The Allegorian Tales

Chapter 8: Giselle's Imprisonment

Hey guys! I am so, so sorry for not updating. I got so lazy and I promise I'll stop with that, I've been having migraines recently and I've had busy rehearsals, but Giselle and the gang are back now in Chapter Eight! 

   The secret community of Wizards lived in Point East, two miles closer to Nirvana's house than Giselle's settlement. There, they could use magic in everyday life as they pleased, not having to hide it from their neighbors. The population was small, only about fifty or so, most being apothecaries or farmers. The children were educated at home instead of at the four Allegorian schools, as tradition in Ja'ad. They were also free to wear their beautiful, pleated dresses instead of the normal fashions. Besides the fact that Moreau was getting suspicious, they could behave like normal Wizards, essentially, and it felt like living in Ja'ad, aside from the warmer climate.

   Many Wizards living in the main State of Allegoria often used magic to either fly or teleport across the river to visit relatives there or to purchase things from them. There was even a special market held every other Sunday just for other Wizards to buy their medicines and crops, and Nirvana's mother was a regular attendee.

   However, one thing Giselle was not aware of was that this community of Wizards were very wary of strangers. This was likely the reason Miss Pembroke advised her not to go, as she occasionally sent Nirvana if the woman was too preoccupied to shop herself. You cannot blame them, they are treated as criminals to be executed, it is only natural that they would be afraid of non-Wizards.

    The girl easily ran the two miles that led to the forest (even with her more polished appearance, she was still nervous of being recognized) and eventually came to the long river that circled the State. Obviously, the Wizards had not built a bridge to get across, as anyone living on the edge of Allegoria could see it from their window. Giselle did not understand that they usually cast a spell or drank an elixir to make the appear invisible, then flew or teleported to the other side.

   Unfortunately, our protagonist was not descended from any Wizard, nor was she magical in any way, so the girl was stumped on how to cross for a while. She finally decided to swim, as she had done it many times just since the past few weeks, though now she was wearing a beautiful white dress.

   Giselle crossed the river with much more ease than poor Nirvana had, (mostly because it was not raining or flooding and she knew how to swim.) Her skirts now felt much heavier now as they were soaked with water, and she started to leisurely stroll through the forest.

   The girl had been so driven, so determined the past few years that she had not simply stopped to relax for one second. For Giselle, her mind was always focused on staying alive and finding sufficient supplies for herself and her family. Even she needed to rest for a little while. At that moment, she realized just how weary and exhausted her previous life had made her, and she mourned how she had lived.

   You see, work is very important in any society, and you will have success if you are motivated and hard-working. Work is something that is good, it will help you in the end. However, you cannot be like Giselle and fully immerse yourself in that work nonstop, you have to make yourself take breaks, you need to open your eyes to the world around you. Many diligent people struggle with this, and so do I, I have always committed myself to my duties as soon as I was chosen for them. However, if you do not rest every once in a while, you will become like Giselle right then, overwhelmed, flooded with worry.

   However, the girl reminded herself that she did not need to be worried about anything, and got up. She did not run, she walked, though she knew her dear friend was very ill. The birds sang a song as the soared through the air, the sweet-smelling roses bloomed in all different colors, and the trees' leaves were a deep green. Rabbits and deer roamed free and all was peaceful.

   After a few minutes of walking, Giselle saw something in the distance. It was a collection of little cottages built close to the walls of the island. Market stalls were set up along a small, dusty dirt road in the middle. Two women in sparkling violet dresses talked while eating some strange fruits, a child ran by, chasing a dog, and a man was chopping wood with an ax. Someone grabbed her arm and Giselle realized that she had been in plain sight.

   "Who's this girl here?" Said the man holding her, glaring.

   "Ciara Blackwood," Answered Giselle, using one of her many aliases.

   "What happened to her hair?" Asked a little blonde girl (who reminded Giselle of Nirvana, though I doubt she knew that many Wizards are blonde.)

    "Wait!" Cried a woman, "I was living in the State before Perseus Moreau came to power, and do any of you know who was Leader before? Marcellus Argall! No one else had red hair except his family! All of you know what he did to us, he had hundreds of our kind executed during his reign, our race barely escaped his terror alive. This is his child. And what is your real name, you filth?" She sneered, looking down at the trembling girl.

   "I am not one of them, I swear it! The ancient Blackwood family came from a little-known colony living on the Ruvaran Peninsula. My mother says we all have had red hair, back to the days of Mahaan and the Harria Stones. Two of my ancestors sailed here, exactly one hundred years from next Thursday. I mean no harm anyway! My friend, Nirvana Pembroke, is deathly ill, I was going here to buy medicine for her," Giselle pleaded. 

   Her story was obviously a lie, though you have to admit it was well-crafted. I have travelled around The World, ten times front and back, explored every corner. I have found that the real Ruvaran Peninsula is a barren wasteland, unable to support anyone trying to live there, even in the days when The World was first created. One Wizard knew this.

   "How can that be?" He said, "My father led an expedition to the Peninsula and found that it could not be inhabited. You are lying to us. Throw her in my basement, it is infested with rates, she will like it there," The man seethed.

   "Please! My dear friend just needs to be well! I have the money! Do not lock me up, I need to return home to her mother!" Giselle tried to break free, but could not, and the girl was thrown into the darkness of the man's cellar.

   She stayed there thinking for quite some time. The door was locked, and the pitch blackness of it all gave her a headache. About an hour passed, and Giselle knew that it was nearly time for supper. Surely the man would feed her, and not just let her rot and die in the depths of his own house! The cellar was wet and damp, and also smelled of mold. The girl shivered.

   She encircled the room a few times, putting her hand on the wall as a guide. She rather painfully found that there was a wooden chair in the southeast corner, tripping over it. Giselle also found some matches, though they would do her no good as there was no lantern to light. A trunk was at the north wall, and opening it the girl found a moth-bitten wool blanket that she figured could help with warmth if she had to sleep overnight.

   Suddenly, the oak door opened, and bright light from the house flooded her eyes.

   "Alright Missy," Said the man who had taken her, "I have an apple, be grateful, it will be all that you are getting tonight,"

   Giselle heard the apple rolling down the stairs, and scrambled in the dark to find it. It could sustain her for the night. Throughout her adolescence, the girl had become accustomed to eating the smallest portions of meals imaginable. She found that it was rotten and moldy.

   She sighed. Maybe she had deserved to be locked up, she was a criminal after all. Giselle had always thought she was a horrible person and deserved any punishment she was given. Her reasoning was flawed. Many people have done terrible things, everyone has done wrong, however, not everybody is an awful person for it. Even the most righteous saints have sinned, it is how humans are. Giselle's crimes could be somewhat justified, if she had enough food, money, and shelter, she most likely would have stayed a law-abiding citizen. The crimes she had committed were for her survival, and for those whom she loved.

   Giselle sat down on the chair and pulled the blanket over herself, then the rose fell asleep.

   Author's Note: I'm so sorry that this chapter was shorter than the rest, I just wasn't in an inspirational mood. I hope you all understand and enjoy it anyway. Anyway, if you have any advice or suggestions, feel free to tell me, and I'll see you guys soon!!