Considering that her entire back had been flayed open by the direbeast, in the garden no less where all sorts of germs could infect the open wounds, it was no surprise when Aydra spiked an infection and started running a fever. She imagined all sorts of strange things in her fevered dreams. Some were nightmares of being attacked by a horde of beasts and other times she relieved conversations and happenings of her past. During this, unfortunately, her beleaguered mind couldn't tell the difference between reality and delirium shadows.
Her piercing screams when she saw the direbeast laying nearby had it flying up, hackles raised and teeth bared, roaring out his challenge. That of course set off more screams and then the room was filled with what seemed an army of people. They were all armed with swords and daggers which to Aydra's distraught terror, were meant to be used against her at first her father's and then her husband's orders.
This brought about even further hysterical screams as Aydra was wrenching herself up and away from those out to murder her. Hard hands grabbed her and harsh, rough voices raised in angry, demanding tones. She fought to escape, sobbing in desperate terror, pleading for someone ... anyone to help her. She was so far gone that she didn't recognise that help in the form of Maisie who had reached the bed and instead tried to fend her off with flailing arms and terrified, shrill cries of fear.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please don't! I won't do it again! I promise ... oh please, no more! No more!" She begged as her mind cruelly twisted gentle Maisie into Ardra's hate filled visage with a raised fist for a beating.
"Get out! You are upsetting her with all this racket!" Maisie scolded, raising her voice in between struggles to settle Aydra with soothing murmurs and gentle touches. Despite that, she fought desperately, screaming in agony as the pain from her struggles drove her further into fevered dreams.
It took Maisie several desperate moments to realise what was happening and to give an order to hold Aydra down so she could tend to the injured girl; which of course set a fevered Aydra shrieking all over again that 'he' was going to murder them all and to run to save themselves.
"RUN! Maisie! Malcolm! RUN! He can't catch you if he's got me! Save yourselves ... I don't matter! I never mattered ... Oh Thunder! You don't deserve such a horrible death ... oh please just run and save yourself!" Aydra sobbed, her wounds re-opening as she thrashed wildly. She didn't even feel the stitches tearing and causing further harm in her desperation.
"Oh dearie, no! No, Aydra ... don't fret, no one is getting killed or eaten! We are all safe, I promise!" Maisie tried to assure her, but a wildly distraught Aydra couldn't hear her. Aydra's voice raised as she begged them to leave her and save themselves. The whole time, Maisie's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to tend to her patient.
The next apparition to appear to Aydra was Lord Fyn. He strode over to the bed, clad only in loose linen sleep clothes. As the case of fever dreams goes, in Aydra's mind there was no difference between the threat of the beast and the threat he posed.
"I didn't do it! I swear I didn't do it! Let me go and no one will ever see me or hear of me again! I swear! Don't kill me... please! Just let me run and hide!" She sobbed, pulling back and slapping Lord Fyn's hands away when he reached for her.
His fingers curled up into fists and Aydra, seeing that, shrieked again. She fought against the hands holding her down, convinced he intended on beating her and making good on his threat to bury her in the garden of his estate – something she begged him in ragged sobs not to do.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry ... You don't have to kill me ... I'll go into the wilds and let the beasts finish me off! No one will ever know!" She pleaded and managed to fight her way free of the restraining hands. She would have flung herself off the side of the bed if strong arms hadn't caught her and pinned her down.
"I can drug her, my lord?" A woman said, and in her fevered frenzy, Aydra only heard plotting to help Lord Fyn in killing her and let out a keening wail, striking out all over again at the hands holding her in place.
"Do it NOW, Maisie! She's going to do herself worse injury like this!" The apparition of Lord Fyn growled out. His growling sounded just like the beast's that came so close to killing her, that Aydra screamed louder and fought harder. Sheer terror gave her more strength than she had ever had before and she was nearly free before someone else joined in to hold her down.
Harsher curses and virulent swearing sounded all around as more shadow people held her arms and legs down. Aydra heard the ripping sound of her clothing being torn away and felt stabbing agony all along the length of her back from her shoulders to her waist. She screamed and begged for mercy, convinced she was being sliced by the knife in Lord Fyn's hand. Desperately, she babbled out wild, hysterical promises that no one would ever know who she was, if he would only please take mercy on her and let her run away to the wilds.
"No, nooo! Please! I beg you, please don't hurt me again! Please ... I'll leave! I won't ever tell! PLEEASEEE!!!" The sheer terror in Aydra's voice said more than her words could.
"Saints have mercy, what have they done to this poor child ... what did they do to make her so terrified of you like this?!" The woman said, but when Aydra tried to turn her head to see what child was being tortured along with her, fire twisted down her spine and her vision swam. She shrieked in renewed desperation and fought even harder; her voice was raw with begging and pleading for mercy that they all ignored. Fear that she couldn't protect herself, let anyone else made her sob bitterly.
"Aydra... listen... hearme? ... hurt you ... understand? ... Aydra ... hurt you ... Aydra?" Lord Fyn's rough andangry voice growled in her ear. Aydra, pushed past what her mind could grasp,heard only that he was promising to hurt her and fled her terror and pain intodarkness.
YOU ARE READING
The King's Justice
Romance**Incomplete** Aydra is a sheltered young girl, raised for one purpose only - to raise her family standing with a good marriage. The man chosen for her is Fyn, who is infamous as the kings right hand man. Nothing is easy - or as it seems!
