Twist of Fate 5: Why me?

Chapter 5: Why me?

They say a tapestry is worth a thousand words, she feel it was more like a sound was. There was never going to be a tapestry of her being hit and rolling down the stairs, but there was enough sound. Reiltar's angry voice followed her down the stair as she desperately tried to get on her feet. Her wounded arm was broken from the fall and her nose was gushing blood from the slap. She hadn't done anything this time, she hadn't said a word to him and that was the reason for this. She was being ignorant according to what he was yelling. Gods she didn't care, she just wanted to run away from him before he got down the stairs. She should have stayed down in the temple and never came back, but she always came back, why did she keep coming back?

"Anna! Look what you've done to the floor!" She received a kick to the stomach as her step father reached the bottom of the stairs, the force of it turning her onto her back. He reached down and grabbed her hair and started to drag her along. "You need another lesson, girl." At his words she started to struggle in earnest.

"Gods, please not again. Please no. I'll be good I promise!" She cried out as he threw her onto the couch. She knew better than to move, if she didn't fight him it usually didn't last so long. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears dripping out, as he removed his belt. She prayed to all the gods that it wouldn't last long, but they never cared.

---

Sarevok stared up at the dawning sky, wondering how he survived the night. He looked around seeing the remains of the night. Gorion's corpse lay to the right of him while Imoen to the left. Imoen? Was she dead? No, she was alive, her body would be dust if not. How did she get here? He sat up with a groan, marveling at the healing of his wounds. His shirt was in tatters but his skin was soft and pink in places but otherwise he was fine. He was sore as he turned to reach out to Imoen. She opened her puffy eyes and threw her arms around him.

"Sarevok, I'm so sorry." Were her first words to him. He hugged her tightly thankful that neither of them were dead.

-YOU SHOULD BE. DEAD THAT IS.- Bhaal's voice echoed in his mind. He ignored his true father on most days but something was different in his voice.

"You knew about the attack."

-OF COURSE I DID. I KNOW WHAT EACH OF MY CHILDREN PLAN. I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE RUINED HER FUN.-

"Who is she?"

-SHE IS YOUR CLOSEST SISTER, MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN IMOEN AND MORE FRAIL THAN ANY OTHER.-

"Who is she?" He repeated.

-I WILL NOT SPOIL THE SURPRISE. SHE WANTS THAT FOR HERSELF. IN THE MEANTIME I SUGGEST THAT YOU HEAD TO THE FRIENDLY ARM INN. YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS YOUR FRIEND.- Bhaal left with laughter echoing.

"Who are you talking to? Sarevok?" Imoen looked worried as she pulled away from him.

"It was nothing, I was talking to myself." She gave him an odd look but didn't question him. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, but Gorion, I couldn't save him. I should have came sooner."

"Any sooner and you might have been killed. Don't look to the past, you can't change it. It's the one thing that Gorion taught me about death. It's a hard lesson but you'll learn. Now, let us see to Gorion for the final time." He stood with her still clinging to him and placed her on the ground with a kiss to her forehead. They gathered up the signs that they had been there and Sarevok gently picked up his dead foster father. He had no clue as to what to do with the body, they wouldn't let him back in Candlekeep to bury Gorion, but he didn't just want to leave his body behind.

He had been an adventurer most of his life with the Harpers. "Imoen gather wood from nearby, don't stray too far." Within an hour they had a pyre built, now all they needed to do was light it but neither of them had the heart to do it. Staring down at Imoen, her face full of tear, he decided he must be the one to do it. She cried harder as the first flame rose, quickly eating away at the dry bark. He put his arm around her and stood there, knowing this would not be the first death.

-SHE'LL TEAR EVERYTHING YOU LOVE TO PIECES. INCLUDING MY LITTLE IMOEN, WHOM YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD HER THE FAMILY SECRET.- He ignored Bhaal as he watched the flames consume the only person who had been family to him growing up. -FOOL-

---

Hate and shame consumed her as she removed her ruined dress. It was soaked with blood and torn, Reiltar would buy her a new one of course, but it wouldn't replace what she lost each time he did that to her. She picked up the coarse brush and dipped it in the water and started to scrub at her skin, not caring how much damage she did to it. She could heal it easily, and would once she was clean. She scrubbed herself until she was raw and bleeding but she still didn't feel clean, she would never feel clean thanks to her foster father.

She finally gave up and put a lose tunic on. She walked through the temple wishing that she could stay here forever, safe in her own little world. She came to cell of Marvin, her ex-tutor and prisoner. She had him down here for years, he had caused her so much grief, telling Reiltar of how bad a student she had been. Oh she had gotten "lessons" from him even then, time does not heal all wounds. Marvin whimpered as she drew near, she put her hand on his arm and smiled.

Her wounds started to heal, her broken arm refitted itself, attaching to her arm back into the socket. Blood slowly stopped as the wound closed, her skin changed from raw to it's grey perfection. While all this was happening to her, Marvin was screaming as invisible claws tore his arm half off and open up cuts that had been on her skin. His skin redden as it became frail and raw. She pushed more power into him and it worsened. His arm was hanging on by a few muscles and ligaments, his skin broke out into sores that ooze pus. He was screaming as blood started to rain from his face as his nose broke open. He hung loosely in his chains as he finally passed out. She had to keep him chained or her prisoners always ended up committing suicide.

The dirty feeling was almost gone but it would come back, Reiltar made sure of that. She pushed it out of her mind. She had a meeting with a witch from Rashemen as she made her way through the temple back to the throne room, she passed a partially dark patch of shadows and wasn't prepare for the attack from behind as someone grabbed her. Before she could think, a dagger was at her throat and a thick accented voice reached her ears.

"So this is the acclaimed Bhaalspawn. (Hmm... I would have thought Charon was the one with the powers.)

---

With Gorion's ashes spread to the winds, they carried on, heading towards the Friendly Arm Inn. They encountered no one as they walked in silence, it was almost as if a path had been cleared for them. They reached the gates and were greeted by several men hanging from the portcullis. Imoen gasped in horror, he only turned away. As they walked further inside it became apparent that there had been a massacre. There was blood every where, inside the inn was the worst, the smell drove Imoen to start gagging. He left her at the entrance to walk further into the carnage. There were disemboweled people, ones with parts missing, it smell of a mixture of an outhouse and a slaughter house. There was a pile of entrails that appeared to be moving. He covered his nose and moved some of them with the tip of his sword. Under the stinking mess was a woman, a woman who's braids he recognized.

"Jaheira?" He said in shock.

"By Silvanus is that you Sarevok?" She turned her face towards his voice, only to have him smother a gasp at the sight of her eyeless face.

"Anna! Look what you've done to the floor!" She received a kick to the stomach as her step father reached the bottom of the stairs, the force of it turning her onto her back. He reached down and grabbed her hair and started to drag her along. "You need another lesson, girl." At his words she started to struggle in earnest.

And I think the stepfather in question needs to be educated by a matter of mace to head.

"Any sooner and you might have been killed. Don't look to the past, you can't change it. It's the one thing that Gorion taught me about death. It's a hard lesson but you'll learn. Now, let us see to Gorion for the final time." He stood with her still clinging to him and placed her on the ground with a kiss to her forehead. They gathered up the signs that they had been there and Sarevok gently picked up his dead foster father. He had no clue as to what to do with the body, they wouldn't let him back in Candlekeep to bury Gorion, but he didn't just want to leave his body behind.

I suppose many an adventurer ended up being buried at the roots of a tree. Oddly poetic for such a profession.

-SHE'LL TEAR EVERYTHING YOU LOVE TO PIECES. INCLUDING MY LITTLE IMOEN, WHOM YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD HER THE FAMILY SECRET.- He ignored Bhaal as he watched the flames consume the only person who had been family to him growing up. -FOOL-

Bhaal certainly is abrasive.

She finally gave up and put a lose tunic on. She walked through the temple wishing that she could stay here forever, safe in her own little world. She came to cell of Marvin, her ex-tutor and prisoner. She had him down here for years, he had caused her so much grief, telling Reiltar of how bad a student she had been. Oh she had gotten "lessons" from him even then, time does not heal all wounds. Marvin whimpered as she drew near, she put her hand on his arm and smiled.

I bet she's already plotting his death... maybe?

Her wounds started to heal, her broken arm refitted itself, attaching to her arm back into the socket. Blood slowly stopped as the wound closed, her skin changed from raw to it's grey perfection. While all this was happening to her, Marvin was screaming as invisible claws tore his arm half off and open up cuts that had been on her skin. His skin redden as it became frail and raw. She pushed more power into him and it worsened. His arm was hanging on by a few muscles and ligaments, his skin broke out into sores that ooze pus. He was screaming as blood started to rain from his face as his nose broke open. He hung loosely in his chains as he finally passed out. She had to keep him chained or her prisoners always ended up committing suicide.

Whoa.

"Jaheira?" He said in shock.

"By Silvanus is that you Sarevok?" She turned her face towards his voice, only to have him smother a gasp at the sight of her eyeless face.

Good story.

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