Her empty, soulless eyes watched as the massacre unfolded before her. How long had it been since it all started? She could no longer tell the passage of time...

Annie, her friend, had decided to split up from the group to go and get her family. Since she was fleeing the Earldom, she didn’t want to leave her loved ones behind. Worrying about her friend traveling alone, she had offered herself to accompany her. Yet, only a short two hours after they had set off... The baron’s men found them and took them captive.

‘It doesn’t hurt.’

She told herself, as they beat and violated her body.

‘I don’t feel anything.’

She forced herself, out of sheer will, to be elsewhere. Though her body remained there, enduring all kinds of abuse, her mind alone would be left untouched.

‘I am not here.’

She clung to that notion, isolating her consciousness deep withing the confines of her own mind.

‘They cannot hurt me, because I am not here.’

And so she endured. Every humiliation, every depraved desire, every act of unspeakable cruelty they threw upon her.

‘It doesn’t hurt.’

‘It doesn’t hurt.’

‘It doesn’t hurt.’

They wouldn’t stop, no matter how much time passed. Once one grew tired, another would take his place and her torment would begin anew.

‘It doesn’t hurt...’

She was not fed, nor allowed any breaks. They were cruel and took pleasure in debasing her, going as far as forcing her to drink their bodily fluids in order to sate her thirst.

‘It doesn’t...’

Her body laid battered and crumbling, yet they would still not cease their acts of aggression. Like maddened beasts they feasted upon her flesh, devouring all of that which made her whole.

‘It doesn’t hurt, but...’

‘I’m scared...’

The men started shouting, not at her but at someone else. They ran around confused, weapons in hand. It seems like some sort of battle was taking place somewhere nearby. And thanks to that, for the first time since they had captured her, she was allowed some time to rest.

It was dark, night had already fallen. She felt weak and helpless, her body so bruised and tired that she could barely even move. Annie was near her, laying on a dirty mattress in the corner of the room. She seemed worse for wear, her mind completely broken. The shock of watching her entirely family get murdered had taken it’s toll. She tried to reach for her, crawling over the cold wooden floor of the shack in which they were being kept.

It was by chance that her eyes wandered over the door that the men had left open. It was just by chance that she saw him, as he slaughtered her tormentors.

A very tall man, clad in darkened steel armor lined with gray fur. He tore through the baron’s men as if they were nothing, his face never showing any kind of emotion. Cold, uncaring eyes that seemed completely devoid of feelings. Looking down upon his enemies as if they were mere bugs, to be squashed under his boots.

She smiled. It was a twisted kind of smile, meekly shown through her bruised lips. She wondered how must it feel for them, for those men who had abused her so much, for those men who thought themselves so powerful and domineering that they dared claim her body as their own—

How must it feel for them right now?

For those pathetic men who though themselves so strong, to be met with real strength.

For those who thought themselves so cruel, to be met with real cruelty.

How must it feel for them, who used fear as a weapon to subjugate others, to be met with the terror that man had brought upon them.

She laid by Annie’s side on the mattress, embracing her from behind. Though her body was cold, it seemed like she was still breathing. They were alive, the both of them. In spite of everything they went through, they were still alive.

And so her eyelids grew heavy, as her exhausted body fell into a much needed sleep.

##

It was almost noon by the time she woke up. Annie was sitting in a corner of the shack, she looked absolutely crestfallen. Her eyes, completely devoid of any light they once had, just kept staring at an empty space.

Though they both had suffered the same kinds of abuses in the hands of the baron’s men, Annie had to watch as her husband and other family members were slowly tortured and murdered for their enjoyment. Leila could not even begin to imagine just how much that event had affected her friend’s mental health. It wouldn’t be strange even if she never recovered from this, and remained the rest of her life a broken, grieving widow.

She too had endured humiliation far beyond what any woman should ever have to, yet, upon thinking of just how much more Annie must be suffering, there is no way she could allow herself to be weak. Not right now, when her friend needs her.

She sat up and looked around the shack, it seems like they were safe. There was no more sound of battle, and even the rain had finally stopped. The only thing she could hear was the sound of wood crackling and popping in the fire of a small clay stove.

Her hair stood on end, as a shiver traveled down her spine. They were not alone. That man who had slaughtered the baron’s soldiers last night was there, cooking something in a cast iron pot.

He didn’t seem to mind them, even though they were still fully naked. In fact, he didn’t so much as take a single glance towards them.

After a few minutes he grabbed a wooden bowl and filled it with whatever was boiling inside the pot, then turned around and walked in their direction.

“Eat.” The man told her, or rather, commanded her, in a very strict tone. Handing her the bowl filled with what seemed to be a meat and vegetables stew.

She took it, silently. There was no spoon though. How was she supposed to eat it? Too afraid to ask she ended up deciding to just try and drink the broth.

He had saved them, but he was still scary. A violent man that killed people as if it was nothing out of the ordinary to him, something he was used to do on a daily basis.

“Thank you...” She muttered. The man then proceeded to grab another wooden bow and fill it with stew, this time he gave it to Annie. The girl received the bowl but didn’t try to eat or drink it’s contents, she just kept blankly staring it.

The man sat in the middle of the shack, arms crossed, staring at them. It was a bit uncomfortable, since they were still naked. But it was not like his eyes carried lust nor any other kind of interest towards their bodies, if anything, his eyes were cold and full of contempt. It was way more scary than it was embarrassing. How can one have such cruel eyes? Though they had a pretty emerald green color, their stare was so threatening that she could never bring herself to find any beauty in them.

The silence that lingered felt unnerving, so Leila decided to try and break the ice by introducing herself. Who knows, he might not be a bad person, right? He’s even feeding them…

“Uhm… I-I’m Lei—“ She tried to introduce herself.

“I don’t care who you are.” But he cut her off before she could finish saying her name. By the gods, how can even his voice be so damn threatening. It gave her the shivers.

“M-Might I ask… Why you saved us?” Leila probed, forcing a trembling smile on her face.

“I need a guide.” The man answered, looking her over from top to bottom. She could swear she felt her hairs stand on end following the trail of his gaze.

Leila had assumed he was not a local, given his stature and the kind of armor he wore. She was the daughter of a hunter, so she knew how to observe little details like those. The tone of his pale skin showed that he came from a place were the sun doesn’t shine as often, the fur lining of his armor pointed towards that place being really cold. She couldn’t tell what kind of steel his armor was made of, but it certainly did look foreign.

“A guide, you say?” Leila mused.

In response the man reached for a pouch that hung from his belt, pulling a piece of paper from inside of it. “Have you seen this before?” He asked, pointing towards a drawing on the paper. It was a family crest, and a familiar one at that. A shield and crossed jousting lances, the crest of house de Lance.

“Yes… That is the crest of Viscount de Lance.” Leila replied. It was something she had seen many times before.

“Take me to him.” He requested, or more precisely, demanded. Leila felt this was not something she would be able to refuse.

“S-Sure, but… I need some clothes fir—“ She was about to say she would need some clothes, since, you know, she was naked. But got cut off once more.

“We’re leaving in five minutes.”

Yup, if she did not go ahead and grab some clothes real fast he would surely drag her around naked. She was certain of it.

Luckily for her, there were a lot of village houses around. Houses where people lived until just very recently. So getting a few sets of clothes didn’t prove to be that much of a challenge as she had initially imagined.

Leila got herself a light woolen tunic, a triple wrap leather belt and a pair of leather boots. For Annie she got a hemp dress and a pair of strip sandals. She saw a short bow she wanted to grab, but decided it was best not to. She couldn’t say for sure what that man would do if she showed up with a weapon. And from what she had seen last night, she knew there was absolutely no way in hell she would be able to fight him.

When both girls came out after getting dressed, the man was waiting for them on top of a horse. Leila didn’t know much about horses, but that one looked nothing like the ones she usually saw. It was taller and more muscular, it’s body thicker. It’s mane was fluffier and longer, and it also had a lot of fur on it’s lower legs. A breed more suited to colder climates, perhaps? In any case, the only thing she could tell for sure is that it was dappled black and white.

“Uhm… We’re ready.” Leila said, wondering if he expected them to walk behind him while he rode the horse or something along these lines.

“Then get up, we don’t have all day.” He ordered, as always, in a cold and threatening tone.

Leila looked at the horse, then looked at Annie. There’s no way that she would be able to climb on top of that.

“Though I can get up by myself, what about her—“

He stretched one of his hands towards Annie, but she didn’t respond and just kept staring at empty air. After waiting for like three or four seconds, he just went and grabbed her by the collar. She whimpered, but ended up just accepting her fate. Noticing that, Leila took the opportunity to jump on top of the horse as well. Leila sat behind the man, with Annie sitting behind her. She chose that positioning for Annie to grab onto her if she needed, else she would be too shy to grab an unknown man.

“Hey, could you at least tell us your name?” Leila asked, half expecting to just be ignored.

“Steinar Ashwall.” Yet he answered.

She was surprised by getting that answer out of him, and also by how strange his name was. It did not sound like any name from the Western Kingdoms… But Ashwall? That sounded weirdly familiar. Wasn’t that the name of the family that cared for Lady Taylor when she was younger? Or was it just a coincidence?

“Could it be that—“

“Shut up.” He cut her off, just like expected.

“Wait—“

“Shut up.”

“At least—“

“No.”

“Tell me why we’re going to house de Lance!” Leila practically shouted, her face red like a tomato.

“Retribution.” So he declared, as his legs gave a slight bump to the horse’s sides.

Though Leila was still a little afraid of him, at the very least it did not seem like he meant them harm. Maybe he would even keep them safe? For now, following him would be the best choice. Annie needed time to heal, and she herself had been deeply scarred by the events that took place last night. It might have been on a subconscious level, but Leila felt like depending on someone strong right now.

And just by chance, that man happened to be there when she most needed.

End of Chapter 3: Just by Chance.