Tristis Nox

The first thing I noticed as I regained consciousness was the bonds around my wrists. I opened one eye to see that I was in a primitive jail cell and ropes confined me to the wall. With a low growl I sat up and took in my surroundings. It was night and a large fire was lit somewhere outside of the building I was in. Other than that faint glow the room was completely dark. As I stood to stretch my stiff muscles the door opened and four men entered the jail house and then my cell.
“I see you’re finally up.” The man from before said.
“I wouldn’t have been out of it if you didn’t drug me.” I growled then turned my back to them.
He merely laughed at me before getting down to business.
“Are you a spy for the capital?”
“No. I am mer—“
“STOP LYING! Only those who favor THEM go to the capital.”
“I’m going there to see a friend!” for the next two hours we argued about what side I was actually on. We made no progress because no matter what I said he believed nothing.
“Until you decide to confess to us you’ll stay I this cell!”
“And how are you going to get me to tell you this ‘truth’?!”
“We have ways.” He grinned at me before he turned to leave. I charged forward only to be violently stopped by my restraints. This caused them to laugh as they left me alone to rot.
“Bastards.” I murmured as I took a seat on the ground. I peered down at my wrists trying to figure a way out of these ropes. Roughly an hour later I managed to wiggle my hands out of the restraints. I then ripped part of my shirt into two strips and wrapped them around my raw wrists. Satisfied with my make-shift bandages I silently walked over to the front of the cell. “This cell was made to hold a man.” I thought quietly aloud. “Almost any female could slip through these bars. How dull…” I easily slid through the gaps and crept to the door. Opening it slightly, I saw no one in sight so I pushed the door open more and walked out.
I crept around barely making a sound. No one was around and the silence of the night made my every move echo. Whenever I kicked, stepped, or broke something I froze and fear spread through my entire body. It took me over an hour to finally cross the encampment to the horses that would be my escape. I calmly walked up to them and spoke soothingly so I would not frighten them and cause them to make noise. They slowly learned to trust me and I spent some time picking the one to escape with. I just untied my ride from the tree when a stray young wolf trotted by and spotted me. I stood still and silently cursed at how awful my luck truly was. Our eyes were locked together in a staring contest, but I lost and my chance of getting away unnoticed evaporated.
The moment I blinked the wolf tilted his head back and sounded the alarm. I once again cursed as I threw myself onto my horse and jabbed my heels into its side. We dashed away and seconds later the wolf fell into pursuit. As I raced through the camp villagers came running out and ran for horses. The chase began…
I raced around the camp trying to find an exit but every time I did there was a blockade. I finally made it to the west gate when I saw that the villagers were still trying to block it off. Pushing my horse faster we jumped over the hurdle and continued our chase through the woods.
Branches poked, prodded, and jabbed at me as we tore through the woods. I could feel cuts and bruises forming all over my body. I felt bad that I was urging my horse to push its limits, but the gap between me and my pursuers was shrinking so it was necessary. As we weaved through the trees the darkness slowly turned into light. Fatigue grabbed at me, but I would not let it consume me and by early morning the end was in sight.
After hours of riding, I finally broke through the woods and for the first time I glanced back. To my dismay and fear one of the men was almost on top of me. He swung his axe at me causing me to vault out of the way, off my horse, and tumble down the steep hill and skid to a stop. Panting, I looked up to see a dozen men running towards me. Groaning, I got up, pain shooting through me, and moved into a defensive stance.
Adrenaline started pumping through my veins and everything seemed to slow. The first guy reached me and went to jab me with his spear. I easily side-stepped, grabbed part of his pole, and whipped him forward. He toppled to the ground and with his spear in hand I got ready to fight the others. And so the deadly dance began and it would last an hour or so.
The end came and I stood, more like swayed, in a pond of men. I was breathing heavily and I knew at any moment I was going to collapse. With my last remaining strength, I moved between the unconscious men until something shiny caught my eye. I walked over and took a closer look. There, in the man’s belt loop, was the dagger the farmer gave to me. I dryly laughed, gripped the hilt, and yanked the dagger free. The sound of ripping cloth sang through the silence, than I stood and placed the weapon on my own belt. Fatigue suddenly came over me once again and I tried to push it back, but failed. I took one more step before darkness consumed me and I fell.