The Sacrifice of Aeva

It was evening. Aeva laid down over her damp bed, eyes closed. She could hear the rain battering the thatch of her hut. Her memory took her back more than twenty-five winters ago. She was an apprentice then, an assistant to old Sarah. They both sat beside the roaring hearth at the elder Healer’s house. She was being lectured on the cruelty of the gods. 

- “All gods are moody and wicked. Our clan is made of good men and women, and when times are trying, we stand together and we can overcome almost any challenge. But when times are so dark that the wrath of the Gods is upon us, then our people sometimes turn to the somber side of their heart. Did you know that in the darkest of days it is our ancestral tradition to offer a Sacrifice to the Gods, my Apprentice?”

- “No Elder, I do not. Please forgive my ignorance.”

- “You are forgiven, my Apprentice. You are here with me to learn, and I so wish I didn’t have to teach you about such things. A ritual Sacrifice is the vilest act I have ever witnessed our people perform. I was an Apprentice then, such as you. A torment had befelled on our clan, so terrible that the Earth itself had shaken. The wrath of Litavis, God of the Earth was upon us. And our cruel King and shaman had both called for a Sacrifice. There was a girl then, she was so devout to the Gods, she prayed mornings and nights. When the call came she answered immediately. She would offer herself to the gods, she had said.”

There was a pause and a sigh from the old lady.

- “I barely dare to recall what I saw at that time. She was so beautiful, she had long red hair, pale skin and wide emerald eyes... I truly think she was blessed as a child of Cernunnos, God of the Forest. And yet, the Gods allowed her to suffer a truly horrible fate. I watched as she was bound to the Sacred Rock, with such strength that I thought her arms and legs would give. They beat her… so hard and for so long…”

It was a painful memory for the Elder. She had trouble finding the words, and tears were pearling at the corner of her eyes. Young Aeva was captivated by the tale, her eyes and ears wide open to the words of the Healer. 

- “... and then the Royal guards came. And all of them took turns… One by one they assaulted her with such violence… the rock turned red between her legs… and yet they kept on going… The warriors ravaged her… but she was bound, she could do nothing to stop it… it was pure cruelty in the name of the Gods… Oh how I felt her pain…”

Old Sarah was now crying as she told the story.

- “... and even after she had been defiled in the most brutal way, they didn’t stop her torment. They did things to her I dare not recount here. It lasted for so long until she finally found peace. I hope now that her spirit lives peacefully in the Heavenly Gardens of Cernunnos… And I hope the Dubhcloch clan will never see such darkness again.”

The tale had twisted the apprentice’s insides… in a manner that she knew all too well. For as long as she could remember, Aeva had dreamed of such visions, with herself as the victim of the barbaric acts. They did not scare or repulse her… instead they inspired a deep desire, a fire inside her. Only now, she was learning it had happened for real, to an actual girl of the clan. As Sarah was telling the story, vivid images were forming in Aeva’s mind. The beautiful redhead strapped on the jagged rock, stripped naked and spread wide, defenseless against the brutal assaults of her own clansmen. She could almost hear her screams, feel her pain… A fire was lighting inside of her, …her hand had been creeping up her own thigh as the elder woman had told the horrific tale, and she had felt an irresistible urge to touch herself on her most intimate parts… Thankfully, she was able to catch herself and conceal her attempt, but it had taken an overwhelming effort to keep her emotions under control… She had no choice. Old, gentle Sarah would never have understood, as wrecked as she was by the brutality she had witnessed long ago. Unaware of the effect of her tale on her apprentice, the old lady concluded her tale of sorrow.

 - “Our old king was cruel then. But it will not always be so. Soon your friend Prince Silas will be King in turn. He is a kind man. A good man. He will never allow for such folly. And I pray to the Gods you never have to witness this horror in your lifetime.”

Aeva opened her eyes and let the memory fade away, hearing again the noise of the endless rain pouring outside. How prophetically wrong had Old Sarah been, Aeva thought.