The Angel and The Crow~Mother Miranda x OC

Exposed/Taken

I watched the snow fall to the ground, the world around me so quiet and peaceful, quieter than it had been in quite some time. No matter how long I had lived in the village where it snowed every night and day, I never tired of seeing the soft white flakes drift to the ground, finding their way to a new home from the sky. Yes, it was peaceful to watch, but also caused an ache within my soul, as memories of other peaceful days so long ago flooded my mind, and I quickly stood from where I sat upon a large boulder upon a hill overlooking the village, knowing that I was risking being found out. I had hidden myself quite well for quite some time from the villagers, but if they saw me sitting out in the snow with bare feet and a small dress, they would know I was different. After all, no human could survive the biting cold in such attire, let alone survive the rogue Lycans wandering about the mountains.

I chose not to engage with those feral beasts upon encountering them, knowing that slaughtering them would also risk exposure and my probable capture by the humans, and in turn, it seemed the creatures were terrified of me for some unknown reason. Perhaps they could sense my true being, and decided that attacking me was not in their best interests, but whatever the case, they did their best to keep their distance, and I kept mine, or, at least I had, until the shrill screams of a child pierced into my heart from close by.

I knew I shouldn't go near, but couldn't seem to help myself, my feet carrying me far more swiftly than any mortal's could carry them, and saw a Lycan doing its very best to tear a small boy to shreds. The child couldn't have been more than about seven or eight years of age, and as he shrieked in terror, tears slid down his chubby cheeks in waves, his eyes pleading with me as they landed on me. My heart wrenched with sympathy for the poor thing, knowing that should I walk away, he would perish, and his mother would suffer with terrible loss that I knew all too well. I smiled gently at him, and told him, "Don't be afraid. I will help you, little one." He sniffled and nodded, and before the Lycan could attack again, I easily grabbed its jaws with both hands, and wrenched its neck to the side, hearing a satisfying crack, before it fell dead at my feet.

Before I could even move a muscle, the boy had thrown himself against my legs, his small arms wrapping around them, and I, for the first time in a long time, wasn't sure how to react. I hadn't been embraced that way in such a long time, and the feeling was foreign to me, but also pleasant, and I settled for awkwardly patting his head. "Run along now. I'm sure your mother is terribly worried about you." Without a word, he took off in the direction of the village, and I sighed, nudging the Lycan I had killed with my foot, making sure that it was quite dead, knowing the creatures wandering the mountains were anything but ordinary, and some of them were difficult to kill, and would spring back to life within minutes.

         The beast stayed limp and dead, and I left the body there as I began walking down the snowy path to my home, a cabin hidden in the trees of the forest, untouched by human hands for a long while. As I walked, I began noticing the crows perched in the branches of the trees around me, watching me silently, cold and calculating, which was a bit unusual for the normally noisy birds, but I paid it no mind, assuming I was reading too much into it. I reached my home fairly quickly, though slower than usual, having enjoyed walking through the snow a bit longer, and felt a chill run down my spine as my eyes locked on the villagers crowding in front of the cabin, weapons in hand, their rage and hate filled eyes reminding me of days since past that I had lived, fear wrenching at my heart.

         Betrayal was the next emotion to pierce through my core, as I saw the boy I had saved from the Lycan standing in their midst, pointing his finger at me in accusation. "That's the lady! She killed one of the Lycans with her bare hands!" I hadn't been careful enough- The villagers knew I wasn't like them after so long, and I knew their hate and violent thoughts wouldn't be swayed by anything I said, and hot tears stung my eyes. "Please. I only meant to save the child.. He was in danger." I felt a sharp pain above my right eye, and blood began dripping steadily down the side of my face, a sharp rock landing at my feet.

     Tears began sliding down my face as I realized it was the boy himself who had thrown it, and as the other villagers joined in, throwing stones both large and small at me, I fell to my knees, covering my face the best I could, feeling bruises and cuts forming from the sharpness of the rocks, and next came the beating fists and feet, my bones cracking under the force of their strength, my body white hot with agony. "You'll have us all killed! Lord Heisenberg will think we have slaughtered that Lycan! We must take her to Mother Miranda! No, we should punish her ourselves!" As they continued to beat and injure me, I felt the back of my dress tear, and fear instantly set into my very bones. I shielded my back with my hands, no longer concerned with my face being injured, and prepared to meet my fate, seeing a gleaming blade in the light of the sun, my eyes closing as I hoped to finally find peace in the next world I went to.

          As I felt the air from the blade brush against my skin, the sound of wings fluttering could be heard, and a beautiful voice shouted, "ENOUGH!" Instantly, silence fell over the villagers, and I slowly opened my eyes, confused, turning my head to where the eyes of the villagers all looked, finding a woman clothed in robes standing there, a mask in the form of a crow's eyes and beak adorning her face, metal claws on her fingertips, and piercing eyes of a green-blue hue, which seemed to be filled with rage and disgust. "Have all of you forgotten what is to be done with creatures that are unknown to you? They are to be brought to me at once! Why was I not informed?" The villagers all seemed terrified to answer her, and given the stories and whispers I had gathered from my time in the village, I knew she must be Mother Miranda, the ruler of the village, and of the four Lords she allowed to rule beside her.

       Her gaze turned to me, calculating and cruel, and I saw her lips twist into a mask of disgust as her eyes raked over my body. "You aren't at all what I was expecting from such reports of brute strength. There seems to be nothing at all remarkable about you.." I flinched at her words, and slowly stood, my body shaking with pain, but I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me weak and helpless. "I never claimed to be anything remarkable or special. I merely saved a child's life, and in return, received nothing but violence and cruelty." She seemed surprised that anyone, much less myself, would contradict her that way, and rage flickered in her gaze, as she stormed over to me, her hand instantly around my throat, the metal claws digging into my skin painfully, hot blood dripping down my skin.

       I glared down at her as she easily lifted me into the air, refusing to bend to her authority or her insults, and I saw something like shock shine in her eyes. "You dare speak to me in such a manner? Do you know who I am? I will not tolerate a disgusting beast such as yourself acting as if you have any say in what or who you are. I should slaughter you here and now." As her grip tightened, it became hard to breathe, but still, I defied her, clenching my jaw, refusing to let her force any fear from me, and she released me, dropping me into the snow on my stomach, exposing my back to her.

      I could swear I heard a faint gasp come from her, but if I had, she quickly disguised it as a sound of annoyance. "I have changed my mind. I will not kill you yet- You may serve useful as an experiment to me. However, your defiance is an issue that must be resolved, and I will break you of it in a short amount of time, I assure you." With that, I felt someone bind my hands, and a blindfold was placed over my eyes, before gentle yet firm arms lifted me, cradling me against their chest, and wind rushed against my face, as if we were flying. I once again heard the sound of wings fluttering nearby, and the smell of cinnamon came from the person holding me, as well as the faint scents of vanilla, blood, and something I couldn't place, like chemicals. As we kept moving, the pain in my body began turning to exhaustion, and before I could stop myself, I began drifting off into sleep, nightmares of my past plaguing me..