Chapter Text
Scared, hiding under a dead trunk, she listened as her brother’s head was smashed onto the ground. The sound of laughter coming right after would be forever engraved in her brain, a core memory of a ruined childhood. She still can see the blood, hear the crack of the skull and yet it is still … unreal.
They didn’t even go looking for her, didn't they see her? Was she too far? Could she have possibly saved him? Would she be dead as well? Likely.
It took at least an hour for her to start crawling out and to see, to actually see the vile scene they created. His head parted in two, brain matter scattered around in a grotesque arrangement.
Tears dry faster than blood though, and she had to move. Her brother was left behind, with only thirteen she wasn’t capable of bringing him back home to their family. So, the little half-elven girl ran, carrying nothing more than herself through the forest, falling once or twice, scared to make any noise other than her own breathing.
It took two full nights, but she encountered, amidst all the dead ugly burned trees of the Green Fire Forest, She was just as ugly as all the others around, just as broken and reduced to a dark, fragile bark. A circle formed of tiny brownish mushrooms around the tree was the only detail to tell her apart from her dead sisters.
And the girl fell to her knees, touching the burned wood, closing her eyes and whispering a soft and broken please, a second later her hand was holding the cold marble of the fountain, the ground beneath not dirty anymore, but a beautiful mosaic made with colorful pebbles creating dancing dragons breathing vivid fire, the sky as blue as it could be, seven stone portals around the heptagram plaza. If only she wasn’t alone to see it all.
From the fountain, a red and white figure appeared, with an uncanny fish-like appearance, large red and yellow fins running down its head, scaly skin and big black voided eyes. Its cold and wet hands touched hers. The tiny mouth of the creature opened and, as she spoke, small but prominent canines were seen “Marzling,” the strong accent showing, “where is your brother?” The question lingered for what looked like an eternity without answer as the little girl broke down, unable to find words to talk about her now dead brother, tears running down her golden eyes.
A bubble, small as a bee, flew to one of the portals and not long after a dark haired man wearing a long, flowing kaftan in black and white, came from it. His round, tanned face was covered in beautifully symmetric tattoos and a well kept beard, small eyes the color of honey and as sweet as it. He ran to his little girl, his only daughter, holding her tight, caressing the raven hair of hers, they looked so much alike. Still do. Will always do.
“Baba…” her voice trembled, shaking in her father’s arms, holding the fabric of his clothes as if her life depended on it, safe at last, the golden-eyed girl finally found her voice, amidst sobs and tears frantically trying to explain “Baba, they have, have found us, they, I,” his hands cupped her small face shhhh, kissing her forehead. Aziz carried her in his arms, nodding to the fish-like creature before crossing the portal.
That night, all she could hear was her howling mother, like a lone wolf on a moony night, her cries could have woken up the whole village. She was never the same, Bel the Heartbroken, she would be called after.