Ch. 3

The early dawn sky was streaked with pale pinks and hazy touches of white as it cast an eerie glow along the islands rocky shore lines. Frothy small waves crashed onto the larger rocks and pulled heavily at her long skirts as she furiously tried to scrub the blood from her arms. Hands rubbed raw from the fists full of sand clutched in her tiny palms, using the coarse material to rid her skin of its red reminder. Her sobbing sounded painfully loud in the quiet dawn hours muffled only by the waves and distant noises of the birds flying overhead.

The prolonged exposure of the cold water was making her skin red and her knuckle ache but she didn't care. The front of her pale lavender silk dress was stained with copious amounts of blood, her pale white blonde hair streaked with red. Sniffling noisily she wiped the back of her hand across her cheek, smearing a streak of blood across her face. It went unnoticed. A group of small wild birds chirping faintly along the tree line, as she splashed water furiously on her arms and face. Once the evidence had been scrubbed away, she trudged up the beach, lips trembling as her teeth began to chatter. Looking up towards the estate that sat on the side of the small mountain side on the island she felt a pang of loneliness in the pit of her stomach. Alone, she was truly alone now; a place that had always been her home seemed empty and alien now. Bare feet navigating their way back up the pathway she tried not to think of what had happened, rubbing at her eyes it was hard not to. Khaleesi wished things were different. She wished it had been nothing more than a dreadful nightmare.

()()()()()

It had been shortly after supper when she heard the faint sounds of screaming coming from the hall, somewhere near the kitchens. Back ramrod straight she had strained to hear anything more, almost wondering if she had heard it at all. Needle work forgotten in her hands, she'd given a tentative reply from her position in her chambers.

"Emilia? Are you alright?"

The hand maiden had given no reply to Khaleesi's calls. Setting aside her work she'd walked to the doorway leaning out into the hall and cast her lavender eyes in either direction.

Nearly jumping out of her skin as the screams sounded again, fainter this time less force behind them. Curiosity getting the better of her judgment she continued towards the source of the noise, finger tips trailing the edges of the wall as she walked. When she came to stand in the entryway of the large kitchen she gasped loudly as her feet slipped on something wet. Falling, she landed sharply on her backside. Wincing Khaleesi willed the pain to subside. Bringing her hands up she'd found them to be sticky, dripping with red. Blood, so much blood. A large puddle had congealed on the stone floor, the pungent scent of copper hanging in the air. Grasping blindly for the counter next to her, Khaleesi pulled herself up her gown sticking to her skin the blood smeared across her lips as she covered her mouth in quiet horror. Lying on the floor just to the side, was Emilia her face was ashen white and still, eyes unseeing and vacant, a gaping slash across her throat. Only one person could have been responsible for such a gruesome act. Her body guard Hendricks, a tall and normally silent man he had been appointed to watch over her since before she could remember. His tales of battle and war that had once amused and excited Khaleesi now filled her with gripping terror of his capabilities. Why would he harm Emilia, but more importantly where was he now? She hadn't exactly been silent in her foolish journey to the kitchen and she couldn't have missed him by more than few seconds.

Willing herself to be brave she knew she could not stay frozen in fear for long, least Hendricks come back, and find her standing over Emilia with her mouth gaping open like a fish. He would surely show her as much mercy as he showed her only friend.

'Hide, you must hide!' She thought frantically.

A small woman, hardly five feet tall and slender. Emilia had once teased her jovially that should a man fancy her, all he would simply need to do was place her in his pocket. As if she was a trinket. Surely this warranted many hiding places?

Clutching her bracelets to her wrist to prevent any jangling she raced back down the wide hallway towards the den. A large unused stone fireplace sat in the far end of the open room. The estate itself was embarrassingly large for just for three people, made entirely of marble and other cultured stone it made for quite the lavish home. The fireplace stood as a focal point in the den, its mantle twice the span of her arms and opened somewhere around four feet high. She could easily walk inside without incident by simply ducking her head, for a tall man of 6 foot 9inches such as Hendricks it would be near impossible short of crouching on to his hands and knees. Towards the back of the fireplace was Khaleesi's saving grace, a hidden corner it allowed a person of small stature to squeeze inside and come around to the other side of the estate it you followed its winding curves.

Squeezing inside the space she held her breath listening intently for any sign Hendricks was near. Taking shallow pained breaths she grimaced at the prickling numbness that settled into her legs from crouching for so long. The adrenaline she had felt from earlier wearing thin and she felt strangely tired. Closing her eyes for just a second she nearly dozed off.

Clink, clink.

Head snapping up, she listened closely.

Clink…clink...Clink.

With a terrified realization, Khaleesi knew it was coming from within the narrow space, but which direction? She didn't dare leave her hiding place to investigate. When it came again she recognized the odd sound, a sword scraping and prodding stone.

Before Khaleesi could contemplate how Hendricks had managed such a feat she was drug painfully hard towards the direction of the den. Palms dragging across the rough slate, the stone cutting into her delicate palms. Her tiny wisp of a frame was no match against the soldiers iron grasp. As soon as she felt the open air around her, she bucked and kicked helplessly in his arms. Frightened screams escaping her lips he suddenly flung her down from his arms to land hard on the floor. The air fleeing her lungs she lay stunned, coughing and sputtering she looked up at him.

Hendricks regarded her with cold indifference, never having been a very expressive man to begin with. She had once wondered if all men were this way, if that was to be her experience with them. It hadn't taken long to decide his course of action once word had reached his ears of the Princes betrayal to his people and crimes against the crown. Raising his booted foot he meant to simply crush her, no need for a blade when she was such a wee thing. The first time his boot connected it was a vicious reckoning, what little air she had forced out, a blinding pain seizing her. As he made to slam down his foot with the same force again he was met with the explosive pain, a jagged object jutting out the meatier portion his foot.

When he had thrown her to the ground Khaleesi had clutched madly at his belt, blindly grasping a serrated small blade. It had gone unnoticed by Hendricks at the time, though he'd taken notice of it now. Grunting loudly he pulled the blade from his foot tossing it down and in three short strides had gone to retrieve Khaleesi as she crawled away, angrily grabbing her by the ankles he pulled her along the marble floor, stomach and chest dragging painfully against the stone. Flailing her legs wildly she grasped for the blade again, voice heavy with fear.

"Hendricks, Please! What have I done? Please, no!" She pleaded.

He'd said nothing, only continued to drag her out towards the hall and in the direction of the gardens. Sadly Khaleesi realized the wound she had managed to inflict wasn't given a second thought. He was taking her towards the trees; his gait unhindered. Forced to endure the indignity of the ground as it tore her skin, leaves and twigs imbedding themselves in her hair, holding the blade tightly against herself trying to hide it. He tugged on her shoulder.

"Hendricks why, why are doing this?!"

She had thought silence would be her only answer. What came instead made her stomach heave with dread.

"You needn't concern yourself, just accept your fate and let us be done with this."

Just like that. He'd decided that her life meant nothing; this was simply a means to an end.

Willing herself to be quiet inside Khaleesi took a deep breath and told herself again to be brave. Even if it were nothing more than a lie, she would gladly pretend. As Hendricks gave one final tug against her shoulder to roll her over she put everything she had into her small frame and thrust the blade upwards. Staring fearfully into Hendricks calm face his amber colored eyes unblinking, she was stunned to find her strike had rung true. The blade plunged awkwardly from the side of his neck. Blood seeping heavily from the wound.

If he was surprised by this he didn't show it. He only stayed half kneeled above her one hand slowly retreating from her throat. Opening, and closing his mouth once, twice and by the third time his teeth were coated thick with red. It dripped from his nose as he reached to remove the blade. From where she lay Khaleesi could see it had come out the other side. With a sharp cry she pushed and shoved at his upper body from her vantage point on the ground. She did not need an invitation, no one needed to tell her to run.