So... the last one guys. I hope by now that I've proven my (admittedly selfish) point. I am a versatile authoress! I am capable of writing to extremes or moderations even within the same category! *parties* I certainly hope that this proved it to you. Trust me, sometimes I bummed myself out writing this, but I think that the result was worth it. Thanks to everyone who's read to this point. :)

Thanks to reviewers Writer of the North, RestrainedFreedom, Inkweaverabc, TooLazyToThinkOfAGoodName, The Meepsta, Pie in the Face, and Massa. You are all completely awesome and are such great readers to review! (And don't worry, I read EVERY review, so even if it's a thousand years from now I'll still love you if you review!) :D

She stared with desperate, helpless longing at the moon. It's bare, round face that she had once thought so lovely seemed to laugh at her from its freedom, glaring down the lofty rosebush that had sprouted through the roof of her prison mockingly. More than anything in the entire world, she wanted to go to it. She didn't want to stay here, where she was worse than dead. She would have loved to die. The rosebush offered freedom.

But this was denied her, and now even the moon laughed at her before fading away like the vision it was as she lay there, unable to move even to save herself. She was going mad, she knew. Why, just last night she had felt someone looking at her even when that was impossible, as no one was actually present. Now, she doubted even the rose was real. That little white rose that had achieved so much by taking root and offering to set her free. But a little white rose wasn't enough. Nothing short of a… of a dragon could set her free now! Weakly, she chuckled to herself. She was such a fool.

With that, she drifted off into a fitful sleep. But she didn't remain that way for long, as her cell door banged open, it seemed, as soon as she closed her eyes. It was useless to attempt to move when they came, she had learned. It scared them, and they made her suffer for their fear. It was undignified, but she let them drag her bodily wherever they wished to take her. In any event, she doubted she would be able to walk by herself.

Dragged down the hall, shoved through the door, dropped on the floor, mocked, kicked, spat at, picked up, rolled onto the table, strapped down, taunted. She knew the routine step by step that they followed every day. The only thing that ever changed was how He hurt her. But it didn't matter how He did it, the result was the same. Blood, screaming, mocking, and silence. She never said a coherent word to Him in any language, and this displeased Him. He punished her, but she never gave in. Like the rain. It kept coming back, and it would come back for several eternities. Just like her, living in her agony forever. Together, she thought idly, they'd be quite a match, her and the rain.

The knife raked across her bare back, severing muscle and sinew alike, and scratching notches into whatever bones it happened to come in contact with. It never touched her spine, because He needed her alive. Still, this did not stop Him from deliberately pouring a small vial of liquid into the gushing incision. Screaming as it came into contact with her insides, she flattened herself away from it, but it came despite her, searing and clawing. Even only semi-conscious, she could feel her flesh bubbling and sizzling unpleasantly.

"Such a pretty face…" He crooned patronizingly, gazing at her with the maroon eyes that betrayed the fact that He had no soul, filed teeth glinting, "Tomorrow we shall improve upon it. Take heart, elf. Tomorrow shall come quickly." Viciously, he lashed out at her with his fist, sinking the blow into her ribs. Her only response was to cough up blood in His general direction, spattering him, and to black out for a time.

But it mattered little when and where she woke up, she decided. For how could one fight against forever? And she had been in here with the Pain for two times that long. She had never awoken anywhere but behind the solid door of her cell, and it was here she awoke this time, barely able to move. Dejectedly, she stood up just for the sake of remembrance that she once could. She once was strong, and could run, jump and climb. Yet all of that seemed like a minor, pointless accomplishment to the fact that she could stand. But she almost fell over again when the door to her cell was suddenly flung open by a person who was most definitely not a soldier. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and she could see in them this new man's panic, disgust, horror, and great compassion. They were not the cold, empty eyes of Durza, whom she had resisted flawlessly for this long. This new boy's eyes were rich and warm and beautiful.

Don't you dare hope, Arya! she warned herself. But she didn't listen. Collapsing roughly on the ground, she lost consciousness again, but with a slight lift in her heart.

She hadn't seen kind eyes like that in twice times forever.

HaHA Durza! Eragon came and got her! Then he's going to kill you! *taunting dance* Stick a straw in that juice box and suck it! XD

Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reading all the way to the end. You people make me so happy! Please leave a little review so I'll know how I did! :)