The warm, rough fabric clung to his body as morning laziness penetrated his mind, knowing he should wake up Raijen attempted to stretch his hands, only to realize he couldn't move them.
Sudden panic spiked in his body as he had almost no feeling in his legs, and the rest of his body moved in random directions instead of the one he wanted to. His eyes wouldn't open and his lungs didn’t expand to fill in with the air, then a memory emerged in the back of his mind, the memory of a woman smiling at him as she took her last breath.
Anxiety and fear dominated Raijen’s mind, the small heart hammered against his chest faster and faster, forcing the air out of his lungs, choking him. Sweat raised between his legs penetrating him with coldness, followed with more memories of huge women with gray skin falling off of her face, as she wrapped his body in ropes and black chains.
Opening his eyes in a sudden fit of panic, gasping for air, Raijen saw sharp pointed eyes, lined by thin eyebrows set into the face of a small girl.
She was maybe six years old watching him with hazelnut eyes, while sunken cheeks with thin dried lips formed a gentle smile. She had short curly hair and could be called anything but beautiful. On the streets of Europe, no one would spare her a second look, most would avoid her for her torn clothes and dirt on the forehead, yet at that moment she demanded all the attention from him.
Unable to understand, yet knowing this woman was the most important thing at that moment, Raijen stared at her for what felt like an eternity in waking deliriousness before the dreams leave the memory. The calmness gave way to fear as at the edges of his sight black tendrils crept into the view.
Don't go!
She mounted a few words which he knew were important yet he could not hear them, much less understand.
Please don’t leave me! What is this place?!
Hot tears burned his eyes, rolling onto the sheets as cries of a baby echoed in his mind bringing him out of the dream world, only to realize he was laying in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by wooden walls.
Confusion replaced the fear as the cry stopped with silence and sinking feeling of something being horribly wrong. For one, Raijen’s body didn’t move as it was supposed to, he had no strength in his arms to untangle himself from the sheet or kick them off with his legs.
The room was grey, lacking any color and his eyes couldn’t focus enough to see clearly, leaving everything in a blur. His throat clenched, preventing him from breathing, as he felt another wave of frustration wash over him.
Head of a messy short hair popped in front of him, two big grey eyes staring at him with curiosity and mild concern forced new tears out of him.
Turning away the girl shouted some words disappearing from his sight when considering to shout after her to come back another woman emerged. An uncertain smile flashed on Raijen’s face seeing the women from his dream, only to be replaced by frown upon realizing she wasn’t the same.
She had sharp narrow eyes with long hair, but her face was considerably younger. With shaky hands she lifted his small body from the crib, holding onto the baby as if he was made out of glass, important tressure that could not be harmed.
Her body was shaking, as she held in the sobs threatening to escape, she slowly sat on the edge of what must have been a bed, now it resembled just dry grass spread over the ground with torn sheets.
Looking at the women Raijen felt her nervousness to the point where he stopped breathing himself, just not to startle her. When she took her clothes off to reveal the white breasts moment of confusion went through him before the realization settled in.
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Raijen's body felt like it disconnected from his conscious thoughts, finding himself not to be in the control of his body, enslaved by instincts of infant unable to control himself, his despair surged.
The following days and months were spent in prevailing fear and horror of what is coming next. Unable to control himself, being at the mercy of others and constantly calling for help, resulted in neverending baby cries ringing in Raijen's ears.
To his dismay the women he found himself thinking of as his mother was nothing but kind and caring, loving him over all the hardship he instilled on her, which prompted him to loathe himself even more.
Watching her sad and weary smile day in and day out caused the guilt in him to intensify. Realizing what he was doing, Raijen stopped calling for his mother, only allowing himself to cry when the hunger becomes unbearable or when his bowels emptied themselves and humiliation didn't allow him to stay quiet.
Months passed by before Raijen's new body started responding in somewhat familiar patterns, now the legs moved when he wanted them to, his hand lifted from the sheets touching the wooden frame of the crib. The world around started gaining a little bit more colors as well, it was no longer just gray, white and black.
The rush of excitement went through him as some progress was finally allowed to him, some control gained and dignity restored.
These days he could tell the brown of wood, red and yellow of fires burning around them, green leaves of flowers put into his crib by a small girl with messy hair brought little relief into his mind, promising not so bleak future.
The feeling of diversion didn’t last long as over the next weeks more thoughts flooded his mind, no longer occupied by attempts to gain control of his body, his mind started to focus in different directions.
The language was nothing like what he ever heard before, trying to understand any of it proved impossible with no way to associate the words and objects around him together.
Every time he tried to think of something more complicated or wanted to focus on something specific in the room when his mother lifted him up for a walk, his attention slipped quickly or fatigue took over and he fell asleep. Sleeping most of the days away proved as a welcome escape from the mental suffering.
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“Raijen, slow down.” Cisley smiled as Raijen crawled to the other side of the Room.
Butting his head into Lexa, Raijen looked up with a grin over his small face, lifting his small hands. Lexa grabbed him around the chest and sat him on her lap.
“Sometimes I think he does it on purpose.”
“You know you like it.” Lexa grinned as she wrapped her arms around Telorai's son.
Cisley looked at Raijen as her thoughts returned to that night when she and her sister were running as their village fell under the attack of the red flag of what they later learned was an Empire from the different part of the world.
None ever crossed the chasm on the edge of the land, which made their arrival in flying ships of steel all the more unpredictable, catching them off guard. She never saw them, but she heard other slaves who were unfortunate to survive the invasion talk about hundreds of grey ships flying to the purple coast, spewing soldiers in red and black.
It was the night of Haihe, the festival held to show the power of Haihe clan, her clan.
Just as they watched the procession of minstrels, performers and other commoners showing their crafts and skills. Horns started to flare, how mistaken she was back then thinking they were celebratory horns announcing the next event.
But back then everyone was thinking the same, what is the next spectacle? What is the next curiosity these artists decided to show to her father and other ministers gathered at the courtyard?
All of them were expecting something big, something grandiose, everyone other than the Yadave soldiers in the crowd for whom it was signal to start the slaughter of men, women, and children. They showed no mercy, the savagery of men thirsty for blood and revenge knew no compassion.
Before she could realize what was happening guards escorting her were killed and she was running for the castle, for her little sister. Telorai was in her room, fourteen years old girl who for her misbehavior was confined to her room during the night of the festival.
Cisley remembered the next moments just in flashes.
When she finally found her sister, she was peeking out of the window on fires raging through the city. With wide eyes full of wonder and excitement, they changed into eyes full of tears and fear as they fled through corridors of their home before soldiers could find them.
The relief as they boarded the ship to escape via river with Mark and other clan warriors to escort them.
Then the horror, pure despair as the ship stopped, all resisting men were slaughtered, only her and her sister were taken prisoners and then turned into slaves, sold from one place to other ever since.