Adventures of Fhridae

Chapter 01

Chapter 01|Friend or Foe? I
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Fhridae's PoV

Loud voices from various creatures, heavy noises from wheels crashing against a what seemed to be a bulky road - sometimes a loud high pitched thud - and numerous unfamiliar unpleasant sounds woke up my unconscious senses.

I winced from pain when I moved, my body doesn't feel right, neither the place I am lying. It is too cramped to have freedom in moving freely, and there are unknown sharp edges pointing against my back and limbs.

Opening my eyes an unclear vision before me welcomed my sight, yet behind it is a taint of yellowish light in a vertical rectangular shape is present. Only a bit weird for shadows keeps on passing after another, probably Luminousians? But they're too harsh in tone to be them and there's no way they'll just let me lie unconscious in this cramped area, more importantly on the floor. Aside from what seemed to be figures of humans, large shadows are passing by as well and other faint ones that I cannot seem to understand what it's doing, there's this one that's swinging side to side and the other is in circular motion which are hung or left hanging in their place.

Where am I?

I tightly closed my eyes shut, absorbing the environment I am currently in. Absorbing what's happening. Absorbing everything that might answer my questions that keeps on flooding. Yet as I try to comprehend, everything that's new to me is causing for a headache to exist in my head. And I knew to myself that I need to calm down before I lose my senses, my sanity.

Taking a slow deep breaths. The idea of inhaling a large volume of air is a very huge mistake. One deep inhaling and it registered to me how stinky the place is, it smells like there's a rotting corpse or other things that I cannot guess what at all. All I know is that it doesn't smell good and I don't think it's safe for me to keep on smelling such scent.

Enduring the smell for a while, setting aside the idea that it exist and blinking my eyes multiple times in attempt of making my vision clear. "Humans..." I mumbled, finally taking a clearer view of what's before me, having the answer on my curiosity on what those shadows are, and the large ones are horses, carriages and wagons.

Scanning around, my pair of deep ocean blue eyes first darted on a box - repleted with various peelings of edible plants, not to mention they're actually decaying with flies and pests swarming. Travelling my eyes down, there's a pool of red by the ground near the wall - which I presume is blood - and beside it are rotting meat and left over unpeeled body of animals. A shiver ran down my spine as all of the hair in my body stood up from the presence of worms feasting over their meal. Not to mention the head of a cow that looks like staring at me added to the horror I am feeling and making me stomach sick, I want to vomit from such sight.

Do they really not know how to dispose their wastes in a proper manner?

Detaching my eyes from it before I make a mess of myself. I lift myself up from the ground and dusted off the dusts that clinged itself unto my dress. I grimaced from the pain that seemed to electrified my every muscles, and to add, my left foot hurts too. Just what is this place and what happened?

I closed my eyes again as I start massaging my temple then a flash of memories rushed in.
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The ground is shaking. Small debris are falling from the ceiling. Unbearable scream is penetrating through my ears as familiar places are collapsed on the floor, lifeless and bathing in their own blood.

My eyes are glued on the corpse, unable to do anything

"Fhridae sweetie, RUN!!!" my mother yelled with tears running down her cheeks, blood is streaming from her nostril as she keep the barrier up around us. Keeping us safe from further harm that awaits outside.

"But mother!" I exclaimed in protest unwilling to do what she said. I can feel my own tears fall from the chaos that's happening, finally registering again what is happening after the shock we've felt earlier.

Looking at her and hugging the trembling figure beside me. I don't want to leave them.

A deep familiar voice caught my attention when it spoke, papa... As I turn my head to look at him, the sight of him surprised me more which left me with no words, "Listen to your mother princess, there's no time," he's drenched in blood - mixed with his and the enemies - and an arm is missing while his right arm one that's still attached holds a bloody bastard sword.

"Papa... I can't... I don-"

"Just go! RUN! Save yourself and yo-"
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The relapse quickly ended as it is replaced by my own thought. I can't think straight, I'm losing my composure.

'Wait... where's mama, papa, Frei and others?' my eyes widen from the sudden realization, my hands starts to tremble as my breathing became short and rigid.

I quickly roamed my eyes and turn around to look behind me, but there's nothing. Only piles of baskets, barrels, more baskets, tarnished pieces of fabrics and some more wastes are present. My eyes starts to water in great worry as uncountable other thoughts of confusion and questions came flooding like a tsunami. Its hard wave caused the pain in my head to worsen, resulting for my figure to slump back on the dusty ground and hiss in another shock of pain when my back hits a hard object behind me.

"M-mama... P-papa... F-frei..." I whimpered, calling them one by one with a small hope that they'll answer me.

But there's none.

No one answered.

With that single thought, I lost my calm nature and replaced with a chaotic head. I stayed in the same position for who knows how many hours; like a hopeless lost child in the middle of a foreign busy street in a city or village - hugging my legs as I pull them closer to me, weeping.

As I was busy with my own little world of worries; "What d'ye doin' lil gal?" a voice from a man questioned with his foreign accent.

Slowly, I lift my head up, looking at the man but my pool of tears eyes caused his figure to be unclear. Wiping them, I finally had a clearer image of him. A decent dressed man who's like in his 30's with a long hat on top of his head, a glasses, a braided beard, a purse in hand and a sweet genuine smile.

"Are ye lost?" he asked again, lightly bending down, maybe to have a better sight of me.

To answer his question, I slowly nodded my head as an agreement followed by my sniffles.

As if understanding my situation, he straightened his back and bring forth a circular object with small chains from his pocket. Putting it back, he looked at me again. His expression tells that he has something in mind.

"Prolly Gregor's wife won't mind," I heard him said, nearly a whisper, making my eyebrow close their gap in between in confusion and for my tears to stop.

With a sigh coming from him, "Come up ye child, when le eve falls le streets ain't safe, Gregor will offer his home for ye to stay for le nightshade," he said, worry and concern is in his tone. Then he extends his free arm and held his hand open for me to take.

I don't know why, but his voice made me feel safe. It's soothing. Letting me know that there's nothing for me to worry and it'll be alright. That taking his offer won't do any harm. Adding in consideration, from what he said, that I'm new to this place and his words, I accepted his hand and stand up as he slowly pull me up.

"Wise. Wisest decision, worry not ye child. This Gregor won't cause ye harm. Gregor's wife might beat him," he reassured and joked at the same time.

Although I wonder, who's Gregor? Himself?

Before I was able to say anything else, my eyes suddenly feels heavy and a yawn escaped from my lips. I can't fight against what I'm feeling, maybe caused by too much stress and worries? And now that I feel safe, my system gave up. The man said something but I wasn't able to process what it is as tiredness keeps on consuming me. My last memory of the current time is having a closer view of him and falling view, unable to help myself.

Falling back to the abyss of slumber.