To Know Your Captors

I awoke from a dreamless sleep sometime later to a familiar sight. Seated once more at the side of my bed was the girl from before, with no presence. She smiled at me, and spoke aloud in a language I now understood.

"Glad to hear you learned quickly." It was strange, her voice was almost calming to me. I refocused my thoughts and responded in kind. "Thank you. I know it's odd for me to say that, but thank you."

She turned her head to the side and stuck out her tongue at me, her hair swaying over her eyes as she did.

"I didn't do anything, Grine did all the work."

I knew she was being modest, she saw me shaking, she saw me crying, she set it all up for me. She didn't have to do anything for me, but did so regardless. It was a type of kindness I admittedly was unfamiliar with.

She bent down and pulled a bundle down from under her chair.

"I got some robes for you to wear, sorry to tell you but we don't really accept shameless exhibitionism here."

My cheeks burned red as I tried to stutter out a response.

She laughed at me, but for some reason I didn't feel the pull in my brain I always felt when I got laughed at. I wasn't angry or upset, sure, I was embarrassed, but her smile seemed to be genuine, and I couldn't find the will to be upset over it.

"My name is Vita. You are currently in the Dryad capital of Ronia at our base of operations. I have questions you will need to answer now that we can communicate properly. First off, I'd like you to tell me your full name."

It was weird. I felt no fear talking with her, it was almost like talking to an old friend.

"Ryne. Ryne Weston."

"Ok Ryne, tell me, how did you find yourself, a human, all alone in the middle of our sacred land?"

I couldn't tell her the truth, could I? I sighed internally and decided I had no other choice but to lie.

"I- I don't remember, all I know is I woke up in the middle of a field with nothing but the skin on my back. I don't know where I was before that, or how I got there."

Vita's eyes narrowed and she paused for a moment, looking over my head. She must've decided I was being honest, or at least that I wasn't a threat, because the next thing she did was lean close to me and cut the tie from my wrist. She then stood up and offered her hand to me.

I got up myself and kept my hands at my sides, my fingers twitched ever so slightly at the prospect of her hands on my own.

She sighed then spoke, "follow me than Ryne Weston. There is still much more we must ask you."

Vita led me out of my room into a narrow hallway that turned into a massive dark corridor. I balked as Vita snapped her fingers and the walls lit up with a powder blue hue. Red vines crept along the left and right sides of the floor until they met at a rose laden throne in the middle of the room. I marveled at the sight, my eyes refusing to believe what I had witnessed. Vita was unfazed by my skeptical face, as she walked forward, turned, and sat on the throne. I began to attempt to speak but was abruptly stopped by Vita raising her hand at me. She turned to her right and again snapped her fingers, this time seemingly causing a huge flower to sprout from the floor, it grew at least six feet tall before blooming and sagging down to the floor. Another girl wearing a thick white hooded robe entered the room from behind me, her face was covered but her hair seemed to be so long that golden strands spilled out past the sides of her hood. She sat to Vita's right upon the pistil of the large flower. Vita then turned to her left, scoffed, and beckoned to someone outside of the room. Another girl appeared from behind me, this one I recognized as she spoke to me in the forest when I first met Grine. This time she wore a crimson colored dress with roses embroidered throughout the hem. Her dress was cut low in the front, leaving very little to the imagination. The girl stopped as she approached where I was standing and brought her face mere inches from mine, as she stood up on her tiptoes. I instantly began to sweat from how close she was, and I subconsciously made a fist, digging my fingernails into my palm. I darted my eyes every which way, doing my best not to look at her chest as she displayed herself to me. She got even closer, so close that I could feel her breath on my face, the faint scent of lavender overwhelmed my senses. I dug my nails into my palm deeper, inadvertently breaking the skin. Almost as soon as I began to lose it, my body shaking like a leaf, she backed away; turning and walking towards Vita. She bent forward and whispered something in Vita's ear, then sat on the floor to Vita's left, flower petals surrounding the surface of where she rested. My violent trembling continued, my mind quickly overtaking my attention from the rest of the room.

'You saw her chest, didn't you? What did you think, staring at her privacy like that? Did you feel good? Did you feel proud? You're no better than Uncle John, are you Ryne? You're the worst kind of victim. You're a hypocrite. You're disgusting. What do you think she whispered to Vita? Perhaps she was talking about how awful your lustful gaze was? Perhaps she suggested your eyes be pulled from their sockets? Did you think Vita cared about you? Ridiculous. Even if she did, there's no way she still could after how you assaulted her friend with your eyes. What a filthy pig you are. Such a joke. They'll strangle you with those vines. They'll watch as the irises of your lustful eyes roll up into your skull. They'll laugh as you're strangled to death. Count on it.'

The girl in the hooded robe got to her feet and walked towards me. My panic attack grew stronger, as my mind ran through all the terrible outcomes of her approaching me. As she walked towards me, oddly familiar dark green waves spread out from underneath her at every step. As she reached where I was standing she spread her arms out and embraced me in a tight hug. I thought I would go ballistic, expecting the usual reaction from my body, but instead I found myself wrapping my own arms around her slim form. I didn't know this girl, I'd never even seen her before now, but I can't remember feeling more at home in someone's arms. Her height, the way her arms barely could reach all the way around my body, the way her chest slowly rose and fell as it pressed against my own, it was all too familiar of a feeling. One that seemingly picked at my nostalgia, bringing about memories of my mother holding me, or laughing at one of my fathers dumb jokes. A few stray tears leaked out of my eyes and trickled down my face. The girl removed herself from my embrace but still stood in front of me. She reached both hands up and removed her hood, her long strands of gold flowing free as she did. She looked up at me with piercing blue eyes, her porcelain features almost had me believing a goddess descended from above just to stand in my unworthy presence. She slowly reached out once more and wiped the tears from my cheeks. She smiled the purest smile at me and spoke to me in a soft voice.

"We all get scared sometimes, Ryne. Though, there's no reason to be with us. We won't hurt you, just as we know you won't hurt us. You don't have to trust us yet, but know that we trust you enough to let you free of your bonds. You are welcome here with us, if you wish to be."

I had so many questions already, countless questions; the numbers grew by the second. Through all of them, I found myself with just one I could ask at that moment.

"What's your name?"

The girl laughed, a sound that brought about feelings only comparable to those of wind chimes and church bells.

"My name's Amare."

Chills ran across my flesh. I couldn't trust them, they're right, but, maybe in time. Vita cleared her throat in an attempt to reign the attention back to her. She beckoned her finger forward and a small sunflower appeared in front of her, bowing at her feet. Vita appeared to speak to the flower in another language I've yet to learn. Her words sounded like television static to my ears, scratchy and soft. The flower affirmingly shook its head, turned, and walked towards me. The small flower sprouted tiny vines from its stem and handed me a simple brown bracelet made from what appeared to be roots of some kind.

"I think it'll help you with your sickness." Vita said.

I panicked once more.

'Don't listen to them! Do you really believe for a second that you can trust them? They had you tied up for months! They'll kill you Ryne! They'll skin you! They'll hang you! They'll rip you to shreds like the worthless scum you are!'

I sat down on the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, slowly rocking back and forth. My last bit of control was quickly fading as my thoughts continued screaming at me from inside my head. Amare clasped her hands tightly together. She looked as though she wanted to say something but was at a loss for the right words.

'Do you see her Ryne?! The look on her face?! How she pities you?! You're pathetic, worthless self?!'

The other girl sighed aloud and rolled her eyes, disinterested or disgusted by my current state.

'That one doesn't even care at all! Look at her! She's just waiting for the command to end you, you could see it in her eyes, her hatred, her disgust, she sees you for what you are Ryne, a worthless nobody.'

I didn't notice her doing so in my mental stupor but Vita got up from her thorne and walked towards me.

'Nothing! You're nothing, you got that! You should just give up now! You have no chance of getting anywhere! You have no chance of surviving! Give up Ryne! You are nothing but a–'

Suddenly a smooth hand pressed against my bare chest.

[Calm yourself Ryne, your sickness is not one of the physical variety. Your sickness is the very panic you're currently experiencing.]

Tears ran rapidly down my cheeks. My legs shook, my fingers twitched, I was beyond the point of remembering any coping skills. In my life, or, well, in my old life, the only way I'd ever get out of it when I was this far gone was by talking to my dad. That was a big reason why I fell so far down, and why I never climbed back out when I did. When he died, my vice, my crutch, passed away with him. There was no helping me now. I was losing it.

[Ryne, listen to me, you don't have to trust me, but please, at least consider my words. Put on the bracelet, it will help you tolerate your sickness.]

I had no reason to believe her, not one, but I didn't care. I wanted my voice to stop screaming at me. I wanted the vibrations of my thoughts to stop drilling into the sides of my head. I wanted her skin to stop touching mine. So I put it on, and surely enough, my breathing began to slow down. It was uncomfortable and scratchy, and was at least one size too small for my wrist, but the second I put it on an unfamiliar silence washed over my mind. My heartrate slowly began to descend back to normal and I slowly got back up on my feet.

The girl whose name I had yet to learn scoffed and spoke, "you're kind aren't worthy of her touch. A queen should never have to have contact with such a lesser being."

Vita quickly turned and scowled at her.

"He isn't lesser. He is a human. I am a dryad. Neither my status nor my race should factor into such an interaction. Dryad, human, whatever one may be, helping someone in need should come before all else."

I balked, even in my fragile state, I was ripped from my thoughts by her unceremonious remark.

"Q-queen, you- you're royalty?"

Vita giggled and curtsied her gown, "I guess the secrets out, Queen Vita Ronia at your service."