Abridged Ties (Gilbert x OC)

Ekhnii

A painful scream echoed through the ally as a woman collapsed on the hard, wet concrete, blood oozing from the wound that had split her skull.

Both the woman's vision and mind faded to blackness and her body fell limp.

But one man who heard her painful cries arrived, lifting her unconscious body from the cold, dirty ground and wiping her thick, dark locks from her bruised and scraped pale face. He tore a piece of her old, battered clothing and wrapped it around her head, but the fabric was quickly overwhelmed with the crimson liquid.

The woman's breath became dangerously low and her already pale complexion was growing whiter. Her rescuer hurriedly wrapped the girl in his strong arms and carried her away from the crime-filled alleyway.

~+-+-+-+~

The woman turned and moaned lightly, the pain of the injury that was inflicted upon her head throbbed. But she didn't want to open her eyes and face the world. She felt comfortable.

A delicious smell finally brought her to consciousness as she slowly pried her deep violet eyes open.

"Have you woken up, finally?" Low, formal words ventured to the girl's ears. They were kind, yet unfamiliar.

The girl groaned, rubbing her tired eyes with an exaggerated yawn.

"I think that means 'yes.'" The man chuckled, walking to the dark-haired woman's bedside. "You've been asleep for a week, now. I'd assume you're hungry." The delicious-smelling creation was set on the bedside table as the girl pushed herself to sit upward. Her stomach growled as she looked at the creamy soup.

For the first time, she turned to meet the man who had greeted her since she awoke. His golden eyes were warm as his tousled raven-colored hair framed his softly smiling face.

"I go by Raven around here." The seemingly kind man mentioned. "What's your name?"

The girl opened her mouth to respond, yet paused thoughtfully. "I..." Confusion crossed her pale face. "I'm not sure..." She furrowed her thin eyebrows, narrowing her violet orbs. "I don't remember anything."

"You don't remember who you are?" Raven asked, though analyzing his own conclusion.

She shook her head, her thick curls bouncing around her shoulders and waist. She cupped her delicate hands around the warm soup bowl and pulled it closer to her, taking spoonful’s of the warm liquid into her mouth.

When she tasted the soup, her dark, dulled eyes lit up and a hint of color had risen to her otherwise pale complexion. "It's fantastic!"

"I'm glad you like it." The dark-haired man smiled gladly, equally as inviting as the delicious food he prepared. His own heart became warmer as the young woman's sickly skin grew increasingly healthy with every bite that she took.

She stared into the circulating liquid for a few moments as though she became lost in thought. "I feel as though... I haven't tasted something this delicious in a long time." Her violet eyes met Raven's kind golden orbs. "But I can't remember anything."

"I'm sure you'll remember everything in some time." His grin was assuring. "For now, just finish eating. We're going to go to the mansion of a dear friend of mine's. I borrowed some clothes from another friend that you can change into when you do finish." With that, the man left the girl inside of the cozy room.

Hanging on the embellished, full-length mirror that stood in one corner of the room was a plum-colored gown. Elaborate ruffles decorated the collar as the corseted top fell into layered wisps below the voluminous waistline. Underneath the thick material, a softer-looking fabric that had a pale pink tone reached the floor.