Lacking in Love
by DragonLass (© DragonLass, 2002)
Chapter One :: Poor Jordyn
" You HORRID LITTLE WRETCH!"
My mother swung at me, catching me on the side of my face with the back of her hand. I felt the tears slidding down over where it hurt.
" Mother! Please stop!" I screamed as any seven year old would.
" I will not let you go unscathed!" She screeched," Stop indeed! You've had this coming for a long time! I warned you, if you ever laid a finger on your sister!"
I cringed. But, no more flesh fell on me like merciless hammers. I looked up.
" Mother. I didn't harm my sister any bit."
I realized what a mistake I'd made in looking up. I watched as her face twisted in sadistic pleasure. In her hand she held a pile of dishes, the ones I'd been cleaning while she'd been inside the other room knitting.
" So, you complain of too much dish duty, huh? Well, I'll give you a way out of your chores!"
One by one, I felt each of those plates fall on me. They shattered on my head, my back, my legs, my arms. And all this, because I would not fix my sister's pretty doll, whose dress had ripped a seam. And now, I watched where she sat on the floor, nursing her Samantha, and it hurt me to hear the words she said.
" Now Samantha, you be a good little girl and mommy will buy you a new dress. For now, let's have fun and watch my Mommy teach bad Jordyn a lesson about being mean."
The plates left more scars on my body then I could imagine. But, it was that one conversation which left the most painful scar I've ever felt.
Chapter Two :: The Wolves' Den
I vowed to run away after the injustice commited upon me. Never again would I endure the false accusations of my so-called 'loving' sister. She had been 'loving' enough in my opinion. My hair hung like ragged flower petals after a rather frightful storm, but I didn't care. I had no hopes of marrying, of living in any kind of luxury. All I wasn't was to be away from here. Here were everything meant misery, from wiping the floor wrong, to even being born apparently. Inside, despite all my bitterness, I felt a twang of hurt, of fear of leaving the only place I've ever known. But, I shook it off.
" No! That's only misplaced guilt. You aren't being cared for here. It's obvious you're not wanted, so leaving is your best bet." My heart was not into it," If you don't leave, you'll be the abused misfit forever. Your sister will forever control your life, and forever be the dictator of all things precious to you. And your mother..."
At the thought of what my mother would do to me if she found me trying to run away, I made up my mind to leave. Good bye cruel place.
******
This world was strange, I knew that the moment I set foot outside. It was the first breath of fresh air I'd had actually OUTSIDE. The closest I'd ever gotten to outside, was, well, the window beside my bed. And even that had been taken by my greedy little sister, who seemed to enjoy confiscating everything I had that comforted me.
A rough hand grabbed my shoulder, and I felt myself picked up unceremoniously.
" Huh?"
" Well, well, well. If it isn't a little lost bird. Trying to find your nest, baby bird."
I looked into the eyes of what I assumed was a local ruffian. His thick limbs looked like tree branches in comparison to my slim self.
" Uh, hello..."
" So! The starving chick does chirp!" He laughed.
I laughed nervously along with him, but there was somewhat of a gleam in his eye that I found only to familiar. He wanted something from me, and it didn't take long for him to reveal his intent.
" Hm. You are a bit of a bag of bones. But, I suppose some customer or another will desire a flimsy little one like you, rather than a volumptuous one. Then again, perhaps I could cheat my way to some cash."
He was edging me into a corner, and I knew if I got stuck there, I was at his mercy.
" Excuse me," I murmured timidly, and pushed past with more roughness.
He was too far in thought to notice I'd gone, so I edged away and around, heading for the the counter where a large bald man tended. He looked at me kindly, but with a startled expression, as though my existence here was a dream.
" 'Ello, young lass. What brings you 'ere to the Wolve's Den?"
Chapter Three :: Failure
" 'Ello, young lass. What brings you 'ere to the Wolve's Den?"
" I just came to freshen up."
He gave me a strange look, as though what I'd said had a double meaning.
" Pray tell, are your mother and father with you?"
He seemed a nice enough man.
" No. I'm here alone."
It would be much later before I would learn that telling the absolute truth could be dangerous, but at this moment, I was only a young girl of seven, with no experience whatsoever in the world.
" Well, girl. Tell me who your parents are, and we'll see what we can do."
I immediately told him who my mother was, and that my father had long since passed away. He nodded as he took this information in. I told him how my mother beat me, and about the incident only that morning. He only took this information, and contemplated it over a mug of fresh cider. I was drinking my second glass when the tale was over.
" Well, lass. That's a pretty tall tale."
I scooted back for a second. Tall tale? But, this wasn't a tale! It was as true as the sky was blue! True as the King's Throne is gold!
" I talked to a woman before you came in here. Said she was sick with worry because her young daughter had run away. Sick with worry she was..." He repeated.
I backed off a little afraid. What was this man going to do with her? Bring her back to her mother?
" And I told the woman I'd keep a look out for her lass. And, here you are." He said slowly," With the same story as that woman...almost...except for maybe the beating part."
My eyes were probably as wide as saucers. But, how did mother know that I'd left? I didn't think I'd be of any importance to them. I'd just assumed that she would simply rejoice, and then get on with their lives.
" Lassie," The man looked at me now, and I noticed now that he no longer clipped his h's like he'd done before," Tell me now. Are you the lass that she's been looking for?"
At that point in time, I would have gladly given anything, from the clothes on my back, to my soul itself not to be seven years old. Maybe if I'd have been 16 or 17 I would have made it far away. But, no. Here I was, the only child in a room filled with men, and women nearly 5 times my age. It was then I realized how hopeless my attempt had been. And how hard it was for one such as myself to escape. Looking down at the floor in defeat, I nodded my head.
" Yes," I murmured," That's me."
The man looked at me thoughtfully. He probably wasn't the mean sort, just worried about little children wandering about.
" All right. Your mother's waiting for you in the back room. Shall I go get her?"
Had I been older, I would have understood that he was giving me a chance to escape, a way to leave without putting him to blame. But, I simply nodded, following meekly as we walked to the backroom. There, I felt more than saw the dreadful fate that awaited me. There she was again. Mother. Her face was twisted in a smile, but I knew that beneath that pretzel knot, she was scheming up another way to punish me for trying to run away.
" My dearest! I was so worried that you'd been attacked by ogres."
I don't think she would have been any sorrier had she found me dead or torn to pieces.
" Hello, mother." If I sounded afraid, the barkeep didn't noticed, probably mistaking it for embarassment at having worried my mother so.
" Come now daughter. Let us go home." She kneeled down as if to hug me, but in fact hissed barely audibly in my ear," If you ever do something like that again, I will kill you!"
So that ended my first attempt at trying to escape. I vowed from then on that I would wait before I attempted anything foolish. I was beaten accordingly, adding to the myriad of scars I'd acquired. Acting as the daughter who'd finally had the sense beaten into her, I carefully obeyed all that my mother told me...that is, until my 16th birthday came around...
Chapter Four :: Rescue From Harm
9 years later, Jordyn's 16th birthday rolled around. She looked down at her trembling hands, and sighed as another year rolled past without a fuss. Her sister, as Jordyn was not allowed to call her by name, would be getting a party in another few weeks, they were born around the same month. Jordyn pushed herself back into her scrubbing.
" Well, rags," She murmured to her clothes in the little tub," Happy Birthday. I'm sixteen in a few more weeks."
" Jordyn!" The shrill voice of her mother echoed from outside.
" Coming Mother."
She found the old woman waiting outside, a basket in her hand. Her heart skipped a beat.
" Your sister is sick with the flu, probably from that awful stray you brought in last week. Go to the market and get some food for supper. Be smart about it! I want that food here by dinner time, and I want it cooked for her! You and I will not eat, until she is well!"
Jordyn sighed. So much for being free.
" Yes Mother."
******
" Hello again, Jordyn! Haven't seen you in quite some time."
Jordyn smiled at the barkeep. Ever since she'd returned home, she'd found that the Wolves' Den a wonderful place to relax.
" Yes, my mother has finally let me out for some shopping."
" I see. Well, stop by sometime for a drink, will you?"
She waved, then headed out towards the market, which was across town. All the boys along the way looked at her, and whistled appreciatively, but she ignored them, still innocent to many of life's mysteries. One of them bravely approached her, but she shied away, remembering the huge man in the tavern. She'd never seen that man again, but thoughts of the look on his face still haunted her memories. Fish looked fresh today, but her sister hated fish.
" Oh well, all the more for myself." She picked one up from the vender.
" Lovely day in Kyrria, isn't it?"
" Yes, it is," Jordyn smiled at the fruit seller. " Wonderful."
She was about to hand the vender a coin, when she heard screams coming from the other end of town.
" The tavern!"
Throwing the money into the fruit vendor, she hurried back to the other end of town. A crowd had gathered at the edge, and she hurried to where the barkeep stood.
" Mathias! What's going on?" She huffed.
" Someone heard screaming and saw fire at the edge of the woods. It looked like the hut where your mother and sister lived."
Jordyn was surprised to feel herself running towards the smoke in the distance. Why was she going in THAT direction? Shouldn't she be happy that they who had hurt her so was dead? But, deep down, Jordyn could feel no such hatred. As much bitterness as she felt, she didn't wish any harm to come to them. The smoke grew thicker, and Jordyn coughed, gulping involuntarily. The black ash burned her eyes, and the heat of a fire reddened her skin. She reached out blindly, until the wind shifted.
Only a blackened skeleton of the hut remained, nothing more. She reached out towards it to see if anyone had survived, when suddenly a hand touched hers. It was huge, grimy, and the nails were long and yellowed. She turned, and felt a scream well up inside of her. An ogre stood looking her in the face, a burning branch in its hand.
******
" Well, well, well," It said in perfect Kyrrian. " What..have..we...here?"
It took a few lumbering steps towards her. She fell to her back, and scrambled away.
" Stay away," She hissed, more in fear than in self-protection.
" Or what?" He peered at her, almost as if searching her mind," You couldn't even defend yourself against your mother. How will you defend yourself against me?"
He laughed then, and Jordyn felt herself growing more and more afraid. He was right. She couldn't even stand up to her mother. How would she be able to do anything against this beast?
" Why don't you just give up, and come to me willingly. I'll make sure to kill you quickly and painlessly. Come to me."
For a moment, she actually believed him. For one moment, she saw a person. Someone who would take away her pain forever. And for one moment, she considered stepping forward. But, she never got the chance.
" Step away from the girl, ogre!"
Jordyn looked up, and found herself caught in a dream. Eight knights walked out of the swirling smoke, led by two young men, one dressed in royal clothes, the other in simpler ones.
" Ah, your majesty." The ogre bowed, putting himself within grabbing distance of Jordyn," What a pleasure. Will you join me for an afternoon meal?"
Jordyn looked around stupidly, then moved sideways away from the beast. Unfortunately, he decided that he would try and grab her at the same time. With one swift movement, he grasped her around her dainty waist, and pulled her in front as a human shield. She was stiff with fear, as he clasped her shoulders roughly.
Chapter Five :: Unhappy Beginnings
" Please, your highness," The ogre purred," I do not wish to harm this young maid. But, if you force me to do so, I will. Violence can only create more violence."
Jordyn looked from the ogre to the knights, and back. What was going on here? Why didn't they just kill her along with the ogre.
" You are much to valuable, my dear. Both to the knights and me." He grinned viciously, seeming almost to have read her thoughts.
" Let the girl go. She is not whom you seek. She is no more powerful than a kitten, or a gopher."
Jordyn resented being called a kitten or a gopher. She wasn't that dimwitted. Suddenly, the ogre grinned, and yanked her up by the hair of her scalp, much to the alarm of the knights and herself.
" You can tell me if you are the one. Tell me little one, would you rather come with me or with those knights?"
She could feel that drowsy feeling overcoming her again. The ogre could help her. No, he wasn't an ogre. He was an elf in disguise! He was here to save her from her mother and father. He was here to stop those knights.
" I'm sorry I didn't get to your mother and sister in time." She saw the elf purr," But, I'll keep you safe. I'll make sure you're never hurt again."
She leaned towards him, ready to be swept away to another place. But, then, she remembered the man at the tavern. And once again those haunting memories flooded back. She remembered that strange musky scent, and how close he had gotten. Sge saw his fingers flexing as if he were squeezing lumps of dough, and how his face had gone a beet red. And these thoughts frightened her back to reality.
" No! No, stay away from me!"
She shoved with all her might, and managed to get away with only a scratch. Edging away from both the advancing knights and the ogre, she whimpered, and in a sudden fear, fainted.
******
"...pitiful creature in my life."
" I know! She struggled with the healer for nearly three hours..."
Jordyn woke to dim light, and saw eight men and two boys sitting by the fire. She got up in a rush, and backed away from them, memories still keen in her head. The musky odor of a man in heat...
" Oh, look." One of the guys, and elf, murmured in Elfian," The scrawny lizard is awake."
" YES. I AM." She answered back in perfect Elfian, annoyed at being talked about in the third person.
" Well! The little bird can chirp after all!"
Jordyn gasped and backed off. That was the same phrase that man had used...
" Look Edvi! You've scared her! I thought all elves were supposed to be gentle except in battle."
" I am gentle," He scowled," But, I can't help it if she's so timid she's scared of everything."
" I AM NOT! And I would appreciate it even more," She snapped," If you would stop talking about me in the third person!"
" Well, the little bird's got a bite!"
" STOP IT!" She was getting scared now, he sounded exactly like that guy at the bar.
" Edvi, quit teasing her. She's scared." Jordyn found herself liking this boy more.
Edvi stopped, but he stilled glared at her like she some sort of wild beast. The other boy, human in all respects, smiled reassuringly.
" I'm sorry if my friend startled you. My name is Prince Elar. I'm the son of the King and Queen of Kyrria, Eleanor the Kind and King Charmont the Bold."
" Pleased to meet you."
" So you can speak Kyrrian."
" Well, of course."
" Good. I was beginning to think you were an elf like Edvi. You spoke such beautiful Elfian."
" She had a lisp." Edvi countered.
Jordyn murmured angrily to herself. If her mother had been annoying, this 'elf' was a pain in her neck...
" Well," One of the knights murmured, elbowing another," It seems the young elf lord is arousing some emotions in the lass? Eh?"
She scooted in closer to Edvi.
" Yes he is. I've never felt this before, but now, everytime I think of you I'll always know what it is..." She leaned in closer, than screamed in his face," PITY FOR HAVING MET YOU!!!"
With that she stalked off, feeling more heated than ever. Edvi only stared at her back through a forest of dark brown bangs.