"Go! Hurry! I promise, I'll catch up to you!" shouted Celeste's father. His face covered in sweat, ash and fear.
"I'll wait! I can help!" Celeste argued, holding on to her father's arm.
"No! Please, don't make me ask you again!" This time pleading even louder.
Celeste looked for the right words, but the smoke and ash was too thick now. She could only give her father one last look, silently begging him to come with her.
"I promise I will be fine my darling! But I cannot leave our people behind!"
He held her hand and gave it a quick reassuring kiss, before pushing her along.
"Now go!" he commanded this time.
Celeste finally gave in and ran away from the heat. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears and the sound of twigs breaking under her clumsy feet. It felt like she couldn't run fast enough or far away enough. The crying and screaming may have grown more muffled, but it was still there all the same. When she finally made it to the top of a hill, despite her best efforts, she gave in and looked back. The flames were even larger than she could have imagined. They engulfed the castle. Celeste had a feeling that the fire would be taking more than her home tonight. She could feel her happiest memories in her short ten years, slipping away.
If she ran back now she could still help her father. She could find her mother. She could preserve all the happiness she'd come to know.
Just as she was about to turn back, she felt the force of two strong arms wrap around her and lift her off the ground.
"Princess! You mustn't return! Your father has asked me to help keep you safe!" and just then she was face-to-face with her father's oldest and dearest friend, Ferdinand.
"But Ferdinand! We have to help them! We have to!" Celeste begged, doing her best to fight her way out of Ferdinand's grasp.
"Your father will be fine, we have to keep you safe Princess!"
She realized it was useless trying to argue and gave up fighting back.
"Please Princess, we don't have much time. There's a wagon here that can take us to the village, far enough away from the fires. We need to hurry so it can come back to pick up the others."
Celeste understood then that her stubborness would only cost others their lives.
"Okay Ferdinand. Thank you. I'm just so worried," she said, feeling tears prick at her eyes.
"There's nothing to be scared of Princess, your father and mother will be safe! They're doing what they do best, taking care of their people," he reassured her, though even Celeste could sense fear in him.
As she stepped into the wooden carriage, she looked around at the other faces covered in ash and tears. She noticed one of the girls who worked in the castle sitting inside. Celeste recognized her from the kitchen. They had to be the same age. Though Celeste was a little shorter. They had the same long, dark-brown hair with loose ringlets falling about. She gave the girl a small knowing smile, as if to say "things will be alright. I know it."
As the horses began moving away, the group sat in solemn silence as the sound of the gruesome fires continued to roar in the background. Silent sobs were shared. When the sounds grew fainter, it felt like the nightmare was almost over.
"Is anyone hurt?" she asked the group.
But before anyone could answer, the carriage came to halting stop. The group could hear the horses going wild. Celeste looked around in confusion.
"What's going on?" she asked Ferdinand who had been acting as coachman.
"Princess! Run!" cried Ferdinand over his shoulder. That's when Celeste saw three men in undistinguishable armor and knives charging at the carriage.
"RUN PRINCESS!" Ferdinand pleaded again, when suddenly one of the men plunged a knife into his chest. The men and women screamed all around in a terrible frenzy.
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
"WAKE UP GIRL! OUR TEA WON'T PREPARE ITSELF!"
Celeste shot straight up from her bed. Her face was covered in a heavy layer of sweat. Her heart was thudding in her chest. She felt around her tiny bed, double-checking if she was really awake.
She wondered if and when the nightmares would go away. It had been almost 10 years, but the memory felt just as real as that night.
"I SAID WAKE UP!" shouted Aunt Amelia from downstairs.
Celeste couldn't believe she was saying this, but for the first time in a long time, she preferred reality.
YOU ARE READING
Once Upon
General FictionTime may have passed, and it is believed time heals most wounds, but Celeste's heart felt just as heavy as it did that night. The nightmares make sure she can't forget the loss. Though her present is more than enough to distract her during the day...
