Born of Life and Death

~Prologue~

Anatolia was sitting on the worn dusty floor of her prison cell. The low light levels gloomily reflected the four other prisoners next to and across from her. Three women and one man. Every one of them looked terrified like they'd be the next taken. But no matter how depressed and frightened she was she had to survive just a few more weeks. She felt as if she were starving, and she most likely was. I mean she was ¨eating for two¨.

The traumatic memories of the week's previous events swarmed her mind. What had happened to him? The question she kept on wandering, although she already had a horrible likely guess. Almost as soon as they were brought here, they forcibly took him down that dark eerie tonal. BANG! BANG! CREEK! The now glorious sound of their cell door opening for incoming food.

¨What did they bring us today," asked one of the prisoners. The man who brought in the food lifted the wooden cover to the box and set it on the floor with some spoons. Soup? She looked inside the battered box. It was what seemed to be leftovers from cooking mixed into some water.

"Gross" shouted one of the newer prisoners. ¨I'm not eating that."

"Unfortunately, it's eating that disgusting stuff or starve." said another prisoner. The same one who asked what they had brought us today.

Just as Anatolia was about to grab a spoon, she didn't feel hungry anymore. In fact, she didn't feel anything. She backed away shocked and confused.

¨Hey are you ok¨ said an old woman's voice she didn't know. ¨This may sound weird but you look healthier than you did a few seconds ago."

Anatolia definitely felt that way. It somewhat reminded her of Hagen. The day the Tothazio forces invaded her homeland Synestra. The hole in the wall, fighting among Hagen. The feeling of being close to death, in two ways. Now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense, almost. He wasn't here now and never would be. Wait could it have been... No, that's not possible she dismissed the thought immediately.

Not long after she gave birth, she was taken down a dark tunnel to the same place as Hagen. At the end of that tunnel was death, death for her and many more unfortunate people than herself. Overwhelming sadness and worry engulfed her heart. What would they do to her Anatolia wandered? She didn't want to think about that. She was hopeful the lady named Sancha would keep her safe and tell her what had happened. Little did Anatolia know, her child Libitina would never be safe and Sancha would be killed when Libitina was four.