Rebel Queen

Chapter 13

~oOo~ Ellie's POV
I finished my food quietly looking up. Queen Esme looked almost finished too. Everybody else was either full or close to it. I quietly excused myself heading for the lounge closely followed by Queen Esme and Caily.
When we entered there was screaming and yelling. Before we knew what was happening a China teacup came sailing above my head missing it by mere centimeters, and breaking against the quartz arch.
Pieces rained down cutting the edges of my skin. Maids were all huddled into a circle around 2 people.
A minute later the maids finally pull apart 2 figures. It's Breanna, and Amelia(Province 4) clawing at the maids with their nails.

Caily: What is the meaning of this!?

Maid: lady Breanna was talking with Lady Amelia. Suddenly we heard screaming, and Lady Breanna had put her hands on Lady Amelia! She then continued to scratch her and punch her repeatedly.

Caily: Alright. Lady Breanna sadly this will result in your immediate removal from the competition. Follow me to my office.

  Breannas jaw drops open and tears well up in her eyes. She saunters out looking defeated. I excuse myself, and start following her. When Breanna reached Caily's office she took a deep breath, before going in.
  I had been in the palace many times, and I was the one to discover the secret passageways for the Rebels. I had also figured in my free time I could watch what was going on inside the palace. Over the years I had watched balls, meetings, and basically anything that kept me entertained.
  The best part was that we could always be 2 or 3 steps ahead of the palace. By watching them I knew where they were guarding, and their back up plans. Once they tried to ruse us by sending an advisor our way. Too bad for them I was watching the meeting as they sent him away. I then informed Riker who told me to bring his head back to the palace, after he had done away with him.
  Now lying above Caily's office I slid back a panel revealing a glass window. I peered down and could hear everything they were talking about. Two guards who were supposed to be in front of Caily's door were now inside behind Breanna.

Caily: I'm sorry Breanna, but since you were picked for the coalesce you must never be able to speak of what happened inside these walls. Even if you were here for 12 hours. The information you gained here could fall into the wrong hands. We need to protect ourselves.

Breanna: I understand. I swear I shall never tell a soul of what went on inside the palace.

The guards they stiffen up behind Breanna. Glancing at each other briefly.

Caily: I'm sorry Breanna, I don't think you understand.

  Caily walks over to a room connecting to hers, and opens the door. I can see thick brown ropes hanging down from the ceiling looped in a circle at the bottom, and wrapping back around the rope. Below them are small standing stools. Sitting on top of the stools are a pair of handcuffs. Grabbing the handcuffs  Caily walks out towards Breanna.
  She takes a second to register what's going on in her brain. Suddenly her eyes go wide, and tears a pouring down her cheeks.

Breanna: N-no! I promise I'll never speak of what goes on inside this palace to anyone! Pl-please just don't do this!

The guard on the left takes out a cloth and wraps it around her mouth. Breanna starts flailing and crying hysterically.
  Caily reaches Breanna handing the handcuffs to the guard on the right.

Caily: I'm sorry, but we have to do this. For our own safety...

  I watched as they led Breanna over to the back row. The guard on the left lifts her up while the one on the right slips the loop of rope around her neck. With her hands handcuffed behind her she can do nothing. Without warning the left guard kicks the stool out from under her, and we all watch silently as Breanna takes her last breath.

Caily: Take her body down and clean her up. We will have a short ceremony with Jacobs choice after the Coalesce is over. She will be the only one to knows what happened to these girls.

  Caily turned away slowly starting towards her door. She shivers slightly and I watch as a single tear run down her face. Wiping it away she gazes out across the lawn.

Caily: The soul who has committed one wickedness, can nurse no good thereafter.

Quickly I pulled out my phone, and hit record. Before Caily left the room I got a clear angle of her face, and turned the screen towards the two men who had cut the rope. Making sure I got all evidence needed, I zoomed in on Breanna's face and body as well as the room they had just exited from. The guards had their helmets on the table so I got a clear shot of their faces too.
The gaurd that was on the left went over to a cabinet, and pulled out wipes. Carefully they patched up her scratches she had received from the fight, and polished the spots where tea had leaked onto her dress.
The right guard then pulled her over his shoulder, and kicked a rough patch of wall. It slid back revealing a passage. Down the staircase I could hear the clunking of their boots fading with every second.
It wasn't until they returned that I got up. I watched as they crept out of the office carefully shutting the door. Hitting the stop button on the recording I hurried down the passage.
This time I didn't take the route I had used to get in. Instead I took a sharp turn in the opposite direction of the stairs I had just come from. Taking out a microchip of a flashlight that I had hidden in my hair I turned it on pointing it at the floor.
Now I could see properly without having to feel along the walls every so often. Along the floor were a couple scuff marks, and what looked like dried blood. I remember I had killed a guard here because he was chasing me away. I replayed the image in my head.

The guard was getting nearer. Every corner I rounded couldn't stop him from catching up. Right now he knew these passages better than I did. Mind I was 5, and had just started helping with the palace raids.
Suddenly I felt a whoosh of air behind me. Seizing the dagger from my belt, I buried it deep in the guards chest.

To this day I can still remember the look on his face. It was as if a ghost had just appeared. His eyes bulged of of their sockets, an earsplitting howl echoed around us. The guard staggered back and forth before collapsing on top of me.
It was at least 10 minutes before anyone had come to pull him off.
  Finally I had reached the door in which I was gauging. I slid back the concrete slab revealing an extremely cold "freezer".
  A slight mist gushed out into the darkened passage. I stepped inside and propped the door open slightly so I could get out.
  Inside, the walls were painted in some sort of areal pattern. It started in the middle of the ceiling. Then two lines from the middle enter twined themselves outwards creating an almost angelic pattern. The lines flowed together, but also permitted a sense of warning. Like BEWARE OF THE DANGER THAT LURKS BEYOND, kinda thing.
   The floor was very fogged over until the far right corner.
  A black tarp had been thrown over something very lumpy. I walked over pulling it back revealing, Breanna!

  Without my intention my hands move over her heart and head. They suddenly start glowing. Within 5 minutes she started breathing again. And not 10 minutes later she woke up.
  She sat up slowly, still confused about where she was. I'm still half bewildered half confused.

Ellie: It's alright now Breanna. I got them on tape, and I'm going to show this to the prince.

Breanna: Y-you saved my life. I- if you hadn't come any sooner I'd b-be a g-goner.

  Finally Breanna made it into a sitting up position. Still breathing shakily she pulled herself onto the balls of her feet, slightly crouching.

Ellie: We need to get out of here, and warn the prince of what has happened.

Voice: I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort.