leading away so she knew it would be impossible to find Trixie now. I have to get back to Nimond, Violet thought, I can surely have them set out a search, right? Violet nodded then dashed away as quick and as quietly as she could from the camp. Violet ran and ran, not daring to stop to take a breath. She was far determined to find help or at least get as far as she could away from Vanroth. This was most likely the only chance she would get try and escape, and damn her soul if she wasn’t going to take it. She didn’t know how far she ran or for how long until she began to feel afraid. Forests were just crawling with animals during the night and the utter silence filled Violet with fear. She turned and turned until not only did she feel afraid, but lost. Lost and afraid, Violet was unaware of what she should do. Should she call for help?

No, Violet said, I won’t risk being captured again. Then it hit her. Was this a test? Was Vanroth playing with her? It all seemed so strange how all soldiers were sent to bed instead of one or two guarding her tent. She smiled.

“I’ll show you then,” she said, “I’ll show you I am more than I look. Whatever your game is, Vanroth, I’ll beat it.”

She made a turn left and continued on. It wasn’t long until Violet began to regret her decision to go left. She knew she passed the same moss covered tree twice. The forest began to awake and she could hear the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crunching coming towards her. The unsettling sounds caused her to run but she never got far. She was far too lost to make it out of the forest by herself. She spotted a big giant tree and ran over to it. Its branches came down enough for Violet to climb and she did. She climbed and climbed as high as she could. Her boot got stuck between the branch and the base. She pulled and pulled trying to free herself. She succeeded. After as great tug, she freed her foot, but the boot stayed in place. Even though her foot was free, she lost her balance and slipped from the tree. She yelped as she fell and crashed back down to the ground. Once she could breathe again she slowly sat up and looked at her foot. She was lucky she didn’t twist it, but that was the only luck. She growled then grabbed a rock and threw it at the tree. She was truly disappointed in herself as no doubt anyone who witnessed was. She let out a heavy sigh of defeat then gasped. Her dressed was ripped worse. A branch must have caught the twine and tugged because now, the skirt of the dress was hanging very loosely around her midriff. Violet swallowed back a sob and placed her hands upon her face. What was she going to do now? Even if she wanted to go back to the camp there would be no way that she could without her dress falling entirely apart and she would be nearly nude. She scooted as much as she could to the tree and sat against it. She looked up and saw her boot. If she could manage she may be able to knock the boot loose. She looked around on the forest floor and spotted nothing. Only small twigs and tiny pebbles were scattered around. The rock she did throw would’ve worked if she hadn’t have thrown it away. Violet closed her eyes.

“You poor thing,” Vanroth’s voice came. Violet opened her eyes and looked up to see Vanroth standing there with his arms crossed. He didn’t look all too amused, mostly disappointed, but the amusement was still there in his eyes. Violet looked down away from his gaze. He knelt down in front of her and tilted his head slightly.

“Given up on running away,” he asked.

“I’ll never give up,” she said.

“Then why are you not running now?”

Violet did not answer but held her dress together tighter. Vanroth looked at the crumpled

dress in her hands and sighed.

“Dress wasn’t made to climb trees it seems.”

Violet refused to look up and stared a hole into the ground.

“Would you rather spend the rest of the night by the tree until my men come and find

you or would you rather I take you back to camp and get your dress fixed so you can run

another day?”

Violet groaned then looked up at him and nodded. Vanroth smiled slightly at his success

then wrapped his arms around Violet. She began to panic and started to struggle.

“Oh for gods’ sake, Violet,” Vanroth said, “I have to carry you, unless you would rather walk while your dress fell apart with each step you took.”

Violet froze for a short moment then let Vanroth pick her up. As he began to walk Violet dared a look at him.

“Where is Trixie,” Violet asked.

“I sent her ahead with Von,” Vanroth said, “But before you start making a fuss, only to the next camp.”

“The next camp,” Violet asked.

“I have camps all over the place, Violet. You king likes to think he was an advantage with putting scouts all over the place but little does he know that the scouts he places are my men. I never thought it would be so easy to have spies in such a heavily guarded place like Nimond.”

Violet looked away and remained silent until they reached the camp. Vanroth placed her in her tent then left. He returned a couple minutes later with a white tunic, a small pair of leather pants, and a small pair of boots.

“You will have to settle with these,” he said, “Not sure when and if I can fix that wretched thing.”

“It’s not retched,” Violet bit back. Vanroth laughed then nodded.

“Alright then. Change then place the dress outside of the tent when you are finished then

get to sleep.”

“I’m not going to bed,” Violet argued.

“Then stay awake,” he said, “Doesn’t matter to me, just don’t think you can get up and run again because I am watching.”

“Aren’t you a little old for games,” Violet smiled. Vanroth back and shook his head.

“Never.”

Violet’s smile faded as Vanroth stood and left the tent. Violet looked at the clothes and scoffed. “He calls my dress retched.”

She sighed then unbuckled the vest and gently tugged off her dress. Her skin began to prickle up as the cold air lightly brushed against her naked skin. She quickly grabbed the white tunic and put it on. The tunic wasn’t too big for her to fit in, but it was very loose. Violet grabbed the leather pants and put them on next. As she slipped in them, she spotted a brown leather belt on the ground. The pants were just as loose so she grabbed it and slipped it through the hoops to tighten it up. The boots fit perfectly on her feet as she slipped into them. They were also surprisingly comfortable and felt good as she stood. Her own boots often gave her blisters and made her feet hurt enough to begin swelling, but she knew she would like these ones.

Once dressed, Violet grabbed her vest and put it on over the tunic. If she was going to wear this then she’d make it her. No one had ever seen her without her vest since after her father first gave it to her.  It was all she had left of home and home was all she wanted. She grabbed her torn up dress and set it outside the tent and crawled into the bedroll. She heard Vanroth come over then leave as he grabbed the destroyed dress. No sooner after he left, Violet’s eyes began to grow heavy and she gave in to some much needed sleep.