Faye and Ruin

Battle in the Arena

My senses came to once more, in the similar order as before. Except this time, it wasn't a pleasant earthy smell that reached my nose, but musty dank mold. Urine and waste crashed heavily against my body and I shot up, backpedaling. My back slammed against real stone, laced with that silvery substance that hissed as my skin made contact.

A literal dungeon surrounded me. Nothing besides cold stone and a small, tattered blue blanket was spread on the ground for me plus a bucket for me to take care of business in was in the opposite corner of this small square cell. No light made its way to me except for a small orb that floated down the hall quite far from where I was being held. It cast those eerie dancing shadows, made more intense by the lack of any other light around me and I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

Everything came crashing back. I was overwhelmed. I was confused and alone and terrified. This seemed so real and this time, I wasn't waking up, not like before. This was my body, my arms, my hands that wrapped around me. I was wearing that same outfit I had chosen to go clubbing in, which seemed so inappropriate as my skin felt so cold.

Shivering in the dark, huddled on the tattered blanket that smelled something awful, I cried. Silent tears slid down my face, joining the dampness that hung stiffly in the air.

I wanted to go home.

But I didn't know how to get home, it's not like I had chosen to be here, where here even was. Bayne had said this place was called Illessall, but I had never heard that name before. Things here didn't obey the laws of science. Those same things that had held me captivated were completely gone and all I felt was fear and exhaustion mingling with confusion.

That meadow had haunted my dreams for a week, a fictional meadow with fictional characters, but they didn't seem so fake anymore. I had touched Bayne and had felt the steely gaze of the King himself. I had felt the grass beneath my fingers and my clothes were still stiff from having been soaked by that thunderous rain however long ago it was.

The orb flickered and then started to bob in my direction, casting an illuminating glow over a familiar figure. I dried off my tears as quickly as I could and shoved myself into the corner. The white ink of the tattoos that covered Bayne's neck and up the right side of his head seemed to latch onto the light and beam a little brighter as he approached.

He was carrying something and no longer wore the scales and leather he had been wearing before. "Go away." I hoarsely choked out, my throat dry and he chuckled. As he approached my cell, the light caught the top of his outfit. The dark shirt hung tightly against his body, not quite like a t-shirt, not quite made of the typical cotton; it was made of something else. The sleeves clung to his arms, stopping halfway down the forearms.

Black and white ink swirled along those arms as far as I could see, and a few times I thought I had seen the pictures move. Pants like cargo pants sat tied against his hips, although it once again didn't seem to be made of any material I knew. It didn't shimmer, but it seemed to be made with a finer fabric and paired nicely with some well trimmed black shoes.

"You need to eat." He gruffly said and the iron bars of my cage bent away so he could easily step through. Which explained the lack of a door. He stretched one hand forward that held a plate full of food that smelled rich and delicious but I tried to make myself smaller and literally spat at him with the last bit of moisture from my mouth.

It landed on his shoe and all he did was wave a hand and it disappeared. "What a nice greeting for the person bringing you your food." He said and placed the tray down on the stone floor. The scent of warm bread, some butter and honey and a small piece of a roast crashed against my nose as I nearly drooled at the plate. A fresh cup of water was placed on the tray and it took everything in me to pry my eyes away from the food.