Scarlet shivered. The night air slapped at her thin cloak. Rain came down in ice cold sheets. She huddled into a ball with her arms around her thin legs.
She watched as people scurried home to dinner. She wondered if any of them would take her in as a daughter, or even a slave.
Thinking back to moments ago she shuddered. Picturing Lucy's furious face, made her sick. Scarlet, not intending to do any harm, had come home in search of a scrap of food to eat. Her mother, being the sick lady she was, through a celebration to earn the favor of the handsome young prince. She was determined that she was to be his bride, refusing to see the obvious fact, that she was way too old for Xavier. Scarlet had walked in on the "celebration" in which the grads had to take action to keep Lucy from killing her stepdaughter. The prince had snuck out of the party hours before but Lucy was too drunk to notice.
Then, Lucy had kicked Scarlet out.
So now, Scarlet sat here all alone. Unwanted and cold. What was new?!
Standing up, she brainstormed possible destinations for herself. She could try to survive the night or go to her Uncle Blair's home.
Blair was a blacksmith and a farmer. Though he was not related to Scarlet in any way, Blair had always been there for her until the death of three of his children.
The children had been evil. Scarlet abhorred them. Their Father, however, adored them. The three had been small, only about seven years of age, but they had taunted Scarlet relentlessly.
Scarlet remembered one occasion where she had gone to help Blair with the stables. Tripping over a bucket of cow manure that had been specially placed to ensure Scarlet's pain. The young girl, only ten at the time broke her wrist and screamed hysterically. Running to her "aid" were a trio girls, laughing and taunting her.
"You clumsy, idiot!" they taunted staring at Scarlet with fake sympathy.
The tallest, being the leader had kicked the bucket (literally not metaphorically, but her death did come soon) and grabbed Scarlet's injured arm. Yanking it vigorously, she laughed as the injured girl screamed in agony. Scarlet's blood ran down her arm.
"HA!" They laughed at the irony. "Guess that's why they call her Scarlet! Because she is so weak, she can't defend herself against even the littlest of people! And when they beat her, she bleeds scarlet!"
Smiling, Scarlet returned the insult. "Yes, child! I guess thats why! I had no idea!" Scarlet lunged her uninjured arm towards the other girl and shoved her. Standing up, the parentless girl kicked her agitator in the nose.
Now, Scarlet stood in the same place that terrible event had occurred. Rubbing the scar on her arm, she feared her Uncle's reaction to her reappearance.
After the fight she had with Blair's daughters, she had not talked to her uncle. She feared the reaction of the only person that had cared for her after her dad's death.
Walking up the dirt path lined by small homes and shops lit with candles, Scarlet brainstormed every possible thing that could go wrong. When she finally arrived at the small cottage she heard screaming and the shrill voice of Blair's wife.
Gathering up all the courage she could muster, she knocked on the sodden door.
The screams stopped. She heard footsteps fall heavily on the ground like the beat of a drum.
"Papa?" A high pitched voiced belonging to Blair's son Sam called, opening the door hopefully. Looking at Scarlet disappointedly he opened his mouth to speak, then burst in tears.
"I was hoping you was papa but yous not!" He wailed "Papa needs to be coming home now so the lady doesn't be killing me."
Concerned she bent down to Sam's level.
"What lady, Sam?"
"She is been wanting to be my mama, but she ain't my mama."
Scarlet winced. She had known this would happen.
When Sam was born, his mother left. Blair was determined to get rid of the memory of her so he told his young son she had died. Scarlet's father had advised against it but Blair proceeded, not wanting his son to feel unwanted.
His real mother must have returned.
"Oh..." Scarlet considered what to say. "Is your papa here?"
"Nope! He's be leaving us to talk to the king about his problems."
"What?!" Scarlet exclaimed alarmed at her uncle's rash decision. He had threatened to talk sense to the terrible king many times, but Scarlet never expected him to go through with his irrational plan.
"How long ago did he leave, Sam?" Scarlet said hoping that it had not been long since his departure.
"Um... He is be leaving a long time ago. Almost two weeks!" He scowled "Two weeks of torture."
Scarlet rolled her eyes at Sam's hyperbole and continued to almost interrogate the poor, angry eight year old.
By the time she was done, she knew her uncle was in danger. He was kind but stubborn and always stood up for the right thing, no matter the consequence. Scarlet feared those attributes would cost him his life.
"Sam, I gotta go." She waved sprinting down the dirt path. "Love you! Stay safe!"
Running as fast as possible she made her way down the streets to the castle. It was not to far, about ten miles. Scarlet knew she could make it there before the sun rose.
Running was easy to her. It was repetitive and more a game of the mind than of physical strength. Sprinting, but taking care to pace herself and breathe steadily, she raced towards the place she feared to be her uncle's doom.
Tears ran down her face as she thought of their last conversation before the death of the three evil children. He had yelled at her, swearing at her for being so "clumsy". His daughters had lied about what happened saying that Scarlet had tripped over the eldest daughter and severely hurt the girl destined to die months later. They blamed the sickness that had overcome the girl on Scarlet, weaving an intricate web of lies for their father to be caught in, like a spider's prey.
She hoped he had realized the truth and would not die without seeing what had really gone on.
***
Out of breath, Scarlet stopped. She was exhausted. Taking a deep breath, she looked ahead. She could see the castle now, only a mile away. But she doubted she could make it.
Shamefully, she placed one foot in front of the other.
What's wrong with me? She wondered I could do this easily last year!
Her stomach grumbled and she realized what was wrong. She had been without food for the past four days.
Shut up stomach! She thought, knowing that she could do nothing to ease the pain of hunger now.
She started to pick up the pace.
Come on, you can do this! She imagined her father was with her, jogging slightly ahead of her. "Come on! You got this!" He would laugh. "Feel free to slow down though. I may be amazing but I am an old man that could use a rest!" Laughing Scarlet reached for her father's hand.
She tried to take his strong hand in hers but it faded, turning black. Her vision blurred, then everything went dark.
