I was dragged out of the prison, and it took several moments for my legs to adjust to walking again. I was like a newborn child. I scratched my head, and lice ran down my hands, making the guard flinch back and move forward quickly.
I ignored him. I was used to my smell, a mixture of shit, urine, and an unwashed body by now and was even more comfortable with it. Besides, I was concentrating all my energy on putting one foot in front of the other. The guard led me up a stone step that led to another hallway and then another set of stairs before we came into yet another hallway.
My eyes easily picked up the outlines of walls and doors that lined the hallway, even in the low light.
One of the doors creaked open as the guard pushed it, forcing me to get closer. He quickly held his nose and gestured for me to enter a smaller hallway so narrow I could touch both walls. Cobwebs hung in the air like smoke.
The air smelled of mold, dust, and dried bones. The uneven ground made me stumble, and the guard swung around with a grunt, shoving the torch in his hand at my face.
I hissed and recoiled, scrambling back on the ground like a rat. The three years I spent in near darkness had made me very sensitive to light, and I hadn't adjusted yet. I tried to speak, but it came out in creaks and groans.
That amused the guard, and he snorted. "You are like a rodent. Smell like one too."
I said nothing, and the man continued to lead the way forward, telling me that the place we were passing was a hallway created for servants and guards so they could move around without distracting anyone.
Finally, we were outside, and I saw the moon again after a long time. It was a bright, silver light that illuminated the back courtyard of a smaller castle attached to the main one.
"Va... Vale?" a voice cried out, tentative and trembling.
I swung my head around like a predator, and I regarded the woman in front of me. Life in the dark prison had turned me into a lot of things. It made my senses sharper.
But still, it took a while before I registered that she was actually standing there. Cleir. My near mother. She looked almost as harried as me, her brown eyes brimming with tears as she took a good look at me.
We stared at each other, forgetting the other people standing there.
I didn't know what I expected, but it wasn't for her to fling herself at me and begin to sob. I stood there, dirty and hungry, with tattered clothes and hair crawling with insects, but she still pulled me close.
I didn't realize how much I missed human contact as my hands lifted, hesitantly at first and then firmly around her. I buried my head in her grey hair, and I was glad I had no waters left for tears.
She stayed like that for a long time until she stopped sobbing and then pushed me forward to get a good look at me. Her face was warm. "You stink," was the first thing she said. "But you are alive."
I grimaced and wetted my lips, swallowing several times before finally being able to speak. "I... yes, I stink."
"And you are so thin. I begged your father throughout, and he's as unmoving as a rock. I... forgive me, Vale. I've done something bad to you." She bowed.
"What?" I asked, confused. What is she talking about now? This woman who only showed kindness to me when everyone else turned their back. The only one to truly stand by me.
She hesitated, holding her hands together and looking down, avoiding my gaze. "I begged your father so much that he finally got tired of me and he said he would declare you dead to everyone, but you are to be sent to the Borderlands."
It hit me like a hammer to the head, and I swayed. Cleir cried out, but for a moment, I was past hearing.
'Finally! Escape! The Borderlands is known for the death of people sent there, especially weak people like me. I can finally rest and leave all these things behind.'
I looked at Cleir, and for the longest time, I tried to smile, but I couldn't form the shape. Yet she saw something in my eyes that made her grip me tightly and whisper fiercely, "Promise me! Promise me, Vale, that you won't die! And don't hate me, this is the only chance I can give you. I see the hollowness in your eyes. I saw it before, the will to just sit there and let everything happen to you. Don't! Live!"
She looked at me expectantly and wrung her hands.
I looked at her and realized I was now taller than her. 'When did that happen?'
And how could I give her a promise I knew I wouldn't be able to keep? And she thought I would hate her? No, I would finally make her stop worrying. I placed my hand on her head. "I will be alright."
We both knew I was lying, and her eyes filled with tears. She shook her head. "Your mother... she was so good to me. Why can't I return the favor?"
Someone shifted on the side, and metal clicked. I glanced and saw a man in a black robe with a cloak waiting patiently with a chain in hand. Cleir stiffened at that but forced her eyes back on me and then leaned forward to say something very softly to me. "There's a man called Han in the Borderlands. You must seek him out if you are in great danger or need. He owes me a tiny favor, collect it!"
I nodded, but my mind was already set. I took a good look at my near mother, watching the moonlight create shadows on her wrinkled face.
"I will be alright," I said again.