DOOM SAGA I - I'll be home tomorrow

Day 195

Argent d'Nur

The glooming blue portal swirled in front of her as she stood and watched the familiar scenery beyond it in awe. In the distance, cars rushed and people walked by in haste, unaware of the portal, and everything that would come to them in the future. It was finally time to go home. Her breath quickened as she turned around excitedly, looking for his smile and nod, approval for her to leave. The men aside him nearly filled the hall as they waited. Their uniforms let her swallow uncomfortably, but the Slayer was right there like he always has been.
She turned around again, taking a deep breath before slowly stepping closer. As she was right at it, a bright grin appeared on her face and she whispered: „I'm coming home...!" before she was painfully yanked back from something around her neck. She was being pulled away and towards the crowd of men now chuckling and laughing amused. Her fingers clawed at the collar as it was cutting into her flesh and choking her on the path backwards. The chains behind her head were lifted into the air and her body turned. The Slayer's darkened smirk let tears come to her eyes as he said: „Not yet...". The same uniform was now wrapping his body in terror. She struggled harder but her head turned red from the absence of oxygen and was let go, falling hard onto the stone floor, just moments before she would've passed out. The next minutes were fading in and out as she was thrown into a small, windowless chamber, not even big enough for her to stretch out. She didn't know if it was minutes or hours passing as she grew cold and thirsty first, then began to shiver and her stomach to growl in hunger. The heavy wooden door opened, and a calm slayer came down to her on the floor. He brought a cup to her lips and made her drink something icky, thick like a cream but also terribly sweet. He only stopped pouring when she was starting to choke and spit as she could no longer swallow more of it and it began to pour into her nose as well. Fear rose in her chest again but he lifted her in his arms and began to carry her into the bathing chamber. It was warm and steam hung in the air from the hot water waiting. He undressed her and carried her into the water with him. The confusion in her grew with every echoing heartbeat as he kept her afloat and she closed her tired eyes after all. His fingers caressed her cheek and chin, and his hand lay on her throat and pushed her to the ground of the bath. She kicked and clawed at him, bubbles and muffled screams filled the water as he kept pushing her down with ease. In her strenuous fight, she was out of air in no time, and just before the world went black he ripped his eyes open, his body sat up straight in the bed, only to watch himself asleep through her eyes. She was bathed in sweat but her attention quickly turned to the window, where they heard a whisper, but he couldn't understand what it said.

A quiet noise woke her from an unrestful sleep. She shivered and searched for the hot stone with her feet, that was left to barely more than her skin's temperature. The noise continued and she peeked over the endpiece and saw a young man feeding the fire to heat up the room. He noticed her movement and stood up straight with a blank stare. He stuttered for a moment before he did a hasted bow and left the room swiftly. The sparks and the wood crackled and she buried herself in the blanket again, waiting for a warmer time. The room was empty again, and she felt that the place to her side was cold like the air. The morning light that came through the grey and cloudy sky was already bright as it was reflected on the snow-covered surfaces. When had he left her? When would he return? With every minute passing, she grew more agitated. As she could hold her bladder no longer she slung the blanket around herself and shuffled to the bathroom. On her way, she checked the couches, but they were empty and cold as well. She felt terrible for what she had done the evening before, knowing he had only tried to care for her. She sat down on the weird toilet-bench thing and a feeling crept into her mind. When did she change into these clothes? She found the ball of fabric that were her clothes from the day before, the ones she had fallen asleep in, and smelled the strong and sour stench of sweat in every piece. Another nightmare then, she thought. She could not remember the smallest bit of it and was glad that she had never remembered the others. She had probably woken up the Slayer, maybe that was why he had left her. Had she said something to him in her daze? She wanted to apologize to him, and wished he would return soon.
But he did not. Huddled in front of the fire she waited. Anger growing inside her again. How could he leave her alone without leaving a note? On her first day back in this shithole?! She stomped to the door, the blanket still around her shoulders and opened one of the sides, looked down the hallway and grumbled, looked at the guards that cocked their heads and grumbled even louder before she slammed the door shut again.
The feeling of guilt for last night was dying along with her patience as she grew hungry, her stomach rumbling in expectation. She had no clothes to wear besides the one oversized shirt that currently hung on her like a gown, and she was too afraid to speak to anyone after all. She was pacing, or rather staggering, up and down in front of the windows, ignoring the ever-falling snowflakes outside, as the door finally swung open.
„Where have you been?!", she yelled at him without hesitation, ignoring the possibility of being heard by the others that now waited outside. Angered about the absence of his attention she started throwing everything in reach at him, and he had to take a stiff cushion to his face not to let the tray he was holding fall.
„WHERE — HAVE — YOU — BEEN?!"
He set it down and she saw what was supposed to be her breakfast before he calmly walked over to her.
„I wanted to apologise for being rude yesterday, but you left me alone!", she continued loudly.
„Why did you leave me alone?! I was waiting for you all morning!", she said before she was out of breath, beginning to hyperventilate. He reached her and slung his arms around her as she whimpered.
„I'm scared...!"
He rubbed her back and when she calmed he lead her to the table to eat. Still shivering in agitation she began to stuff her mouth, rubbing her teary eyes with the back of her hands as she continued eating. He watched her, looking at her pale face as she did not even notice that the wounds from the day before were nearly gone. He swallowed the coarse in his throat.
„I'm sorry. There was a lot to do. We have an audience with King Novik."
She froze and looked at him in disbelief. She thought for a moment, huffed and went on with her meal. He had expected a whole different reaction to that information and was intrigued about where this was going to go. She finished half of the meal before she was full and pushed it over to him to eat the rest. A knock on the door made her listen up. He went to open it, and a middle-aged woman entered and made a curtsey to him. She held a bundle of fabrics in her arms and stood beside the entrance and met her wary gaze.
„New clothes for you, Miss. May we fit them in the bathroom?", she asked politely. Io looked at her for a moment, processing what was happening. She did not seem happy with all of this but got up and walked over.
„I'll take a shower as well.", she mumbled as she passed him and disappeared into the other room, the woman followed quickly. Not even five minutes later, the door slid open in a rush and the woman hasted to the main door.
„I am sorry, I cannot do this!", she whispered out of breath and the Slayer saw her ashen face as she wavered her hands in an apologetic motion before she paced down the hallway. Baffled and confused he closed the doors again and went to look into the bathroom. Io was staring at herself in the mirror, her eyes wide open as she could not recognise the one she looked at. She stammered something inaudible before she stepped closer to it, her fingers reaching for the image, but stopped and froze as she began to understand. Her face grimaced as she staggered backwards and he caught her quickly. He wrapped a large towel around her naked and trembling body. She screamed one lengthened time and began to whine in deep pain. Angered she fought against him half-heartedly, winding in his hold and hitting his chest, before he embraced her and pressed her tightly against him so she would stop.
„I AM DISGUSTING! A MONSTER!", she sobbed.
„I saw it in her face! I saw it in the... the mirror!!"
The shocked face of the woman. Was it that bad? Had he just gotten used to it?
„She ran away from me! She couldn't stand it!", she shouted and tried to free herself from his hold again.
„I don't wanna go! I don't want them to...! I want to stay here... with you...!", she hiccuped and this time she buried herself even deeper into his body.
He would love to stay in their room today and do nothing. But they needed this audience. He wanted to get things into motion so he could make this place safe again. And for that, he needed them, him, to see what she wanted to hide from them. He nuzzled her before he sat her on the counter next to one of the sinks and wiped the salty remnants from her cheeks. He grabbed some sheets from the other room and hung them over the mirrors in the bathroom. She silently sat on the counter, darkened eyes staring into a void. He took her chin in his fingertips and raised her dazed head.
„Io."
Her eyes wandered to his as if on command, and he saw her terrified spirit, as she had seen herself for the first time in months. She looked a lot better than a few weeks ago. But he would not ever tell her how bad it had been. And soon she would be back to her former shape, that was what he truly believed in. And beautiful was she anyway.
„I'm here.", he said gently and nuzzled her forehead. He smiled at her and she blinked slowly.
„You're hurt. But you will heal.", he nodded in question, „Okay?".
She took a shaking breath and nodded as well, leaning her tired head against his chest where he held it, stroking it and she felt his warm breath on top. He could not grasp what she was feeling as everything seemed dull and far away. He sat her down and lead her to the shower where warm water ran over her shaking body. She was doing what he wanted her to do, moving only on command as if she had no own mind anymore. She slipped into some of the new clothes before he combed her hair and braided it carefully into a soft tail.
He hoped everything would go well with King Novik while they were walking, him carrying her for some stretch of the way, towards the chapel a few hours later. Otherwise, it could complicate a lot of things.