Chapter 2
Aela was awoken by the sound of heavy footfalls echoing through the halls of the holding cells. It was now completely dark save for some pale moonlight shining through the slits of the cell door from somewhere outside. Her throat was dry and if she tried to speak it brought pain. She was slumped in the corner next to the door and must have fallen asleep earlier although she did not clearly remember doing so. Her sleeves were still slightly damp from her break down earlier and she felt as though she was covered in a greasy film all over her body.
The footsteps became louder and she could here metal clinking rhythmically with each step. Slowly a pale orange glow filled the hallway and a guard stopped outside her cell, he pulled a large key ring off his belt and turned the heavy lock of the door. The sharp edge of the door only nearly missed Aela as she backed up groggily and blinked in the now blinding light of the torch. "Come on out of there missy, stays over." The guard spat out and pulled her by the wrist into the hallway. Looking past him she saw two other prisoners shackled together as well as a few more guards all wearing the same blue and maroon coats under their dark iron armor as every other guard she had seen so far. Large shackles were clasped around her wrists and ankles that connected her to the other two prisoners in the hall. She had never seen them before, one was a tall skinny man who easily blended with the rest of Dagoraths population, the other however was clearly a foreigner. His dark olive skin marked him as a desert man as did his narrow eyes and sharp features. She thought he looked sad when he saw her but his face then became a ridged stone thereafter and would remain like that for the rest of the journey.
After collecting the lunatic, who turned out to be an old man with eyes glazed over from alcohol and drug use, they made a short journey through the cramped hallways before reaching a single massive iron door at the end of a hall. It had no handles to speak of and was covered in bolts and reenforcement bands stretching across it's length. To either side of the hallway there was a small room with a large crank attached to an equally large gear. When the signal was given two guards stationed in each room began the laborious task of turning the crank which slowly parted the iron gate. Once the heavy door was opened the convoy was led forward, all eyes on them. Aela noticed that the gate was made of two layers with a small gap in between and her stomach turned when she thought of being trapped in there after the doors closed.
Once through the massive gate the guards began turning their gears once more and the doors slid closed with a bang as the convoy moved down the remaining length of the hallway and through yet another door; this one was very similar to the cell doors only it opened out. Once passing through here Aela found herself in a small courtyard surrounded by thick metal bars creating a square cage. There were four additional guards here, two by the smaller door she had just exited, and two by a large gothic gate on the opposite end of the courtyard.
They stopped in the middle of the courtyard and simply stood there for a minute. Aela looked past the gate and saw several rundown buildings jutting out of the darkness along with several orange dots that looked like stars off in the distance. It looked as if this world was shrouded in an eternal night with no moon and no stars above, and aside from the torches scattered around the horizon there was only a soft blue glow of moonlight seeping through the cracks of the boardwalk above. What she could not see however was a hooded figure poised on one of the rotting rooftops watching her and the other prisoners.
Aela heard the door behind her open and close once more and two more guards came through carrying small two small parcels each. Then, the man in front, the tall skinny one, was unlocked from his shackles and handed one of the packages and led to the black gate before them where he stood patiently. Next was the desert man, he too was handed a package and then took his place in front of the gate.
Now the guard began unlocking Aelas shackles and they fell to the ground with a clank. However a second guard then came from the side, pulled her sleeve up to her elbow and slapped another shackle on. This one however was connected to no chains and was just a simple band of iron with the official emblem of the Dagorath Council branded into it. Aside from that the iron was smooth except for two small holes that exposed the fleshy area of her arm on either side. The first guard then pulled a thin silver spike from his belt along with a hammer and pressed the cold shiny metal to her arm. Realizing what was happening she struggled to get away protesting loudly shouting that she would not remove the band under any circumstances. She was held in place by two guards then and a block was placed under her arm. The first guard raised the hammer and her eyes widened and she struggled more, tears welling in her eyes and screams of protest echoing in the dark. The screams grew louder and were joined by the clanging of metal until the band was secure. During this the lunatic lurched forward and tried to help her but was met by a gloved fist knockong him back into the dirt.
When it was finished her screams trailed off into sobs and she fell to her knees trembling just mumbling out "I wasn't going to take it off.... I wasn't.... I wasn't going to take it of...." The band was now slick with blood, her blood, and her arm was in a pain the likes of which she had never felt before. She could feel the metal inside her, it was roughly as thick as a quill tip so she could still move her hand and fingers freely once the wound healed itself, but the band would remain a part of her for the rest of her life and even after. Aela was roughly pulled up by her other arm and handed her own package before she took her place at the gate, stifling sobs as best she could. Her face was a mess, covered in tears and mucus draining from her nose. She stood breathing shakily, her legs week and the world seemed to spin around her. Still, she did not see the hooded figure whose form was now ridged with fury, his hands clenched tightly into fists lusting for the blood of the men who had just harmed this defenseless girl before him.
Once the lunatic was released from his shackles and handed his package he took his place beside Aela and offered a comforting hand to the trembling girl. The guards were called to attention then and loud metal grinding and clanking echoed in the dark as the black gate slowly glided open. With that the four prisoners took their first steps into their new homes below the rest of the world, and the hooded figure continued to watch Aela as she stumbled with the old drunk through the dirt. They made their way to a decrepit building down the road; it was as far as the small girl could go. The building sagged and was full of holes and many windows were boarded up, inside was a number of drunks slumbering peacefully on the first floor as well as a cat with eyes that shined brightly in the dark. The lunatic and the girl carefully picked their way across the room and up the stairs to the deserted second floor where there was the remenants of furniture that she collapsed on, curling into the fetal position. The old man found a blanket nearby and draped it over her, whispering what she assumed were words of comfort but sounded like garbled nothingness. Above her, in the rafters, the hooded figure slipped silently into the room and took watch from the shadows above, soon she drifted off into sleep, as did the old man. The hooded figure dropped down quietly, his split robes splaying out beneath him as he crouched. He knelt beside the girls bed, and peeled back the blanket carefully, revealing her iron band. He gently took it in his hands and whispered words of a foreign tongue over it that created a soft purple and white glow on her arm. Her breathing became less labored immediately after that and, using the edge of his robe he wiped her blood from the shackle and her pale skin gently cleaning her. Then the hooded figure pulled the blanket back over her and leaned forward kissing her forehead gently feeling great sorrow for the fragile girl. With that the figure retreated into the shadows of the rafters where he too drifted into sleep soon after.
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