Metal shackles clamped around my wrists and ankles that were attached to a stone wall. There was no telling what the marking and stains were along the cobblestone walls and floors. It was already difficult to tell from the darkness, but there was no doubt that there was possibly blood splattered. The floor was cold against my bare feet that were stripped off me. The room was dark and empty except for candelabras scattered around the corners leaving the large room scarcely dim. The lights played tricks on my vision confusing me. It seemed like shadows were dancing along the walls that turned into terrifying faces. Figures would move in the corner of my eyes that felt like evil spirits lingered around.
It felt like I wasn't alone. Shutting my eyes did nothing but torment me further. Foreign whispers echoed off the walls saying indistinguishable things that couldn't be made out. Closing off one of my senses turned on the next. If I wasn't seeing things I would be hearing them. Fear was trying to trickle through my mind as the whispers and figures would infiltrate all around. My chest burnt with my heart pounding loudly in terrible anticipation fearing the worst.
The squeak of a door opened piercing the light through the room forcing me to squint. The brightness from the other side vanished as the jingling of bells echoed off the walls as footsteps neared. She's back. It's been hours since Courtly has kept me in here. To her, this is all just a game. A sick and twisted one.
My tongue suppled to the roof of my mouth to absorb any moisture from my dehydrated body. She had deprived me from food and water. She resorted to violence, using weapons as her favorite source of torture. She would do a lot worse. Courtly would tell me about how Chase was following under her command doing her bidding and other things. She was a very confusing woman. She was never straightforward with her answers and always was iffy with her sentences. She was not an honest person.
Honestly it was a mystery to know who allowed her to have these rankings here in the first place. Did the Red Queen allow for this? For her not exactly in her right mind, it was perhaps plausible it could've been her doing. Or maybe Courtly seized a chance to take it. Whichever way, it didn't matter, because she was about to have another go at me. And I was really going to get it.
"Morning! Sleep well, princess?" giggled Courtly delightfully.
It was a terrible joke. I couldn't sleep a wink. She placed a heretic's fork around my throat, restraining me from moving my face as both ends pierced my throat and chest. A horrible medieval torture device would pierce my skin if I moved my head one way or the other. It wasn't like I could. My head was forced to strain itself upright the whole time forced to stare up in one position. Dried blood crusted from my collarbone and chin from any attempt to speak.
"Where is Chase?" My voice was hoarse, the metal piercing my jaw slightly from daring to talk to her.
Courtly's lips curled upward as she let out a laugh, a light jingling of bells following along from her hat. She stepped closer toward me, reaching a hand to snatch at the metal encasing around my throat, pulling me near Courtly's face. It's teeth sunk into my flesh, piercing the already open wounds to cause it to bleed.
"Tsk tsk. That's for me to know and you not to find out." she said with a shaking of her head, her bells jingling in response. She released her grip causing me to sway back by the chains. "Chase has an assignment. So he's too busy to come to your rescue. But, I'll be sure to leave you with a little present for him when he has the chance. Hmm I've got a few branded materials I've been waiting to try out. Ready for another round of Persecute the Princess?"
She began to laugh maniacally as she started to unfold the tools hidden from under a clothed table. Her long, painted fingernails scanned over each item before stopping over something I couldn't see. From what I could tell it was long and shiny as it glittered in the dim candlelight.
I wanted to beg for the torture device to be removed. My neck strained and hurt, burning painfully with wanting to rest. However, if I were to relax it would only pierce my skin. Courtly wouldn't begin to reason or listen to ease her torturing. She didn't care. She found it rather fun. She could do whatever she wanted with me and no one would know. After all, I was in her personal playground.
Courtly drew something from the table of mysterious items. There was no telling what it was as she brought it near me, pinning the thin cold blade against my skin to slightly draw blood from above my collarbone. By now I adapted to the pain of it, yet it didn't cease to not hurt from the first time she drew to cut me.
Laughter erupted from her throat as she mindlessly drew the weapon along my skin, gliding it across my flesh. Slowly, fresh blood poured from the cuts down my chest pooling around the band of fabric soaking it once again red. She was only satisfied moments later after destroying my body leaving me unrecognizable against the blood and bruises as I couldn't scream in pain. My teeth bit down onto my tongue hard to refrain from the fork piercing my body further. My curls frizzed as it was left wild and tangled leaving it in messy ringlets all over. It covered half my almost bare body as Courtly had me removed from my earlier attire leaving me in nothing but filthy bandages and rags.
Courtly finally left the room satisfied with another round of tormenting me, feeling full of cheer as she had gotten the best of me. She would try everything in her power to make me weak and powerless. Leaving me alone in a cursed room to experiment on my body with every possible tool she owns to only leave me worse than I was before. Her weapons against me were much harsher than her words that bounced right off. They didn't actually stab. But it didn't matter, Courtly was feeling on top of the world.
Everything was going accordingly to her plan. She had Chase right in her fingertips with me locked in some sort of dungeon of hers. She seared with joy loving the outcome of this situation. Meanwhile, everything else was going wrong for Chase and me. We are so screwed. Or at least I am. Chase at least has the chance of escaping and still having a future. However, knowing him he would never leave me. He will come.
My cries echoed off the walls waiting to be rescued. This was my not my finest hour. It was my most defeated moment. Scarred and bruised, chained to the wall, there was not much hope. Chase was under her rule. Courtly is not the negotiable type to release him or me. Forever seemed like a possibility here.
Courtly left the dungeons after her rounds of torture only to come back a few hours later. She wasn't happy. She was quiet, enraged with something that I had no knowledge of. She paced the floor mumbling incoherent words.
"Well, looks like Lizzie and her friends from Ever After came to join on the fun." She breathes coolly, trying to calm herself. "Seems like things just got a little more interesting."
I still could not speak because of the heretics fork she has yet to remove. Words were not simple no matter how much I wanted to scream and shout at her and tell her off. But now I was just confused until it dawned on me. Today is Lizzie's moms birthday. The day I was supposed to be there to claim my place and duty as not the heir to the throne. The day where I was supposed to do so much and yet I've completely forgotten about it.
Enoch is going to kill me.
"Looks like I underestimated those girls, they're tough. Thing is, they don't even know you're here! Haha! Imagine the looks on their faces when I tell them I've got little Isabella in my cellar. Oh, they'll be absolutely delighted. But why tell them now? It'll be the perfect surprise to wait for, won't it? After all, you'll be the perfect distraction."
"And isn't it funny they came all this way for Lizzie's mum and not say, you?" That kinda stung. "Since your return not once have they came for you? Sent you a card? How dreadful. After all that time, how long has it been — months? Some friends they are. To care more about a birthday party than you? Pathetic. Ha!"
Her laugh was evident in her words, mocking and humiliating me telling me how horrible my friends are. Belittling everyone trying to make me feel smaller. She's nothing but toxic waste. Courtly left the dungeons much more cheerfully than she was when she walked in.
So my friends are back. Well, Courtly didn't specify specifically but she said Lizzie's here, so Maddie and Kitty must be with her as well. If that's true then that also means their other fairy tale friends are. I wonder if Alistair is here too? But Courtly would've said something. Her mind games are her favorite games. So he can't be here, can he? No, it's probably just the girls. That would mean Bunny probably isn't with them either. She hates me anyway, of course she wouldn't.
Wait. If Lizzie is here, and Kitty is with her, then she can come find me. She can poof her way up to me and get me out. Then I can find Chase and still fix this. But how would I do that? I don't have any access of using my magic. My hands were bound behind my back in chains. There was nothing I could do. Surely there was something to figure out.
Maybe I could combine my powers? When I was able to talk with my mom — but that's because we share that together. There's no way it would reach either of the girls. My mirror was meant specifically to call my mother. She only gave it that one purpose so it was useless here. I'm powerless here. There's nothing I can do.
No one can help me. No one knows where I am. Courtly is not merciful so I know she won't release me to the queen, at least not anytime soon. She's enjoying herself way too much and she's still just barely beginning to have her fun. She could do whatever she wanted with me and I couldn't do anything to stop her. My powers no longer served me.
My body was weak, aching in pain all over from all her experimental games. There was nothing much I could do anyway. There wasn't much left to give. There is so much to do and yet I am so far behind. We were supposed to already be well on our way. Sooner or later Enoch will notice. Maybe then he will come find me. Someone will save me.
Ugh this is ridiculous! I should not have to wait on anyone. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. So I will not ask for help. Not like I can, but I have no other choice but to do this myself. No one is coming to rescue me. Chase would've been here by now if that were true. He's clearly way too busy with whatever he's got going on. So things have to be taken into my own hands.
First thing was to try and have a go at the chains again only to instantly regret it. By straining myself it forces the fork to jab me in the chest, stabbing me under my jaw where it was beginning to scab over from previously piercing my skin. There was no leverage to work with.
My stomach grumbled, obviously hungry. It's been hours since I've last eaten. Still, I persevered through the pain trying to pull my arms out of the chains. It was a regretful mistake as pain soared my body, pressure building up on my chest and chin. Blood trickled down from my jaw tickling my neck as it slowly dripped down.
This wasn't helping. It only resulted in hurting myself further. It was merely a service to Courtly's plan if I ever thought of escaping. She thinks she's going to get away with this but she isn't. I'm going to get out of here no matter what it takes. Even if I may bleed to death. I have no more options and I'm running out of time. This is my only hope. I have to save myself. No one is coming to do it for me.
I pulled harder, my arms fighting for freedom while trying not to suffocate. My teeth gritted to keep from crying out further from the metastasizing pain. The chains were strong. There was no way of getting out of this without resulting in too much blood loss. There wasn't enough energy in me left to carry on.
"Izzy! Izzy, I'm here!" I heard a young frantic familiar voice. Oh thank goodness, faith arrived.
"Brooke?" I mumbled in the darkness.
"Shh! Don't speak, you'll only hurt yourself." Brooke whisper shouted although there was no point. It was just me, and I'm the only one who can hear her besides Madeline and Kitty. "I'm here to help."
"Isn't your job not to interfere?" I struggled to get out.
"Not when my friends are in danger!" said Brooke worriedly. "Don't worry, Izzy! Once I flip the pages to find your friends, I can tell them where you are and how to find you."
I tried to say thank you, but she was long gone. For a moment I wish she didn't leave me. The comfort of a friend was nice, especially for getting involved to help knowing she wasn't allowed to. The narrators would not be happy, or maybe they would for actively helping. They've been silent recently, so obviously their attention has solely focused on Ever After High. It must be a lot more entertaining to tell.
There was no telling of what she was going to do. There was no telling of who was coming or when. At some point I had given up on waiting. I couldn't tell if minutes or hours had gone by. Time was passing, and the queen's birthday was already in commence. I was beginning to lose faith.
That was when the door opened. I was hoping to unexpectedly see Lizzie, Kitty, or perhaps even Chase. Anyone would've been perfect. Instead, it was a grumbling Courtly who was visibly upset. There was a certain aura surrounding her as if she was in a dark mood. A pit fell in my stomach while witnessing the anger encase her body like a fervent heat raging a wild fire. She was mad.
She paced the floor, her bells jingling angrily as she began to start screaming words I couldn't understand. She reached to pick up something from the table as something sharp forcefully stabbed my side. A painful gasp squeezed out my lungs as Courtly frantically yelled, pulling and throwing random things around the round discarding them as if something was going drastically wrong for her. She must be losing.
"Ugh! You're stupid little friends are trying to graduate and I'll be sure that it does not happen!" Courtly said between gritted teeth. Her jaw was tight as she spoke, agitation riddling her spirit. "They think they're so smart. Wait till they find out I've got you prisoner. In the meantime, you're going to tell me their weaknesses! So spill!"
I strained to straighten myself, slowly meeting up to her level still crouched enough to where the pain wasn't as bad. Seeing the red in her eyes was evident her intent was not good. She didn't think about the heretic fork she placed around my neck and how I was basically unable to speak. There was not much I could say regardless. Nonetheless, I didn't know any of their personal weaknesses.
After all, we were separated for years before we temporarily were able to reconnect which made a significant difference. They grew up and changed, yet still remain the same selves. Our relationships between each other have slowly disintegrated. The friendship remains, but the love between each other faded. Ever After is still what they call home. They are all happy there. They probably don't even miss Wonderland. It's not as chaotic there as it is here.
"I don't know." I tried to say.
That wasn't good enough of an answer. She was growing desperate. She needed something. She threw her head back in distress, groaning angrily before reaching for something else to say, "If you won't tell me then, fine. But you know the price for lying."
She kicked at my shins slipping them from under me, my knees buckling, causing me to lose my balance to collapse and fall to my knees. The fork jabbed into my jaw piercing it's spikes into my chin, pushing it tightly into my skin in my chest. Courtly chuckled menacingly to herself happy at my outcome.
"Oh, I think you need a bandaid. Oops, don't have any!" Courtly grinned, walking across the floor. She left me alone in the room, sitting in the dark while bleeding out.
My body was exhausted. At some point, my eyelids got heavy only to shoot myself back up after the metal wrapped around my neck stabbed me. I must not fall asleep. No matter how tired I felt, I had to refuse. Not like this. No one can sleep like this. It is inhumane how I'm being treated.
The door once again opened a few moments later, rather abruptly as Courtly skipped over to me cheerfully. Someone was in a much better mood than before. There was no wonder as to what had changed. Either way, it wasn't going to be good for me on my end.
"I'm going to be gone for a while, but I'll be back. Eventually." said Courtly. "However, I can't leave you without a little gift! After all, it's been such a pleasure to torture you. I can't just not!" She began to speak from something that sounded riddlish as it was hard to make out as she mumbled it. A green haze filtered around my vision, swirling around like a hypnotic twirl of the smoke faded away into my face.
Her laugh echoed in my mind as everything felt dizzy. My head spun, confusion filtered my mind. With a few blinks, a sense of exhaustion waved over me. It was overwhelming, the consuming pit that pooled into my being. Resisting did nothing but only agitate it, resulting in a fight over control of my own body. Everything was becoming heavy with wanting to lie down. The restraints surely prevented that.
"Where's your bark, dog? What a sad little thing. Pathetic." Courtly chuckled as she watched me fight with myself. "Just let go, Isabella. Feed into it. Succumb."
My throat tried to speak, but the words could not come out. My voice was gone. Something was trying to take over me, and I was trying so hard to not let it. Whatever it was was strong, but so am I. However, with the state I was in did not help, but in fact decreased my chance of winning against whatever was battling over my body.
"Well, I'll let you have at it." Courtly grinned, waving off her manicured hand while walking to the door, leaving me to fight this alone.
The door closed behind her leaving me alone to die painfully in silence. My arms tightened unwillingly behind me, feeling my nerves writhing inside pulsating through my body. My body felt on fire as my nerves felt like they were stretching, expanding and pulsating with a heavy ache. Heat washed over me like a wave. It was intensifying as everything was spinning around me. My body was crashing hard. I struggled to keep my eyes open to stay awake.
Everything began to fade. The ground spun from underneath me, my legs stumbling. My chained arms caught my knees from slamming to the ground. My shoulders painfully bent where they shouldn't be. Blood dripped down my chest. The soaked scarlet cloth covering my chest was cold as it clung to my wounded flesh.
It was over and nothing had even begun. Chase unfathomably submitted himself to Courtly. Lizzie and her friends are going to possibly ruin my plans if not before Courtly does. And I am going to die. Well, isn't this wonderful? On such an important day that Chase and I have spent months of preparations preparing for this moment. It was all going down the rabbit hole just like that. And for what? Some scheming jester?
My brain feels fuzzy. Everything hurts. It's so hard to breathe. A dizziness fogged inside my brain feeling as if the room was spinning from underneath me. I just want to lie down. Everything made that impossible. My eyelids were heavy wanting to sleep. Everything inside me wanted to cave in. My refusal against it was weak. Courtly's spell was overpowering my body. Everything felt like it was changing inside me. Death would be better than this.
No. . . Must not give in. . .
As if my prayers were answered, a meow called out in the distance, and a familiar face popped in the room.
"Izzy? Oh, my whiskers!" My dear old friend Kitty squealed. "What did Courtly do to you? Oh, here let me help you!"
The pig-tailed cat vanished and reappeared behind me. The metal latch on my neck was first released giving great relief. Holding it up became instantly impossible, my neck slumping forward with the rest of me to collapse to the sweet, hard cold floor. The shackles holding my wrists were loosened before falling to my sides as Kitty then focused on my ankles.
For the first time, I was able to relax. My body was no longer tense or being constrained. For the first time in a long time, I felt free. Sleep soon consumed me, and before I knew it, the world shifted me into the realm of dreams before my feet could hit the ground.
"Izzy? Iz? Izzy!" A harsh pounding fiercely rang through my brain as the muffled voice became slightly more distinctive. "Isabella!"
Pain seared through my being as everything suddenly came back. Kitty was sitting in front of me, periwinkle eyebrows worriedly raised as her bottom raspberry tinted stained lips trembled.
"K-kitty?" I could barely say.
"Take it easy." said Kitty, a shift in her gaze turning to my wounds. "You've been through a lot."
"Where are we?" I asked looking around. It was nothing but a tall maze of hedges surrounding a courtyard.
"Outside the school grounds." Kitty said simply. Her neck strained to turn one direction as if she was looking out for something. "When we found out that Courtly was keeping you prisoner I poofed over the whole school to try and find you. I'm so glad I did. You looked like a goner. . ."
Chase never came for me. What happened to him? He was supposed to find me. I can only hope he's okay.
"The girls are trying to escape school. Courtly's going after Lizzie's mom. I need to go find my mom, she knows where the Storybook of Legends is." Kitty explained the situation quickly. "Do you think you'll be okay on your own?"
"Yeah, I think so." I nodded subtly. "I need to go find her too, the Red Queen, that is."
"Oh, do be carful, Iz. You know Courtly will surely be there soon, if not already."
With a nod, she poofed herself away with a hopeful smile leaving me alone outside the school grounds. It didn't take a second thought to get myself moving. There was a Queen to find. Enoch would be waiting for me. Chase may or not show up, but hopefully, eventually he might. Looking for him would be a waste of time. As much as I would love to go and find him, there was more important things to tend to, and I was very behind.
Chase can catch up if he so chooses to. If he's not looking for me that is. Surely he might think that I am still captured, but that can't be ruled out. Maybe that's why he's been so focused on whatever he's doing. He's probably assumed that I've already escaped. No. Courtly would've said something to him.
Still, there was no looking back when I was moving forward. The school was behind me. My goal predominately turned back on schedule leading me on the trail toward the Red Queen's castle. Mangled head to toe, there was no proper way to display myself like this, especially on the Queen's birthday no less. She'd have a fit, but then she'll come to a huge understanding once everything is explained.
Finally, able to get somewhere, my journey began along the narrow path through Wonderland. The ways was long, but it would soon be worth it once there. Hopefully, Enoch will be there waiting for me. There I wished to find Chase waiting along with him, but that was far too fetched. He's still somewhere inside the school. Maybe, he'll get the chance to come. Whatever spell he's put under, our friends should get him out. And if not, well, it's all up to me.
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