Tales of Dominion Episode 1

Disco Man and Panzer Boy Adventures

Tales of Dominion Episode 1

“Foundation” By:Eroyan Barmy

The winter cold bit at her through what remained of her clothing. She wrapped the rags of her dress as tight as she could about her body but still shivered as the wing whipped around her. Her feet were almost frozen as long ago her shoes had been soaked through as she had to fight her way through snow drifts.

They had cast her out of her home and the small colony for her beliefs. Cast her out into the winter and snow for her thoughts and wiliness to voice them. She didn’t think that women had to live beneath anyone. That they couldn’t make their own choices or even choose for others, she had stood up and spoke against the leadership for their rules to hold women down. She was exiled for it.

The fear they held on the other women left her alone, there was pity in many of the men she had known in the colony but they were too weak to stand with her or to afraid as well. She had been stripped of property, wealth, and title. But she held her head high as she walked away from them. She would never return would not come back begging to be taken back and begging that she would behave as they wanted her to. She would walk away till she died first before she gave them the satisfaction.

She had walked till she could not feel anymore then continued on. She felt each scratch and scrap of the wild on her flesh. She gasped at each chilled breath she had to take. Her body would not stop shivering and the winter cold was a merciless Mistress. Soon she thought I will lie down and die let it take me. The night was coming it would be the end of her.

Miles from where she started she came to the great river and turned toward the line of low hills nearby. She remembered in the spring how they are covered with wild flowers, how she had come here and met some of her secret boys now and then. To play and enjoy each other, it was here she thought that her bones should lie. At least this place never failed her even if the weakness of her boys at the colony did.

Stumbling over the hill top the day had finally released its hold and gave way to night when she reached the hills. She could barely walk for the shivering of her body and in a small dip in the hills she collapsed in a place where the wind couldn’t reach here. But it howled just over her head in fury at not being able to continue its torture upon her. She struggled to rise but the snow was so warm so inviting. Sleep it whispered to her and she knew it was death that spoke. Sleep it said and she knew she shouldn’t but maybe a moment just for a while. Sleep it purred and her eyes closed.

She awoke….was she dead? Her eyes focused on a log roof. Looking around slowly she could hear the howl of the winter wind muffled by strong walls of a wildness cabin. A fire burned bright and warm near her and she was in a sturdy bed covered in blankets and furs. Her dress hung from a peg near the fire long dried out. She tried to move but only groaned as her body told her its weakness. Her hands and feet were wrapped in cloth but someone had dressed all her wounds tenderly.

She heard the crunch of snow and not knowing what to do, one of those rare times she didn’t she closed her eyes and waited. The door banged open and there was a muffled curse that came from the creature that entered. It appeared to be a person wrapped head to toe in fur clothing and a huge armful of wood in its arms. As quickly as it could it hurried in and dropped the wood and shut the door to keep out the winter howling in.

She kept her breathing steady and did her best to just watch as this person put a few more logs on the fire and then slowly unwrapped itself. It was a man, a wild man. His hair was long and un-kept. Beard was full and there were twigs in it as well as leaves. She could tell under the leather clothing that he was broad and large; the hard living of the wildness had hardened his body.

She watched him go about making a broth of some sort and putting some in a bowl he finally turned toward her. Strangely he bowed to the bed and then came closer. Settling in a chair by her bed he had begun to speak to her as if she was awake. Just talking about how cold the winter was and the rabbit that had scared him to death as he was gathering firewood. He was blowing across the hot broth and she could smell how good it was and did her best to fight her stomachs desire to growl loudly. His laughter was a booming heart filled laugh at himself over the rabbit as he cooled the broth a bit. He continued to speak of everyday things till finally he took a spoon full and carefully ever so carefully brought it to her lips.

He spoke softly and hopefully that she must eat. She couldn’t tell because her eyes were still mostly closed but in his voice she could hear the hint of desperation the hint that he had sat here before doing this hoping she would wake and eat. How long had she been asleep she wondered now. His voice urged her to eat almost begging that she must eat it had been to long already she had not had anything.

She waited and waited not sure what to do. He sat there urging and praying that she would eat. It had to have been several minutes he held that spoon just waiting. She was just about to eat when he put the spoon back in the broth and she thought that’s it he has given up. But no he simply got another spoon full of warm broth this time and held it again to her lips and continued trying to get her to eat. She opened her eye slowly and looked at him fully. He hadn’t noticed he was weeping and speaking of thing he should have done. Got to her sooner should have told her he loved her from the first moment she saw her. That he had been afraid she would not care for a wild man especially with her grace and stature.

Slowly she took the broth into her mouth as she watched him and drank it down. It was wonderful not just the fact she was hungry but the taste was heavenly. She licked her lips gently and looked at him. He had finally noticed. His eye lit up like stars and he laughed again that wonderful booming laugh again as tears flowed freely down his cheeks in joy.

She couldn’t help but smile and thou she had not found her voice yet she nodded when he asked if she wanted more. He fed her till she could not eat anymore and told her how he found her and brought her to his cabin two days ago. How she needed to keep her hands and feet wrapped in the cloth till they were healed from the kiss of winter.

She listened to all this and nodded and did her best to speak back to him but her voice was just not there. She still had to heal but she knew she was safe. He spoke of hunting tomorrow to get a few skins to make her winter garb for her dress was defiantly not something to wear outside around here. Listened as he said she should get some rest and he would be here if she needed anything.

She watched as he cleaned up and then carefully as if a Goddess was in his cabin he tiptoed and lay down on the floor. It was then she realized that this man had given her his own bed made sacrifices that no boy or man she had known in the colony would make for her, even if she had not been exiled. She watched him for a long moment till his breathing became even. Felt her own eyes grow heavy at the warmth of the bed and the fullness of having eaten.

Before she let safe and comfortable sleep envelope her she smiled at the wild man her rescuer and though there is a man of worth. Perhaps here is a good foundation to live again. She drifted to sleep soon after hoping her body would catch up with her mind to live again. She wanted to tell this man her name and learn his. She thought about the colony for only a moment. They may have cast out Lady Dominion from her home and thought they had taken all from her. How wrong they were.