Garrett's P.O.V.
After coming up with a plan we immediately put it into action. Grace slips out from behind the caves wall and calls out to the guards! Putting her childish looks to use she wails about how she's lost some friends in a pit.
"Please mister! Please help me! Me and my friends got lost down here and," She pauses to sob,"They're stuck! Please help!" She finishes bawling her eyes out and crying so hard she starts to tremble. Instantly the guards follow her leaving Matilda and I to find a way into the locked dungeon.
Scrambling to the door I clumsily pick at the lock.
"Hurry! I think that they're coming back!" She hisses breathing down my neck.
Grunting in response I fumble more till I hear a quick click, grab her arm, and swing both of us into the room. The door hisses closed and we stare at the vast array of swords around us. Scimitars, Long swords, bejeweled swords, rusted swords, even swords still attached to the arms of fallen soldiers litter the ground around us!
"There!" Matilda yells pointing at the most tedious sword I've ever seen in my life.
"Perhaps we should look round more?" I reply dismissing her comment.
"No! That's it, help me pick it up." She commands dragging me over to the sword.
Thou shalt leave at once. An ominous commanding voice says.
"Did you say something?" I ask adressing Matilda.
"No?"
You are not prepared yet to become ruler of this kingdom.
"Your positive you haven't uttered a word?" I reply again.
"I think you're going mad." She mutters reaching for the sword. A small wail escapes from her voice as her hand clashes with a blue force field around the sword.
You mustn't let her touch me! Do you want her dead!
"You're the one talking to me!" I gasp adressing the sword.
"Garrett hush! Or else you'll send the guards barrelling through those doors." she growls reaching for the sword again.
"Ma-!!!"
But I'm soon cut off as the sword sends an undetectable current of energy through her. Her screams are like that of a tortured child's, and her arm twists into a shape bones should never be able to make! I reach out and pull her away just as she passes out into my arms. The sound of a guard running into the dungeon echoes as I panic trying to find a place to hide.
"Matilda!" I hiss closely into her ears.
"Mmm." She murmurs stirring a bit.
The sound of the guards gets closer and I haul her limp body onto my back. I reach out for the sword but it sends a wave of shocking powerful energy through me! Yellng I yank back my hand and curse at the sword.
I said you were not ready! You do not deserve this kingdom at the moment!
"Oh and the king as of right now does! Stupid piece of steel, I'll handle this myself." I grunt sprinting towards a pile of swords.
"There! Don't let them get away!!!" a guard yells from behind. The sound of dogs barking sounds from behind and are increasingly getting closer, one growls and takes a nip at my heel. Jumping I increase my pace and feeling Matilda sliding, haul her up more.
"Arrows!"
A shower of arrows flies over our heads and a couple find a way to sink themselves into my heel and thighs. Stumbling over uneven concrete a hand from behind grabs my shoulder with brute strength. Swerving me around he connects his fist with my face crushing my nose, letting blood flow freely out. Losing balance Matilda crashes to the floor with a dull thud. The warrior swings his sword towards my head, but I duck just in time.
Picking up a random sword from the pile, I limp over to the guard and manage to knock his sword out of his hand. He reaches in his belt and takes out a dagger artistically maneuvering it around my massive weapon.
"I've got her, leave the boy." A woman says from where she has Matilda propped up on her back.
"Gimme a minute, I can finish this one off Krista." The guard grunts after trying to remove my arm.
"Let us go! Now!"
"Fine." He replies grabbing my head and throwing it towards the stone ground. Stepping on it as he walks past my sight blurs as I see them taking my beloved Matilda away. Seeing a figure appear from behind a wall I recognize it as the King. My stomach churns with unsettled feelings and I muster enough energy to ask what he plans on doing with her.
"Nothing of your interest, peasant." He grumbles staring at his child with mixed feelings.
"Nothing-Nothing of my interest! I have every thing to do with her! Tell me or," I pause swaying as I get up holding a smaller sword. "Or I'll do my best to make sure you never ever hurt her again!"
A cold laugh echoes as he holds his stomach chuckling. "You? What do you a thief! Mean to someone as great a princess!!"
"I-I- love her...and I know she loves me too!" I gasp standing up straighter and gripping the dagger in a tighter hold. He stops laughing and begins to glare at me.
"Please boy, leave with what dignity you have left and go back to wence you came. Get out of my sight! My daughter would never love such an insolent creature."
Feeling the emotions finally take over I send the sword soaring towards his head, a guard dives in front of it and it catches him in the middle of his chest, not a hit to the heart, but he definitely won't ever be able to properly breathe. What would have been a direct kill shot to the king is now killing an innocent guard, baring my teeth I spit in his direction. The king's face reddens and the vains on his head bulge.
"On second thought keep him here, I have plans for this disgusting ungrateful idiot." He spits turning on his heel and walking out the door. Leaving me to a very dark very uncomfortable room.
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Days have passed and I've lost count of how long I've been down here. The blood has dried and become infected leaving me shivering and cold in the corner of the room. I've been in the dark so much I'm seeing things man doesn't even know exists. I've tried communicating to the sword to have something to do, but I must have hurt its feelings or something because the idiotic tool won't even so much as grunt at me. They don't feed me, I get water from the leaks in room when it rains, and I'm not completely sure if the water I drink has come from my bodily fluids or the rain.
So when I catch a glimpse of light I can't help but to cower from it. Walking from the light appears a figure I haven't seen in what seems like years.
"Mayla?" My voice manages to rasp out.
She walks over to me and all sorts of emotions pass over her face. The door closes again and she sits down joining me in the darkness.
"Mayla! What have they done to you!" I whisper in panick. She whimpers as I get closer to her.
"Why?" She chokes crying.
"Why what?"
"Why couldn't you just be satisfied with the life we had! Look at what you have done!"
"Mayla.." I whisper hurt and reaching out to her. She flinches as my arm touches her and backs clear away from me.
"I hate you." she breathes. And the words echo through the darkness and imprint themselves in my mind.
"Mayla! What did they do to you!" I scream trying to convince my self she's joking.
"They are gone Garrett! My whole family is gone! Mom, Mars, Kel, all of them sold! Sold for two cents each! Sold as slaves to masters who won't so much as treat them like their funrinture! All because of you! Why couldn't you just be happy!" she sobs.
Frozen in place I bring my knees in closer towards my body and rock back and forth. She's only joking this is just a dream. Pinching my skin I flinch at the fact that the pain is all to real.
"What else?" I ask my voice free of all emotion.
"They used-m-me!" She pauses her small body wracking from the sobs, "You said you'd always be there to make sure that that would never happen to me! But your the one who caused it! I'd rather be dead right now Garrett! But they just won't let me die! I hate feeling like some kind of ---" She stops crying to hard to continue.
Minutes pass as we both think about our lives in the darkness. What have I done? What have I done? Flies through my mind as I involuntarily dig my nails into my skin. The sound of metal scrapping across the ground echoes towards me.
"Mayla?"
No reply. The sound echoes again and this time soft mumbling.
"Mayla!?" I yell sounding panicked. Searching frantically for her I reach out in the darkness. It's like looking for a needle in a needle stack. Finally my hand connects with something soft that quickly pulls away from me. The substance I felt is sticky with a moist substance and I reach out to grab the dagger out of her hand.
"Mayla what are you doing!?" I cry.
"Kill me Garrett! I can't do it! Please, I promise I'll forgive you! Just kill me now!" she sobs her body limply falling into my lap.
"Shhh..." I say calming her down.
"Don't say that! That's what they always told me before-!" She sobs harder.
"I can't and I won't Mayla. You know that." I say patting her head.
"I know." She sobs once more. Silence envelopes us as we yet again sort out the feelings in our heads.
"The others were lucky."
"Who?" I ask.
"The others sold as slaves. Atleast now they're most likely dead." she says curling up into a ball and sobbing more.
"Don't say such things! Mayla! Mayla listen to me!"
She stops crying for a minute.
"I'll get you out of this. If I must die for you too, then let it be so, but I promise I'll get you out of this."
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . Days soon turn into weeks and they feed us enough just to keep us alive. I give Mayla all my food but she continues to ignore me and wish for death. At first it broke my heart to pieces but now I can't help but to almost wish for the same thing. The only thing keeping me from killing us both is the thought of seeing my beloved Matilda again.
The darkness has given me time to think, and with nothing else to do I can't help but imagine all the different ways we'll meet. Whether alive or in heaven every scenario is as sweet as light to me at the moment. In the midst of another one of my dreams a bright light flashes on sending Mayla hissing and cowering into the darkness of a corner. Straining my eyes to see, it feels like I'm being shot in the eye with a thousand arrows. But the sight that catches my attention, and sends my eyes soaring wide open.
Matilda in a magnificent yellow gown slowly walks in with her head bowed. Her hair has grown a bit and now lays light and wispy just below her shoulders. The sun reflects off it in such away she looks like she's from heaven.
"You have a five minutes." her father says from where she stands next to him, sending him the worst look I can muster. I look back at Matilda and am immediately self conscious of the way I must look. He leaves and she stands there with her head still bowed towards the ground.
"Matilda?" I question, a wide smile spreading across my face.
"Yes?" she says still not looking at me.
"Is that really you?"
She looks up sending me a look as if saying "Of course who else could it be?"
"I thought I'd never see you again!" I laugh getting up from my spot and limping over to where she stands. To overwhelmed with the joy of seeing her I don't notice how each step I take towards her seems to send her shrinking backwards.
"Oh how I've missed you so!" I say enveloping her in a hug.
"I know I've never told you this but, Matilda I am compltetely in love with you." I spew out with out thinking bending down for a passionate kiss. She stops me half way by slapping my cheek. Pushing me as hard as she can she laughs a haughty arrogant laugh.
"Sorry, I forgot about my appearence." I mutter rubbing weeks worth of beard growth.
"Tis not that! How could you! A peasant! Possibly think I'd want to kiss you?" she laughs now holding her stomach. The laughter I once thought was so full of life now makes me feel inferior and embarrassed.
"I don't know." I mutter feeling my heart shatter into a million pieces.
"What have they been feeding you down here! I'm just here to tell you, that they've given you a choice." She snickers her eyes not telling the same story as what she's saying.
"So you-you don't love me?"
"Course not!" She snorts with her eyes closed.
"Oh, that's good to know." I reply distractedly.
"Back to the choice my dear delusional boy. My uncle, Thomas, wants you to work for him. You will be in charge of helping the villagers. Of course you'll still be guarded but at least it is better than this raggedy place." she finishes looking disgusted at her surroundings.
"Oh."
"Yes, Yes, I understand I've hurt your feelings but you must make haste with this decision, father will be here any minute now."
Looking round everything seems dull, and not worth living for. My eyes pass over a lump in the corner of the room and I remember one more thing worth living for.
"Take my sister!" I say so fast it startles her.
"Your who?"
Sprinting to Mayla I scoope her up into my arms and carry her over to where Matilda stands mouth agape.
"They didn't?" She chokes looking at my beaten, abused, and terrified of life baby sister.
"Please, you must take her, surely there is space for her in the castle! Please take her." I beg a tear finally slipping out of my eye.
"What about you?" Matilda whispers looking up at my face with such passion you'd think she actually loved me.
"I'll be okay, please! She's had enough because of me."
"I'll.....I'll see what I can do." She mutters taking my dying sister from my hands and taking one last glance at me. Walking out the door I realize, she's still my angel. I lay down happy that I can die knowing everyone I love is safe.
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Months go by as I fall into a daze of life. Sleeping and waking up seem to occupy my days. James and Oliva visit. Each for different reasons. James comes to empty his thoughts, Olivia because she sees what my condition is doing to Matilda. James talks about how he wishes he could marry Olivia, but how he won't let it happen with out me there. Oliva comes to reassure me that Matilda still has feelings for me, and to not give up hope. Paul comes and updates me on Kingdom life, I believe he feels in someway guilty. It may be because him and Jane are now happily married with a little girl on the way. Jane is Jane, and she comes to talk about the daily gossip, with each visit her belly gets larger and larger. Grace comes her eyes wide and looking guilty. She tells me anything that's bugging her and is constantly apologizing.
Occasionally Mayla visits and she looks a little more happy each time. She lays my head on her lap telling me stories of how she is now Matilda's maid. Even little tid bits of a certain page she has her eye on. Matilda occasionally comes wither her and stays sitting far off in the corner of the room. I find myself staring when she visits, and she occasionally will shyly look up at me. But there's one thing I can't seem to figure out. Guilt covers her face every time she visits. How am I supposed to die with out every one I love being happy!
Wake up Garrett! I have been calling your name for months Master!Why have you given up!
Huh?
You are ready! You've earned the right to rule this kingdom! I command you to get up!
Slowly I awake to see the most magnificent sword of my entire life. It shines a blinding white with blue gems designed in a swirling pattern covering its sheath. The gems hold some kind of energy that travels round the swirls. Glowing the sword beckons me to hold it.
Get up and use me to take back your kingdom!
Picking up the sword a wave of light travels over my body healing everything in it's path. The infected cuts, gone! Bruises and scars, vanished! Feeling my face I realize even my beard has disappeared, the only scar left on my body is the one over my lips.
"What is this?" I question looking down at my clothes to realize I'm wearing a new suit of blindingly white armor. A helmet with a light blue feather lays where my feet are and a mighty steed neighs in the corner.
Hurry! The King has made a foolish mistake! Hurry before he kills his whole kingdom!
Without think I jump onto the steed and we gallop out of the dungeon doors which automatically open for us.
"And you couldn't have done this earlier?" I groggily ask the sword.
You were not ready Master.
"Can you stop calling me that, and what on earth made me ready?"
Your wish is my command M-Sir. You were ready the day you gave up your life for another.
"When.......Maya?"
Yes sir. I was going to keep you waiting this way you would feel bad for calling me a worthless piece of metal, but it seems you passed out in that time, and kept going in and out of consciousness.
"Shame, that I could have been awake and gallivanting around if it weren't for a certain piece of metal." I joked secretly thanking the Sword a million times in my head.
Shame, that you could have been awake and gallivanting aroundif it weren't for a certain comment. It retorted joking on with me. Passing hundreds of tents filled with warriors the bad feeling I have about this war only get's worse and worse. Some of the warriors don't look older than ten, and are covered in such raged and worn out clothes that they must be peasants. Gallopping past them, I recognize plenty of faces from my old vilage, and they seem to recognize me to. Some kids stop and point, some openly stare with wide eyes and mouths agape.
Turning around to face them as the horse rides on I even catch a glimpse of Eliza, young and distressed with a round belly, and the worries of a young mother. Our eyes lock and she drops a pitcher of water a tear sliding down her cheek. Seeing enough I turn around and put on the helmet. Just as the lid is down I turn around to see the most horrific sight of my life.
There, right above me lies Matilda dangling from the gallows.