G/T One Shots

Abscond

Her stomach ached, reminding her that she hasn't eaten in days. Her father drank all the time, her mother was gone, and they had no money.

They were peasants as well, so the nobles really didn't care what happened to them.

Unless they caught them doing something illegal, that is.

Kristine shivered at the thought. She knew what would happen to her if she was ever caught—at least vaguely. She knew that they were arrested and taken to the castle. And she knew that no one ever saw them again.

But she was hungry. So she took the risk like she had for weeks before tonight.

She let out a quiet but shaky breath as she snuck into the bakery's storage room. It was eerily silent, but then, the bakery was closed and it was night, after all.

She clutched her stomach as it growled; being so close to food was making it impatient. She ignored it as she crept through the room until she reached a crate of bread. There were so many, she doubted the owner would notice. He hadn't so far. So, she stuffed as many as she could into her satchel.

I'm going to get away with this again. She thought excitedly. I'm going to be able to eat!

She tore into a loaf hungrily. It tasted amazing, and she savored it as she chewed it slowly, trying to make it last. She was feeling amazing.

Until a candle light on the wall was lit, its flame flickering and illuminating her and her startled hazel-brown eyes, which closely resembled that of a deer in headlights. Her eyes locked onto stern brown ones and she shot to her feet as he took a step toward her.

"I knew a little rat was stealing from me." He was so close now that she couldn't back away anymore, and she could feel and smell his disgusting, hot breath that held the stench of alcohol. "Nothing to say?" She simply whimpered in response, her back running into the boxes of bread behind her.

She was beginning to get a dangerous idea—one which would be hard to pull off. But if she could make it into the forest...

She decided what she was doing. She kicked the man. Hard. In the place where the sun doesn't shine.

And then she ran—absconded—as fast as she could, like she planned to earlier. Past him and then into the street, heart racing as her long mahogany hair followed behind her, flowing and glowing magnificently in the moonlight.

She heard the sound of armored men chasing her from behind her and she panicked further, her satchel bouncing frantically on her thigh in time with her quick-paced strides. She shrieked as strong hands clamped around both of her wrists, yanking her backward.

Back toward the palace.

"No! No please!" She cried out as they began to drag her away. She saw multiple people poke their heads out of their doors at the commotion, seeing the pale moonlight dimly light their faces enough to see one thing.

Pity.

Tears rushed down Kristine's face as she fought against the men. But they kept on, and dragged her to her doom. Her struggles were futile, and she was before the king and forced to her knees before she knew it.

"Ah, another one." The king watched her with disinterested and calculating grey eyes. He was a middle-aged man, black and grey covering his head as hair and his face as a beard. She swallowed thickly as he scrutinized her. He must have been taking in her tattered clothing, along with her slightly greasy hair. "Peasant."

He didn't even ask what she'd done, he simply waved his hand boredly at the guards dismissively. "Take her away!"

"Wait, please don't kill me!" She screeched as they began to drag her away. "I don't want to be executed!"