literature

'Judith'-Part One

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The stale atmosphere filled itself in her nostrils as Cass trudged her way through the Fort. A quivering breath escaped her lips as she tasted the surrounding air: dry, bitter, coppery. Sweat and blood collided with the shouts of soldiers and the weak, dying prayers of those who had sinned against the empire as the worn boots on her feet kicked the loose dust and gravel on the godforsaken soil. Her actions to defer the Courier by digging her heels into the ground, or stopping movement altogether, were met with his replies of shoving and pinches to her neck. Angry grunts and cursing from the man behind her provided more than enough encouragement to finish the trip. It all came too soon as a slight wave of panic flowed through Cass when she came at the entrance of Caesar's tent. She made one last attempt to delay the inevitable, sinking her heels in the dirt and making her movements rigid. The reponse was the same as it had been before; with a violent push between her shoulderblades, Cass stumbled her way past the tattered material of the tent.

In the moments she did, she also kissed her final gimpse of freedom goodbye.

Cass had wished at times that she had been born with more grace as she took the fall without it, causing dust to jump in her wake. The small, hidden stones scraped along her arms and legs, causing her to grit her teeth. A wince threatened to creep on her features, but she had mustered enough pride to supress it. Her time on the ground was short lived as a hand tangled itself in her knotted locks and gave a sharp tug. The grimance found itself on her face, but she was only lifted to a squatting position. The Courier's jerks were sharp and strong, but Cass's obstinacy proved to be even stronger; despite the sharp pulling and constant pinches, he was only able to pull Cass to her knees. She had heard him mutter something along the lines of "stubborn drunk", but she wasn't quite sure. The sound of her heart pounding in her head drowned out any other noises. Tired and weary, her gaze lingered on the ground. She heard the Courier's voice introduce her, along with Veronica and Arcade.

Arcade and Veronica; Cass had almost forgotten about them, remembering that he had taken the pair along with him. Her eyes flicked over to catch a glimpse of Veronica, only to see that she had been imitating much the same actions. The expression on her face was much more worried, signs of laboured breathing and a cold sweat breaking out on her skin. Arcade's feet were only visible to Cass's field of vision, but she was certian that he was just as happy as the rest of them. The lengthy spiel with the Courier had ended, and Caesar's voice overtook the tent.

"For what reason do you dare interrupt me? Your reasonings better be worthy of my time," she heard Caesar growl, causing a small snarl to curl on her lips. The Courier's hand was still in Cass's hair, and gave a sharp wrench to lift her face up. Her eyes locked onto Caesar's, whose expression read indifferent, almost irritated emotions. A growl escaped from Cass's throat, causing the Courier to give another harsh tug.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do somethin' good with her," he said, running his fingers gingerly across her cheek. The contact was greeted with another growl.

The Courier let out a fiendish laugh in her ear. "She's a booze whore, basically, but she can really give one hell of a punch. 'Sides, if you don't want 'er, there's always crucifixtion."

Caesar let out a haughty scoff as he turned his gaze away from her. "What about him? What use would be have to me, besides breathing my air?" He glanced another look at Cass and scowled. "And taking up my space?"

"Oh, you won't regret havin' him around. This guy's pretty much a genius. Bet he can help ya talk 'bout a lotta smart stuff, like tactics or somethin'."

Cass frowned and glowered. The Courier was never very persuasive in terms of negotiations and deals, mostly due to his lack of intelligence and proper speech. Caesar seemed to have lost interest by then, judging by his expression.

"And what about her? What use would she possibly be to me?" he asked, lines forming on his face from what Cass could rule out as impatience. Her eyes darted to look at Veronica, seeing her breath hitch to a stop. She saw Veronica bite her lip in anxiety, and watched as her silent pleas for saftey fell on deaf ears.

"She'd be perfect for th' home, ya know? Cleanin', cookin', probably good with kids, too."

Cass's concern for Veronica was interrupted by Caesar clearing his throat noisily, enhancing his overcontemptuousness.

"Fine, I'll take them." He nodded to his men. "Take the younger girl away to another camp. Two of them already take up too much of my space. Then place the remaining two to their respective places. Just get them out of here, they're disgraceful." He let a theatrical wave of his hand dismiss the conversation.

The Courier's hand was gone now, but two pairs of strong arms held in its wake and pulled Cass to a stanf. Her temper flared as she squirmed aggressively in their grip. She was going to make this as hard as possible for the two of them.

"Fuck you," she snapped, hurling her body towards the man who had sold her. You worthless piece of shit. Hope you get what you fucking deserve." Her squirming was held steady by considerable force, and she soon was tired out. Despite her fatigue, she still managed to make complications worse until her throwing into the pen where the other females were kept. The click of the lock caused Cass to grip onto the barbed cage, feeling the rusted metal pierce her skin. Other occupants of the cage stared at her useless actions, knowing all too well what little it would get her. After her small fit was over, a gentle tap on her shoulder caused Cass to look over. It was a young woman, around twenty five, giving her a sad, apologetic look.

"This must be your first time here," she said, her voice somber in tone. The next words spoken caused a small shiver to run down Cass's spine.

"Welcome to your personal Hell."
So, this is my attempt at writing a long-winded story. It's going to revolve around Cass's time as a Legion slave from her view. I've been hesitating to post this, primarily for the fear of it not being good enough, that it'd just make people irritated. Characterisation and the whole line of "keep them in character" is always a constant concern for me. I've already rewritten this three times, and I still hold the belief that this won't meet the expectations of everyone reading it. I'll most likely re-write this, but at the current time, with finals and the last bit of school wrapping up, this will have to suffice for now. All in all, I guess I have to say that I hope that you find it decent enough, even if the mediocrity makes you uneasy. I hope to get better as I go along. Enjoy, I suppose.
© 2011 - 2024 Zoom-A-Lark
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sarraklok's avatar
Zoom, so far this is in amazing character. I think we're our own worst critics. I'm loving this immensely and can't wait to see more. If it's 'not good enough', blow those comments off. No one can write something which will appeal to everyone - nor should that be the case, else it'd be a cookie cutter world. I understand not wanting to kill canon, fully. Just let it flow and it'll be just fine. :)

It's full of heart gripping unease, I felt for Cass, and gasped when it was revealed the Courier also had Arcade and Veronica as well. Makes me wonder what's going to happen now to them all. I'm in this for the ride, definitely. :) You'll do just fine. Nothing mediocre what so ever.