Falra's mind swam with pain and fear. She had been captured by the very people she wished to hide from. They would again sell her flesh, but first they would break her. This terrified her, she had seen what they do to break the women they get. They preferred to get them as children, easier to mold, easier to break their minds. But the women, they knew the taste of freedom once, they would be broken in the worse of ways. Their spirit torn and shredded till there was nothing left. This was what she had to look forward to. She knew she would no longer be a bird in a gilded cage. They would break her and force her into harder contracts.
When a hand reached out a touched her bare flesh she gave a scream of pain and fear, that had never left her body before. The hand quickly withdrew and was replaced by strong arms that picked her up and cradled her against a wide and well muscled chest. She at first resisted these arms, yet something about them seemed familiar. She wracked her mind for the memories, fought through the pain, then she knew, she knew these arms, this chest, this scent. It was Acelin he had not abandoned her. He heard her scream and followed. It was then that the last of the wall she had so carefully put up around her heart tumbled to the ground. She loved this man, and now knew he loved her as well. She felt soft cloth kiss her skin as he wrapped his cloak around her. She kept her eyes closed, felt as he lead his horse away from the scene. He rented a room in a small town near to the river. As he slept, she snuck out. She had to see for herself, know that at least one half of her nightmare was gone.
When she came to the river's edge, she saw the bodies, pulled the mask from the face of the man whom held her often in the past, had filled her with his seed. Their son is lost to them now, taken from her and murdered before her eyes. Now so was he, but he was not murdered, he died to justice. Closer to the river Falra saw a boat, there were three bodies strewn near it. All slashed and killed in combat. Acelin had killed them all. Near the boat was a large chest. When she opened it, she found inside a bounty of coin unlike any she had ever seen, save those that would adorn the "Master's" room. She knew this was what her flesh was bought with, knew this was the price of breaking her. This was her coin and she took it. She worked throughout the rest of the night and returned in the morning. She knew her disappearance didn't go unknown and she didn't care. She could see in Acelin's eyes that he knew where she went. She knew he had followed her, had watched over her. As the sun rose, they departed the small town and headed home.
So ends the story of one of the twins. The twin later thought of as "Father" since he was, indeed, the father one her son. Falra returned to her happy life with Acelin, but it did not last. In time, her past caught up to her, but that is another story.
