Today, I enter my eighteenth spring. Hopefully, I have finally proven my healthiness and worth to reclaim my right as a human. And when I do, I can have a cottage and my family land back. But alas, for now, I am relaxing with a litter of wooly shoats, their fuzzy bodies tickling the bare skin I show. One shoat, a light tan one in color, her tusks forming already, wheezed and grunted to be picked up. I love our Springs. Too bad they are only one month and a week long. The second winter is starting to close in and bringing a fertilizing frost for shickener chicks and rose snapples. Then straight into a damp and humid summer.
"Hyll?" I turn to face whoever spoke to me. It was a boy, no older than nine or ten summers. I smile at him. He smiles back, a toothy grin that is missing a few teeth from aging into adulthood.
"Thrum, right?" I asked. The boy, Thrum, grins and nods his little head. He was plumper than most boys his age, with grey/violet hair and tan eyes, a common colorization for Aria villagers. I never investigated a mirror, so I have not seen my colorization, all I know it is different from local Arians.
"Hyll?" Thrum asked. Whoops, I zoned out. Shaking my head out of my stupor, I give the lad my attention once more.
"Yes, Thrum? What is it?" the shoat in my arms snorted and nuzzled my breast. Thrum blushed, his grey/blue eyes locked on my chest. I don't blame him… my dress top is waning thin.
"Umm… The headman, he's looking for you." I grin. Today must be the day! Setting the shoat down, who was now a little disgruntled, I hop over the pen fence.
"This must be it! Where is the headman, Thrum?" Thrum gave my features a goofy smile.
"He's at the Dragon Temple, along with a Lady Mage. What's going to happen, miss Hyll? Are you going to be banished to the silver woods?" he asked, his voice fearful. I gifted him with a light smile.
"No, not being banished. It may be good news." Although, after thirteen years, I doubt it. Waving farewell to the little male, I hurry off to the Dragon temple.
The temple is sacred to all Razenyans. A massive work of art carved from dark blue stone and lined with rose gold. Inside, always alit, was a giant skull. The skull is said to be from a colossal beast, taller than any mountain, and stronger than a god. In a lot of stories, the beast was a god. The massive skull was reptilian, three-foot-long fangs curving inward, an arrow-shaped snout hollowed and blackened, and bone so scorched by the violet fire surrounded by wreaths of scarves from shickener scales. To honor such a creature's remains, the temple was built around the skull.
In front of the violet, flames were the headman. His face lined with weathered wrinkles, but still a fat and gluttonous beast of a man. He turned to me, an unsettling look in his beady black eyes.
"Hyll," he started. I stood straight and gave him a half bow and kneel, my hand clasped behind my back; a proper way to acknowledge a superior. I remained kneeling on the stone floor as the fat man huffed and stumbled his way towards me. Looking up just slightly, I spotted a severe-looking woman, donning silvery robes of shickener armor and rare white wool.
"Yes, headman?" I kept my voice soft and low. The bulbous man circled me, his thick hands tracing lines in my shoulders, making my very flesh crawl.
"Hyll, you are becoming a fine young woman, too lovely for a measly swine girl." He purred. I'm getting nauseous. The headman tapped my head, the signal to stand. I did so, very reluctantly. He began to circle me, caressing my tanned arms, his fat hand trailing my lower back to my rump, cupping my buttocks in a "loving" act. He trailed sweaty fingers over my face. I gritted my teeth at his foul odor.
"Yes, what a lovely female you are becoming." He purred again. I couldn't help it. I let off a shiver. Apparently, he cared not.
"Sir?" I asked. The headman backed off slightly, but only just slightly.
"You want your humanity back, is that right?" he asked, his breath sour in my face.
"Yes, sir," I replied. He was grinning.
"You shall have it back this night, your humanity."
I shot straight like I was shocked by a lightning bug.
"I'm…human again?" I asked, trying so hard not to get my hopes up. The headman gave me a sleazy grin and nodded his head.
"But! I have a plan for you," he replied.
I didn't like the sound of that.
"What is it, sir?" I ask, caution laced heavily in my voice. The headman grinned, too many sharp teeth in a weathered mouth. He stomped over to me and wrapped his meaty arms around my waist, clutching my frame tight.
"Lady Damona, you may begin." He started. The Lady Mage, now known as Damona, nodded her head. She pulled out an obsidian knife and approached the headman and me.
"By this bond, I praise you, Headman Gwrthdro, to honor this bond and cherish this woman like a queen, in the bind of matrimony?" My jaw dropped. He was forcing me to marry him! I began to struggle. The headman, Gwrthdro, held me tighter.
"I shall honor this woman like a queen as such. You have my word." Lady Damona turned to me.
"Do you vow to treasure this man to tend to you, to treat him as a king, and to honor your vows of fidelity?" Thanks to my strength, I wretched my body away from the disgusting headman.
"NO!" I shouted and took many steps away from that...horrid...thing! The headman now held a furious look on his fat sweaty face. Lady Damona didn't seem to falter. Gwrthdro loomed over my head, his fat face darkening from light blue to vivid maroon. With a quickness so unlike him, his massive hand enclosed my thin throat. He began to squeeze.
"How dare you refuse my clause! You are nothing, girl! I can make you a Lady, a Queen! Do you prefer the foul swine and beasts to MY company?!" he roared, strangling my neck more. I turn to Lady Damona, begging for help with my eyes, tears, and terror in my depths. But the Mage did nothing. She just watched it.
My vision was fading, sparkling black creeping into the corners of my eyes. Grasping his blubbery arms, I did one last thing before I finally faded. With as much power as I could manage, I flipped Gwrthdro. He landed with a thunderous drop. I fought to breathe, but the sparkling black overcame my senses, and I fell.
As awoke, I noticed several things:
One, I was in a stone cellar.
Two, I wore no clothing.
Three, my whole body was in pain.
And four, there were two armored women soldiers outside the door. I know this because there was no door, but a braided mesh of shickener feather and swine bone. The female soldiers paid no heed to me, just stood outside the mesh, silent and brooding. Struggling to my feet, I approached the battle-ready women.
"Excuse me?" I asked, my voice parched and throat still very sore. The woman on the left, her red hair braided and woven with barbed wires, ignored me. The woman on the right, a heavy muscled powerhouse of a girl with dark violet hair cut to her mid-cheek, turned her head just slightly to acknowledge my question.
"What do you want, swine girl?" she replied, her voice rather deep.
"Why am I here? Where is the headman?" I ask. The larger woman sneered at me.
"So now you care. I should have known you were wrong since the day we spared your life to be a swine. The illness spared you, alright, only to flare as something else." She snarled. Confused, I approached her, scantly touching the mesh.
"Why the heavens do you say that? What happened?" The red-haired woman laughed, a callous and horrid grating of a sound.
"You really don't think we would know? You are truly a stupid swine." Now I'm getting a bit irate. And a bit worried.
"What is going on?!" I demanded. Both women rolled their eyes at me and drew their weapons, which I forgot about. Red Hair held a double blade spear, the black steel gleaming in the faint light. Big Muscles held a massive ax of polished Swine bone with etchings full of bloodstains. Both are now pointed at me.
"Get back, witch! We will not fall for your innocent ploy!" I jumped back as Big Muscles prodded her massive ax at the mesh.
"Witch? I'm not a witch! Why am I called so?!" But neither answered me. Instead, both covered their faces with braided shickener silk, donning as masks, and lit a random candle next to my cell. Damn it to the depths. It was a dream light.
As the candle's mild scent corralled in the open cellar, the smoke carried a special incense made to lull fussing infants to sleep. But I had never been exposed to the incense, so with no immunity to the scent, I succumbed.
I don't know how long I remained in the open cellar. The violet sun's light and warmth never reached the cellar I was held. I was fed, but I'm not used to how…flavorful and rich the food was. Every four hours, one bowl of moon grass and shickener stew with half a loaf of lavender herb bread was brought to me. The bread I had before, but it was usually stale, moldy or burnt. I never really grasped the concept of time, so I don't know how long the days are.
To pass the time, I calculated my injuries. I had quite a few. My throat was biting sore and from what I can feel, very tender and heavily bruised. My arms were also bruised, at least around my shoulders. My stomach was deep purple, fading to red as I can feel my organs throb in agony. But that wasn't the worst injury. My quim, my womanhood, the entrance to my womb, was bleeding and starched. The stinging of bitter tears framed my eyes. I knew what happened to me when I passed out from the headman: He raped me. I only pray to whatever King of the Galaxy will listen to that I was not impregnated.
After thirteen bowls of barely touched stew, Red Hair and Big Muscles removed the mesh. Both carried bubble filled buckets. I knew this part. Closing my eyes and holding my breath, the two lady soldiers cascaded the buckets of water over my nude frame cleansing me of whatever filth I was covered in. Both then entered the cellar, Red Hair held thing black steel chains to clasp around my neck, like a leash and a second pair to encase my arms useless. Big Muscles held a crook, this one Silverwood and carved with submission runes. I wanted no problems, so clasping my arms behind my back, I kneeled as Red Hair approached me from the front, spun me around and tied my arms in a hold. The other chain had a thick ring of iron sectioned in two with a loop in the front acting as a collar. Red Hair clasped the ring of iron around my neck and fastened the black chain to the loop. The chain seemed ridiculously weak, being no thicker than a pinkie, but in truth, it was very strong, strong enough to handle a cig.
Big Muscles held a nasty smirk on her face, as Red Hair pulled me along the room and out the opening. As I passed the violet haired woman, she pulled her arm back, the one with the crook, and slapped across my back. Luckily, I grew used to this treatment at a young age, so all I did was grit my teeth.
The two led me out of the cellar, Big Muscles slapping the back of my legs, my buttocks, and back every three steps. Stepping into the outside of the shack I was housed in, I realized I was placed on the outskirts of the village. The sun felt delightful on my nude bruised body. It's violet light finally warming the aching body. Red Hair pulled on "my" leash roughly, making me stumble. Big Muscles took that opportunity to bring the crook down on my shoulders, finally making me cry out from the blunt pain. I could not help but fall the red dirt path. Red Hair stopped and shred a look with Big Muscles. She nodded, and the larger woman rained down numerous blow onto my bare flesh.
"Stand up, swine girl. Now!" the two women jeered but did not stop with the blows. Throttling pain echoing all over, I inhaled and forced my battered body to stand.
They led me to the center of town, bringing up faint déjà vu. Gwrthdro stood arrogantly tall on a podium, sneering at me as I was led down the road. I kept my head down but glanced at the folk who were burning with rage directed at me. I saw Thrum, his eyes… full of sorrow and shame, but not at me? Does the child blame himself for my misfortune? One child ran up and punched me hard in my abused groin, thus making me stumble and fall again. Big Muscles once more, pelted my body with painful blows until I stood. I can smell my blood as several of my welts split open. This shame, this pain, and suffering…was much worse than my dehumanizing.
Being led up the podium, and forced to kneel in front of the headman, Red Hair secured my leash to a latch on the floor. Big Muscles used the crook of the crook to force my head very low to the floor, almost kissing the headman's boots. She kept the crook on my neck, keeping me in position. I could not see anyone's face now. The boots in front of me lifted and nudged my head up, only slightly, just enough to lift my eyes.
"Hyll of the Swine, you are charged with dark magic manipulation and sexual corruption. The penalty is sacrificial offering. What says you?" Gwrthdro, bellowed, his voice, from what I can tell, is laced with smugness and loathing.
"I'm innocent. You raped me, you sleaze," I gritted out. Gwrthdro remained silent and then used the heel of his boot the shove my head lower.
"She says guilty." He announced to the crowd, falsifying my words. Many of the village folk jeered and hollered. Gwrthdro then grabbed my bruised shoulders and hoisted me up, making me stand. He leaned in, his breath now stinking of sour blood mead. His thin, withered lip pressed close to my ear.
"I can forgo all this and spare you a slow death. All you have to do is be my consort." I turned fast and spat at his face. The headman scowled, and smacked me hard across the face, splitting my own lips.
"Very well," he turned to Red Hair and Big Muscles, "Take her to the site, prep her, leave her to die." Both women nodded and dragged me away, to my death.