Will I Always Be Weak?

"Yawn." I lift my hands in a stretch. 

My name is Tayla and I've always been alone. The first thing I remember was when I was five. I stayed with my grandparents; my grandma always told me that my parents were amazing people. Especially Dad; he was a great adventurer who was famed across the land. He was supposed to be a hero who protected the kingdom, but in the end, it was the kingdom that stabbed him in the back. Dad was on a mission to the elven grand forest. In the center of that forest, there is the tree of the world, or as storytellers call it.

"The World Tree."

My father's mission was to kill an Elven noble who had the influence and status to take the throne. If he succeeded, he would be given the princess's hand in marriage. During that mission, he found the person who he had to kill, my mother... She was a beautiful but still a fierce elf. She had the qualities of a true queen, and my father fell in love the instant he saw her. He betrayed the kingdom when he heard what she was fighting for and eventually became a trusted friend. They fought the kingdom for years, battling a never-ending war for the throne. Near the end, I was born and sent away to live with my father's parents in secret; only a select few knew I even existed. Soon after, my grandparents received a letter stating that both my father and the majority of my mother's house, including her, had been wiped out. They died before I even turned one.

"You freak!" The other children yelled while they pelted me with rocks.

I had just turned 5, and I didn't even know what my parents' faces looked like. I only knew what my grandma told me in stories. I was always an outsider in the small village I grew up in, due to me being a half-elf. My grandma said I was just special and that those children were just jealous but I could tell she was just trying to make me feel better. I never had any friends; the only one keeping me happy was my pet bird, Alfred. He was such an adorable bird, and I loved him. While I was playing with him in the town field, I was approached by my tormentors again. They laughed and insulted me; I was getting sick of this.

"Shut up!" I screamed at them; my heart was beating fast and my palms were sweaty. I was so angry.

"What did you say, freak?" The main boy's face looked like a tomato. 

"I said shut up!" I said running at him.

I jumped on him, knocking him down; he tumbled like a baby, and I started hitting him in the face. I didn't stop and kept bashing his stupid, idiotic face. I screamed and punched until his face was covered in blood and bruises. His bully friends, when they came out of shock, ripped me off of him. They held me by my arms. I tried to escape, but I was too weak. The main boy stood up, wiping away the blood from his face; he looked like he was going to cry. I smirked and insulted him.

"What a baby," I said in a mocking voice.

Alfred was flying above, chirping like crazy. The main boy was even more red after I called him a baby. While I was being held down, the boy punched me in the gut. I coughed and dropped to my knees; the boys began to kick me, and I curled into a ball. It hurt so much, my ribs were bruised, and my head was aching. I got hit over and over again; Alfred was starting to chirp louder and louder. He launched himself at one of the boys, cutting his cheek. 

"Ahh!" one of the main boys goon screamed.

Alfred tried to protect me, but he was too small... He went for another attack and got swatted out of the air. The boys began to beat me again, and eventually, I started to cough out blood. I was pretty sure a few of my bones were broken and that I had a concussion. My beautiful ears were bleeding, and I was crying profusely. The main boy spat in my face and walked away, shouting more insults as he left. It hurt so much... I laid there in pain for at least an hour. I then started to drag myself towards my bird. He was lying a few feet away, by the tree where I first found him. I brought myself closer to Alfred and brought him to my chest. He wasn't breathing; he was dead. I cried and cried, lying in that field, that wretched field.

"Alfred... My poor Alfred."

Eventually, my grandpa found me and carried me home. I stayed in my room for weeks, barely eating and not talking at all. Nothing mattered anymore. While my grandparents were out, I tried to take my own life, but the new rope that my grandpa just bought broke. It was almost like something didn't want me to die. When I saw my grandma coming home, I ran out the door and went to hug her. I cried and screamed, letting all my feelings out. My grandma consoled me and I started my slow journey to recovery. I would visit the tree every day—the spot where my grandpa helped me bury Alfred. My grandparents talked to my tormenter's parents, and they stopped approaching me. They still gave nasty looks, but I didn't mind. A few years went by, and I started to feel happy again. 

"Tayla run!" My grandpa shouted at me, a sword in his hand and my grandma's dead body at his feet. The people who killed my mother and father had found me. They wanted me dead because I was a threat to the throne. After all, I was the rightful heir... My grandpa was old and frail; he stood no chance, but he gave me enough time. I sneaked out my back window and ran past the tree where Alfred was buried. I was crying, tears running down my face, but I couldn't stop running. The houses in the village where I had grown up were burning. Bodies littered the street, everyone was dead, and it was all my fault. I ran and ran until the sun rose through the morning sky. As I got far enough away, I crumpled to the ground. All I knew was gone...

"Grandma! Grandpa! I'm sorry..." I sobbed.

I walked the road for days until I passed out from dehydration. I thought I was going to die, but fortunately, I was found by a small caravan. They saw my pathetic state and took me in; they treated me so kindly like I was part of their family. They let me travel with them, but I was distant; everything and everyone I loved was gone. There was one boy around 7; he was my age and the son of the leader of the caravan. He tried his best every day to make me laugh and smile; it was very touching. Even though he was only 7, I thought he was very charming. We got closer and closer; he taught me how to fight with a knife. He let me use his blade when we were training, and one day he took me into the forest and said it was for training.

"Where are we going?" I asked him with a smile on my face.

I looked forward, waiting for an answer, but an answer never came. I never expected to see him reach for his knife... The boy ran at me, his brown hair flowing in the wind.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed as I backed away.

"The bounty that was put on you can set my family up for generations!" He replied.

"A bounty?" I stuttered. 

"But I loved you," I cried!

"My father was against it, but I convinced him!" he screamed, ignoring what I said.

"There are knights already on their way!" he smirked.

"What..." I went silent.

He dashed at me with his knife. I knew where he was aiming, my heart. I backpedalled and avoided his strike. He was stronger than me, but I was faster. I kept dodging, waiting for him to make a mistake. He slashed and slashed, sometimes making contact. I was bleeding all over, but the cuts were all shallow. He went for my head, and I noticed he was off-centered. I pivoted and knocked his knife into the air. I kicked him in the stomach while I grabbed his knife out of the sky. He landed on his back, and I held the knife to his neck.

"Give up," I told him. I really wanted him to listen. 

"Never!" he said as he tried to tackle me.

I moved out of the way and cut his throat. I had been near death before, and my grandparents taught me that because of who I am, I needed to learn how to handle death. Even though I had lots of training, I just killed a boy, someone that I really cared about. Before I could dwell any longer, I heard rustling behind me.

"There she is!" A man in full plate mail said.

I saw the squad of elites and made a run for it. I ran and ran, and due to me being a half-elf, I had great stamina. The sun began to set, and I made it to a strange forest. While I ran through, the men stopped. I thought I was safe, but I soon found out why they stopped their chase. A wolf-like beast appeared and growled at me. I knew I couldn't kill this monster. I ran once again, but my mind was starting to tire; maybe I should just stop. Maybe it'll just be better if I die... I ran through a line of bushes, and what I saw scared me.

"Ahh!" I screamed.

There was a beautiful woman-like monster standing in front of me, but I could sense death resonating from her. Something came over me, and I just dropped to the ground. I began to sob; I knew I was going to die. The wolf followed after me and stopped in its tracks. It died almost instantly, just from the purple-glowing woman's aura. She began to walk forward and I braced for my death, but death Isn't what came. She was so nice, and the words she said gave me hope.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you."

"I promise"

She sounded so sincere. I cried and cried, but I let a few words out. We talked for a few moments and I told her my name, then she took me into her arms. She felt so warm but also cold. This feeling was so familiar, but I couldn't remember where I felt it before. Is this what it feels like to truly be happy? All the exhaustion that I had built up over the years came out in that moment. I fell into her chest and started to daze off. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was perfect.

"I'll protect you."

"Tayla..."