Chapter 65: Chapter 64: Of Survival

The raider encampment was quite far from the estate, taking over an entire hill on a clearing much deeper in the woods than people usually dared to go by themselves. They had many tents of different colours and sizes, the biggest of them belonging to the captain and sitting right in the center of it all. Lucrece expected to be immediately brought there, her whole body trembling at the idea of what would become of her, but luckily for the little girl people seemed to have other ideas in mind: she was tossed into a flimsy wooden barn with all the respect befitting a hunting trophy, landing in the mud and feeling how famelic, squalid pigs immediately went closer to sniff.

 

“You stay here, princess! Tonight we have plans for you…”

 

The doors closed, and the pigs slowly lost all interest in the girl when realizing she wasn’t, in fact, more food for them.

 

They weren’t hungry enough. If they were, they would had eaten me anyways.

 

Groaning, sniffling and trying her best not to break into tears again, Lucrece got herself back together and looked around the room. There were pigs and cows in that barn, the whole place smelled of mud and manure, and the only visible exit was the same door she was thrown through. Her arms, her legs and her mouth were all tightly tied up with thick hempen rope… it was all hopeless, really.

 

But I refused.

 

Her sadness was overwhelming, the memory of her father and her brother already haunting her, the look in the eyes of all who simply stood aside and let the tragedy take place to save their own keisters. She didn’t have time to process so many emotions swirling at once, so instead of that, the little girl simply decided to cling to the second strongest emotion in her heart.

 

Anger.

 

Feeling her fists balling harder, fueled by rancorous rage, Luci wiggled harder and harder in place, struggling against her binds. For a second she even thought herself strong enough to break through them! But no. She was still a little girl with no real strength in her frail little body, and that’s something that couldn’t change in a single day.

 

She huffed, stopping her futile efforts and feeling tears building up under her eyes again, snot running down her nose. Lucrece cried, louder and for longer than she would dare to admit in the future, begging for all this to be but a silly nightmare and nothing more. But it didn’t matter how much she begged, how much she wished to finally wake up in her comfortable little bed, the girl remained tied up and trapped in that smelly barn.

 

A big, fat looking swine casually walked by her, probably attracted by the salty smell of the girl’s tears… and then brilliance came to Luci’s mind, an idea. Without stopping for a second to think how dangerous this was, she violently shoved her hands into the pig’s mouth, snarling as loudly as she could while gagged.

 

The poor creature, scared and hungry, immediately bit the girl’s hand out of reflex, weakening the rope again, and again, until finally tearing through it with a desperate bite. Lucrece immediately got her hands out of the sow’s mouth, feeling the teeth hurting her delicate skin. She didn’t have enough time to stop and worry about her wounds now, anyways. The pig decided to run away, nibbling on the pieces of rope still on its mouth, while Luci used her now free hands to desperately scratch the rope on her mouth.

 

After that failed, she tried to undo the knot keeping it all together instead.

 

“Blagh!”

 

She was free. Her hands had bitemarks, her legs felt woobly and numb and her teeth hurt, but she was free! Pushed by desperation, she immediately rushed to check on the door and look through some holes on the wooden planks. She saw the raiders gathered around a big pile of wood, probably preparing for a feast with all the food they had stolen. No one was watching the door…

 

That was her moment, her ticket to escape! Lucrece could simply run off into the woods and beg for the best! But then she saw the man.

 

The Captain of the raiders, easily recognizable for a thick black beard covering his pale face, and the bandages over his left hand, now sporting one finger less. He looked tired, simply waving dismissively at the others while walking over to his tent. A nap? Before the feast? An idea conjured itself in the little girl’s mind. One that should never cross a child’s thoughts, ever.

 

I shouldn’t had done it. I should had just walked out and sought shelter… but I couldn’t. 

 

Lucrece did abandon the barn with all the stealth she could muster, keeping her breath down and her motions very slow. But she didn’t escape that day. Instead, she took a rusty pike lying around one of the tents and, while everyone simply celebrated and prepared, Luci sneaked into the Captain’s quarters.

 

He had to pay for what he had done.

 

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The weapon was far heavier than Luci could had thought, she could barely move with it on her hands, but she didn’t give up. Not when she was so close.

 

The Captain’s quarters were comfortable and warm, illuminated by the flame of several torches. They were full of beautiful animal pelts, locked chests and trophies the man had probably stolen from other farms. He laid alone on a king sized bed, enjoying silk covers and wooly mantles. The opulence made Lucrece feel sick as she tumbled her way over to the man, and holding the polearm by the very base she raised it as high as she could.

 

“Die, pig… Die!”

 

Lucrece slammed down with all her strength, the sharp end of that pike aiming for the man’s head… but his hand caught it before she could even touch him with it.

 

“Well, look at this! If it isn’t the feisty princess!” The man licked his own lips. “I really like that attitude of yours, girl. But you caught me in a baaad mood…”

 

The girl didn’t know where the idea came from, she simply moved by instinct: while the man held that pike from the pole, so close to his face, Luci suddenly pushed. The pole slid right on the man’s naked hand, sliding straight into his right eye with enough force to see it pop… and of course this was enough to get the man to scream.

 

“ARGH! You little bitch!”

 

She didn’t have enough strength to push through the man’s skull, or to wrestle her weapon back to her hands; the Captain violently pushed and threw the pike away, covering his lost eye with one hand while trying to suppress the pain. Before she could even move away, the hulking man’s boot had already sent her flying backwards and rolling onto the floor, her lungs completely deflated and aching from a stomach kick.

 

“Do you feel brave today, bitch!? Is that it!?” 

 

For a moment he thought of grabbing a knife, but then something better came to the Captain’s mind: he grabbed one of the torches, walking over and sitting right on top of the girl’s legs.

 

“L-Let me go!”

 

“Gods I hate that look on your face! Let’s make you prettier, shall we!?”

 

The pain…

 

Flames devoured the skin and popped the eye in an instant, as the sadistic man simply pushed the tip of his torch on Lucrece’s left eye, pressing it hard and long as the girl squirmed, shook and screamed. She felt her throat burning as well, hands swiping and instinctively trying to reach for the wound, to feel her now blinded eye. The captain removed the torch and threw it away, cracking his knuckles and licking his lips.

 

“Good girl, now you look presentable… but let’s give you a proper look now, shall we?”

 

He was so close she could smell him, his breath stank, his hands were cold and disgusting. Luci felt herself about to break down and cry, when suddenly… her hand felt something. Something cold and metallic on the man’s hip. A knife.

 

Voices screamed from the outside of the tent.

 

“We’re under attack! Everyone to arms!”

 

“What in the blazes…?” The captain made his final mistake and looked away from his prey for a mere instant.

 

Lucrece’s hand squeezed that knife with all the strength she had left. And pulled.

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