Aratheon - The Bound Soul Pt. 01

"Eldaerenth Heiris. The weasel face," Zaos says with a laugh.

"That's him. Weasel's face. We're going to have to get another barrel. The weasel knows excellent wine," my uncle says with a smirk.

"That he does. I think he gets it from that human town. What's it called?" Zaos says, scratching his beard.

"Wasn't it... Lagan berries?" Kesefeon asks, running a hand through his auburn hair.

"It's Lagoonbury," I say.

"How do you know?" Kasefeon asks.

"I read it in a book," I say.

"You can read?" Larongar asks, getting a laugh from the rest. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Of course, she can read, my brother used to be a scholar before... Well before it all changed. I'm sure he's still got some books hidden away," my uncle says.

"The Tinkerer was a scholar?" Filarion asks, scratching his head. "I didn't know that."

"You don't know a lot of things, especially how to play dice," Zaos says.

"I know how to play dice just fine, Olaurie just cheats," Filarion says with a glare.

Olaurie only shrugs. "And yet you're the fool who still plays me."

"You don't even deny it," Filarion says with a huff.

"So, did you have luck today, Little Sparrow?" Renna asks as she sharpens her long dagger. She and Valindra are by far the most beautiful elves I've ever seen. Both sisters with dark brown hair. Renna has one side braided while the other side hangs loose. Her eyes are as blue as they can get with a dim glow to them. Valindra shares the same eyes and hair color but keeps her hair short. Both have delicate ivory skin. If they didn't dress like scoundrels with tight bridges, boots that come up to their knees, and dark brown hair, you'd mistake them for nobles or high-born with their smooth, ivory skin, unlike my copper tone. I may have golden hair that most women desire, but my skin is far too dark to get away with being a noble. But I do have vibrantly glowing blue eyes.

That's what most women dream of, having a fair complexion with pure golden hair and glowing blue eyes that show how much magical potential you have. Of course, having potential is far different from being able to afford a permit to practice magic. But some with deep glowing eyes who are as poor as a sewer rat have been lucky enough to find benefactors willing to pay for their training and permit. Of course, that usually comes at an enormous cost with strings attached. Those poor bastards end up as servants for their benefactors. I probably could find one myself with my deep, glowing blue eyes, but I would never accept being a servant for some snobby noble or high-born.

I empty my pockets onto the crate, everything except the coins, the ring on my finger, and that vial. Valindra's eyes light up. "Ooh, I'll give you five silver for that delicate pearl necklace."

"Seven and a couple coppers and you got yourself a deal," I say with a smile.

"You make a hard bargain, but I'll take it," Valindra says as she pulls out her coin and hands the agreed-upon amount.

"You didn't get much," Haerzis says.

"Quality is always better than quantity," Renna says as she eyes my loot. "Nevertheless, that ruby is a little small, but you made out with that pearl bracelet. I wouldn't have paid that much for it.'

"Pffft!" Valindra huffs as she holds up her hand, eyeing the bracelet. "You can't put a price on something so beautiful."

"In that case, I should've asked for more," I say, and that gets a few good laughs.

"Ya think?" Larongar snorts out a laugh. "If someone is willing to accept after your first offer, your offer was too low."

"He's right, I would've paid a crown for this. These pearls are authentic. I can tell. I have an eye for these things," Valindra says with a smirk. "You have no idea the value of authentic pearls. Our city might border the shoreline of the deep Pirate Sea, but few will dive in to get pearls like these. Most creatures down there love to eat elves. And some even go after the creatures big enough to eat us. Nabu only knows what else is down there."

"She really does," Renna sighs. Nabu is the god of wisdom and magic. The ancient god that King Volodor followed when he succeeded from the Wood Elves. Of course, that's long before the Church of the Light moved in with their bizarre religion.

My uncle walks over, picks up the crumpled-up letter, and reads it. "Hmm, this is interesting. We might be able to use this. Looks like some noble lord is bribing the Golden arses."

"Is that so? Maybe we can blackmail them both," Larongar says.

"Might be worth a try," my uncle says with a smile. "We all know nobles always have something to hide. Bloody bastards. You want to know why nobles always stick their noses up?"

Most of us shrug.

"They walk around with sticks up their arses all day," my uncle says as he mimics a noble walking as if he has a stick up his arse with his nose up in the air. I snort out a laugh with everyone else.

The keg gets opened and they all gather for a drink. My uncle turns to me. "Lura, you should get home before your father decides to come after ya. He already blames me for enough things."

"Oh, come on. I still have to sell this ruby," I say. I hold it up and look around. "Any takers?"

My uncle tosses me a gold crown. "That's for the letter, too. Now get home before it gets dark out."

I nod with a smile, tossing him the little ruby as I flip up my new gold crown and pocket it with the rest of the coin. "Later suckers. I'll be back with tomorrow's grab."

They all say their farewells. On my way out, I run into Saevel. He's probably just as young as I am with short brown hair and a smooth ivory baby face, but he's half a head shorter than me. "Hey, Lura!"

I give him a smile that burns his face red. "I just wanted to say hi. Uh... So... Uh... Hi! You look nice. I like the braid."

"Thank you, Saevel. That was nice of you to say. You look... Not as shabby as everyone else." I cringe at my own words. His smile doesn't even dull. He's nice, he really is, it's just. He's not my type. I wish he were. "Well, I have to be off. It was nice seeing you."

"Thanks. You too!" he says with a wave as I turn to leave.

I hear him yelp as Delmuth punches him in the arm. "Smooth."

I snicker on my way up. As I walk into the bar, I flip a silver coin on the bar and say goodbye to Lesvhis, ducking out before she can try to give the coin back.

I head out of the Gallows as Balbys opens the door for me. "Still got your junk?"

"I sold my treasure for a good price," I say with a smile.

He only shrugs and shuts the door in my face, leaving me with a flat stare. The man has no social skills.

I head down the long sewer corridor as I hear someone else walk out of the Gallows. Paying no mind, I follow the passageway back to the Tent City through the maze of corridors and passageways as the footsteps continue to follow behind me. They seem to pick up speed, as do I. My heart races as I turn to look back, not seeing anyone.

I rush through the sewer and trip over my feet as coins scatter everywhere. A curse escapes my mouth as I rush to pick them all up and stuff them back into my pocket.

"My, my, look what we have here," that all too familiar, creepy voice says. I look up to see someone I do not want to meet in a dark sewer like this.

Phraan stands over me with a wicked smile. Half his face hides in darkness, making him look even more sinister. "Hello there, Little Sparrow."

I rush to my feet and run, but his arm wraps around my waist and forces me up against the wall. His breath is as foul as his rotten teeth and drains all the warmth from my face. "Let me go!"

"Oh, why should I do that?" He pins my hands above my head with one hand as the other travels down my stomach, making my skin crawl. "I've had my eye on you for a long time now."

Tears start to fall from my eyes. "Please let me go."

"Oh no, Little Sparrow. I think not. I'm going to teach you a lesson on becoming a woman," he says as his fingers reach my pants. I try to squirm and struggle, but he's too strong.

Suddenly, a shiny blade presses against his throat, and he stiffens. Slowly, he backs away, holding his hands up. "I should slit your throat, you disgusting excuse of a man."

Renna's eyes burn with anger and revulsion. I slide down the wall into a sobbing mess on the floor. "You can't kill me. I have some powerful friends who'll turn you into a whore slave and make your life a living hell." says Phraan.

"You think that'll stop me from gutting you like a fish? I swear to all the gods there are, if I ever see you down here again, I will kill you. And that'll be a mercy because Lethvelion will want to do much worse when he hears what you tried to do," she says, pressing the knife harder against his skin. A trickle of blood drips down.

Phraan takes another step back and Renna lowers her blade just a hair. The disgusting man puts his hand up against his neck. "You'll regret this."

He then turns heel and walks away. Renna doesn't put away her blade until the sound of Phraan's footsteps drifts into nothing. She sheaths her dagger and kneels down beside me and wraps me in her arms. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

I wipe the tears from my eyes and nod. She sits down next to me with her arms around me and we just sit there for a while. After my tears have long dried up, she helps me up and walks with me out of the sewer. As we make it to Tent City, I turn to her and hug her. "Thank you, Renna."

"Of course. You come to me if that bastard ever tries anything again. Okay?" she says as she lifts my face up to hers. I nod.

"Good, now be careful out here. Don't take any unnecessary risks. You know just as well as all of us what they do to thieves they catch," she says, nestling her hand in my hair.

"I know. I'm too good to be caught," I say with a half-hearted smile.

"That arrogance will get you in trouble, Little Sparrow. Gods, you remind me so much of myself," she says as she eyes me wearily. It makes me smile widely. "That's not a good thing. I made so many mistakes. Now go home."

I sigh, but I give her one more hug and head through the rows of tents before I get to my family.

"Where have you been?" my mother asks.

"Please don't tell me you've been spending time with Lethvelion's little gang of thieves," my father says. I don't answer and just plop down on my cot. "You have, haven't you? Lura, I've told you time and time again, that Lethvelion is trouble. He's no good."

"Why do you hate him so much? He's your brother, after all," I ask.

"I don't hate him, I just... I don't approve of his lifestyle. How can I with his chosen line of work?" he asks.

"What would you want him to do? Give up and live like you? A poor, raggedy tinkerer? Life isn't supposed to be this way. We weren't put here to live in tents and beg for our food. Your brother agrees, and he decides to do something about it instead of sticking his head in the sand and pretending all is well!" I snap at him. I might have crossed the line, but it's all true.

However, seeing the hurt in my father's eyes doesn't make me feel good about it. No. It makes me feel pretty awful. My father takes a deep breath. "Is that what you think? That I have given up?"

I nod. He takes a step closer. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but that is far from the truth. Just because I choose to stay on the right side of the law doesn't mean I've given up. I will continue to help as many people as I can, fixing whatever they need because that is what I feel is the right thing to do. Yes, it might not make a big difference. It won't change how things are in this city, but it makes a difference in the lives of those I help, and in return, they help us and others. We can make change in this world if we choose to help others and not hurt them. If we decide to lend them our hand instead of taking what's in their pocket, more people will also help. That is how we make the world a better place, not by thieving."

"But how can you change anything if the system we live in is broken? It doesn't matter what we do, we'll always be poor and segregated from the rest of the city. I admire you for being so kind and good-hearted, but I just don't agree with you. I just can't accept this way of life," I say.

My father's eyes seem to grow tired. "I hope you never have to learn the weight of the consequences of such actions. They will cost you everything, just like they did with my brother and me."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I once walked the same path as Lethvelion..."

"You were a thief, too?" I ask as I feel a surge of anger. "You've been telling me all this time to stay away from him yet you were a thief, too? You're such a hypocrite and a liar! I believed you were always this saint, but the truth is, you're just a quitter."

"Lura, let me finish," he says.

"No! I'm done listening to you," I say as I rush out of the tent. I run through the rows of tents all the way to the wall. I climb up my path of indents, holes, and gaps. Squeeze through the narrow path and then climb up the corner of bricks until I reach a ledge. Lifting myself on top of the ridge, I shimmy over to the overhang that's out of sight from the guards and sit there, watching the sunset over the shoreline of the Shifting Sands desert to the west between the deep blue sea and the tan shifting sand. Why do things have to be so tough? I hate it here. I hate this city. I hate the Council who rules it. I hate people like Phraan who think they can have whatever they want. I wish I could just leave. Run away and find someplace that I can truly call home. Life is just not fair.

This place is not a home, but a hell. I've never felt at home here. I don't belong here, and I feel so incomplete. I don't know why, but I feel as if I'm missing a part of myself somewhere and it can't be found in this shitty city. It's somewhere out there. I can feel it.

I turn to the north and follow the shoreline with my eyes all the way until it's lost from sight.

Chapter: 2

I head back down to the Gallows because I can't go back home. Not after what happened. My father is a hypocrite. I head back to my uncle's hideout. Several of the gang are still there, including Renna, her boyfriend Minpireth, and Valindra, who might be with my uncle, but I'm not quite sure what their relationship is.

Zaos, Olaurae, Larongar, and Haerzis are also there with my uncle. They're all around a table discussing plans of some sort. As soon as they see me, my uncle steps up and walks away from the table over to me. "Kid, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be home."

"I got into a fight with my father. He lied to me. He's a hypocrite on top of that. He tells me not to hang out with you and that what we do here is wrong, but he was your partner. He abandoned you," I say, barely able to hold back tears.

"Oh, Lura. That is far from the truth. There's a lot you don't know. I can't tell you everything. It's not my place. That's your father's place, but him leaving wasn't his fault. Things happened between us, and it cost us both a great deal. Your father especially. He was never the same after. He left and went on to live a more noble life. You can't fault him for that, nor can you fault him for wanting a better life for you. This isn't a life for you. You deserve much better," he says. I know he's right, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. "Now, I promise you this, if I ever see Phraan again, I'll make sure he dies if he touches you a second time."

The door slams open and shut as footsteps rush down the stairs. Delmuth and Saevel rush down. "The Order, they sent guards down to the Gallows. Phraan is with them!"

My uncle puts his hands on my shoulders. "You need to get out of here."

Boom!

The door crashes down the stairs with smoke following. Lots of footsteps rush down the stairs as the room fills with smoke. My head hurts. I reach in my pocket for something to wipe my face with when I grab the vial. Before I realize it, I have it uncapped and on my lips. I drop it after emptying the tangy liquid down my throat.

It's as if the room becomes all shadows. I can see everyone inside it, but I can barely hear them. It's like an echo of a whisper. There's a fight, but it's not much of one, as a spell caster binds my uncle and the gang with magic.

"The girl is down here, I know it. I saw her walking. She's mine," Phraan says. What is he doing with the guard? They haul my uncle up. I run to him and no one stops me. But as I reach him, my hand goes right through him. What in the gods is happening?

Phraan stops the guard with my uncle. "Where is she?"

My uncle spits in his face. "I hope you end up in the ninth level of hell."

Phraan backhands him across the face.

"Phraan! You're not allowed to touch the prisoners," a man with rather lopsided ears and a familiar look.

"Brother, we made a deal," he says.

"We made no such deal," the elf says. I can't tell what he looks like because it's like he's cloaked in shadow. Everything is cloaked in shadow. What is this?

What did I drink? The soldiers bring my uncle and his gang up the stairwell. No! This can't be happening. They can't take my uncle away or his gang. What am I going to do? Tears fall from my eyes as I try to grasp my uncle. I can't even touch him. My hands just go right through him as if he were pure smoke. No! They can't take my uncle. No! I watch helplessly as they haul him and his friends away in chains. The tears fall down my eyes and hit the ground in a puff of smoke. I follow them all the way out to Tent City.

What can I do? This feels like it's my fault. Phraan turned on my uncle because of me. If I would've listened to my father and stayed away, this would've never happened.

I go to the only place I can go, home. As I get home, I find my mother sobbing and my father trying to comfort her. "We'll find her. I promise. We'll get her back. Somehow. Don't worry."

"I'm right here!" I yell, but my words do not reach them. A scream escapes my lips. "I'm right here!"

Neither of them look up at me. My father writes a letter and puts it in an envelope, leaving it on my bed. "Just in case she comes home and we're not here."

"Now let's go find our daughter before she gets hurt," my father says.

"Don't leave. I'm right here," I say as I try to stop them, but they walk right through me.

"Is this the tent?" A man asks outside.

My father hobbles to the entrance to have a look. I can barely make out several of the Council's justices standing outside. My heart goes still as I hear the voice of Phraan. "This is her tent. Remember our deal. I have a lot more information on other gangs, too."

I rush outside, walking straight through the guards gathered. Several other elves have come out of their tents to watch as several guards pull my father and mother out. "We have a warrant for the arrest of the girl named Lura who has been seen stealing and is a known associate of Lethvelion and his outlaw gang."

"She is not here," my father says.

"Check the tent," the main guard says. Two of the guards push past my mother as she walks out of our tent. I can hear them tossing things aside before they come out.

"She's not in here," one of them says.

The elven man giving the orders looks at my parents. "I hereby place you both under arrest for harboring a fugitive. Arrest them."

"Leave them alone!" I scream.

I desperately try to stop them from taking my parents. No matter how hard I try, I can't touch them. I watch helplessly as my parents are dragged away. No! What have I done?

I fall to my knees and cry. The tears won't stop. I ruined everything. I'm so sorry, father. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault.

Chapter: 3

I walk back into my tent, and suddenly the shadows fade away, and everything becomes solid. What happened? How? Did it run out? I touch myself and feel my body. I walk over and touch my father's letter. I can touch it. I can't stay here. Guards are probably on their way to confiscate everything. I'm surprised the neighbors haven't raided our stuff. I grab a bag and start packing up what I can before I dart out of the tent. I don't know what to do. Everyone I know is gone.