Walked with you once upon a dream...

Pt. 16

The guards DID NOT treat you gently. You went to ask a question and you were struck multiple times across the face. Cutting your bottom lip and bruising your face from their armor. You were stripped down of your fine clothes and given some cheap dress like cover that went down to your knees. It looked like it was made from an old sack.

They then threw you into this little eight by ten cell and left you. It had no windows and a dirt/cement floor with fragments of straw. There was nothing to sit or lay on. Also, there was NO heat. All you did was just huddle in the corner, every day and night. Except when you were given food. Fed only twice a day. Cold for breakfast, hot for supper.

A few weeks had passed. You were VERY dirty as long as malnourished. Some sickness over came you as well. The cuts on your face and the blisters on your feet needed to be attended to. You couldn't believe that your father let you suffer this fate, then again, you could....all HE CARED about was the family name! You now knew that you were OFFICIALLY discarded!

You thought about Jacques in your solitude. He most likely forgot about you. How dumb you thought that he would give a damn! Giving mercy to someone has cut your throat. Thirst was also part of your torturous sentence. Someone came around every three days with a bucket of water and a dipper spoon to drink from.

A priest even made the rounds reading to you about sin. You remained huddled in the corner as he read. Fever took over you again. You thought that your life would truly end in this horrible place!

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Jacques saw one your servants in one of the vending stalls in the town square. He approached and asked about you. The servant tried to ignore Jacques's request by pretending and to sort through the fresh fruits. When the hint was taken that he would not be ignored, the servant spoke up.

He was ABSOLUTELY shocked at what he heard! Couldn't help by feel guilty too. If you never set eyes on him, NONE of this would be happening! He had to do something.

After a bolting ride to Count Pierre's estate that nearly killed Jacques's horse, Jacques also bolted inside to relay the details and possibly get some help. Pierre did not have control over any justice, but he knew where and what justice was going to happen.

You where scheduled for a public walk of punishment and a whipping. This information shattered Jacques. An estimated time was given, but that wasn't one hundred percent accurate. Torture was an entertainment. So the crowds would be cluttered and full of loose bedlam.

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A week slowly passed and your day of judgement arrived. You were so weak and malnourished, you couldn't even stand. Two guards had to grab your arm's and lift you to your feet.

You could barely stand, but you injected all the strength you had to do it. For walking, all you could really do was shuffle. Opening up the blisters on your feet and creating more. You slowly shuffled down the dark cell hallway, squinting and shielding your face from the outside light from the windows.

Outside, your wrist's were placed into heavy chains as you were made to walk barefoot on the stone streets. Two guards were in front and two in the back. One from behind pushed you forward to start walking.

More and more people gathered as they saw what was occurring. First the throwing of lettuce and tomatoes started along with a lot of shouting. Most pointed at you, with obscene names. Someone even came up to the side of your face a spat a big glob of saliva on you. They were elbowed back into the crowd by a guard.

It was getting harder to walk. The white stone was stained with your bloody footprint's. You even fell to your knee's because you couldn't handle it no longer. The guards pulled you to your feet and had you walking again.

Some tears started to leak as you were covered with random crap. You fell again. There was barely any skin left on your feet and the skin on your knees had broken. You were a COMPLETE mess! As you cried on the ground, all you wanted was for this to end and be set free. The guards pulled to your feet again. This time, you saw a dirt ground up ahead, which would be some relief.

When you made it to the dirt, you fell on your knees again. You couldn't stand anymore. Two guards dragged you by your chained wrists to a post in the ground. They set you up on your knee's as your chained wrists were later to another chain above your head. The back of your clothing was violently ripped open, exposing your whole backside.

The people cheered as a tall, muscular man appeared behind you. As he raised his whip in the air, a roar of applause erupted.

You slowly moved your head a little to get a glance and then your head pressed back against the post. Now, you were certain that you would certainly die.

The man squared himself up as you closed your eye's. The first crack hit your back, making you scream. It felt like one thousand knives against your skin. It left your skin flinging blood and tearing muscle and skin from your body. You tried to hold in your cries of pain, but failed. You were struck and struck again. Every time, a piece of you was chipped away.

Blood flowed like a river on your back and little trickles. So far, you received seven out of ten whippings. You barely had any will left. You were so close to letting death succumb!

Before the eighth blow, you heard a strained gurgle then a body hit the ground. Your body was so defeated, you didn't even turn around to look. You then heard running footsteps behind you. Your vision and hearing were blurry when someone was talking to you holding your face up. You managed to focus your sight a little more and saw that it was Jacques. He had cut his hair and only had facial stubble, but it was him.

Jacques quickly unlatched your wrist's from stolen keys, and caught you as you fell. You were in awful shape. His eyes misted as he held your head. The servant he brought along, approached with a thin blanket to wrap you in. Jacques's heart broke again when he saw your face. Pale, sunken in, bruised, and cut. Even your pretty lips were split.

As some of your vision refocused, you saw Jacques in all black armor along with the man Jacques had slain. He drove his dagger through the man's neck. While carrying you out, he stopped, placed his foot on the man's face and dragged the dagger from his neck. The crowds were also booing and getting a little chaotic now that their entertainment was interrupted.

Blood was soaking through the blanket at this point. Jacques mounted his horse while holding onto you. He saw your hands, knees, and feet dripping with blood, your backside wasn't letting up either! He had the servant who came with him ride ahead to get every doctor available ready!

You were in and out of consciousness as your head lay on his shoulder. His eye's became misty again and a tear fell. ''It's going to be alright now, starfish,'' he shuttered quietly as he held your head close and kissed your forehead. He then took off.