The True Tale of Thousandfurs

Thirty

Katerina's existence came as a shock to the country which had long thought her dead. The rumors that swirled around her disappearance were hopeful that she had simply ended her life rather than go through with this sinful marriage. Still, King Paul remained steadfast and a price was placed upon her head to have her returned to him.

None thought to even look for her, as they believed even if she was alive, whatever new life she led was much better than the walls of the palace. What had once been a bright beacon of pride, turned into a dark reminder of the steep slope into madness.

When she had not been found after six months, even King Paul had his doubts that his beautiful wife was truly gone forever, again. He grieved all over again for the death of the only woman he would ever truly love and his heart hardened further, driving his obsession deeper.

He sent out hoards of troops to every kingdom, with carts of spies to infiltrate their walls, all to find who was hiding his little Katerina from him. When word came back of a beautiful woman with hair the color of spun gold, he knew he had her once more and this time, there would be no more games.

Smiling proudly, the king stood from his throne, waving aside his advisor who continued to ramble off a list of issues that piled high on their desks. The first and foremost being, that the citizens were starving as well as the palace staff. No imports were coming through from any of their previous trade partners. Lenningston specialized in textiles and threads. Their farmland that did exist was used for cattle. They could not sustain themselves without the assistance of others and their necessary trades.

The citizens knew this and begged and bartered wherever they could, their resentment for the king growing as their stomachs fell empty time and time again.

King Paul cared not to think of such misery. He was certain that this wave of bad luck would pass once his union with the princess was complete. It was her disobedience that caused this curse and soon it would be resolved.

The Royal advisor looked after him, weary and battered, large bags growing under his eyes. His head hung in shame at the despair of the kingdom and failure to fulfill his role.

Originally King Paul's plan was to allow Katerina to assist with the preparations for their ceremony, hoping she would find joy in the activity but due to her distasteful behavior, he would have to go about the planning alone.

Assembly was moving a lot slower than he would have liked and the ballroom was not up to any Royal standards, let alone that for the wedding celebration of a king! He decided to check there first, then the Royal tailor.

~•~•~

With the dagger safely tucked in the folds of her skirt, Princess Katerina peered anxiously through the bars of her cell down the long damp hallway. Seeing no one, she decided there was no more time to waste and pushed the cell door open. It squeaked wickedly on its rusted hinges, groaning as it came to a painful stop leaving a foot or two of space for her to squeeze through.

Carefully, once more she assessed her surroundings before picking up her skirt and slipping from her cage and down the hallway as fast as her feet could carry her. Her slippers dampened the sound of her footsteps against the jagged stone floor.

A torch burned at the entrance of every cell leaving her to pass through tiny slivers of dark patches on her way to the steps. The staircase out of the dungeons was long and daunting, spiraling upwards to a set of storm doors. Grabbing the wall, she began to climb, her whole being exposed with nowhere to go if anyone were to descend.

She had no choice. She had to try and if she was caught then so be it. The thought only had her gripping the blade tighter as she rounded the final turn to reach the top of the steps. A faint glow of white light from the outside lifted a smile onto her face as she pushed through the large wooden doors above her. Managing to lift one of the heavy sheets of wood, it fell to the ground with a thump, rattling on its hinges. Wearily she climbed out of the underground dungeon and onto the grass, pushing herself back to her feet.

As she rose to stand up straight a shadow appeared before her, blocking the brilliant warmth of the sun despite the chilly winds that swept the courtyard. Her diamond eyes lifted in terror, pleading silently with the guard that now stood in her way. His heavy sword on his hip and his full suit of armor made her dagger look pitiful, but it was all she had.

Taking a deep breath, her arms stiffened as she adjusted her grip on the blade, her shoulders back, preparing to lunge in defense of her freedom.

The large man, who stood heads above her calmly turned to the side, clearing her path. His eyes remained straight ahead, on guard and attentive but blind to her. Katerina hesitated, confused as to why he was not grabbing her and returning her to the dark basement. She looked behind her, almost wondering if she had left the confines of her cell or if this was all a dream.  Stumbling over her feet, she turned from the guard and raced towards the castle.

She had no plans at the moment. All she had was a will to escape and find her way back into the arms of safety, wherever that may be. Claridon had given her nothing but hope even in its darkest of moments. A life she never thought possible and freedom she feared she did not deserve.

God saved her once.

This time she had to save herself.

She could not run her entire life, putting everyone around her in danger. Not only them but the poor citizens of Lenningston would continue to starve, their coin circling down an endless drain until there was nothing left to barter or buy.

No matter what she chose, her father would destroy worlds, turn over cities and sever trade routes for his own selfish desires, all wrapped up in a satin blanket of lust and delusion.

If she wanted to be free, she had to free the rest of the country too.

~•~•~
A/N
Anyone else kind of going through it at 3am? Just me? Doesn't help when you read an infuriating book!t