Survive

Chapter 1

"You're mad!" said a small girl, Heartwell chuckled softly as he held the shackles putting them around the wrists of the father, "But let me tell you a secret little one," the girl questioned what secret he wish to say, "All the best people are," Heartwell smiled softly, before dragging out the drunken father, the small girl watched from her door step as her mother cried holding her close.

Heartwell smiled, "off with his head," and from the shadows, of the surrounding trees and shrubs strewn about, came vines with sharp red thorns, wrapping around the poor mans neck, strangling him until his breathing was cut short, he begged and pleaded Heartwell to have mercy, but there was no mercy in Heartington.

The vines would strangle leaving a bruise, the thorns puncturing his pale, dirty flesh, he screamed in pain, "Long live the queen," Heartwell said, before dropping the man, he coughed and choked for air, blood pouring from his blood covering lips, he pulled at the thorns, which made it worse, "Please stop!" He choked out, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, "no mercy" said Heartwell, the vines wrapping tightly around his throat strangling him completely, the vines and thorns sinking into his throat moving until there was only bone.

Heartwell would drain the man of every bit of blood he had, his eyes turning completely black, as he chuckled darkly, "You are a dirty Liar, O'Hare" he said, snapping the mans head from his shoulders. He threw it into a ditch burying it mostly. Heartwell looked back at the house, then the corpse that lay 50 feet from the doorway, "Fear the queen," he said lastly before getting upon the dark beauty that was his horse, riding back to Heartington Castle.

•••

Heartwell arrived at the queens castle, he bowed to her, his sword in front of him clasped in his metallic gloved hand. The queen looked down upon him her hair red as ruby, "Is the man dead?" Heartwell looked up at his queen, "Thorn wrapped and head snapped clean off" Heartwell seemed pleased as he stood and put his sword back in its holster. He looked out the large window that out looked the valley, he pointed to the house where a small area in front of it was thorns that were slowly retreating, "The job was finished moments ago"

The queen was amused as she giggled, "I love you Heartwell!" She screamed in joy as she got up and hugged him, "I know my queen," Heartwell replied flatly, before walking out to head to his room given by the queen on the opposite side of the castle.

•••

"Daddy was murdered!! By an awful man! Oh, Kitty... You wouldn't understand..." the small girl cried into her purple plush cat, "Oh, but I do understand," the girl held her plush out and looked at it, but it was the same, "Just my imagination, have I gone mad?" She said tears dripping down her soft pink cheeks, "Oh you're not mad," a cat with purple fur and a crooked smile slowly faded into view before the girl.

"With a smile that big you must have a name," the girl said looking at the cats large smile, a crooked smile, "I do not have a name, I am only the cat with a broken half smile, and upside down moon, a sideways sun." The girl cracked a sad smile, "a sideways sun, there's no such thing! You're a mad cat," she laughed wiping her tears, "Well all the best people are right?" The girl backed up and hit the wall, "Not the bad man, has he sent the cat with the crooked smile after me, to steal my blood, and curse me with the vines of death!" The girl screamed, "Or have you come to collect my dead mother from the rope that hangs from my fathers old oak tree?" She began crying some more.

"I am not of the bad mans slave, but a friend for the girl who weeps with no one to hold," the cat said curling around the girls shoulders, purring softly as it's smile did not fade, the girls heart grew darker as she slept beside the crooked smiling cat, she planned to kill the broken man, Heartwell.

•••

The little girl would forage in the woods, practice hunting white rabbits and birds that talked an awful lot, she would whisper a small prayer into the animals ear, freeing it from the curse of death. Alice was the girls name and she had one goal, killing the awful man who killed her family, ended the peace.