REBIRTH [COMPLETE]

The dream was always the same... it wasn't really a dream I suppose, it was a perfect memory of what my life had been... what I missed so much. Before I recall my occuring dream, let me tell you a story.

There was a war. A fatal, devastating war between the people of the communities, or farmers, and the rash, brutal scavengers that raided those communities. The farmers begged for peace, they were tired of being radied and murdered. But the scavengers didn't listen, the continued to steal, plunder and kill. It was the only life they knew.

Finally, the communities gave up on peace. The banded together, declaring war on the scavengers... and oh did they deliver a punch. Everytime a scavenger was spotted, they were killed on sight. It was a bloodbath, a horror show. The wasteland was scattered with the thrown out and discarded bodies of the scavengers.

This was treated, by the scavengers, as an outrage. So, they called a meeting. They retreated into the mountains, building a magnificent city, carved out of the rock. A king was elected to raise an army, but no other laws were ruled. The king had only one power, to call a meeting for all the scavengers in times of crisis to destroy threats.

And this, indeed, was what happened. The scavengers crushed most of the communities, until they cried out for mercy. Both groups called a sort of truce, and just tried to ignore each other. But the unspoken rivalry lasted for years.

This is where my dreams starts. It begins with a man, holding me in his arms and looking down at me in bewilderment. I could remember being thrust into his hands, and him gazing down at me. My small, chubby arm rose to grab on his beard, and he winced.

He'd taken me into the wilderness, though I can't imagine why, and raised me for two years as his own in a community. But although I was only a toddler, I could still remember the day he was ripped away from me...

His face gazed at mine from across the hut as he motioned me to walk to him. I wobbled forward, confidant in my abilities. Practically staggering, I made my way into his arms, and he scooped me up, grinning like I was the best thing in the world. I remember now... his name was Alex.

It was a precious moment, until I heard a scream come from outside the hut, and the crackle of fire. Alex frowned, turning towards the door, just as three men, dressed in camo outfits, burst through the door. They moved towards us, and Alex put himself between them and me. I remembered my back hitting the hut, and it felt... unnaturally warm. I turned to find the wall slowly ignite into flames. In desperation I looked at Alex, but he, and the men... they were gone.

Tears streamed down my face, and I stood in a burning world, without understanding or experience. I was so young, yet already so exhausted from the trials of life. Imagine... a toddler with such a crisis.

I was alone for 2 days in the ruins of my village, until someone found me. It was a man, and although he later told me he was instructed to kill me, he had mercy. It just so happened that I had fallen into the hands of the Scavenger Queen's personal servant. He'd been sent to pillage the remains of the huts, and had found nothing except a small child, half starved and in desperate need of love.

And so it was that I fell into the lap of a queen, whose compassion outweighed the pain of my heart. She raised me, though her sight wasn't bestowed upon me frequently. Her people needed her, and I was left to care of her servants and citizens, whom adored me. At this point in my dream, I can feel myself smile... and I am lucky to awake myself when things were still good.

Through a long series of events I will not go into detail about, I reigned for only a short time before being cast out into the wilderness. I never had a chance to find out who the man was the took care of me, nor did I get the childhood so many young people are lucky enough to receive. I was never taught who I was... only that I was to fight for survival.

Perhaps one day I shall recount my trials, though I doubt, in my present circumstances, I shall ever get the chance. I suppose, if it fate to have my story told to its extent, this will take place. However, for the time being, I will always wake at this point in my slumber, and stare up at the ceiling in denai that I'd ever been a princess and a queen. For now, I am a criminal. But, because there a small portion of my story between the end of my rule and my present state, I shall relay those event rather quickly.

I fell into a deep state of depression when I was cast aside, and with no one to comfort me, I had it my goal to get as far away from my past as possible. If I remember correctly, I'd already come to the ownership of Ellie, who still stands firm by my side, the only loyalty I have yet to account for. I made my way in life by pillaging communities on my own, and soon became known as a common terror. I was much too quick to catch, and much to fatal not to catch. Though I never personally killed anyone, I'd been the cause of some rather peculiar deaths, and I refuse to believe they were intentional on my part, though no one will trust me enough to hear the story.

It was about my 20th year in life that I came upon Maria, the village healer, who was stuck in a bit of a situation I cannot describe in detail at the moment, for that would be a story all on it's own. However, the short of it is, I rescued her from the grip of death, and to repay me, her community allowed me to stay with her and gave me half rations. This lead to total malnourishment of my physical form, though I managed to push though the hunger most of the time.

Yet, I still had no family and although I had Maria...

... I still felt so alone.