I once was a Duchess

page 12

" Ralftilia, It's nice to see you again my love." A giggle escaped my lips as my hands pressed against his warm skin. " Hello again." I whisper placing a kiss on his forehead. He then lifts his head kissing both my cheeks then my forehead.

He lifts me high in the air holding me gently by my waist. So tightly but gentle ensuring I was safe in his hands. " Hey put me down!" I say smiling " No." He playfully replies spinning me around. A giggle escapes my lips once again. As the wind passes through my hair kissing my cheeks.
He then lowers me down. As I carefully place my feet on the grass. As the sun effortlessly shined behind the trees intoxicating his gaze. "I missed you." I whisper placing my head onto his. " I will continue to be missed." I then press my hands on his cheek one last time as a cold tear escapes my eyes.

The land began to die. As leaves shriveled and flowers became sad wilting away in the dusk of dawn. The trees became shrewd as the covering of the tree became rough and the branches pointed at you like daggers. As a deep darkness fills the land. A deep mists was placed on the land as the sun turned into the moon and day turned into night. This land that was once flourishing was now quickly dying.
Along with my heart wilting like the flowers. 

Saddened I was, Five years have already gone by, With no leads, No home, And the deaths still replaying in my mind in my nightmares. 

Blood hand prints appear on the trees. As a path outgrown and old is seen reopening with a dagger at the end of the road lying on the old wilting paths. As a mysterious figure stands still at the end of it all shaken but unwilling to fade with this land. With a dead look on her face full of despair she whispers a sadden phrase as well as disturbing.

" A wilting flower is of no need. To a dead waste land. As with each wilting flower comes another life." " And another choice." Ajun replies walking towards her.

"Don't cry." He whispers as his touch slowly fades as he begins to walk away leaving me behind. I cried his name but to no avail did he hear me.

The scenery then changes, From cold and dark in a forest chasing my distant dreams, To the bloody ball. Where bodies lay still and hearts that are fragile lay out of reach as their souls perish, Drowning within their own pool of blood. 
Lifeless people clung onto the floors, Lay on the walls lifeless and stuck with the last expression that was plastered onto their faces, Stuck in the shock of when their lives were suddenly snatched from them.
Screams echo in the ball room, And yells and wails are heard being the last call of terror and a call for help. 

My ears rang loudly, Stuck in place watching the people around me drop like flies, As an arrow had grazed my arm that now continues to bleed. Spilling onto my dress, And falling onto the floor.  
" Guards!" I yell but no one came to our rescue as many were already killed, No longer at their posts, Or engaged in battle. And among an army of cloaked knights and its leading lady, Our guards were of no match putting their all into a fight they would lose. 

A voice calls my name in the mists of chaos and horror.
"Ralftilia! We must go!" Ajun yells. As fighting right behind him is Aros giving it his all, to put on a fight for the safety of me.
" Lets go Ralftilia!" He urges me to go pushing and pulling me as my legs stay still trembling in shock.
" But what of the others?! What of my people!" I shout resisting trying to go back. All to have him push me away leading me to the horse by the river.
 He slips into the river, I reach out my hand in order to grab him only stumbling and falling in myself. As the only thing I had with me was his brooch he had given to me.

I slipped into the water, Being emerged so deep I hit my head underneath the currents on a river rock.
I can still feel the splitting feeling of my head opening, While blood treads down my head mixing into the water. And I drift farther away from Ajun. It felt as if I was dying as the current snugged me, And carried me onward while I had no will to live or go forward.
I could only think of one thing, I have to go back. I must go back.
As the current pushes me above water I could see the castle getting farther and farther, As Ajun drifts farther away from me onto the much more gentle river side. While the sound of death approaches me in the distance. My subconscious drifts away, As I bat my eyes close with no energy but to stay afloat and drift farther and farther away.

Slowly my eyes open, As the sun peers through the crack of the curtain. With the blurry vision of a small boy panicking with worry. His lips move yet I can hear nothing as the constant ringing can be heard. 
I can't tell what is reality or a dream anymore, As he keep shifting into my dream. Violently shaking me once again just like back then. 

" Miss? Its okay it was just a dream." Atticus small voice approaches as my ringing ears drown more quiet and his voice is heard. Slowly my eyes began to focus and my heart that was once sped up begins to cool.
 As his warm smile fills me with relief. I look up to see the same man from last night, looking at him with pearl eyes as tears sit in them.
 " Awe don't cry princess." The odd man says as his voice hallows the room out.
 I blink and finally the tears fall dampening my eyelashes and growing my cheeks and nose red. " No seriously don't cry." He says seriously 

"You sure have a way with words." Says Atticus
"I was only kidding." he says 
"You seen the tears laying in her eyes and you think now is the perfect time to make a joke?" Atticus says staring up at him. But the  man didn't reply he sat in the doorway quiet with his eyes only fixated on me. 

A rush of pain thrusts through my head, As a pounding ache consumes my mind. I began to get dizzy as my body turned cold and I began to shiver. I placed my hand on my head trying to hold me up. But my body was eagerly showing me I had to lay down.
" Whats wrong?" Atticus asked looking concerned again.
" Nothing I am fine. Nothing to fret about-" Warm hands are placed onto my head and the man suddenly stands close, To close. 
"You have a fever and you say you're fine." He says after a while of keeping his hand on my forehead. I smack his hand away preparing to get off of the bed but before I even could he swings the blankets over me and pushes me down into bed. 
"If you even try to get up I'll get in the bed with you. Do you want that?" He says smirking. Ignore him laying back down, As truthfully my body was well exhausted and I wouldn't be able to do anything completely sick. 

"Good little lady." He exits the room and begins walking down the hall as his heavy boots are heard farther and farther. Atticus follows behind him asking him a series of questions in a panic. While he still looms over him ignoring the poor boy. 

"What will happen to her?!" 
"Will she die?!"
"Is she okay?!"
"What can I do to help her?!"
He kept asking these questions, Repeating them each time until the moment the man came back into the room. With Atticus holding a bowl of water and towels sticking out of the man's pocket. 

The man pulls up a chair closely to me, I keep my eyes sealed shut to afraid to look at him in his eyes. And with him so close I could always feel my cheeks grow hot and my heart grow wary of him. 
He dampens the towel ringing the water out of it and placing it onto my head. He then pulls out of his pocket a small glass bottle and pushes it up to my lips. I felt the cold glass press onto my lower lip as my mouth sits unopened. I open my eyes to look at him staring at what he is doing.
"What are you doing to her! Your to close!" Atticus yells urging him away. So he lowers his hands away from me and sits back in his chair.
"Should I help her? Or should I let her die of a fever which maybe will attract a plague to her weakened state? Choose your poison." He says slyly
"So its poison?" I said unimpressed 
"Do I have to feed it to you from my lips?" He says pressing it against his own.

I snatch away the glass bottle drinking it, And laying back down. All to drift off into a deep sleep with the feeling of damp hands constantly switching my towels. And a familiar melody being hummed gently.

And eventually day turned into night and night turned into day.