Zapada Belmont - Background Story

SYNOPSIS

The story begins at Merywyn, where there lived a Llaelese Rynnish noble. This noble has a bodyguard generally known as Ms. Belmont, who often take his place in duel; whether in pistol duel or swordsmanship duel. Also Ms. Belmont, an Umbrey descendant, often saved this noble's life from unseen danger. One event proved to be fatal, that Ms. Belmont took heavy injury that she disappeared for recuperating, for around 1 year.

Few people knows that she was having her daughter. Fewer knows that the fatal event was actually not life threatening. And much fewer know that since the noble took advantage on the collapsed bodyguard, Ms. Belmont bore his daughter.

The daughter was raised as one of the noble's inner servant. However during the Scharde Invasions, Ms. Belmont lost her life during a journey with the noble; no details about the tragedy. The daughter was kept to serve the noble's son, few years older than her.

As a servant in Rynnish noble estate, the daughter led quite a difficult life, especially since her black hair resembles a true Umbrean. Her fair Rynnish skin and small posture does not help in her position at all. She only knows about obeying orders, from bringing food, preparing shoes, to washing feet.

However it all changes when she was nearing adulthood; as her body changes, the noble's son attitude also changed. He became nicer, sweet-mouthed, and starting to ask more personal aid in almost anything. Around this time, the impact of the death of the last King of Llael took place, and the estate's security seems to be tightened.

One night, there was an assassination attempt to the noble and the noble's son, and the daughter cunningly managed to safe their life by buying some time for the guards to reach them. That night, out of relief, the noble told her that she did just like her mother did, and that he was proud because she is his bastard daughter. However due to the social situation and limitation, the secret is still highly guarded.

The noble's son was also became more affectionate to his little sister. He started to ask her to accompany him until late night, started to ask help him putting his clothes, and started to show his brotherly love by caressing her. But she knew something is wrong, she knew that it is not normal for people of different gender to caress or touch one another. During her life as a servant she sometimes see what other servants do during off-time, what other servants do with a 'lover'.

And she is not his lover, so she tried her best to avoid his caresses. Sometimes to no avail.

***

On the longest night of 599~600 AR, there was a party at the noble's establishment. She was serving the noble and his son, along with several other people, on this small party. It all begins as a normal party, but the liquor and uiske might be too strong for the guests that they started harassed her. They forced her to drink several glasses and laughed while watching her as if it is a part of the entertainment of the night.

After drinking, she started to lose her strength as if being drugged. Not only her hand-eye coordination is getting worse, she cant barely standing straight. She looked at the guests for help, but then realized that the guests were not that drunk, instead they were looking at her as if they had some bad intentions to her. Fearing her honor, she plead to her master. But it seems that the noble did not listen at all, as if all of this was a scheduled event for entertainment for the guests.

She then plead to her father and brother, trying to remind them that they are blood-related. But that was the most wrong move she ever made.

The noble turned violent and slapped her immediately, while the son knocked her down. They then gagged her mouth and tied her hand, use a lever to pull the rope, and hanging her with her hands up. They shouted to her about telling lies, about her being ungrateful. The noble pulled the rope tying her hands further up, until her limp feet barely touching the ground. Then the noble started to rip her clothes open, cheered by the guests as the son toying around with her black hair.

As she no longer able to beg, she started to cry enduring the humiliation, as several pairs of hand approached her weak body; but in her cry, along with her rage and desperation, all of a sudden blizzard came amid the silent winter. There were also fog appearing from nowhere but spreading everywhere. Lightning and thunder strike inside the room. Strong wind then started to knock people down and throw the glasses and bottles up to the ceiling. The epicenter of this phenomenal occurrence clearly can be seen; one of the guest pointed at her and screamed, a witch!

In a blurred state, she suddenly felt a jerking movement and somehow she is already limping outside.

Then another jerk, and she is on a rooftop somewhere.

And these continue; she just jumped here and there randomly, until she finally somehow exhausted herself thus dropped unconscious on a forest in the dead of a winter.

***

Dawn awoken the daughter despite the weak ray of the morning sunlight. Slowly she tried to sit and look around, and found out that she is now in the forest, cold and hungry. Gathering her remaining energy, she tried to find food. She tried to find some game, or just water. But she only find the wind as if talking to her.

She realized that she can listen to the wind.

She could even feel the changes on the atmosphere. Simply she never felt freedom like this. She enjoyed this state, and the thoughts invigorated her.

Thus started the next part of her journey: surviving in the forest. Either by gathering food, by getting sick because of eating poisonous mushroom, by stealing clothes or food or uiske from a caravan, by mastering her 'jump' skills so she can use a tremendous speed to go anywhere and to run from anyone. Riding the wind, enjoying the freedom, carefree, she continued her new-found lifestyle until the season changes from winter to spring and from spring to summer. She fulfilled her needs by the assortment of convenient ability that she has, coupled by a good amount of sheer luck, and what the nature (and caravan) provided.

Time really flies and it finally the winter again. Up until now, she just following her nose or where the wind blows, yet somehow this time she reached a city. Not her home city, but another town. It has been a long while since she left civilization, and inside her heart a sudden carving of tasting a drop of it turned her curiosity on. And out of curiosity, she entered the city; of course, as she has no travel papers, she use her jump to magically bypassing the wall and sentry, without no one looking.

Or so she thought.

It was so sudden and so brutal. Loud bangs. Searing pain.

She never felt a hot lead on her leg. And her shoulder. And the yelling of 'Witch!' from someone nearby. And being suddenly looked down by many bystanders. She tried her best to flee the mob, jumping if able, running all the time, crawling desperately often. People started to chase her, turning into an organized mob. She kept on running away until she reached a dead end at an alley; high enough that she cannot jump directly.

She then dropped to her knees, losing all hope, as the footsteps of the mob is getting near.

"She ran over there!"

A woman's voice from the other side of the alley shall not be forgotten by her.

***

Another successful assassination, and she managed to slipped out quickly and unnoticed.

Yet Zapada did not smile. It is just a duty, in order to save Llael, and in order to repay her debts three winters ago. On that fateful meeting, she met her new teacher in Riversmet. Not only she saved her from angry mob, she also taught her on how to be able to help Llael by making good use of her unique talent. She taught her many skills about remaining unseen, and how to remove corrupt nobles plaguing Llael. She also introduce her to allies from the south who speak with different language, who provide their small group with various equipment and other things. She also let her learn their language, and their trade.

She learnt much and she learnt well.

She has been travelling across Llael to remove corrupt nobles or helping the southern allies until now. Usually she is accompanied by several others, and often she is acting as decoy or distraction. But sometimes she got the honor to do the removal. It is still fresh in her memory from two winters ago, on her first official duty, when she removed her own father and brother.

She felt nothing back then.

She still felt nothing now.

It is simply another justice served for Llael, she thought. After making sure that her target is dead and no one is around nor able to follow her, she disappeared into the fog -her fog- and running silently, using her talent to jump occasionally, and head back to the headquarters deep in Riversmet. It seems to be a normal day in Riversmet, on this winter of 604. Some of the residents of the city have moved away, due to rumors of approaching war somewhere nearby, but most of the others are enjoying their warm house in the dead of winter; no army would wage war during winter after all, the people say.

Meanwhile, few miles outside Riversmet, troops in red armor marched. Some of them had a weird huge sword full of tormented faces pattern on the blade.

***

Finally she felt despair. Again. On this winter.

She failed to pay her debts to her teacher and savior. She failed to protect Llael. She failed to save even a single soul from the city of Riversmet. She witnessed the slaughter, and she witnessed how her power prove useless to the raging flame of this red army. Her wind could not calm the spread of the fire, burning the soldier mercenary and citizen alike. Her fog cannot trick the bestial sense of wild beasts on the hunt for blood, slaughtering corrupted nobles and innocent bystanders by their huge swords ornamented with tormented faces. She barely survived during her escape, and at the cost of her teacher's life who saved her once again and for the last time.

She felt despair and alone, yet she know she must be strong and live on, so their sacrifices would not go in vain. So she move on, towards somewhere else.

***

It had been several months passed since she left Riversmet and had been continuing her vendetta on the red army on Leryn.

She went further east instead of south, as there were too many red army back then. Her journey brought her to Leryn, another city of Llael. Unfortunately, even Leryn fell to the red army in a blink of an eye. She then used her special talent once again to make guerilla attacks on the red army. During these attacks, she met a group of people claiming to be a 'resistance cell', and they started to work together.

This 'cell' apparently works independently, but the 'captains' seemed to be coordinating with someone outside. Her group often meet with another group, but more often she received the mission to remove certain individuals. The red army are better than the Llaelese corrupt nobles, and more often than not she had to flee from the scene.

Life as resistance is difficult, and Zapada often have to rely on her natural ability to stay hidden and move swiftly, especially for stealing supplies from the red army. Supplies are very crucial to the dwindling resistance army, and sometimes gathering supplies become more important than harassing the red army. It was a desperate time indeed.

Then there were news that the Resistance finally found an ally in thwarting the red army in the form of devout knights who open the door of Leryn and purge the city of corruption.

***

Zapada awoken with another sharp lashes to her back. Her clothes have been torn here and there, with blood drips cover most of her skin. She can feel her broken ribs and arms, and can no longer feel her limp legs. Her vision is blurry, and her ears can only hear humming sounds. She does not know how long has passed since that day.

That day when her group shackled her, and brought her to these new rulers of Leryn. She was charged guilty of using dark arts and following dark god. She still remember how her group made new friend with the Menite priests. She still remember how the Menite priests 'accept their repentance', especially since they bring her to 'justice'.

It should have been several days. But maybe not, she could no longer think of anything. Even the pain no longer made her scream, as she no longer has any strength left.

A pair of priests prepared a wrack and put Zapada's unmoving body and locked it, dripping her blood as large stake pierced her hand.

She can no longer do anything. She barely feels that she is being moved away, locked to the weird device. She remember being erected on an open field, along with several others. Then she heard more thumping in her ears, and more blood on her eyes. But it was not blood; only red army approaching.

***

Zapada awoke on a bed. Nearby stood man with raven black hair , just like hers. She tried to move, but it seems her body still too weak to be moved. She tried her best to regain her senses, and looked around.

It was an encampment of red army.

She tried to move again, but the man pat her shoulder, with a threatening look. He then speak in rough dialect, commanding her to rest for now. Looking around again, she realized that her wounds are being treated. Somehow, she feels a bit relieved, and fell to her slumber again.

***

It did not make any sense for her.

The red army apparently saved her from the Menites. Not only saved her, they also treat her wounds and give her meals. They said they have to save her, because she is their family. Distantly related maybe, but still a family.

The group who saved her actually a small group of men and women with horses. All of them have raven black hair. Some put long tresses, the others trim their hair. But every single of them wore the red armor, and bear the insignia she hated most.

Most?

She does not know any longer. The Llaelese noble are corrupted, she know about it. But the Resistance are no better, they sold her to the Menite who tortured her and tried to give her a slow, painful death. The red army killed her savior, but the same red army have become her second savior. This convoluted vengeance and debt really test her nerve and sanity, somehow. The more she thinks about it, the answer become more hidden it seems.

Who are the bad guy? Who are the good guy? How should she exact vengeance? How should she repay her debts? Who are her friends? Who are her enemies? The horror of humiliation by the corrupt nobles of Llael suddenly haunt her. The pain from the torture suddenly crawling under her skin. The vivid image of brutal slaughter by the red army suddenly became clear in her mind. And out of nowhere, one of the red army gleefully gave her her meal, and she accepted it with a confused look.

She is confused about the truth. She is confused on whom to trust.

Then, in her thought she can hear someone whispered. Remember, Thamar taught you to rely on yourself and to trust yourself. There is only you to answer you.

She decided to continue her journey, this time without thinking of vendetta, without thinking about life debt. She continue her life again as before; steal some equipment and food, and disappear into the wild, journeying somewhere else and does not know whom she will meet after this.

Subconsciously she smiled.