Chapter V: Nonstop Until I'm Dead
A/N: Oh god, the last chapter (even though, looking back, it was really really short) got a bigger review than, like, all the others! And I got about fifteen reviews on Shaelune, which I recommended in the last author's note... p.s.- I still do! Please please pleasey read it, if you like this one, which a lot of you (inexplicably) seem to. Okay, plus the fact that the story's really getting going now... I actually didn't intend this to be a chapter story at all, maybe a little shortfic or something, but I guess it sort of got longer. By the way, I'm getting a lot of reviews saying that they want Hermia and Draco to fall in love. Don't worry- that is what I was planning to do, and still is. But you have to realize that when I write chapter stories, sometimes only certain plot things will work. With the whole forced-marriage/evil-plot thing, a D/H romance may not fit in! I'm sorry. I do really love that couple though, and *grins cheesily* if you're looking for a story that definitely wil have that in it, read my other story, Shaelune (just click on my name at the top of this page and click on it in the story list). Okay... (btw: I can't note you in the author's note if you don't leave a name when you review, so be sure to, ok?)
Milady: Yeah, I'll try not to make this one a cliffhanger...
Darkangel009988: :( really? Maybe I should change my summary, if it sounds that bad... ship-wise, I'm *hoping* (see above droning) for a D/H, but it may be H/no one or H/H.
Landry Anne: Oh, definitely! >:D
Chrissy: Oh, that's so sweet of you (not the "meany" part, the part about reading Shaelune again). BTW- I promise that I WILL update that story soon. Just not right this second.
Dark- Hey, you got it right! Thanks!
Rowan Sage: Like Dark said, it's salve, which means "greetings" or "hello" in Latin. And that makes two of us (loving Ancient Rome) ^_^
Bell- Oh, thanks! Here you go...
Rachel Hunt- Oh. My. God. You are the best reviewer! I mean, it really makes us lowly little authors feel great when the reviewers actually quote lines from the fic! Thanks for the Molly-name thing... I was kinda confused, actually... *reads review over and almost cries for joy* I think discombulated actually IS a real word, so I agree with your teacher I guess.... and I totally, totally agree with all the stuff about Draco in different *preferably skimpy* clothes... or perhaps Sean Biggerstaff... anyways....
Epequa: Thanks so much :D I hope it will!
Venus Saturnalia: Yeah, we just finished doing personification essays in my English class too. I was a whale *pouts*
Crystal: I can try!
Roxanne: I hope so, too- I SWEAR I am trying as hard as possible to make them get together! *pokes draco and hermione towards each other with long, sharp sticks*
Sanna: *starts to cry* I'm sorry! I can try, that's all I can promise, but I'll change the category if it doesn't work out that way. Sorry! *wails apologetically*
Hermione Potter: I'll try not to this time!
Ankle: *angry now* Hey! Who says? As long as they're the two main characters, isn't it (technically)? And they could get together! You never know! (Only I do! Heeheehee!)
Oh gods this is a long author's note... okay, on with the fic! Chapter 5!
Hermia's heart froze in her chest, and she couldn't breathe. Everything was silent, except the sound of Lucius' soldiers dismounting; Hermia suddenly realized that it was selfish of her to make her handmaidens suffer for her. In a burst of rather stupid bravery, she yanked Maia and Flavia to their feet and pushed them. "Go! Run as fast as possible," she told them, shooing them into the thick tangle of trees beside the path. Wesellius got up and told Athene to go with them, but when Hermia asked him to, he refused. "We're not going to just abandon you," said Potius; they stood behind her as Draco and Lucius appeared, riding atop their horses.
"You can't escape, my lady," Draco said smugly, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Watch me," hissed Hermia under her breath. But Lucius and Draco had turned their attention to Wesellius and Potius, who each had a hand on her shoulder. "Who are you?" Lucius spat, looking at their tattered clothing. "Slaves?"
"N-" Wesellius started, but Potius elbowed him in the abdomen. "Something like that, Serpentius," he answered defiantly, glaring at the older man.
Draco turned back to Hermia and his hand snaked out, snapping around her wrist. "It will be less painful if you come willingly," he said, his grip tightening as he led her to the horse.
Hermia twisted her arm and wrenched herself out of his grasp, holding it stiffly at her side as though it had been paralyzed. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, stepping backward as Lucius' guards walked up to her sides, prepared to take her by force. "I won't be your little pawn! You can't make me marry you-" "Oh really?" interrupted Draco, a smirk in his tone. "Yes, really!" Hermia shot back, eyes ablaze. "And..." she looked at her wrist, where darkish bruises were appearing, and grimaced. "....if anyone with the name of Serpentius ever-" she snapped her head up, and shook off the hands of Potius and Wesellius. "-ever touches me again, I swear that I will vomit nonstop until I'm dead. And then where will your stupid little plan to be emperor be, Lucius?" Hermia had never stood up in public to armed men before, and was now trembling with a combination of fear and emotion. "Stay away from me!" And she was off, running through the forest, darting between the trees.
After the two slaves ran after her, Draco, Lucius, and the guards were left alone in the clearing. "Feisty little bitch, isn't she?" Lucius observed with a half-smile, eyebrows raised, though under his usual sneering tone was a layer of unexpressed anger that shone through in patches. Draco was silent, his mind a turmoil of thoughts.
What just happened?
Oh, my god. She ran away. We were here, we had horses, for Christ's sake, we had weapons, and she got away. How daft are you, Draco? When so much is resting on you having her... your father's emperorship, your safety- he recalled the last time he hadn't performed Lucius' requests fully, and winced- her safety... Draco closed his eyes as he mounted his horse, realizing that he couldn't bear to think about what would happen to her, should she lose her way... a mental image of Hermia, her clothing dirty, her hair tangled and dull, her body broken, sprang to his mind, and he vowed to himself that this time, he wouldn't let her go.
Hermia leapt over roots, darted around wide trees, skidded in the soil and leaves that carpeted the forest. But she was not used to daily exercise, save for walking in the courtyard; her lungs soon burned, and she had to stop to catch her breath. When the sound of the leaves crunching underfoot was gone, she could faintly hear Wesellius and Potius in the distance, their footsteps light, their calls seemingly quiet. Shaking her head, Hermia resolved to go on; she had been so selfish, dragging two totally innocent people into this- and Maia, and Flavia, and Athene- she realized, amazed at her own stupidity. She could breathe properly now, and took up running again, this time at a slower pace.
After a while, Hermia stopped again; she adopted this pattern, and before she knew it, the sky had begun to darken, and fade from its original clear, pale blue to the deeper midnight blue of twilight. Stars twinkled hazily at her as the moon rose above the horizon, but Hermia pressed on, still running through the woods. She'd noticed awhile ago that she could no longer hear Potius and Wesellius pursuing her; this meant that they'd either given up, or had... well, there was no other choice. They'd stopped.
Hermia wouldn't admit to herself that the reason her cheeks were wet with the saltwater of tears was that she'd never been alone- totally- before. There was Ambrosius first- until she was thirteen- and after that there'd been Christos, the kind slave who'd comforted her whenever something was wrong. And even when there wasn't a caregiver figure in her life, she'd always had her handmaidens and friends. Now, none of them were there... it was just Hermia, all alone in a huge forest.
She had been looking up at the sky as she ran, the tears flying down her face and into the air behind her; she never realized the danger until she tripped over a hole, hidden below the leaf-litter on the ground. She felt a wrench of pain as she flailed wildy, her hands groping for a hold. Then Hermia was lying in the dirt, her leg twisted painfully beneath her; the last thing she knew was the distinctly earthy scent of the air closer to the ground, and then...
....nothing.
A/N: Okay, everyone: I'm not posting the next chapter, which I have mostly written, until I get at least 15 reviews on this one. OK? Ok!
A/N: Oh god, the last chapter (even though, looking back, it was really really short) got a bigger review than, like, all the others! And I got about fifteen reviews on Shaelune, which I recommended in the last author's note... p.s.- I still do! Please please pleasey read it, if you like this one, which a lot of you (inexplicably) seem to. Okay, plus the fact that the story's really getting going now... I actually didn't intend this to be a chapter story at all, maybe a little shortfic or something, but I guess it sort of got longer. By the way, I'm getting a lot of reviews saying that they want Hermia and Draco to fall in love. Don't worry- that is what I was planning to do, and still is. But you have to realize that when I write chapter stories, sometimes only certain plot things will work. With the whole forced-marriage/evil-plot thing, a D/H romance may not fit in! I'm sorry. I do really love that couple though, and *grins cheesily* if you're looking for a story that definitely wil have that in it, read my other story, Shaelune (just click on my name at the top of this page and click on it in the story list). Okay... (btw: I can't note you in the author's note if you don't leave a name when you review, so be sure to, ok?)
Milady: Yeah, I'll try not to make this one a cliffhanger...
Darkangel009988: :( really? Maybe I should change my summary, if it sounds that bad... ship-wise, I'm *hoping* (see above droning) for a D/H, but it may be H/no one or H/H.
Landry Anne: Oh, definitely! >:D
Chrissy: Oh, that's so sweet of you (not the "meany" part, the part about reading Shaelune again). BTW- I promise that I WILL update that story soon. Just not right this second.
Dark- Hey, you got it right! Thanks!
Rowan Sage: Like Dark said, it's salve, which means "greetings" or "hello" in Latin. And that makes two of us (loving Ancient Rome) ^_^
Bell- Oh, thanks! Here you go...
Rachel Hunt- Oh. My. God. You are the best reviewer! I mean, it really makes us lowly little authors feel great when the reviewers actually quote lines from the fic! Thanks for the Molly-name thing... I was kinda confused, actually... *reads review over and almost cries for joy* I think discombulated actually IS a real word, so I agree with your teacher I guess.... and I totally, totally agree with all the stuff about Draco in different *preferably skimpy* clothes... or perhaps Sean Biggerstaff... anyways....
Epequa: Thanks so much :D I hope it will!
Venus Saturnalia: Yeah, we just finished doing personification essays in my English class too. I was a whale *pouts*
Crystal: I can try!
Roxanne: I hope so, too- I SWEAR I am trying as hard as possible to make them get together! *pokes draco and hermione towards each other with long, sharp sticks*
Sanna: *starts to cry* I'm sorry! I can try, that's all I can promise, but I'll change the category if it doesn't work out that way. Sorry! *wails apologetically*
Hermione Potter: I'll try not to this time!
Ankle: *angry now* Hey! Who says? As long as they're the two main characters, isn't it (technically)? And they could get together! You never know! (Only I do! Heeheehee!)
Oh gods this is a long author's note... okay, on with the fic! Chapter 5!
Hermia's heart froze in her chest, and she couldn't breathe. Everything was silent, except the sound of Lucius' soldiers dismounting; Hermia suddenly realized that it was selfish of her to make her handmaidens suffer for her. In a burst of rather stupid bravery, she yanked Maia and Flavia to their feet and pushed them. "Go! Run as fast as possible," she told them, shooing them into the thick tangle of trees beside the path. Wesellius got up and told Athene to go with them, but when Hermia asked him to, he refused. "We're not going to just abandon you," said Potius; they stood behind her as Draco and Lucius appeared, riding atop their horses.
"You can't escape, my lady," Draco said smugly, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Watch me," hissed Hermia under her breath. But Lucius and Draco had turned their attention to Wesellius and Potius, who each had a hand on her shoulder. "Who are you?" Lucius spat, looking at their tattered clothing. "Slaves?"
"N-" Wesellius started, but Potius elbowed him in the abdomen. "Something like that, Serpentius," he answered defiantly, glaring at the older man.
Draco turned back to Hermia and his hand snaked out, snapping around her wrist. "It will be less painful if you come willingly," he said, his grip tightening as he led her to the horse.
Hermia twisted her arm and wrenched herself out of his grasp, holding it stiffly at her side as though it had been paralyzed. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, stepping backward as Lucius' guards walked up to her sides, prepared to take her by force. "I won't be your little pawn! You can't make me marry you-" "Oh really?" interrupted Draco, a smirk in his tone. "Yes, really!" Hermia shot back, eyes ablaze. "And..." she looked at her wrist, where darkish bruises were appearing, and grimaced. "....if anyone with the name of Serpentius ever-" she snapped her head up, and shook off the hands of Potius and Wesellius. "-ever touches me again, I swear that I will vomit nonstop until I'm dead. And then where will your stupid little plan to be emperor be, Lucius?" Hermia had never stood up in public to armed men before, and was now trembling with a combination of fear and emotion. "Stay away from me!" And she was off, running through the forest, darting between the trees.
After the two slaves ran after her, Draco, Lucius, and the guards were left alone in the clearing. "Feisty little bitch, isn't she?" Lucius observed with a half-smile, eyebrows raised, though under his usual sneering tone was a layer of unexpressed anger that shone through in patches. Draco was silent, his mind a turmoil of thoughts.
What just happened?
Oh, my god. She ran away. We were here, we had horses, for Christ's sake, we had weapons, and she got away. How daft are you, Draco? When so much is resting on you having her... your father's emperorship, your safety- he recalled the last time he hadn't performed Lucius' requests fully, and winced- her safety... Draco closed his eyes as he mounted his horse, realizing that he couldn't bear to think about what would happen to her, should she lose her way... a mental image of Hermia, her clothing dirty, her hair tangled and dull, her body broken, sprang to his mind, and he vowed to himself that this time, he wouldn't let her go.
Hermia leapt over roots, darted around wide trees, skidded in the soil and leaves that carpeted the forest. But she was not used to daily exercise, save for walking in the courtyard; her lungs soon burned, and she had to stop to catch her breath. When the sound of the leaves crunching underfoot was gone, she could faintly hear Wesellius and Potius in the distance, their footsteps light, their calls seemingly quiet. Shaking her head, Hermia resolved to go on; she had been so selfish, dragging two totally innocent people into this- and Maia, and Flavia, and Athene- she realized, amazed at her own stupidity. She could breathe properly now, and took up running again, this time at a slower pace.
After a while, Hermia stopped again; she adopted this pattern, and before she knew it, the sky had begun to darken, and fade from its original clear, pale blue to the deeper midnight blue of twilight. Stars twinkled hazily at her as the moon rose above the horizon, but Hermia pressed on, still running through the woods. She'd noticed awhile ago that she could no longer hear Potius and Wesellius pursuing her; this meant that they'd either given up, or had... well, there was no other choice. They'd stopped.
Hermia wouldn't admit to herself that the reason her cheeks were wet with the saltwater of tears was that she'd never been alone- totally- before. There was Ambrosius first- until she was thirteen- and after that there'd been Christos, the kind slave who'd comforted her whenever something was wrong. And even when there wasn't a caregiver figure in her life, she'd always had her handmaidens and friends. Now, none of them were there... it was just Hermia, all alone in a huge forest.
She had been looking up at the sky as she ran, the tears flying down her face and into the air behind her; she never realized the danger until she tripped over a hole, hidden below the leaf-litter on the ground. She felt a wrench of pain as she flailed wildy, her hands groping for a hold. Then Hermia was lying in the dirt, her leg twisted painfully beneath her; the last thing she knew was the distinctly earthy scent of the air closer to the ground, and then...
....nothing.
A/N: Okay, everyone: I'm not posting the next chapter, which I have mostly written, until I get at least 15 reviews on this one. OK? Ok!