Beautiful Nightmare

Cold air enveloping me was the first thing I felt when my body started awake and I could hear, breathe, move. My heart lunged to my throat as the shock of such cold air tore through my body and stung my flesh painfully. Coughing, I writhed where I lay upon what felt like snow--icy cold stuff piled beneath me, covering nearly half of my form. Flailing my legs to make sure they still worked, I lifted my hands to my eyes and rubbed the sleep from them, though my hands were shaking and the freezing air was preventing me from breathing properly. Gasping for breath, I opened my eyes.

Stars.

I coughed once more, wrapping my arms around my shoulders, forgetting how I was burning with cold. The stars were so bright, dancing like I had never seen or appreciated. The sky was darker, there were no halos of lights arching on the horizons to mark where cities or towns lay, it was just black sky and twinkling stars smiling down at me. I smiled back, entranced by their ethereal beauty as their light seemed to play off of each other like dancers on a crowded dance floor.

Then cold hit me once more with a ruthless blow to my frozen, shaking body. I coughed, staggering to my knees as I rubbed my frozen hands over my frozen shoulders in a vain attempt to create a bit of warm friction. Looking around, I saw that I was surrounded by openness, like the very flattest plains of Kansas. Something told me I wasn't in Kansas, though, because as I looked back up to the stars, I knew that I had never seen stars shine so bright and so beautifully, like I could reach out and put one in a jar to keep as a night-light.

Where was I?

There was nothing that looked familiar, no signs of any civilization, no hills or mountains as far as I could see. I saw a great many trees stretching out upon the black horizon, but they were at least a mile or so away, perhaps more since the ground was so flat and I could probably see farther than normal. The forest lay to the... I looked up to the sky to find the north star to point me in the right direction, but I couldn't find it. I sought for other constellations I knew, but there weren't even any familiar stars with which I could place myself. I rose warily to my feet, stumbling forward before gaining balance enough to move my feet through the snow piled high enough to reach my knees-- though I suppose that wasn't saying much since I was only five feet tall and my legs two feet of that height. And, oh, how the cold, wet stuff burned my bare legs. Funny, I thought, wouldn't silk prove to be a little warmer than that? I was wearing a silk skirt, after all. But as I looked down, I saw that my skirt was gone and I was trudging through the snow in my panties! Horrified, I looked quickly around and when I didn't see any sign of my garment lying atop the heavy snow, I dropped to my knees and searched where I had been laying, digging furiously through the snow, to no avail. I couldn't find my skirt anywhere. God, it had been August in Kansas City, so the only other things I was wearing besides my panties was my bra and a white t-shirt!

"Aw, dammit!" I sighed, and slapped my knees so that they stung. It brought a little warmth to the surface of my frozen skin, but the force caused it to crack from being dried out with the winter air. Cursing under my breath I rose to my feet and, as quickly as I could, leapt over the snow, ignoring the pain surging through my body as each time my legs were freed they were cast right back into the frozen bank. Tears welled up in my eyes, hot, salty tears that burned.

If I could make it to the forest ahead, perhaps the trees would provide me with some way of knowing my directions, at least, and I could build a fire. I had always been rather good at camping, and I loved being in the depths of nature, so perhaps I would be able to remember how to start a fire without a match or lighter fluid. The forest drew nearer the quicker I ran, and my blood pressure rose, warming my body slightly. My breath was hot, at least, so I could breathe comfort onto my palms and caress my shoulders to life once more. My long hair insulated my neck a little, as well. I tried to think of positive things to keep me from losing hope as the forest ahead drew close enough for me to see the distinct outlines of trees. I thought of how lucky I was that a forest was nearby, and how I could have been dropped off somewhere else or killed, even. I didn't dwell on the fact that my skirt was missing, or where it had gone, or why it had been removed in the first place. I could guess why, but if I dwelt on that fact I knew I would lose all my wits.

My knees felt as if they were going to snap and I would collapse and die in the freezing cold. I did not know how long I had been lying half buried in the frozen cold, either. I had no concept of time in this place! Never had I been so lost and helpless. I was trying not to put myself in any mode of distress, for I was easily frightened when I didn't know my surroundings and had no way of finding anything beneficial to my plight. The forest drew nearer. I could see silver trees, now, undimmed by the dark night around them, and they were crowned with golden leaves. I thought it was odd that those dead leaves had not fallen yet, seeing as the ground was covered in so much snow, the air was as cold as it was, and it was obviously midwinter; but the trees of that forest were thick and heavily laden with leaves as if it was the middle of summer. How strange, I thought, the oddity distracting me momentarily from my cold and fear.

I looked up to the stars and though they were still shining just as brightly and beautifully, they did not make the bark of the trees of the forest silver. They did not reflect their light off of the leaves of the trees until it formed a halo of faintly shining light around them, but as I drew nearer, I saw that the trees looked as if they were glowing with silver light. I stopped for half a moment and stood in my own tracks to simply gaze at the suddenly shocking, beautiful trees. They were unlike anything I could have imagined to write into a fantasy novel or produce with the finest paints. They took my breath away and filled my aching heart with such joy and happiness that I couldn't help but smile as I stood in the snow, wearing my panties and a white t-shirt as I absentmindedly rubbed my shoulders with my once more frozen hands.

Lifting my palms to my lips, I breathed on them weakly, my teeth chattering uncontrollably from the bitter wind rasping across my body, my strength only further waning. I coughed. Something was caught in my throat, so I coughed again, bursting out into a fit of gasping and coughing as yet another cruel blast of wind wracked through my body, knocking me to my hands and knees.

I had to get to the forest so I could build a fire or find some place to use for shelter until day break, assuming I lived that long.

Gathering what little strength I had left within me, I stumbled to my feet and nearly collapsed once more onto my face, but pulled myself together and broke into a brisk run, shuffling through the snow as if it were suddenly nothing. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the beautiful forest, and I couldn't remove the hopeful smile from my dried, frozen face, even as my hair whipped around me and stung where it snapped against my skin. How wonderful it would be to walk amidst those trees! How I would love them and stay there forever! I laughed, my mind clouding with the passing of a moment until I could feel no pain and no biting cold tearing at my flesh. The forest drew me to its edge, pulled me onward, gave me strength as if it wanted me to walk through its silver trees. I thought I heard it call my name... I thought I heard a voice. No, several voices, soft and ringing like bells. I heard the trickling of a stream like laughter and the blowing of the leaves in the wind like sighing lullabies.

"I'm coming..." I whispered, ignoring the raspy pain my voice sent through my aching throat. I gasped for air, fatigue taking hold of me even as I pushed myself onward toward the forests' edge. The trees bent and swayed. They danced like the stars. They cast no shadows beneath the moonlight, but reached their boughs toward me! I reached out and grasped to touch the bark of a silver tree not a stone's throw from me, but as I did, I heard a ringing noise that broke me from my spell and shot me back into harsh reality. Then, suddenly, I felt immense pain, a pain so terrible I could not scream. I stopped. My mouth dropped open--I could feel the cold air pervading it. I wanted to scream, I wanted to curse, I wanted to cry, but no emotion fit the pain I suddenly felt as I stumbled backward and fell into the deep snow.

Droplets of blood tossed into the air, reflecting white moonlight.

As I lay totally stunned in the snow, I turned my head to the source of the pain tearing through my disheveled frame. There, piercing my left shoulder deep enough to sink nearly to the fletching, was a white arrow, white feathers fluttering in the wind. My shoulder sank and the motion pushed the arrow the opposite way back through my flesh, sending a raw torrent of pain shuddering through my torso, the mere sight of the blood clinging to the part of the weapon that had been concealed in my flesh was enough to gag me. It was then I screamed. No sore throat could hinder this shrieking noise I heard rip through my lips. It was a strange, foreign sound that not even I was aware I could make. No words, just a long, echoing scream to rend the air. I took a breath and screamed again, my lungs expanding erratically in my chest, my heartbeat quickening in a panic as I screamed again for help.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, writhing on the ground. My movement only caused me more pain and my eyes burst into streams and torrents of hot tears cascading down my cheeks. I was hopeless, helpless. I could do nothing to make the pain go away, for I could not move, and I could not lie still. I could not breath, and my mind was wrecked with panic. I tried to muster enough breath to scream again, but I couldn't. What air I had collected was released in a silent moan as I arched my back involuntarily against the horrendous pain of the arrow. "Who the hell shot me!? Agh! Dammit, dammit, dammit! Ah!" I couldn't think of anything else comprehensive to moan, but I couldn't scream. Who had shot me? I hadn't seen anyone in the forest! There was no one there! There was no one there!

Suddenly, I felt the snow near my sprawled legs shift slightly. Someone was there after all. I couldn't see anyone yet, and there was no shadow cast, but I forced myself to lie still, gritting my teeth against the pain, closing my swollen eyes. What was I going to do? If someone shot me, they clearly didn't want me around. They were probably coming back to make sure their job was done and they had successfully killed me. God, what harm was I going to do to them? I was only a half-naked, helpless girl clearly in need of some help... I was stuck in this strange place, about to die...

Something tall came into view, but I only saw the shadow it cast play across my closed lids. I released a gasp for breath as the waves of pain continued to attack my body, but I bit my lips closed in a struggle to remain as still as possible. Snow shuffled around me, but the movements were not heavy enough to be anything human, for no footsteps sank knee deep into the snow. What was going on? I wanted to open my eyes and see. I wanted to scream (even though I knew I wouldn't be able to), I wanted to kick something, murder something. But warnings played through my mind as my quiet little intuition kicked into gear. I did not know where I was, or what I was doing there, and something told me to be quiet and lie very still. I tried to control my breathing, but that was made nearly impossible because of my sobbing and not being able to quit and stop the pain of the arrow. I could feel warm blood trickling ontot he snow beneath me--at least it was warm.

Again, I felt the snow shift, and the shadow grew larger. It looked human in form, for an arm reached out over me as I lay still writhing on the frozen earth.

"Tessa sina ten' amin," A voice whispered, sweet and soft as the wind in summer, a man's voice... "N'ndengina ta! Tula sinome, tula sinome..." but then more shadow figures joined the first, and through the pain I was feeling and sheer curiosity, I was raging war with my eyelids to keep them shut. Voices were whispering to each other, but I could not understand what they were saying, for they didn't speak English, and the closest thing to a normal language it sounded was Russian or something way out in Eastern Europe. "N'ndengina ta! N'ndengina ta... ona ta a'amin." Suddenly, I felt someone draw near to me and all self control was lost as my eyes shot open.


He was beautiful.


Silver hair cascaded over broad shoulders, grey eyes looked into mine with a strange emotion, and even though they looked at my ugly face, there was the light of the stars dancing in them, like his eyes were made of stars. I caught my breath, shifting my weight, but as I did so, the arrow moved as well and I screamed involuntarily at the shock of pain kicking me out of my daydreaming. "Oh, god!" I bit my lip, forcing myself not to scream anymore. I did not sense this man was here to finish the job of killing an innocent girl. He bent his face near to mine and forced me to look at him with the silent command of his grey eyes. "Shh... dina, dina..." He said softly, his voice deep as it was lilting. "Uuma dela, lle dina." Though I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying, simply listening to his voice calmed me and I felt little pain. Even as he reached out and took hold of the arrow in my shoulder, I did not flinch or utter a single sound. With a sharp stab of pain he pulled the arrow out of my flesh after tearing the fletching away. My mouth opened in a silent scream, and my back arched in response to the pain, but I did not make a sound. When I hit the ground once more, he was still looking at me with that strange emotion in his eyes, which I realized was concern.

"Lle rangwa amin?"

"What?"

The man's face fell slightly and he sighed deeply. "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?"

I shook my head and shrug one shoulder, trying to tell him I couldn't understand anything he was telling me. "Thank you, though." I managed to gasp as he shook his head and began to wrap something soft and white around my shoulder. My muscles were killing me, of course, but somehow I felt bad that he seemed disappointed about something. "What's... what's the matter?" I asked, and he recognized that I was asking a question because he looked at me again, but sighed and still keeping eye contact with me, turned his head slightly to speak to the others who were standing around me. "Sana he."

And with that, he stood and walked away from me, leaving me to the hands of the others who had come with him. They were no less beautiful than he, and no less gentle, but I was fascinated with him alone, and my eyes trailed after him as long as they could before he vanished into the forest. "Can you guys understand me?" I asked, flinching only a little as one of them picked me up into his arms like a baby. "My name is Sarah..." The one carrying me looked downa s I spoke to him, and when I said my name, he smiled, but did not reply. "Sarah." I said, patting my chest with my one good arm. "Sarah."

"A! Sarah, Sarah!" The one carrying me smiled and nodded his head, and I knew that he realized I was introducing myself to him. "Rumil amin." He said. I nodded, pointing to him.

"Rumil? That's your name?" Why did that name sound so familiar? But I ignored the familiarity and nodded to let him know that I understood.

Another man walked by Rumil and looked down at me, smirking. What was he making face at? I looked, and then remembered I was in my panties. Shit... as Rumil held me, I crossed my legs as best I could and pulled my t-shirt over my stomach. I was not a slight girl, and though I was not by any means heavy, I wasn't comfortable showing my body off to anyone who wanted to see. The discomfort only added to the cold I was feeling and the numb, throbbing pain in my shoulder. I'm sure I looked horrible; my face felt dry and chapped, and I'm sure my hair was a mess all knotted and frozen. I was nothing compared to these beautiful men. Where had I gone, I wondered? The Amazons, only with men? I looked up curiously at Rumil. He was beautiful, as well, with golden hair. But as the wind began to moan around us, his hair was blown slightly from his face and I saw then that his ears were pointed delicately.

My heart jumped to my throat. Suddenly, I knew where I recognized his name from....