"Alice Park you say?" I nodded my head in confirmation at the name. The woman looked me up and down once more and closed the door. I just stood awkwardly outside for a little while before the woman opened the door all the way. I was now able to see what the woman looked like. She had darker hair and was shorter than me. She was in more adventurous clothing like I and she had a musket at her side.
"Come in."
"Um, alright." I know I'm supposed to be heading back to the tavern, but this lady seems like she knows Alice. I walked inside her home and I heard the door close behind me, making me instinctively creep my hand towards my dagger. I heard her chuckle,
"I'm not looking for a fight. I know Alice wouldn't be too happy that her wife started a fight with someone looking for her." Wasn't expecting that, but alright.
"I'm not looking for a fight either, it's just a habit at this point."
"No need to explain yourself, I understand. May I ask why you're looking for my wife?"
"Well long story short, her younger sister told me where she lived and I'm guessing I need her help to find where her parents live." I explained. The woman's eyes widened at the mention of her parents.
"What have her parents done?"
"Their youngest ran away years ago and I fell in love with her. They found us and took her away from me, so I'm doing everything in my power to get her back to me; for her to be safe."
"Sounds like something they would do," she said mostly to herself, but I still heard it.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"
"Oh my! I'm so sorry, I'm Joan! I can't believe I didn't tell you earlier, my bad." I smiled a little at her obvious embarrassment. I waved her off,
"It's completely fine, I'm y/n by the way." I held my hand out for her to shake and she gladly did. We continued conversing for a while longer before we both heard the front door open. I turned around as my back was to the door and saw a woman taking her shoes off,
"Hello dear!" She said with a bubbly voice before looking up. The smile was wiped off her face as she met my eyes, "uh, didn't know we had company."
"I didn't mean to intrude, but I was looking for you." I told her. She looked me up and down suspiciously before speaking,
"And you are?"
"Y/n, I met you years ago when you ran away from your parents. You said if I needed anything to come find you, and that's what I did." Her eyes widened,
"How do you know about my parents?" She said a little louder, hand moving down to where her knife was. Joan rushed over to her wife's side and whispered something in her ear. I watched Alice's body loosen and she told me to say why I was here.
"Your sister, Roseanne." I said simply. The look that came over her face was honestly unreadable. It was a mix of shock, guilt, surprise, happiness, sadness, and others.
"Rosie..." she said quietly, "what happened to her?" Alice continued, a little more rushed this time.
"Well I'm in love with your sister and we are dating? I don't know, it's complicated right now because your parents found us and took her away from me. So now I'm trying to find her and on the ship they were on, I saw a carving that read 381 A. I honestly wasn't even going to come to this house, but fate decided to step in."
"Wow, uh number one, I didn't know my little sister was into women, nice. Number two, not surprised about my parents being bastards because that's the reason I ran away. Number three, I will most definitely help you find her. I need to apologize to her anyway."
"Thank you, Alice." I said with a smile on my face. She observed me a little longer before knitting her eyebrows together, "so you're here alone?"
"Um, I have three people who are probably thinking I'm dead or something right now." I told her calmly.
"Oh. Well then, you can go back to them and all of you can come here for dinner at 6, is that fine? We can plan everything out then and I'll tell you everything I know about my damn parents."
"Sounds like you have yourself a deal." Alice smiled at me,
"I like you. I'm glad Rosie found someone like you." I laughed a bit,
"I'm glad I made a good first impression. Rosie definitely didn't think the same way when we first met."
"What do you mean?"
"I met her when we were 15 at the place I trained to become a sea scavenger. She hated me from the start and we always fought with each other. Then about three months ago we happened to raid the same ship and then being the idiot she is sometimes blew up TNT. We then washed ashore a random deserted island and then somehow managed to fall in love with each other. Quite the love story if I do say so myself."
"That's definitely a love story to say the least. I actually have my horse round back and I can take you to your friends quicker. Granted you'll all have to walk here, but whatever." Alice said as she started to put her shoes back on. I was about to tell her she didn't need to, but even Joan insisted.
"Alright, ya got me. Lead the way."
~~~~~
Alice and I arrived back at the tavern about 10 minutes later as her horse wanted to run pretty fast. Irene was the only one worried about me as the others didn't even realize I was late. I told them everything and they were all shocked and wanted to ask a lot more questions, but Alice politely declined them as we needed to leave for dinner. I told Alice to go on ahead and help her wife if needed and she left us with a smile.
The five of us made our way to Alice's home and they were all talking about how I just found Alice Park by accident. I agreed with them as it really was kind of by accident; like I wasn't even supposed to continue on in that direction because I needed to turn back.
We stood in front of their house and Joan opened the door for us with a warm smile. We shuffled inside and took off our shoes before going towards the small kitchen. Alice was setting up the table and the air smelled of a delicious soup. I glanced over and saw on a small stovetop a pot boiling and freshly baked bread sitting on a pan. My mouth watered at the sight and I heard Lisa chuckle from beside me,
"You look like you haven't seen food in years."
"It was only last night when I finally got to eat something other than fish or pork. A much needed change that I was very happy to have."
"Okay, the soup will be done in 5 minutes, so I would love to know all of your names." Joan said as she wiped her hands on her apron before sitting down at the table, motioning for us to do the same. We all sat down and everyone went around one by one, introducing themselves to the couple.
"So this is everyone we got?" Alice said as she took a bite of her bread.
"Well I have my crew, but these are the immediate people." I told her as she nodded her head understandingly.
"That's fine, we most likely won't need any backup since I'm guessing we're all skilled fighters." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and Alice smiled, "good to know all of you are confident in your abilities because I don't know how hard this is going to be."
"So, what's the plan then?" I asked her eagerly, leaning forward on my elbows that were resting on the table. She smirked at me,
"Aren't you full of fire? Well, I know where my parents are currently living. I don't think they would change locations because it's in a remote place as is. Since they're obviously wealthy, they have guards 24/7 and they have guns. The homestead they live on has a few different buildings and I'm guessing they are keeping Rosie in the old stone chapel. It's all run down, but since they know she is in love with you," she said pointing to me, "they are going to try and 'convert' her back to 'normal' ways."
"What would that mean for her?" Jennie asked hesitantly. I honestly was going to ask the same thing, but I'm fearing the answer because of the off putting expression Alice had.
"Most likely torture, physical and mental."
My girl is probably being tortured right now and I'm just sitting here.
I tightened my jaw and curled my hands up into fists,
"When's the earliest we can leave?" I asked Alice as she turned her attention back to me. She thought for a moment,
"Come sunrise tomorrow. Now, let's talk about the actual plan of attack."
~~~~~
Walking along the path in the middle of the woods just before sunrise was a surreal feeling. I really haven't been back in the woods for years, so knowing that I have to sort of travel through my past to get to my future is a little weird. The morning fog made it a little hard to see further ahead of us, but Alice seemed to know where she was going. The tall trees provided shelter for many still sleeping animals. A few bird calls were heard in the far distance, letting us know that the world was slowly starting to wake up.
All of us are quiet, not wanting to start conversations because we are all worried about the plan. It's a risky one to say the least, but it's the only real shot we have at getting Rosie back.
The dirt footprints we are pressing into the ground were all unorganized and not neat at all. There was no formation or line, we were all just walking however. I know from this, none of us would be able to go into the royal army. But it's not like any of us want to anyway.
I'm walking beside Lisa right now and I have my dagger in my hand, flipping it around to pass the time. Lisa was eating some bread and ripped off a piece for me, which I politely declined. My stomach is already in knots and I know I most likely wouldn't be able to keep any food down.
My head was on a swivel the whole time, observing the woods and my surroundings. Every snap of a branch or rustle of a bush I heard, I immediately looked in that direction. I may still be a bit paranoid from the jaguars on the island, but I'm just going to say I'm being cautious.
Alice and Joan were the ones leading a good four meters in front of us. Joan had her arm looped through Alice's and leaned her head on her shoulder. It reminded me of Rosie and I grew sad as she wasn't here beside me right now.
Damn Manoban is.
"Okay, the sun is starting to rise over the horizon, so we need to make a left up here. We'll continue down this way off the path and get closer to the homestead." Alice announced. We all followed her lead and broke off from the path, going deeper into the woods.
"I thought you said the homestead was in the countryside?" Felix said from my right.
"Oh it is. This is just the one side of the homestead that is bordered by woods. It'll provide cover for us and it would've been a death sentence if we walked up to it in plain sight."
"Ah, okay." Felix replied, a little embarrassed at himself for apparently asking a stupid question. Alice glanced back at him and gave him a small smile,
"Don't worry about it mate, you're fine." Felix smiled gratefully at her and we continued on.
The trees started to let in more and more sunlight through the leaves, casting beautiful shadows. There were some fallen leaves on the ground and they crunched underneath our feet as we went. Stealth was not our forte, but that's fine for now. We still have a few more kilometers until the homestead, at least that's what Alice told us. I just watched where I was walking and waited as the time and distance passed oh so slowly.
Jennie started to complain a bit about how her feet started to hurt and Irene made a few sly comments here and there. The two started bickering back and forth which was quite entertaining actually. Felix grabbed onto Jennie's wrist as she was going to get closer to Irene. I rolled my eyes,
"Kim, chill out." Jennie adjusted her coat harshly,
"Don't tell me to chill out."
"Everyone, shut it. We're getting closer." Alice said as she turned her head back to speak. We all immediately closed our mouths as our dumb argument can continue another time.
When Alice said those words, my heart clenched in absolute fear and happiness. I'm happy that I'll be able to get Rosie back, but absolutely terrified that I was too late. My palms got sweaty and I switched my sword over to my other hand so I could wipe the sweat off onto my coat for now. I got the nervous jitters and I was mumbling quietly to myself; telling myself that everything will be fine. I felt a nudge on my shoulder,
"Oi, stop thinking so much." Lisa said from beside me. I glanced over at her,
"I hate how well you know me." She chuckled,
"Thanks, I've had years of practice." That got a smile out of me and I turned my attention back to following Alice and Joan. Lisa almost went face first into the ground thanks to a tree root, but I grabbed the back of her collar and yanked her back. She thanked me and I just scolded her a bit to make sure she watches where she walks.
"Why do you have to scold me too? I already have Irene doing that?"
"Because she scolds you in a girlfriend way, I scold you in a best friend way."
"Ah, makes perfect sense." She said sarcastically as I slapped the back of her head. She just grumbled to herself and migrated over to where Irene was. All I heard from the two having a conversation was Irene saying 'you probably deserved it'. That made me smile.
"Okay everyone, the homestead is up ahead. We have to be more cautious and quiet." Alice announced to us. The atmosphere around us died down to a more serious one and I took a few deep breaths as we moved on. I was in the back of the group, making sure that no one was following us or anything like that. Alice made some hand signals and we went left towards the edge of the woods.
We all gathered around a tiny opening in the woods and laid down to make sure we wouldn't be seen. I army crawled closer and my eyes finally landed on the homestead of the Parks. It was beautiful and big, everything you'd expect from a wealthy family. The garden on the far side was neatly trimmed and the pathways were clean. The main home itself was a tudor style, more unusual for these parts of Europe. But then again, the family is from northern europe, so it's more common. They probably had the home built.
There were stables on our right and saw a few workers tending to the animals. There were obviously guards littered around everywhere and I'm guessing they added more because of the chance we would show up. The guards were dressed in black coats with white tricorne hats. The guns they had were muskets and they had quite the blade on the end of them.
And just as Alice said, on our right was the old stone chapel. It had some vines and moss growing on it, but still was structurally sound. At the front, there was a big stained glass window with a mosaic of God and Jesus. Big oak doors sat proudly at the front, locked down. And damn were there a lot of guards around it. Probably 15-20 just around the building itself.
"They've definitely amped up the security." Alice grumbled as she scanned over everything.
"Is the plan a go?" Jennie whispered to her. Alice nodded her head,
"Yeah, everyone, let's do this thing. Let's get my little sister back." Alice gave me a nod and we split off into our partners and went to start the attack. Lisa and I were going to be the ones to actually get Rosie out of the chapel since we're the best fighting duo out of all of us. Alice and Joan are going to set up a big distraction that should hopefully lure a bunch of guards away. Jennie and Felix are going to be doing a sneak attack on the lone guards making their rounds around the property. The key for them is to make sure those guards don't make a sound while dying. Then Irene is going to be using the bow and arrow to give us cover. She's a pro with it, so I have faith in her to help us out.
Lisa and I started to make our way closer to the chapel through the woods and I counted a total of 16 guards we have to get through. We got right to the edge of the foliage and awaited the distraction from Alice and Joan. Each of them has a different one, but we go on the second.
My eyes snapped over to the stables as multiple horses were now running out of it, completely free of any riders. Joan did her job nicely. A few guards from the chapel ran over to help out and try to get the startled horses under control. My heart was racing as we still had to wait for Alice's signal. Our focus was only on waiting for that signal because we couldn't do anything else without it.
"You aren't supposed to be here." A gravelly voice said from behind Lisa and I. I then felt a gun get pressed against the back of my head as I swallowed in fear. My blood was roaring in my ears and I glanced at Lisa, seeing her frozen in fear too. There was no guard on her, so that meant that there was only one here. But there was no way Lisa would be able to fight the guard without him killing me.
I let go of my sword and raised my hands up, showing the man that I didn't have any other weapons in my hands.
"Wow, I didn't even have to ask you to–"
And then the man just stopped talking. I was too scared to look back, but when I heard a loud thump on the ground, I took my chances and looked back.
There with an arrow right through his neck was the guard. Blood was spilling out of him and I looked in the direction the arrow came from and saw Irene perched up in a tree. She mouthed an 'I'm sorry' and I just waved her off. I know she feels bad for not being quicker, but it's fine. We're still alive and the guard didn't signal anyone else.
I cleared my head and went back to looking out over the chapel. I flinched a little when I heard the loud sounds of firecrackers going off. And Alice has started her distraction. The loud sounds caught the attention of more guards and they went off to figure out what it was. Now, there were about 5 guards present. I know Lisa and I can take them on, along with Irene with the bow.
I did the hand signal for us to move forward; mostly just so Irene knows what we're doing. Lisa and I carefully went forward into the open. I know Irene probably has her bow drawn back with an arrow ready to fire, so I'm not that scared. Only a little. I flexed my grip a little on my dagger and soon we made it to the outside of the chapel. I heard footsteps from around the corner and I braced myself, ready to attack the throat.
A guard rounded the corner and their eyes widened in alarm. They were about to shout, but I lunged forward and covered their mouth, taking my dagger and slicing across their throat, effectively killing them. I gently laid them to the ground and dragged them into the woods so no one would see the body. I wiped the blood off onto their coat and quickly went back to the spot. Lisa was now on the other side and I glanced up to see Irene pointing her arrow at someone. I tapped Lisa's shoulder twice to let her know Irene is going to take this one. She nodded her head and soon an arrow came flying out of the woods, nailing the guard in the heart. They dropped to their knees and spit up blood before collapsing to the ground.
Lisa made quick work of the body and now there were only 3 more somewhere around here. I looked back up to Irene and she pointed to the other side of the chapel. It makes sense that they're still there since that's the front entrance. There was no time to come up with a battle plan because we don't have that much more time.
I made my way to the corner and heard the guards just talking to each other. It sounds like they don't have their guard up at all, so we can catch them by surprise. I signaled Lisa to go around to the other side and she quickly ran around to get to the other side. She knows to wait for me to attack, so it's going to be my call. I peaked my head around the corner slightest and saw them just leaning up against the wall, muskets sitting on the ground. I mentally rolled my eyes at how stupid these people are, but it'll be easier for us to kill them.
I then just went for it.
I went around the corner and went for the closest guard to me. I saw Lisa do the same and they were completely caught off guard. I didn't even want this to get down to a fist fight, so I just went right for the neck again, but the guard blocked it. I got annoyed and swept his legs out from under him. Lisa was able to make quick work of hers, but mine is a little more annoying. That's when my eyes caught the other guard grab a horn and blow into it. It was only for a split second, but I know at least one guard heard it. Lisa knocked it out of their hand quickly and stabbed them in the heart with her sword.
I felt the adrenaline kicking in more and after a little more effort, I was able to kill the guard I was fighting. Lisa wiped the blood off her hands as she started to fumble around with the keys that were tied on to the guard's belt. I noticed and then just took my dagger and cut it off for her. But that's when I noticed at least 20 guards sprinting towards the chapel. I also saw from the balcony of the main house her parents watching.
"Damn it!" I yelled out of frustration as I just ran to the nearest window and broke it with the butt of one of the muskets. It shattered loudly and I didn't care about clearing the way completely for me. I climbed through and gritted my teeth as I felt multiple pieces of glass cut me in numerous places. I got inside though and heard Lisa following in after me.
It was the front entrance room and I ran to where it opened up into the main area. I turned the corner and straight down the aisle was a tied up Rosie. There was dried blood on her and the ropes looked very tight around her body. Bruises litter her fair skin and it made me sick. Her head was down and I don't know if she's alive or not. I heard the main door getting banged on by the guards and also saw them trying to get through the window. I didn't think twice before sprinting towards my girl.
I could feel the blood dripping down my fingers and forehead; some getting into my eyes. It felt like there were constant pins and needles being stabbed into every part of my body and I could honestly barely hold myself up properly. But none of that slowed me down a bit.
"Lisa, untie her!" I shouted as we got closer. I watched as Lisa ran past me and went down, frantically trying to untie her. I slid in front of her and looked up at her head. I gently reached out and held it up,
"Rosie?" I asked softly. I tapped her cheek a few times and there was still no response. I tapped her cheeks a little harder, "Baby, wake up. It's me, y/n. I love you." I whispered, feeling tears prick at my eyes. A loud sound was heard at the front of the chapel and I heard clear shouting coming towards us. The guards got in.
"She's untied!" Lisa said as she pulled away all the rope that was restricting Rosie. I picked her up bridal style and looked around frantically, trying to find an exit.
There was nothing.
"Stay there or we shoot!" A man yelled loudly at us. I looked over at Lisa who was facing them. She felt me looking at her and gave me a somber look, shaking her head.
We don't have a chance.
I let out a shaky breath and slowly turned around to face our doom. As I turned around, I pressed a kiss onto Rosie's forehead, a tear slipping out of my eye,
"I'm so sorry, love."
—————
DONT KILL ME. wasn't this just an eventful chapter? sooooo, what do yall think? i love it LOL, anyway, hope u at least liked the read. i can't wait for the next chapter... LOVE U ALL AND SEE U LATER <3