Black Diamond - Roxy's story
1. The hand she held with cramping fingers was wet, soaked from her unending tears, getting motionless, cold, lifeless. The bed she sat on the side of was that of a poor woman's in a little countryside home, one that time forgot, one that only the burden of hard work remembers. The tears she cried were that of a child, a child that lost her mother. "Mother, please don't leave me." She cared little about the scorning gaze of her four brothers, two older and two younger brothers who felt more like strangers to her, all her life. She cared even less about the heavy hand placed on her left arm, trying to remove her hand, and herself, so coldly. "Get going. You have work to do." - Her father never really liked her. He was a soldier in the Westport Militia, a simple man without a conscience, without regret, and apparently without any emotions. "You don't even care that she died?! How can you be so--" - The strike on her left cheek was without a glove, louder than painful, her body still trembled into it. She fell on the floor, her brothers snickering, mocking her under their breath. None would anger their Father. Except for her. "You can hit me all you like you're still a cold bastard your wife just died!" - she hissed, but the men left the room without ever giving a second thought about her. "I'll call the priest to get the body taken." - The front door slammed shut and the sound of whipping with the hurried gallopping of their only horse brought some ease to the horror of the thought... That her mother is no more and her home is no longer a home.
2. The cracking thunder and flash of lightning outside her window was only a short distraction from the heaving of her heavy breaths, the cold sweat rushing down her back and the trembling of her aching body. She hardly even noticed the heavy rain and ripping november wind as it played a rugged song of fury on the loose window shutters. Another day has passed, one among the many where she worked like a slave in a house which had no place for her since her mother's death five years ago. She looked at the clock by the wall. Three in the night, it was, a stormy night of no rest for the tortured heart of the sixteen year old girl. Another nightmare, Heaven only knows what haunted the troubled mind of one who only wished for a few hours of ease after the terror she'd endured that day. And the previous day. And so many days she only counted to know how long it has been since her mother... Images rushed through her mind as she wiped her forehead, shuddering from the cold sweat which made her gown cling to her back, work-hardened shoulders, and ample chest. Her frightened coal eyes glanced around in the room and the curled locks of her ebony hair lay ruffled on the back of her shoulders and neck. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, trying to let go of the grasp that the already forgotten nightmares left on her soul, while her mind made her remember. "Five whiplashes for disobedience." - the voice of her father echoed in her head as she held her cheeks in a vice with each hand's palms, laying back down. "You are useless." - the voice of her brothers, the mocking, for the simple reason of nothing at all. "It is in the nature of people to gang up on the weaker. Don't mind your brothers, dear. They love you in their own way." Like hell- she thought. But then both of her hands covered her mouth and she apologized over and over and over again, to her mother. The mother she remembered. She then started to cry, letting it all go, not caring about her four brothers sleeping in the same room, not caring about the pillows thrown at her, not caring about the cold hand grabbing her arm and dragging her out of bed, on the rough, uncarpeted, wooden floor before her bed. "The hell are you whining for again?!" - yelled her eldest brother and swung his foot, hitting her ribs. "We are trying to sleep here!" - Another kick struck her, the pain was abismal compared to what all she'd endured. Can't he kick any harder? So weak. All of her brothers are so weak. No wonder, she does all the housework, garden work, feeding the few animals they have -- "What is going on here?!" - the kicks stopped at the druggy voice of the father. They knew it is unwise to anger him, especially when he's had quite a few pints of grog before bedtime. "You again!" - he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, she could no longer feel the strength of the grasp. Scarlet anger flowing through her veins in a sudden, she yanked her arm free. "Let go of me you drunk bastard!" - The two younger brothers, only children, jumped back at the sudden outburst. They, of all the men in the room, could feel the seriousness of the reaction. "Well look at that, the beast bares its fangs." - Laughed her second brother, walking up to nudge her shoulder. She grabbed the hand, folding her fingers with his, forcing him to his knee with a single motion of a clenching hand. You are not so strong now, are you, John. You will no longer call me an ugly freak. - She thought to herself, her eyes widening in a sudden, releasing the hand realizing what she had done. "John, what the.." - chuckled her eldest brother and stepped up trying to restrain her. She swung her right arm, smacking him across the face. He stumbled back in utter surprise, touching his bleeding nose for evidence of the sensation of the trinkling hot blood down his lips. John grabbed her gown, tearing it near the neckline as he stood up, in an attempt to hold her down. She swung her leg jumping back, her gown being further damaged with a loud rip, not as loud as the crack and the cry of pain as her shin rammed into her brother's groin. She doubletook at John going down, gasping for air. She just realized when she saw one of her brothers slip and hit himself there on the railing outside before. He was in serious pain. "Get her, Mark!" - he gasped, both of his hand cupped over his groin, kneeling down, unable to move. Mark and her father moved at the same time, only for their skulls to clash with a loud hollow noise as she ducked out between them. "Come back here! Catch her! Don't let her get away!" The cracking thunder and flash of lightning above her was little distraction from the heaving of her heavy breaths, the cold rain rushing down her back and the trembling of her aching body. She hardly even noticed the heavy rain and ripping november wind as it played a rugged song of fury on the aching muscles of her trembling body. Another day has passed, the last one where she worked like a slave in a house which had no place for her, and she ran, ran towards the borders of the Western Kingdom with a wicked grin on her face, feeling free once again, for the first time since her mother's death five years ago.
3. "Is she alive?" - asked one of the voices and her eyes opened wide, meeting the green eyes of a young man wearing a chainmail and loose pants. "Of course she is , she was asleep." - said this one and arched a brow as she jumped back with her back to the tree. "Don't touch me!" - She looked around in riot for an escape route. The blonde young man walked up to her slowly "It's okay, we just want to know what you're doing out here in an evening go--" - He could not finish the sentence as a shapely shin collided with his testicles once, then again and once more before she pushed his cramping frame aside with nearly superhuman strength he would call it, and ran for it through the creek and into the bushes. "You okay?" - asked the other one, a blonde girl in her late teens or early twenties, with thick soft blonde hair, beautiful green eyes and tattooes allover her arms, crouching down to her wounded companion, not minding the short pink one-piece dress bridging her thighs and her black lace lingerie showing. The bard stared ahead at the lace for a split second before regaining his breath and whispered a dying "Yeah...", rolling over to one side. The blonde girl stood, smoothing down the mini and took off in the direction Roxy ran.
Her gown further torn in the bushes, her throat sore and nose running, she caught a terrible cold and her cough would stop her for a moment. A long enough moment for the blonde girl to catch up. "Hey, calm down, what happened to you?" - Sizing up the blonde, she realized it was a girl of her age or even a bit younger. Makeup. She was wearing makeup. So beautiful. And look at that dress, it's so pretty. She's so pretty. "I... don't want to talk about it. You look rich." - she stated bluntly, making the blonde giggle with her pure honesty. "I'm not really. Just got a job and the Order takes care of me. Come on, don't let people see you, you are practically naked." - the blonde grinned, pulling a black robe from her travelling bag after placing the heavy package on the soil before her. "I don't care." - said Roxy with a shrug and walked up to the bag. "Got food?" The blonde chuckled again and shoved the robe in Roxy's hand. "Yes I do. Put this on. Do you have a place to go?" - Roxy leaned in examining the silver hoop in Cassie's left ear. "Not really." - she shrugged, and her eyes narrowed as the bard finally caught up to them, waddling over awkwardly trying to keep his thighs apart. He stopped at a safe distance from the girl, Roxy glaring daggers at him. "I think you've got it under control then, Cassie?" - he asked carefully. "Yep! I do!" - smiled the blonde and turned back to Roxy who spat some green goo to the side, the cold not getting any better by itself. Her hacking cough wasn't a good sign either. "Right... see you later then." - said the bard on an annoyed tone and left. "You were out in that storm all night? I have to take you to Anni right away before it gets worse!" - Roxy had heard of the Lotus Disciples before, even met Lindy on one occasion when she had to buy candles at the market. "Anni...? That short dress... the tattooes.. are you one of.. them?" - Roxy asked, narrowing her eyes, only noticing the lotus flower - shaped necklace among the flowing locks of blonde hair which covered Cassie's generous cleavage somewhat well as she leaned forwards, taking a sandwich from her bag. Barking cough ensued once again. "I am, I am but come on we gotta get you fixed up or you'll get lung disease!" Damn it, she thought. She's so pretty I hate her. And she followed in her new idol's steps.
_________________ "There is no Sparta. THIS. IS. SPOON!!"
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