• 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 • | 𝚀𝚄𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙰

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"Is she dead?" A voice whispers.

I wake up with force.

I feel my heartbeat, as if it's a loud drum in my chest. My hands immediately coming to my defence.

"Hey, hey. You're ok."

I slightly moving my head up from the pillow to see the voice in front of me. "Edith?"

"Astrid right?" She smiles moving closer.

My lungs are still burning from the panic, I take my hand to my heart at an attempt to steady my heartbeat. That's when I feel a large cloth on my ribs. Looking down confused, I pull up my shirt revealing a blood stained bandage.

"You got lucky." A red haired woman huffs in the corner.

Only then do I realise my surroundings. I'm in a dark damp room. Black metal bars as windows, with a small fireplace glowing in the background.

"W-what happened?" I stutter with a hoarse voice.

"You passed out, but they took you to get checked. Surprisingly." Edith nods her head to to the woman across from us.

The ginger woman moves uncomfortably clutching her knee. "Her leg, it's broken." Edith explains with a whisper.

"Yet YOU, were taken away to be treated." The ginger laughs with venom looking at the two of us. It seemed as if the pain has gotten to her head.

"Penny just stop!" Edith sighs.

"Don't think I can't hear you." The woman who I now know is called Penny hisses.

"What do you mean??" I ask annoyed. Annoyed at the fact I don't know what had had happened since I passed out.

"Astrid, you were the only one to be taken away. Penny who has a broken leg hasn't been seen at all. I thought you were dead, but then they brought you back. You were treated. That arrow-" Edith points to my bandage on my ribs.

"That arrow almost killed you." She continues.

"And?? What does this have to do with anything. Ravenna could be making sure her livestock is good for use." I whisper shout to Edith. I was confused as to where she was going with this.

"Astrid the Queen has a liking to you-" Edith's words are cut short. Three guards clutching their swords are heard unlocking the door.

"Take this." She scurried handing me a large bent nail from her pocket. I look at her annoyed. This could get both of us killed.

"You." The knight points to Penny.

Two knights grab her by her forearms, lifting her from the ground. Edith clings to me, so hard her fingers are pressing into my skin.

"NO, NO STOP. PLEASE." Penny pleads. Yet it's no luck. She yelps as she's pushed to her feet.

The guard's grab my arm but a voice stops him. "No. Not her. Not yet."

I move my head and see the Queens brother by the door. A devilish smirk on his face. "What about her sir?" The guard nods to Edith.

Edith whimpers as she tries to get behind me. "If you touch her, I'll break your jaw." I seethe through gritted teeth.

The guard smirks. "Alright." He comes full force and punches me in the face. I get up with the adrenaline and try my best hitting him, in where no man wants to be hit. He lowers his back to the floor with a groan clutching his legs.

"You bitch!" He yells punching me again.

"ENOUGH!" Finn shouts.

"Go back to your post. We have business to attend to." The Queens brothers snarls, his golden locks covering his eyes. The guard huffs and leaves the room as does Finn.

Edith clings to my shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's alright, you're ok." I whisper stroking her hair. I try stay strong as I'm nearly on the verge of tears myself.

I flutter my eyes as blood is tricking down my face. "Astrid!" Edith gasps leaving my shoulder. My eyebrow is slit, but that's the least of my worries.

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"Astrid...............Astrid wake up!!!" Edith shakes me from my slumber. She's standing at the window, her hand covering her mouth. 

"What?" I whisper half asleep. She points to something outside. I get up from the straw bed. I stand on my tippy toes to see what she's looking at.

"Oh my god." I gasp.

From what I can see, it's a head on a spike at the front of the castle. "W-who is that?" I shake. I've never seen a dead body before, let alone just a head.

"It's him. The guard, the one that hit you." Edith's voice trembles staring straight ahead. I whip my neck to her.

"Was he done for treason?" I whisper.

She looks at me, nodding her head no, slowly.

Loud footsteps are pacing across the halls. The cell door from across the room is opened. Edith and I run to the door clinging to the bars. An elderly woman is tossed inside. 

The guards leave with no care in the world. How could they lock up an elderly woman? If that was my grandmother, I don't know what I'd do.

"Hey? Are you alright?" I try get the elderly woman's attention.

Her breath is up and down. Making me worried. "What's your name?" I nod trying to make her feel safe.

"You know my name-" The woman grasps for air.

"Penny?" Edith's voice cracks.

I gasp walking away from the bars. My breathing becoming unregulated.

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