Era of Ezri

Clipped wings

Haku 

All I could do was stare at the broken butterfly on the hospital bed with the black curls splayed around her head like flames around the sun. 

I never would've thrown her across the room, but, Josiah had other ideas. Shortly, after finding the mess waiting for me in the dungeon, I'd let him take the lead. It shouldn't have been a complicated problem to solve, but, I couldn't find the second prisoner (only the girl) either way the solution remained the same. 

Eradicate the problem. 

To say I was surprised by the woman's power was an understatement, she'd managed to avoid most of Josiah's attacks and the energy she'd directed at me was more than most could wield. 

So much power harnessed by such a small being. 

Ultimately, Josiah only let her live because she mentioned August, even when rage had conquered my thoughts, I never failed to recognise my brother's name. 

I could only wonder how she knew him, August never mentioned her and my brother never hid anything from me... until recently. 

Now, I would never trust a Glorian, not when it seemed like things were finally coming to a boiling point in Gloria Bridge, but, something about this one was different. 

She didn't scream Gloria Bridge with her unruly black curls and blue eyes, no, she was something else, something precious.

As I leered over her and watched her chest rise and fall, I noted how beautiful she was, too beautiful to be trapped in a dungeon or beaten by my officers. 

I let my fingers trace the fading bruise on her cheek before examining the others on her arms and legs, even with her darker skin tone, the larger ones were like stark stains against her complexion. They were purple and blue ugly welts that only I tended to dole out. 

I tutted, my General was making himself look incompetent, why he'd lost his temper on a delicate creature like this was beyond me. He should've come to me.

I paused my movements when she flinched after I grazed over one of her worst bruises, it looked like a blue bowl encasing her entire elbow. 

"It's okay," I soothed like this was something I did every day as I traced a line down her arm.

Her eyelids began to flutter and those radiant blue eyes were revealed. At first, she didn't realise where she was as her disorientated gaze started to study the room, but when her eyes fell on me, the large shadow hovering over her, she panicked.  

She hurriedly scrambled backwards and would've fallen off the bed had I not grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards me, letting her legs hang off the side closest to me as I stood between them. 

Her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths like she was frightened but in those eyes, I saw hell's fire dancing like she was ready for a fight. The young woman wouldn't even meet my eyes, which sometimes signified respect but, it was obvious she was disregarding me. 

Fortunately, I would give her one chance and one chance only. 

"What's your name?" I asked as my fingers played with one of the loose curls that had fallen onto her forehead. "Hmm?" I stroked her cheek with the back of my index finger but she immediately jerked away, rejected my touch and turning her head in the other direction like she was repulsed.  

Well, I was trying to be good to her but if my kindness meant nothing then I wouldn't be so kind anymore.  

I didn't waste any time establishing the tone of this dynamic, I grabbed a handful of her silky black hair in a tight grip and pulled it back hard enough for her to wince.