Tranquility vanished. I stirred, opening my eyes to a strange and unknown place. The sun blinded me, blurring my vision. I grumbled, rolling with a wince. Sitting upward, a large scratch on my arm staunched over. My shoulders groaned as I stretched. I placed my hand below me, feeling water. I was in a river.

Looking upward, the sky was null of clouds, but lucent and blue like a dream. I grinned, content, until the contentment was replaced by bewilderment. I looked around, there was sand on both shores and two ways to go. Trees hung on either side, swaying.

My thoughts were interrupted by the unseen call of a bird. The stream babbled as trees rustled, creating together a song of nature.

I stood, stones pressing into my feet and raised a brow. My feet were still dirty, despite having them in the water, caked with muck and what looked like blood. On my body was an unflattering brown tattered dress. I wrinkled my nose, appalled by the attire.

As I lingered, my back tingled and so did the hairs of my neck. Sweat beaded from my brow and I realized... I was not alone.

A chilly breeze brushed the back of my skull then was replaced with warm breath hammering the back of my neck.

"Turn around," a harsh voice said in a different tongue. Despite this, I was able to comprehend it.

I obeyed the voice, scared of what was pressed to the back of my head. Turning, I met eyes with a dark-skinned man with long, black hair braided down to his muscular torso. His eyes were just as black as his hair. He held onto a spear, holding a snarl. I continued to look him over, noticing an inked tattoo on his calf, because of the way he was positioned, I wasn't able to see what it was.

"Intruder," he hissed.

The words I wished to say stayed dormant and wedged into my throat.

"You are stepping on sacred land," he spat, jabbing the spear toward my nose. "And those who do so, pay a mighty price."

My eyes hardened, not daring to let go of his. I didn't know what the man meant. "I am not an intruder," I voiced. Just in case I was intruding, I added, "I am just passing by." My voice was raspy and jarring, something I was not expecting to hear.

He kept his grasp on the spear and stared at me as if I'd lost touch with reality.

"I will just be on my way," I whispered, trying to step away, but he jabbed the spear once more.

"You aren't going anywhere."

I knelt, ready to flee. He drew back and swung the spear. I swerved around it and dashed down the river. My feet stung and slipped as I ran. Even if I fell, I knew the only thing that mattered at the time was staying alive.

The splash under my feet kept me moving. My stomach churned, and I thought he could still be there behind me. My lungs burned as my legs continued. I stopped a distance away from where I met the man, trying to catch my breath, and turned around fast, making sure I wasn't followed.

There was no one in sight.

My throat numbed as I breathed laboriously, sighing in relief in between each breath. My knees collapsed, but I was able to catch myself before I toppled. Despite my weariness, I was determined to discover who I was and where I was.

A braided, long object coiled around my legs, dragging me to the river floor. I screamed, falling hard, and landed on my side. Pain bloomed as I met the onyx eyes of the man once more. He was holding a rope in his hand, sporting a wicked smile. I clawed my way through the water, fighting the restraint on my legs.

It was either fight or flight, and I lacked the strength to fight. He yanked on the rope hard and dragged me toward him. As my arms skimmed the jagged rocks, I winced. He placed his hands on my calf and tugged me closer.

He leaned down, attempting to use the other side of the rope to tie my wrists, but I flailed, not making it easy. "Hold still," he muttered. "Vile woman."

The rope herded my wrists together. He pulled tight, making a knot. It was impossible to move with the rope on my calf and my wrists. I was caught like an animal. A yelp escaped as he flipped me over on my stomach, forcing his foot to my back. I groaned, unsure of how he managed to find me. It was obvious he was a hunter of some kind; watching, listening. He was most likely nearby the entire time perhaps in the trees beyond the shoreline.

"I may die," I whispered into the water, face inches away. "I think I may die."

The man leaned down. The pressure of his foot increased, pressing against my spine. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Tears welled in my eyes. If I knew, I would tell him. I did not want to feel the pain I was in so I said what I could. "I told you I am not an intruder."

"You look like a filthy Kaijan," he spat. "A damned enemy of Udan."

"I am not an intruder!" I howled. "Just passing by!"

Silence passed through us like a waiting storm. The man said nothing in return. I hoped he could understand me like I could understand him. My eyes widened in hope as the pressure was released from my back. The man stood in front of me, staring down. He helped me to my feet. The rope pulled on my wrists and calf as I tried to situate myself in the strange position. My knee jetted into the air, my hands bound to my leg. I stared up at him, hoping he would see the pain and confusion, but in his irises was vengeance I could not understand.

"Please, let me go," I whispered. "Please."

His fingers moved between us, falling onto my binds. They wove between the knots of the rope. My heart lurched as I waited for freedom, but it never came. He used his other hand, pushing me to the riverbed. The rope on my wrists lacerated into my flesh. I screeched, the tears escaping.

"Stop!" I begged. "Please!"

He released his grip on my binds, and my hands fell into the water. I observed the water tainted with a deluge of my blood. The red brushed the water like paint. My lip trembled as I looked up to the cruel stranger.

"Who are you!" he screamed, his face stony. His fingers threaded in my hair, pulling the ivory locks. He yanked hard, causing my skull to pound. "I demand to know who you are!"

I didn't know what he would do when he learned I didn't know, but it seemed like the only thing I could do in order to keep my life."I don't know," I whimpered, but the words did not sound like words. "I don't know."

"Tell me!"

As I forced the words out, defeat and sorrow seized me. "I-"

"Jonga!" another male voice sounded from behind.

I looked behind the cruel man called Jonga, noticing the voice caught his attention as well. The water waded as he met it. His complexion was not as dark as the hunter's, but golden like the sun. He bore a kind smile and brown eyes. My heart leapt, and I hoped he would be my savior.

"Beating up little girls again?" he teased with a chuckle, reaching us.

I stared at him, pleading for help with my eyes.

"She's hurt," he said, evaluating my injuries. "We should care for those injuries instead of inflicting more of them."

"She is a Kaijan!" Jonga roared.

The newcomer retaliated. "She is in desperate need of aid."

Jonga rolled his eyes, releasing me. I fell to the water once more, wincing as more tears came. My scalp burned and Jonga's fingers felt like they were still entangled in my hair. Jonga stepped back, and the newcomer stepped in, kneeling to my level.

"Hey, hey," he cooed. "It's going to be all right."

From all of the pain and humiliation I wasn't sure if I could trust him.

He set a hand on my shoulder, helping me sit upright. He undid the binds on my wrists and calf, holding them in his hand. "Are you lost?"

I listened to his words and knew he was speaking the same language as the other man, Jonga.

"I am."

"You can understand me..." he said in awe, shaking his head. "What is your name?"

"I don't know," I admitted openly.

He nodded, standing. It didn't seem to bother him as much that I couldn't remember. "Come with us to Udan," he offered. "We can help you."

The name stirred familiarity but disappeared quickly.

"Udan?"

"A kingdom beyond those trees," he said, gesturing to the woods behind him. "You'll be safe."

Everything inside of me was yelling, telling me to run and hide. The blood in my veins boiled as I stared at the man. I stepped back, trying not to break eye contact. I couldn't go with this man. With my luck he would hurt me like the other.

"Please," he whispered. "Don't run. Let me save you."

I didn't need to be saved.

I bit my bottom lip, taking another step back. As I pivoted, the newcomer's arms wrapped around my waist before I could take another step, he pulled me into his chest. I looked upward at his face, smelling the pine on his person.

He was warm. His long, ebony hair fell to his shoulders, touching my cheek. My body set aflame as our skin melded. Together, one, the same. But the growing frustration and anger from the assault was driving my fingers to fasten.

I moved my fingers, trapping and suffocating them. My brows furrowed as I pushed against him, falling into the river once more. He stood tall and sturdy like a tree. The spark kindled had disappeared.

"I am not a damsel," I spat. "I do not need to be saved."

I breathed in heavy, standing on my feet once more. He stared at me, not replying. The frustration festered into anger. My hands curled into fists and I stepped forward, striking him. I met his stone-like jaw and crumbled. Lightning cracked from under my flesh. I screeched, holding my hand to my chest. My scream replaced the sound of the water. He continued to stare, unaffected by my attempt to hurt him. He was much stronger than I took him for.

I stared back, making the message clear. "Just let me go," I hissed between my teeth. "Let me go!"

The newcomer raised a hand and Jonga smiled, walking over in a confident stride. He grabbed the rope from the newcomer's hand and stalked toward me. My eyes widened, wrists aching as I thought of the coarse rope once more, embedding deep into my flesh.

I stepped back, rolling my ankle on a rock and winced, caught in Jonga's arms. His massive hands curled around my small wrists, drawing them together once more.

The smile never left his face as he tied them once more. I suppressed a yelp and the tears in my eyes as he picked me up. My feet lifted from the ground and panic ensued. He hoisted me over his shoulders and I kicked my legs, drumming my tied wrists against his back but it didn't phase him. The newcomer stared at the ground as Jonga began to walk.

"Let me go!" I screamed. "Now!"

"Sorry, little girl," Jonga hissed. "No one will help you now."