Between two cities [Great]

[Dawnika Snow]

Sera looked at the chain sitting on the floor, open and ready to lock her leg. Just the sight of it made her hate her own existence, but this time, it was completely null. The rusted restraint could hold her down no more, literally. She took advantage of this small freedom to gather some of the loose hay the prisoners were to use as slight comfort against the dirt and pebbles that littered their beds. Going between the older people and children, she piled up as much as possible, distributing the fluffs so everyone could at least have some make-shift pillows. Once Malon finally realized what Sera was doing, she began to help, sweeping up the loose straw the best she could with her hands.

The both acquired enough straw to give to most of the captives, some requested that other get it, saying they would be fine without the pillows. Sera was one of these people, as was Malon. It was only fair considering they weren’t chained to the floor like all the others. The teen youth laid down on the ground in her respective spot, a little closer to the wall than normal, as she could now prop up against it. There was hardly a change in the floor’s comfort level, but the sole fact of having non-restricted, free movement softened her thoughts. Mentally, she was able to relax, and that was exactly what she planned to do. This stressful situation was too much for someone as timid as her to worry about. Even if it was just for a night, she could take solace in the fact that she had some leverage and protection now. It felt wrong to think she was above the other captives here, but it enticed her so to know that she would get better meals and nicer sleeping conditions. With a loud huff of a sigh, the tiny brunette drifted off into her thoughts, slowly slipping into her dreams.

A simple apartment building, void of much anything. Scarce a couch, small table and a television set, complete with a tiny kitchen that only had a refrigerator, stove and enough counter space to house the microwave that sat between them. This was home, for what else would a prisoner dream of?

It wasn’t much for someone so young, but the steady flow of money coming from her parents in the Kingdom helped her immensely. Without it, she’d surely have to move to Minas Tirith with her parents, but it would be too much work to move when her school year was almost over and she graduated. Then perhaps she would join her family in the capital of Camelot. Beyond her education though, she was a retail worker at a nearby clothing store. It didn’t pay as much as she liked, but it wasn’t worth complaining about. Her parent’s money is what paid her bills, which left her money for necessities like food and toiletries. It was a pretty peaceful life, and Sera missed it dearly.

Although the current events have reduced her to playing servant for a bunch of overgrown children who no good at anything but swinging an axe, she couldn’t say that this experience was entirely gruesome. Most of the people here at least respected you if you did what you were told. That said, she did miss her bed.

Her dreams shifted to the day she was captured. It was dumb of to travel alone in such a foreign place to her. Her mom and dad warned her, but she assumed most people would stay out of her business. It wasn’t like she meant to stumble into the group of marauders raiding a caravan. The bandits caught her trying to hide once she realized the situation was dire. The memory played through her mind clear as day, as if it had happened just yesterday.

A lone girl walks alone through the countryside of Camelot, unarmed and innocent. A blue satchel-pack slung over her shoulder, housing some necessities for her trek back home. It was a long walk through all the verses, making her wish she was a prime and had the ability to summon a horse. If she had the money, she would have bought one, but alas, there wasn’t enough loose change in her pockets for shiny goods.

Walking along the road, she notices a large cart pushed to it’s side with a missing wheel. Horses seem to have pulled it judging from the size of the load it could carry and the two protruding wooden planks on each side that latched them in. Although they seem to have run off or disappeared. It was instinct to see if anyone was around. Perhaps they had an accident that caused the horses to freak out. She hurried over to the cart, finding that no travelers were around, but some brawny men, and one brawny woman, we’re ripping goods from the cart. Realizing the predicament she was in, she quickly tried to shuffle into the woods nearby the road.

“Oi, we’ve got a snoop.” One of the men said loudly, stopping the meek little girl in her tracks, paralyzed in fear. She turned slowly to see the men, and woman approaching her, weapons in hand. Sera would have ran, but sheer aura of premature death seemed to nail her feet to the soil below her. She shrank into her skin as they continued to talk. “What’chya think we should with ‘er?”

The woman spoke, “Well, we can’t allow her to leave now, can we? It would be best if we took her with us, or just simply killed her.” That last sentence made the teenager mock the sound of a mouse. “We are short handed with the cleaning staff, or perhaps she could cook.”

That was funny. Sera couldn’t cook a quick meal in the microwave to save her life, and in this situation, it’d have been nice if she could. “Yeah, uh..” The brunette muttered shyly, “My cooking skills are well below average. Cleaning I can do.” She says that with a slight bit of confidence if only to keep her head planted firmly on in her shoulders.

After that terrifying encounter, they blindfolded and tied her up, took here and she’s been cleaning since. Now that Malon came with Officer Cooper, perhaps she’ll taste the fresh breath of morning again.

One can only dream.