I began to stir awake, the sun bright light beaming down onto my small form. I felt the arms of someone strong carrying me, clinging onto the warm figure. Then the memories of last night came to me, the village was attacked. Ali was dead. The Old man… Oh I felt sick to my stomach. My body felt light and weak, my stomach feeling hollow.
"You're waking up…?" Spoke the man, his voice was gruff and weary. I brought my head up, rubbing my eyes as I then got a good look at him. He had Short ashy light brown hair with a couple of white strands, along with a thick beard that was almost fully silver with age. He was a pretty buff guy, you could feel the muscles with his hold on you. Scars littered his Face, over his eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Not a word eh? Can't blame ya. After all that has happened to your village…" He spoke softly, walking through the forest carrying me in his arms.
I wanted to ask him what was going on, who attacked us, who… killed Ali… though for someone reason my voice wouldn't come out, my voice was gone…? He had settled me down onto a nearby fallen log, across from us was a small pond. He had ripped off a piece of his pants and dipped it into the water. After sometime he turned back and began wiping my face, the cloth slowly reddened. He went back and forth from the one to the pond, wringing out the dirty water from the cloth and wetting it once more. After doing this for a specific amount of time, he then sat down and pondered.
Taking off his coat, wrapping it around me. Feeling the new warmth from the coat immediately melted any tension from my body. His gaze softened, having a hint of guilt though it immediately went away.
"There's a town 3 miles from here called Lagias, that's where I'm from." He mentioned, picking me up once more and began walking.
"There we can properly get you cleaned up and changed."
By the time we've gotten to the entrance of the town, it was already sundown. The sky, a canvas of orange, purple, and yellow hues. He walked up to the gate, as the guards stopped him.
"ID and fee?"
"Right here." He showed them his ID and then handed them 30 silver coins.
"Who's the little lady?" asked a different guard.
"The kid…? Her name is… Jalius, just some kid who I found during one of mission over at Arthur." The man told them, that wasn't my name. It was Liaus, though it wasn't like I exactly told him. Or if I even could.
"Oh, I'm assuming you'll bring her over to the church? Considering they take in kids like her."
"Maybe, my daughter has been asking for another sibling for a while now." He chuckled.
So he has a family. Thinking about taking me in… well I guess that'd be the best. I thought to myself, feeling myself recalling back when I had first met Ali.
__________ 10 years ago_________
I was small, I was always small. Yet I was frail, skin and bones. I had been living on the streets for a while, my mother an elven woman who worked in the trenches as a prostitute. She had the same long blonde hair as my mother, she had dark brown eyes. Despite that I was a splitting image of my mother and I…
"For fuck sake Liaus, can you stop being such a burden!" She screamed, throwing a glass vase into the wall. It had just barely missed me, the sound of the base hitting the wall and shattering. I flinched at the noise, looking up at my mother. Tears aching to just come out from within.
"Because of you I became this! This hag! Before I had you, I was beautiful. Everything was great!"
She shouted at me in frustration, nowadays her clients lessened by the day. She was sought out for because who wouldn't want a youthful elven woman to give them the time of their life. To me, she was the most beautiful lady I knew… my mother. She wasn't like this a year ago, what had change? Where did the mother who used to tell me she loved me, combed my hair, cuddled me to bed, told me I was the best girl in the world. I was her world and she was mine.
Now there was just this woman. Who I could not recognize.
Who was she.
Where was the mother who used to play hide and seek with me, whispering how she'll be looking for me. Though she never found me, she would always be waiting until late in the evening to then give up. I would always chose same spot, far in the closet in the changing rooms of a brothel.
There was this prostitute named Feronia, Her and my mother used to always argue about it. Despite that she would always be looking after me. whenever my mom was busy with work she made sure I was occupied.
"Liaus, do you want to do some makeup?" She looked down at me her brown eyes locking onto my small frame. Her smile was one of the brightest I've ever seen, it made me feel safe and warm inside.
"Yes, let's do it." I agree smiling, taking her hand as she sat me down on the chair in front of a mirror. Pulling out the some eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick stick. She rested it all onto the table connected to the mirror.
She took some facial cream and lathered my face in it, in which she had done it in a very… head shaking manner. After she applied the cream, I was a little disoriented after having to take a moment to properly see.
"So how was your day dear?" she asked, taking a brush and beginning to apply some purplish-black eyeshadow over my eyelid.
"It was pretty fine, I was playing outside in the nearby lake."
"Were you bothering the ducks again?" She said with a knowing grin.
"Um… well…"
"You did. Oh those poor ducks, they must be sick of you." she teased.
I blushed slightly, embarrassed that she had me figured out so easily. Onserving my reaction she began to chuckle furthermore increasing my growing humility.
"Ugh… just shush!" I whined messing up the the eyeshadow. I looked in the mirror wide eyed, Feronia looking down over at me stifling laugh. Slowy turning my head, I glared at her. My face darkened in anger and embarrassment. How could I be even more embarrassed at this point. I felt tears well up in my eyes, then coming out as I began to cry loudly.
Feronia's face shifted from amusement to surprise and concern. She wasn't expecting me to start crying, as she held my face. Caressing my cheek with her thumb.
"Shh, shh, shh… I'm sorry… calm down. I can fix it, alright?"
She looked into my eyes, assuring me that it would be fine and that she'll fix it, make it better. Her gaze was soft with some kind of affection. I eventually calmed down, her wiping my tears and fixing the makeup on my face.
Those were my last couple memories of Feronia, before the incident.
_______ A couple weeks later_______
I killed my mother.
From the bloody scissors in my hand to the body bleeding out on the floor, leaving a pool of that thick wine colored liquid. My lips quivered as I screamed from the top of my lungs.
"What is this kid screaming about now?" said some prostitute in the changing room to Feronia who had just finished an appointment.
"Probably that woman again, she's been getting too harsh with the child lately."
"Is that so? You should probably go check."
"I guess so."
Feronia had gotten up from where she was seated and made her way over to the room, knocking.
"Hey, LiLi?" She called out for me using the pet name she made for me. Not receiving a response, she brought her hand to the door and turned the knob.
"What the hell?!" She shouted, I flinched a little from where I was sitting, my knees to my chin Sobbing. It didn't take long for her to figure out what had happened. The dead body, the bloody scissors, my blood covered hands and clothes. Her gaze moved across the scene, trying to figure out how to handle the situation, as she took a deep breath. She was gonna make a decision that would change her life.
Walking up to me she pulled me into a tight embrace.
"Oh dear… you're probably so terrified…" I clinged onto her tighter as I began sobbing again. Rocking me back and forth reassuringly and gently.
Turning back to the body of my mother and then back down at me in her arms she then spoke.
"Dear?"
"Y-yes?"
"I'm gonna need you to run. Get out of here, far, far, and far away." I glanced up at her confused and weary. She gave me weak smile, letting go of me and waiting.
"Go, Liaus. Go. Run."
I had a hesitant look on my face, I wasn't sure if I should leave here. The only place I've known. My home. Feronia.
"Liaus go!" She yelled at me, flinching once more I ran out the brothel and onto the streets. Not looking back, I ran far into the woods.
Back at the brothel, Feronia picked up the scissor and began wiping my mother's blood on her hands and clothes. As then some workers came to the room and caught her in the action after noticing me running outside in a hurry. She was arrested after that, never to be seen again.
For days on end I ran, no water, no food. Eventually stumbling upon a village. That village being Arthur. The village where Ali found me. Walking past a small puddle of water, I was tempted to bend down and desperately drink the water though refrained. Looking at my reflection reminded me of my mother. Finishing my sentence from earlier, I hated myself for that. It disgusts me now. Those games, those sweet words were just a way for her to distract me from all the things going around me. When she told me those things, she was high, when she hated me she didn't get it off, when we played hide and seek. The reason she took so long wasn't because she was bad.
But because she was doing her job.
Prostitution.
I entered the village starving and dehydrated, walking through the streets like a skeleton. Feeling light headed and dizzy I wasn't paying attention and bumped into some woman.
Ali.
___________Present time__________
The man who saved me went by the name of Reliam, he had brought me over to his house. Introduced me to his 10 year old daughter and wife. His wife was a sweetheart. Immediately expressing concern for me, cleaning me up and helping me into clothes.
Making dinner, we all sat together at a table. Something my mother and I never did, though Ali made sure to do so. That thought painful, she was dead… the woman who was more of a mother than my own blood.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Asked their daughter named Hailey, short black fluffy hair and freckles. I was crying, the involuntary tears running down my face. I was unable to answer, though Reliam understood.
"It might be overwhelming for her, just give her some space." Hailey nodded at her father's words and resumed eating.
Oh god.
How much I miss you right now, Ali.
I broke down crying in front of my new family. Them looking at me in pity, concern, and sadness. I didn't mean to ruin the mood, they were a perfect family. Something I could never actually have. How many times do I have to loose people? Though with this new profound place, I can only hope. Hope. To the goddess herself that nothing goes wrong this time. This is my third chance at a family, I won't mess it up this time.