Flames of Freedom

Ally

A young man was taking a midnight stroll to clear his mind. He had been stuck in a monotonous cycle for the last few months. His fingers kept combing through his wavy brown locks. A sigh passed through thin lips as he reached the edge of the forest. The village's light was a weak glow, barely reaching this area. This caused his green eyes to gain a luminescent tint to them. From within the darkness, he saw movement.

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Curious, he ventured a little further into the woods. Just a few steps off the dirt path, he found a pale young woman with red-orange wings. The feathered limbs were bleeding. Despite their bloody state, or perhaps because of it, they seemed to be giving off a soft glow. He did not dare move, as angry blue eyes watched him even before the whole thing sank in his mind.

Her long orange dress had been torn in multiple areas, including on her breast... She was bleeding continuously, losing a large amount of blood very swiftly. He gasped, immediately thinking of how to get her into the safety of his house. Such beautiful beings were often kept for profit nowadays...

She hissed at him before summoning a flame to surround her. He did not shout or back away. Instead, he reached out his hands, palms facing upward. "It's alright." He hoped his charm worked with this one. Most of the girls in the village were taken with his smooth, gentle voice. Plus, his skin was so fair.

"I won't hurt you, see?" He took off his black jacket to show his white dress shirt. He even pulled the pocket of his brown jeans inside out to show that they were indeed empty. He made sure to maintain eye contact as much as possible. After all, he had to convince her that he wanted to help.

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She seemed to be contemplating, sapphire blue eyes never leaving his gaze. After a while, the fire around her slowly faded away and she hesitantly reached for his hand.

For the next five days, he watched over her. Checking her wounds, which seemed to heal fast, every minute or so. 'She must be an angel or a pheonix.' he thought on the third day. By the fifth day, the shallow cuts and bruises were all gone. The only wounds left were the deep stab wounds on her arm and abdomen.

He hadn't been able to sleep for the past days. 

The man was still awake, and watching the woman, when she began to stir. She looked at him, drowsy and still wary, before slowly standing. His right arm gestured to the kitchen door. "I've made salad and a full course meal." He spoke softly, knowing that she might not appreciate anything less than kindness. "You may have whichever one you like."

Her eyes narrowed but she nodded, nonetheless. She slowly, cautiously made her way to the kitchen. He noted how she limped about, even though it had been a few days since he saved her. He wondered what her captors might have done to someone as lovely as her before shaking those thoughts away. For some reason, he felt really guilty... and sick...

"My name is Alistair Orion." He gave his name but didn't ask for her own. He felt it would be improper, imposing even, to ask someone, who came from a traumatizing place or event, for their name. He simply watched as she walked around his small kitchen. She took a bit of salad and came back to eat on the couch.

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"I am Arlene Skye." She surprised him with her introduction. She knew he wasn't expecting it. "It is only polite to introduce oneself to one's savior, is it not?" Her words surprised him again before he chuckled lightly.

"I am glad I took you here instead of taking you to the elders. Or to my father."

Her head tilted to the right, a few stray locks of dark red hair covered her pale cheeks. "You do not have a good relationship with them?"

"Not really." Alistair thought of their exploiting ways and he physically cringed. He hated how they began and approved The Trade, which is a system that allowed the hunting and enslaving of magical beings. "You've not chained me." She said this like she was trying to point out a flaw.

"Was I meant to chain such a lovely being as yourself?" He asked, slightly knowing why she chose to point it out. "Most people do. They think it will save them from my flames." She answered absentmindedly. She had just finished the salad and placed the empty plate on the small table in front of her. "Why do you sit on the floor rather than on the couch with me?"

"It would be rather rude for a man to be so near a woman without their permission, vocal or otherwise."

"Hmm. I see..."

A comfortable silence enveloped them for a while. Arlene contemplated on what to do next. She would need all the help she can get if she wanted this to succeed. The man has helped her so far. He'd kept her from the Hunters and his Village Elders...

"I wish to travel." She began, catching his attention. "To travel and help as many magical beings as I can." Silence once again embraced them.

"Anything I can do to help. Just let me know." he told her. He believed that nothing and no one should ever be treated unfairly or unjustly. 'I will help give you all a better life. A brighter future.'

Once the moon was up, they left the village and Alistair didn't know if the absence of guilt and doubt in his heart were a good thing. He was leaving behind his home, his father, his friends, yet he never felt so free before. Perhaps it was Arlene's doing. She probably had strong magic which could be the cause of his emotions, or lack thereof.

They planned on traveling west from the village, hoping to get as far enough away as possible. Being near the place where Alistair's father resided seemed to spark a strong agreement between them. They were not going to risk him learning of Arlene.