This story lead me to creating "The Unknown Betrayal" D'Slaved

D’slaved

A cool breeze swept over my bare chest. Tired and wishing for death I picked myself up off the ground. My muscles twitched and ached from the day before. The bell tolled and as much as I wished I could ignore it I started towards the middle square. The sun with its light rested as if on the horizon. The mountains, however beautiful, looked awful.
“Get a move on!” a guard yelled from afar and the men around me started to walk faster.
A man that looked as if he had never touched a shovel in his life stood on the podium waiting to speak. Though I had never seen him before in my life.
The man coughed into the microphone then started, “Due to the unfortunate increase in slaves I will be releasing an eighth of you. When your name is called you may exit to my left.” He pointed to the gate.
Men all around cheered until he held up his hand. A silence unlike any other crept along us. He read several names off, none of which were mine, but as men were called they jumped in excitement and ran over to the gate. Soon the man on the podium curled up his peace of parchment and looked to the gate.
“You may let them go.” He said.

A cool breeze swept over my bare chest. Tired and wishing for death I picked myself up off the ground. My muscles twitched and ached from the day before. The bell tolled and as much as I wished I could ignore it I started towards the middle square. The sun with its light rested as if on the horizon. The mountains, however beautiful, looked awful.
“Get a move on!” a guard yelled from afar and the men around me started to walk faster.
A man that looked as if he had never touched a shovel in his life stood on the podium waiting to speak. Though I had never seen him before in my life.
The man coughed into the microphone then started, “Due to the unfortunate increase in slaves I will be releasing an eighth of you. When your name is called you may exit to my left.” He pointed to the gate.
Men all around cheered until he held up his hand. A silence unlike any other crept along us. He read several names off, none of which were mine, but as men were called they jumped in excitement and ran over to the gate. Soon the man on the podium curled up his peace of parchment and looked to the gate.
“You may let them go.” He said.
My heart was torn, freedom had just barley escaped me. Or had it?
Guns blazed from the other end of the wall. People screamed and ducked for cover. We all knew the ones who had been temporarily freed had been killed on the spot as they crossed the border.
My heart envied those men. I had tried multiple times to kill myself but I never had gone through with any of my plans.
“Get to work.” The man called out.
Grabbing a shovel, I started to load barrel after barrel full of rock and dirt. A guard at midday came to me and asked if I would be willing to go help deep underground. I knew, however, that when a guard asks, he is more or less telling you what to do.
After some time I entered the lowest chamber of the mine. Rumors had spread around that if we got too far, the devil himself would be released out of hell, and anyone who had done so would be banished to hell.
“Wives tales,” I would say.
Long after my muscles had showed they were exhausted did I get a break. They would work us all night and day if they could but laws were laws and in this land you did not break them.
Just before I started up the long chamber I saw something that glinted in the semi-dark chamber. Walking over to it and reaching down, I found a large red jewel. I spit on my hands and washed away the dirt that had formed around the jewel. It almost had a glow to itself!
Quickly I pocketed it, showing no change in thought. I knew very well, though, that I could be killed for keeping such a large jewel a secret from my captives. We entered our tents just before the sun had sunk beneath the horizon. I heard groans from the men who I worked with all day long. Their muscles would be aching just as mine did.
In my pocket I fumbled with the jewel. When I thought all the men were totally asleep I started to dig a little hole to bury the jewel. Sure with my work I positioned myself so that I would be sleeping with my back to it, guarding it from anyone who might want it for them-selves.
Morning came swiftly, as if I had not slept for any time at all. I sat up quickly and turned to look to make sure no one had messed with the stone. Then, as if the temperature around me had begun to freeze, my heart started to race. Where the hole had been sat a small parchment of paper. I read it as best as I could.
To who… found my stone and …something.. me, I will protect …something… all the time.
It was signed by Mariella.

My heart wrenched at the realization that I would not be getting my stone back. The people who took it, I figured, were just playing a rude joke on me. Who the hell was Mariella, if he even existed. The name sounded particularly Spanish.
The usual day started with the bell, and ended with the dimming of the day. I had not found any trace of any other stones of precious value while stuck deep in the mine.
My body shivered from the cold earth that I laid on. My bare chest had a hard time producing heat. The nothingness around me consumed me. I was nothing to absolutely no one out in this huge world. I wanted to just end. To go and never be again, but something deep within me told me there was something to live for. Something so deep and so quiet that I could almost mistake it for the scooping sound that I heard day to day. It was a pathetic life, but something said there was more…
Day came and I hadn’t gotten any rest. Tried as I might have sleep would not come. A paranoia of some sort had fully taken my thoughts, it was as if someone was watching me, as if someone was picking me out of all the different people around me.
My work ethics that day were incredibly dull. It had also come to the attention to the guards who singled me out at the first possible chance. They raised a whip, aimed at me, and with full force snapped it across my back. Screaming in pain and agony, I dropped my shovel.
“Pick that up now!” The guard screemed, whipping me across my back again.
Tears traveled down my eyes and I did not move. After a couple more slices on my back, the guard pulled away, leaving my trembling body sprawled on the ground. I knew if I did not get up soon they would be back to finish me off. This mine did not take kindly to anyone who didn’t work his share. Every man who did not work to their potential would be slain in front of all the others to scare and make sure the point was clear that we could not, for any reason, stop working.
I did not work hard at all, but everyone understood why. That night came slowly, my back scratched from the mounds of dry blood that in the heat started to break up. I laid down where I slept, looking up at the stars. My back was bursting in pain, but I was used to taking more than I would normally take. A sad thought crossed my mind. What if I would never escape this camp? It made me tear up.
I tried to get to bed, but the pain would just not allow it. The stars dimmed until they could not be seen any longer. I rolled onto my side and tried for a final time to sleep. I did not go fully asleep, but I felt fully rested when the bells tolled for us to report.
Suddenly a guard grabbed me shoulder and asked,
“What the hell, your back!” he yelled.
Another man screamed from the distant houses. He was in full sprint towards the gate. When he got in he called for all the guards.
“Dead?” A guard yelled out in anger.
“Sir, they both are!” the other guard commented.
Two men headed towards me, guns drawn.
“This the man?” the men called out.
My fellow miners backed away, singling me out. The guard in the distance nodded and one of the men put the gun to my head.
“You have been sentenced to death for killing two guards! You shall never be free, and you are deemed to hell you demon!” he said, and a sharp click resonated through my brain before my body was wrenched away from my control. Something had a strong grip on me, and my muscles in my neck would not seem to let me view what had hold of me. A thick punch to my stomach made me slouch over, regaining total control of my muscles and everything.
“Do not look up,” a woman’s voice whispered. “You saved me, and therefor I am in your dept.” She paused for a few seconds, slightly sighing to her-self. “According to ancient traditions we are both equally in each others debt and bound by a great curse if we do not own up to our debts.” She paused, sighing even deeper this time. “My name…” She whispered even quieter. “is… and you mustn’t ever call me by it unless you are in the mightiest trouble… is…” she paused again, this time it felt really awkward. “Zanurva… You are the first human to know it so do not tell anyone, or they might find the same outcome as those guards who whipped you. You are to call me Maria.” She finished.
I wanted ever so badly to look up at who had freed me but chose not to, due to her calling me human. I was expecting to see some kind of green skinned girl who would disgust me in every way. I decided, however, to play along with her.
“My name is…” I started, but was rudely interrupted by Maria.
“Mathias, yes I know all about you. You work in a mine and have for some time. Your muscles show me all I need to know. I have things to attend to. If you are in dire need call me in your mind using my real name. Otherwise I will come to you!” She said in such a controlling way it wasn’t even funny.
I nodded best I could still looking at the ground. The ground flashed green and the wind at that moment knocked me over. I looked up and Maria was nowhere to be found. I looked at my hands, then to where I had been gripped with incredible strength. Not even a tiny scratch was apparent from my skin. I looked at my surroundings. A small cottage lay there in the thick of the forest, its wood looked unstable and in bad shape.
I walked into the cottage and found to my amazement, it was much larger than it appeared having more than two floors. As I stepped down to the second floor, there stood an iron door with three keyholes. I sighed, all hope dimmed from my heart for food and a place to rest.
That was until the door made a loud clicking noise, green fog spilled from the keyhole. I thought about not going into the fog that now cascaded out from the door as if water falling off a cliff. From somewhere deep inside me something pushed me through that door. After I had gotten through what appeared to be a thin layer of fog I was met by a wonderful sight. Gold filled every corner of this room and around it. A silver door was the only part of the wall that wasn’t filled to the ceiling. Another feeling from deep within me told me not to touch the gold, and so I listened. I walked up to the silver door, and pushed on it.
Slowly it opened to reveal a large circular room. The room held a bed and several shelves. All shelves were filled with different kinds of foods, from bread to potatoes, even to fish that did not seem to rot. My stomach hurt so badly at the sight of food, I wanted to eat it all.
I walked over to the bread and in front of me appeared a knife. With that knife I cut a hunk off the end of the bread and started to eat it. After I had eaten, an unbearable tiredness overwhelmed me. Everything in my body was telling me to rest, and so I did.
I woke, but did not open my eyes. This bed was seducing in the way it comforted me. I could barely remember the last time I had slept on a bed that was made with softness. I knew it must have been just getting light, because for the past 14 years I had been waking up at exactly the time the sun had reached the horizon.
There, on the ground, laid a girl who was unfamiliar. She was obviously tired and had slept on the ground. I wondered if this woman was Maria, but could not place a strong grip from those delicately created hands. She was your typical fantasy girl in that she was a dirty blonde with piercing blue eyes. Her face was soft and pure. No wrinkles, no red dots, nothing. Her eyebrows looked as if they were perfectly kept, no hair out of place. Her body was slim, yet showed perfect posture even when lying on the ground. Her long legs were covered by loose cloth pants, which reached down almost below her feet. The cloth mostly covered her feet but from the amount you could see you could tell that they were very muscular, as if she used them in excess.
I softly got out of the bed, trying not to wake who ever was lying in front of me. I decided it might be best if I just left al-together and came back later. As my hand touched the door, I heard a familiar voice.
“Where are you going?”
I was taken fully aback, and my heart raced. Was this the same woman who had saved me from my captives? I turned slowly, until Maria was in full view. She looked betrayed, as if I had done something wrong. Nothing came to my mind as to what to say, so I stayed silent. For a long time both of us did not speak. Then she suddenly burst out into laughter.
“Mathias, you should see your face sometime. You look terrified.” She said, slapping her thigh.
I wasn’t as she thought I had been, but I took this outburst to be an ice-breaker.
“Is this yours?” I started.
She smiled, a smile that rendered my heart numb. Her dimples made her smile even more entrancing. “Yes, this has been my cottage for ages of time. None but you and I can see it or find it.”
A question edged to the top of my head… What was she? I thought it would be a rude question, so put it to the back of my head. While thinking of another question, she started to speak.
“In simplest of terms, I am human. Though, I am more ancient than most humans in your history are. They called me by what my race of people were millions of years ago, an Elf. Elves were the start to human race.” She paused, held her hand up, and a glass of water appeared in it. Shocked, I gasped. She smiled but went on. “I was there when dinosaurs were living among us, there when that meteor struck my family, there when only a couple humans and I lived. I have been cursed, living forever, knowing I will never be able to have any children of my own.” She said, a tear crawled down her cheek, until she wiped it with her finger.
I felt deeply for her, and she seemed to know it.
“Mathias, stay safe. The bond between you and I will kill me if you are killed.” She said, walking for the door.
I sighed, and replied, “I will stay out of trouble. What should I do?”
“Venture around the woods, when you wish to return think of the cottage and you will walk right into it no matter where you are in this forest.” She said, and was off.
A deep feeling for her had eased into my heart, but sadness also eased into my heart. If she had been able to love a human, she would have long ago, not now.
I did as she said, and went to explore the forest around me.To whomever found my stone and awakened me, I will protect thee always.