As Tala traversed the blood-soaked path, the cacophony of clashing metal and exploding magic filled her ears. Bodies from various factions littered the ground. Suddenly, a nearby explosion rocked the earth, sending stinging smoke into her eyes.
When the smoke settled Tala took a step forward the explosion and noticed something warm in her feet and she gazed down to see someone's guts under her feet, she took a step back her eyes wide and she noticed someone or many people's insides were spread around the field caused by the explosion.
Death creeped up behind Tala's back and she ducked to the side a few of her hair cut by something sharp she spun around and saw it. A large grotesque spider with its blood stained legs that shone with its sharpness, its multiple red eyes blink at Tala before it opened its large mouth and let out a shriek. Small spiders came out of its mouth, its numbers exceeding almost to thousands as it poured out.
Then it all went black and when Tala opened her hands she found herself in her bed once more, sweat dripping down her forehead as she caught her breath.
Tala spun around her position the warmth of the hay underneath gives her a sense of warmth as she tries to once again drift off to sleep.
Tomorrow she will turn eight and awaken her power. She hopes it's water so that she doesn't have to go to the well everyday. Cuddling close toward Magdalena, her mother who is sleeping just beside her.
When the morning arrives Tala notices Magdalena's side of the bed empty and her siblings nowhere to be seen which makes her extremely confused. When Tala went towards the kitchen she found Magdalena cooking some food, it was meat which is strange because they only had meat either when they found some by the gift box outside or a customer of her mother gave it.
Still Tala watched Magdalena with intensity a droll running down her mouth when the smoke filled the house. Tala's two older siblings and a pair of twins approached Magdaleena with delight.
"Sit down" Magdalena ushered Tala and her siblings to sit down, each of them having their own wooden bowls. Magdalena portioned the gruel with delightful meat bits one by one and after she sat down on her own spot all four of them ate together.
Once they are done eating, Tala watches his two older brothers gear up and set on their journey towards the dungeons after that Tala places her candles in her bags while she follows closely behind Magdalena.
Tala's eyes sparkled when she noticed the old man from the bakery throw some greeny bread into her gift box, yes the long square shaped box where people put stuff into. She makes sure to remember taking those later.
"Keep close" Magdalena took Tala's hand and they proceeded to go to the perfumed laced streets, it always reeked of alcohol and perfume, the ladies there look like dolls wearing those pretty dresses and giving them a lot of soft chuckles when they walk through.
"Hello Ms Sweet" Tala greeted one of the ladies there who always had this very sweet smell.
When they reach the inn where Magdalena works Tala would be left by the counter to sell some candles for the customers. It was the usual day Tala with her spare time reading some book she found in her gift box. Well reading is a stretch she just likes the pictures it contains and using it she got a bit of an understanding of the story inside it.
It was about a kingdom that disappeared decades ago, it is said to be located by the west where the sun sets and it talks about a love story about a princess and her knight and the evil prince who was very angry at them. Just like the stories in Tala's book collection, it went terribly. The knight died and the princess was wed to the prince. It sucks so bad that Tala threw the book once more to the floor, something she did countless times before.
Pouting Tala sat up from her seat and pick up the book once more Mr bartender not paying her any attention when Tala was planning to return to her seat the door opened and a man in a very expensive coat entered the door, the man scanned around the inn before his eyes landed to Tala who was hugging the book in her arms.
The man bent down in front of Tala, "So it's you"
"Sir-" Mr Bartender approached the man but the man only glanced at the bartender and he immediately stopped from what he was saying.
Tala looked at the bartender with concern commonly when someone approached Tala. Mr Bartender would intervene saying she's not for sale somehow this time Mr Bartender this time wasn't able to say anything if only Tala could actually properly comprehend face, "Say little lady do you like to come with me?"
Tala was taken aback by the man's question, "I don't want to" She said taking a step back but the man only let out a cough and stood up.
"Let's go then" The man ushered Tala with him.
"B-but I don't want to.." Tala protested but her protest didn't reach the man and he pulled her along with him.
"I said i don't want to" Tala shoved the man away and she ran upstairs to the private area where her mother works.
"Go with him, Tala" Tala heard her Mother's voice say to her from behind the many doors there.
The smell of candles burning and sounds of skin clapping registered on Tala's mind and that is when the man creeped up behind her grabbing her and throwing her by his shoulder.
"Let me go!" Tala struggled at the man's shoulders kicking and punching but eventually she was placed in a fancy carriage and was forced to stare at the inn while it grew smaller and smaller.
Tala on the whole ride cried for her mother Magdalena that eventually turned into pleading to the man to just bring her back to her family but the man didn't even bother to look at her only scratching his head and letting her cry in his arms.
Tala that time after drifting off to sleep at the man's embrace dreamt of sleeping on the cloud her whole body felt refreshed and her hair a tangly knot completely soft to touch.
Then she dreamt of her mother, Magdalena who looked at her with cold eyes, she dreamt that she was back to their home, there Mother her Mother strangled her while she was sleeping murmuring how jealous she was to Tala.
Tala woke up with a gasp startling the man who was holding her forehead.
"That startled me" The man stated his face was unrecognizable to Tala blurring between countless faces.
"My Mother" Tala pleaded to the man but he only let out a long dragged sigh.
"I did ask her to come along but she doesn't want to" The man uttered, "She asked me for money instead so she can start over with your siblings"
"Liar" Tala voiced.
"I'm not Lying. Look, why would I lie?" The man said, pointing at his face, "This handsome face of mine, do you think I would do something bad such as lying?"
"You look ugly" Tala spat at the man's face earning a groan.
"Eww, Seriously.. Damn" The man grumbled casting something to his face to clean himself, "I suck at kids"
"Listen here, brat." The man stated, "Can't you recognize me?"
"Recognize? Of course I did Sir.. Your the man who kidnapped me"
"Where did you get all that sassines from Little lady?" The man patted Tala's head, "You get it soon enough for now I had to say it's nice meeting you. Despite me wanting to stay i had to leave for a month you see"
"This viscount had to do something in another kingdom. I picked you up yesterday since your mother was worried you got the same power as me and end up being taken and sold somewhere"
"I hate you"
"Love you too, Sweetie"
"I want my mom, bring me home!!" Tala let out a cough, "I want to see my mom, please" She said with a sad look.
"You can't" The man said, "But you can send letters to each other if you want"
"I can't read"
The man was taken a bit aback by Tala's words, "She didn't teach you?"
Tala shook her head, "I don't like words"
"You're literally holding a book when i found you" The man then was planning to say something but got interrupted by another man with a suit.
"Seems like i had to go" The man patted Tala's head, "I know it's still too much to take in especially since you're a kid, Dad will be back. I tell you about lots of things once i returned"
Tala glared at the man till he was out of view and it would only take her years to wish that she could have said something else to that same man.
The whole day Tala remained in the room she was locked in, not really locked in but she preferred not to leave the room just in case. The whole place was as large as the inn that she previously worked at. Pastel pink covered the whole place starting from the curtains that drape over the large window into the rug and canopy bed. It was strange Tala heard from the stray kids that when you got captured you would be locked in a dark room and then painfully branded, before sent away. This place on the other hand a prison that resembled the bedroom of the princess in the illustration.
Despite not wanting to admit it, this place is amazing, especially the furniture filled to the brim with cool things. When she opened the cabinet to hide in it one time when a maid went inside her room she was shook to see fluffy dresses and when she pulled on other things she found some drawers filled with jewelries the stuff she saw those ladies always wear.
"I leave the food here, Young master" Tala almost jumped at the maid's voice.
The maid only bowed at Tala and left the room. There at the table inside Tala's room was steaming hot food that Tala had never seen before.
Curiosity taking over Tala took a piece of the food served and was absolutely blasted. It taste so fucking amazing. Tala immediately pocketed the food to her clothes that is when she recognized she was wearing different clothes instead of the usual one she had. I mean the only clothes that she did have.
Still it was a dress with pockets, Tala shoved the food in her pockets not paying any mind to the heat and sauce dripping into it.
She then noticed the window was left opened by the maid probably to remove the moisture of the hot food but this gives Tala a brilliant idea, she looked down at the window and noticed it was indeed quite high still she turn towards the canopy bed and using the sheets as a rope she went off and climb down.
After that she rushed towards the gate, a few servants and spectrals noticing her and screaming. 'Young lady!!' after her but she already ran away.
Climbing and running was something Tala was good at. When she noticed that there were guards at the gates she twisted her body and went to the bushy gardens and went to climb the wall using the hanging vines there braiding it to be sturdy. Her shoes were long gone and with her calloused hand and feet she managed to climb the wall jumping over to the other side with a smug.
"Kekekekeke" Sound coming out of her when she make a ran to the trees.
"The viscount will kill us" Tala heard them say but she didn't bother to look back.
When she returned back to the house Tala's face was filled with relief. She moved the piece of wood that covers the door, "Mother?"
She looked around and realized the whole place was turned over. Tala immediately went to the floorboards prying it open and there she saw the wooden box where their family savings was held. She lift it up and noticed it was lighter.
Tala opened it and saw a letter that contained words that she couldn't understand at all but she recognized the handwriting and smell it had.
The smell of burning candles and perfumed it was the smell Magdalena had and she sat down for a bit helding the letter tightly to her embrace.
After what seems like half and hour Tala tucked the Letter in her chest and she went around the whole house playing with her siblings wooden swords a room filled with giggles from her siblings having a sparring match now Tala felt an uncomfortable feeling in her chest as she swung the sword she was too young to quite understand that what she is feeling is loneliness.
A feeling that would accompany her for the rest of her life. Tala left the house as it is, only choosing to change clothes this time she ate the food she carried with her and also was planning to sell one of the rings she took from the viscount's house to have enough money to find her mother but before she can even get far she saw a kid like her to the alleyway.
The kid had her wrist tied and bound to her back. She must have run from her captors after her feet were freed with a rag still placed in her mouth.
Two runaways in a single alleyway oh what ironic event it was still when Tala saw blood dripping from the kid's clothes into the alleyway she couldn't stand it so she decided to at least remove the kid's bounds.
Warmth enveloped Tala's palms and it then began to transfer towards the kid. Eventually the kid who was losing a lot of blood jolted from where she lay.
The two of them locked eyes with each other.