Chapter 2 : A Rag Doll

Laitza. Her name is Laitza, Raiya hasn’t heard a more beautiful name in the 19 years of her life, in 19 years of devotion and faith. Laitza, when she was dragged from the main gates of the unnamed castle, remained unconscious for a day. All the people whom she was assigned to thought she was dead but the thumping in her chest told an unlikely story, they thought she will die in a day or two but the gaze in her golden-brown eyes screamed nothing but pain and life. When she woke up, she screamed until her throat went hoarse and she fainted on the bed with the ties on her wrists and ankles. She woke up again after 10 hours and screamed at everyone who tried to walk or as much as breathed in front of her, as if she was subduing the generosity of eating them alive.

Only after a week, she got to confront herself with human civilization and at last she stopped screaming at the sight of a mortal. Laitza was not a girl who cowered and sat in the corner of the room, she was much more than that. Raiya somehow thinks that she is punishing herself for something she faintly remembers. Something which is beyond an acceptance of Raiya and that is why she is not telling her, it has been more than 8 weeks after Laitza has been dragged in this castle but she has been kept in the catacombs, in the underground chambers since then, Raiya cannot imagine that she has been deprived of sunlight and fresh air for two whole months.

She cannot leave her here, even with the gold her parents have left could barely provide her, she has the wits to take Laitza with her, she will make a way for it, maybe Laitza knows a skill or two and who knows she could provide for her own self, but for now, she cannot leave her here. Not after seeing the gold and cower in the same eyes who used to shine with adore a long time ago. Raiya can sense it, the tug of belongingness, she can see the warrior behind those eyes, a warrior who has been maimed, tamed and tortured to vomit the truth out of her, she cannot let her walk through hell again and again, she will take her with them.

Raiya is again inside those catacombs, she has today touched Laitza for the first time and now she is standing up looking at her, her eyes pleading. How can someone be broken to this extent?

“I-I will go with you.” her voice is hoarse, strangled with nerve and anxiety.

“You have to tell me what happened with you.” she is again gazing at her shackles which makes Raiya gaze at those shackles. This doesn’t mean anything, Laitza is not a prisoner, and these are just for her own protection.

“I can’t tell you that, not now at least.” some hope crept up her spine one day maybe she’ll trust her enough to tell her that.

“Okay, we have to get you cleaned up, you look like a rag doll.” with that Raiya started unlocking her shackles with the key in her pocket. Oh lord, she wanted to do this for so long, when her shackles clanked to the stone surface Raiya felt as if her soul had been relieved because taking someone else’s burden of freedom on her shoulders or inside her pocket never gave her a sense of power.

“How did you find me?” Laitza asked innocently.

“I didn’t find you, the guards did. You were on the steps of the castle.”

Raiya walked up to the iron bars which led them inside the chambers and opened it and gestured Laitza to walk out, and she could swear she was trembling. Raiya locked the door behind her and touched the pommel of sword just to make sure it was there. She started walking in the right direction and without a word Laitza continued to follow her lead.

They reached the baths, the great baths actually, but since no one was there at this point of time Raiya told her to get herself clean in the stalls instead of the great pool. She stood outside the stall as if to guard her, and looked up to the stars, as they looked down on her.

After what felt like twenty minutes to Raiya, Laitza walked out in her usual rags but her face looked clean, her body looked clean and features shone in the moonlight.

“Why didn’t you change your clothes?”

“I don’t want to wear someone else’s clothes.”

“How do you know that?” Now she looked up to meet her eyes, despite the cower they shone quite brightly.

“I can smell them.” interesting, Raiya herself wouldn’t wear someone else’s clothes, not in this place specially.

“We didn’t think about that, but I’ll bring you new clothes tomorrow”

“Um…Okay” she said hesitantly

“Now you don’t have to go back to the chambers, you can sleep in my room.” Laitza relieved a breath.

“Thank you.” and they began walking again, while Raiya was hoping if she could snuck some extra food from the kitchens for her.

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