Castle Walls

Chapter One

Wake Up Call

Regina was running, almost completely out of breath. Her heart racing, the feeling of the soaked soil beneath her bare feet, tree branches brushing against her skin.

She was running from someone. She ran until her legs grew sore, running until she tripped over her own feet. She collapsed to the floor landing on her stomach using only her hands to catch her fall. She pants heavily as she stares at the ground in the pitch black darkness. The only light came from the crescent moon which was centered in the dark midnight sky.

She heard the echoes of angry men's voices, shouting after her causing her to quickly scramble to her feet. Her knees were scraped, and her dark purple silk night gown torn and covered in mud. She looks around for a place to hide as she notices a nearby bush and she rushed to the bush and hides, waiting there patiently as she hears steps approaching the area. She was so terrified, she covered her mouth to prevent her from making any sound or from possibly screaming. She closes her eyes tight as a tear streams gently down he cheek.

A few men give up on their search for her and they walk away leaving. She opened her eyes as she heard the steps growing distant. There was however, a single man which decide to stay behind to continue with the search. Regina could tell that he was definitely determined. She was looking at the man trying to see if she could identify him, although there wasn't an abundance of light, the darkness made it nearly impossible. The man looks around, clothed in gray armor and he was wielding a sword in his right hand.

The man approached the bush in which she had decided to take refuge. She attempted to stay quiet... quiet as humanly possible but it seemed useless. As the man approached the bush, Regina tried stepping back slowly and gently, trying not to be noticed. Her foot accidentally pushed against a small twig causing it to snap. Regina heard and she flinched as she saw the man jump slightly and starts moving the branches away with his hand and sword to search the bush. She tried to move faster but the man grabbed a hold of her ankle and pulled her out from the bush with a groan. He picked her up and looked at her face in the moon light and saw that it was the Queen.

He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed hard and Regina winced as she yelped out in pain. She tried not to scream as the man shoved her to the floor. She didn't want to attract anymore attention from the other guards so she tried fight him off silently. She cried softly as he put his body weight on her to keep her down. He threw his sword to the ground beside him and held her hands down so she couldn't fight him.

She cried silently as she moved her arms as he held them, trying to break free from his grasp.mShe refused to quit and that enraged the man. He placed his hand firmly around her throat as he grabbed a knife from his pocket and put it to her throat above his hand. Regina was choking and she tried so hard to move his hand away from her throat. Her face turns red as she still pulls at his hands. Her eyes start to flutter closed as she sees the man lift the knife into the air and plunged it into her neck.

Regina shot straight up gasping for air and breathed heavily. She had woken up from a reoccurring nightmare. Her heart pounding, she placed her hand gently and quickly on her throat and felt that there were no wounds, instantly realizing that everything was just a dream. She sighs relieved and she wiped the tears from her cheeks which were shed from her eyes during her sleep. She let out a huge breath as she tried to relax and she laid back in her bed, her head against her feather-filled pillow.

She gently pulls her silk sheets up to her chest and she looks around the room frightened to close her eyes again. Her body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat. The cold breeze that blew in from her balcony calmed her nerves and helped her relax. She placed a hand gently on her chest feeling her heart racing as her chest moved up and down from her fast breathing. She turned her head to look to the balcony of her castle and looked at the sunshine that peered through the openings in her curtains, into her chambers, finally catching her breath.

She still didn't know exactly who the man was, but there was only one thing that she was positive about. There was only one man who treated her in such a harsh way and would want her hurt. His name was King Leopold, her husband.