"Adira!"
She felt someone jostle her lightly
"We've reached the Capital, dearie." Someone pinched her arm lightly waking her up with a start.
Rubbing her eyes she peered out of the carriage window unable to decide where to look at first.
It was so different from the back water she'd come from. The stone streets were broad and lined with the most unusual trinkets' sellers. In her town the mud roads were so narrow that you couldn't put up shops and they were after all useless because hardly did anyone have a coin to spare on frivolity.
The atmosphere here was warm as they got off the cart but Mami insisted on a veil for her as people were often unkind to the tribals and the markings on her skin gave her heritage away.
The tribals who had accepted the Empire's overlordship were treated with contempt anyways they went. The Aryans looked down at them for however much they tried, their heritage wouldn't let them blend. They would always be heretic savages— slaves, weaponless chattel to sacrifice in their usefulness wars. While the rebels who called themselves as Mardani loathed them for giving up their culture easily and bowing to the enemy.
It was even worse for half breeds, children with one parent Aryan and another a tribal. Most of them were bastard borns or orphans.
Adira didn't look like a tribal for Mami had dared not mark her since she was one of the chosen she still insisted on a scarf to avoid any leering gazes she might get.

Even the uncomfortable mask couldn't deter Adira as she looked around the market they were passing through. Ware keepers were calling them loudly, shoving their quaint items to attract them.
Silver headgears and long stemmed quills. Veils lines with pearls. A woman was sitting in the corner reading palms while a few steps ahead a tall, muscled, bald man was challenging people to a sword throwing contest.

For a moment. All her fear, exhaustion and anticipation was gone. Adira was lost in the awe.
She wanted to live here forever. People around her were happy, carefree of the world, oblivious to the future. They didn't have to worry about what was going to happen to them.
"Oomph!"
Lost in her world she didn't see where she was going and she'd bumped into a solid wall of hard muscle.
A huge man, dressed smartly looked at her with angry eyes lined with red. He was intoxicated.
" Look where you are headed," in her hurry, Adira's veil had been displaced. The man's angry gaze turned heated and lewd. He could see the bony girl cowering under him and his gaze swept past her face taking in the girlish features, sharp cheekbones. His eyes kept going lower until they rested on her breasts the shape which could be seen through her rags and shift.

Adira could feel the weight of the man, whom she assumed was a soldier by his stature and the sword strapped to his waist. She felt the urge to vomit as his eyes, full of lust and intoxication raked through her body but Mami had warned her that any protest or disobedience in the capital could end in death for her. She was a nobody after all.
She could see her adoptive mother through the corner of her eye. Mami stood still, scared that a wrong breath might result in chaos.
The man in his haze took a step forward and clasped her had tightly. Everyone around them had stopped their business, waiting to what would happen. None of them, though, dared to help the damsel. It was stupidity.

Adira was shaking with terror. The man could violate her here and no one would do a thing. She felt her harsh sting on her cheek as she nearly flew backwards but the iron grip on her forearm held her in place. The soldier had slapped her tight.
Her vision blurred as tears began to well in her eyes. The pain from his assault and the fear of what he might do gripped her.
The terror was turning her skin cold as she felt a jolt pass through her body.
The man was gripping her face hard. He grasped the pendent on her bosom. He veins turned to ice as he yanked it off her bosom. The cold in her body was now replaced by pain. Something was wrong. Everywhere the man touched felt electrocuted and before she knew, the soldier went flying backwards.
But she did not care for she was screaming in agony. Every muscle and bone was hurting as if they had been fighting for years. Her vision was coloured with black spots as she looked at Mami who was white as sheet. Her mother took a step forward as if to reach her as she heard a woman scream and then she was swept into oblivion.

Not edited