Guerriera - The Old Guard

Chapter 1 ~ Where I came from.

Being born in 1467 and seeing the world change into the year 2020, was weirdly satisfying. So many things have changed. Back in 1467 was my birth, my mother Freya and my father, William Stanley were both royals in England.

I was born Royalty too, I was step cousin to the king of England, King Henry VII. I was very close to my cousin when he became king, even though I was turning eighteen and him being middle aged. My father gained the kings support during the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 when i was eighteen, yet in 1491 -when i was about to turn 24- my father betrayed my cousin by supporting someone else who was pretending to be a descendant to the throne. A man named Perkin Warbeck threatened the position of my cousin as king, therefore so did my father.

A lot of chaos happened and my father was sadly executed. My cousin was driven mad by insecurity and blinded by betrayal, so much that he put me in trial for treason too. I tried to reason with him, tell him I had no idea about my fathers betrayal but he would hear none of it. He sentenced me to death the next night. 

The king suggested I would die by arrows to the body all at once by his favoured soldiers. This whole thing was a game to him, just pure pleasure. My cousin turned demented. He wanted to see me suffer for nothing, but that fateful night I swore to never give him the satisfaction.

I remember the pain all over my body as a new red arrow embedded itself into my rough, pale, freckled skin. Every second a new one hit. They fired till my body fell limp and my eyes glossed over. I truly thought that was the end of me. My mind was blank and I had died.

Yet I had dreams, a woman. Shoulder length hair, she appeared tough and a clear and definite fighter. Ancient. There was a moving image of her in my mind where she wiped mud off her slim face. Then, a man. Tanned skin, black curly hair. He was holding a sword. Ancient. Another man. He spoke Italian. Blue eyes which sparked curiosity. He moved slowly in my dream, he was holding a necklace. A cross, he was religious.

Then I woke up. I had been left there overnight to rot away by my so called family. I gathered my strength and looked around at my lightened surroundings. The arrows that were once stuck in my body, had been lying on the ground with dried blood on the metal ends.

I had tried to stand up but remembered my hands were tied down, I leaned further towards the ground, nearly breaking my arms in the process to pick up an arrow with my teeth. Once I had managed to grasp the arrows, I used it to slowly cut the ropes holding my wrists.

Once I was free from my bonds, I sat up and wondered. I had died, I should have died. Why aren't I dead? I tried to picture the people I had dreamed about, but I knew I had never seen them before.

Then I heard soldiers stomping their way up to my execution spot, so  picked up my dress to discover my bruised bare feet and ran. I hid behind a tree which overlooked the wretched spot where which I should be lying. The soldiers walked up with their long spears and their swords in the holsters.

"You reckon they already took her body?" asked the first one as he inspected an arrow.

"Of course, she couldn't of ran off herself could she?" Joked the other.

I frowned, what had happened was really bizarre. However, I was more worrying about what would happen if they found out the kings guard didn't move my body at all and I truly got up and moved myself?

I panicked, and started to breathe louder. I moved my stinging feet away from the guards and around the forest towards the back way of the Castle. The back door which led to the kitchens was open, yet their was only two people in there.

I quietly snuck past the preoccupied people and grabbed a hot pan on my way out. I quietly walked through long hallways with the pan raised every time I heard a noise or turned a corner. A final turn was made when I eventually made it to my chambers. I opened my door and saw my nice dresses laid out on my bed. They were getting ready to either sell them or burn them, either way I couldn't let that happen. I grabbed a bag from my cabinet and shoved some dresses in all messily. I then shoved in most of my boots and shoes in on top, along with my hunting clothes and gear.

I took off my current dress which was soaked in my dried blood and had several rips from the arrows and shoved it in the now emptied cupboard. I threw on some hunting clothes and a dark navy cloak over the top. I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder.

"I thought you were dead..." I heard from behind me.

Gwaine.

"I thought so too.." I replied softly. Gwaine was my best friend, he was a knight so technically we shouldn't really be allowed to know each other but we snuck out and went hunting together.

"Where do you plan to go My Lady?" He asked quietly.

"Away from England, just for a while at least..." I said unsurely.

he nodded and looked down in disappointment. He was a very noble being and he never saw running away as an option but i had no other choice. I was meant to be dead! I sighed and moved to walk past him, but he grabbed onto my shoulder and pulled me into a hug.

It just got a whole lot harder to leave. 

"You, My Lady, are one tough woman. We will see each other again, I Promise.."

I was tearing up, but I said goodbye one last time and made my way out of the castle, the now cool pan back again in my hands. I never ran into anyone surprisingly and went out the same way I came in. I walked through the forest much easier now I had boots on and hunting clothes on. London wasn't busy, perhaps it was so early in the morning. However, I didn't stop.

I walked for a while and I found myself on the borders of Surrey, and luckily enough there was a carriage. To where I would go now was unknown.

 I just know I paid my way out of England.