Post by Angel Mau on Jun 24, 2016 19:54:57 GMT
Angel and Belle would still be out on the training course. The sun was still out but it would be fading soon. Which meant it was almost time to spar.
He didn't like sparring with his cousin, she was really fast and strong and could always beat him. No matter what handicap she gave him for that particular lesson. Though she was always kind enough not to turn him into a complete and total bloody pulp like most of the others.
Angel and his cousin had both just finished the obstacle course, she beat him obviously, then they ran to get some water and cool off. The Egyptian heat was sweltering and they needed to drink every chance they had, since they had no guarantees on the next time they would be offered some. Just yet another part of the crazy training they had here. Belle smiled at him as they laughed together while she teased him about winning again. The sun had just gone down and they had just finished their second cup of water when the sound of a whistle was blown which made the instinctively turn around and stand at attention.
"Alright time for your sparring match, you two ready?"
Asked a man in a gravely voice. It wasn't the voice of their usual trainer who was usually kind and careful with the two. The darkness that surrounded the figure made it almost impossible to tell who it was, but that voice was unforgettable. It was his father.
"Yes sir!"
They both said in unison. He was the head of the Clan, if he was here...
"Follow."
Was all he said as he turned around and walked to the sparring arena. The two would follow him in silence. Something felt off. Angel might have only been 6 and Belle 10 but they both knew something bad was about to happen.
As they arrived at the arena Angel's father stopped at the edge of the ring then motioned with his arm for the other two to go inside the ring.
"Today I will be your supervisor. You have 5 minutes to get ready."
Belle would walk in and begin stretching preparing herself for the fight, she didn't need to but she knew it would crush young Angels spirit if she beat him with minimal effort. Angel however would stop and look to his father.
"Uhm, where is our other instructor dad?"
His father slowly turned to look at Angel with a glare. Angel cowered and took a few steps back. Then hung his head.
"What happened to our last instructor, Mafarat, sir?"
"Better."
Mafarat resumed staring at the arena.
"He was permanently reassigned. We've heard rumors that he was too soft. So we he was removed from duty. Now you have 2 minutes to get ready. Your cousin is almost done with her stretches."
"Yes sir."
Angel would say as he too would begin stretching. Permanently reassigned was code for 'we killed him for failing his task.' Angel was far too young to know that. Though as Angel was in mid stretch he also got lost in his thoughts he barely noticed when the whistle was blown.
"Begin!"
He would say loudly. Belle was up and rushed at Angel, who was trying to untangle himself to prepare to defend. Belle realizing this 'accidentally tripped' giving Angel enough time to get up. Once he was up and ready Belle was on her feet. She danced around him for the entire match and even let Angel get a few blows in, which she shrugged off. Truth be told he was probably only doing so well because she was putting on a show to make him look good in front of his father.
Unfortunately Mafarat saw this all to clearly. So when the match was over, with Belle the obvious victor. The kids bowed to each other to signify that the fight was over, just like their other instructor had taught them. Then they turn to Mafarat to get their after fight assessment.
Mafarat just stood there staring at them. After a few moments he raised an eyebrow.
"Is that all? Are you two finished?"
The kids looked to each other then back to Mafarat confused.
"Yes sir?"
Belle responded.
"I won. Fair and square."
She wondered if he was trying to take her win away, thinking Angel was more deserving since he was direct blood. She was wrong.
"You won by beyond fair means. You were taking it easy on your cousin. That's foolish. You don't win a fight by being nice to your opponent."
Belle was shocked then glared at Mafarat.
"I know how to fight, I'm the best fighter here, no one can beat me. There's no way Angel would ever be able to beat me even if I took it easy on him!"
As soon as the words left her mouth she shut her jaw tight with a loud snap and turned to look at Angel who hung his head down in defeat. She had upset her cousin and hated herself for it.
"You think I don't realize this?"
Mafarat said.
"I'm telling you that if you're going to win, then do so completely. My son-"
He said as if he were disgusted by the word.
"Will never get better if you don't give him the right incentive. We don't just train you to knock your opponent down we also teach you to keep kicking them, get an absolute win. Teach him to either give up or try harder."
Confused she looked at Angel, who looked as though he had just been stabbed in the heart thirty times. Which tore her up even more.
"I don't understand. I won, he lost this isn't unusual and he tries harder every day hoping to beat me. I don't see how beating him harder would make him train harder."
Mafarat raised an eyebrow, and begain to walk towards Angel.
"Here, let me show you."
Angel looked up scared and confused, then before either Angel or Belle could even say a word.
*Pluck*
*Screams*
Angel was on the ground screaming, crying, and yelling... With blood pouring out from the socket his eye used to be in. Belle froze as she watched in horror as Mafarat stood, towering above Angel with one bloody hand holding onto Angels eye. Mafarat then turned and walked over to Belle she tensed but couldn't move. She was so frightened she didn't know what to do. Mafarat reached out slowly and Belle squeezed her eyes shut not wanting to see what he was about to do to her.
A moment passed and she realized she was holding something. Something wet and gooy and... Her eyes flung open and she stared at her hand only to see Angels eye staring back at her. She felt sick she almost dropped the eye but Mafarat caught her arm and forced her to gently hold they eye as she proceeded to puke her guts out. When she finally finished she had nothing left in her, she had been puking bile for the last bit of it. Mafarat picked her up back to a standing position.
Then he looked into Belles eyes and in a compelling voice.
"You will hold onto this till the day you die or until Angel beats you in one on one combat. Understood?"
Belle unwillingly nodded. She didn't know why but she couldn't refuse.
"Good."
Then he turned to Angel and glared.
"Get yourself to an infirmary before you bleed out."
But his words meant nothing Angel had passed out from pain and blood loss. Mafarat sneered and shook his head.
"This... creature, is no son of mine."
Mafarat spat in the pool of Angels blood. Then turned back to Belle.
"Take your cousin to the infirmary to get him patched up, also have them do something to preserve that eye. You don't want that rotting on you while you wait for this trash to learn how to fight."
With that Mafarat turned around and disappeared into the shadows.
Angel would wake up in his bed with a bad headache and a bandage over his eye. At first he was confused what happened to his- then it all came rushing back to him. His father chastising his cousin then a quick hand movement, sudden pain, then finally darkness. With his memory flooding back he started to hyperventilate and freak out when he heard humming. A soothing sounds. He turned to see his mother in his room she was humming the lullaby she sang to him when he was younger. She was doing something... Making a wet rag? Then she turned around and with tears in her eyes she looked at boy.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry..."
She would say as she put the cool rag on Angels forehead. He was feverish and she was trying to help him fight it. All that brute at the infirmary did was stop the bleeding and put a patch over his eyesocket. According to Belle if he couldn't fight the fever or any infections then he derserved to die.
Dika hated it here. Her family had pawned her off to this clan as a favor. Since she had been here it had been rough, and brutal. At least the man she was forced to marry was now the head of the Clan so no one treated her with disrespect but her child... Poor Angel. He was a sweet boy.
"Mommy?"
Angel asked in a quivering voice reaching for her. She forced a smile on her face even as tears fell from her face.
"Shhh. It's ok baby. Mommy's got you."
She leaned down and gave Angel a light hug and held him as though were as fragile as the finest China. Angel whimpered into chest.
"He- he hurt me really bad... I-I tried really hard mommy, but I'm not strong enough."
"Hush now my love."
She said in a quiet soothing voice.
"You are very strong. You just don't realize it yet, but one day you will see. You'll be even stronger than Mafarat. Then you can punish him for all the bad things he's done to you."
Angel clung to her tighter. She rubbed his back and started singing Angels lullaby. As her song came to an end Angel was sound asleep. Carefully, Dika set the boy down so that he could rest. After almost an hour she finally resigned to let him sleep, and she would leave the room.
Angel would wake up to the sound of a loud crashing sound then he would hear it. The yelling. His mother and father were fighting. She was yelling at Mafarat though Angel couldn't hear her words he knew it was bad. He listened to her yelling until there was sudden silence. Almost as if she had been cut off but he didn't hear Mafarat say anything. He listened carefully trying to focus all of his hearing onto what was happening downstairs he heard a faint sound... What is that... He continued to listen but what he heard didn't make sense was that... Dragging? Then the front door opened and was slammed shut. Angel desperately wanted to know what was happening. But he knew if he went downstairs he would get in trouble...
Suddenly there was noise outside his window, shocked he turned rapidly to see Belle. She had climbed up to his room. This wasn't the first time she had done so. But still Angel was worried because if Mafarat found her outside past curfew... There's no telling what he would do, hell Angel had his eye ripped out cause he lost a fight.
"Belle? What are you-"
Before he could finish Belle had finished climbing into his room and silently ran to Angel and wrapped her arms around him and was sobbing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
She repeated over and over again holding him tightly. Angel wasn't mad at her... Why would she think he would be.
"Shhhh, it's ok Belle. Here."
Angel scooted over a little bit then had her lie down next to him. She clung to him still crying. Angel petted her hair and tried to comfort her but nothing worked...
Then he remembered the lullaby his mom sang to him. With a sudden decision he looked on the table beside him and his mother's flute was sitting there. He had heard her play it a lot but he himself had never played the instrument. But he was determined to make his cousin feel better. Picking up the flute he played a few not getting a better understanding of it then he turned to Belle and letter her hair one last time.
Putting the flute to his mouth he recalled the sound of his mothers voice and the pitch she used when humming him his lullaby. He closed his eye and begain to play the music was soft but beautiful Belle stopped crying and looked at Angel with tears still in her eyes. She had never heard such beautiful music before.
Angel played the flute repeating his lullaby for almost an hour, Belle was fast asleep next to him.
"Everything is going to be ok, Belle. I promise."
At his voice she nuzzled into his side.
"I love you Belle."
Then came a sleepy filled voice.
"I love you too Angel."
He sat there continuing to pet her hair while she slept. He looked up at the moon outside as a single tear fell from his eye.
He wished with all his heart that he and his cousin would escape this place some day...
He didn't like sparring with his cousin, she was really fast and strong and could always beat him. No matter what handicap she gave him for that particular lesson. Though she was always kind enough not to turn him into a complete and total bloody pulp like most of the others.
Angel and his cousin had both just finished the obstacle course, she beat him obviously, then they ran to get some water and cool off. The Egyptian heat was sweltering and they needed to drink every chance they had, since they had no guarantees on the next time they would be offered some. Just yet another part of the crazy training they had here. Belle smiled at him as they laughed together while she teased him about winning again. The sun had just gone down and they had just finished their second cup of water when the sound of a whistle was blown which made the instinctively turn around and stand at attention.
"Alright time for your sparring match, you two ready?"
Asked a man in a gravely voice. It wasn't the voice of their usual trainer who was usually kind and careful with the two. The darkness that surrounded the figure made it almost impossible to tell who it was, but that voice was unforgettable. It was his father.
"Yes sir!"
They both said in unison. He was the head of the Clan, if he was here...
"Follow."
Was all he said as he turned around and walked to the sparring arena. The two would follow him in silence. Something felt off. Angel might have only been 6 and Belle 10 but they both knew something bad was about to happen.
As they arrived at the arena Angel's father stopped at the edge of the ring then motioned with his arm for the other two to go inside the ring.
"Today I will be your supervisor. You have 5 minutes to get ready."
Belle would walk in and begin stretching preparing herself for the fight, she didn't need to but she knew it would crush young Angels spirit if she beat him with minimal effort. Angel however would stop and look to his father.
"Uhm, where is our other instructor dad?"
His father slowly turned to look at Angel with a glare. Angel cowered and took a few steps back. Then hung his head.
"What happened to our last instructor, Mafarat, sir?"
"Better."
Mafarat resumed staring at the arena.
"He was permanently reassigned. We've heard rumors that he was too soft. So we he was removed from duty. Now you have 2 minutes to get ready. Your cousin is almost done with her stretches."
"Yes sir."
Angel would say as he too would begin stretching. Permanently reassigned was code for 'we killed him for failing his task.' Angel was far too young to know that. Though as Angel was in mid stretch he also got lost in his thoughts he barely noticed when the whistle was blown.
"Begin!"
He would say loudly. Belle was up and rushed at Angel, who was trying to untangle himself to prepare to defend. Belle realizing this 'accidentally tripped' giving Angel enough time to get up. Once he was up and ready Belle was on her feet. She danced around him for the entire match and even let Angel get a few blows in, which she shrugged off. Truth be told he was probably only doing so well because she was putting on a show to make him look good in front of his father.
Unfortunately Mafarat saw this all to clearly. So when the match was over, with Belle the obvious victor. The kids bowed to each other to signify that the fight was over, just like their other instructor had taught them. Then they turn to Mafarat to get their after fight assessment.
Mafarat just stood there staring at them. After a few moments he raised an eyebrow.
"Is that all? Are you two finished?"
The kids looked to each other then back to Mafarat confused.
"Yes sir?"
Belle responded.
"I won. Fair and square."
She wondered if he was trying to take her win away, thinking Angel was more deserving since he was direct blood. She was wrong.
"You won by beyond fair means. You were taking it easy on your cousin. That's foolish. You don't win a fight by being nice to your opponent."
Belle was shocked then glared at Mafarat.
"I know how to fight, I'm the best fighter here, no one can beat me. There's no way Angel would ever be able to beat me even if I took it easy on him!"
As soon as the words left her mouth she shut her jaw tight with a loud snap and turned to look at Angel who hung his head down in defeat. She had upset her cousin and hated herself for it.
"You think I don't realize this?"
Mafarat said.
"I'm telling you that if you're going to win, then do so completely. My son-"
He said as if he were disgusted by the word.
"Will never get better if you don't give him the right incentive. We don't just train you to knock your opponent down we also teach you to keep kicking them, get an absolute win. Teach him to either give up or try harder."
Confused she looked at Angel, who looked as though he had just been stabbed in the heart thirty times. Which tore her up even more.
"I don't understand. I won, he lost this isn't unusual and he tries harder every day hoping to beat me. I don't see how beating him harder would make him train harder."
Mafarat raised an eyebrow, and begain to walk towards Angel.
"Here, let me show you."
Angel looked up scared and confused, then before either Angel or Belle could even say a word.
*Pluck*
*Screams*
Angel was on the ground screaming, crying, and yelling... With blood pouring out from the socket his eye used to be in. Belle froze as she watched in horror as Mafarat stood, towering above Angel with one bloody hand holding onto Angels eye. Mafarat then turned and walked over to Belle she tensed but couldn't move. She was so frightened she didn't know what to do. Mafarat reached out slowly and Belle squeezed her eyes shut not wanting to see what he was about to do to her.
A moment passed and she realized she was holding something. Something wet and gooy and... Her eyes flung open and she stared at her hand only to see Angels eye staring back at her. She felt sick she almost dropped the eye but Mafarat caught her arm and forced her to gently hold they eye as she proceeded to puke her guts out. When she finally finished she had nothing left in her, she had been puking bile for the last bit of it. Mafarat picked her up back to a standing position.
Then he looked into Belles eyes and in a compelling voice.
"You will hold onto this till the day you die or until Angel beats you in one on one combat. Understood?"
Belle unwillingly nodded. She didn't know why but she couldn't refuse.
"Good."
Then he turned to Angel and glared.
"Get yourself to an infirmary before you bleed out."
But his words meant nothing Angel had passed out from pain and blood loss. Mafarat sneered and shook his head.
"This... creature, is no son of mine."
Mafarat spat in the pool of Angels blood. Then turned back to Belle.
"Take your cousin to the infirmary to get him patched up, also have them do something to preserve that eye. You don't want that rotting on you while you wait for this trash to learn how to fight."
With that Mafarat turned around and disappeared into the shadows.
Angel would wake up in his bed with a bad headache and a bandage over his eye. At first he was confused what happened to his- then it all came rushing back to him. His father chastising his cousin then a quick hand movement, sudden pain, then finally darkness. With his memory flooding back he started to hyperventilate and freak out when he heard humming. A soothing sounds. He turned to see his mother in his room she was humming the lullaby she sang to him when he was younger. She was doing something... Making a wet rag? Then she turned around and with tears in her eyes she looked at boy.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry..."
She would say as she put the cool rag on Angels forehead. He was feverish and she was trying to help him fight it. All that brute at the infirmary did was stop the bleeding and put a patch over his eyesocket. According to Belle if he couldn't fight the fever or any infections then he derserved to die.
Dika hated it here. Her family had pawned her off to this clan as a favor. Since she had been here it had been rough, and brutal. At least the man she was forced to marry was now the head of the Clan so no one treated her with disrespect but her child... Poor Angel. He was a sweet boy.
"Mommy?"
Angel asked in a quivering voice reaching for her. She forced a smile on her face even as tears fell from her face.
"Shhh. It's ok baby. Mommy's got you."
She leaned down and gave Angel a light hug and held him as though were as fragile as the finest China. Angel whimpered into chest.
"He- he hurt me really bad... I-I tried really hard mommy, but I'm not strong enough."
"Hush now my love."
She said in a quiet soothing voice.
"You are very strong. You just don't realize it yet, but one day you will see. You'll be even stronger than Mafarat. Then you can punish him for all the bad things he's done to you."
Angel clung to her tighter. She rubbed his back and started singing Angels lullaby. As her song came to an end Angel was sound asleep. Carefully, Dika set the boy down so that he could rest. After almost an hour she finally resigned to let him sleep, and she would leave the room.
Angel would wake up to the sound of a loud crashing sound then he would hear it. The yelling. His mother and father were fighting. She was yelling at Mafarat though Angel couldn't hear her words he knew it was bad. He listened to her yelling until there was sudden silence. Almost as if she had been cut off but he didn't hear Mafarat say anything. He listened carefully trying to focus all of his hearing onto what was happening downstairs he heard a faint sound... What is that... He continued to listen but what he heard didn't make sense was that... Dragging? Then the front door opened and was slammed shut. Angel desperately wanted to know what was happening. But he knew if he went downstairs he would get in trouble...
Suddenly there was noise outside his window, shocked he turned rapidly to see Belle. She had climbed up to his room. This wasn't the first time she had done so. But still Angel was worried because if Mafarat found her outside past curfew... There's no telling what he would do, hell Angel had his eye ripped out cause he lost a fight.
"Belle? What are you-"
Before he could finish Belle had finished climbing into his room and silently ran to Angel and wrapped her arms around him and was sobbing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
She repeated over and over again holding him tightly. Angel wasn't mad at her... Why would she think he would be.
"Shhhh, it's ok Belle. Here."
Angel scooted over a little bit then had her lie down next to him. She clung to him still crying. Angel petted her hair and tried to comfort her but nothing worked...
Then he remembered the lullaby his mom sang to him. With a sudden decision he looked on the table beside him and his mother's flute was sitting there. He had heard her play it a lot but he himself had never played the instrument. But he was determined to make his cousin feel better. Picking up the flute he played a few not getting a better understanding of it then he turned to Belle and letter her hair one last time.
Putting the flute to his mouth he recalled the sound of his mothers voice and the pitch she used when humming him his lullaby. He closed his eye and begain to play the music was soft but beautiful Belle stopped crying and looked at Angel with tears still in her eyes. She had never heard such beautiful music before.
Angel played the flute repeating his lullaby for almost an hour, Belle was fast asleep next to him.
"Everything is going to be ok, Belle. I promise."
At his voice she nuzzled into his side.
"I love you Belle."
Then came a sleepy filled voice.
"I love you too Angel."
He sat there continuing to pet her hair while she slept. He looked up at the moon outside as a single tear fell from his eye.
He wished with all his heart that he and his cousin would escape this place some day...
