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Taliyah

Taliyah

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The dark cell had become her home. It had been her home for 138 days. Taliyah knew this because the tiny rock she used to mark the days against the stone wall.

Her arm dropped as soon as she made the mark and she groaned in pain. 138 days of torture. 138 days of being cut, healed, and cut again. They only ever healed her enough to make sure she didn't die.

Her torturers told her that her name was Taliyah. That is all she knew. She didn't know who she had been, how old she was, or where she was from. She knew nothing except darkness and pain.

Over and over. Darkness and pain. Everyday.

Taliyah curled up on the stone floor and cried like she did everyday. Her back was bleeding onto the hay they provided her so the cell was easier to clean.
 
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"It's there sir. We are sure of it."
"Then what are we waiting around for? Let's go."
"Well, we think that if we sneak up to the outpost. We can kill them all before they know we are here."
"....Um, sir. He is gone."
"What?"
"He took off as soon as he finished talking." One of the scouts said sheepishly. The captain cursed and chased after the prince.

Arastan was in a full sprint as ran towards the outpost. His speed increased as he felt his legs complete the transformation from elf to gazelle. He wasn't thinking anymore. Now was the time to let the beast rage. He could feel the rest of his body begin to change as he closed in on the large door to the outpost

This filth who thought they could just slaughter and torture his people all for some phony god. He would show them real pain, real fear.

The transformation finished just as Arastan made it to the door. The creature that slammed into the gate looked to be a large black bear except much larger than any bear that could possibly come from the nearby area. The claws themselves were each the size of a long dagger. The bear still had Arastan's signature horns except they were much larger closer to the size of moose horns.

As soon as he felt the door give in, he also felt a few arrows hit his hide, but none at the penetrative force to pierce his fur. The next few moments were a blur as Arastan swiped out with his claws ripping to shreds any human he could get his hands on. His adrenaline was spiking as he plowed into more cult members and further into the outpost.

He wanted to watch these humans feel hopeless. To understand that death was coming to them and nothing could stop it. Arastan let loose a loud and guttural roar that shook the outpost.

Taliyah
 
A roar jerked Taliyah out of her restless sleep and she cringed as one of her new cuts started to sting again. Was it already time for day 139 torture? No, she hadn't slept that long and the food tray from lunch was sitting there waiting for her to eat her stale bread and water. She was so skinny that she could see her ribs below the new slashes that dripped blood.

The elf tried to stand but she couldn't. She was too weak. The torturers had been having to drag her out of the cell lately. She could barely stand. She was one of the few elves that were still alive in the cells and she was reminded of that every time she breathed. The wreck of death surrounded her. There were at least ten dead elves in the cells around.

She would be next. She didn't have long left now.

Arastan Aellevanda
 
The scent of iron, the blood stuck to his pelt creating clumps of black fur. He had almost completely lost himself to the animal inside when some part of him in the back corner of his mind noticed that there were not many cold members left. He was even aware that his warriors had caught up and were performing the important role of cleaning up after him.

Seeing that the fight was essentially over, Arastan charged off into the outpost letting his animal body carry him forward as it shrunk to a small size. His nose was guiding him to the scent of elves, but even worse, blood.

When Arastan finally arrived at the cells, the smell made him want to puke. He slammed through one of the doors and quickly shifted back into his elven form. The young elven prince stood there shirtless, caked in blood with an intense look in his eyes. He spotted what looked to be the only living elf in this cell and hurried to kneel beside her. "Hey, it's going to be ok. We are here now." His voice-changing to a soothing tone.

He heard the sounds of feet on cobblestone and turned long enough to see some of his men. "I need some water. Quickly check on the others to see who all is left alive." Without waiting for a confirmation, he offered a canteen made from folded leaves to the injured-looking girl.
 
Taliyah opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the man who had spoken. Her mind told her that this was another trick of the humans and she flinched away from the canteen he was offering her. It was probably poison. She remembered that time they had poisoned her bread and she had thrown up for three days straight. She thought she was going to die then. She didn't.

She studied his face and her eyes fell on his ears. He was an elf. No, it was a trick. They had already erased her memory and then they had rubbed it in her face that she was nothing now. They would stoop to mind games especially since she had survived so long. She would not give in.

"You already tortured me today...I can't..." She wasn't sure if her words even made sense. She was in so much pain right now.
 
Arastan's anger flared briefly at seeing her reaction. She looked like she had been treated worse than an animal. How long had she been here? A part of him just want to run off and find more humans and kill as many as possible until this girl felt better.

"No one is going to hurt you again. We handled them...Listen, you need to drink some of this so we can move you all. We will get you out of here and you will never see this place again."

Once again he tried to bring the canteen closer to her lips. Before pulling it away and taking a small sip. "See, it's fine." He then put his close to her lips again.
 
Taliyah wanted to fight the man but she couldn't. She didn't have any fight left in her. If it was poisoned then she would die and there would be no more torture. No more pain.

She finally allowed the stranger to gave her the water. Her lips parted and the clean water filled her mouth. She had never tasted water that wasn't stagnant and dirty. Well maybe she had but she couldn't remember. She swallowed the water and a small smile quirked her lips.

"Thank you," she coughed out and studied the mans face. "Are they really dead?" Tears started to stream from her eyes. It was over. 138 days of torture and it was finally over.
 
Coincidently, at the moment, one of Arastan's warriors ran into the room. "Sir, we have rounded up the remainder of them. What do you wish to do?"

Arastan delicately placed the canteen in Taliyah's hand and then bent down and lifted her up bridal style. Some blood might get on her, but they would get her a nice hot bath anyways. "Yes, they all will be. Let's go."

He carried her out of the room, leading her and the remaining elven survivors outside where the remaining cultists were rounded up and being watched.
 
Taliyah cried out when he lifted her. He hadn't seen her back so she couldn't blame him. She let the tears fall silently from her eyes as he carried her out of her cell and out of the room. The sun forced her to close her eyes. She had never seen it but she knew what it was. It was one of those things she just knew about even though she never actually remembered seeing it.

She buried her face into the chest of the man who had saved her and carried her to safety. Maybe he was telling the truth and she was free. Maybe it was an elaborate trick. She wanted to have hope though. She wanted to have hope that her life was about to change for real.

"Who are you?" Taliyah asked softly into his chest.
 
Arastan grimaced as he felt her cry out, but he did not stop. They needed to leave. The longer she stayed down their then the worst off she would be. He smiled down at her in an attempt to reassure her.

"I am Prince of Arastan of Aellevanda. A place that is safe for our kind." He looked up to look into the eyes of each of the cult members.

"For too long you humans have taken advantage of the elves for your own disgusting needs. I hope that wherever you end up there waits an eternity of punishment for you." With a nod from him, his warriors began the process of beheading each of the cult members.

"Now, let's get you to a healer."
 
Prince Arastan. She was being carried by a Prince. She was saved by a Prince and he would take her to a safe place. She needed a safe place. Perhaps she could figure out who she was then. Maybe someone would recognize her.

"Thank you..."

She looked to the side as he carried her and saw his warriors start to behead her torturers. Her smile was tiny as she looked back up at him for a moment before she passed out in his arms. The pain and the relief lulling her into a strange restful state.
 
Once everything was cleaned up, Arastan and his men first went through and healed all the former captives to the best of their abilities. They could be inspected closer when they returned to Aellevanda. Taliyah and others that had passed out were placed on stretchers which the warriors took turns carrying through the forest.

Arastan had argued he could help, but the warriors insisted they handle the manual labor. That left Arastan to use his abilities to scout the area. He found himself not wanting to move to far from Taliyah, as he kept coming back to check up on her condition.
 
Taliyah was not sure how long she had been out for but it was dark when she woke on the stretcher that was resting on the ground. She curled up into a ball and looked for her rock. It was almost time to mark another day. She had known that it had all been a trick. She was back in her dark cell and they would be coming to torture again. Soon.

She fell back asleep within minutes and when she woke up again, the sun was rising. Taliyah looked around the camp and let out a slow gasp. It was real. She had been saved and they were taking her somewhere safe. She did not remember much from the day before but she remembered the face of the elf who had carried her.

Her eyes roamed around the camp as she looked for the only face she knew.
 
Arastan was sitting by a pot hanging over the fire as he stirred occasionally. The remaining warriors were busy moving and performing their own tasks, but Arastan glanced towards where Taliyah was sleeping, as he had for the past few hours.

He lit up with a smile when he saw she was awake. The elven prince motioned for her to come over while yelling at her. "Breakfast is just finishing up. I'm betting you're starving."
 
Taliyah gave the man a small smile as she struggled to sit up. This was the first time in 139 days that she had not been dragged away at dawn to be mutilated. Her body was stiff but it did not hurt like it usually did. It was like the wounds had at least been closed.

She stood up slowly and made her way over to him. "Prince...Arastan...right?" She was surprised she remembered his name as she grew closer. "I am starving, I have not eaten anything but bread...ever. Well...I don't remember eating anything other than bread," She frowned.
 
"That is my name. Although, I do not believe I ever got your name." He ladled a serving of the porridge into the bowl and handed it to her and then made his own serving.

"I would be careful on how fast you eat that. Might want to give your body time to get used to it."

Arastan knew from past experience that when he would shift into an animal and sometimes forget to eat for long period, the next bite of food while delicious could also be a little rough on the body.
 
"They said it was Taliyah but I do not know if that is the name I was given at birth." Taliyah took the bowl from him and sat down on the ground next to him. He had saved her and he would have her eternal gratitude and service. She was not sure what use she could be to him but she would figure it out someday.

"They erased my memory somehow. They erased all of ours and then they would remind us of us daily. They were horrible..."

She trailed off as she brought a bite of porridge to her mouth. It was literally the best thing she had every eaten. The only thing she had ever eaten besides stale bread. Taliyah longed for her memories back for the first time in a long time. She had never dared to hope before.
 
"Well, I will call you Taliyah if that is what you want. Otherwise, we can get you a new name." Arastan looked at her with a new sadness in his eyes. His mind could not comprehend what she had been through. To be dejected to such an extent. It would have been enough to drive him insane.

"We have some skilled healers at Aellevanda, so maybe they can help with all of your memories. Even if they just give you a starting place, then I will help you find the rest."

He had committed to help, but he had no qualms about this. To have your memories taken away was to erase your identity...No one deserved that.
 
"I like the name so I will keep it. It feels right.."

She ate another small bite and her stomach decided to remind her that she was starving. She took his words to heart and only ate small bites at a time. She was not sure if he was right about being sick but she trusted him.

Taliyah shrugged and smiled weakly at Arastan. "What if I had a terrible life before? What if they saved me from a fate worse than them?"

She touched the scar on her face lightly. It had become a subconscious thing that she did when she felt overwhelmed or scared. Perhaps it was a reminder that things could not get worse than them cutting her face up and making her hideous. She actually had no idea what it looked like but she knew it went across the majority of her face cause they would tell her how ugly she was daily.

Even if you got away...no one would want you?

If someone tried to save you, they would leave you due to your face.

We are going to make sure that you know you are nothing.
 
"No!" Arastan yelled out forcefully before his face relaxed once more. "Sorry about that. Just got a little riled up...Don't ever think that. Those people, even if they did get you out of a bad situation. Nothing could make up for what they did to you. You deserve to be free and happy, and safe."

"You might not have a bunch of memories to rely on, but even instinctively you know that what they did was wrong.

He took a bite of his own food before hesitantly asking. "Are you ok? Does it hurt?" He motioned towards the scar.
 
Taliyah flinched when he yelled and then she relaxed when he apologized. He was right, of course. She did know that the humans were wrong and hurting others for no reason was wrong as well. It was weird the stuff she did know even though her actual memories were gone.

"Not anymore. This was the first scar. They said I was too beautiful and I needed to be reminded that elves are nothing. There would never be anyone to find me beautiful again," she shrugged.

"My back is covered in them as well." Taliyah said with a frown. She instinctively touched her shoulder and bit her lip. "Sorry," she said quietly and took another bite.
 
Arastan was silent for a moment as he was deep in thought. He looked up and slowly reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face allowing his finger to trail across her scar.

"I think you look beautiful. No scars are going to change that. No amount of scars could ever make us nothing."

He realized what he was doing might make someone uncomfortable and pulled away. He took another bite of his food before changing the subject.

"I'll hunt them down. Every human looks down on us. It's time we started taking action. If the elders won't do it then I will."
 
Taliyah tensed when the Prince touched her face. She had never been touched so gently before. She was not sure how to even respond to it so she just stammered out a quiet reply. "Th-thank you. I do not actually know what I look like," she bit the inside of her bottom lip at her confession. It was weird to admit. She had no idea what she looked like. She had no memory of her own face.

"It is really frustrating, Arastan. All of this is frustrating." She put the bowl on the ground and ran her fingers through her long hair. The one thing they never messed with. She loved her hair and it had become her comfort.

"What can I do to repay you for your kindness? I do not know what skills I possess but I will earn my keep, I swear it." Her voice held more confidence than it had since she met him. This was also the most she had ever spoken outloud.
 
Arastan turned away possibly to hide a blush, but he quickly got an idea. He grabbed a free bowl and began to fill it with water. He then placed it down in of Taliyah giving it a moment for the surface of the water to still.

"Here you go. A makeshift mirror."

He quickly waved away her question with a chuckle. "Do not worry about it. We can find out more about you later, and if you want to help around then by all means. However, first, just focus on healing up and getting healthy."
 
Taliyah watched the Prince as he grabbed a bowl and poured water into it. She raised a brow when he set it in front of her. She leaned forward and looked at herself for the first time. She gasped at the scar that ran across her face and slowly touched it again. She may have been beautiful before it but she could not see that now. Her eyes though, her eyes were beautiful. The blue was stunning even with the sadness and horror they held in them.

"Thank you," she said as she looked back up at Arastan. "I cannot agree about my beauty though," she offered a small smile. She would try to get better. It would take time though. She had been through a lot.

Taliyah grabbed her food again and took a few more bites. She was very excited to see what other foods the world held because this was delicious.
 
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