Painful Sanctuary

Painful Sanctuary


“Can we stop?” Luke asked his older sister. “My feet hurt.” He stumbled behind her, tears almost running down his face with every step.”Just for a little while?”
“No”, was Talya’s only reply. Talya pushed through the underbrush, branches slapped against her already bruised skin.
“Do you know where we are?” Luka asked again, trying to keep up with his sister.
“No”Talya answered. She reached behind her and grabbed her brother’s hand, roughly pulling him behind her. “We have a long way to go yet.”
“I’m hungry Tayla.” Luke whispered quietly. “Please can we stop?”
“No!”Talya yelled. “We have to keep going. Don’t you understand that. We can’t stop until nightfall. We have to get away.”
Talya was so intent on keeping moving that she did not push one tree limb all the way out of her path and it slapped back into her, the sharp branches getting tangled in her already matted hair. She wanted to scream in frustration and she reached up trying to untangle her hair. Luke’s eyes widened at the stream of cursing coming from his older sister. He was fairly certain that if he ever talked like that his mother would slap him good. Tears started to stream down his face at the thought of his mother. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to will away the image of the last time he saw her.
“Don’t just stand there like an idiot.”Tayla yelled “Help me.” Her hair holding her in place, she tried to turn around to glare at Luke.
Luke made his way over to her and started to worked her hair out of the tangled mess it was in. “You are really stuck.”
“Oh, so you noticed that.”Tayla glared up at him. “Just get me undone.”
“How?” He asked his older sister.
“Use your Knife, idiot.”
Luke sighed and used his knife to cut her hair from the branches. She had a lot of hair to saw through but he finally got her undone. Talya grabbed his hand and started dragging him forward again. He was so tired. They went deeper into the woods. The huge trees closing in on them. Luke cried quietly while he trudged along behind his sister. Talya stopped and looked around her, trying to decided which way to go when three long thin arrows thudded into the tree no more then a few inches from her head.
Talya fell back with a cry, trying to shield her brother with her small body. Both brother and sister’s eyes widened in fear as a tall slender being stepped out from behind an ancient aspen tree.
“It’s an elf.” Luke whispered.
“Oh shit” moaned Talya.
Haldir wrinkled his nose in disgust. He could smell the humans even if he was all the way back in his home. They were covered in mud, muck and whatever else they had decided to roll around in. He watched as the female pushed the young boy behind her. The boy was at least several inches taller than the female, but she seemed determined to get between the boy and him.
“What are you doing here?” Haldir asked, the words clipped and short. He walked a little away from them, trying to get down wind of their foul smell.
“Trying to get through the woods.”Talya replied, backing away from Haldir. Several arrows thudded into the trees around her. Luke cried out and curled into his sister.
“I suggest you stand where you are until I have all the answers I need from you.” Haldir smirked and raised one fine eyebrow. “Why are you here? We do not offer sanctuary to humans.”
Talya was frightened. When Talya gets frightened she gets angry. “Did we ask you for sanctuary? We don’t even know where here is. We just want to get through the woods.”
“You may not enter.” Haldir turned and started to walk back into the woods.
“Wait!” Talya called. “Please. How do we get to the other side then?”
Haldir turned and forced himself to walk back to the humans. He looked into the females eyes and saw acceptance and defeat. Her dark brown eyes looked up at him through a haze of pain and tiredness. Haldir momentarily felt a pang of guilt, before he pushed it away. After all he did not kill them on sight.
“Go back the way you came and walk around.”He spoke as if speaking to rather dumb children. “It should take you no more than seven days.”
A quite moan escaped the boy and Haldir’s eyes flicked to him. All the anger and fight left Talya and she just nodded her head. She reached behind her for her brother and started walking back the way they had come. They had gone no more than a few steps when Luke sank to the ground.
“I am sorry Talya. I can’t walk any more.”His voice shook with tears, “My feet hurt too much.”
Talya whirled around to yell at her brother when she really looked at him for the first time. Her eyes traveled down to his feet and she moaned. His boots had worn through and she could see the red and blistered skin showing through.
“Oh Luke.” she sighed. “Oh Luke, I am so sorry. Your poor feet.” She knelt down by him and reached for his feet. Tayla removed what was left of her brother’s boots anddleddled his foot in her hands. “I don’t have anything for your feet.” She reached for her water skin and poured the cool water over them. Then she got an idea and started to tear strips of fabric from the bottom of her tunic and wrap them around his feet.
“You will get his foot infected with that dirty cloth.” Haldir has walked up behind her.
Tayla looked up into the impassive eyes of the cold elf. One more thing she had failed to do correctly. It all fell in on her at once. The loss of everything she had ever known. The cruel way she had been treating her brother in her misguided attempt to keep him safe. She did the only thing she could do, she yelled.
“I am sorry!” she screamed at the surprised elf. “I’m tired, hungry and scared. Why don’t you leave us alone. We will not go in your damn forest. Go away!” No longer able to hold it back, Tayla covered her face with her hands sobbsobbed her anguish and terror.
Luke reached out and pulled his sister to him and glared up at Haldir. “Go away. You made her cry. Tayla never cries.”
*Well brother, seems your charming ways have once again allowed you to make friends easily.* Haldir turned to his brother and ran his hand through his hair. *How was I to know she would get hysterical? Now what do we do?*
*We, My Captain?* Rumil smirked. *We follow your orders* The two elves looked at the two huddled, foul smelling humans wrapped around each other and sighed.