Chapter 6
Misty was confused and dazed. She didn't want to call his name. She loved him so much, but she didn't want to call his name.
"ZAI--." Misty called out for him but was muffled when a large hand grabbed her mouth and pulled her down to the ground. Misty tried to scream but the person, or thing, holding her was tightly covering her mouth and binding her hands. She could she Zaine turn around confused, and then shake his head and continue walking. Misty silently cried as her kidnapper wrapped a handkerchief around her eyes. Then everything was quiet and still. She tried to scream again but was silenced by one quick blow to the head.
~*~
Misty woke up. Her vision was blurry, and she could taste the blood dripping down from her head. She clutched her head (which was pounding) and slowly, she sat up on her knees. It was dark wherever she was. Her head felt like it would explode at any possible moment. She looked around, as her eyes slowly adjusted.
She was in what looked like a dungeon. It smelled like sour eggs, and it was filthy. Misty was sitting on a hard concrete floor, covered with clumps of straw. Mice scattered across the ground, curious to see their new roommate. Old, dusty bones lay across the floor, as if they had been lying there for years.
She looked out into her tiny window, and felt like she was trapped in a cage as she traced her fingers down the bars, that blocked her from her freedom. She looked out onto the grounds. It was beautiful. The grass was a bright green, which stood out among the trees. Several weeping willows swayed in the wind, as their leaves whispered to each other. The lake was calm, and the moon laughed at it's own reflection in the water. The moonlight was everywhere, and made the lake sparkle like diamonds. It was very quiet, except for the wind.
Misty thought the grounds looked oddly familiar, but she shook the thought off, and quietly sat back down in the corner of her cage. She cried silent tears as she thought about Zaine. She waited too long! She cursed at herself, ready to scream with anger. Why did she have to yell at him the night before? She might not be here now if it wasn't for her pathetic attitude. She may not see him ever again. She had let him slip through her fingers, and now she would never hold his hand again. She closed her eyes, and let the tears fall, as she quietly fell asleep.
~*~
"Wake up ya mangy prat! Wake up!"
Misty woke up, something had just kicked her, and she could not see what it was. Her head felt ever so slightly better, but her heart fell as she remembered where she was. Her cage was brighter, so she suggested it was now morning.
"I said wake up! Don` make me throw them ice cold water jugs on ya. I'll do it! I will."
Something kicked her again. Misty stood up, and rubbed her eyes. She was only bars between a fat, hairy peasant. He looked like a servant, for he was wearing rags that were covered in soot. His face looked like it was squished together, and his ears stuck out of his face as if they had been glued on the night before. His eyes were tiny, and they stared at her with a violent expression.
"The masa said ya gotta get up an` see him! That's what ya gonna do!"
The man moved towards the dungeon, and reached down to unlock it. He opened the bars, and grabbed one of Misty's shoulders, harshly shoving her up the steps.
They walked through the servant's corridors, (or at least what looked like the servants corridors) and walked down several long hallways. The hallways, and paintings on the walls were now extremely familiar, and Misty could almost swear that she had been there before.
The man's grasp on Misty was starting to hurt, and she wanted to run away, to see how far she could get. But she didn't dare try, for the man was several sizes bigger than her, and he could probably catch her within a matter of seconds.
Finally they had entered a very large room, which was painted a deep maroon, and had a long table in the middle of it adorned with flowers and tiny cups and plates. There were two large doors on either side of the room, and each were standing next to a very large portrait of a woman and a man. She recognized the man immediately. It was her stepfather.
"Oh, there you are Hans. I was wondering what was taking you so long." A deep voice quietly spoke somewhere near the back of the room.
"The mangy wrench wouldn` wake up! Took care of her I did. Here you are masa." The servant bowed, the walked slowly out of the room.
Silence followed. Misty was terrified. She despised her stepfather, and promised herself she would never see him again. She knew that he hated her as much as she loathed him. He had always hated her; she was the only thing standing between him and his power.
"Misty. My how you've grown. You've turned out decent, since I last saw you."
Why was he telling her these things? Why was she here?
"No doubt you are wondering why I have saved you from the utterly horrible life of a penniless pauper? Well, my wife, Esmerelda, she was have horrible dreams that always seemed to revolve around--." He paused, and stood up. He took small steps, and walked towards Misty. Then he stopped, and looked her in the face, in her eyes. Misty shuddered.
"You. Now, why would she ever be dreaming of you, taking our kingdom, and casting us out, when we are of course the rightful heirs? I dismissed the idea, and did not worry about my skeptical wife. Until one night, when she fell out of her bed, screaming your name, and crying hysterically. I worried, for her, and our second child that she was and still is carrying. I told her that she need no longer worry, for my stepdaughter was coming to our house, where we could keep a watchful eye on her." Mark Anthony paused again.
Misty was confused.
"Which is why Misty. We have decided to keep a closer eye on you, by keeping you in our household. Working as a servant. You and Jesminda, will work together, in the kitchen, laundry, or where ever else you are needed. From this point on, you are no longer just Misty. You are a servant girl, and you will stay that way until I am satisfied. Do you understand?" Her stepfather stared at her through cold eyes.
"You have no right. NO RIGHT! You cannot just take me from my home, and do what you please! I am seventeen, and I will live my life AS I PLEASE!" Misty yelled through clenched teeth.
"You WILL DO as I say!" Mark Anthony struck Misty across her face.
Painful memories came rushing to her head. Misty had to obey they curse. She had to obey him. She ran, tears falling down her face. She ran into an empty room, and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.
She heard a voice, it was soothing, and she liked it. She did not realize that someone was in the room. She turned around and saw Jess. She hugged her, and cried anymore.
"It's okay my lady. We'll be okay." Jess stroked Misty's back.
Misty did not realize that Jess was crying too.
~*~
5 months later
Misty was reading her pink book again. It was the one that Zaine had left behind on that dreadful day. The `person' who kidnapped her had brought it along with him, knowing it's value, and Jess had saved it for Misty.
Too often did Misty open it's creamy pages, and read the cheerful stories, all the while hoping to capture some sort of trace of Zaine. It had been five months, and she had only had a diary entry, from Zaine himself. She laughed as she remembered that he had only written about his stupid cousin, Antoinette daughter of Olive and Sir Hugo. Olive was his mother Ella's stepsister. Zaine had written about how the girl Antoinette was the same as her mother, dumb as a tree. She was clumsy too. But quite to Misty's misfortune he had also written that she was quite pretty. There was a picture of Antoinette. She was pretty.
Misty flipped through the pages, skipping past stories that she decided she would read later. (It would give her something to look forward too.) Then she stopped, and gasped as she saw another page from Zaine's journal. This one had a picture of Zaine petting a unicorn. She traced his face, longing to see him again, as she watched him feed the unicorn an apple. She tore her eyes from his picture, and read the entry.
April 7th
My mother is holding a ball for me. I despise balls. I see absolutely no point in them. The worse part is she's making me take Antoinette, she may be extremely pretty (Misty felt a twinge of jealousy go through her body as she continued reading) but she's extremely boring. She has about the attention span of a rat, and her conversations always turn out with both of us being really confused. Also, my mother wants the ball to be held on the outskirts of Athrogon. Misty's cottage was somewhere around there. I hope I don't run into her. I can't believe she didn't even send me a letter. I lost complete contact with her. She is so self-conceded, but at the same time she amazes me. She is so full of life, and she always makes you smile. I hate the way she makes me feel, and yet, I truly long to see her again. She—Why am I thinking about her again? This always happens. She's always in my thoughts. It's bad enough I left her that way, but does she have to follow me in my thoughts. One day I swear I'm going to go crazy...
Misty closed the book with a very big sigh. The rest of his entry was about where the ball was to be held, and how Antoinette had bragged about what kind of dress she would be wearing. Misty wondered if Zaine would forget about her, and move on to Antoinette. She only wished that she could go to the ball. What fun she would have, making every one jealous while she laughed and danced with her charming prince, and later she would throw a bowl of guacamole in Antoinette's face, and ruin her "charming features". Misty laughed, and then walked out of her tiny room to find Jess.
"Misty, help me make this pie for your stepfather." Jess closed in on Misty before she had a chance to run away.
Misty winced. She couldn't tell Jess about the curse, and hated it when anyone used a command. Somehow, her stepmother (who just barely looked like the woman in her long-forgotten dream) and her stepsister loved issuing orders, and always did when they saw Misty coming. They would be horrible ones too. One time Misty had had to clean out all of the bathrooms in the house. Misty had smelled horrible that day.
"Yes Jess," Misty said as she rolled her eyes, and grabbed a bowl and started stirring.
"You know Jess, there's going to be a ball! Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could go! Oh, how much fun it would be." Misty started to slowly daydream again.
"You shouldn't be reading his-highnesses journal entries. There his own private thoughts." Jess said, not looking up from her ingredients.
"I'm not... Okay, well, maybe I am. But still Jess! It's the only thing I have left of him. Please don't make me feel guilty." Misty turned to Jess with a pleading look in her eyes.
"I guess it would be fun for you to go to the ball. Maybe we can work something out." Jess winked at Misty and pointed at the pie.
Just then Sophie (Misty's stepsister) walked in.
"Work what out?" Sophie looked back and forth between Misty and Jess. She new something was up.
Sophie was nearly twenty. She had the brains of a five-year-old. She was not smart, and she was not pretty. She took her stupidity out on Misty. She always had demands ready, and she was at least clever enough to know how to use them.
~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
@uthors note: THIS IS BAD!! Bad bad bad~~! I'm not doing my homework because I've got the urge to write, and then when I want to write, I can't think of anything to write about. AAAHHH!! I always end up reading other peoples stories too!! MUST...NOT...BE...OBBSESSIVE... must... write... more... AAAAAAAAH I can't! Sorry my faithful, loyal, beautiful reviewers. But this is all I've got for today. I PROMISE I WILL WRITE MORE TOMMORROW maybe you could send me lot's of reviews and that would encourage me!!! : P
*gasps* good golly gosh~~! I've got to go update my other story too. OH! When will stupid school end, and summer begin! Only one more month, and then my misery will end. Ugh. *sighs* Well, I'll be off. Please send in reviews, it's the least you could do!
Misty was confused and dazed. She didn't want to call his name. She loved him so much, but she didn't want to call his name.
"ZAI--." Misty called out for him but was muffled when a large hand grabbed her mouth and pulled her down to the ground. Misty tried to scream but the person, or thing, holding her was tightly covering her mouth and binding her hands. She could she Zaine turn around confused, and then shake his head and continue walking. Misty silently cried as her kidnapper wrapped a handkerchief around her eyes. Then everything was quiet and still. She tried to scream again but was silenced by one quick blow to the head.
~*~
Misty woke up. Her vision was blurry, and she could taste the blood dripping down from her head. She clutched her head (which was pounding) and slowly, she sat up on her knees. It was dark wherever she was. Her head felt like it would explode at any possible moment. She looked around, as her eyes slowly adjusted.
She was in what looked like a dungeon. It smelled like sour eggs, and it was filthy. Misty was sitting on a hard concrete floor, covered with clumps of straw. Mice scattered across the ground, curious to see their new roommate. Old, dusty bones lay across the floor, as if they had been lying there for years.
She looked out into her tiny window, and felt like she was trapped in a cage as she traced her fingers down the bars, that blocked her from her freedom. She looked out onto the grounds. It was beautiful. The grass was a bright green, which stood out among the trees. Several weeping willows swayed in the wind, as their leaves whispered to each other. The lake was calm, and the moon laughed at it's own reflection in the water. The moonlight was everywhere, and made the lake sparkle like diamonds. It was very quiet, except for the wind.
Misty thought the grounds looked oddly familiar, but she shook the thought off, and quietly sat back down in the corner of her cage. She cried silent tears as she thought about Zaine. She waited too long! She cursed at herself, ready to scream with anger. Why did she have to yell at him the night before? She might not be here now if it wasn't for her pathetic attitude. She may not see him ever again. She had let him slip through her fingers, and now she would never hold his hand again. She closed her eyes, and let the tears fall, as she quietly fell asleep.
~*~
"Wake up ya mangy prat! Wake up!"
Misty woke up, something had just kicked her, and she could not see what it was. Her head felt ever so slightly better, but her heart fell as she remembered where she was. Her cage was brighter, so she suggested it was now morning.
"I said wake up! Don` make me throw them ice cold water jugs on ya. I'll do it! I will."
Something kicked her again. Misty stood up, and rubbed her eyes. She was only bars between a fat, hairy peasant. He looked like a servant, for he was wearing rags that were covered in soot. His face looked like it was squished together, and his ears stuck out of his face as if they had been glued on the night before. His eyes were tiny, and they stared at her with a violent expression.
"The masa said ya gotta get up an` see him! That's what ya gonna do!"
The man moved towards the dungeon, and reached down to unlock it. He opened the bars, and grabbed one of Misty's shoulders, harshly shoving her up the steps.
They walked through the servant's corridors, (or at least what looked like the servants corridors) and walked down several long hallways. The hallways, and paintings on the walls were now extremely familiar, and Misty could almost swear that she had been there before.
The man's grasp on Misty was starting to hurt, and she wanted to run away, to see how far she could get. But she didn't dare try, for the man was several sizes bigger than her, and he could probably catch her within a matter of seconds.
Finally they had entered a very large room, which was painted a deep maroon, and had a long table in the middle of it adorned with flowers and tiny cups and plates. There were two large doors on either side of the room, and each were standing next to a very large portrait of a woman and a man. She recognized the man immediately. It was her stepfather.
"Oh, there you are Hans. I was wondering what was taking you so long." A deep voice quietly spoke somewhere near the back of the room.
"The mangy wrench wouldn` wake up! Took care of her I did. Here you are masa." The servant bowed, the walked slowly out of the room.
Silence followed. Misty was terrified. She despised her stepfather, and promised herself she would never see him again. She knew that he hated her as much as she loathed him. He had always hated her; she was the only thing standing between him and his power.
"Misty. My how you've grown. You've turned out decent, since I last saw you."
Why was he telling her these things? Why was she here?
"No doubt you are wondering why I have saved you from the utterly horrible life of a penniless pauper? Well, my wife, Esmerelda, she was have horrible dreams that always seemed to revolve around--." He paused, and stood up. He took small steps, and walked towards Misty. Then he stopped, and looked her in the face, in her eyes. Misty shuddered.
"You. Now, why would she ever be dreaming of you, taking our kingdom, and casting us out, when we are of course the rightful heirs? I dismissed the idea, and did not worry about my skeptical wife. Until one night, when she fell out of her bed, screaming your name, and crying hysterically. I worried, for her, and our second child that she was and still is carrying. I told her that she need no longer worry, for my stepdaughter was coming to our house, where we could keep a watchful eye on her." Mark Anthony paused again.
Misty was confused.
"Which is why Misty. We have decided to keep a closer eye on you, by keeping you in our household. Working as a servant. You and Jesminda, will work together, in the kitchen, laundry, or where ever else you are needed. From this point on, you are no longer just Misty. You are a servant girl, and you will stay that way until I am satisfied. Do you understand?" Her stepfather stared at her through cold eyes.
"You have no right. NO RIGHT! You cannot just take me from my home, and do what you please! I am seventeen, and I will live my life AS I PLEASE!" Misty yelled through clenched teeth.
"You WILL DO as I say!" Mark Anthony struck Misty across her face.
Painful memories came rushing to her head. Misty had to obey they curse. She had to obey him. She ran, tears falling down her face. She ran into an empty room, and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.
She heard a voice, it was soothing, and she liked it. She did not realize that someone was in the room. She turned around and saw Jess. She hugged her, and cried anymore.
"It's okay my lady. We'll be okay." Jess stroked Misty's back.
Misty did not realize that Jess was crying too.
~*~
5 months later
Misty was reading her pink book again. It was the one that Zaine had left behind on that dreadful day. The `person' who kidnapped her had brought it along with him, knowing it's value, and Jess had saved it for Misty.
Too often did Misty open it's creamy pages, and read the cheerful stories, all the while hoping to capture some sort of trace of Zaine. It had been five months, and she had only had a diary entry, from Zaine himself. She laughed as she remembered that he had only written about his stupid cousin, Antoinette daughter of Olive and Sir Hugo. Olive was his mother Ella's stepsister. Zaine had written about how the girl Antoinette was the same as her mother, dumb as a tree. She was clumsy too. But quite to Misty's misfortune he had also written that she was quite pretty. There was a picture of Antoinette. She was pretty.
Misty flipped through the pages, skipping past stories that she decided she would read later. (It would give her something to look forward too.) Then she stopped, and gasped as she saw another page from Zaine's journal. This one had a picture of Zaine petting a unicorn. She traced his face, longing to see him again, as she watched him feed the unicorn an apple. She tore her eyes from his picture, and read the entry.
April 7th
My mother is holding a ball for me. I despise balls. I see absolutely no point in them. The worse part is she's making me take Antoinette, she may be extremely pretty (Misty felt a twinge of jealousy go through her body as she continued reading) but she's extremely boring. She has about the attention span of a rat, and her conversations always turn out with both of us being really confused. Also, my mother wants the ball to be held on the outskirts of Athrogon. Misty's cottage was somewhere around there. I hope I don't run into her. I can't believe she didn't even send me a letter. I lost complete contact with her. She is so self-conceded, but at the same time she amazes me. She is so full of life, and she always makes you smile. I hate the way she makes me feel, and yet, I truly long to see her again. She—Why am I thinking about her again? This always happens. She's always in my thoughts. It's bad enough I left her that way, but does she have to follow me in my thoughts. One day I swear I'm going to go crazy...
Misty closed the book with a very big sigh. The rest of his entry was about where the ball was to be held, and how Antoinette had bragged about what kind of dress she would be wearing. Misty wondered if Zaine would forget about her, and move on to Antoinette. She only wished that she could go to the ball. What fun she would have, making every one jealous while she laughed and danced with her charming prince, and later she would throw a bowl of guacamole in Antoinette's face, and ruin her "charming features". Misty laughed, and then walked out of her tiny room to find Jess.
"Misty, help me make this pie for your stepfather." Jess closed in on Misty before she had a chance to run away.
Misty winced. She couldn't tell Jess about the curse, and hated it when anyone used a command. Somehow, her stepmother (who just barely looked like the woman in her long-forgotten dream) and her stepsister loved issuing orders, and always did when they saw Misty coming. They would be horrible ones too. One time Misty had had to clean out all of the bathrooms in the house. Misty had smelled horrible that day.
"Yes Jess," Misty said as she rolled her eyes, and grabbed a bowl and started stirring.
"You know Jess, there's going to be a ball! Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could go! Oh, how much fun it would be." Misty started to slowly daydream again.
"You shouldn't be reading his-highnesses journal entries. There his own private thoughts." Jess said, not looking up from her ingredients.
"I'm not... Okay, well, maybe I am. But still Jess! It's the only thing I have left of him. Please don't make me feel guilty." Misty turned to Jess with a pleading look in her eyes.
"I guess it would be fun for you to go to the ball. Maybe we can work something out." Jess winked at Misty and pointed at the pie.
Just then Sophie (Misty's stepsister) walked in.
"Work what out?" Sophie looked back and forth between Misty and Jess. She new something was up.
Sophie was nearly twenty. She had the brains of a five-year-old. She was not smart, and she was not pretty. She took her stupidity out on Misty. She always had demands ready, and she was at least clever enough to know how to use them.
~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
@uthors note: THIS IS BAD!! Bad bad bad~~! I'm not doing my homework because I've got the urge to write, and then when I want to write, I can't think of anything to write about. AAAHHH!! I always end up reading other peoples stories too!! MUST...NOT...BE...OBBSESSIVE... must... write... more... AAAAAAAAH I can't! Sorry my faithful, loyal, beautiful reviewers. But this is all I've got for today. I PROMISE I WILL WRITE MORE TOMMORROW maybe you could send me lot's of reviews and that would encourage me!!! : P
*gasps* good golly gosh~~! I've got to go update my other story too. OH! When will stupid school end, and summer begin! Only one more month, and then my misery will end. Ugh. *sighs* Well, I'll be off. Please send in reviews, it's the least you could do!