Chapter 2
Dom was pulled from his thoughts by Neal yelling.
3 years. 3 years was how long it had been. No one had seen Kel since and Maggot was still trying to kill every Tortollian person or descendant of one.
'Scanrians! Scanrians on the wind!' called out a guard.
Great, thought Dom. I have to fight on the day when I just want to lay down and die. His arm was almost pulled from his shoulder when Neal ran past and grabbed it.
'Come with me. You can help in the infirmary,' he said through haggard breathing from running. Neal had been outside the walls when the call had been let out and so he had to run back in a full ball.
He knew, along with everyone else, that Dom always turned into a sad shell, more than normal, on the anniversary of Kel going missing. On this day he normally just wandered around the camp and even once he had laid on the ground with a sign next to him saying "kill me". Last year there had also been a battle and Dom had been close to lying down for the bandits to kill him. He had almost begged them. It was Neal's quick thinking, (naturally) which had saved him.
A shell of the old Dom was all that was left. Nothing other than his looks remained. Even then they had changed. His eyes smiled less and his features were harder. Less forgiving.
The raid was the same as normal. The villagers were able to hold off the attackers well because of Kel's help and this only helped to send Dom even further into his mind.
Dom looked up when Lord Raoul put his hand on his shoulder.
'The villagers are holding a get together in her honour tonight. Do you want to come?
Dom thought about it. If he went it would mean a night full of happy memories of Kel mixed with a sad one. If he didn't though it would mean staying in his room with only the sad memories comfort.
'I will come.'
The party was long and to Dom, with not enough alcohol. But that was his opinion.
'What do you think they could do better next year?' Neal asked him as they made their way to their quarters.
Dom pretended to think for a moment. He knew that once he got back to his room, all the happy memories of Kel were going to be replaced by the sad ones of her not being there anymore.
'They needed more alcohol,' he said, slightly slurred from the amount he had already consumed.
'You are already drunk Dom. What do you think they could do better next year asides from having more alcohol?' Neal persisted.
'Bigger cups,' said Dom.
'Why?' asked Neal. He was curious now.
'So you can say you have only has three drinks even though your cup is four times the size,' Dom slurred.
Neal gave a small grin at Dom's persistency. You have to give it to him, he thought, he is able to bring to conversation around fairly quickly. However much it is the only real thing off himself left.
'Sir Neal!' a messenger ran up to him. 'There is someone out there, we don't know who and it is only one person, with a little child,' he said.
Neal looked at Dom. 'Come on,' he said to him. 'Let's try and make you entertained so you don't jump off the local cliff,' he said and dragged him to the gates.
The person, who they discovered was female, was wearing a floor length gown that wasn't floor length any more. It had been ripped to make bandages and the twigs on the floor had caught it, making it com up to the middle of her shins. It was originally a brown colour and had multiple stains running across it. Her hair came down to her waist and hadn't been looked after for a while. There were twigs and other pieces of trees in it giving the woman a nymph-ish look. The way that she walked was straight and too the point, never once was there and extra movement that could take more of her strength than absolutely necessary.
She had a little child in her arms who did not look any better than she did. The child was around the age of two and a half, three, Neal guess and he couldn't remember ever seeing a smaller child. Because of its lack of nutrition, Neal and Dom also couldn't tell if it was a little girl or a little boy.
Slowly the child lifted its head off its mothers shoulder and looked at them with its eyes closed.
Both men realised with a start that it was blind.
The slash across both eyelids only proved it.
3 years. 3 years was how long it had been. No one had seen Kel since and Maggot was still trying to kill every Tortollian person or descendant of one.
'Scanrians! Scanrians on the wind!' called out a guard.
Great, thought Dom. I have to fight on the day when I just want to lay down and die. His arm was almost pulled from his shoulder when Neal ran past and grabbed it.
'Come with me. You can help in the infirmary,' he said through haggard breathing from running. Neal had been outside the walls when the call had been let out and so he had to run back in a full ball.
He knew, along with everyone else, that Dom always turned into a sad shell, more than normal, on the anniversary of Kel going missing. On this day he normally just wandered around the camp and even once he had laid on the ground with a sign next to him saying "kill me". Last year there had also been a battle and Dom had been close to lying down for the bandits to kill him. He had almost begged them. It was Neal's quick thinking, (naturally) which had saved him.
A shell of the old Dom was all that was left. Nothing other than his looks remained. Even then they had changed. His eyes smiled less and his features were harder. Less forgiving.
The raid was the same as normal. The villagers were able to hold off the attackers well because of Kel's help and this only helped to send Dom even further into his mind.
Dom looked up when Lord Raoul put his hand on his shoulder.
'The villagers are holding a get together in her honour tonight. Do you want to come?
Dom thought about it. If he went it would mean a night full of happy memories of Kel mixed with a sad one. If he didn't though it would mean staying in his room with only the sad memories comfort.
'I will come.'
The party was long and to Dom, with not enough alcohol. But that was his opinion.
'What do you think they could do better next year?' Neal asked him as they made their way to their quarters.
Dom pretended to think for a moment. He knew that once he got back to his room, all the happy memories of Kel were going to be replaced by the sad ones of her not being there anymore.
'They needed more alcohol,' he said, slightly slurred from the amount he had already consumed.
'You are already drunk Dom. What do you think they could do better next year asides from having more alcohol?' Neal persisted.
'Bigger cups,' said Dom.
'Why?' asked Neal. He was curious now.
'So you can say you have only has three drinks even though your cup is four times the size,' Dom slurred.
Neal gave a small grin at Dom's persistency. You have to give it to him, he thought, he is able to bring to conversation around fairly quickly. However much it is the only real thing off himself left.
'Sir Neal!' a messenger ran up to him. 'There is someone out there, we don't know who and it is only one person, with a little child,' he said.
Neal looked at Dom. 'Come on,' he said to him. 'Let's try and make you entertained so you don't jump off the local cliff,' he said and dragged him to the gates.
The person, who they discovered was female, was wearing a floor length gown that wasn't floor length any more. It had been ripped to make bandages and the twigs on the floor had caught it, making it com up to the middle of her shins. It was originally a brown colour and had multiple stains running across it. Her hair came down to her waist and hadn't been looked after for a while. There were twigs and other pieces of trees in it giving the woman a nymph-ish look. The way that she walked was straight and too the point, never once was there and extra movement that could take more of her strength than absolutely necessary.
She had a little child in her arms who did not look any better than she did. The child was around the age of two and a half, three, Neal guess and he couldn't remember ever seeing a smaller child. Because of its lack of nutrition, Neal and Dom also couldn't tell if it was a little girl or a little boy.
Slowly the child lifted its head off its mothers shoulder and looked at them with its eyes closed.
Both men realised with a start that it was blind.
The slash across both eyelids only proved it.