Hope? Fear? Anticipation?
Daisy wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. She had waited for so long to learn anything new about her past or identity that she had almost given up hope; and now, everything was happening so fast. First that crude woman “Susan” showed up yesterday, claiming that if Daisy met with her “friend” he had a “present” for her. The woman's refusal to offer any details was suspicious, but the opportunity to meet someone who apparently knew her from before she lost her memory was too intriguing to pass up.
Then last night while she slept, her two sweet friends snuck off to get a closer look at the camp where this “friend” expected them to meet at today. What they discovered there was nothing short of disturbing. A starved, maltreated, nearly dead man calling himself “Lugiri” was shackled and chained to one of the wagons there, apparently imprisoned against his will. Rowena brought up a valid question as she breathlessly told her part of the story, “What sort of well-meaning person kept a man chained in such a state?”
Daisy bit her lip, pondering that very question as the three of them together walked the short distance between where they camped overnight and the location of this “friend” they intended to meet. After talking it over, they decided they needed to proceed with their plan. It seemed they only way they could try to help this Lugiri, and—Daisy thought, somewhat guiltily—perhaps find answers to her countless burning questions.
Suddenly her musing was cut short as she caught a burst of motion out of the corner of her eye. Stopping, she looked over her shoulder and saw Lowenna, trembling in the shade of a tree, beckoning the other two women to join her. Daisy glanced towards the horizon, seeing the sun beginning to peek over, and frowned. They had been instructed to be there at the “crack of dawn.” Now was no time to delay.
Still, now was also no time to snap at her supportive friends. Sharing a look, she and Rowena approached their companion. With a finger to her lips, Lowenna pointed a trembling hand towards the brush. “Boars!” she whispered, her eyes wide with fright. “I can't go to a place surrounded by boars. What do we do?”
Daisy peered along the direction the woman's hand was pointing. Sure enough, dark forms could be seen rummaging around the undergrowth, the occasional snort reverberating through the foliage. Daisy frowned. While she had no desire to have a run in with a rabid boar, she wasn't about to let the presence of local wildlife get in the way of making what would surely prove to be a fateful encounter.
After closing her eyes for a moment, she looked between the two women. “Well done spotting them first, Lowenna. However, I'm...certain if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone.” With effort, she put on a brave face, and laid a reassuring hand on her frightened friend's shoulder. “We'll be safe, as long as we stick together. Let's just be careful, alright?”
Without waiting for any sign of assent, she lifted her head high, and strode off once more in the direction of the camp, only this time keeping a greater distance from the sounds of snuffling coming from the bush. For a moment she worried she had been too abrupt and would now have to face this challenge alone, but then sounds of shuffled feet through the grass could be heard as her friends hurried to catch up with her. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Daisy smiled; she couldn't have asked for more loyal friends to accompany her.
Suddenly, a loud YELP echoed through the early morning silence, causing the three huddled girls to stop in their tracks, almost bumping into one another. The cry hadn't come from the boars behind them, but from the camp they were slowly approaching. Setting her jaw, Daisy lifted up her skirts and set an even brisker pace. More cries rent through the air. What could be going on over there?
Lugiri lied sprawled under the wagon to which he was manacled and chained, his once strong, lanky form now almost skeletal in appearance. Only torn, soiled rages remained of his simple clothing. Where his skin showed through the holes, it appeared a bluish hue in some areas and a sickly yellow in others, as old bruises merged with newer ones.
The prisoner lifted his eyes as one of his captors sauntered over with a gleeful smirk. Borghildur this one was called. About the only time he ever saw the surly woman show any sign of joy was for these regular beatings. She tapped her club in her other hand in hungry anticipation. Marius had given explicit instructions that the man not be “permanently damaged,” though not out of any feelings of compassion. The only reason he'd been kept alive this long was so his life could be used to barter for the compliance of Marius' true prize: the heiress Dazelia, promised in marriage to him by her father.
As always, Lugiri forced a small smile and simple greeting, hoping it would humanize him and elicit some sympathy from his torturer. But, as always, this only served to confuse and infuriate her. The club swung once, then again, and again. He wasn't sure why he always held back his cries of pain in the beginning. Perhaps out of pride, perhaps in the hopes that his silence would madden “Borgh” to the point of outright killing him—even against the orders from her shrewd boss—and thereby removing the possibility of his life being used to trade for Dazelia's. And yet, the only reason he had to keep living, to continue eating the scraps they threw his way every once in a while—usually mutilated leftovers from one of Marius' meals—was the spark of hope that, one day, he could be reunited with his love. A vain hope, perhaps, but nothing else mattered to him any more. Nothing but Daisy.
A particularly sharp crack against his shin broke his silence, and he let out a loud YELP that echoed through the early morning silence. Marius watched the torment delightfully from his seat while devouring his breakfast, messily letting bits of it tumble down his crimson vest and onto the ground. The short, portly man was completely oblivious to the stomach cramps such a waste of food induced in the starved, filthy prisoner, but the effect remained the same. Between blows, Lugiri noticed something was...different about the gluttonous man. His devious sneer was wider than usual. Normally, he wouldn't take his eye off these beatings, but this morning he occasionally peered around the camp with a hungry glint in his eye, as if he were...expecting something.
“Good morning!” A woman's voice rang out through the camp, loud and clear. Marius stood, heedlessly letting his plate fall off his lap and scatter food all over the ground. A horrifyingly pleased grin creased his face as he stroked his handlebar mustache, dislodging a crumb that had become stuck in the thick hairs in the process. “Borgh! Enough!” he snapped. “It is time.”
Lugiri froze in shock, not even bothering to flinch for the last blow coming from the henchwoman or to even register the full portions of food now lying mere feet from his face. That voice! It was the same voice that comforted him in his memories, sustaining him through this arduous journey, fueling his hope. And yet, he wasn't imagining it this time. It was real, here, now. Which meant that she must be here. His heart immediately leapt for joy, but then sank at the terrifying realization of her situation. If she was here, now, then that must mean... No!
Daisy came to a stop just shy of what appeared to be the front of the camp. A large pavilion stood off to her right, and the heat from a fire could be seen rising from behind one of the smaller tents just ahead of her. She winced as another cry of pain echoed from the rear of the camp, amplified by the sheer rock face serving as a backdrop. This had gone on long enough. Taking a deep breath, Daisy raised her chin and greeted the camp with a loud voice, “Good morning!”
A foreboding silence ensued, punctuated only by a final dull thwack from the rear of the camp and the snuffling from a boar off in the bushes somewhere. Daisy, held her breath, turning her head to glance at her friends, each flanking her just a step behind. She resisted the urge to smile proudly at their bravery. Rowena stood straight and tall, with a solemn expression making her look like a recruit of the Town Guard on their first day, though her fists balled at her sides betrayed her anxiety. Lowenna too held her chin up high, in a show of stiff and still confidence, but in her case it was her eyes—darting about wildly to observe all they could—that indicated her unease.
Muffled voices and a clanking of chains from inside the camp were the only indication that her greeting was heard. Daisy was just about to repeat her call even louder when out waddled a short, rotund man with a handlebar mustache and greasy comb-over. An unnaturally wide smile stretched across his face. “Is that you, my dear?” he inquired with a sickeningly over suave attempt to sound kind. He gave the impression, Daisy felt, of a shady merchant attempting to convince passersby to purchase his rotten produce.
The middle-aged man was prevented from saying more as the woman Daisy knew only as “Susan” trudged out from behind the tent holding a heavy chain. “Hey wait Boss!” she interrupted. “Boss!” Dragged by the chain, a filthy, disheveled man shambled forth. A final yank at his links caused him to sprawl forward face-first onto the ground. “I gotta search 'em first, remember?” Borghildur blurted out.
Daisy's stifled a gasp at seeing the abused husk of a man. Surely this was the prisoner her friends had told her about. Yes, more was at stake here than getting answers for herself. From her side, Rowena demanded in a gruff tone that belied the hesitation in her eyes, “Search us? Is this an invitation or an arrest?”
Marius scowled at his lackey. “Now Borgh, that is not how we treat our... wait. There are...” he squinted, finally regarding his prize's two companions, “...three.” His eyes burned with anger, and he whispered, “Why are there three of them?”
Borghildur quavered somewhat, recalling what happened to the last servant who displeased their master. “Uh,” she whispered back, “didn't I tell you...”
Lowenna watched the two exchange quiet words, her sweet brown eyes sharpening in distrust. Lugiri, meanwhile, slowly managed to raise his head up from the dirt. His eyes slowly focused on the trio of women standing before him, or rather, the one woman in particular, standing in between the other two. Could it be? Was it really her? Now he knew he hadn't imagined her voice, as now he could actually see her, the most beautiful thing he had seen in over a year. Standing there with an air of authority as if about to issue orders to one of his workers. She was the same Daisy he knew and loved, and yet, also so very...different. His mind only barely began to comprehend the murderous scheming taking place just above his head.
Suddenly, Borghildur took a step forward. “Hey you!” she barked, waving vaguely at Rowena. “Come 'here, I gotta, uh, search you.” She then stage-whispered back to her boss, “Are you sure you want me doin' this right here in front of 'em all?” Rowena's eyes darted from 'Susan,' then to her friends, and back again, as if she were at a bit of a loss.
Daisy raised an eyebrow at the 'request,' trying to appear calm. “Excuse me? You most certainly will not! We came here because you offered a 'present.' What would you need to search us for?" Lowenna too chimed in, here eyes narrowing and her hand instinctively flinching towards the knife hidden in her dress. “What do you mean search us? You're supposed to give Daisy a gift, not treat her like some spy!” she bit back, her tone somewhat sharp.
As Borghildur continued to hiss back questions at her boss, Lugiri finally came to grips with their situation. “Dazelia!” he croaked, with what little strength he had, “You are in danger!”
This outburst from his “bargaining chip” seemed to cause something in Marius to snap. “Boy! I will not stand for being undermined!” Gone was any veneer of cordiality as he stomped over to where the hostage kneeled.
“Run while you can!” Lugiri shouted, not caring about the danger he was placing himself in. “You are in danger!” Borghildur raised her club, about to beat him into submission. But neither that nor the approaching furious figure of his fat captor could silence him. “Whatever happens, we are Forever One!” he yelled.
Daisy had been on the verge of heeding the desperate man's advice, of running and leaving this entire mad scene behind. Until she heard those words. Her heart skipped a beat. Her voice caught in her throat. “Wait!” she managed to cry out. How did he know...?
Too late. The enraged man delivered a cruel kick to Lugiri's face. What he lacked in strength he more than made up for in fury and brutality. The kick landed squarely on the poor man's nose, causing him to cry out as it was smashed into an unnatural shape with a dreadful crunch.
Witnessing such violence firsthand horrified the three innocent young women. Each shouted almost simultaneously for them to stop, with Lowenna going so far as to unsheathe the cooking knife she had hidden in the folds of her dress and hold it out in front of her. Daisy couldn't help but run forward a couple of steps in a vain attempt to prevent the attack, and the other two followed closely, practically clinging to each other for support.
Their objections at least stopped any further affliction of the poor man, as Marius was distracted from his rage to again face the trio, and Borghildur was moved to poke fun at Lowenna's small weapon.
Daisy had had enough of this charade. Looking almost wildly at the three strangers before her, she dropped all pretense. “What... Who are you? All of you? And...what do you want of me? And how do you know...?” she trailed off. At first she raised her hand almost to grab the overly large hammer that was hanging from her back, but she stopped. Instead she clenched her fists and gathered her wits, looking fervently from one face to the other. “Who are you? And how do you know...me?”
Now it was Marius' turn to be confused. After all, Dazelia knew exactly who he was and why he was here, not to mention the pathetic hostage at his feet. He shot a filthy look to Lugiri as if this were some … joke of his, then to Borgh, as though it were all her fault.
It was Borghildur, though, who broke the uneasy silence. “He knows you 'cause we got a pitcher of you, duh,” she replied to Daisy, looking smug.
Daisy, though, was in no mood for cheek. She glared at 'Susan.' “You! Shush. Now!” she commanded, and then pointed at Marius. “You! You seem to be in charge of this... lot. You tell me what's going on here right. this. moment!" Her instructions carried an air of authority, as if she expected to be obeyed without question.
Lugiri, with blood running from his mess of a nose and in his delirious state, couldn't help but grin at hearing her sound like her old self. “Yes, Miss Dazelia,” he answered to himself without thinking. But then her words finally hit him, and he blinked slowly. How would she not know them...? Is this even really happening?
With an admirable glance at Borgh for her smug wit, Marius stepped in front of Lugiri, blocking him from Dazelia's view. “Why my dear... you are... confused,” he said in a slimy tone. “All this nonsense has you out of sorts. Why not join me for breakfast, my dear? And everything will be... revealed.” His eyes leered at her hungrily.
“No, no, this has gone on far enough.” Daisy shook her head, dissatisfied with the answer, and put her hands on her hips, appearing taller suddenly. “I don't know what...what you have going on here, or why you wished me to come, but this ends now. You will release that...man, and we will take him to the town. To be questioned, if necessary. We...” she faltered , biting her lip as she tried to think fast. “We already have more friends following us, meeting us. You best let us leave now. In peace.”
Marius' eye twitched at Dazelia's defiance, but he recovered quickly, resuming his sickeningly sweet tone. “Borghildur,” he addressed his henchwoman, who was tapping her club in her palm menacingly. “Dazelia will join me for breakfast. And if she refuses, or makes any argument in her next breath...” he paused dramatically, grinning with wicked pleasure, “...you will kill the boy behind me.”
The man's ruthless threat shocked all three innocent companions, each objecting almost simultaneously. Rowena openly gasped, nearly squeaking “You can't do that!” Daisy swallowed, no longer so certain. You...you wouldn't dare!” she stammered. Lowenna, however, was only emboldened by her friends' revulsion. She raised her knife before her, narrowed her eyes at Borghildur, and took a step forward. “You will not do that! How terrible can you be, to hurt such a poor man?”
Marius sighed in smug dismay, turning to face Borgh. He readied himself to give the confirming nod, and stepped aside so Dazelia could fully see the man she loved enough to have run away with. His miserable little life was now in her hands.
Lugiri's sad eyes pleaded pitifully with his love. He begged her weakly, his ruined nose marring his voice. “Deyzhee... Ruhn... Ruhn... Now...”
Daisy held up her hand. “Wait!”
Marius turned his beady, snake-like eyes back to Dazelia, signaling his executioner to hold. “Mmmyesss?”
Daisy's stomach sank, her hand falling away from the handle of her hammer. “I...” she said, sounding defeated, “I will dine with you....” This prompted a disapproving hiss from Rowena. “Just... please, leave the...man be,” Daisy finished. She slumped forward, eyes darting between the three before her, seeing no other way to proceed.
Marius looked positively gleeful, his evil grin showing each yellow tooth. “Now, send your two friends away,” he commanded with a shooing gesture.
The two faithful friends would have none of that, each objecting vehemently to the command. Daisy herself raised her eyes to meet those of the villain. “No. No, I didn't say I'd dine alone,” she nearly growled. “For all I know you plan to kill me as soon as they leave. Just like...just like you tried a year ago." She ended that last sentence almost as if it were a question.
Marius met her gaze squarely, then looked to her friends. His eye twitched again at her words, and his tone changed completely. “Borghildur. Kill him,” he ordered hatefully, waving his hand to give full permission for the man's demise.
Borghildur complied without hesitation, raising her club and swinging it at the man's head with all her might. “RUN!” Lugiri screamed, having just enough time to reflexively throw his manacled hands up in a desperate attempt to block the blow.
Marius couldn't have been more pleased with himself. He took a step back to give Borghildur room to do what she was hired to do—the only thing that she truly seemed to enjoy—hurting someone else. That worthless boy who dared steal his bride-to-be—and more importantly the business opportunity she represented—away from him was about to die. Dazelia would no doubt be devastated at losing her foolish “love” and fall into his hands for his own purposes. Her two friends could be dealt with easily enough, he was sure. So very sure.
As the struggle broke out in front of him he backed away farther, until he bumped into something. The slovenly man turned around, ready to rail at who or whatever had dared get in his way, only to come snout-to-snout with a huge grazing boar. The mangy beast had ruddy, fly-infested hair, ferocious tusks, and a trail of partially chewed roots dangling out of its maw. Had anyone been in a position to see the pair facing off, they might have described their likeness as almost...comical.
No such description came to Marius' mind, however. As the boar let forth an enraged squeal, the portly man replied with a squeal of his own, only out of sheer fright. His stubby legs carried him out and away from the camp faster than he'd ever 'run' in his life. With the horrid hog hot on his heels, the last thing anyone heard from the cruel man was him shrieking, “BORGH! SAAAVE MEEEE!” as he fled into the wild.
Lugiri had begged Daisy to run, and run is exactly what she did. Only instead of fleeing the scene to save herself as the condemned man had intended, she launched herself at his executioner in a vain attempt to prevent the unthinkable. Her two friends were of like mind, each rushing forward with unsheathed knives swinging wildly in front of them.
Too late. Lugiri's feeble attempt to protect himself with his chained hands only served to slow the cudgel's swing ever so slightly. It struck heavily on his temple, sending his limp body to the ground with a bleeding gash in his head.
Daisy saw it all happen as if in slow motion as she dashed ahead, powerless to stop it. Still, her momentum carried her forward. She and Rowena plowed into Borghildur at the same time, knocking the wind out of the thug and tackling her into the back of the tent behind. The three slid to the ground, with Rowena shifting her weight to pin the stunned woman down and Daisy wresting the club from her grip.
Unfortunately, Lowenna's part in the fray ended just as soon as it began, as her mad dash caused her to trip over her own skirts, tumbling ungracefully in the dirt. Dazed as she was, with her skirt over her head, she didn't see the other mercenary woman wobble out of the front of the tent to find out what had disturbed her drunken slumber. “What'sh goin' on?” she slurred groggily.
Daisy's concentration was focused on removing the deadly weapon from Borghildur's hand, so she didn't register it when the pinned woman gasped out, “Help! Audfrid!” A mere moment after she finally seized the club, she felt the cold steel of Audfrid's ornate dagger pressed to her throat. Audfrid spoke in a harsh, low voice, her breath smelling strongly of whiskey and feeling hot on Daisy's ear and neck. “ Let Borgh go. All of ya take a step back...else I slit your throat right here without a moment o' hesitation.”
Lowenna finally recovered enough to see and assess the situation. Standing up in her place behind the other ladies, she very slowly raised her hands as if in surrender. “We let your friend go, you put your knife away. Deal?”
Audfrid nodded slowly. “I always honor m' word. Nobody gots t' get hurt.”
Daisy swallowed hard, trying to calm her pounding heart. “We... didn't come to hurt anyone. We only wish to leave in peace. Let us take...take him,” she indicated the form of Lugiri, “and no one else needs to get hurt. We'll leave, and you'll never see us again. Your boss would be mad if you hurt me, and if you leave before he gets back, you can probably take some of his nicer things with you....”
Keeping the knife in place, Audfrid raised her voice. “That work for you, Borgh?”
Borghildur grunted from her place in the dirt. “Yeah sure. Just get this cow offa me!”
Audfrid backed up a step, taking the knife away at Borgh's words, but keeping it in her hand. “I took th' knife 'way. Hold up yer ends!”
Daisy slowly turned around as the knife was removed, taking a step back once facing her assailant. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lowenna preparing herself to try to jump Audfrid, but after Daisy shook her head at her, she was gratified to see the daring woman back down. “Alright. We'll leave. With him.”
Audfrid nodded slowly, her eyes clearly still not fully focused. “Though I d'know why ye'd be wantin' t' carry 'bout a dead body.”
“He may yet survive,” Daisy replied, looking down sadly at the body by her feet. “I did...” she muttered to herself. She then nodded at Rowena for her to let the woman up. With final elbow to the ribs, Rowena complied and backed away.
“Uhhh! You didn't look so fat from a distance!” groaned Borghildur as she pushed herself to her feet with a glare. “I have child bearing hips!” Rowena protested huffily, joining her friends by Lugiri's body.
After stepping beside her partner, Borghildur tossed the keys to Lugiri's manacles at his rescuers, saying she wouldn't be needing them any more. With a final glare their way, the two mercenaries trotted off to loot what they could from the camp before riding off, no doubt to cause their share of trouble elsewhere.
The three friends kept a wary eye on the partners in crime while they made a make-shift bandage using part of Lowenna's now torn dress, wrapping it around Lugiri's head to stop the bleeding till they could get him to a proper healer. His emaciated form made it somewhat easier to carry him over the distance to the town.
Once past the South Gate, Daisy's friends began settling Lugiri's body into a spare cart they found nearby, while she approached a guard she recognized from the Mess Hall. It took him a moment to recognize her without an apron and flour in her hair, and another moment to adjust to her seemingly new-found commanding presence. But Daisy was in no mood for hesitation, and she quickly got the name of Mellie Winterbloom, a skilled healer who happened to be in town tending to a member of The Watch. She told him the directions to the small room attached to the Mess Hall where she lived, making him repeat them back to ensure he got it right, and at her orders he scurried off to send Mellie her way.
Together they brought their injured man to Daisy's residence and nestled him into her cot. His feet stuck out off the end, but it would have to do. Once Mellie arrived, Daisy said goodbye to Rowena and Lowenna, hugging each tight and thanking them sincerely for their help in all this. Both then left to return the cart they borrowed and pack up their camp from the night before.
Mellie got to cleaning and treating her patient's head wound right away, stitching it up properly and applying a fresh bandage. While she inquired about the source of his injury and deplorable condition, she was discreet. Daisy readily gave her whatever answers she could, detailing how they found him and the attempt on his life. Finally, Mellie gathered her instruments, gave Daisy some basic instructions on how to care for the man through the night, and promised to come back in the morning to render more thorough treatment.
Then, Daisy was alone. Alone in her tiny room with an injured man under her care who clearly knew her well, but of whom she had no memory. The events of the day all came crashing in on her. Everything that was said and everything that was done, along with their implications. It was all so much, and she was so very, very tired.
She leaned back against the small dresser and slid to the floor, putting her head on her knees. And she cried.
((The majority of the events above were all based on in game RP. Though I painstakingly edited and rearranged it all for a better format, the overall story remains the same))
