Yesterday I Died... [Flashback]

[sissy]

You never know what you have until you no longer have it. A loved one that you took for granted, the ability to hear or see or the freedom to do what you wished. All things that one took for granted and that was a sin that Freya was guilty of. It was understandable of course. She was young. Barely seventeen years old, her life was stretched out before her and she had a bright future ahead of her. She still dreamt of the lake, her home that she had had before the massacre that had left her without a home or a family. It was sad really, sad to think of what she had lost but it wasn’t like Freya to dwell on the negative aspects of her life. She had been given so much in return, a life with people who cared for her and made her feel like one of them. The druids who taught her to use magic. The lifestyle they had introduced to her life seemed to suit her as she was a soft soul, an innocent with a sheltered view of the world and those within it.

Perhaps it was such a view that allowed her to fall victim to a man who saw fit to attack her. It had been on a day like any other really. One would hardly recognize Freya back then from what she had become now. She had been so light and happy, a smile almost always on her face and a kind word to any she saw. Freya couldn’t quite recall what she had been doing at that time, it mustn’t have been all that important. What happened next would mark the end of Freya’s happy life and begin her darker years. It had been later in the day when it happened. Freya had been on the road from a small village back to the druid encampment where she stayed with her ‘family’. Perhaps she had been foolish to be on her own but she hadn’t seen anything wrong with it and had been confidant that no one would wish harm on her. Unlike in Camelot where magic was feared and banned, magic was allowed where she was but that did not mean she used it often. There was no need really. Carrying a basket filled with bread and cheeses, she remained blissfully unaware of the young man who had been following her out of the village.

He had been infatuated with her and so he followed her, intent on having her whether she wanted it or not. Whether he had magic or not, Freya did not know. Not that it mattered of course but she had to wonder later on. It had all happened so quickly, a blur really. Strong hands gripped her shoulders, roughly turning her around and causing her to drop her basket of food. There had been no one else around at that time, no one to help the poor druid girl against the much larger man. Tears welled up in Freya’s dark eyes as she struggled to escape his grasp, her escape the only thing on her mind. It was only natural that she react in self defense as this man, whom she never even learned his name, attacked her, trying to force himself on her. Not being physically strong in any sense, Freya’s only hope of escaping this unscathed would be to rely on her magic despite not having full control of her power, especially in such a moment of extreme duress.

She had been pushed to the ground at this point, his heavy body on top of her. Terror filled her as she struggled to get him off of her but he wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t let this happen! Why would he do this to her? She had not wronged him in any sort of way so why would he wish to do such a horrible thing to her? She struggled against him still, looking over at the side of the road where a medium-sized rock lay. If she could knock him out, she could escape. Even though he had attacked her, she didn’t wish his death, she merely wished to get away with her innocence intact. Focusing on the rock, she reached her hand out and whispered a word, her eyes flashing gold for a moment before the rock moved, being drawn to her. Unfortunately her aim was off and instead of the rock coming to her outstretched hand, it struck the man directly in the head, causing him to waver before falling to the side of her. Scrambling to her feet quickly once he was off of her, Freya took a few moments to attempt to regain some composure.

It took her a few moments to realize that while her spell, albeit misfired, had the desired affect on the situation, something was still wrong. The rock lay not far from where the man had fallen, stained with his blood from the impact but that wasn’t what caused Freya to gasp. What caused her shock was the fact that the man was no longer breathing; his eyes open in surprise and pain. He was dead…

She had killed someone…

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Tags; None
Word Count; 869
Lyrics; Shattered by Trading Yesterday
Time-frame; Mid-Afternoon – Way Before ‘Lady Of The Lake’

[sissy]

It was hard to believe but there was no denying the look of death in the man’s open eyes. He was gone and there was nothing she could do. Freya choked back a sob, her hand covering her mouth as she drew back from the man’s limp body. Her whole body shook in such a way that she thought she would fall to the ground. Her knees were rubber and she could neither move nor speak. What had she done… It had been in self-defense, she had thought he was going to kill her but surely that didn’t excuse the fact that she had ended another person’s life. There was no one else around that she could see so what would she do? Would anyone believe her that it had been self-defense or would they believe her to have used her magic in a malicious manner? Surely no one would believe that of Freya. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.

Perhaps it was the wrong decision on her part but being as young as she was, she panicked and thus fled from the scene as quickly as she could. Freya didn’t want anyone blaming her for the crime despite the fact that technically speaking, it was her fault. Accident or not, it had been her magic that had caused his death.

In her urgency to flee, Freya failed to notice the older woman walking down the lane, looking for her son who had been seen going that way not too long ago. What she saw nearly caused her old heart to stop beating then and there. Her son dead on the ground with a wound to his head and a young girl was running from him. No no no! He couldn’t be dead! Crying out in anguish, the old woman fell to her knees by her son’s side and cradled his head in her lap. “Come back, please.” She cried, her tears falling onto her son’s ashen face. He was gone of course. She could see that, didn’t need magic to know that. Her shaking hand reached down to close her son’s eyes and she hugged him tightly. He had been all she had. Her pride and joy and now he was gone. She had taken him away from her. Angry eyes followed the girl as she ran off into the woods. She would pay for this, she would make sure of that. She would know her pain…

It was hard to say just how long Freya had been running until she was able to slow her pace down. It wasn’t as though the body would get to his feet and resume his attack on her. He was dead. Not that she had any need to remind herself of that but it was true nonetheless, no matter how she wished to forget it. What could she do about it? Should she tell anyone or just pretend it never happened? Gods she didn’t know what to do! Tearing up, she took a seat on a moss-covered rock and tried to think but her thoughts were so hazy and she was scared of what might happen. Druids were meant to be peaceful and she was for the most part but this…

In all her frantic moment she didn’t notice the old woman approaching. When Freya finally chose to look up, feeling the presence of another in the small clearing, she looked up into the eyes of a woman filled with rage. Eyes flashed golden and Freya was thrown off the boulder and onto the ground hard. What was going on? “You…” The old woman hissed, pointing a gnarled finger at Freya as she lay back on the ground. The fear of possibly dying had returned but she couldn’t call upon her magic again, she just couldn’t. “You took him away from me.” With those words uttered, Freya’s eyes widened as she came to realize who this woman must be. A mother or aunt of the man she had killed but how did she know? “I’m sor—“ She started to apologize but the woman’s angry bellow caused the girl to fall silent. “Please don’t kill me…” Freya pleaded, not wanting to die.

A bitter laugh echoed from the old woman, mocking the poor frightened girl who had stolen her world from her. “No.” Death was not what the old woman had in mind because that would not be harsh enough. “Death is too good for you,” she spat out angrily. Freya looked up in a mixture of fear and confusion. What did she mean by that? “I didn’t mean to! I swear.” Freya tried pleading, making the old woman believe her but it was not to be. “You will suffer as I am suffering now. This will not be the last time you kill, I promise you that.” Muttering under her breath, the old woman worked up a curse that she felt befitted the situation. Eyes flashing gold, the curse was cast though Freya felt no different. She wouldn’t. Not yet. “Your suffering has only just begun child.” With that said the old woman turned to depart, leaving Freya on the ground to wander what she had done.

She would find out soon enough, when the sun set…

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Tags; None
Word Count; 879
Lyrics; Shattered by Trading Yesterday
Time-frame; Mid-Afternoon – Way Before ‘Lady Of The Lake’