Freedom for Aliandil (AC)

[Joy_Everlasting]

((I hope I'm doing this right.))

Name: Halyna
Nickname: Hal
Age: 19
Appearance: Hair; Long, to about halfway down her back, wavy, and golden, Height; 5'6", Weight; about 119 lbs, Eyes; grey
Personality: Headstrong, but a little shy, Hal has a hard time making decisions, but when she has decided, she won't turn back. She is tenacious, and always wants to know what's going on.
Background: Though they were poor, Halyna's parents wanted her to become a fine lady, so, when she was twelve, they sent her to work as a maid in the Oraine household. The Oraines were kind in their own way, and they adopted Halyna when her parents died, two years after she began working in their home. Though the parents were kind to her, the children showed no such feelings. The oldest child, Arial, tormented Halyna from the day that she arrived, and the other four children followed Arial's example. Even though Mr. and Mrs. Oraine loved Halyna, they believed that their children could do nothing wrong; whenever Halyna told them of the teasing that she was subject to, they dismissed it as a misunderstanding. The teasing became to much for Halyna the day that Arial insulted her parents, calling them gutter slime. Halyna immediately told the Oraine parents what their daughter had done. She told them that, if they didn't put a stop to the children's teasing, she would leave. But they wouldn't believe that their daughter would ever do such a horrible thing, and sadly said farewell to Halyna.

Name: Mariana
Nickname: Mari
Age: 26
Appearance: Hair; shoulder length, curly, and black, Height; 5'8", Weight; 125 lbs, Eyes; green
Personality: Also headstrong, Mariana is a born leader, she doesn't like to have her decisions questioned or to not be believed
Background: Mariana has grown up fighting for survival; her parents were always busy, and didn't discipline their children. She was always trying to stay away from her older brothers, for they were rough and unkind. When she was fourteen, her parents put her up for adoption, because she was suffering so much at the hands of her brothers and her parents weren't home enough to stop them. She was adopted by Hardin Wonden, a cobbler, who helped her stop most of the habits that she had gained from her prior life. She grew to love him, and she still lives with him, helping him with his work.

((This story takes place in a medievil setting, in a land named Aliandil.))

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

Prologue​

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It was raining the day that Halyna said goodbye. Raindrops splashed into puddles as she hugged Mrs. Oraine for the last time. Hal could see Arial standing in a nearby corner, watching her departure with a smug smile on her face. "Be careful out there, Hal; Aliandil isn’t as safe as it used to be." warned Androf Oraine, shaking her hand. "Here’s some money. It should be enough to last you for a couple of weeks." He pressed a small pouch that held some heavy coins into her hand.
"I could never thank you enough for all you’ve done for me." Hal said, her grey eyes sadly looking up into his. "I will miss you."
"I only wish there was some other way that we could resolve this misunderstanding, but I see that that can not be. Goodbye my dear."
"Goodbye, Sir." Hal said, before turning away and taking her first step into her new life.


Mariana wiped the sweat off her face with a rag. Outside, it may have been raining, but inside this building it was melting hot. "Only a couple more crates, and we can leave." She called out to her friends, who were nearby, putting bundles into crates just like she was. "We’ll meet back at Hardin's house." She pushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes. Though her hair was braided, some strands had escaped and were constantly getting in her eyes. Suddenly, she heard footsteps echoing down the hall, coming towards the room they were in. "Everybody hide." Mariana whispered as loud as possible, while ducking behind a big pile of crates. The door opened, and a guard looked in, his sword in his hand. After stepping into the room and glancing around, he stepped back outside. Mariana exhaled slowly. "Come on everybody; we've to go now, before the guard comes back." she said, standing up and gathering everything she had brought.
"But Mari, we haven't finished yet." said one man, a tall man who had been with the group for almost seven years.
"I know, but nothing is worth compromising our position. We can come back on a different night, when nobody will be here." Mariana replied, still waving everyone out a side door.The man nodded, and ran after everyone else. Once everyone had left the building and climbed into the waiting cart, Mari ran out the door, jumped into the driver's seat, grabbed the reigns, and quickly drove the cart away. She sighed with relief when the building disappeared behind them. They were safe... for now.

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

Chapter One​

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Mariana had arrived back at her home, with all the others who had been helping her. Hardin Wonden came out to greet her. He was an older man, in his late fifties, with gray hairs scattered throughout his crop of naturally red hair. Normally he was quite easygoing, but not now. "How did it go?" he asked Mariana, tensely. Mariana looked at the man who had taken care of her for the past twelve years. "We almost failed; a guard came in when we were preparing to depart, but we were able to hide. I thought it best for us to leave immediatly after that, so we didn't finish our mission. We'll finish it on another night, we're almost done, and it will only take a few minutes."
"That may be, but you will need to do it soon." Hardin replied. "Oh, and I need you to take Mrs. Reigla her shoes, this morning." He raised his eyebrows significantly.
"But what about the others?" Mariana asked gesturing back at the cart.
"I'll take care of them. You'd better go now if you want to get back in time for lunch."
"Thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can." She turned and ran to get a horse from the stable.
"Don't forget the shoes." Hardin said, holding them out to her.
"Oh I completly forgot. Thanks again." Mariana replied running back and taking the bag that held the shoes from his hands. "I'll be careful. I promise." she whispered, before hurrying back to the stable. Minutes later, she came out of the stable, leading a black mare, with big white splotches across it's back, named Dream. After one last look at Hardin, who was already helping people out of the cramped cart, she climbed into the saddle and galloped away. Lord, please keep Hardin safe. Please keep all of us safe.
Riding gave her time to think about what she was doing, and why she was doing it. What if we're wrong? What if he's actually wonderful, and it's other people who are tearing this country apart? She shook her head, trying to push them away. We can't be wrong; every person we sent undercover told us it was him. Switching her mind to other things, she rode on in peace.

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It had only been a few hours, but, to Halyna, it felt like she had been walking for days. The rain kept on coming down, and the clouds gave no sign of stopping in the nearby future. Her cloak was soaked and beneath that her dress was damp, and getting damper by the minute. I should have left on a clearer day. she thought. Of course, if I had waited, I probably would have lost my nerve. After turning onto a different road, she began thinking about the people she had passed so far. They had been quiet, and everyone of them had acted scared, if not terrified. That was a big change from the cheerful people she had seen the last time she had come this way. What has happened to cause such fear? Hal began thinking about what had happened in the land of Aliandil lately that could have something to do with the change in everyone's behaviour. As she thought, she realized how little she actually knew about what was going on outside the Oraine home. They didn't talk about it much. Suddenly, it dawned on her. Except... That one time... Her thoughts came quicker as she remembered. When Androf came home from a trip... He was so excited; his brother had become the ruler of all Aliandil. He couldn't stop talking about it, and neither could anyone else in the family. Images appeared, images of the Oraine family running around, their faces glowing with excitement. She saw Arial talking about how many new gowns she would need for all the balls that they would undoubtedly be invited to. But the invitations never came, Androf never mentioned it again, no matter how many times his children asked. Does that have something to do with what I'm seeing now? Is this what Androf was talking about when he said that Aliandil had changed? She waved to a passing farmer, but his only response was to crouch down lower in his saddle, and urge his horse past her. I have got to find out what is going on.

------------------

Mariana smiled and nodded her way through another one of Arian Reigla's stories. The old woman was an important contributor to their organization, but she had a habbit of telling old stories for hours.
"...And then Axel threw the stick at the shadow and ran home, screaming about a monster. He was horribly embarrassed when some men went out to kill the monster, and found that it was Sarinia's cow, the one that she had lost a few days before." Arian said, finishing that story. She was preparing to start on another when Mariana politely stood.
"I'm sorry, Arian. But it's high time for me to be on my way." she said.
"Oh yes, you must have much to do. Farewell, child." Arian replied. Mariana smiled, said farewell, and went out the back door to where Dream was tied. As she was untying Dream's reigns from the post that she had attached them to when she arrived, she heard a pounding on Arian's front door. Oh Lord... It can't be... She prayed that it wasn't who it sounded like. Leaving Dream, she went over to the corner of the house and peeked her head around. She immediately jerked her head back when she saw who it was; two men, wearing soldiers uniforms, were standing at Arian's front door. When Arian opened it, Mariana could hear the soldiers push their way inside.
"Arian Reigla, you are under arrest for plotting against his majesty..." The rest trailed away as they moved farther from the door.
Lord, save us. Mariana thought, sinking to the ground in despair. Of course, it didn't take long for her to realiza how dangerous it was to be there. Mariana jumped up, and ran quietly over to Dream. Her hands shook so much that it took her longer than normal to untie the knot. She jumped onto Dream's back. Kicking Dream into a gallop, she rode away, risking only one glance over her shoulder. That glance was enough to terrify her; one of the men was standing at the door, staring after her. Silent prayers rushed through her head; she was too frightened to speak them. The only word her lips would form came quietly out. "Lord..." Once she was out of sight of the house, she slowed Dream down a little; the horses sides were heaving, and everthing was sticky with horse sweat. Questions began flooding her brain. Who informed them? Who else do they know about? What will I find when I return home? God, please save Arian. Her thoughts pounded on, quicker than Dream's hooves, as she rushed toward home.

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

Chapter Two​

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The rain had stopped. Halyna was thankful for that, but over all she was dicouraged; her clothes were soaked, and her surroundings weren't very cheerful either. Trees grew thickly on both sides of the road, water dripping from their leaves. They rustled every time the wind blew, and sometimes when it didn't. The stony grey sky didn't make things any more cheerful. Hal had the feeling that bandits were hiding behind every tree. It looked like the trees thinned a little ways ahead, and she ran towards that point. Why did I ever leave the Oraine's? She knew the answer to that question, but right then it didn't matter; she was still questioning her desicion.

------------------​

Dream galloped on; Mariana had urged her foward when she thought she had heard hoofbeats behind her. Are they following me? She risked a look over her shoulder to see. No one was in sight. Slowing Dream down to a walk, she listened closely, but was unable to hear anything. Sighing with relief, she began thinking about what must be done when she got home. I have to tell Hardin; he'll know what to do. Will we need to move? No, that's unlikely. This is horrible. What will they do to her? She was so nervous, she didn't even notice the forest she was entering.

------------------​

Hal was getting more scared all the time; she could have sworn that someone was hiding in the trees. Did that bush just move? The wind's stopped, and no wind could have made it move like that. She clutched her pack and began running faster. Then, before she realized what had happened, she was on her back, gasping for air and staring up into the glowering sky, until a man's leering face blocked her view. A crushing pain exploded in her ears and blackness crept over her mind, until she completely lost conciousness.
A cluster of about four men, all rough, dirty, and with cruel looks on their faces, gathered around Hal. The leader, a man named Daren, gestured to the others. "Bind her hands, and get her off the road. She should fetch a pretty price in the market." He stooped, and pulled her bag from her arms. After looking through it, he grabbed the bag of coins, and threw the rest over to the side of the road. Abruptly, he froze, listening carefully. Then he turned and hissed loudly to the other men, who had by then finished tying Halyna's hands: "Quick, get her off the road; I hear hoofbeats. We'll see if we can catch another one."

"Yes, chief." whispered one of the men, as they dragged Hal off the road. Daren got into position behind a couple of bushes; he could see everything from there, but it was quite dificult for anyone to see him.

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Mariana came around a bend in the road, a bit lost in her thoughts. Dream was still plodding slowly on, and neither horse, nor rider noticed the men crouching nearby.

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Daren looked at Ingroth, a man who could sling a stone very accurately at any target, moving or still. "Can you hit the woman? The horse won't be problem as long as the woman's out." Ingroth nodded. "Don't kill her, just hit her hard enough to knock her out." Daren whispered, as Ingroth prepared his sling.

Hal was slowly waking up, she was still a bit groggy, but things were coming back to her. Her head hurt like nothing she'd ever felt before, and strangely, so did her wrists. When she lifted one hand up to feel the back of her head, the other one came too. Opening her eyes, she screamed when she realized that her hands were bound, and saw the men nearby.

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Mariana was awoken from her thoughts by the sound, and looked sharply into the trees. What was that?

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Daren cursed when he heard Halyna screamed. "Now." he yelled at Ingroth, even though the man was right next to him. Ingroth stood, so he would have a clear shot, and let the stone fly. Ducking down, he listened for the sound that he knew would follow, the sound of someone falling.

Cursing, one of the men ran over to Halyna, and clapped a hand over her mouth. She bit his hand, and he immediately let go, cursing some more.

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Mariana heard someone yell something, and was about to kick Dream into a gallop when she was hit by the stone. Her mind went black, and she slid off the horse. Dream, scared by all the noise started galloping away.

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Daren cursed some more. "Get the horse; we can't have it alerting anybody that something went wrong with their friend. Ingroth, go over to that woman. You know what to do. I have some business to take care of over here." He marched over to where Halyna was. She was yelling at anyone who came near her.

"Let me go this instant, you half-brain, or I'll wring your throat when you're sleeping. You'll never be safe again." Halyna was sore, wet, and angry, very angry.

Daren glared murder at her. "Shut up!"

"No, not until you untie me." Her temper was getting the better of her.

He slapped her. "Shut up! Or else." He said, his voice sounding very forceful and menacing. Hal shut her mouth, but continued to glare at him, her eyes showing most of what she wished to say. He scowled, and turned away, going over to the road to see what was taking the others so long. Hal jsut sat there glaring after him, and wondering what she should do. This is much worse than scared peasants. Now people are being kidnapped. What are they going to do with me? She could hear the sounds of a tussle going on by the road. What is going on over there?

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Mariana had woken up to a man tying her hands together in front of her. Though she was groggy, her first instinct was to kick him, so she did.. She scrambled up and pulled the loose cords from her wrists, as he backed away yelling for help. Drawing her dagger, she pointed it at him. There's more of them? Daren came storming through the trees. "You didn't hit her hard enough." he yelled at Ingroth, who was clutching his leg.

"If you had given me more time I could have. And talk to the men who were taking care of the other one; they're the ones who let her yell and alert this one." Ingroth gestured towards Mariana.

Mariana would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't in danger. "Listen, why don't you two continue this over there." she said, pointing into the trees with her free hand.

"And let you escape? I don't think so." Daren said looking at her, or was he looking past her? Stars appeared in front of Mariana's eyes, and the pain in her head was increased by another blow. With a last effort she threw her dagger to the side of the road, hoping that the men wouldn't notice, and someone that knew her would find it. As her conciousness flew from her body, she berated at herself for not watching her back.

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Halyna struggled to her feet, shooting murderous glances at Daren as he walked away. Stupid men. At least they've left me alone. Now, how to untie myself... She stared at the ropes that bound her wrists together, the knots looked intricate and almost impossible to untie. I need a knife.

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Daren smiled at the Sloane, who was still holding his club. "Good job." Then it dawned on him. "Who's with the other one?" he asked Sloane suspiciously.

"Uh... Gareth?" Sloane said hopefully.

Daren could have hit him. "I sent Gareth after the horse." he said icily. As if on cue, Gareth came into sight, leading Dream and gasping for air. "What took you so long?" Daren asked.

"This horse... Is a devil... To catch." Gareth gasped out.

Daren looked at Sloane and raised his eyebrows. "So, tell me again, who's with the other girl?"

"I'll go get her." Sloane said, running into the trees before Daren could yell at him again. Daren bent down over Mariana, and finished tying her hands tightly, behind her back this time; he didn't want her to have any chance to escape.

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Sneaking as quietly as was possible to the road, Halyna peeked through the bushes. She saw three men and a horse, one of them the one that had just threatened her. They were leaning over something, it looked like a body. But her gaze was caught by the dagger lying on the road Perfect. She crept over to it and reached down to pick it up.. And was suddenly turned around by a forceful hand on her shoulder. No. she thought, grasping at the dagger as she was turned, but missing it by a hair.

"Tryin' to get away were you?" said Sloane, still holding her shoulder. She looked him over, and wrinkled her nose in disgust; his hair was greasy, and he smelled horrible.

"Of course, and you were making it pretty easy. Now, let me go." Hal said, trying to tear her shoulder from his grasp. He let go of her shoulder, but got a firm grip on her arm The noise made Daren look up, and Halyna glared at him. "Kidnapping more innocent travelers are you?" she said mockingly. His gaze darkened.

"So what do I do with her?" Sloane asked.

"Just knock her out; it'll give us some peace and quiet, for a little while at least." Daren replied.

Halyna looked sharply at the guard. "You wouldn't da..." was all she got out before a blow from his club sank her into silence.

 

[HelpingHand]

Wonderful job Miss.Joy!

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

Thank you.

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

I'm finally posting a little bit more. Hopefullly this will prompt to get more written.


Mariana groaned as she awoke; her head felt like someone had dropped a boulder on it, and she was sure that there was a lump the size of a mountain on the back of her head, also her hands were tied behind her back, and shots of pain were beginning to fly through her arms from the uncomfortable position. She began reprimanding herself as soon as she remembered what had happened. Three years with the resistance, three years. And I still forget to watch my back. Thank goodness no one was with me, and I'm not carrying anything important, or else I could've been the downfall of everything we've worked for. She quickly came to the obvious conclusion that it was early evening, as there was still a hint of light at western edge of the bit of sky she could see through the trees, as she glanced around, atempting to figure out where the men had taken her. She could see the group of four men that had captured her sitting around a nearby campfire, quietly discussing something. Another thing she noticed, was that there was another girl lying next to her, obviously another prisoner, as her hands were also bound behind her back. She must have been the one I heard scream. Mariana realized, as she watched the girl. She closed her eyes again, as the men's voices rose.
"We should take them to the market immediately," one of the men said.
"But if we waited a little longer, we could catch many more travelers, and the profits wouold be much greater," another exclaimed. Mariana's eyes snapped open again when she them discuss "profits" and the "market." Those men are slavers! I'm going to be sold! Tears welled up in her eyes, as she realized what that meant. Being caught by slavers was worse than being caught by the emperor's soldiers; at least if she had been caught by soldiers, she would've known what would happen, but now anything beyond the slave market was impossible to even guess at.
Hal groane slightly, as she regained conciousness, and the pain in her head and her arms quickly registered in her brain. "Stupid men." she muttered, before opening her eyes to find another woman staring back at her. The woman was young, but older than Halyna, and her hair and dress were both complete messes, from lying in the leaves.
"Shhh," the woman cautioned, gesturing with her eyes towards the men clustered around the bonfire. "I'm Mariana."
"Halyna." Hal replied, in a barely audible whisper. "Do you know why those men want us?"
Mariana nodded. "They're slavers."
"What?" Halyna gasped, a little too loudly.
"Shhh." Mariana said again, more forcefully this time. She glanced over at the group of slavers. Daren was watching them intently. "They're slavers, and unless we get out of here very quickly, we're going to be sold," she whispered, turning back to Halyna.

 

[jesusfreak10537]

Very good writing!! I'm anxious to find out what happens next!

 

[PSA374]

Nice Work!

 

[Joy_Everlasting]

Thank you. Here's a little more:


Hal groaned quietly to herself, though this time it had nothing to do with the pain in her head. Sold! But that only happens to people in stories… Never to real people, especially not to people like me. Why couldn’t I have had a peaceful journey, and start a peaceful life, one that didn’t involve getting sold as a slave? “How do you plan on escaping?” she started to ask, stopping when she noticed Daren walking towards them with a mocking smile on his face.

“So, the princesses are awake,” he jeered, his smile growing more mocking than before. “Are you ready for your trip?” He gazed at the two girls, waiting for a reply, but murderous looks were all that he received from them in answer to his question. “Well, you seem awake enough. We’ll leave as soon as we can pack up then. Let’s go.” The last sentence was an order to the other three men, who were watching Daren’s conversation with interest. They immediately began putting out the fire, and putting the small remainder of their food in a brown sack.

Halyna watched the food, hunger and hatred in her eyes. “That’s my food they were eating,” she spit out spitefully.

“Well, it’s not yours now,” Gareth jeered, as he roughly pulled the girls to their feet, and began untying Halyna’s bonds.

“You’re letting us go?” Hal asked, confusion etched on her face.

“Of course not, do you think I’m as stupid as Sloane? If we left your hands tied behind your back while you were tied to the horse, you would probably fall, and get dragged most of the way to the city. Since the likelihood of you surviving that isn’t very high, and you aren’t worth nuthin’ to Daren dead, we tie your hands before you for the journey.” He quickly retied Hal’s hands tightly in front of her, and secured another rope to the one that was wrapped around her hands by passing it around the small space between her two wrists, and tying a slip-knot. The other rope led to the saddle of an old, under-fed mare. As he was finishing, Ingroth began doing the same thing to Mariana, except her rope was secured to Dream’s saddle. Minutes later they were off, with Daren riding on Dream, and Ingroth following on the older horse.

As soon as they were underway, both girls realized the purpose of the slip-knot that connected their wrists to the horses. If they didn’t keep up with the horses, and the rope was pulled taught, the knot would shrink, pulling the already tight rope closer together in the middle, and tightening it until the circulation was cut off. They kept up as best as they could, but because Daren wasn’t concerned with how hard it was for his prisoners as long as they were alive when they reached the city, his pace was always just as fast as they could run. In fact, it seemed to be faster than they could run, and Hal barely managed to keep from falling. Thoughts of escape were second in her mind now, with surviving the day holding priority.

 

[Narmegil]

Very nice writing, I like it