Season of the Witch - Chapter 2: Til Death Do Us Part
A grunt came out of Galleth's mouth as he was forcibly knelt onto the floor. Sitting on their respective thrones were King Henry and Queen Marietta, who stared down at the raccoon with great displeasure. King Henry did not hide his anger, physically displaying it as he gripped his throne's arm as if he were choking the life out of it.
"So," the king snarled, "You are the scheming viper who has slithered his way into our castle and thought he could get away with stealing from us. Quite the fool, you are."
Galleth made eye contact with the king and a smirk appeared on his face. "I've heard this before. This is the part where you sentence me to death, is it not?"
Taken back by the response her husband was given, Queen Marietta furrowed her brows. "Do you have nothing to say in your defense?"
"I am not sorry I did what I have done, I'm sorry I got myself captured. There's quite the difference, Milady."
"Your majesty," Queen Marietta sternly retorted.
"And I am afraid you are quite wrong," King Henry intervened. "While I wish to do you away, I have no time to clean up blood from my floor. My queen and I are far too busy with preparing for our daughter's marriage to decide a proper punishment for your crimes. Until then, you shall remain in the dungeons."
Unbeknownst to any of them, Princess Alice and Prince James watched the exchange from the hallway outside the throne room on opposite sides of the open doorway. Alice winced at her parents' anger, having never realized that something as petty as thievery could anger them this much. Then again, she supposed it was to be expected. Alice wasn't quite keen on these types of situations. Prince James, on the other hand, was invested in the sentencing of the thief who broke into his bethrothed's quarters. He wished to pull his blade from its sheath and end the audacious thief himself, but he had no desire to potentially further upset the royal family, including his bride-to-be. Instead, he stood there alongside Alice, imagining what would soon be brought upon the scoundrel.
"Take him out of my sight," King Henry ordered sternly as the two guards who held Galleth down yanked him to his feet and marched him away.
As Alice made eye contact with Galleth as he was being carried off, a shiver went up her spine. A shiver that, while not terribly unpleasant, was something she could not put her finger on. Prince James noticed this and wrapped his arm around her waist, his grip tightening.
King Henry then motioned for a guard to approach him, his face sour. "I want a group of knights and someone from the church to come in and bless the crypt below. If the report I was given was true, then we mustn't take any risks."
The guard nodded and made off with his king's orders, unaware of the horrors that would soon take place.
"Ugh!"
"Sleep soundly!" a guard snapped sarcastically before slamming the cell shut.
Galleth groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He had been stripped of his armor down to whatever clothing he had underneath and was without weapons. Unlike last time, Galleth only spent a night in this predicament. Now, he was completely defenseless until the day his punishment was decided upon. Judging from the anticipation of the princess' wedding day approaching, he figured that would be as good a time as any to make an attempt at escape. In the meantime, he figured it best to see where he was being kept.
However, Galleth's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. Galleth peered into the cell across from him, the lit torches providing limited light as he tried to make out a shadowy figure in the corner of the cell across from his own.
"H-Hello?" gulped Galleth. "Who goes there?"
"My, my," tittered the voice. Galleth could tell this person was a young male based on the voice's pitch. "What 'ave we here? Another poor bastard gettin' caught in the King's court, eh?"
Galleth blinked. "I...I suppose so. Who are you?"
"Me? Oh…" Galleth watched with anticipation as the mysterious figure approached the bars on his cell. "The name's Anthony, but they call me Chip!"
Galleth studied his neighboring prisoner. His hunch was correct; he was a young fellow around his age. The prisoner across from him was a squirrel with light brown fur and a messy mop of hair on his head. He wore a red shirt with matching shoes and wore dark brown pants that were a few shades darker than his fur. He had dark brown eyes that resembled chocolate, and his most noticeable feature, was the right side of his buck tooth was slightly chipped. Galleth had to assume this is how the stranger got that odd nickname.
"Chip? That is an...interesting name. Nice to meet you."
"Well, go on then!" the squirrel encouraged. "Now you must tell me your name! To whom do I have the pleasure of sharing a dungeon with?"
"Sir Galleth Cooper, at your service," the raccoon introduced.
"Sir?" Chip questioned. "Are you a knight? A rogue who went and backstabbed the King?"
"Um...no," Galleth answered. "I mean, yes I am a knight, but I was never... " a sigh escaped Galleth's mouth. "Look, I was a squire at fourteen and since I've been promoted, I've been simply travelling around-"
"So you were never legally knighted?"
Galleth sighed in frustration. "If it helps answer your question…"
A laugh erupted from the squirrel, causing Galleth to look back up at him with confusion. "Oh, what a cad, you are! I like you!"
"I am not a cad!"
"Anyway," Chip continued, ignoring Galleth's defense. "I was caught robbing this place, I was. Thrown down here like a wench on a bed. Been here since."
"What?" Galleth blinked. "How long have you been here?"
"Hmmm...five years!" Chip giggled.
"What?!" Galleth looked astonished. "Five years?! How old are you, exactly?!"
"Umm...twenty-one?"
"You're telling me you have been imprisoned down here since you were sixteen? No execution?"
"What? Pff, no!" Chip giggled. "Ya see Ringtail, they don't execute vagabonds like me! The kind that are…"
"Insane?" Galleth jabbed.
"That's it!" Chip confirmed with a snap of his finger. "Seems as though insanity gives you a little execution-immunity. Who knew?"
"Pardon me for asking…" Galleth felt himself regretting this next question. "But why?"
"Why what? Why's the sky blue? Why are peasants treated like horse shite? Why are turtles slow? I don't know! These are all questions you can't simply answer! Who am I to you, Merlin?"
Galleth stared at his neighbor, frustration building up within him. With a sigh of defeat, Galleth stepped away from his cell bar and turned around, looking up at the small barred opening that led outside and gave him a view of the village from across the moat.
"I suppose it doesn't matter...I am to die, anyway."
"What a downer, you are," groaned Chip. "Are you always this pessimistic?"
Galleth turned around and stared at the squirrel across from him, taking in his messy appearance. A grin slowly began to form on the raccoon's mouth, which soon led to a chuckle.
"You know...you may just be all the joy I need til then."
Chip looked taken aback from what Galleth had said and soon formed a grin of his own.
"Well, I suppose we'd best get used to each other's company, Chip. Let me tell you a story…"
Outside the castle and in the village, one of the tavern's doors burst open, out of which walked a bull who had just gotten done drinking himself under one of the tables. He was shooed out by one of the bartenders, who jabbed his back with a broomstick.
"Go home, Harold!" snapped the bartender sow. "You've had enough!"
"Ugh, fine, just stop poking me with that damn thing!"
The bartender groaned in disgust before slamming the tavern doors, the sounds from inside fading away. Harold paid no mind, a stupid grin on his face emerging as he pulled out a bottle of ale he had snuck out of the tavern in his pants before getting thrown out. He opened the bottle and began to drink away, bystanders avoiding him as he made his way through the town. After a while, Harold unintentionally stumbled out of the village, and into the woods that was just behind his farm. He continued to drink, still aware of his surroundings. It wasn't until he tripped over a log when Harold finally noticed where he was, and that his bottle was now empty.
"Shit," cursed the bull.
Harold blinked when he got up, soon hearing the sound of a twig snapping. The bull spun around, thinking a pack of wolves had spotted him, wanting to claim him for a meal. However, that appeared to not be the case. As Harold proceeded to walk away from the log, he noticed a femine figure slowly walking through the forests' path. A grin appeared on the bull, his pants tightening as pleasure took over him.
"Oi," Harold called out, the figure slowly coming to a stop. "You lost? If so, I'll happily accompany you, if you please."
However, what Harold found was not an enchanting young woman. Instead, a horribly disfigured lupine face soon met his own. There were burns all over the woman's body, showing little flesh and more bone. The horrifying sight was enough to cause Harold to jump back and begin to run away in fright. Alas, Harold's fate was sealed. The mysterious disfigured woman caught up to him, clawing at his back. Harold screamed in agonizing pain before falling onto the ground. He turned around, only to find that the woman was gone.
A sigh of relief came out of Harold's mouth, but his relief was soon replaced with terror, as the figure emerged from multiple directions, continuously slashing him with sharp claws. Harold cried out, slowly feeling himself going weak with blood loss. He continued to try and escape by clawing at the ground, attempting to crawl away. But it was too late. The woman slashed at his back once more before landing on top of him, her mouth soon over his neck.
Harold let out one last agonized scream as sharp teeth dug into his neck, his vision growing blurry before his whole world went black.
King Henry let out a tired, heavy sigh as he gazed upon the castle grounds from the balcony of the royal bedchambers. He gripped the stoned railing as the last set of dead bodies were being dragged out of the crypts and into the courtyard. It was two days until his daughter's wedding, and of course, he had to deal with something as grim as this. A dark cloud loomed over the kingdom, filling the older raccoon with dark thoughts and despair. Only one thing could have done something like this and it frightened him.
"Father?"
King Henry turned his head to see his daughter walking across the bedchamber towards where he stood. She looked down to where her father was staring at, curiosity getting the better of her. She then let out a gasp and covered her mouth, eyes popped open.
"What happened?!"
"There was...an incident," King Henry answered, almost as a question.
"I can see that," retorted Alice. "But what happened?!"
"A massacre, that's what happened," King Henry let out a sigh and quickly pulled Alice away from the railing, not wanting her to see the horrific sight. "My darling girl, you should not prey on this. You should instead prepare for your wedding."
Alice gave her father a pouting look. "That's all I've been doing, Father. I should be assisting you in any way I can."
"Nonsense," King Henry proceeded to shoo his daughter away. "Your wedding shall be your main priority. I will tend to this myself."
Alice wanted to argue further, but decided to hold her tongue for the time being and heed her father's orders. Exiting the royal bedchamber, she roamed the castle halls, politely greeting those who came by her. As she continued her journey, Alice's thoughts continued to wander back to her father. She could not understand why he was being so evasive, but she eventually decided it was because he had enough to worry about as is. Preparing for the upcoming wedding was putting a lot of stress onto the castle's residents and the inconvenience that was Galleth Cooper's trespassing had put them behind schedule.
Alice's movement slowed when she heard an unfamiliar sound. She looked over her shoulder only to see nothing, which confused the princess since she clearly heard it coming from behind her. Alice shrugged it off and cautiously proceeded to move along, noticing she was now alone. The same noise from before was soon heard once more, alerting Alice yet again.
"Hello? Who's there?" when she only got silence as a response, Alice's brows furrowed. "How queer…"
When Alice finally reached the door to her chambers, she observed her surroundings once more to make sure no one was around before entering the room. The princess took a deep breath before making her way to her vanity mirror, sitting down to face it and stared at her own reflection. Alice blinked a couple times, taking in her appearance. She looked tired, and all this wedding planning wasn't helping. Now there were murders at the castle. Shaking off the horrid thoughts, Alice reached for her hairbrush and began to brush her hair, humming a tune that was taught to her as a young girl.
Just then, a knock came at the door, prompting Alice to peer over her shoulder. "Come in!" she invited.
Alice frowned when no one came in - or at the very least answered - and stopped what she was doing. "Did you not hear me? Come in, I said."
There was still no sign of a response, confusing the princess. With a huff, she got up - hairbrush still in hand - and began making her way to the door. Alice opened her mouth to speak, but before a single word could come out of her mouth, the door began knocking again. Except this time, more violent and rapid. Alice felt her throat clench and her breathing coming to a halt as she stared at the rattling door and quickly backed away. Confusion was replaced with pure terror and Alice wanted to scream - to call for help - but nothing came out of her mouth. Just then, the hair strains that were caught in her brush lashed out and began wrapping themselves onto Alice, finally causing her to scream. Alice began wrestling with the hair, the door continuing to shake rapidly as the banging sound continued to grow louder and louder.
Alice eventually stumped and crashed against her vanity, the hair's grip getting stronger. Alice - with all her strength - ripped the hair off of her, and as she looked up, she came face-to-face with a horrifying sight in the mirror.
A tall, disfigured, female black wolf was staring at her, her terrible green eyes dark and her lips shaking, almost forcing herself to smile, and revealed her sharp yellow teeth. The wolf gave Alice a sinister grin, causing the princess to scream and throw her brush at the mirror, shattering it. Alice stood there in shock, amazed to find that the haunting figure had disappeared. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. However, her relief was short lived when two long boney fingers wrapped themselves onto her shoulders. The wolfess was now standing behind her, her hands coming into contact with her body. Alice continued to stare at their reflections, her face pale and horrified. The wolf let out a haunting scream, shattering the mirror completely into tiny pieces.
"ALICE!"
The door to Alice's chamber burst open, Prince James emerged, finding his betrothed collapsed onto the floor, crying heavily. He quickly ran to her side and knelt to the ground, picking her up into his arms and cradled her gently.
"Dearest, are you alright? What happened?"
"NO!" Alice sobbed. "NO!"
"What is it? No, what?"
"NO, DON'T TAKE ME!" Alice exclaimed. "THRUST INTO HELL, DEMON! LEAVE ME BE!"
Prince James did not say a word. He stared down at his soon-to-be bride, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"THOSE EYES!" Alice continued to sob, her body now shivering and arms flailing. "THOSE HORRIBLE EYES!"
"Alice…"
"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF ME, DEVIL!"
Prince James was in shock when Alice fled from his arms and crawled towards the corner of her room, her hair covering her face as she twitched and sobbed continuously in a fetal position.
"Please...Don't…"
Prince James felt his heart ache as he continued watching the scene that laid out before him. Alice didn't notice him step out of the room, nor did she hear him calling for a palace guard. She continued to rock in place, her eyes never leaving her arms as the tears slowly began to cease.
What was that?
Hours later, the sun was beginning to set on Mistwood. In the village outside of the castle, a female rabbit walked outside her cottage's door and looked to find her son climbing a tree.
"Jackson!" she hollard. "Stop playing and go fetch some water from the river! I've asked you this too many times now!"
"Sorry Mother, I forgot!" the young rabbit excused.
His mother motioned towards the river near their cottage. "Go on, then!"
Jackson sighed as his mother went back into the cottage. He climbed down the tree and fetched the bucket that sat by the door and proceeded to make his way to the river. He knelt down and dipped the bucket into the water, his eyes soon catching something odd. A tall figure appeared in the water's reflection, causing the young boy to look over his shoulder. Nothing was there.
However, when Jackson brought his attention back to the water to fish the bucket out, the figure was now closer to him. This time, he saw the face of a female black wolf staring back at him. Before Jackson could move, two long arms shot out of the water, grabbed hold of him by his shoulders and pulled him into the river without a single sound to be heard.
"Jackson?" his mother called, having enough waiting. "Jackson?! Where are-" she marched outside and headed towards the river, noticing that the water bucket was sitting alone by the edge of the river and her son nowhere in sight.
"Jackson? JACKSON?! Where are you?!"
The sun's rays pierced Galleth's eyes as he groaned exhaustedly, sitting up in his makeshift straw bed on his cell's floor. The male raccoon stretched his limbs before sitting up against the dungeon wall, rubbing his eyes in the process. Looking across from him, he noticed something odd. There was a feminine figure sitting in the shadows of his cell, staring directly back at him. Alarmed, Galleth looked back between his unwanted guest and at Chip, who was still sound asleep in his own cell.
"Chip?" Galleth whispered. "Chip, wake up!"
Galleth looked back to face the figure, only to see that it was no longer there. The raccoon was alarmed, staring at the empty space with caution and confusion.
"RISE AND SHINE!"
Galleth flinched in surprise and Chip merely groaned as he began smacking his lips.
"Aw, already?"
A castle guard slid plates of scraps into each of their cells. "Eat up!"
Galleth studied his plate and looked up at the guard. "Tis but leftover scraps from this morning's breakfast for the castle guard?"
"Yes, so eat." The guard rolled his eyes before making his way upstairs.
"Now, what do we have here? Hmm...Ah-ha!" Chip picked up a bone with very little meat on it. "Pork!"
Galleth made a face of disgust and slowly pushed his own plate away, averting his gaze so he wouldn't watch his neighbor eat the scraps. His stomach growled, causing Galleth to groan and place his hand over it. Chip looked up from his plate and tilted his head in curiosity.
"Not in the mood to eat?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't quite fancy prison food."
"Well, if you wish to starve, it's your funeral" Chip shrugged with a stuffed mouth. "Ya going to eat that?"
"Of course not, help yourself." Galleth pushed the plate across the dungeon floor and into Chip's cell, who proceeded to eat what was left.
"Thanks for givin' me your rations, mate!" Chip smiled appreciatively as he licked his fingers. "You've just made my list of prisoners I've enjoyed bein' locked down here with! But in the future, you'd best keep this in mind: it don't pay to be picky with what the guards bring us to eat down here."
"Does it matter?" Galleth asked with a roll of his eyes. "I'm to die anyway."
Chip watched Galleth while he ate. "Perhaps. Would still be good to try and keep yourself alive, eh? Enjoy it while it lasts."
Galleth took in Chip's words. It was true that he was to be executed after the Princess's wedding, but that didn't mean he needed to dwell on it the whole time. Enjoying life was hard to do from inside his cell in a dank, cold dungeon. If Galleth truly wanted to enjoy life, then there was only one option.
"What are you doing?"
Galleth moved around his cell, feeling the walls to find any weak points. He then proceeded to observe his surroundings, trying to find anything that could be useful for his plans.
"I'm planning my escape from this dungeon,"
The thief was met with a cackle. "Good one, mate! Try as you might, there's no getting out of here! Trust me, I've been down here long enough to know that."
"True, but you didn't have someone else with you with the motivation to try. Someone like me."
"My, my," Chip gently pushed his dish to the side and stood up, his hands gripping the cell bars. "Who is this dashing fool? Where'd all this confidence come from, eh?"
"Let's just say…" Galleth continued his sweep of the cell. "You've inspired me."
"Me?"
"Indeed," nodded Galleth. "You've said it yourself, Chip - I might as well live, and I'm not going to be able to do that in here."
Chip let out a chuckle. "And people call me crazy…"
King Henry and Queen Marietta stood by their daughter's bed, watching her sleep. One of the servants - a female otter around Alice's age - approached with a sweat-drenched face and messy dark hair. She carried a stack of towels before handing them over to another servant. An assuring look was given to the two older raccoons.
"She's going to be alright, Your Highnesses," she promised. "Just needs plenty of rest."
"Perhaps it's for the best," Queen Marietta agreed. "Thank you; you may go."
The servant nodded before taking her leave alongside the other servant girls. Queen Marietta let out a heavy sigh before turning to her husband, who approached his sleeping daughter, head down and taking her hand into both of his.
"Henry," she spoke. "You and I both know what is responsible for this. Or better yet, whom."
"Y-You're right," King Henry replied in a cracked voice. "I was afraid this was...her doing when those guards were discovered in the crypts. Now she's after our daughter, just as she promised."
"What are we going to do?"
King Henry paused briefly before speaking. "We will continue with the wedding as planned. We will do whatever we can to protect her. But under no circumstances must she learn the truth."
"Why not?" Queen Marietta inquired. "We have been keeping this a secret for too long, Henry. She should be aware of the dangers so that she'll be more co-"
"I can't," King Henry interrupted forlornly. "I can't bring myself to tell her the truth, Marietta. What I have done, all those years ago...it would break her heart. And that's exactly what this demon's wench wants."
Queen Marietta frowned and approached her husband, taking his hands into hers. "What you did...it was for the best, Henry. She would understand."
"How would you know?"
"Because I did."
The day had finally arrived. The kingdom of Mistwood was rejoicing, for today was the day Princess Alice and Prince James would wed. The castle gates were soon opened, allowing everyone in the village to witness the holy unity of the young royals. Alice was in her room, being assisted in preparing herself for the main event. Her hair was currently being groomed by two servant girls while the female otter servant from yesterday placed the finishing touches on her wedding dress.
"Alright," she spoke up, satisfied with her work. "What do you think, milady?"
Alice turned her head once the two girls were done with her hair and smiled, her eyes beaming with adortion. "It's lovely, Ada. Thank you, truly."
Ada smiled in response and bowed her head. Alice shooed the two servant girls out of her chambers before approaching her wedding dress, taking in the glorious piece of art up close. She felt the soft, silky layers, feeling as if she had gone to Heaven.
"I'm truly grateful for this, Ada. You have done a wonderful job."
"I'm glad you think that way," Ada beamed. "Tis only natural the princess wears the finest fabrics for her wedding."
"Truly a work of art…" Alice looked back at her friend and the dress, an idea coming to mind. "Ada...would you wish to wear it?"
"Pardon?" Ada blinked.
Alice gave her a friendly smile. "Wear it. You've worked so hard on it! I'd like to see you in it before I put it on."
"Why?" inquired Ada. "I'm just a servant."
"You're my friend," Alice corrected. "Besides, what's the harm? I am giving you my permission. I can see you desire to try on a gown as beautiful as this. Consider this my gift to you. You would look as beautiful as I, I am sure of it."
Ada was shocked by her friend's offer. Never in her life did she imagine wearing a gown fit for a royal. It was against the rules for servants to take what belonged to the royals - it was a one way path to the stocks at best, or gallows at worst. Still, Alice had been her only friend her whole life, and she was now offering Ada the chance to be someone else, even for a few seconds. Hesitant, Ada agreed timidly. Her worried expression soon shifted to that of joy as her friend helped her into the gown. Alice took a step back, her eyes beaming and her hands clapped together. She rocked herself with her heels, grinning.
"Ada, you look absolutely-"
"Revolting!"
Both girls gasped and looked towards the entrance to Alice's chambers. There, Queen Marietta stood, her face sour and grim. She marched right over to Ada and smacked her, knocking the young girl down.
"You miserable wench! That does not belong to you! Tis a gown for a princess - a bride! Something you never will be!"
"Mother, stop!" Alice exclaimed, trying to help her friend get up, only to be pushed away by the older raccoon. Regardless, she stood back up and barricaded herself between her mother and her friend "It was my idea! I encouraged it!"
"Hush, my dear," Marietta said firmly. "We must not defend those below us. She's made her bed, so she shall lie in it."
"Mother-"
"No," Ada quickly got up and removed the gown, handing it back to Alice. "She's...right, Princess. My deepest, most sincere apologies. I will retreat below the castle and await punishment."
"I thought as much," the queen frowned sternly. "Go escort yourself to the dungeon. With any luck, some time in the stocks will teach you a lesson about stepping where you're not supposed to go."
Alice winced as Ada hung her head in shame and left. Both girls knew that Ada was frightfully ticklish and being forced to serve as a form of entertainment for both the guards and prisoners in the dungeon as they made her scream with laughter as she was tickled would be painfully humiliating for her.
As Ada made her way through the castle, she mentally cursed the royals. Cursed them for their wicked ways of tormenting those below them. Alice was her only friend, but Ada had to remind herself that at the end of the day, she was still one of them. She would never be viewed as an equal, no matter who was kind to her. Ada felt tears build up as she made it below the castle, deciding to step into the laundry room for a breather before continuing on her way to the dungeons. It was on the way, so might as well stop.
As Ada sat on a nearby stool and cried, she was unaware of the fact that she was alone. Not that it mattered. She didn't care if anyone saw her like this. Servants usually shed tears together now and then.
Not long after, a faint glow caught Ada's attention. She blinked as she looked up, wiping her tears away as she saw a faint green glow in one of the hallways, providing what little light it could. Curiosity got the better of the female otter and stood up, slowly approaching the light. She stopped in front of the hall, gasping in shock when the light vanished. After a few seconds of pitch black and silence, a figure made its presence known.
The tiny green light appeared once more, accompanied by an old crone in a black hood. The crone was a black furred wolf, her appearance horrid and unsettling. She looked at Ada, who felt herself go numb with fear.
"Hello," the crone spoke. "I apologize for troubling you, but I'm afraid I have lost my way. Could you please tell me where I am?"
Ada blinked in confusion. "P-Pardon me? Milady, you're in the royal castle. Are you here for the wedding?"
At the mention of the royal wedding, the crone's expression brightened. "Oh, a wedding! I remember those days of attending one. I was once a bride too, you know."
"Really?" Ada slowly began to grow curious about this crone. "Were you two happy?"
"Oh, we were," the crone answered. "He was a charming prince in every sense. He swept me off my feet! It was one of the happiest days of my life. But then...oohh…"
Ada frowned. "I'm sorry. That must have been hard for you, to see him die."
"It was hard," the crone confirmed. "I hated to see him go, but I still kept going with my life."
"Sounds as though you have managed to live a long and happy life," Ada observed. "I wish that were possible for me."
"Whatever do you mean, my child?"
Ada bit her lip. She wasn't so sure it was alright to tell anyone this. Still, this old woman was giving her her life story. Ada supposed it was only fair to share hers.
"I am but a lonely servant in this castle," Ada answered bitterly. " I am always belittled and shown very little respect. My only friend, the princess, she...she can never truly be kind to me. Her mother wishes to make sure of that. She, the princess, is to be married today, and I-"
"The princess?" the crone's eyes glistened. "You personally know the princess?"
"I'm not too sure if I really do anymore…" Ada sadly confessed.
"Poor girl…" the crone whispered. "Your friend is to be married and now has you believe no one cares about you. How terrible."
Ada nodded, wiping some fresh tears from her face. "It is."
The old crone offered her a smile. "Would you like some advice from me? Would you wish to learn how I got through my pain all those years ago? Do you wish how you can learn to live...deliciously?"
Ada found herself puzzled at the crone's tone and choice of words. However, it was far too tempting and this old woman seemed to know what she was talking about and how she can help her. Maybe this day was not so terrible after all.
"I do," Ada answered, her heart racing. "What is it?"
"Come here, my child…" the crone directed, motioning to herself with her bony finger. "Come closer, and let me whisper my secrets into your ear."
"Why?" Ada questioned. "Why not just tell me right now, from where I'm standing?"
The crone's lips twitched. "Because, my child, these walls have ears. Also, you need to know every detail. Every single one. You must not let any of what I say go over your head. Now, come to me."
Ada thought about it for a few seconds, then slowly approached the old crone, eventually meeting her in the dark hallway. The crone gave her a look that seemed out of place, the green light slowly burning out.
"Now...listen closely…"
The light completely faded, leaving Ada alone in the dark. Frightened, she began to have second thoughts and turned to leave, only to be grabbed onto and felt sharp teeth pierce her skin. Ada let out a deathly scream, no one able to hear her cries of torment.
The castle's cathedral was filled to the brim with Mistwood's villagers and those who resigned in the castle. Aside from them, there were several more classily-dressed guests occupying the front pews, reserved for the more privileged guests who were visiting from outside the kingdom to witness the union between the two young royals. Both Queen Marietta and Queen Elizabeth sat among these pews, watching the front of the room with anticipation as Prince James stood there, dressed in his best robes. Beside him stood Father Gerard, the kingdom's most esteemed priest. He was an opossum in his mid-forties, his grey eyes studying the main doors, awaiting for the arrival of the bride. James's ears twitched at the sound of doors creaking open and turned to see Alice entering the room, her arm looped around her father's; music the organ began to fill the room as the guest rose to watch the royal bride make her way towards the end of the room.
Alice's hand was soon taken into James's while Father Gerard began the ceremony. With a clear throat, the possum began to speak, making the room go silent.
"Dearly beloved, we are here on this blessed day to bring these two young souls together. On this day, God shall shine a light from above and bless these two with eternal love and happiness. Now, the vows…"
Prince James nodded as he gently squeezed his betrothed's hand, flashing her a loving smile which she returned. Truly nothing was going to ruin this day for them. Or so they thought…
After exchanging their vows, the couple were then pronounced married. As the raccoons leaned in to seal the union with a kiss, A pained grunt suddenly escaped Prince James's mouth, alerting Alice as she opened her eyes, which were full of concern. Before she could ask her husband what was wrong, her expression changed to pure horror. In front of the entire kingdom, Prince James stood, violently shaking as his flesh began to melt. Foam escaped from his mouth before his legs gave out, collapsing onto the stone floor. Horrified Screams were heard around the room as Prince James's body continued its unnatural movements, eventually ceasing. Alice just stood there, too shocked to do anything. Her eyes were glued onto the mess of a corpse that was once her betrothed not too long ago. Small tears began to leave her eyes as Alice began to weep, her hand shaking as it rose to cover her mouth, attempting to muffle her cries.
Before anyone could rush to Princess Alice's side, the room suddenly became dark. No one knew what was happening until a shadow appeared along the room's walls. In the blink of an eye, the shadow swiftly moved across the room, eventually stopping behind Alice. A hand soon rested on the traumatized princess's shoulder, startling her and making her jump away in fright. Spinning around she was able to finally see the one responsible for disrupting the ceremony. The individual was A black-furred female wolf with long dark hair and a long, shredded black dress. Her green eyes were glued onto Alice, a sinister smirk slowly stretching across her face. The wolf's gaze then moved onto the frightened crowd, studying them as if they were her prey.
And in a way, they were…
A low chuckle rumbled in the wolf's throat before she spoke, "Well...what a...lovely ceremony. And you…" she turned back towards Alice, her neck snapping in the process. "Such a lovely bride."
"Do not touch her!"
The wolf's attention was caught by the familiar voice before snapping her gaze over towards the other royals. King Henry stood there, sword in hand as sweat began to pour down his face.
"Henry!" the wolf gasped in mocking delight. She zipped past Alice and towards her father at an unnatural speed, her bones once again making that awful snapping sound. Before anyone could blink, King Henry was seized by his throat and thrusted against the stoned wall in the back of the room.
The sound of a blade puncturing flesh echoed through the room, and the wolf looked down and stared at the king's sword that ran through her stomach. Unimpressed, her eyes showed humor as the wolf glanced right back at the raccoon, who began to choke in her grip.
"Oh, Henry…" she spoke in a low chilling voice. "You really shouldn't have. But you forget…" with her free hand, the wolf yanked the sword from her body and held it close to his own neck. "I don't have my heart…" she then traced his shivering body with his sword, eventually stopping where his own heart rested. "But you do."
"You…" came a sobbed voice. "You murdered my son!"
The female wolf stopped and turned to see Queen Elizabeth dropping to her knees in front of the cadaver that was once Prince James. Her body shook with anger as tears flooded her eyes. The female racoon shot daggers at the accused.
"You heartless wench, I'll have your head for this! Someone kill her!"
An annoyed growl rumbled in the wolf's throat before using King Henry's sword to slash his chest, then she threw him to the side of the room before slowly advancing on her newest target. Alice and her mother rushed to their father and husband's side, trying everything they could to stop the bleeding. Castle guards jumped into action to slay the intruder, whose attention left Queen Elizabeth and instead focused on her attackers.
The fools.
Galleth watched in worry as guards ran through the dungeons in a panic, barely paying attention in their own actions and surroundings. Whatever was going on up there was making Galleth uncomfortable. What could possibly be so important that the guards were willing to abandon their posts and run the risk of the dungeon prisoners escaping? His eyes soon fell onto a set of keys that were unknowingly dropped and landed in front of his cell, then were kicked around the room by the foot traffic before stopping in the center of the room, barely arm's length from where Galleth's cell was.
The raccoon watched and waited for the last of the guards to leave before turning his attention over to Chip, who paid no mind to the current events.
"Chip!" Galleth hissed, getting the squirrel's attention. "Look there! Whatever discord is occurring up there may have sowed the seed for our escape! Those keys," he pointed towards the wall leading towards the dungeon's exit. "They're for our cells, are they not?"
The brown squirrel looked back and forth from the keys to the hook on the wall, a toothy grin appearing on his face.
"Why, I believe so! You think you can reach it?!"
Galleth shrugged. "Possibly…" he raced towards the bars of his cell and stretched out his arm as much as possible. Chip watched in anticipation as Galleth's fingers barely scraped the hoop that the keys hung from. Galleth growled in irritation. "Damn, it's too far!"
"Don't give up!" encouraged Chip. "Keep trying! There has to be something you can do!"
Galleth continued to stretch as far as he could but was still unable to grab hold of the keys. Chip sighed and laid down, watching with a bored expression. Galleth was just about to give up when an idea finally came to his mind. He glanced down at his belt and inspected the hook with a grin before tugging the accessory off. Chip's face reddened as he looked away.
"Um...mate? What are you doing?"
"Improvising," Galleth replied before aiming for the keys with the hook of his belt and swung forward. A sigh of relief came from Galleth's mouth as he was finally able to drag the keys across the floor, grabbing them once they were within reach. "Got it!"
Chip watched with glee as he saw his acquaintance open the door to the cell he was locked in, and hurried over to Chip's own cell to set him free.
"Well done, Cooper!" Chip commended as he stepped out of his cell "Now, let us make our escape! To freedom!"
Together, Galleth and Chip fled the dungeons and made their way towards a storage room, where they found their possessions in place. Galleth wasted no time to put on his armor and grabbed his Cooper lance, ready to leave this kingdom and never look back. The sound of screams were soon heard, and Galleth peered out the window on the dungeon door to see knights and castle guards being thrown out of windows. He also saw people running out of the palace's main entrance, clearly fleeing from something in mortal terror. While every fiber in Galleth's being knew something was wrong and was telling him to start putting as much distance between himself and the source of calamity as possible, his conscience told him otherwise.
"Chip, something is wrong…" he said while observing the mass hysteria. Realization dawned on him. "It's the Princess's wedding, is it not?! Something must have happened! She must require help! We should-"
Galleth paused and went cold as he turned around to see Chip standing before him, bow and arrow in hand as he aimed directly for his face. Galleth was confused. "Chip?"
"I'm afraid this is where our paths come to an end," Chip's demeanor changed. This was not the same crazed squirrel who Galleth recognized. It was like Galleth was talking to a completely different person. His grip on his bow tightened. "I thank you for finally freeing me from my imprisonment after all this time, but I cannot risk my only chance of freedom by barging right into the castle."
Galleth stared at the squirrel in shock. "You...You used me?"
"Of course I did," Chip remarked. "I'm a thief, remember? I take what I want and do as I please. And that includes taking an opportunity to flee my captors while I can."
Galleth looked towards the castle as more screams of fallen men could be heard. He turned back to Chip with a pleading look. "Chip, please listen to reason...people could be dying in there! We can't just-"
"If you want to be a hero, then go on ahead. Me, on the other hand…" he swiftly took a satchel of gold from a nearby table before aiming his bow and arrow right back at the raccoon. "I'm on my way. Don't try to stop me, Cooper, for I won't stop you."
"Then why aim for me?!"
"Precautions," Chip answered before letting loose of his arrow.
Galleth gasped and dodged the arrow before looking to see that the arrow had been embedded into the wall behind him. With a sigh of relief, he turned to see that Chip had vanished. Irritated that his former prison mate chose to flee instead of help him, Galleth shook off his frustration and rushed out of the dungeon to see what was going on inside the castle that was causing such panic. Time to put his skills to good use.
Galleth silently stuck his head through the ruined doors of the castle's chapel to be met with a sight that made his blood freeze in horror. Multiple corpses littered the room's floor, blood coating the once grey tiles in crimson liquid as the source of the carnage continued its rampage. Standing in the center of the room was a female black wolf, choking a castle guard by the neck, snapping it like a twig.
"How pitiful," she spoke in eerie calmness before letting the body fall from her grasp. She then turned to a small group of four. "Now then...where was I?"
Galleth recognized the quartet as Princess Alice, her parents, and Prince James's mother. Speaking of the Prince, Galleth was able to see the poor royal was among the casualties of the she-wolf's rampage, his dead body, horribly disfigured, lying motionless on the stairs that led to the altar. A shiver went up the raccoon's spine. He knew he had to do something. Quickly entering the room, making sure not to make his presence known, he crawled through the corpses to reach his target.
"Henry…" the strange woman spoke. "I see you still cannot manage to learn your lesson."
"Who are you?!" cried Alice in fury and sorrow. "What do you want? Why did you murder my husband?!"
The black wolf looked down at Alice, almost pitying her.
"My name is Victoria," she answered. "As for why I have claimed his life, it is because I knew it would hurt you all." she then leaned down to stroke Alice's tear-stained face, who flinched away before being grabbed and was forced to stare right back at Victoria. "And that's exactly what revenge involves, my dear; hurting those who have crossed me."
Galleth took a deep breath before sprinting towards the wolf, grabbing up a sword from the ground as he ran before running it through Victoria's stomach. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, to the raccoon's horror, Victoria began to slowly rotate her head until she could look fully at her attacker with an unimpressed glare before grasping the blade that was impaling her and yanked it, the handle slipping from Galleth's grip and through the hole in her body. The wound began to slowly heal itself as Victoria turned the rest of her body and glared down at Galleth.
"Filthy rodent," she hissed, grabbing Galleth and tossing him across the room.
Galleth grunted in pain as he struck the wall back-first and slid to the floor. He slowly looked up at the wolf in shock. This woman was powerful, and the corpses that coated the wedding hall's floor was proof that beating this foe would require more than brute strength. Glancing around, he noticed a large, candle-lit chandelier suspended above the center of the room. He began to formulate a plan.
Victoria was about to turn her attention back to the royals when a helmet from a fallen knight struck her in the back of her head.
"Wench!" Galleth exclaimed. "Do not just toss me aside like filth! If you plan to end me, then do it in the same way you did to the guards!"
The black wolf let out an irritated growl and turned towards Galleth. As she began to make her way towards him, Galleth looked at a blood-coated dagger that laid on the ground to his left. Just as Victoria was about to get into position, Galleth quickly reached for the dagger with his cane and threw it towards the rope that kept the chandelier hanging up. Victoria looked up and was struck before she had the chance to react, her screams of pain echoing before slowly coming to a close.
Galleth wasted no time to race towards Princess Alice and her family.
"Are you alright, milady?"
Before Alice could respond, both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Marietta gasped in horror and pointed towards the chandelier. Galleth quickly looked back to see the black wolf crawling out from the collision, her body snapping with an unsettling noise.
"Twas a good trick, you disease-ridden vermin," she coldly spat. Before she could do anything to harm them, more knights barged into the room, ready to attack. Victoria growled and glared at Galleth and the royal family before slowly walking away backwards, towards the stained-glass window. "No matter...I believe I have made my intentions clear. I shall return after I have regained all my strength. Be prepared, for Hell is coming!"
Everyone watched as the black wolf jumped through the window, shattering the stained glass. The sound of her cackle echoed through the wind as Galleth grew unsettled. He then turned to King Henry and gulped.
"Who was that?"