Chapter 7
Death. That was my punishment. Death. Of all the punishments I have recieved from myself, this one...felt welcoming. Heh. That's sort of ironic. A villian welcoming her own death. You would totally expect them to just break free from jail and continue their hellish plan, wouldn't you? Well, no. Not for me. What was the point of me living in the Gamble Galaxy anyway? All I do is isolate myself from my family and people around me ever since the incident occured. And ever since that happened, half of me wanted to rebel against those who had cared for me most, and threaten to grip everyone who I loved and hated in permanent cold. But the other half of me had times of where I think of just ending my life so I won't have to suffer through this anymore. So people won't have to be tortured against my actions. Where I can finally be free from this damn curse. For my life was and still is...a bacon wrapped hell on earth.
The Ferine guard chained my legs and my neck, and made me follow him like as if I was his pet. We proceeded through the halls of prison cells, Ferines in each one. Some had their palms clenched against the bars, growling at us. Others were just staring at the walls of cement, counting the number of days they have been in prison. A few were just snoozing the day away in their beds.
Go ahead. Hang me. Poison me. Put me in an iron maiden. I don't care. Whatever type of death penalty you have for me...I'm ready.
Eventually, we stopped at a door. The guard opened it and we went outside. There, I was welcomed by a large angry mob of Ferines, some holding torches, and others holding pitch forks. The crowd was yelling out in anger, their torches and pitch forks held up high. Some chanted, "Burn that witch!" while others yelled, "She's a witch! Burn her at the stake! She doesn't deserve to be in Destonia!"
I turned my head away from the enlarged crowd and saw a large wooden stake that was surrounded by a pile of hay and fire wood. My throat snapped itself shut, making no voice come out of me and my eyes became as wide as the owl's; they were going to burn me at the stake. Of all the punishments...they chose this one. But why? Was it because now they all thought of me as a witch like Jodie and her friends do? Either way, this was how my life was going to end. We walked up to the stake, a couple of guards standing on each side. I was released from my chains, and the other two picked me up quite easily despite my weight. They wrapped chains around my body and my front legs, making sure that I would not escape. I looked amongst the crowd and wondered if my twin sister or Nikolai was there. Unfortunately, I couldn't see them. Though, it didn't really matter anyway. NOVA forbid, I didn't want them to see me being burned to death after what they had witnessed between Fauna and me at the festival. The angry mob marched closer towards me, some about to toss their torches on the hay and fire wood. I rested my chin on my chest, and closed my eyes, just waiting for a smell of smoke or my fur feeling a touch of blazing fire. Then, I heard a familiar voice before I blacked out last time, who sounded like she was hollering at the top of her lungs.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
Silence immediately came and I quickly lifted up my head. Who, oh who told them to stop? Was it Cadence? Nikolai? I squinted my eyes, trying to get a clear glimpse. It was Fauna. But why? She and I battled each other all because of me.
"Fauna?" one of the guards said. "Why stop the execution?"
"She's innocent." the Hero of Destonia answered.
I heard the crowd murmur in confusion, with a bit of angry remarks.
"It all sounds confusing, I'm sure." Fauna continued. "But let me explain. It wasn't her fault that she attacked me. I know what she's going through."
My mouth gaped a bit in surprise. How in NOVA does she know about my curse?! I continued to listen as the crowd made a path for her to walk through. When she was at the point to where I stopped squinting, I could see she had some bandages on some of the wounds I gave her.
"Clarice may be mentally ill, according to Nikolai. But it seems wrong to just kill someone over the fact that they attacked me because of a mental problem they're facing. As my sister Cassiopeia once told me; 'Never hurt or kill a person if they're going through trauma. Be they normal or mentally ill'."
Once again the crowd muttered to themselves. I saw Fauna walking up to one of the guards. Her back was straight and her hands cupped together.
"Sir." I heard her say. "I know it's against Destonia law to spare the prisoner's life on the day of his or her execution. But, please. Let her go."
There was a few moments of silence before I heard the other Ferine respond, "Very well, Hero of Destonia. Even though we are breaking the law, you are right." I saw the guard turn his head towards his other comrades. "Release her."
I felt the chains slide down my body and heard the clink and clank of them on the stone tile. I was set on all fours by the guards themselves, flinching for a brief second. My front legs were a bit hurt from the chains being wrapped too tight and the same would go for my chest. I inhaled and exhaled a bit faster than normal, trying to catch my breath back for I could barely breath when that line of metal "pushed my rib cage".
I was about to ask Fauna why she sparred my life but she opened her mouth first. "Follow me." she said.
We walked the way where Fauna came in through the path that was between the Ferines. I looked at them from left to right, feeling awkward and confused. I could tell that most of them gave me death glares as we walked through. We reached the door, that Fauna came through and went inside the castle.
My life was sparred by the Hero of Destonia herself. But why? I had lashed out at her. In fact, I had almost taken one of her lives. I took a deep breath before I spoke. "Thank you, for sparring my life. But...why did you do that? You didn't have to."
"It's wrong to just kill someone over the fact that they can't control themselves anymore." Fauna answered. "Besides, I do know what you're going through."
"How? How do you know?"
"Your father. You didn't realize but, I was visiting Nikolai the other day." Fauna said. "I asked him where you were and he said that you were in your room. But he warned me to not go near you due to your condition. He theorized that you were starting to become mentally ill."
I nodded. So that's how she knew about my curse. "So...what are you gonna do with me now? Are you gonna banish me? Send me back to Nikolai and Cadence?"
Fauna shook her head. "No. I decided that you are going to stay with me for a while in the castle."
My fur stood up in shock and I stopped in my tracks. WHAT?! "Wh-Wha...?! Why?! I nearly killed you, ruined the festival, hell I even gave you a bunch of scars on your face!"
Fauna turned around as she chuckled at my response. "It's fine, really. I only have seven lives left anyway, so the scratches don't really matter to me. But I do feel a bit dazed after that battle we had."
"But...why did I end up in the dungeon?" I inquired.
Fauna chuckled again. "My guards are very protective of me when it comes to my safety. They must've thought I would've collapsed after you did, so they sent you to the dungeon while you were unconscious."
"Well that would explain." I said. "I guess."
Fauna nodded. "Now come along. We gotta get you cleaned up and get you out of that torn dress of yours." Fauna then giggled as she looked at my shredded dress that I wore since Jodie's party. "Looks like I did a number on you. My apologies. I am known for being a strong Ferine, not to brag."
Without a word out of me, we continued down the hall. We ended up at one of the door and went inside. My eyes shined immediately, in awe at the decorations. There was a chandelier on the ceiling wall, which had tan everywhere, and clouds with two deer-like goddesses, hugging each other and their legs intertwining. In the far back, there was a queen sized bed which looked like it could fit more than two. Next to said bed was a nightstand with a lamp and two pictures; one had two Ferines. The left one looked female and was a mix between a human and a wolf, the one on the right was male and was a mix of a deer and a human. The other one had Fauna in it and another Ferine that was female and a mix between a human and a wolf too and bore a slight resemblance to the male Ferine in the first one. In my mind, I assumed the Ferine in the second picture was Fauna's sister, Cassiopeia. The floor was tile, there was a slide-in closet, and there were two large glass doors which led to a balcony, with a large fancy glass window which gave a perfect view of land and ocean. NOVA and I would agree that this room could be fit for a king or queen creature of any kind.
"Let me get you out of that dress, Clarice." said Fauna.
Remaining quiet, Fauna walked around me to my back. I felt the brass part of my dress, sliding slowly down my back while hearing the zipper. Then a smooth feeling landed on my fur as I felt the dress being loosen up by the Hero of Destonia. She walked back to the front of me, as I lifted up one of my legs. Fauna gently slid the front of the dress down on both sides, then walked back and got the back side off.
"There we go!" she beamed. "Now, you go turn on the shower, while I pick out a dress for you."
"Where is the bathroom, exactly?" I asked.
"Oh, it's right over there." Fauna pointed to the door that was on the right side of her bedroom.
"Thank you."
I walked over to where the bathroom door was, using my telekinesis to turn the knob. When I walked in, I was amazed by the décor once again. The bathroom was large and had colored glass tile floor. There were two counters on each side of the entrance, both wielding two sinks. The tub was large like a hot spring and it had a walk-in shower northwest of it. It had two mirrors above both of the counters that were as clear as day, without a single stain on each. As for the toilet, it was in a small separate room.
For a Ferine her age, Fauna sure lives her life like a princess.
I turned on the shower, and set the water temperature to warm. The water soaked my fur and cleaned off the dry blood on my claws, a bit getting into my eyes in the process. While getting myself cleaned up, questions flew into my head, both having to do with the past and present. Why did I disobey Nikolai? What will he and Cadence think of me now after what happened at the ceremony of the festival? And most of all. Why was Nightmare wanting me to kill Fauna?
I turned off the shower and went out, drops of water coming down my fur and landing on the tile. It wasn't wet for too long when it started to dry up. I grabbed a towel from a rack that was attached to a wall, and dried parts of my fur that were still a bit drenched. With the towel still on me, I walked out and saw Fauna, holding a clean dress. The dress was white and gold, and looked lacy and was medium short.
"Done with your shower, I see!" she began. "Now go and put this on!"
My reaction to the dress was rather queasy. I was unsure if I even wanted to wear said dress. To me, some dresses don't really match my lavender purplish fur which is why I would usually wear something dark to match my color scheme. Still, Fauna was the ruler of Destonia. So sometimes I had to do what the damn Ferines want me to do.
Not responding, I levitated the dress out of Fauna's hands, and went back inside the bathroom to change. Few minutes later, I got out, my left paw rubbing the tip of the long-short sleeves, trying to make it a bit comfortable at the least.
"What do you think, Clarice?" Fauna asked, a hint of joy in her voice.
I continued to rub the sleeves before answering. "I'm...not sure if this dress suits me..."
"It does. Trust me." Fauna replied. "Besides, it doesn't hurt to have an outfit that makes you stand out."
"I suppose..." I mumbled.
"Well, come on. We don't want to be late for dinner now do we?" she said.
"Dinner?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Well, yeah. It is nightfall after all."
How long was I knocked out?
"Follow me; I know where the dining room is."
And without another word, we left Fauna's room and went down to the dining room.
"Here we are." Fauna said. "This is where you'll be staying."
The guestroom was a bit smaller than Fauna's bedroom, but it was still fancy like hers at the least.
I nodded in thanks, and received a smile in return from the Hero of Destonia before she closed the door. I walked up to the window sill and stared outside. The waxing gibbous moon looked much bigger than it was when I would look at it back at the cottage. This day was like a turn of events for me during my teenage years. I went to a party, got bullied, blamed my sister, abused her, isolated myself from everybody, got ill. Then I saw Fauna, having the urge to follow her only to bump into my family and joined a ceremony which ended in a catastrophe. And in the end, I was nearly executed but was sparred by Fauna herself, despite me bruising her really bad, like a cougar hunting a young fawn. I started to hum a little tune to myself, lying my head on my paws and closing my eyes for a few moments. Then I heard Nightmare's voice from before.
What are you doing?! Remember the plan! The plan!
I immediately rose my head quickly and everything around me looked different. The night sky was an ominous dark purple instead of it's usual black, and the gibbous moon was gone. The stars were still there, but the sky was waving around like a ghost's sheets. The carpet floor was now made of metal and the walls were covered with vines, flowers on each. Their petals were open wide, but the stigma's were eyes. I heard evil laughter which echoed and sounded feminine. Then I heard Nightmare's laughter and saw his menacing grin in the ominous sky. I was breathing in and out very fast, freaking out. I clenched my paws against my ears and closed my eyes as tight as I could, just waiting for this hell of a monstrosity to end.
"No no no no no no!" I yelled. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"
The laughter grew louder and louder as I tightened my paws up to my ears more and more. Soon it got louder to the point where I started to scream. All I wanted was to wake up from this nightmare of mine. I slowly uncovered my ears and my paws went down back on the sill. To my surprise, the laughter had died down, and the room was back to its usual state as well as the night sky for the moon was back in its spot. My heart was beating fast and my fur quivered from the traumatizing experience I just had. I perked my ears up a bit, checking to see if Fauna or anyone else heard my screams. Nothing. I sighed in relief, then padded over to the bed, feeling sluggish from the events I've been in today. Noticing that there was a pair of pajamas on the left side of the bed, I grabbed them by levitation, observing them. Then with no hesitation, I took off the dress, and got myself in sleepwear. To my surprise, it was extremely comfortable than the white and gold dress that I was wearing. It felt like as if I was free from this crappy life of mine. As I unfurled the covers the same way I did to pick up the pajamas, I couldn't help but rub my eyes and yawn in the process. I got on the mattress, laying my head on the big, fluffy, cotton felt pillow, extending my legs and getting into a cozy position for me to sleep in before I turned off the lights. Yawning once again, I curled the top half of my body a few degrees to the right, closing my eyes with a small smile. Sinking into the realm of deep sleep, I quietly prayed to NOVA. Praying that I will not have another one of these visions.
However, there is one thing I have learned; NOVA will not let you have things go your way.
