Chapter Ten
Veronica wakes up to the thud of cold drops of water hitting her forehead. As she opens her eyes all she can see is darkness.
“Is… anywhere here?” She says her voice cracking with fear.
She hears footsteps and she backs up against a cold hard surface trying to see into the darkness. Suddenly a flame flickers down a stair case and veronica notices she is in a holding cell.
“Please help me!” Veronica says getting up and holding on to the thick iron bars of her cell.
The flame gets closer to her until veronica can finally make out who is holding it.
“Mum…” Veronica says and starts to cry. “What’s going on...?”
The Queen, Rebecca lights all of the torches in the cellar to revile just how disgusting it really is. The floor is slimy with vomit and moss and the walls are covered in vines and scratches from the past inhabitants.
“Why would you do this Veronica?” Rebecca speaks to her daughter staring at her in her eyes and walking closer to the cell.
Veronica thinks for a moment and decides it would be pointless to ask what she did wrong. She knew what she did and she knows what is to come. She can’t help but to wonder if everything she did was really worth it.
“I am in love… I suppose this is what people do when they are in love. They make a fool of themselves…” Veronica says shivering from the bitter cold of the damp floor.
Rebecca walks to the cell her daughter is in and holds her hands starting to shed tears thinking of the harsh reality that is soon to come.
“You’re going to get out of here and you will run and run and you won’t stop… ever…” Rebecca puts her hands on her daughter’s cheeks and doesn’t break eye contact. “I cannot give you the key to this cell, but I can give you this.” Rebecca reaches into her dress and pulls out a small sack. “You will know what to do with it when the time comes.” “Never forget that I love you darling…” The queen kisses Veronicas forehead gently. “I have to go. Your father is watching my every move…” The queen says and then slowly walks away.
“I love you too mum...” Veronica says as her mother walks back out of the cellars and up into the strangely quiet kingdom.
Veronica opens the small woven sack that her mother gave her and looks inside...
“A vial?” Veronica says confused.
She studies the small vial and notices a strange liquid inside of it. Veronica then hears footsteps and quickly stashes the vial down her blouse.
“The king is ready for you my’ lady” A guard says.
The guard then unlocks the door and ties her hands behind her back tightly with rope. He then takes an old dusty sack and puts it over her head leading her through the castle and out into the kingdom.
Veronica hears the roar of a crowd and feels her knees go weak.
“She has committed acts of treason! She has stolen from the villages and corrupted the mind of your children!” The king preaches to his audience telling them who is to be hung today.
“Traitor!” People from the crowd scream.
The guard loosely ties the noose around veronicas head and sets her over in the area where she will hang.
“Hang her!” the crowd chants ready to see something exciting in their less than eventful day.
The king walks over to Veronica and rips the sack off of her head and the crowd slowly goes quiet as they realize who she is. The king stares at veronica and smiles.
“Your friend is next.” The king says taunting Veronica
“Go to hell.” She hisses threw her teeth with anger.
“Well let’s get to the main event now, shall we?” The king says smiling and facing his audience.
He then grabs a long scroll and reads out a list of accusations that he blames Veronica for more than half of which she has never committed. As he reads the list the crowd slowly begins to turn on Veronica.
“Murder, Burglary, and last but not least Prostitution!” The king finishes off his list after five long minutes.
The king then walks over to the lever preparing to pull the floor out from under veronica so she will hang.
“Is everyone ready to see this traitor die!?” The king says loudly trying to gain approval from his kingdom. The crowd roars as the queen watches helplessly from the balcony above.
The King yanks the lever and Veronica’s heart stops for a moment. The king then looks down and tries to pull the lever again, but it won’t budge.
“Guard! Fix it!” He demands.
The guard examines the lever then pulls an arrow out from the teeth in the lever and looks up to show the king the arrow.
“Sir it’s an arro….” As the guard speaks an arrow shoots straight through his chest pricing his heart and killing him instantly.
As the Guard Falls to the ground the king is in shock and the crowd screams trying to rush away.
The king then runs over to the lever trying again to pull it, but it still won’t budge.
“I have to do everything myself don’t I!” He grunts as he pulls out his sword and walks over to Veronica.
“Get away from me!” she screams and struggles to get out of her hand ties.
An arrow then shoots the king in his back barely getting threw his expensive amour.
“Gagh!” He screams as he snaps the end off of the arrow in anger he looks up on the castle wall and see’s a flash of a dark cloaked person running.
Veronica quickly gets out of her hand ties and grabs the vial opening it and as the king looks back at her she splashes it in his eyes. His skin and eyes begin to let off smoke as the acid burns threw them blinding him. He drops his sword and screams in agony.
“Guards kill her!” The king screams.
Veronica gets the noose off of her neck and runs through the crowd of terrified people trying to get out of the narrow entrance. A massive amount of guards start to flood the crowd shoving their way through.
“Stop her!” The guards demand as Veronica struggles to move around the crowd.
As veronica gets close to the entrance a rope is slid down the wall and she looks up.
“Jessie!” Veronica screams in excitement.
Veronica grabs the rope and climbs it as quickly as she can, as she reaches the edge she is pulled over and the rope is cut by Jessie.
“I thought I’d never see you again…” Veronica says and holds Jessie tight.
“Shh… We have to go now.” Jessie says taking Veronicas hand and leading her down the castle wall and then out into the dense forest.
“Where are we going?” Veronica says as she struggles to breathe from the long run.
“Far away is all I know.” Jessie says leading the way.
They soon arrive at a slow river. Freddy is loading up a small boat with sacks of food and materials.
“Are you going with us Freddy?” Veronica says.
“Well you don’t leave me much of a choice do you my’ lady? Always getting yourself into trouble. Besides I don’t suppose either of you know how to sail a boat. Now do you?”
Veronica smiles a little bit and helps load everything onto the boat then hops aboard with Jessie and Freddy.
“Are you scared?” Jessie says to Veronica holding her hand.
“Not when I’m with you.” Veronica kisses Jessie’s lips softly and they sail away to safety.
The End