Lydria's Plight

The black-haired Nino Oro girl took out a backpack and packed a few things into it. She had to be as silent as a mouse not to wake her father. She had to leave under the cover of darkness. It was her best and only chance for escape. Her life out there had to be better than slavery in here. She thought back to the events that had led her up to this moment. 1


*************
2

“Lydria! Come here!” her father’s voice bellowed.
3

She knew if she didn’t answer immediately, things would be worse for her. “Yes, father?” Her voice trembled as she trembled in place. Her father’s anger was a terrible thing to see ever since his wife died two years ago. Woe to the person who crossed Stephen Woodtree.
4

“I thought I told you to wash those dishes.”
5

“I did father.” her voice trembled.
6

“You call these clean?” He picked up the nearest blue dish and smashed it to the floor where it broke into little pieces. He picked up another plate and it too, saw the same fate. “You useless tramp. Why can’t you do anything right? You been useless to me ever since your mother died. You are just like her. She was a tramp too. She only wanted me for my land and money, when I used to have money. Good riddance. When I give you an order, next time you obey. Do you hear me, girl?!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her so that her bones rattled. “I expect nothing but obedience from my women. Do you hear me girl? Now clean up this mess and rewash all those dishes.” He threw a dishcloth in her face.
7

She lowered her head where the back of her neck was exposed. “Yes father.”
8

The man raised his hand and struck the girl three times on the back of the neck. “You just remember that. Hurry up, girl. Get dinner ready. I’m hungry!”
9

The most recent episode happened just two weeks ago. “Lydria!” her father always yelled when he addressed her. The girl came running from her room. “Lydria, I have a proposition for you.”
10

“What is it?” she asked carefully.
11

“Finally you will pay off your debt to me for ever giving birth to you. A wealthy noble wants you as his bride. He will provide for your every physical wants and needs. I couldn’t give him much in dowry for you. You broke me Lydria. Your mother broke me. You must pay for the sins of your mother. The Woodtrees were once a proud family. We managed to keep some land but because of bad times, I have to turn over the business and this house as your dowry. In return, we get to keep our home. I hope you are happy. You will meet Logan Longspear in a week in which time your engagement will be announced. Screw this up and you are out! Do you hear me?!”
12

The next week, the engagement party had arrived. Lydria paced back and forth. -I never met this guy. How could I possibly marry him? What makes it worse is that it is an arranged marriage. I don’t care how much money he has. Goodbye freedom.- She walked downstairs to meet her future jailer -Er- husband.
13

She walked into the parlor. The wealthy of Redding Cross turned out for this affair to flaunt their expensive clothes and jewels pretending they still had money. Lydria lived in a nice house. Some may call it a manor. The house and its possessions were worth a small fortune. everything was auctioned off when hard times fell. In fact, ironically enough, her future husband bought their property and it became his after the wedding. He was nice enough to allow her father to live with them as well, in a spare guest room.
14

A man with short, black hair, brown eyes and pale skin dressed in a black tuxedo sauntered up to her. “Hello my prize wife. In a little less than two days, we will be married and I will get all of this.” He waved his hand to indicate the house and possessions. “You are just the breeding stock.” He reached down and grabbed his future wife’s buttocks and squeezed them. “Perhaps we can start before the wedding begins.” Lydria had just picked up a glass of punch and turned around dumped her punch down his shirt. “You little bitch! This is an expensive shirt! You will pay for that dearly!”
15

He dragged her by the arm to an empty room and locked the door behind him. He threw her to the bed, ripping her dress in half down the front. He unzipped his pants and they fell to the floor. Before she could get up, he forced himself on top of her and violated her mercilessly while she screamed out in pain, not caring if it hurt or not. “You are so ripe Lydria. I know you will bear me many fine boys.” He cupped her golden-skinned breasts in her hands, stroking them and pinched her nipples. She let out a scream. “I like it when you scream, my little trophy wife.” He pumped deeper and deeper into her, roughly flopping her to and fro around the bed. Finally, he came to a climax as he spent every drop of his juices deep inside her. “My woman doesn’t talk back to me, bitch! I say jump, you say how high. Don’t get me wrong, you were wonderful for your first time. After I have you properly trained, you will be the perfect little wife. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.” Lydria was paralyzed with fear. “Now that your debt is paid. I will be seeing to our guests. Can’t wait until our honeymoon when I will have you all to myself, my sweet.” He gave her a deep passionate kiss, ramming his tongue down her throat, He got dressed again and left the room. Lydria waited five minutes, ran out of the spare room to her room and locked the door.
16

There was a pounding at the door. “Lydria, open this door. I know you are in there.”
17

“Open it yourself!” She sniffled.
18

The door slammed open and hit the wall like a shotgun. “What the hell happened out there!? Are you trying to ruin us!?”
19

“He made a pass at me!” she shot back. “He threw me down and took advantage of me!”
20

Her father turned red in the face. “So? You are going to be married to him in a couple of days! Why does that matter?”
21

“If I laid down and took it, you would have called me a whore! There is no pleasing you!”
22

“That’s because you are a whore! You deserve everything you got!”
23

“I am sorry father. I won’t let anyone treat me the way you treated me for the past two years!” she yelled. “I will not marry that son of a donkey ass. He won’t be my husband if he was the last man on earth!”
24

“You think anyone else would want you? Do you? We need him little girl. You will marry him or so Coraban help me, I will toss you out on your ass so fast your head will spin!”
25

“Please father. Coraban does nothing for us. He uses others to help himself and you know it. I am sure you have prayed to him in this time of hardship father. Tell me, has he answered your prayers? Is my marriage to that donkey’s ass an answer to your prayer or a marriage of wealth and it is just convenience just so you can pretend to have money? I denounce Coraban and his ways. I will not follow him anymore!”
26

Stephen Woodtree’s face went from red to purple. He swung his hand and slapped her across the face with a stinging blow. The calling card of the slap left streaks of red on her left cheek. You blasphemer! You will not take Coraban’s name in vain in this house!”
27

“Then I won’t live in this house!” All the anger over the last two years built up into adrenaline and put it into one raging human emotion. She gathered up all her strength and slapped her father across the face as hard if not harder than he ever hit her. “Let’s see how you like it when you get hit.” She placed her hand on his chest and with surprising strength him through the doorframe, slamming the door behind her.
*************
28

Now she was fed up and it was time to leave. She slipped out of her finely made gown, trading it for dark, black leathers. She crept out of the window through the yard to the brick wall. She climbed over the wall with some ease, even with the pack and jumped safely to the other side. It was a good thing she wore black so that she wouldn’t be visible. She could not afford to get caught. -Where should I go? As far away as possible from here would be best. Let’s go where everyone else goes-Haven.-
29

Finally after two weeks, the traveler reached her destination. Haven was too big to be a village. It was definitely a city. As cities go in Avalon, it was big for that too. Although not a big city, compared to what the modern times call cities. Haven had its residences. It has its specialty shops and a market place. Plus, the Clearwater Academy of Magic was located here along with the castle itself so it had to be big to fit everything. Lydria stood at the entrance awestruck. She heard Haven was big but not this big. For a split second, she felt afraid. All this time, she was worried about getting away and didn’t really have a plan of action. Plus, it was expensive in the city. She had no money, no place to sleep. She had only taken the essentials with her: rations, clothes, daggers, and a crossbow. -I suppose I can sleep on the streets. I really hate to do that but I have no money.- She swore under her breath. -I should have had a better plan. Oh, well the what-ifs are not going to help me now. I guess I could always beg.-
30

Just then, there was a scream from around the corner. Lydria ran to check out the scene. A big, burly man pulled a woman with long green hair and pink wings into an alley. The woman looked pale or it could be the color of her skin, the elven rogue was not sure. Maybe if she saved the girl, there be some reward in it for her. Lydria looked around and saw the man had cornered the woman up against a fence where the alley ended. The rogue saw another lane where that fence met. She was fast. She could run and jump over the fence. The area was dark and the man looked distracted.
31

She ran and jumped over the fence ending up behind the man. She quickly and quietly drew her dagger. She gripped the dagger in her right hand. She aimed carefully hoping that this would work. She plunged the tip of her dagger into his back as quick as she could. The man let out a horrible roar of a scream. He turned around to find the elven rogue. “You shouldn’t have done that missy.” He pulled a knife out of his belt. “I will teach you to mind your own business.” He swung at her, she barely had time to dodge the blow before hiding back into the shadows of the dark alley. She crept through the shadows.
32

“Where did you go girl? I know you are here somewhere. You can’t hide from me.” Lydria had no intention of hiding, at least not for long. She didn’t come this far to die now. She crept behind a trash can. The man ripped and tore apart each and every can. Then he stood before her can. She held her breath as her heartbeat drummed brutally into her ears. She hoped he didn’t hear it.
33

Then with one swoosh, the trash can flew up and she sprang forward and stabbed the burly man in the stomach, leaving a deep wound. She went into a blind frenzy for survival. She stabbed over and over as if she didn’t have control over her arm. All she saw was a red covering before her eyes. Then, she heard a thud and the blood red curtain cleared. The man laid dead on the alley floor. He had deep gashes on his chest and cuts down his cheek. As long as he was dead. She picked his pocket. She found a pouch of gold, a gold watch, and a list of names written in Common. The list had names and prices.
34

She heard clapping from behind her. She swung around holding her dagger out in front of her for protection. A human boy stepped out from behind the shadows. “Hey easy there, chick. I was just offering you congratulations. You handled that guy all by yourself.” She looked at the boy closely. He was human with red hair and green eyes. He was average size with a slim build. Freckles dotted his nose. “You can put the dagger away now, chick.”
35

“Who are you?” she asked.
36

“They call me Dodger and you?”
37

“Lydria.”
38

“Tsk, tsk, that name will never do. You got to have a code name like the rest of us if you want to be part of my gang.”
39

“Your gang? I don’t see any gang.” Just then more boys stepped from the shadows. “How long were you standing there.” she directed her remark to the boy called Dodger for he seemed to be the leader.
40

“Enough to watch you in action.”
41

“Gee, you didn’t think to help out or where you waiting for me to get killed.”
42

“We wanted to see how a girl fought. See if you were good enough to join out group.”
43

Lydria started to get angry. Her eyes turned into little slits. “Well did I pass with flying colors or what? Or do you just do this for kicks?”
44

“You passed. We had to check you out first. You are the first girl we are letting in, see. We saw you come in. There isn’t much we don’t see. We got networks. By the way, that guy you just killed. He ran a brothel where she got the labor from the slave trade so good work. You should be proud of yourself. So you want in or what?” She walked up to this Dodger and punched him in the jaw.
45

He wheeled back some steps. “What was that for?”
46

“That was my answer. Seeing as you are dying to have a girl in your gang. I accept, seeing as I have nothing better to do. If you make any more cracks about helpless females. I will give you shiner to go with the first one.”
47

“Whatever you say Black Kitty.”
48

“Who?” asked the elven rogue.
49

“That’s your new code name because well you are feisty like one. I can get you some money for that watch you swiped. A “friend” we do business with can get you a good price.”
50

The rogue shrugged her shoulders and followed this boy. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing. She was older than most of them and they were none too bright.
51

When they were out of sight, someone else stepped from behind the shadows. A man with long, shoulder-length hair and golden skin. ‘So Lydria, I have found you. Denounce me will you. I will show you what happens to traitors. One day Lydria, I will pay you back when you least expect it.”
52

About a week later, the rich and elite of Avalon were having their annual gathering. Every person with status was going to be there. Since Lydria was one of the brighter thieves in this gang and could read and write she was able to copy down the guest list when the town hall clerk was not looking. Lydria returned with the list and read the names off to Dodger. “Lord and Lady Hunterfield, Lord Oric Fieldrunner, Lady Gladys MoonBright...”
53

Dodger nodded his head and counted each person off on his fingers. “Good, good. Fine work, Black Kitty. Fine work. You will go far in this gang, you know. At this rate, you will be leading this gang. We will have to give you a new name, Queen Kitty.”
54

“Oh, you mean you would hand over your leadership to little old me, Dodger. A helpless little female like me?” She batted his eyelashes at him.
55

“You? Helpless? That will be the day.” Dodger snorted. “Is that all the names on the list?”
56

She looked at the list. One name stuck out in her mind. Stephen Woodtree. “Yep, that is the last one.” She take care of daddy dearest herself.
57

“Great! I have some disguises we can use to get in. No one would suspect the serving staff of a fancy inn of “The Queen’s Crown.” He rummaged through a trunk and came up with serving boy costumes. “You will have to swipe one form the inn, Kitty.”
58

“Not a problem. You got any wigs?”
59

He rummaged through the trunk again and came up with a red , short haired one. “Hey, if you tie up your hair and put on the wig with this serving boy disguise, you can wear the extra serving boy costume. You don’t have to talk because the help isn’t allowed to talk anyways. You just walk around offering food.”
60

“Good idea.” she replied. It was a good idea. Her father would never recognize her.
61

“All I want you to do is go up, pretend to be staff then get what you can and get out of there and meet back here.”
62

That night, the gathering was held in the private common room of the “Queen’s Crown”. This was a much more upscale inn than the usual inn. The private common room was decorated in red, plush carpeting with red drapings. A buffet table was set up with servers. Lydria was all set. The wig worked perfectly. The outfit was a bit big but it hid her figure nicely. She held a tray of appetizers and walked out.
63

At first, she just walked around the guests, offering the food by simply holding out the tray. Then she heard a familiar man’s voice. She made her way to the voice. Sure enough, her father stood around in a circle with a few other men of elven and human. She stepped forward offering the tray but making sure to bump the gentleman in front of her father holding a glass of wine. The wine spilled all over the front and sleeves of her father’s shirt. “Oh, I’m so sorry sir.” she said in a low voice as she could muster. “Very clumsy of me. Let me help you to the restroom sir. I will wash that out for you.” She pulled her father to the door at the far right.
64

“What? Where are we going?” Stephen Woodtree demanded.
65

“I told you sir, to the restroom to take out that stain.” They finally reached the restroom. She pushed him in through the door. “Now, sir if you take off your shirt and oh dear, the spill ruined your jewelry too. I will have the laundress take care of that for you.” She undressed her father and took off his watch, golden, cufflings and wedding band. “I will have the laundress clean this up in a jiffy, be right back.” After she closed the door, she ran out the back way and headed towards the direction of the gang liar.
66

That was easy, too easy. Oh, well, I will worry about it later.
67

As she ran, a man with golden skin and shoulder length hair in a black leather pants and vest, watched her. “Pretty sneaky, but a bit sloppy Lydria.” He shifted and became the ring leader, Dodger. Now in disguise, he ran up to Lydria. “Hey, Black Kitty, you got to hide. We were found out. Follow me.” He grabbed her arm and ran in another direction into an alley with a doorway.
68

After running for so far, they both stopped, out of breath and panting. “Did you get the goods?” the ring leader asked.
69

“Sure did.” The girl thief opened the bag just a crack to show him she had the jewels but not enough for him to take them.
70

“Nice, you did well, Black Kitty.”
71

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “It was a snap. It was like taking candy from a baby.”
72

“Best be getting back to the liar. Better get going before we look too suspicious.”
73

“After you, I insist.” Lydria moved him ahead of her as she followed behind. -Very soon I will lead this guild.-