Sienna and The Heart Of Aislei

Chapter 23: Damsel in Distress

Thankfully, I was being returned to the stone hut shortly after the pixie massacre... the tiny creatures' screams and the crunching sound of their bones would no doubt haunt my dreams tonight. If I could sleep at all...

Just thinking about it rattled my nerves and churned my stomach. Saliva rolling from Rancor's mouth, sparkling from the pixie dust... I puked tasting bitter bile since I hadn't eaten anything in a while. Runt pulled at my wrists offering not even a chance for me to wipe at my mouth.

I vaguely noted the ogres did not seem to be settling down for the night. In fact, they seemed even more lively, bustling about performing different tasks. My wretched heart sunk.

I must escape and the sooner the better. I needed help but I had no allies and certainly no friends.

If only I had not sent Tallis away. He would know what to do. But then again, if he had come through the menhir with us.... the ogres may have killed him on sight. At this point, I'm not sure I had any more tears left to cry.

A few female gnomes including the one who tended to my injuries entered the hovel. They carried an assortment of items that I was able to deduce was meant to clean me up. They all approached me cautiously. I reached out and took the basket of water out of one of their hands needing to relieve myself of the horrible taste in my mouth. She nearly dropped it in fright. Perhaps their fellow gnome had told them how I had hurt her when she was just trying to feed me.

They removed my ruined dress by cutting it off my body with a little potato peeling knife. When they tried to cut away the undergarments too, I threw myself about. I could not let them discover the dagger hidden under just one layer of skirt now. I could not trust them not to confiscate it. They didn't press the issue; instead, they went to work scrubbing the crusted muck off my exposed skin then washed my hair.

A new dress was thrown over my head. The dress was made from animal hide and was nowhere near as comfortable as my own clothes. The eggshell white material fringed along the sleeves and over my chest. A blue sash was wrapped around my small waist. They placed my boots back on my feet after giving me new woolen stockings. The thicker garments worked better to conceal and hold my dagger in place, so I didn't have to rely on the weakening garter.

They braided my hair back out of my face and stuck long feathers in it. I found that quite weird. They shuffled out after offering me parting glances filled with sympathy. Though my situation was still just as hopeless, my mood lifted a bit now that I was cleaner.

My mood dipped back down when a familiar face darkened the doorway.

"Zeph? What are you doing here? Actually, come closer so I can throttle you, you horrible little creature!"

He didn't move any closer. He kept out of arm's reach all the while holding a small pouch. He looked pitifully sad, but I had no pity for the liar.

"How could you?" I growled. "I came here to help your people!"

"Aye. Lying was the only way I could bring back a Princess of Alderias. I needed you follow me back willingly. It is nothing personal, Princess, I swear! I had to protect my kinfolk. My brother was our leader, and he was killed outright when he tried to resist."

"The curse, the darkness, the prophecy about me.... was everything you said a lie?"

"Yes"-- I ripped the talisman off my neck and tried my best to throw it at him, but he dodged it. ---"Bringing you back here was indeed my people's only salvation! The ogres will leave our home tomorrow now that we've done as they ordered."

"You lying, traitorous coward! How can you be sure they were not lying to you?" I scoffed, though I am not one to judge taking another creature's words at face value.