Aligning my own Stars

Once Upon a Nightmare

When I was young a group of robbers came and burned half the village down and killed a lot of us. As they approached my home my parents put me in the cellar and had me lock it, in hopes that they wouldn't find me, and that I would live. But they had one flaw to the plan, They couldn't be in the cellar with me. As they opened the front door my mother backed into a corner and my father stood in front of her protectively. They told me not to make a sound and to not look through the small holes in the door. I did... They grabbed my father and held him while they did terrible things to my mother, they made him watch. They then killed my mother slowly and then killed my father with a swift blade. I remember crying silent tears as they hurt my mother, and my heart shattered as they killed both of my parents. My mother's screams and the sound of their blade as it slit my father's through still echo in my mind.

I screamed without thinking, and they then forced my only protection from the open, when the door was ripped open I knew that life as I knew it was over. They grabbed my arm and forced me outside as they lit my family home ablaze. That was the day I became their new favorite plaything. As we left all I saw was my hometown on fire and the sound of screaming. I never thought I would live to see this place again and that was the day I became cold and numb.

I ended up becoming the cook and caretaker of the other slaves, I would make the Masters dinner and if it wasn't to their liking I would get a beating or, they would burn me. There were a few times I was whipped for feeding the little kids. They would pick who got to eat and they would only feed us just enough to keep us alive, and just little enough so we were too weak to do any harm or run away.

We moved around a lot, the women, children, and elderly would stay with us slaves while the men went and burned more villages and brought more slaves with them. I remember the look of fear in the children's eyes that faded with time, it soon became a part of life, one that we came to accept. We lost all hope in being saved, going home, seeing our families, even staying alive.

There was a man who particularly had a fancy for causing me pain, he wasn't the leader so when Master wanted me he would have to wait, which never made him happy. He would watch me cook, take care of the other slaves, clean up, or whatever else Master had me doing until he could have me. He would take me to his tent, and do all kinds of terrible things to me. I eventually became numb to the pain and became compliant. He got me pregnant a few times, and would then beat me. Master was never pleased when this happened but he would allow me to carry the child till full-term and then if it was a girl I was allowed to hold her, name her, and then they would kill her. If it was a boy, they would keep him alive, I was not allowed any kind of mother role toward the child, I would feed him and that was all, and then he would be taken and given to one of their women to raise. This happened with all the slave girls, we were allowed to morn for one day, and then if we cried we would be punished.

Their favorite was forcing us, slaves, to fight. They would make a ring around us and give us a weapon and whoever won got to eat that night. They never wanted us to kill each other that was a pleasure they wanted to keep for themselves. They taught us to fight so it was more entertaining, luckaly it wasn't something they did often, they saved it for special occasions. We would fight till we no longer could stand, we lost so much blood that sometimes we would beg to die but they never gave us that pleasure. They wouldn't let us die by the hand of each other.

I eventually got away and burned down their village, I stole Masters horse and rode as far as I could. The horse ended up running away from me and I walked back to the village, I then passed out, just outside the village gate that is where Aunt Sue found me. She took me into her home and helped me get my strength back. She helped raise me after that night and never once has made me feel unsafe or afraid. Now you are all caught up I believe.

Bella, you lived through all of that? You have been throw so much I... I don't know what else to say. I smiled a sad smile, it's ok Chris... No, Bella, it is not ok!! He then grabbed my hand and whispered Bella, I promise to never let you feel that way ever again. I will never let anyone make you feel that way or treat you that way again I swear. I chuckled, why do you think I keep training? I will never let anyone hurt me or my village ever again.

It was odd I hadn't told anyone but Sue what happened to me all those years I was a slave. But here I was telling Chris and not feeling like I was less of a person in his eyes because of what happened to me I think I became more important, I am not sure if that is the right word. I stood up and said Chris I am ready to go home now, goodnight. Before I left he grabbed my hand Bella, I keep my promises he then walked home with me.