Curses And Consequences
Author's Note-This is a story specially for my good friend Kate-The-Great-And-Powerful (please read her stories, they are awesome)! It's a brilliant idea, which she came up with, so all of the credit goes respectfully to her!
It was beautiful day in the Druid Village. The towering mountains were smothered in thick layers of fresh white snow that dazzled like a million diamonds as the soothing sun rays desperately reached out for it. The gigantic forest proudly showed off its lush green grasses and chocolate-brown bark-covered trees with crispy emerald leaves hanging of the drooping miserably branches. Set at the heart of it all was a magnificent lake with shimmering waters as clear as polished glass. There could never be a sight more beautiful than this, it was heaven.
The strong smell of cooked wood over the scorching fire wafted through the air past all the cosy-looking tents which had people (Druids) darting in and out of them, doing their daily businesses. Sounds of constant cheerful chatter echoed throughout the camp, but who wouldn't be happy on a day like this?
Only one Druid wasn't happy, a girl named Freya. Freya was taller than most of the girls in the camp and was also a lot skinnier than most of them, in fact her arms and legs looked like sticks fitted on to her body! Her hair was a raven-black and ran in straight lines down the sides of her head to end and rest on her chest. Her eyes were an indulging chocolate-brown which stood out against her snow-white skin. She was dressed in a filthy, tatty, scarlet-red dress which covered her entire body except her arms and below her knees.
Why wasn't Freya happy? It was because of a Druid man, a man she didn't even know, yet he always seemed to come over to her and torment her about her old dress, her underbrush hair, her unclean skin…everything. It really upset Freya, and she wished he would stop. She had asked him a few times before to leave her alone, but her pleas meant nothing to him, he enjoyed making her miserable for some reason, it was the kind of man he was.
Freya was sat on the ground outside her tent with her knees tucked up at her chest and her chin resting on top of her knees, as she watched all the people walk past her with such gleeful faces, it drowned her heart in jealousy. How she wished she could be happy…but since her parents died from a horrifying infectious disease, she doubted she would ever feel happiness again. She was on her own now, with no one to eat or sleep with, no one to talk to, no one to protect her…it was just her in her little tent. So alone, so unloved.
"Why so miserable?" asked a familiar voice from next to her. Sighing heavily, Freya glanced upwards at the owner of the voice to see it was the man. He was bald with tanned-orange skin, piercing grey eyes, and a hazel coat created entirely from a bear's fur. The man smirked smugly down at her.
"Well, I'm here…so get up then!" he demanded impatiently. Not wanting to argue, Freya scrambled to her feet and faced the tyrant who had always caused her so much grief.
"Are you gonna answer my question or what? Why are you so miserable?"
"You should know."
"Obviously I don't or I wouldn't ask, would I?"
"Fine, it's because you won't leave me alone! No matter how many times I ask you to stop bothering me, you never listen! You're ignorant and selfish! I hate you! Now go away! I've done nothing to you to deserve any of this, you brute!"
"Don't you dare talk to me like that! You need to be taught some manners, and I am more than happy to do the teaching! Let's start our first lesson now, shall we?"
"I need to learn some manners? That's rich coming from someone like you mate!"
"Say anymore girl and I will punish you severely for it!"
"You just try!"
Glaring with such fury it turned Freya's face numb, the man squeezed his hands into tightly clenched fists which he raised high in the air above his head…and struck down. Surrounding Druids gasped in terror as Freya was sent flying through the air. Landing on top of a nearby tent was a fortunate landing, but there was crimson blood streaming out of Freya's nostrils as her nose had been savagely twisted out of place, and there was even blood leaking out of fresh cuts along her lips! The tent underneath Freya collapsed, causing a chorus of screams to erupt from inside.
The man started to roar with laughter, but the people witnessing it all did not look impressed, in fact they looked so disgusted it was unreal. Hearing the man laugh made something inside Freya snap in half, this was it, she had had well enough of this shocking man now and she couldn't and wouldn't put up with his evil games to boss her around and tease her any longer!
Clambering to her feet, Freya warped her facial features into such a hateful expression, it could have easily killed the man from where he was standing! Growling like an annoyed dog, Freya crouched down so low her chin was only centimeters from the ground, and she ran with such unbelievable speed, when she collided with the man, he was sent soaring like an eagle and when he hit the ground he rolled across it like a gymnast until he came to a silent stop.
Freya gaped at the frozen-solid man who was lying on his front, not moving any inch of his body. Had she killed him? Praying he was only unconscious, Freya limped over to him and turned him over. Feeling for his pulse across his neck, Freya quickly backed off as she realized there wasn't a pulse, he was dead.
"What have I done? I've killed a man…I'm a murderer!" she breathed, her voice shattering. Just then, a deafening shriek came from a few meters away. Backing off, Freya watched as an old woman with eyes and skin similar to the man charged up to the man and knelt beside him, desperately feeling for his pulse. When she noticed he was dead, she starting crying so hard it made Freya feel like killing herself over sorrow for the woman's pain.
Eventually, the woman stopped sobbing bitterly and looked up at Freya who gulped so loudly she was sure the woman would have heard it. As the woman narrowed her blazing eyes she mouthed slowly but meaningfully, "You-did-this…" "I-I'm sorry…he attacked me, I-I was just defending myself…please…" spluttered Freya, backing away even further. "Don't back away from me, you coward! You murdered my son and now you will pay with your own life! But I'm not gonna kill you here and now, I'm gonna do something that will make you suffer beyond imagination! Make your life a living hell!" bawled the woman.
And with that, she closed her eyes and focused deeply on a spell she was chanting in her mind. Knowing she was in deep trouble now, Freya turned and ran for her life. When the woman opened her eyes, they were a powerful gold with magic. Freya stopped running and passed out as the enchantment hit her, the last thing she saw was people dashing away, screaming in fear of the enchantment the woman was casting upon her.
For hour after hour after hour, darkness…a later hour, a little light…, half an hour later…the luxurious blue sky through silver bars. Bars?! Freya jerked up to find herself sat inside a large cage on the back of a slowly moving cart with fearsome looking men marching along it. Freya wanted to know what on earth is going on!
"Excuse me gentlemen! Could you please tell me why I'm in this cage?" she questioned. The men jumped and stared curiously at her. "You honestly don't know? It's because that strange old woman put the Bastet Curse on you, it's a curse which transforms people into a Bastet, a magical monster resembling a large panther with bat-like wings on the stroke of midnight, with an insatiable desire to kill they would be unable to control. You're a dangerous girl, and so we are handing you over to our master who will deal with you!" explained the tallest one who was closest to her.
Freya was speechless, her…a monster with an insatiable desire to kill?! She hoped this was a nightmare, but when she held up her hands in front of her eyes and touched her icy cheeks, she wept as she realized it was for real. "That self-centered old crow! I did it in self-defense! I have rights to do that! Just who does she think she is?" hissed Freya to herself, angrily. She planned to wait till she was freed from her cage, then she would run far away and never stop until she could see the men no more!
Eventually, after what seemed like several hours of sitting and waiting in silence, the cart stopped and Freya in her cage was lifted up and carried in to a huge, ancient inn by the men.
The room they took her in was warm and comforting with a crackling fire tucked away in the corner and silky armchairs. In one of the armchairs was an old man who was snoring as he slept soundly. One of the men holding Freya's cage cleared his throat loudly, causing the man to suddenly wake up and change his face expression in to a grumpy one.
"Yes? Is this is another one?" he asked gruffly.
