~Burdon~

My back was on fire, or at least it felt that way. I was suspended by the chains on the ceiling. This brought back painful memories from the time when Tenter tortured me and everyone on Alaëa Island. I resisted Jazer with all that I had. Everything hurt, but the thing that will be most painful will be to see Ava get hurt. But Jazer wasted no time and went straight to torturing me when he figured he couldn't break into my mind. I heard someone come in, it was Jazer. Jazer was inspecting me. Once he was done inspecting me, he said, "If someone came here and I tortured them to have the same wounds that you have right now, they would have given in. So why haven't you given in?"
I would've shrugged if I could, but I couldn't. Jazer punched me in the gut, when I didn't answer. Wind taken from me, I couldn't speak.
"Why are you Pak Islanders so stubborn? How are you and your father the only ones who are resisting me?" demanded Jazer.
I still said nothing, which earned me a punch to the gut.
"Answer me when I'm talking to you!" Another punch to the gut when I said nothing. "I will break you, eventually," snarled Jazer and he left.
A punch to the stomach was nothing compare to the pain in my back. Sometime Jazer came back and had someone whip me again, every time I wouldn't speak I was whipped. I fell into some sort of a trance, where I was aware of things, but not really aware of things. I hadn't eaten, or had any water, in a very long time-presumably to break me faster.
I wonder if Ava is okay. I fell asleep right then.
When I woke, I was lying on my stomach, on a bed. Someone was placing wet strips of bandages on my back. That person touched a soft spot and I groaned. "Sorry," I heard, surprisingly, Ava say.
"Ava," I said, gesturing her to come where I could see her. I saw her sitting at the edge of the bed in front of me. "Are you hurt?" I asked, concerned.
Ava smiled, looking amused but sad at the same time. "You males always care more about us females, and our welfare, even if you are... well like you are right now. It's funny rather funny, and no I'm not hurt."
"Good," I said.
Ava went back to putting more wet bandages on my back and rewetting the bandages. I just laid there for a long time; it was actually quite relaxing for once. "Done," said Ava, after a while, and when she was done.
I noticed Valln standing in the doorway. Valln started walking towards them, and he sat down in a chair that was right next to the bed. For a while no one said anything, then Valln started speaking. "So, Ava told me that you were strong and stubborn," said Valln, talking to me, obviously.
"I am, and I'm good at figuring things out," I said.
"Like what?" asked Valln.
"Like how you pretend to be a young man named Xero. I knew that was you, I'm not stupid."
"You knew about that?" asked Valln, surprised.
"Yes, I'm not stupid."
"Then how come you didn't rat me out to the Varden?" asked Valln, confused.
I mumbled a 'I don't know.'
"You Pak Islanders are the strangest people I ever met."
"That because we like to be the strangest people you ever met," I said, before a surge of pain rushed through me, and I groaned.
"That is what the worse part about being tortured by King Jazer: he uses weapons that give more pain, even after you been beaten."
"I figured," I said.
Valln stood up and left the room after that.

∞

When my wounds were some what healed, Jazer put me back in chains and started whipping, and whatever he thought of, he did to me. I went in and out consciousness multiple times. I still resisted Jazer, and Jazer still tortured me. Every few weeks Jazer would feed me and give me something to drink, presumably to make sure that I wouldn't die of starvation or something. The longer I resisted, the much worse the beatings were. Every so often, Jazer would threatened me that he would make sure that I would hear the screams of Ava, of my uncle, or my cousin, from here. Months, weeks, days, blended together; it's got to be more than a month or so. I was so tired of fighting, but I wouldn't stop now-I have people counting on me.
I heard someone come in, it was one of the servants. The servant unchained me and helped wash off the blood off of my face. I was, then, given a shirt to wear. The servant helped me stand up, and helped me walked. The servant walked me all the to the dinning room.
Jazer is inside the dinning room alone-besides the servants-sitting at the dinning tabe. The servant had me sit down at the dinning table near Jazer. For some reason Jazer had one of the servants give me a plate piled with food. I ate, cautiously incase the food was poison or drugged-I could smell it if it was-and I drank the water too.
Once I finished eating, Jazer asked, "Did you like the meal?" I grunted in response. "Did you know that if you submit to me you will eat like this every meal, and it will end your suffering?"
I snorted. Jazer glared at me when I snorted, I really couldn't care less about how much he glared at me.
"There's a thing called respect, boy," snapped Jazer.
"There's a thing called compassion, you should try it, people will like you better," I shot back.
"Where does compassion get you?"
"Just about everywhere."
"Hmm," said Jazer, standing up, and walked away from the dinning table. Jazer looked like he was pacing. "Want to know why I am the way I am?"
I shrugged then winced because I stretched a trying to close wound.
"I am this way because..." broke off Jazer, wanting me to finish the sentence.
"You have a thirst for power that will never be quench, and it clouds your judgement."
Jazer came over, and slapped me-hard-for that one.
"No, because most people learn when they are in pain, unless you come from Pak Island," said Jazer, saying the name 'Pak Island' with disgust.
"That's not always true, a lot of people learn more through kindness."
"That's not how I see it."
"That's how it is."
"Do you think I'm evil?" asked Jazer.
I looked at Jazer as is asked something so obvious, which he had.
"Well?"
"Well, I thought it was obvious. You whipped, beaten and tortured me. Doesn't that make it obvious what I think of you?"
"Hmm." Then Jazer turn to the servant, ordering, "Take the dragonrider back to his cell, and chain him up real good." A servant came up to me, helped me stand up, and walk back to my cell. I didn't resist the servant when she helped me stand up and walk.
Once I got back to my cell, the servant put the chains-that are hanging from the ceiling-on my wrists, and made sure that they are secured. After the chains were secured the servant left.

∞

Someone later, a man came into my cell-it's not Jazer as I suspected-it was a man I didn't know. He wore a masked-and the man smelled strange. The man had rope in his hand. The man unlocked my chains by using a key. The man helped me walk by taking most of my weight. No one question us, mostly, because I was bound up. We walked out of the palace and still no one question us. The man lead me through the forest surrounding the palace. I saw that there was a hidden cottage where the man was taking me. The man made me go inside the cottage. It was a nice little cottage. There wasn't a lot of stuff inside of the cottage.
People that were in the cottages were the most surprising it was Ava, his uncle and his cousin, they were all asleep. "Who are you?" I asked.
When the man took off his mask, it was not a man at all, but a woman. "Hi," said the Woman.
"Hi, who are you?" I asked, again.
The Woman shrugged, brushing off the question. "Wait for everyone to wake up, then I'll answer that question." I groaned.
The Woman helped clean my wounds while they were waiting for everyone to wait up. "Who else is here?" I questioned.
"Your father, your half-brother, your other half-brother, and your half-Lyare friend." "Really?!"
"Yes, by the way someone here wants to talk to you."
"Who?"
"Come and find out," said the Woman, leading me somewhere. Down a few halls, some twists and turns later, we came to a door. Inside was a man-unmasked-and he was sitting in a chair at a desk. The man gesture me to sit in the chair across from him. The Woman had already left. As soon as I sat down, the man took ahold of my wrist, and pricked my finger before I knew what was happening. The man swiped my finger on a clear piece of glass, my blood smeared the glass. The man studied it.
"Hmm. Interesting," muttered the man.
"Who are you?"
"Elfon," said Elfon, without looking up.

∞

Elfon tells me about many things for over an hour or two. I stood up, already turning around to leave when he inquired, saying, "Why are you leaving? I know many things, and don't you want to know about your mother?"
I stopped right where I was. I slightly turned around. "You know my mother?"
"Indeed I did, I knew her very well."
"How did you know my mother?" Elfon didn't answer me. "How do you know my mother?" I demanded, louder, slamming my hands down onto his desk.
"No need to raise your voice, boy." Elfon's face was emotionless.
"Boy?! No calls me boy expect my father!"
"I know," said Elfon, calmly. "Sit." Making a gesturing to the seat in front of him. I still stood where I was. Elfon sighed. "You are stubborn as they say you are, maybe even more."
"Just tell me how you know my mother," I snapped, temper was rising again. Didn't he know not to get a Werewolves of Anjustlia angry? Then again, he must not of known that I'm a werewolf.
"I was your mother close friend."
"That's it?! You were my mother close friend?" My temper rising and voice raising. "Peace."
"Peace? Tell me who you are!" I ordered.
"I'm Elfon," responded Elfon, as if it was obvious.
"I know that! Just tell me how you came to know my mother!"
"Fine, if it's answers you want, it's answers you'll get. I knew your mother because I'm her great-grandfather."
My eyes widen in shock. I did not expect him to say that. "My mother's great-grandfather? That means you're my great-great-grandfather!" I exclaimed, in shock.
"Yes. That's what it means."
"Then how are you still alive and look only fifty years old?" I asked, suspicious.
"Because I'm a elf," replied Elfon, ever so casually.
"You're a elf?!"
"Yes."
"But my mother is a human. How can you be a elf?"
"I mated with a human and the elf blood didn't really past on. But my descendants still have traces of elf blood in them," explained Elfon.
"Does that mean I have...."
"Yes, you have elf blood in you."
I traced my finger down my ear. "But I don't have pointed ears."
"You have a little bit of elf blood in you. You're not completely a elf. Probably just part elf-if that."
"Oh."
"Yes, it's shocking I know." A pause. "There's something I wanted to tell you."
"What?" I asked. What else is there that people aren't telling me.
"There's a legend about a werewolf who's father is the king of the Werewolves of Anjustlia and the mother is a... well that part of the writing wasn't clear, and has elf blood. We found a name, well actually part of a name, which was Burd...."
"So you think it might be me?" I inquired.
"Yes," said Elfon, without hesitation.
"Wait. You said 'we,' so who's 'we?!'" I demanded.
"Well, there were a lot of people there that found it." When he spoke his heartbeat went up, which meant he was lying.
"You're lying!"
"About what?"
"Who's 'we?'"
Something sharp was prodded in my back a second later. I went still as stone. "Hands on the back of your head," commanded a man's voice. I put my hands on the back of my head. I just glare at Elfon, like I was saying 'traitor' to him, which I was.
"Don't worry everything is going to be all right, Aeri," said Elfon, having enough courage to place his hand on my shoulder.
"Define all right," I snapped.
"Come on, let's go."
"So everything you told me was a lie?"
"No, not everything was a lie."
"Like what?" I challenged. They forced me to walk to wherever they wanted me to go. "Like the part where I'm your mother's great grandfather."
"Then why do you let these men hold me?" I demanded, angrily.
"Oh, we got one with some spirit," mocked one of the men.
"Because we are interested in what you can do."
I started to growl at Elfon.
"Whoa, he must be getting pretty angry," mocked another man.
"Here we are," announced Elfon, in front of a door.
I struggling to get away from them, I almost got away, but one of the men put a needle in my leg and I started to feel sleepy, and I immediately feel unconscious.
I wake up in a room, and I am chained up. Elfon, and the men who captured me, are there. After a hour someone comes in, it's the Woman. She looked completely shocked and angry that I was there.
"Elfon, when I said you could talk to him, I didn't mean you could experiment on him! Let him down now!" ordered the Woman. Surprisingly, Elfon and the men listen to her and let me down. She grabbed my arm, and led me out the door, back to where everyone was.
Everyone was awake and sitting on a chair. I sat down in one of the chairs.
The Woman was the only one standing. "Does anyone know who I am?" asked the Woman.
No one raised their hand.
"Do I look familiar to anyone, even a little bit?"
Everyone but Ava, Burden and Ryderr raised their hands-including me.
"There's a reason for that."
"And the reason is?" questioned my Father.
The Woman stood before Father. "Look me in the eyes."
Father stared at her, hard, then he gasped. "It can't be," muttered Father, to no one really.
Turning to Breg now, he looked her, and he drew a sharp breath. Jev's turn came, and he looked her really hard, and his mouth dropped. Malhaw's turn came to looked at her, and he kinda gave a little hiss of a breath. The Woman came before me and I looked at her really hard, but I still didn't know who she was.
The Woman in front of me looked disappointed and sad at the same time. Which I guess they go hand in hand. "Don't know who I am, but I look familiar to you? That's understandable since you were young when I left."
A faint memory sparked in the back of my mind. And a suspicion. "Was I four when you left?"
"Yes," said the Woman.
"Can you tell me who you are? I think I know who you are, but I don't know if I'm correct. Please say your name, so I can see if I am correct or not."
"My name is Starla," said Starla.
Starla.
"Starla...star...la, isn't that my mother's name?" I asked. Everyone who knew Starla nodded. "But..."
"Aeri, come here and give me a hug," said Starla-also known as my mother-with her hands outstretched. I stood up and gave my Mother a hug. It was awkward. And one-by-one she gave everyone a hug-well everyone that knew her.
When everyone sat back down my Mother asked, "Anyone wants to know how I survived the fire?" Everyone nodded-even the people who didn't know my Mother before. "I was trapped inside, but there was a trap door, and I opened it before the fire got too big. I hid there until the fire died down." Everyone went "Ah," and we nod our heads.
I never have been so shocked in my life ever. My mother, who I thought-who everyone thought-was dead, was actually alive. I never met my mother before-well I have met her, but I don't remember her-and I finally get to meet my mother. I didn't have a mother growing up in Alaëa Island-the closest thing I had to a mother was my nursemaid-and now she's standing right in front of me, alive.
Alive, my mother is alive!
We all kept on talking and talking. While they did I spaced out.
All werewolves of Anjustlia has the ability to space out, but still hear, see and remember things, even when we're asleep. Well, sometimes on the sleep one-and and we think about random things. They were definitely random thoughts, trust me. They were really random thoughts. They went from I wonder what's for dinner-I'm starving-to my Mother, to wondering how's the Varden doing right now, to my Mother, to something totally random, and back to my Mother.
I noticed that my Father pulled my Mother aside, and out of eavesdropping where we can't hear them speak-not even Malhaw could hear them. They seemed to be talking about something important, and something they want to keep private-obviously-or they wouldn't have walked away from the group. After a while they stopped talking.
What were they talking about? I wondered. My Father sat down next to me. "What were you talking about?" I questioned.
My Father turned towards me. "If we wanted to tell you, or have you know what we were talking about, we would have told you. If we didn't, don't asked us, capiche?" I nodded. "Good," said my father, standing up.
We had dinner later on, and did a bunch of other stuff, than we went to sleep. I was so tired that I went to sleep right away.

-
Question(s) of the chapter:
What languages do you guys(and gals) speak? Use that amazing thing called a finger and write what language(s) you speak(if you want you can do one in your language and one in English, so I can understand you. English is my first language. I speak a bit of Spanish, some Italian, and Japanese(all are common phases).

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