She Of The Blue Flowers
If I approach her, if I reach out, then what…?
Rohan’s own thoughts even abandoned him, leaving along with sense and reason, as he watched her. She stood, as she often did, in the field of blue flowers, studying them with an intensity he wished anyone looked at him with.
What brings her here? Why to this spot? There’s nothing but flowers--
His thoughts, and her attention, were broken by the whizzing blur of an arrow passing by her head and landing in between them.
She flinched, and only then noticed him. Thinking he had something to do with it, she threw her hands towards him. He wasn’t ready for the blast of blue light that picked him up and tossed him backwards.
After he landed on his back, after the air returned to his lungs, he picked himself up to look around. Then he had to hit the ground again to escape the notice of the creatures that now surrounded the woman.
They spoke to her in a language that sounded like it was comprised of the noises of digestion. It didn’t sound good, at least until she spoke it back to them. Then it sounded like music.
Pay attention, moron.
He was so entranced by her that he didn’t notice she was pointing at him.
Pointing at him and yelling in that strange language.
Pointing at him and looking like she was turning him over to them.
And then having that confirmed by the creatures beginning to head toward him.
He jumped to his feet and began to run. The beasts lumbered behind him, but he dared not look back, especially once the footsteps hit the ground more regularly. Heading for the trees, he began to zig and zag around them, and the clunky sounds of bodies hitting them, then the ground, told him he was somewhat successful.
He told himself not to get cocky, but he couldn’t help a look back at this point.
Only one creature was behind him, and it looked winded. So winded, in fact, that it stopped and put its hands on its knees, heaving for air.
Looking to gain distance, he turned to look at the road ahead of him.
The object of his affection stood in his path.
She almost looked apologetic and sad as she knocked him down with a blast of blue light yet again.
This time he went out, and woke up in a dark space. His hands and feet were bound together with rope that made sandpaper feel like silk, and he began to holler and beat on the sides of whatever it was he was in.
A door flew open to his left, he rolled toward it trying to escape.
Something a lot less pretty than the woman of blue flowers snapped out one of its meaty arms and put him back out again.
He came to again as his prison jerked to a stop and the door opened again. This time, he was gagged as well, and one of the creatures grabbed him and jerked him up over a shoulder like a sack of garbage.
Trying to take in his surroundings as he was rocked, back and forth, his face coming in much closer contact with the beast’s rear end than he ever wanted to, he saw her again, following the caravan.
He liked her a little less now. But just a little.
Her eyes stared straight ahead. If she had any remorse for sending an innocent man to what may be slaughter, she did not show it.
The group came to a stop. Orders were shouted, even if he didn’t understand them, he knew what orders sounded like, and the group around him formed up in lines.
His ride brought him forward, and with something that could pass for tenderness all things considered, whipped him off his shoulder and set him on his feet. A stake was placed up against his back, and he was tied to it. Another near nauseating ride later, he and the stake were picked up and bashed into the ground at high speed.
Now he was standing up straight, ready for the show with no place to go.
Efficient, I guess.
He looked up to see an even larger version of the creatures from the forest stand up from a large throne. The throne was made of skulls. Skulls, he was sure, used to belong to guys just like him.
The ruler stomped down and stared him in the eyes, then took a step back, stretched out his arms and began to yell something to the heavens. The beasts around him all hit a knee and began to growl responses.
The ruler opened its mouth as it stepped closer. The two rows of sharp teeth did nothing to quell the bad feeling and he screamed impotently at the gag. When the foul breath hit his nose, he almost passed out from the reek, wishing that gag was higher up his face.
More declaiming, this at close range, and with this, the other creatures jumped up and began to hop up and down, chanting something over and over again.
The ruler reached behind him. With a speed that was surprising considering the small, fat, scaled claws at the end of its arms, a sword was at his throat. His eyes widened, and he began a silent prayer to ask forgiveness.
He figured salvation was not coming.
This is what he decided to concentrate on, so he closed his eyes. Sure, there was screaming in that language, and the rattle of metal, and some thuds around him, but he just figured this was it, it was part of the rites, and he had to make things good with the other side before he got there.
He didn’t open his eyes until a soft hand touched his face and pulled down the gag.
When he did, he saw piles of green scaly flesh where threatening creatures once stood.
The ruler began to stir, what was left of it, and the woman, her of the blue flowers, turned and unleashed a hellacious orange fireball at the beast, and it was really no more then.
After a good amount of distance was put between them and the now smoldering wreckage of the city of the creatures, he asked why...well, why everything?
Why turn him over to them? Then, why save him? And why, now, are they traveling together?
He was angry, he was hurt, and it would have to be one hell of an explanation for him to keep going anywhere with this woman.
“I had to do it,” she said, then kissed him, deeply and passionately.
Good enough for me.