I used to scream in my sleep,
Your voice, your name, I hear.
7th ☾
A Fateful Encounter
Two more years later
"The storm is getting stronger!" someone briskly shouted.
I couldn't clearly visualize who had said it, neither was I able to see if anyone was around. All I knew was that the ship that we were on board was being swayed by the angry waves of the ocean. And it had been going on and on for hours.
I fell on my back again, as another wave hit the sinking ship. Then it swayed to the other side without warning, and I slipped on the flooded floor and directly fell into someone.
"Ouch," he winced, "Easy with the swaying."
"Bryce, is that you?" The rain blurred my vision.
"Miles, kitty?"
"Yeah, it's me, alright" I said, holding on to a shaft. I saw that he also did the same. The storm continued its rage and waters were now submerging the entire ship.
"You know how to swim, right?" Bryce asked above the apparent disarray.
"Yes?" I replied with uncertainty, wiping the waters in my eyes. Another gush of brisk wind passed, and the storm seemed to be getting stronger. I tightened my grip on the pole, for I was certain that letting go was not a good idea, especially when you didn't how to fly.
"Then I guess we'll just see each other around. You know our hideout in Vuscatanell?" Bryce continued asking.
I thought about it for a moment, before I answered, "I've been there once."
Our last hideout was in the Village of Moss, my hometown. We were supposedly on a voyage towards our most recent hideout in Vuscatanell. The weather was already bad when we left, but then the majority of the group insisted that we move along as planned. They feared that we would get caught in the Village of Moss, since the town guards started to increase in number on our third day there. And this was where the thoughts of many had brought us—out in the middle of the ocean and on a sinking ship.
Oh sheesh, just great.
"Good, meet you there... I guess," Bryce told me with hesitation.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think the ship can make it through the storm. Brace yourself to be lost in the sea," Bryce warned me.
"I... what?" I asked out of confusion. I was about to say another word when the ship swayed once more.
"Hold on to that. I can't lose my favorite kitty. See you around, okay?" Bryce pushed a piece of wood to me. I saw his silhouette as he got up and fought his way to the other side of the ship, leaving me perplexed.
Another angered hush of wind swept through the air. My soaked clothes hovered closer to my body, making me shiver with the piercing cold even more. Bryce was right. With this kind of storm, no one could be certain if they could make it through alive. Bearing that in mind, I grabbed on tightly to the piece of wood that he gave me.
I had to be practical. Even if I knew how to swim, how far could that take me in this kind of storm? Several minutes? Hours if I was lucky.
Fear started to build up inside me as the water consumed half of the ship. Piercing waves persisted, and the winds grew stronger. I closed my eyes and prayed for the storm to pass through.
And as I was saying my plea, a sudden force, embodied in the form of rough waves, dragged me into the water. Unable to resist the force that pulled me along, I tightly held to the piece of wood in my arms, hoping that it could help me make it through alive.
I stayed afloat in vast water, lost at sea past midnight and fighting against the waves. Panic took over me. The water was cold, and I was unable to see anything clearly.
The vicious waves pushed me back and forth, knocking me down. I felt shortness of my breath as the waves consumed me. I wanted to scream and cry for help, but I ended up swallowing a lot of water.
I didn't want to die. This couldn't be the end.
I struggled as something hard hit me on the head. After moments of futile effort and struggle, my surrounding started to blur. Soon enough, all I saw was the blanket of darkness attempting to consume me in. And after another helpless second, I finally gave in.
♡ ♥ ♢ ♦ ♤ ♠ ♧ ♣
"Hey," said a distant voice, drifting in my unconsciousness. Was I dead? The last thing I remembered were the waves, we were on a sinking ship, and I hopelessly struggled in the ocean. Then everything went black. Yes, maybe I was already dead and this was the afterlife.
Someone was poking my arm. "Are you okay?"
I couldn't move my legs and arms, as if a weight was pulling me back. I didn't want to risk opening my eyes, but I had no choice. Where was I? If I was alive, how did I even make it?
"I'll count to ten. If you won't open your eyes, then I'll leave you here."
I should do something.
"Five... six... seven?"
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The reason why I couldn't move was that someone tied me to a tree. I looked up and saw a young man with deep, penetrating blue eyes. I blinked, trying to get a clearer view of who was poking me with a twig. Then I slowly muttered, finding my voice, "Where... am I?"
"Can't tell you that," he replied.
"Who are you?" I asked again, getting a clearer head. He was probably a few years older than me or in his early twenties, with straight blond hair that flows a little beyond his ears but not longer than his face.
"Still can't tell you that." His thick eyebrows met in worry. He was wearing fine clothes, the ones usually worn by the upperclassmen or royalties.
Sheesh. Did I end up in Wykeham Castle? Who was this man? What was he doing here? Was he sent out here to kill me? Wait, did he even know who I was?
I suddenly became aware of my surroundings, looking around to see if I'd recognize the place. It was a little after dawn. How long had I been out? But aside from the vast ocean and the empty shore, there was nothing else familiar around here.
With a guarded voice, I asked, "So why did you tie me up?"
"Reasons," he answered simply.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Instinctively, I stole a glance at my hands. Thankfully, my gloves hadn't been removed.
As he was making a fire, he replied, "I'm still thinking about that."
"How did you find me?" I asked him instead, getting back to my senses. "Or should I change the question to will you ever answer any of mine? I think you owe me, after helplessly tying me up like this."
"I was the one who dragged you out of the shore. And yes, I actually saved your life," he stated, sounding upset.
"Fine, thanks," I replied half-heartedly.
He didn't answer.
I eyed him intently. I could still feel the dagger sheath tied around my upper right leg, but it felt lightweight. He must have taken it, much to my dismay.
"Why did you tie me up again?"
He smirked. "No, that won't work."
"Trying," I said back. "Where is this place anyway, Moss?"
"Seriously?" His eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"Wykeham Castle?"
He laughed a bit. "Don't make me put a rug in your mouth."
Nevertheless, I kept the questions coming, hoping that he would give away an answer. "Are you from here?"
With a sigh, he finally told me, "This is my private isle. Not the Village of Moss or Wykeham. Is my answer sufficient enough?"
"Ah," I paused, "so why are you here?"
"I can take you back with me, but you will have to wait until tomorrow," he said, disregarding my questions again.
"You own this place?"
"A gift."
Ah, the luxury. How many lives had been lost in order to make this isle his private place? That was the way those deceitful aristocrats gained their wealth, and just thinking about those bastards made my blood boil. I scorned him in my mind, convinced that everyone associated with the king or who gained power during his rule were nothing but a bunch of evil men clothed in decent clothes and decorated with high statuses.
"From?"
He only smiled.
"Your father? Most likely, right?" Uncertain, but somehow I saw a hint of sadness flashed on his face. I saw him get up after successfully making a fire. "Where you going?"
"None of your concern," he replied, going inside the woods.
I'd noticed that he left his small dagger near the fire. The one he had used to cut the woods. If I could grab it with my foot, then somehow I could figure out how to bring it up to my hand.
Bryce put me under this scenario for weeks, teaching me how to escape. Taking a deep breath, I stood on my toes. This better work, or I'd make sure I'd never let Bryce off that easy for making me lose my mind, trying to figure out how to snap ropes just by looking at them.
Slowly, I pulled my right feet up. It wasn't bulging at first, but a little more force—and one sure ankle sprain—I was able to draw it up.
Now, just as long as the blonde boy wouldn't come back, I could pull this off. Concentrating hard, I gradually slid down from my standing position. The ropes tied around me made the task tedious, but I wasn't going to give up that easily.
Foolish of him to leave his knife there.
And I had to take get back my own dagger. It hadn't even been a month since I started practicing with it, and it had cost me ten town guards on my tails before I'd traded a ruby bracelet for it at the black market.
After several attempts, I'd succeeded in taking his dagger, balancing it in between my toes. It was heavier than mine. Carefully raising my foot that was holding the dagger—in my attempt not to stab myself—I brought it to my hand.
Good.
I started with the ropes that were tied around my upper body. Then quickly working on the ones tied around my left foot, I was on guard if the blonde boy had already come back.
After I was done freeing myself, I threw the dagger in the air and caught it by the handle. I examined the fine-looking blade. That was when I'd seen the inscriptions on the handle:
Lancelot Wykeham
Prince of the Kingdom of Incantasi
It caught me off guard; my chest unsteadily went up and down, as I let my mind react to the situation. I should have seen it coming, but I still incautiously handled things. Of all the people to meet, I finally saw someone directly related to that person that I detested with all of my being.
A snap in my head woke me up from the shock. Slowly, the information sunk in. He was the son of the king. He was the son of my parent's murderer. He was the son of the evil tyrant. He was the son of the one I wanted to take my revenge on.
And he was standing in front of me, stunned when he saw that I wasn't tied. He almost dropped the dried woods in his arms, but regained back his composure in an instant.
I felt the emotions I'd kept all these years flooding my mind. With bloodshot eyes, I deadly stared at the blonde prince. I wanted the king to feel the pain. How much it hurt to lose the ones you loved for no sensible reason. I wanted the king to feel the agony I went through every time I remembered my parents' faces. Those cruel nights, when all I'd ever longed for was to hear their voices. It was horrifying. The king had no idea how hard each day was.
And the next thing I knew, I tightly held the dagger in my hand, leaping to him and pinning him to the ground. The wood sticks scattered beneath us, and they crushed to pieces behind his back.
With my thirst for revenge overflowing in my head, I pointed the dagger to his neck. I braced myself to stab his throat, an ample amount of blood seeped from his neck where his blade had touched. He had to die. Everyone related to my parents' death had to die.
But despite the situation, there was no fear in his eyes, when he asked, "Why are you doing this?"
"Reasons," I replied between clenched teeth.
However, his reflexes were quick. With my foolish moment of hesitation, he managed to turn the situation the other way around. Before I could do anything to prevent him, he had tackled me to the ground.
The trampled pieces of wood were like thorns stabbing my back. He held both of my wrists above me with his left hand. I could kick him, but he pinned my legs. His face was just a few inches away.
"What now?" he asked. I felt his warm breath as he ridiculed me with a mocking laugh.
"Get off!" I screamed, trying to reach for the dagger that fell to the ground. But he grabbed it with his free hand, placing the blade against my throat without faltering. I struggled again, heavily breathing as the cold metal touched my own neck. Swallowing, I backed away from the blade.
But the murderous stare in his blue eyes had faded, as he said, "Don't think that just because you're a girl, I will go easy on you again."