C’mon Hayden, C’mon!
C’mon Hayden, C’mon! C’mon Hayden, C’mon! This is what Hayden chanted as she sprinted down the cobblestone alleyway. It was dusk, the sun sinking fast in the distance, as if the very ocean was swallowing the glowing orb whole, sucking the light from the world. She swallowed her cries of pain, feeling her bare feet split and slice open from the rough, uneven road. Her long golden braid whipped at her back, pushing her forward as a reminder of what they’d do to her if they caught her… and much worse. Why did she have to open that drawer?! “This way!” A gruff woman called out. Hayden held back a whimper. “Get her!” A deep male voice shouted. Hayden's heart began to hammer hard in her ears. “You two,” a third voice commanded now, “circle around back!” “C’mon Hayden, C’mon!” She all but gasped, her mouth dry, her lungs burning. Her vision blurred from the tears welling up. Her feet went from slapping fresh blood on the cobblestones to thudding dirt in her wounds from the beaten path once she excited the city and entered the thin forest. There was no way she could hide here, she couldn’t even hope to climb a tree that would hold her weight, let alone cover her in their autumn brush. She bolted through the weak woodlands, her muscles aching enough so that she began to weep. She bit her bottom lip, wrapping her arms around her chest to try and cover her exposed flesh. She barely wore a white tunic two sizes too big for her, and the early autumn chill began to bite at her sensitive pale skin. But she couldn’t go back, not after what she had discovered. The sun slipped under the black water, the night erupting shadows all around her. “She’s headed for the ocean!” The deep male was so close behind her; Hayden began to cry, unable to keep herself quiet as she ran. She headed for the sea, her only escape; as long as she could swim out far enough that a merciful ripe-tide would claim her. The ocean would have mercy; the ocean would kill her quick, not like the soldiers hot on her bloody heels. Once she hit the sand, her stride faltered, her muscles screaming for her to stop, but she couldn’t. Her bruised and ruined feet slipped, sank, and slid all around the sand, until she gathered herself upright and continued running onto the nearest dock. Boats gently bounced in the slow waves, floating on the night’s mirror. She felt herself stumble as the wood wobbled under her footing, splinters slipping into the cracks the dirt and sand didn’t fill. Hayden’s green eyes kept focus on the end of the dock, where she’d jump as far as she could before holding her breath and sinking. She planned to drown herself, a coward’s way out, but she couldn’t bear what was in store for her back at the castle, and she couldn’t bring herself to kill herself in any other way. Twenty feet… Ten feet… Oh god, the edge was right there… “Got her!” A man shouted, snatching her by her long braid. She cried out, almost falling if he hadn’t pulled her back up. She didn’t skip a beat, and with a swift motion, her braid was cut in two and she was falling backwards on the edge of the dock littered in her golden hair. In her hand, she clutched a beautiful gold handled dagger, one that was covered in rubies, sapphires, and emeralds; the blade was curved… and bloody. She had taken it from the drawer only moments before she witnessed what it did to gain that blood stain. She gathered her footing, right on the edge of the dock, and stood her ground. She braced herself, unwilling to die by the hands of a guard who knew nothing of the reason she was escaping.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Welcome to my Blog Hey, I'm Maryah Stevens, a 25 year old, self-published, college graduate, married, 1st time mom! Phew! Archives
January 2018
|