<< Chapter 4
The prison compound looked deceptively serene. The Great War was over; there wasn't any need for the giants to keep up a menacing facade anymore. They've already won and no one was dumb enough to challenge their rule.
Whispers and rumors about an uprising fluttered around, but none actually came to fruition. There was no figurehead — no flag-bearer to lead all the divided factions. It’s not that nobody qualified — it’s just that no one dared.
I tried my best to keep a low profile. I’ve been subjected to enough tortures as it is, and I didn’t want to add to it. These prisoners didn’t deserve my leadership. They didn’t even have my trust.
After spending a few moments back inside, I decided to walk around the grounds. Still unmotivated, I took the time to instead converse with the other prisoners. They were a sorry lot; they have already surrendered to their circumstance and accepted the consequence of their loss. I couldn’t blame them.
Captivity is hard. If you don’t have a strong mental capacity, enclosure will break you, push you to your limits, and when you feel like you can overcome it, that’s when it sneaks up on you and pushes you over the edge. Although I remained unbroken, I feared it was only a matter of time until my mental stability gives way.
Even now as I walk among this dull cavalcade of captives, I felt strangely in my element. Whatever atrocities these giants subjected me to all these years were finally showing results. I had to act quickly.
"Wake up!" I shouted to them, including myself. “You’re all taking this lying down?!”
I didn’t care if my screams alerted the guards. If I was forced to inaction, then I would at least try to be the spark that ignites someone else’s action. Never mind getting credit, I just want to attain my freedom. Libertad.
"Let us take arms and free ourselves from oppression!"
I bounced around from one group to the next, in hopes of gathering allies to enact an escape but none heeded my call. They were all too afraid. There were some who listened, but many were waiting for the actual uprising to begin before they joined in. Afraid of being labeled as instigators, they chose to cower in fear. I tried my best to convince them that they needed to act if they want something done, but my pleas fell on deaf ears.
Dejected, I remained undeterred. I planned to lead all of these strangers to freedom. They were merely a means to an end. I just needed a hand so that I can escape and find my way home.
Striding past the cemented part of the grounds and into the grassy subsection in front of the middle fortress, I stumbled upon a familiar face. Ayesa stood akimbo near the middle fortress’ walkway, her curly locks fluttering in the wind. Garbed in a flower-printed tunic, she busied herself munching on a sweet-smelling treat. She greeted me with a smile and a larger-than-average forehead.
"Ledd," she wailed. Extending her hand towards me, she handed me a piece of the treat she was munching on. Before I could take a bite, she grabbed my unoccupied hand and dragged me inside the fortress she was being imprisoned in. “Come with me, I want to show you my new toy!”
Toy. Such a foreign word that I have yet to decipher. I asked her numerous times what it meant but she only responded by handing me random trinkets.
Unlike the other dreary prisoners, Ayesa was a bundle of unbridled energy. She more than made up for the other prisoners’ lack of talkativeness. Although, her shrill voice could prove to be too deafening most of the time. The only time I ever notice her pacified was when she was around Dadier and Lowlow — the other giants couldn’t seem to contain her. However, her most admirable attribute is her courage. She didn’t mind going toe-to-toe with giants — that’s the kind of ally that could aid me in my escape.
"Look!" she screamed excitedly, brandishing a magnificent golden bow. My jaw dropped with amazement. Ayesa and I were more or less of the same height, yet the bow stood up to our shoulders. How could she have concealed the weapon from her fortress’ guards? Was she allowed to keep weapons in storage? Her fortress had always been pretty lax, but this was going too far. Though, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Mamie entered, with Teten trailing close behind. Ayesa turned to them and showed off her bow. I tried to restrain her, fearing that her weapon would be confiscated.
"Wow!" Mamie exclaimed. “Who gave that to you?”
"Mom gave it to me," Ayesa answered uninhibitedly. “Teten, look! Do you want to play?”
I gripped on the bow forcefully, trying to wrest it away from her. It seemed as if her re-education warped her perception. Ayesa looked at her bow as merely a plaything that couldn’t be wielded to inflict harm.
"Now you look like Merida," Teten commented.
"I-I," she stammered, tugging the bow back. “Ledd, let go.”
Mamie crept up from behind and loosened my grip. Teten grabbed hold of the bow while Mamie wrapped her arms around me and carried me away.
Ayesa reached down her storage and pulled out three crimson-tipped arrows. She took back her bow from Teten, loaded up an arrow, cocked back, and aimed at my cellmate.
"Wrong one!" I screamed, still trying to release myself from Mamie’s grip. “Aim here.”
She turned to face me, just as I was about to relieve myself of my restraint. I grinned while Mamie looked on in horror.
From the shadows, a giant snuck up behind Ayesa and snatched her bow.
"No!" Nehney yelled, dangling the bow beyond Ayesa’s reach. “What did I say? Don’t ever aim this at someone, you might hurt them.”
So, that was how they re-educated Ayesa. By slowly removing her violent tendencies, they prevented her from ever inflicting injury. I mean, she often fought back, but never once tried to escape, at least to my knowledge. Her violence was the hurdle that kept her from totally complying. I need to counteract her reconditioning so that I could sway her to my side.
Ayesa gritted her teeth, pursed her lips and jumped as high as she could, but couldn’t reach her bow, which hung high above her head. She begged Nehney to return her weapon but her cries fell on deaf ears.
"Promise me that you wouldn’t aim this at anyone," Nehney reiterated, staring stoically at Ayesa. “Promise.”
Bawling on the floor, Ayesa’s incessant crying made everything she said almost incomprehensible. I’m surprised at how far she has gone with learning how to communicate with them. By my estimation, she arrived at the prison compound not long before I did and yet she could hold her own with the giants, completing conversations in the giants’ native tongue. I’ve tried to ask her to teach me a number of times but we were always interrupted.
"I promise," she eventually surrendered.
Nehney handed back her weapon and disappeared further inside the fortress. Teten teased her about being scolded and they had a laugh about it afterwards. Mamie released me and then walked towards the elder giant Mawmah.
Mawmah looked strikingly similar to Lowla even though they kept watch of different fortresses. It’s not far-fetched that they are related, but I guess all these giants looked similar to me. From where I stood, I couldn’t really make out their faces — it was only when they lifted me up did I get a proper look.
I walked toward Teten and Ayesa in hopes of formulating an escape. So far today, all my efforts were rebuffed by the other prisoners. Hopefully, these two would be more receptive.
Ayesa talked too fast to keep track of, but Teten didn’t seem to have any trouble comprehending what she was saying. I happened upon them talking about the mechanics of firing an arrow. Not knowing who was teaching who, I decided to interject with my escape proposal.
"Here, Ledd," Ayesa said, handing me her bow. “I’m going to teach you how to use this. Listen closely.”
As a Sachaphoyan, I have never been accustomed to wielding physical weapons, although I was not too unfamiliar with them. They were just tangible representations of the armas that we wielded. During the Great War, whenever we needed to recharge our viento, it wasn’t uncommon for my comrades to grab whatever weapon littered the ground and continue to fight with it. Their range was limited, but their effectiveness need not be questioned.
Teten warned us not to break anything or else face the giants’ wrath, but Ayesa rebuked her advice. She stepped back and kept watch.
Ayesa detailed step-by-step instructions on how to operate the weapon. She kept narrating as if she thought I wasn’t a seasoned warrior — as if I didn’t know how to fight at all! Innecesario.
"I got this," I interrupted. I smirked and drew back on the bow. Aiming at a dilapidated, wooden wall, I closed my left eye and focused on an area far from any substantial attention. It had been a long time since I ever held a weapon of such calibre. To think, I was in the midst of giants! With all of my strength, I cocked back the string and exhaled until my lungs were bereft of air.
"Let me show you how it’s done," I whispered to Ayesa, as I released my grip on the string. My heart pulsated as the projectile hurtled towards the target. I kept my stance for some time, not wanting to break proper form.
I puffed out my chest as I collected myself. Expecting surprised amazement, I turned toward Ayesa only to be met by ridicule. I was confused. Of all the reactions that I anticipated, "ridicule" wasn’t one of them.
She bent down and picked up the arrow resting beside my feet. Flashing the arrow in front of me, she snatched back her bow and proceeded to tell me everything I did wrong. If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn she took pleasure in lecturing me.
Apparently, the pulsating feeling I got after releasing my grip on the string was just that — a feeling. I got too ahead of myself. The feeling of being able to wield such immeasurable power overtook everything else. It was humbling — it was … embarrassing.
I turned towards Teten, fearing my humiliation had another witness. Thank Bathala she was looking the other way.
"Ledd," Ayesa called out. “Watch me as I do it.”
With one swift, fluid motion, she drew back the bow and released her grip on the string. The arrow whizzed past and stuck to the wall. The thud it made reverberated through the walls and echoed throughout the fortress. She turned towards me, lips sealed but almost smirking, eyes wide open but almost squinting, eyebrows fidgeting up and down.
How was that possible? She made it seem as if she didn’t even exert any effort. What was her trick? I had to know. Maybe if I listened to her I could’ve achieved the same result on the first try. This time around, I promised myself I would.
Was she a marksman before she was held captive by the giants? Did she practice every night during captivity? Was this a trick she had set up to play me a fool or some kind of otherworldly sorcery? Countless questions littered my mind.
"Ayesa," Nehney yelled from a distance. The giant strode toward the wall that had the projectile protruding from it. It took quite a bit of effort for her to dislodge the red-tipped arrow from the wall.
With the strength displayed by these giants, it was very uncommon for them to struggle with anything that was performed by any of their prisoners. Very impressive on Ayesa’s part. If I was to enact a daring escape, I felt that I have finally found a decent ally.
The giant continued to scold her and threatened to take away her bow, but ultimately didn’t. As expected, Teten teased her afterward.
"I told you to watch out!" the oversized prisoner muttered.
"Pay her no mind," I consoled, patting her right shoulder. “The error lies on the stealthiness of the shot. Aid me to become better at this so-called archery and, in turn, I shall help you become more discreet.”
<< Chapter 4
Tune in for Part 2 coming in two days! Follow me @jedau for updates regarding the story!
