My hair whips behind me freely as my legs move as fast as possible, moving me swiftly through the empty alleys. It had been so long since I had run for the fun of it, not because I was being chased, and frankly it felt good.
My chest is beating fast and a small grin plays on my face. I don't remember the last time I had smiled either. It had been a long time ago, I know that much. It had probably been when I was still living in the castle.
But that was already a distant memory. I've never thought of two weeks as very long but it feels like an eternity since Kane, Mason, Reeves, Peter and I found the secret hideout for the anti-rebellion who called themselves the resisters.
I turn into the final backstreet and push my legs even harder. Finally, with the satisfying slap sound of my hand on the brick wall, I collapse, leaning against the wall to hold me as I allow myself to let out one victorious whoop.
Milo rounds the corner and, at the sight of me already standing there, rests his hands on his knees, catching his breath.
"Damn you Bridget. I would have thought 2 months of you sitting on your ass in the castle would have slowed you down some" he speaks through pants.
"Except I wasn't sitting on my ass" I reply, kicking off the wall and making my way over to him. "I was being trained by the most prestigious of fighters".
"Oh that's a bit pretentious, even for you Robin Hood" he says back. "10 gold coins says I can beat at least 80 percent of those prissy castle bred guards in one on one combat".
"Oh Milo" I sigh, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "If only you actually had the gold coins you metaphorically bet with. Maybe then your bite would be as bad as your bark".
"Man, nobody in the palace nipped your smart ass mouth in all of that time you were away?" Milo says back playfully.
I wink at him. "Oh believe me they tried. But alas, they were unsuccessful".
"Well that's clear to see" Milo states before shifting his gaze to the few people on the streets. His eyes flit around to them while his hand subtly comes up and moves the hood of my cloak from my back to my head, covering my hair and most of my face.
"Is that really necessary?" I ask him, my voice coming out partly as a growl.
"Come on Bridge, you know how dangerous it is for us to even be out here, especially this close to the castle" Milo states, his eyes never meeting mine. Instead, they memorize every face that passes us.
I roll my eyes. "It's dinner time, there is barely anybody on the streets. Besides, this is the belows. Jack wouldn't be caught dead back here".
In the past two weeks since Mason and the rest of us were forced to flee the castle, Jack has seized control and has pronounced himself a 'stand in dictator', as if he would transfer his power to anybody who was thought to be a suitable leader.
Besides the resisters, everybody in the kingdom believed Mason to be dead. The story goes that the notorious Robin Hood murdered Mason shortly after his coronation and witnesses say that she also killed 8 guards and 5 innocent servants.
Witnesses. I guess that's what Jack is calling his guards now.
But I don't think anybody really buys that story. Seeing as the video of Jack urging people to dethrone Mason was broadcasted all over the country a few hours before Mason was 'murdered', it is clear to anybody that Jack had something to do with the assassination. But the people are too scared to accuse Jack of being a liar, what with all of the power that he now has.
The people are not looking at Jack with awe. It is fear that I see in their faces every time a line of royal guards walk down the streets. Every time another so-called traitor that is still on Mason's side gets whipped more and more people start fearing for their lives. With the royal army now and other allies we don't know about, it seems foolish and naive to fight back against him. At least not without having a conscious person we can put back on the throne.
Mason isn't dead. He is in a coma. He had lost so much blood that he slipped into an unconscious state the minute we reached the resister's hide away. Ever since, he has been sleeping in a state that has been diagnosed to be a coma, not able to speak or voluntarily eat.
It was torture watching him, the only chance of a better future for me and everyone I care about, lie in a bed so powerless and weak.
So besides having to go every day seeing Mason in an unresponsive state, the rest of the kingdom thinks that I murdered him along with 13 other people.
Boy did that make the prize money for my capture go up. But something tells me Jack's reason for wanting to get his hands on me has nothing to do with justice against Mason who I have apparently killed.
"It's just smart to take precautions, okay Bridge? Nobody here would turn down the opportunity to turn you in if they recognized you" Milo speaks.
I huff. "They'd never catch me" I mumble.
"Well they'd catch me" he jokes. "And then you'd have to live with the fact that you were the reason the sexiest man in Terrian was executed".
"Is that what they would carve on your gravestone?" I joke back.
"It damn well better be if they don't want me raising hell up to find them" he declares.
"Not to burst your bubble" I whisper as a man passes beside us. "But I'm pretty sure it already did".
Running with Milo was usually my favorite part of the day. It was the only time I came out of the hide out and the only time I ever saw sunlight. It was the only time a ran and frankly, Milo was one of the only things keeping me from losing my mind.
Nobody in the anti-rebellion interacted with me if they could help it. They would talk and ask me questions and allow me to sit in on their strategy meetings where they discussed the best thing to do next, but they don't voluntarily talk to me much.
I don't blame them much though. I haven't been in a real talkative mood lately and every time I go to one of their damn meetings I end up in a screaming match with someone. For some reason they all believed lying low was going to solve our problems and refused to even acknowledge the idea of actually doing something.
The king was in a coma right now and it felt like the rest of the resisters were too.
"Come on, we should be getting back" Milo says to me, nudging me softly in the side.
"Hold on, just one more minute" I tell him, trying to soak in everything around me as much as I can before I have to leave it for the dim and depressing void that surrounded me whenever I went back to the hideaway.
My eyes fall on a young couple as they come out of a building, laughing together. The boy stands in front of the girl and walks backwards, dragging the girl by the hands. She laughs at him as she allows him to lead her.
The boy grins widely at her, his face giving away how completely obsessed he was with her. He pulls her in close and says something. Whatever it was must have been something great because the girl's smile grows impossibly wider as she throws her arms around the boy, allowing him to pick her up and spin her around, all while they both laugh gleefully, completely oblivious to the dreariness surrounding them.
My throat tightens at the sight. I envy them for how happy their life seems. I had lost count a long time ago about how many times I had wished for my life to be uneventful and boring, with a few spontaneous moments thrown in. How many times had I wished for their life?
But that life is not for me. It can't be. I lost that chance long ago, when I decided to join Jack's rebellion. When I decided to not allow my life to be boring and uneventful.
What was I thinking?
"Come on Bridge, it's getting dark" Milo snaps me out of my thoughts. I turn my gaze away from the couple and start off in a run, the route back to the North sewer already drilled into my head.
-----------------
Reeves lets us in when we get back to the hideaway. Inside it is just as dim as when I left, the only light source being torches on the walls and the occasional light fixture.
But however plain it was, I could not help but be impressed with the structure of this underground secret bunker. The floor is tile and the walls are brick.
Four hallways are attached to the entrance room. Down the right two are bedrooms and the other two hold the other rooms such as the kitchen, planning rooms, practice gyms, other things like that.
We move down the hall on the left and head to the main planning room, where Alan is bound to be.
Alan is the guy in charge of the resisters. He built this hide out and he was the one who recruited everybody here. He was in his late 40's, the oldest person here, and was the guy everybody had to answer to.
We enter the room to find him in what seems like an intense discussion with Kane. They are both pouring over some map, talking in low voices to each other.
Both of their heads snap to the doorway at our entrance and Alan stands up.
"Milo, Bridget. Anything to report?" he asks us.
After our daily runs, we are supposed to report any information we hear that might be useful to him.
Milo shakes his head. "Didn't stay out long enough".
Alan nods. "That's probably wise. Less of a chance for someone to recognize you" he says and only from my years of carefully listening people to discover the tones in their words do I hear the hint of disapproval in his voice.
I cross my arms. "Believe me Sir, boredom and the encasement of this place would kill me just as fast as any bullet of Jack's if it wasn't for these runs".
Alan raises a concerned brow at that. "I didn't realize that this place felt like a prison to you Bridget".
I catch Kane's gaze to find the annoyed look that has been a frequent one recently to be aimed at me.
"Please, don't take offense to my words" I say back. "I have never been fond of small and enclosed spaces".
"No offense taken" Alan speaks, giving me a small smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, Milo and I need to go talk to Walker about our rations supply".
"If you need anyone to steal some food for us you know where to find me" I say back, taking any chance to actually do something to help the anti-rebellion. Which I guess could now just be called the rebellion against Jack.
He gives me a nod. "I'll keep that in mind, kingdom thief". At that, Milo and him exit the room.
I turn back to Kane who lets out a sigh, his gaze already back at the map. "The last thing we need is you running around in the open more than you already are" he mumbles softly.
I raise my brows at him. "Wow. A whole sentence. That might be a high score. What has it been, 5 days since you last spoke to me?".
His gaze never leaves the map in front of him but I can tell from his face he is irritated. "I've been busy Bridget".
"No don't worry I get it. I mean, what could possibly help this rebellion that we're in the middle of more than obsessing over maps with the star commander himself?" I state, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
At that Kane finally looks up at me. "Star commander? So what, now you're making fun of the guy who is protecting us because the people you usually poke holes with are either dead or traitors?"
"Protecting us? That's what you call it?" I ask, my temper with him already rising faster than usual.
"Yeah, I'd call giving us a place to live and allowing us to feel at least a single sense of security protection. What do you call it?".
"I call it keeping Mason under his thumb". I sigh, tired of the fact that I seem to be the only one that sees Alan's true motives. "Come on Kane, can't you see this guy doesn't want to put Mason back on the throne. This organization was made to put the crown on his own head".
Kane scoffs at me. "Oh so now you know what everybody's true motives are?".
"Well his are pretty damn clear to me" I am shouting now. "I think you forget that I saw first hand the signs that someone is seeking power. Obsession over battle strategy, countless meetings to reestablish his position, belittling Mason's ability to rule-"
"Belittling Mason's ability to rule? How the hell is he belittling it? Mason's in a coma for christ's sake, there is no belittling needed" Kane shouts back.
I still at that, my eyes growing wide. "I don't believe it" I mutter, shaking my head. "Two weeks. Two weeks and this guy already has you wrapped around his finger".
"I'm not wrapped around anyone's finger Bridget" Kane curses, running a hand through his hair before walking towards me.
"Bridget, Mason has been in a coma for two weeks. It's time to start preparing for the worse, thinking about what we're going to do next if he doesn't wake up" Kane tries to keep his tone even though he is clearly annoyed with me.
"So what is that plan exactly?" I ask, suddenly repulsed by the boy in front of me. "We wait another three days, maybe four, then you pull the plug? Let Mason die even though there's a chance he can still wake up?".
"Bridget-" Kane speaks.
"I didn't put myself in the middle of this shit just so another power hungry man can seize the throne from Jack and put himself on it" I am seething, trying to keep my anger under control. "Everything I've done has been for Mason. To put Mason, the person I believe to be best fit for the job, on the throne".
Kane rolls his eyes at me. "I think you're letting your own feelings for Mason cloud your judgement" he says in a spiteful tone.
I take a step back from him. "If you think for a second that anything I've done-"
"Bridget please-"
"-Has been over an attraction I have to Mason then you are more foolish than your father when he killed that aristocrat!".
Kane locks his jaw, his eyes turning stony. "Don't you dare bring my father into this".
"Why not? You're the only one that gets to throw low blows around here?".
"What have I said that was a low blow?" he shouts, throwing his hands in the air.
I step closer, getting up in his face and though he is a head taller than me I don't allow myself to be intimidated. "Because you just characterized me as a silly lovesick girl who romanticizes over the idea of being with a beautiful prince! I believe in Mason! I've heard him talk about his ideas! I've heard the passion in his voice when he talks about making things better! I know Mason would do everything in his power to ensure justice and the equality of all! I know the man that I am putting my allegiance behind, do you?".
Kane swallows, trying to hold in his own anger. "You forget that I am still Mason's guard. Mason is still who my allegiance is to. Just because I'm preparing for the possibility that he won't wake up doesn't change the fact that he is also the one I want on the throne!".
I let out a humorless laugh, stepping away from him and towards the door. "Are you sure about that? Because from where I'm standing it just looks like you're digging the hole for his grave".
And with that I turn and leave the room. Kane calls for me to stop but I don't listen. I've had enough.
I don't realize that I'm running until I almost knock into someone. But I don't stop. I keep running until I get to the room I never had thought about heading to but unconsciously did.
I open the door to find Mason like he usually is, in the bed with his eyes closed.
I walk over and take my seat in the chair next to the bed, grabbing Mason's hand like I usually do.
And like always he is unresponsive.
"If you were wondering, things kind of suck around here lately" I speak to him. "Nobody here wants to actually do anything and the first words I have spoke to Kane in days led to an argument. How is it you're able to stir up trouble even from a coma?".
Mason doesn't respond but it doesn't matter to me.
"People are starting to prepare for the worst. The worst being you never waking up" I continue. "Even Kane's on board with it now and I can feel Reeves start to slip over too. You and I are the only stubborn ones still relentlessly holding on to hope".
I pause. "Are you still holding on? Or have you given up too. I wouldn't blame you. Two weeks is a hell of a long time but, between you and me, the other guy they are thinking of putting on the throne as a second resort wouldn't be able to pull off the crown quite as well as you".
I stop and stare at Mason's calm face. If I tried hard enough I could almost believe that he was just asleep. My eyes start to well up with tears.
"You know, if you're going to wake up you better do it soon. People are starting to lose hope in you. I know you're still in there. You're with me right now. I know you can hear what I'm saying Mason. Please, please just wake up".
I brush away a stray tear as the door bursts open again. In walks in the girl that let us in the first day we came to the hide away. I've learned from then that her name is Wren.
Wren casts me a glance but doesn't say anything. Instead, she walks over to Mason and pulls out her medical box. She starts placing the feeding tube in Mason's mouth.
"You can go ahead and keep praying, don't mind me" she speaks up, never looking as me, her short curly hair hiding her most of her face from my view. That's when I realize that my hands are clasped together.
I pull them apart and brush my hair away. "I wasn't praying" I state.
"You should probably just say that you were. If people hear you talking to yourself they're going to start thinking you're crazy" she replies, fixing the food tube before starting the machine that runs the food into his mouth.
"I don't care if people think I'm crazy" I say back, harsher than I mean to.
She finally looks over at me. "You should. The only thing worse than being thought of as crazy down here is being in a coma".
I pause before asking "Were you a nurse or something? Before you became one of the resisters?".
"Close" she says before being satisfied with the position of the test tube and letting go of it completely, turning back to me. "I was a whore".
I blink at her bluntness. "Relatively? Or-"
"Literally" she answers. "As literal as you can get. I belonged to one of those whorehouses. My father died and my mom was poor. Believe me Robin Hood, if I had the opportunity to steal for a living like you, I would only have half of the nightmares I do".
I open my mouth to say something but the door swings open before I can.
"It's Jack" Peter pants in a panicked voice.
I am immediately on my feet and so is Wren. "Jack is here?" I ask.
"No" Peter replies. "He's on the television. He's calling it a royal announcement".
"You really need to work on the way you phrase stuff kid" Wren states. "You're going to give someone a heart attack".
The three of us file out of the room and head to the tv room.
The room is already crowded by the time we get there. Everyone is silent as we all file in, finding a place to stand where we can see the tv's.
Somebody turns up the volume as the camera goes to Jack's face. He looks serene and calm as he looks over the crowd in front of him. He is on the stage I stood on when Taz was punished for trying to kill me.
"People of Terrian" he begins. "As you know, tragedy struck the castle two weeks ago when the notorious criminal Bridget Morgans brutally murdered the former king of Terrian, Mason Carter along with 13 other innocent people".
At that I feel everybody's eyes move to me. At the motion of a person moving to stand beside me I look up to see Kane, his eyes glued on the screen.
"Today I am here to bring you, the loyal citizens of Terrian, some justice. And though I know this will not compensate for the loss of our beloved former king, I wish to bring you some peace of mind. Bring them out".
At his words, a line of people are dragged across the stage, all of them chained, all of them with a bag over their heads to hide their faces.
I tense up at the visual. I count the number of them. Eight.
Jack is about to publicly kill eight people.
"The first five that will receive the punishment for their treason are guards that were believed to be loyal to the crown".
At his words, the bags are ripped off of the heads of the first five people.
At the reveal of the five men, Kane immediately stiffens. "He's lying! Those five would never betray Mason!" he shouts, anger and mourn clear on his face.
"That's why he's killing them" I speak softly, my heart dropping. "They refused to betray Mason. Because of their loyalty, they're about to die".
Kane moves a hand roughly through his hair and I grab his free one, giving it a squeeze. No matter what argument Kane and I just had, we were both about to witness the loss of friends and needed somebody there to keep each other grounded.
Kane moves down the line, saying the name of each guard up there. "Ernie, Jackson, Randy, Mixon, Xander". I recognize three of them as people I had sparred or talked to during my time as a royal guard.
"When Bridget Morgans invaded the castle, she was not on her own" Jack speaks into the camera. "She was helped by these five men. With their help she was able to successfully murder the king".
I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to fight. But I do none of the above. Instead, I squeeze Kane's hand as tight as I can, anticipating what is about to happen.
The five of them are gagged but all are fighting the restraint on their mouth, trying to shout. Probably trying to say that Jack is lying. But no one will know that.
The first bullet sounds and Ernie falls to the floor. Then Jackson, then Randy, then Mixon, and lastly Xander. With every gunshot, my body grows weaker and weaker while Kane's grip on my hand grows tighter and tighter.
"We should have helped them get away" I mutter. "We should have told them".
"I was their commander" Kane whispers, his eyes holding a look of sadness and loss I had never seen before. "I was supposed to look after them".
"And now on to the girl that allowed Bridget Morgans to enter the castle in the first place" Jack moves on.
And like that, the bag is removed from the sixth person's head to reveal Melody.
"No!" I cry out, unable to stop it. I start to fall forward but Kane catches me. I try to squirm away, tears falling down my face faster than I can feel them but Kane's grip is iron solid.
"You can't do anything about it now Bridget" he whispers in my ear. "I'm sorry".
I give up and allow him to hold me as I turn my head back to the screen.
Unlike the guards, Melody doesn't try to scream against her gag. She stands tall and proud as she's always done, showing no hint of fear in her eyes. Being the brave strong girl she has always been.
"Get Peter out of the room!" I shout. "Peter! Don't watch!".
I feel the boy move to beside me. Kane lets go of me and bends down to pick up Peter. Peter fights against him as he turns his face away from the screen.
"No! I have to see her!" Peter screams, hot tears covering his face.
I cup his face. "Peter, look at me. Neither of us need to watch. Just look at me Peter". The boy complies and we stare at each other as a gunshot echoes through the television speaker, tearing a chunk of my heart out during the process.
I then allow Peter to look and Kane puts him down. We stare horrorstruck as the body of Melody, my best friend in the whole world, lays at the feet of Jack.
"She was your sister!" I wail at the screen, completely broken inside. Peter runs out of the room and I don't stop him. I want to run away too but there are still two masked people left on the stage. I had to see who they were.
"And finally, in my opinion, the most traitorous of the group" Jack speaks. The bags are removed and everybody in the room gasps.
It is Mason's parents, the old king and queen.
"The queen allowed for her son to inherit the throne, knowing all along that he was illegitimate. She will pay for her sins and treason" Jack states in a rough voice.
The queen has tears running down her cheeks but is still. The king however, is going ballistic, trying to fight his restraints and trying to shout through his gag.
The sound of another gunshot booms and the queen falls forward dead. My head somehow pounds as I cry even harder for the queen that had been nothing but graceful and loyal to her husband and son.
"And finally" Jack speaks. "The old king of Terrian, the one who allowed thousands of his people to starve while he held glorious banquets for him and his fat aristocrats. It's time for you to suffer the way we have our whole lives".
And with the sound of the final gunshot, the once king falls to the ground, bringing an end to the executions.
But that isn't even the worst part of the screen. As the king hits the ground the sound of cheers in the background starts. It gets louder and louder until it is a triumphant cheer, some people chanting 'the king is dead' while others chant 'Long live emperor Jack'.
The cheers bring a horrified expression to everybody in the room's face. People were cheering. 5 brave men, my best friend and the former king and queen were just executed, and they were cheering.
I wanted to hurt them. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
Especially the boy that wears a crown and grins victoriously at the camera as he stands over the bodies of 8 people, including his very own sister. After what feels like an eternity, the tv finally goes black.
Nobody dares speak. Everything is dead silent, the silent that allows you to hear a static hum so loud you could scream.
And then I hear him.
"They were cheering" the smallest of a voice speaks and everybody whips around.
Because in the back of the room stands a very destroyed looking Mason.
His gaze moves from the blank screen to my face. "He killed my mom and dad, and they were cheering".
Nobody moves except Kane and I. We walk towards our scared, dethroned king slowly. He looks scared, solemn, angry, and exhausted all at the same time.
He swallows hard. "But it seems I'm dead as well".
I reach out and take his hand. "And it seems that I'm the one that killed you".
He stares at me as what feels like an eternity goes by, revealing no emotion.
And then finally, he slips his hand out of mine and turns and runs.
Kane and I follow him, but he is much faster than I would have expected from somebody who just woke up from a coma.
He stops at the main entrance door and grabs one of the guns hanging on the wall. Then he swings the door open and leaves.
Kane and I are right behind him as we chase him down the sewer. Finally, we catch up to him and Kane grabs him to stop him from running.
I grab the gun from his death grip and throw it to the side of the sewer.
"LET ME GO!" Mason roars. "I HAVE TO FIND HIM! I HAVE TO KILL HIM! I WANT TO WATCH HIM BLEED!".
"I do too Mason!" I shout as well. "I want to watch him die as much as you but we can't just go out there and run to the castle!".
"I don't care anymore!" Mason screams. "I want to try to kill him! I don't care if they kill me first!".
"Don't you dare say that!" I snap. "Don't you dare say you don't care if they kill you. That is an insult to the eight people that were just killed for protecting you. Ernie, Jackson, Randy, Mixon, Xander, Melody, your mom and dad. They all died because they chose you over him. You go out there and get yourself killed and their death will be for nothing and I refuse to let Kane's loyal soldiers, my best friend and your parents be a meaningless casualty".
I square my shoulder, standing face to face with Mason. He finally stops fighting Kane's grip. Kane lets go and Mason sinks to the floor of the sidewalk, staring at the sewer water in front of him.
"I never asked for this" he says in a barely audible voice. "I never wanted anyone to die for me".
I sink down to the floor beside Mason and stare at the filthy water as well. "Well that's what being a leader takes" I say. "You have to accept that some of your people will get killed, but you can't let them die in vain. You have to make sure that their death means something".
Kane sinks to the floor as well on the other side of Mason. "Ernie, Jackson and Xander were all unfortunates" he speaks. "They came to the castle when they were 15. They wanted a better life. Randy and Mixon were upper middle class that wanted to serve the crown. They all believed in this cause. They believed in you".
I take a deep breath before speaking. "Melody was Jack's sister. She more than anyone had a reason to support Jack. But she didn't. She saw your kindness when you gave her an opportunity to change her life and she realized you had the critical characteristic of a leader that Jack lacked. Compassion. Kindness. Apathy".
"And my mom and dad" Mason speaks. "My dad wasn't a good ruler. I know that. But he did care about me. I'm sure of it. He didn't show it much but I know he wanted me to be the best ruler I could possibly be. All my mother cared about was my safety. She put me before anything else and died because of it. I will not let them or anybody else who has died for me die in vain".
Mason sighs. "We need to form a plan".
I snort. "Good luck doing that in this place. They're not really jumping at a chance to get back in action".
Kane stands up. "Well if they won't then we'll just do it on our own".
I look over at him, surprised. "You'd go against Alan's orders?" I ask.
"I take nobody else's orders. I already have an idea of something we can do. I'll tell them the plan and if they refuse to help then we'll do it ourselves".
I grin at him, standing up as well. "You've still got the heart of the general of the royal guards".
He smirks back. "And don't you forget it".
Mason is the last to stand up. "So, percentage wise, how foolproof is this plan of yours" he asks.
Kane shrugs. "I don't know, about 25%?".
I cringe slightly. "Frankly, I like my plans to be a nice comfortable 52% foolproof".
Kane tilts his head. "Then we've got some work to do. Hope you guys are ready to pull an all nighter".
"Don't worry" Mason replies. "I just woke up from a sleep that lasted two weeks straight. I'm sure I can manage to stay awake a little longer".