Welcome to Gaia! ::

Today had been the worst day of her life . . . Or so she hoped. Nothing looked familiar to Adora as she trudged along the beaten path, tall evergreens seen in every direction, the gray afternoon sky peeking through the branches high above. Her feet protested with every step she took, yet she knew that to stop would be the death of her.

As she glanced around her surroundings, Adora was once again reminded of her grim situation. Her hands were tied together at the wrists with a thick rope that, in turn, was tied to the simple cart that rolled in front of her. The cart was led and flanked by strong steeds, and upon those horses sat frightening men, clad head-to-toe in leather trenchcoats and steel-tipped boots that were as black as the darkest night. Beside Adora, her young son, Jeb, struggled to keep up, the rope pulling at his small wrists. Adora’s eyes saddened as she looked upon her son, his clothes tainted with dirt and a vivid bruise just beginning to form on his right cheek. Seeing him, Adora chose not to feel the bruises that she bore upon her own body, seen as dark splotches on her slender arms and neck.

The slow clop of hooves beside her then reminded her that she was not alone back here, that she and her son were being watched. With a sense of wariness, Adora dared to look up at the man who rode on horseback next to her, and her eyes were filled with nothing but hatred. The man – he was a captain, she knew – had been the sole cause of she and her son’s current predicament. Zero, his name was, and the current day’s events had caused Adora to utterly detest that name. She’d never forgive him – Not ever.

“You have something that belongs to me,” Adora said in the strictest way she could, her gaze not once losing its hard glare. “I want it back.”

The man, Zero, catching her voice, looked to her. His sand-colored hair had been slicked back, stubble lining his jaw, with a faint hint of a goatee sitting under his lower lip. He was smiling, though his dark eyes held no warmth, no kindness. In fact, Adora felt outright unnerved by them and his smile.

“Oh, you mean this?” Zero responded, withdrawing a slim strip of yellow ribbon from one of his coat’s pockets. The ribbon caught the light that filtered down from the treetops, as did the metal pauldron and vambraces that protected his left arm. A slight chill ran up Adora’s spine when she noticed the blood that stained both the ribbon and Zero’s armor.

Ignoring what feelings she felt at the moment, Adora replied sternly, “Yes. And I want it back.” Without the ribbon, Adora’s fawn-colored hair fell loosely past her shoulders in gentle waves, now rendered a bit stringy from the elements of the outdoors.

“Well,” said Zero, dangling the ribbon towards her, “it would be rather difficult to give it to you with your hands tied like that . . .” He then pulled it back, closing his hand around it with an almost satisfied grin. Adora knew that he was making it clear to her that it was now his trophy, and that gaining it back would not be easy. Adora’s stomach churned at the very thought of leaving her most precious belonging in his slimy hands. After all, it was now one of the few things she possessed that would remind her of her husband.

With a final grin, Zero urged his horse forward to regroup with the rest of the leather-clad men – “Longcoats”, they were called, personal army and aggressive enforcers of the dark sorceress who now ruled this once-peaceful land. As soon as Zero was well ahead of Adora and her son, she felt her body relax considerably with a shaky breath.

“Mother . . . ?”

Adora’s head snapped to the young boy at hearing Jeb’s voice, and his large eyes stared up at her. Jeb went on to ask, “What’s going to happen to us?”

It was a bold question, Adora knew, even for a boy as young as Jeb. She merely responded, eyes downcast, “I don’t know.” It was a half-truth. Chances were, they’d be imprisoned, probably tortured or simply left to rot in a dark cell, or perhaps they’d be killed by their captors before such a fate could become reality. All Adora knew was that whatever the Longcoats had in store for them, it wasn’t going to be good.

Then, Jeb asked, his voice meek, “Is father going to be okay?”

Adora took in a sharp breath through her nostrils, flinching at the sharp tug at her wrists as the cart picked up speed slightly. Her mind fought with what answer she should give, for even she herself didn’t know. She had witnessed her husband, Wyatt, being beaten until blood soaked even his clothes, first by one of the Longcoats, then by Zero, who had wrapped Adora’s ribbon around his knuckles as he had repeatedly punched him in the face. After that, Wyatt had been stuffed into a device that appeared so frightening as to remain imprinted in Adora’s memory. And what sort of fate would await him inside that coffin? Adora had to wonder. Honestly, she didn’t even want to know.

In an instant, Adora quickly banished the memory from her mind, and when she looked upon her son next, a faint smile was on her lips. “Yes, Jeb,” she said simply, the words sounding hollow in her ears. “Yes, of course he will.”

Jeb forced a smile, but it quickly vanished, and his eyes fell to his feet that fought their way over stones and tree roots.

Oh, Wyatt, Adora prayed silently to herself. Please, please be okay . . . Her eyes began to build with tears, but they did not fall. She knew that, for her husband’s sake, she’d have to remain strong.

Adora had never walked so much in her life. For hours the Longcoats pushed forward through the forest, never stopping, and if a man needed something to drink, another would simply pass their canteen to him. It was obvious they were not going to stop their trek for the sake of their captives. And yet, neither Adora nor Jeb openly complained. Jeb would occasionally whisper to his mother about how his feet were sore or how the rope was hurting his wrists, or how he was thirsty and hungry and wanted nothing more than to lay down and rest. Adora felt the same things, too, but she said nothing, hoping her quiet resolve would encourage Jeb to do the same and push onward regardless of the situation. For she knew that if any of them spoke one word of protest to their captors, there would be consequences.

From time-to-time, a Longcoat would ride his horse beside or behind Adora and Jeb, and with an amused laugh would watch them flinch and scamper as he’d threaten to strike one of them or run their horse into them, keeping the two constantly on edge. There were no rules as to what the men could and could not do, and their leader, Zero, allowed anything.

As for Zero himself, he remained at the front of the group, not once returning to torture Adora or Jeb. In a way, Adora was relieved. Out of them all, she could already tell that Zero was the cruelest, though she had never met the man until earlier that day. Often, Adora’s husband, Wyatt, would mention Zero in his talks about working as a cop – a Tin Man – in Central City, and how he always had a feeling that Zero would be a threat to his involvement in the Resistance. Though Wyatt would never say very much about Zero in general, Adora had been given the impression that perhaps the two had worked together at one point, that Zero had been a Tin Man, same as Wyatt. She couldn’t be sure, however, though after hearing years ago about how many Tin Men, royal advisors, and military leaders had left their positions to work with the dark sorceress Azkadellia, it seemed not too far-fetched. And if Adora’s theory was true, there was no doubt that bad blood had been between Wyatt and Zero from day one.

As for Jeb, he knew very little about the situation, though he was fully informed by his father about the Resistance fighters of the Guilds, and what they did and stood for. Adora would smile faintly as she’d see Jeb’s face light up at one of his father’s stories. He even had sworn that when he was old enough, he’d join the Resistance and fight side-by-side with his father against the Longcoats. Wyatt had simply smiled at Jeb and patted his head. Although he had never said it, Adora knew that Wyatt was proud for his son’s eager enthusiasm.

Adora tried her best not to cry thinking about her husband. She knew not what was to happen to him, and not knowing was what truly frightened her. Would he die, alone, in that suit, or would he be left to stay there for a lifetime? Adora had to bite down on her lip to keep herself from asking such questions.

The group continued onward until the twin suns began their descent towards the horizon, setting the sky aglow with their dying light. With sunset upon them, the Longcoats veered into a clearing surrounded by trees. The men dismounted their horses, tethering them to nearby tree trunks, and what few supplies they had brought with them were unloaded to make ready an overnight camp. Two Longcoats pulled Adora and Jeb from the cart, untying the rope from their wrists so that they could re-tie their hands behind their backs. Jeb protested, struggling, yelling at the Longcoat that held him to let him go, making it a bit difficult for the man to tie the young boy’s wrists again. Jeb’s fight was futile, though, as the man finally got his way, and Jeb was tossed to the ground beside his mother.

Adora, she didn’t say a single word. It was her choice. Earlier, when Zero had come to their home and had had his men drag the family outside, Adora had screamed and struggled, begging for the torture of her husband and son to stop, but that had only made the Longcoats hold on to her even tighter. That wasn’t to say that Adora was now a broken woman – Oh, no, she still had a brave fight left in her, and she’d rather die than succumb to any of these men’s wishes. And she knew that these were the types of men who loved nothing more than to see a woman fight back in hopeless desperation. But, no, Adora was not going to give them what they wanted. She was going to save her fire for when it really mattered, and right now was not one of those times.

After being thrown to the hard earth, Adora and Jeb then had their ankles tied to prevent them from escaping, and they were left there as the rest of the Longcoats started up a large fire and readied a quick meal for themselves. Adora’s stomach growled at the very thought of food, yet she tried her best to shake it off. She knew that Jeb was the one to be worried about.

“You okay, Jeb?” Adora asked her son gently, shifting onto her side to look at him. She knew that by now her once white dress was stained by soil, so there was no use bothering over it now. Her only qualm was that the dress’s short sleeves left her arms susceptible to the growing cold and the uncomfortable twigs and pine needles that littered the ground.

Jeb remained on his back, a pained look on his face. But it wasn’t a look of physical pain; it was from within. “I wish father was here,” he muttered, not even looking to his mother.

“I know, sweetie,” Adora whispered with a comforting look. If the severity of their situation hadn’t settled in by now, Adora knew eventually it would. It was so easy for her to think that all of this very well could just be a bad dream, but her gut told her it was not so. She wondered if that is what Jeb thought, too.

At this moment, it pained Adora to look upon her son and not be able to reach out a hand and stroke his hair, or bring him in close to hold him in a comforting embrace. She couldn’t do any of that, and it hurt her heart.

Day slowly slipped into night, and all Adora could do was lay where she was as she listened to the Longcoats speaking loudly and exuberantly with themselves over their bowls of food, sharing boasts, joking with each other, and ranting on about their personal lives and their goals and dreams – which, more often than not, was immediately shot down by another Longcoat who honestly didn’t give a damn about the other man’s life. And throughout all this boisterous babble, Adora not once heard Zero’s voice. Feeling a curiosity slip in, she slowly raised her head to look over at the group, and, sure enough, saw Zero sitting on a log by the campfire upon which one other man was seated. He simply remained focused on his food, silent, and pensive-looking. Adora didn’t know if he had sensed her looking at him or not, but his head turned, and his eyes landed on her for a split second. That second was enough to persuade Adora to lay her head back down, her heart racing with unknown fear. She shivered, but for all she knew that could have been just the chilliness of the night. Either way, his look unnerved her.

When the men had finally finished their food, things began to quiet down, for the most part. Adora said nothing, and neither did Jeb, and when Adora glanced over at her son, the boy was sound asleep. Pity she couldn’t do the same. She was feeling on-edge right now. She knew that she needed sleep – needed it – but with night now upon her, sleeping would no doubt leave her vulnerable to the desire of a lustful man. So, Adora stayed awake . . .

. . . For as long as she could.

It was right when she had finally allowed her eyes to close and her mind to drift off to happier memories when strong hands pulled Adora out of her rested state. They grabbed her bare arms and yanked her up onto her feet, and she could tell that there were three men. One man covered her mouth with his hand from behind while the others dragged her a small ways away from the camp. Adora’s heart was pounding, and she tried to scream, but the man’s hand prevented it. She pivoted her body, trying to break free of their holds. Again, it was useless.

“So, what do you think we should do to her first?” a Longcoat asked with a grin, looking to the two other men.

“Take your pick,” one with a deep voice joked. “We have all night.”

“Yeah, but be careful!” the third piped-in. “This one has fire in her eyes!”

Just as that man said that, Adora slammed her head backwards, her skull nailing the man behind her in the nose. He cursed, his hand flying from her mouth, and in a split second, Adora was free. Breathing hard and not looking back, she made a dash back towards the camp, her steps thwarted by the rope that was tied around her ankles, wanting to get as far away from the empty wilderness as she could. She also could not abandon Jeb.

But then, one of the men caught up to her, and he pulled her back with a swift yank of her long hair, and she cried out, once more finding herself back in their clutches.

“Goddamn b***h!” the man who now had a bleeding nose swore in a nasally tone. “You’re going to pay for that!”

Adora braced herself for a hit, but it never came. Nothing did. She looked about, and realized that the men’s gazes were locked on something other than her. There was fear in their eyes.

“C-Captain,” one of the men stuttered.

Adora whipped her head in the direction the men were looking, and she did not know whether to feel relieved or terrified.

It was Zero.

“Captain, we were just . . .”

Zero stepped forward into the moonlight. He must have had been preparing for sleep, for he no longer wore his armor or his leather trenchcoat. He approached the men, and when he was a few feet in front of them, stopped, folding his arms across his chest and fixing each man with a look that would make a lesser man soil himself.

The man with the injured nose stepped forward, holding back the blood with his hand. “She was trying to escape, sir,” he began. “We were just—“

“I don’t want to hear a word of it, you lying s**t,” Zero suddenly snapped, his voice sharp and merciless. “If I catch one of you trying to screw with this woman again, don’t think I won’t hesitate to have you court-martialed!”

All three men swallowed hard. When Zero said it, “court-martialed” almost always meant a quick and brutal death.

“Now . . .” Zero’s gaze hardened. “Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!” all three men said in nervous unison. Zero then came in close, tugging Adora away from the Longcoats with a simple pull on her left arm. Adora flinched. His hand was like ice on her bare skin.

“Now get out of my sight,” Zero barked.

Without objection, the three Longcoats rushed back to camp, one of them cursing about his nose, now claiming it was broken. When they had gone out of sight, Zero looked to Adora. His expression was quizzical. “What?” he asked with a slight smirk. “You didn’t honestly think I’d let them take advantage of you, did you?”

Adora swallowed, uncomfortable with how close she was to him right now. His grip on her arm hurt her.

Zero’s smirk widened into something much more disturbing. “But don’t worry, Miss Cain . . . I’ll be saving you for later.”

At this, Adora suddenly felt sick. All Zero had done was simply save her from being taken advantage of by the other Longcoats so he could have her for his own twisted motives. That’s how Adora saw his intervention, and she now wished he had never interfered at all. Her skin crawled at the very thought of being victim to this man.

Adora could barely even walk as Zero led her back to the camp, the thought of pulling away from him always at the front of her mind. But she couldn’t. She had seen how easily the Longcoats had caught up to her when she tried to make a break with tied ankles. It was futile.

To Adora’s surprise and relief upon returning to the camp, Zero took her back to her son where he shoved her down, and she hit the ground with a groan. She was almost happy to see that Jeb was still, miraculously, asleep. She flashed a look up at Zero, and he merely smiled before walking away.

Alone again, Adora buried her face in the dirt in frustration and fear. If only she could do something, she and Jeb could get away from here, from the Longcoats, from Zero, before their fate was finally revealed to them in full. She did not want to know what lay in store for them, what kind of horrors they might be faced with. And, most of all, she did not want to know what Zero was going to do to her, or when. That fear stood out among all the others. She’d rather have Zero kill her than live to know what he had planned.

Adora could not sleep that night. She told herself that she had to stay awake this night, and she did.