A dangerous and filthy lie is prevalent throughout the land of Ralium. Nobles and Kings would have their subject believe that the kingdom resting in a time of peace. They say there is no war. No attacks. That there is no death, yet within this suppo...
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Aria approached the camp before her. Her eyes scanned around as men in tattered clothing surrounded a burning fire. With her hands exposed to the men, she took a step closer. The men jerked their heads towards the sounds of incoming footsteps and breaking twigs.
Using the thick tangled mess of her hair to shield her face, she kept her head low. Her eyes peered through the strands, like a prey stalking in tall grass. A bald man spat the dark saliva from his mouth. His plump fingers curled around the hilt of the sword, yanking it out of the ground as he began to make his way towards Aria.
When he was inches away, he brought the tip of his sword to her neck. The cold steel lightly brushed the tip of her neck, and she had stopped in her tracks. Two of the men roughly grabbed her arms, forcing her to her knees, while the man with the sword clamped his hand around her jaw. With a jerk, he forced her to raise her head. His brown eyes absorbing her every detail, from her eyelashes to her pointed ears.
Her heart dipped to her stomach the moment she spotted his lips curve into a sneering smile. He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her skin had gone cold the moment his fingers grazed her skin softly.
"Well, well, aren't you a pretty thing," the bald bandit said, "aren't you far from home?" He smiled at her once more, revealing his decaying-crooked teeth. Just as he pulled his face closer to her, she spat at him.
His face twisted to anger as he wiped away the spit. Taking hold of her collar, he brought his fist to her face. Blood dripped from her mouth. The man jerked her face to his once more and beat her again. The heavy taste of blood danced along her taste buds.
"Don't think about doing that again, Princess." He threw her back and straightened his body. The two men laughed at his remark, proceeding to drop her to the ground while they returned to their meals.
"What is going on Cyrus?" a shirtless man with blonde hair asked. He had just left a tent and began to make his way down the hill to the bald man. "I paid good money on that harlot. I would like to hear her sweet moans over your pathetic voice. You're making it hard for me to enjoy it." The man took hold of Cyrus' collar and pulled him closer. "You better have a damn good reason for interfering with that mouth of yours."
Aria lifted herself up, her eyes catching the tattoos of the man holding onto Cyrus. The multiple different styles of snakes covered his body. They were all different colors, shapes, and sizes. There was one black snake that covered his entire back.
She froze in place, and her face drained of color and life. With a racing heart, Aria slowly began to move back. Her fingers desperately dug into the dirt, as her breath quickened in pace from the chills that ran down her spine. She wished she would sink into the ground and disappeared from existence.
The man turned his head to Aria. His icy blue eyes made her blood freeze. His lips curved to a wicked grin, and without a thought, he pushed Cyrus away from him. He strolled over to her, each step longer than the last. Each step meeting the pounding of her heart.
