Joanna

Memories get hazier as the days pass, Joanna noticed. No wonder, considering how much that damned tea she drank. But she had to run, no? How else was she supposed to deal with the memories - by facing them? No. That was not her way. She was going to run. She was running right now, actually. Her brother disappeared and she was searching for him and she ran, ran, ran, through the forest, until she felt the strength seeping out of her body. That was when she stopped, and just fell on the ground, not even trying to make herself comfortable.

She thought of home. At least, the little bits and pieces of the place she was born at - a village by seaside, and two people in a house on near the beach, whose faces she could not remember, but she knew that they were her parents, and that they loved her; so she remembered, or imagined, her childhood and allowed the daydreams to lull her in the state of tranquillity. 

But her dreams were not as serene as she wanted them to be - she dreamt of open sea, of the men who took her away, and of stormy night and blood on her hands; spilling it was not her fault, but still has burned. She dreamt of her brother, her saviour; she dreamt of the captain, the man who destroyed her, ripped her apart and ate her insides. She dreamt of nymphs, and their song. She woke up screaming.

a memory, 1: 

Hands. Grabbing her, pulling her apart. She is resisting with all her might, but what could a young girl do against an adult man? Her eyes are closing as she falls unconscious, like curtains after an act. She cries, but no one cares. She sc*eams, but no one comes to help. And it goes on and on and on...

today, 1: 

She has barely any strength left in her body. Every muscle aches, every step is torture. But she goes on. She needs to find him, she cannot be alone; she will be the one to save him now! And that thought gives her enough energy to go on.

a memory, 2: 

After an encounter with one ship that was stronger than theirs, they lost a lot of people; so they got some new faces to replace people in the crew. One of them took a liking to her; he called her his little sister, and he cared for her. And when she cried and screamed, he came to her aid. He raised all the new crew members and some of the old; they killed the captain, and set her free...

a memory, 3: 

They stranded on a deserted island; she was the one to wander off first - she had not set her foot on ground in years, and she was curious about everything. But, little did she know - that was the island of nymphs; and one of them sensed the turmoil in her heart. She didn't really expect to be swayed by a dozen of beautiful women while taking a stroll; but when she started talking to them, she forgot everything that she knew. Never again she remembered anything about that place, except for flowers, a lot of flowers, and faces so beautiful that they scared her, but at the same time calmed her down. She thought days had passed when she came back to the ship, all happy, with shining eyes; but merely a few hours had went by. She was clutching a small bag full of dry flowers like it was her lifeline; and she was smiling, for the first time after so long.

today, 2: 

She heard people laughing and shouting; and clinking of jugs full of liquids. And she went there, drawn to the noise like a moth to a flame.

a memory, 4: 

After a few long months without her brother, Joanna finally reached Tilvern; and found him. They settled in an inn without an innkeeper; and they took his place. Those were the greatest days of her life. At least, ones she could function on - she ran out of nymph's tea, and withdrawal symptoms were very strong. But, on her good days, she felt truly happy - not violently pushed into that feeling, like it was when she was drinking the tea, but genuinely happy, from the bottom of her heart. Sound of clinking bottles and mugs full of alcohol, and of happy chatter were the things she mostly connected to that part of her life; since it was always there, even when she couldn't even go downstairs to the main room. That, and the warmth of fire, made her always feel at ease; like she was home.

today, 3: 

She saw a group of people around a fire. She shouted greetings, and they turned around. One of them had cynical smile similar to her brother’s; and his eyes looked angry, unlike the rest of his face. She walked towards him, withe her arms spread widely, smiling and looking at them, forgetting about the sword in her hand.