Rebirth

"A boy. Finally, woman, you have produced a worthy child." A tall, brutish man towered above me, looking down upon me without a shred of kindness as if I was simply an object to be inspected. He had a rough complexion, and was wearing leather armour. His appearance was completed by a huge scar covering the left side of his face. This man was clearly an experienced warrior.

"Lance. That is the name I have chosen." He gave me a coarse grin before exiting the room.

A drop of liquid splashed onto my cheek. A woman was holding me in her arms and quietly sobbing. She was pretty. Her gentle grey eyes bore no ill will, and her flowing red hair captured the gaze of any man worth his salt.

Her expression was filled with relief, but also pained by a hint of sadness. She pulled me in closer, squeezing my body against her breasts.

"Thank the deities... Lance." She kissed my forehead and forced a smile.

I tried to gather my thoughts, but it was as if my mind had been clouded in thick fog. I gazed around the room I found myself in, attempting to get a better bearing on my location.

Cracked wooden walls surrounded me on all sides. A hole had been cut into one of the walls as a makeshift window - it was partially covered by two cloth curtains on either side. Through the gap, I could see nothing but the darkness of night.

A torch had been placed in the corner of the room beside a large bookcase, illuminating the area in a light shade of orange. A real torch, with red hot flames dancing atop it. This room was quaint, but strangely homely.

'Had I been captured by the enemy? Where the hell was I?' All sorts of questions raced through my head as I scanned the room. I tried to remember what had happened before now... A sudden, sharp pain radiated inside my skull, preventing me from gaining any useful information. Perhaps I was under the effect of some kind of enemy drug or poison.

"Now, now, Lance. Shh, it's okay." At some point, I had broken into tears and started wailing like a baby. This beautiful woman was attempting to comfort me.

'Lance?' That didn't make any sense, because that wasn't my name. My name is-- another sharp pain rocked my skull, and I started to cry even louder. What a pathetic display.

I woke up a few hours later in some kind of wooden prison cell. There was no roof, but the bars were high enough that I had little hope in ever climbing over.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned a little before looking around. I was still in the same room. Two figures were arguing beyond a crack in the doorway - I couldn't make out any details, but, they were clearly the man and woman from earlier. My captors?

"Ervin, please... I can't do this again..." She cupped the man's cheek with her hand.

"Tabitha." He slapped her hand away. The sharp sound echoed through the doorway. "That boy is simply a means to an end. You will raise him until I return. Let us hope this one turns out better, for both our sakes."

Ervin didn't give her a chance to reply. He picked up a huge steel sword, and disappeared from view, his heavy footsteps fading until the sound of a door opening and closing shook the house. Tabitha fell to her knees, tears streaking down her face. She stayed like that for a while.

After her sniffles subsided, she stood up, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. She turned around, and creaked open the door to the room. As she got closer, I realized that this woman was gargantuan. In fact, this entire room was huge - fit for a family of giants. It dawned on me that I had been shrunk to the size of a baby.

Tabitha reached down into my prison cell and picked me up, cradling my body in her arms. "Oh Lance, what am I supposed to do?"

I tried to struggle free, but there was no power in my muscles. I tried to interrogate my captor, 'Who the hell are you, and what do you want with me?' Unfortunately, the only noises that escaped my lips were a sad collection of goo's and ga's. This was humiliating.

The women giggled, and rocked me back and forth. "Yes, yes, you must be starving. Let's see if we can find you something to eat."

We left the room and entered the hallway. As I looked back, I caught a glimpse of my prison. A baby's cot. I came to the horrifying realization that I had been reborn into a world that was... not my own.