Talinia's Struggle

~Talinia's Struggle~

IMPORTANT: Parents may or may not want their children to view this story, so I have rated it ASR, in case you didn't catch it earlier.

          "S...so...c...cold...."

          Talinia continued to trudge through the thick layers of snow, while the icy winds of the arctic sank their teeth into her flesh. Even with her thick furs and clothing, she was starting to freeze to death. That's how the Fakgorn Mountains worked though, especially if you were caught in a blizzard. Talinia's village, Ormastrad, had been devoured by a horde of beasts from the hells, and she was the lone survivor, or at least, she thought she was. She knew where she had to go, and how to get there, but the blizzard had come so suddenly, she was not prepared.

          The snow was falling extremely quickly, making sight a difficult sense to utilize. She could no longer feel her toes in her boots, nor her fingers in her gloves. The only shelter provided for her face was a hood, and obviously, that did little for her. Talinia had very soft, pale blonde hair, almost as pale as her skin, and beautiful sapphire eyes, though her beauty didn't do much good for her either.

          Her parents and friends were little more than corpses back at the village, and she was alone. Still she pressed on, wishing desperately for signs of hope, or a sign of life in this world of death that she had unwantingly stumbled into. Mustering more of her courage and strength, she looked up from the ground to see where she was. Almost instantly, her eyes were filling with snow, which ripped into her face like knives. She bowed her head again to avoid anymore exposure.

          "I'm...g...going to d...die..."

          The faith she had earlier was gone now, as the wind picked up. Now she was losing her sense of touch in her legs and arms. Was this the end?

          "N...no...I must...make it..."

          Indeed. Talinia didn't want to die. She was afraid of death; afraid of leaving this world, and she had never seemed any closer than this. Suddenly, her entire body was frozen stiff, and her face was numb. She had fallen! Quickly, Talinia tried to get back up to her feet, but she couldn't feel them. Her attempt at standing turned into a stumble, and again, her face met the snow. This was it, Talinia was going to die. Yet, there was a voice, a distant voice, calling to her.

          She lifted her head and tried to speak, but her throat nearly froze. Talinia tried to get to her feet again, but how could one stand up if one didn't feel their body? Once more, she fell and hit the snow. The voice was calling to her again. Oh how she wanted them to find her, and help her out. She longed for the warmth of a fire and a nice bowl of steaming broth. None of these things existed for her any longer.

          The voice was growing louder, but Talinia's eyes were closing. She tried to keep them open, but they wouldn't obey her commands. No, she couldn't die like this, she couldn't! The voice was growing louder every second, all she had to do was last, last! Her eyes were closed now, but still she could hear the voice, and she rolled around in the snow to get their attention. She couldn't let herself die like this, not like this!

          The voice was above her now; how soothing 'twas. She opened her eyes to discover a lack of falling snow. A moment of respite? Her mother was above her, in a flowing, beautiful white gown, smiling warmly.

          Talinia smiled back, "Mother..."

          The woman helped her daughter up to her feet, and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Talinia had never felt so happy. She was safe now...safe...warm...and loved...

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