From the Gallows | Wilbur Soot

Act Two: The Mountain

Day one

Inferna awoke with a throbbing headache that pounded the inside of her skull.

Once the girl had finally gathered enough strength to stand from being pulled to the ground, Technoblade had dismissed her to bed, saying that this would be the only night of good sleep she would be granted for the next twelve years.

Though, was it really possible for a six year old to have a good night's sleep after being dropped in a place she didn't know, and left to a man that terrified her out of her wits?

Regardless, Inferna attempted to fall into a slumber upon closing her eyes and resting her head on the hard cot beneath her. The six year old already missed her bed at home. There she had fluffy pillows and soft sheets, while here in the unfamiliar cottage she had a hard cot with nothing but the pajama pants she had arrived in to keep her warm.

She hugged the stuffed animal she had snuck in tightly to her chest, quiet sobs escaping from her trembling lips. The little girl couldn't fathom what she had done to make her father hate her so much to the point that he'd felt the need to drop her off in a place that made her feel more terrified than she'd ever been in her life. She was hurt and betrayed. Two emotions she couldn't really understand at that age. Regardless, she couldn't help but blame herself, feeling like maybe if she'd been a better daughter, then he wouldn't have felt the need to do this.

"I want to go home," Inferna whispered into her stuffed bear, sniffling quietly as to not wake the scary man in the room next door.

A quiet shuffling sounded from the other side of the room, followed by a set of hooved footsteps nearing. Inferna peeked up from behind her stuffed animal, squinting into the darkness at the figure walking towards her.

It eventually came close enough so that it was lit by the moonlight emitting through the sliding glass door she laid beside. A tall and brown horse peered down at her, dipping its head and nustling into her side. A small smile formed on the girl's lips as she pet the horse's mane, meeting its icy blue eyes. Her small fingers found the collar around its neck, tilting up the tag so it was legible in the moonlight.

"Carl." She smiled softly, the horse neighing quietly in response.

Carl slumped into a curled up lying position beside the little girl's cot, his head resting beside hers. Inferna wrapped her arm around the horse's body, nessling her face into his mane. It was only then that she truly was able to fall into a soundless sleep, her new friend's presence allowing for a break from the previous thoughts captivating her mind.

Inferna shrieked, sitting upright and coughing through the cold water that drowned her for only a second.

☺☺☺

"Rise and shine, sunshine." Technoblade smirked, an empty bucket grasped in his ring-covered fingers that was previously home to the ice water now soaking the little girl. "You're lucky I didn't drag you into the snow by your elf ears. Next time you sleep past 7:00, I won't be so kind."

"You never told me I couldn't sleep past 7:00!" Inferna protested, immediately regretting it as the Blood God grasped her by the chin tightly.

Techno didn't grip hard, for he knew that his blood red eyes were intimidating enough to get the message through to her. "Never talk back to me. >Ever."

Inferna met her own reflection in the Blood God's eyes. A petrified girl stared back. The girl looked weak and afraid. The girl looked pathetic. The girl looked cowardly.

It was then that Inferna decided she wouldn't continue to be that girl. She wouldn't allow this man to continuously scare her, for it was obvious that he derived great amusement from it. He was obviously a thousand times stronger than her, so there was no stopping him from treating her how he pleased. However, there was stopping him from getting joy out of it. The girl's face hardened as she ripped herself away from his grasp, standing up as tall as she could.