Hey this is a new version of ‘Freedom’ and the rating has gone up (Third time lucky). Thanks and apologises to all those who were reading the original version, but I didn’t feel it was very good and decided it needed a re-vamp, hopefully this one is better, and I’m completely determined to get this one finished. Anyway let me know what you think. R/R.

Chapter 1.

Nickeya shivered against the rain, as it lashed down is great icy sheets. The ground, on which she was sat, was nothing more than a thick, slippery surface of mud and water that clung to her clothes and caked her boots. The rain had caused her waist length dark hair to cling to the black material of her top like a second skin, whilst her black combats stuck to her legs, cold and uncomfortable.

She sighed drawing her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, making herself as small as possible.

The metal cuffs that held her wrists rubbed painfully, causing the delicate skin to chafe and bruise, picking at the lock with a piece of flint she’d found on the floor, Nickeya pulled experimentally on the chain. Gritting her teeth against the sudden pain in her wrists, Nickeya almost screamed in frustration as the cuffs failed to give and the lock remained firmly in place, “Come on,” she whispered weakly, continuing to pick the lock with the sharp piece of stone.

She was desperate to escape, to get free of the chains that held her, but she was a prisoner, a prisoner of war. A war between two brothers who fought for control of the Carlina Swamps, where most of Rorlin’s wealth came from, in the form of pure ore and minerals. Nickeya knew it went deeper than territory, it was a war started by one brother’s greed and murderous intentions, the brother she fought against.

The sound of footsteps, alerted Nickeya to the fact that people were approaching her. Sliding the flint back inside her boot, Nickeya lifted her head to watch the men approach. She narrowed her strange gold, honey coloured eyes as her captor stopped in front of her.

He stared at her silently, his steel grey eyes taking in every tiny dishevelled detail.

Nickeya glared at him, how she hated this man, the man who carried the same handsome chiselled features and dark hair, which her own lord carried. How could someone carry such opposing feelings for two men who look so similar? Nickeya didn’t know, all she knew was that Lord Ronan, her lord had been wrongly accused of his father’s murder, and this man before her, this monster, Kime, had implemented it.

“I trust you’re feeling more co-operative,” Kime sneered at her.

Nickeya shuddered, the sound of Kime’s voice making her skin crawl, she spat at him, “You will get nothing from me traitor”.

Another man, approached them, his sandy coloured hair setting him apart from the other man, though Nickeya knew he was the younger brother of both Ronan and Kime. He like his brothers had strong, handsome features and was well built with strong, broad shoulders.

“Raige,” Kime greeted with a single nod.

Raige smiled slightly, though it didn’t reach his deep hazel eyes, “Brother”.

Kime returned his attention to Nickeya and sighed, “Why don’t you just tell me where those rebel friends of yours are holed up? It would be much better for you in the long run. I could get you out of this rain for a start and back in the warm with some food”.

Nickeya laughed bitterly, “Is that so?” she asked stretching out her legs making the wet mud squelch beneath her body wait.

Kime nodded, pulling his heavy cloak close to keep out the rain, “You have my word”.

 Nickeya looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, the cold of the rain biting at her skin as it soaked through her clothes and her stomach churned from the lack of food, “Alright…” she muttered lowering her eyes.

Raige straightened slightly and frowned, staring at her as he placed his hand instinctively around the 9mm handgun at his hip, before glancing at his brother.

Kime smiled “That’s right, see all you have to do is tell me and you’ll be well treated, think of how long it’s been since you’ve eaten, since you were clean and dressed in fresh clothes,” he coaxed.

Nickeya shifted slightly, he was right, she hadn’t eaten in days and its had been longer than that since she’d been able to bathe, wash her hair, even sleep “Hell,” she croaked, looking at him, wanting to see his expression.

Kime took a step towards her “What?” he growled.

Nickeya rose to her feet, not wanting to show she was intimidated by him “Hell, that’s where you can go, because you’ll get shit all from me,” she hissed.

Kime lashed out angrily, his hand connecting with her jaw. Nickeya stumbled backwards, her arms wrenched painfully as she fell causing the chain to snap tight.

Kime pinned her forcefully to the floor, his free hand tracing the length of her throat until he stopped where her pulse flickered beneath the skin, he ran his fingertips over the area lightly “Such fire,” he mused, his face hovering inches above her own “You will break soon enough and then I shall take all I can get,” he whispered, grinding his hips against hers to emphasize the point he was getting at.

Nickeya tensed, as her eyes grew wide with realisation “I will die first,” she spat through gritted teeth.

Kime smiled cruelly, as he relinquished his grip and rose to his feet “We shall see”.

Turning to leave he looked at Raige who stood silent and emotionless “Raige make sure that no food or water is given to her, we shall see how long she can last when even the mere table scraps are taken away”.

Raige glanced at Nickeya and nodded slowly, “Yes my Lord”.

Nickeya sat huddled as the rain continued to fall, she would die here, she was almost sure of it. If she did not starve to death first, she knew eventually fever would claim her and she would be too weak to fight. Yes her fellow rebels would find her body, half starved and fever ridden. Death it would be a welcome release.

             It was nearly dawn and the rebel group had assembled in the cave network south of Kime’s fortress. Ronan stared at the sombre faces before him, his grey eyes reflecting their feeling. He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and sighed, “I know this is a hard time for us, but we must be strong Kime has yet to extract any information from our missing comrades. We must assume they are still free somewhere or were killed in the battle, we must keeping work towards our goals of freedom, I know that our lost comrades would want us to keep fighting and planning our attack against Kime’s forces…”

“You cannot just leave those people inside enemy territory,” a dark haired young man shouted angrily “My sister was deep inside the fortress when she was attacked, she and others who were caught, might still be alive. We can’t just give up on them”

Ronan stared at the young man who had spoken and sighed heavily “Jared please, I know you and Nickeya are close, but I can not risk more lives, we have already suffered heavy loses to our Swamp Dragons and the Dragonic pilot ranks”

Jared scowled, “So we are just going to leave them there? To be tortured and die?”

Ronan shook his head, “No I have many loyal men within Kime’s forces, who will do all that they can to help those caught, but I will not risk anymore of our forces on rescue missions, when we need all the dragons we can to prepare for the final assault that will free Rorlin of Kime’s oppressive rule”.

 “How can you say that?” Jared snapped, “Several of those captured are our best Dragonic pilots! How can you possibly expect us to defeat him if we’re missing…”

“Jared that’s enough!” Ronan snapped abruptly, “I’m well aware of our current situation, but I still refuse to risk more lives for those of a mere few. The risk to the majority out weighs the chance of those few being alive, I won’t jeopardise the freedom of this entire group for those few being held by the enemy. I’m sorry”.

Jared clenched his hands into tight fists, unable to think of a response that would swing things in his favour. There wasn’t one, sighing heavily he gave a reluctant nod, admitting defeat in a battle of wills with his lord. However, he was determined not to let Nickeya face death at Kime’s hands, he’d lost a father and two brothers to that tyrant, and he would not lose a sister also.