Life Out of the Woods

Chapter 2

As we got closer and closer to the castle my breathing got heavier and heavier. 'What did they want from me, what was going to happen' I thought as the carriage went up something I couldn't see then it stopped. The latch of the crate then opened revealing beautiful blue skies, a large concrete courtyard decorated with flowers and surrounded with guards and the most spectacular and biggest castle I have ever seen. To be frank I have never seen a castle before or actually been out of the woods but I was sure there was no castle or kingdom that could challenge the sight in front of me.

Harshly and very, very rudely I was then shoved out of the crate while a guard was stationed behind and in front of me assuring there was no escape from my fate. The more we came inside the castle the more beautiful it got. With its white and gold colour scheme and portraits of old elven rulers covering the walls it was a sight to behold. The more I got in the less anxiety I felt. It was like I was in a whole new world and I could do whatever I want but I was quickly put out my daydream as I realized we were no longer in that bright and cheerful place we were just walking in.

It was dark, that would be my first word to describe it, dark and grimy with mould growing in the cracks of the stairs and cockroaches and other disgusting bugs littering it. when we finally came down the stair the sight that I saw was horrendous. There were cells, much of them, filled to the brim with criminals and wrongdoers looking longingly at the stairs where I stood and when they saw me and the guards they started shouting.

"LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!!" they all said looking rid of hope. The more I walked the more desperate they became thinking that they would never see daylight again. All there faces looked old and wary and most of them looked like they had no life in them at all.

The guards finally stopped at an old and rusty cell. then suddenly one of them through me to the ground and when I looked up to his face he finally said "you will stay here till you are brought up for your trial but I advise to get comfy because even after your trial this will probably be your home," and then he left along with the other guard leaving me on the dirty and musty floor.

Still surprised to be in the state I was in I looked around desperately searching for conformation but everyone around looked at me with pity like they knew what was going to happen to me before it even happened. I felt like I was going to go crazy if I didn't hear someone or something speak but suddenly as my prayers had just been answered a deep raspy voice said to me "why are you in here child but whatever the reason may be abandon hope because after your trial passes and you are sentenced in here for life you will never see the sunlight again."

"Wait what!" I shouted in anger, "so your telling me that I'm going to stay here for the rest of my life, that I will never see the light again, that I will never step into the woods in the rest of my lifetime!"

"I believe I meant that but breathe child your wrongdoing has done this to you no one else so you must take your punishment and be done with it," he replied calmly, eyes full of sadness before resting his white-haired head back on the ground.

'Ok ok' I told myself, my hands shaking. 'all I got to do is wait then Mabey later I could convince the trial people that it was a mistake and that I was just borrowing the royal jewels and had full intentions of returning them, oh who am I kidding, they believe those lies that's funny' and with that last thought, I closed my eyes and fell into a nice afternoon nap with the worst possible thoughts of my future.

"Wake up, wake up,"

I woke up to the sound of rattling bars and shouting voices that put me out of my sleep. I looked up and opened my eyes to a familiar sight. 'The same guards that brought me here were about to take me to my trial' I thought so without another word I stood up dusted my green blouse and green shorts and put my hand behind my back to be cuffed.

I already knew the drill and as they put my hands in cuffs and walked me up the stairs I took one more look behind me at the place I will stay for the rest of my life. Once we were finally up the I breathed in the new fresh air. To be honest I had gotten so accustomed to the musty smelling air that I'd forgotten how real air smelled like, weird right.

We finally arrived at a large grand door, it was also gold and white like the rest of the castle but you could tell if you got closer there were specks of green and black in it. As they pushed it open the sight I saw made my stomach swirl in fear. There were seats, large ones, taller than me and a large table in the shape of an upside-down U with the large chairs shitting on the outside of the U leaving the inside blank. Now that I think about the three, no actually four seats in the middle looked more like thrones than chairs with the ends craved with gold and the actual velvet cushioning on them.

I was brought to the middle of the inside of the U shaped table and like it had been rehearsed (which it probably had been) people started coming from the two side doors and walking to their assigned seats but I again noticed the four thrones in the middle were not taken.

Suddenly I heard banging and as I looked up an old guy with the whitest beard I have ever was banging a mallet before finally saying.

"This court is in session, criminal please step forward and state your name and crime then standby for judgement and punishment,"

"Um do I really have to do this, oh I do okay, well my name is Thessalia Norra  and my crime is borrowing some very small jewe-, oh who am I kidding with these lies, I stole the chest full of gold and riches, well I tried to if it wasn't for that idiot of a prince and his so-called 'impeccable hearing' so ya I stole but it was from you stuck up brats that don't know how it feels to live in hunger and poverty, so you can put me in  all the evil jail cells you want but you will not take my hope and courage!"

"Oh my, what are you talking about?"

"Jail you're going to put me there right, you know for stealing from the all so royal family and stuff,"

"Technically it was attempted as you didn't get away-,"

"Oh don't remind me,"

"Please don't interrupt, as I was saying we the court has decided your fate and you may not see it but you have much potential too much to waste in jail so as a redemption we have decided as a whole that instead of jail you will serve as the personal maid of prince Cyrus, the heir of the Elvirania kingdom, you should be great full,"

"Wait whaaaaaaa-!"