A Light From The Shadows

Wow! An Uncle?! Great! Oh Wait No He Sucks

A.N: I am SO excited for you guys to read the second chapter!! It was a blast to dive deeper into Aeri's story, and I'm so curious to see what you think! Also, warning for blood and torture

Aeri was five, feeling the tickles of the grass brushing her feet as she sped across the meadow, running as fast as she could. Footsteps pounded behind her as Eddard chased her. She ran as fast as she could, short legs pumping as she leaped over a log and ducked around a tree, rounding the trunk to find Eddard smiling at her. He grabbed her and hugged her.

Calenglîn watched from the porch, smiling, as her husband grabbed their daughter, tossing her up in the air, the sounds of his hearty laugh and her giggles drifting on the wind. Eddard threw Aeri over his shoulder as she watched, marching them back towards her.

Eddard turned when they'd reached the porch, showing his wife the grinning face of the child slung over his shoulder.

"Look what I caught!" he told his wife.

She laughed, springing off the porch and grabbing Aeri from his shoulder. Calenglîn set her daughter down, gesturing for her to run.

"Go, Aeri!"

Aeri sprinted away again, and Eddard moved to chase her, but was tackled by his wife. They tumbled into the grass together, Calenglîn giggling as she fell on top of him. Eddard gazed into her eyes, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face, and kissed her.

"Ew," Aeri, jealous that no one was paying attention to her anymore, had doubled back to see her parents kissing in the grass.

Eddard chuckled at his daughter, Calenglîn laughing with him as she rolled off and sprawled next to him. She shifted slightly further apart, and gestured to Aeri.

"Come here."

Aeri did, snuggling in between her parents as they lay in the meadow, watching the clouds roll through the sky above.

Eddard sprawled into the long green grass, Aeri next to him, both of them laughing.

Aeri jolted awake, eyes opening to complete darkness. She blinked, trying to see anything in pitch-black but couldn't. She shifted, something like stone digging into her back, and something brushed against her wrist.

Aeri tugged at it and realized it was a rope, binding her down. Wiggling her legs, she noted that her entire body was bound down to the stone. She was trapped.

    A crushing feeling of hopelessness set in as the memories flooded back. She remembered her parents' frantic voices as they prepared to leave the cabin, the panic and despair in their eyes as they shut the door for the last time. She remembered their urging for her to abandon them, her frantic flight through the forest, their screams ringing out in the air, the fact that they were-

Dead.

Killed by her uncle.

Aeri tugged harder at the ropes binding her, trying to get free, struggling, pulling wherever she could.

A scraping sound suddenly rang out, and footsteps padded into what she could only assume was her cell.

"Hello, Aerinithil," a voice rang out into the darkness, "I'm your Uncle Rhugar."

"I know who you are, you traitor," Aeri spat.

"Ah yes," said Rhugar. "But do you know who you are?"

Aeri shifted, trying to face in the direction he was, the sound of his footsteps circling around her reminding her of the hawks she watched as a child, circling before diving down for the kill.