Queen Anne Of Scotland

Chapter 6: Escape

Anne sat in astonishment, how could this be? She still could not take in the that he was dead! Achan was dead! Anne looked at the letter again hoping that she had misread it. No she had not misread the writing, there it was crystal clear in red ink.

 "How could this of happend? It was only three weeks ago that I had last seen Achan and he seemed in good health! Oh poor dear Brigget she must be in very poor sprits,  for she talked about Achan with such love! I must go and see her."

 So that very night Anne snuck out of the castle out of a secet passege that only she and her father knew about, for when her father made plans to build this majestic palace he had the architect build it so that if anything happend Anne would be able to escape quickly and saftley, it lead out to the garden, a secret door that was built to look just like the castle wall. As Anne walked down the passage she thought about when her father told the architect that he would pay him handsomely to build the secret door out of the same brick that the castle was made out of but it also had to be light enough so that his little rose ( thats what Anne's father called her, his little rose) could open the door with ease. Anne remembered the look on the little man's face, it was one of delight and fear for he knew that the castle bricks were much to heavy for Anne to lift (let alone push), but he also thought about the money (he was a very greedy man) Anne's father ofered to pay him. So he took the job and by some miracle acomplished his task. Anne smiled at the thought of her father it gave her joy to think about good times with him. But he was dead, and Anne's mother died after giving birth to her, so having no mother Anne and her father had grown close, very close, so thats why the thought of her father also gave her grief. A tear fell from Anne's eye but she quickly wiped it with her handkerchief. As Anne approched the door she slowed the pace of her steps, then she cracked the door to make sure no guards where around to see her. when she saw that no one was around she opened the door and dashed across the garden grounds and leaned against the outer wall. Then she silently ran along the wall. There was a old gate that she had discoverd as a child playing with her cousins, she never told anyone because she thought that it could be her own little secret. As Anne approched the gate she looked behind her to see if there any guards. No guards.

 So she stood infront of the gate and pushed it open, CCCRRREEECCCKKK! went the gate, and before Anne knew it a gaurd appered shouting "HAULT WHO GOES THERE!"

  With her heart pounding in her chest Anne ran out of the gate. She ran across a narrow road, then she ran through a small pasture, one of the cows that was sleeping woke up and startled Anne which made her fall into some mud, shaken up by the fall and out of breath from running she sat under a old oak tree.

 "What am i doing?" Thought Anne, "What started out to be a meeting turned into a nightmare."

 But through it all she thought only of Brigget, Anne understood the pain and grief of losing someone who you love.

 "I should understand." Said Anne as she rose from under the oak, "I lost both my parents the pain I felt and do still was the most tragect feeling I had ever experienced!"

 As she started walking a light breeze flowed through her thick long red hair. The air smelt of wild flowers. And she could smell the freashly stacked hay in a farmers crib.

 "This is nothing like the foul smell of the castle!"  Thought Anne to herself, I can breath fresh air!

As Anne walked silently alongside a road she felt total joy, she could'int explain it, but later in her life she could only say that, there was a certain 'feeling in the air' that seemed to bring her an amazing calmness, A calmness that she had never felt before. It seemed to make her forget her problems and she was in a serine peace.  "I felt loved!"  she would say, "I felt wanted, I had not felt that way since dear father died."   And in those short preacious moments she finally relised that there WAS a kind caring  God that loved her! "I had always known about God", she would say, "but I didn't know that he cared for me, or that he had sent his only son Jesus christ to die for my sins so that I could live with him forever!" And while Anne walked in the moonlit sky she gave her heart to Jesus christ. "After that it was like a heavy burden was lifted of my shoulders! the grief and the anger that I had felt since my father died left, I was'int bitter or in grief! I was happy and joyful!"

 Finally Anne arived at Briggets house and when she opened the door she gave a cry of fright at the sight of Anne, her dress was torn and she was covered in mud but there was something about her that was diffrent, Brigget didn't know what it was but it was a peace. "I wish I had peace " Thought Brigget, but it will have to wait.

 "Come in Your Highness please!" beg Brigget.

 "Thank you." Replied Anne.

 With a curtsy Brigget asked, "And what brings you to my humble home my lady?"

 "I recived your letter about Achan."

 At the mention of her husbands name Brigget began to weep.

 "Forgive me my lady!" cried Brigget, "but I loved my husband very much and his passing is very hard, exspecaly after I found out the cause of his death!"

 "Dear Brigget what happened?"

  "He was... Poisoned!" She wailed.

  With that she broke down crying.

 "Oh Brigget I am sorry."

 As she said this the doctor came out of the room were Achans corpse was laid.

 "Doctor?" said Anne.

 The doctor looked at the diretion from wince the voice came and was surprised to see the queen was the one that had called him. He was much alarmed by her apparel.

 When he was able to speak he answered, "Yes Your Majesty?"

 "Might I have a word with you?"

 "Of course!" He replied.

 "Please might we go into another room?" She asked him.

 "Yes shall we come over to the parlor perphaps (This was after parlors)?"

 "No I would like to go to the room where Achan is lain.

 The doctor gave her a alarmed look and said, "My queen, I do not think that it would be appropiate for a lady of your stature to inter into such a room."At this moment he turned and briefly looked at Brigget then looked at Anne and wispered. "Were the dead are laid!"

 "Please doctor said Anne, this will not be the first time that I have seen a dead man.

 The doctor sighed and gestured Anne into the room.