Chapter 6 - Memories

POV change - Tean

"RUN! RUN AWAY!"

"YEH'RE COMING W'TH US, TARRANT!"

"TEAN! GO AWAY! SAVE YEHRSELF!" Tarrant shouted, trying to convince me to go without him.

The Jabberwocky was too near for him to reach me and he had to save the White Queen.

"TARRANT! QUICK!" I called, while Terence, my fiancé, pulled me by an arm to keep me safe.

"TEAN, HE WILL REACH US! COME!"

"NO!"

"TEAN! LISTEN TEH MEH: AH PROMISE THA' AH'LL REACH YEH! JUST RUN AWAY FROM HERE!"

"Tarrant…"

Then, a big beam of wood fell right between us.

We immediately went to my dad and ran away.

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We ran into the woods until we arrived in Terence's old house, in the western countryside of Witzend.

Later in the evening, I sat in my bed, staring at the tea cup I had in my hands.

"If you look at it a bit longer, it might change in something different, you know?" Terence told me, with a light grin on his face. I didn't even try to curve my lips.

"Hey?" he said lifting my chin to look at him "He promised, didn't he? So you'll see each other again"

I looked at the tea cup one more time "Remember that you promised…" I whispered.

Once we finished our tea, Terence was going into his room, but I stopped him: "Terence?"

"Yes, love?"

"I need someone to sleep with tonight, could you please…?"

He came over to me and hugged me tightly.

"Is it a yes or not?" I asked.

"If you need me to, it's clearly a yes, honey…"

Then we laid down together and quickly fell in a troubled sleep.

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A few month later, the relationship between me and Terence grew so that one day we found out that I was with a child. We were happy, obviously, but we actually didn't know what we would have done.

It was my 5th month of pregnancy, when the worst happen: the Red Army found our hiding.

All I remember, is that I woke up in my dad's bed.

"Finally yeh're awake, Tean!"

"What happened? Where is Terence?" I said, trying to sit, but I was stopped by a sharp pain in my belly.

"Rest…" he told me "Tean, yeh do remember the attack, don't yeh?"

"I do"

He sighed deeply, then continued "They've captured Terence 'nd hurt yeh, unintentionally. Ah had teh call the doctor for yeh…"

"Was I that hurt?" I said as I started to scare.

"Not directly, just…the baby… Yeh lost it…"

In that moment, the entire world fell upon me: too much lost in a too short time. All my clan, my brother, my companion, my baby. I'm sure I've never cried that much before.

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The soldiers were all around the house, waiting for me to get better, because they had to bring us to the castle. A week later we left.

We reached the enormous red and white palace: we walked up some stairs and we have been taken in front of a huge fancy-decorated door.

My dad entered first with two guards, they busted out a few minutes later followed by the Queen's screams: he gave me a sad but sure look.

"So?" I timidly asked.

He sighed: "Downal wit the bluddy behg hid!". A guard yelled at him to shout up and they dragged him away violently.

"Where are they taking you?" I asked panicked.

"Tha gaol agam oirbh, mo lassie!*" he called behind his shoulder.

"DAD!"

"Enough, spoiled girl!" the guard that was holding me ordered and started to lead me into the Throne Room.

"Your majesty…" I muttered bowing at Queen.

"You see, Stayne? That's wespect! You can stand!" she told me "What's youw name?"

"Tean Paula Hightopp, Highness"

"Another Hightopp?!" Stayne shouted brandishing his sword.

"SHUT UP!" the Queen yelled to him, making him set the sword in place again, then continued: "Fwom what I heawd that twaitow was youw fathew, giwl: if you pwomise me that you do not have his same ideas, you can be suwe that youw head will wemain on youw neck. So?"

I was silent, but decided to play along: "Who? That man? I considered him my father just because he conceived me. I really don't have a precise political idea, but I'm quite interested in yours, Majesty"

"I like youw way of thinking, Paula. Pwetty much like Stayne's when he awwived" said the Queen coldly "Can you do something useful fow me?"

"Well, your Highness, I was an horse trainer and I can make horse tacks. I could take care of the royal steeds, so You will have an unstoppable cavalry…"

"Intewesting…" she thought about it a little "Befowe I decide, I want to see you at wowk. Stayne, bwing the colt out of the stable! You will do youw 'show' with Diablo, the son of my Knave's howse. You'll bettew be gentle!" she finally said.

"Yes, your Majesty, but first, if I may ask…" I lifted my hands up, showing her the chains.

"Of couwse" then she made a gesture with the right hand, a guard came over to me with a key in his hands and delivered me.

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We arrived in a large hall in the gardens with two boxes: both the horses were raven black.

The one that the Knave was holding seemed to be the youngest one.

"Well, that's youw pawtnew: let me see what can you do!" the Queen ordered, walked away, followed by Stayne and sat on a chair near the barn.

"You won't be able to tame me!" the horse snapped at me.

"I don't want to tame you, I just want you to learn some things you need to know if someone will want to ride you" I answered simply.

The colt blew with the nose, making a few steps on his right: "My name is Diablo. My father is the other black horse back there, Shadow".

"I see, I'm Tean. I love raven black horses, you know?" he turned his ears to me.

"Let me remind you that the Queen is waiting!"

"Oh! Right!"

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"Now, up!" I told Diablo, making the rest of the rope rolling, and the trot became a gallop.

"I saw enough fow today!" the Queen told me, as Diablo stopped "I have nevew seen this howse obey unquestioningly, giwl. I decided, you'll be my pewsonal Howse Twainer"

"Thank you, your Highness!" I said bowing again at her, my nose almost touched my knees!

"Stand!" I obeyed.

"You'll stawt tomowwow! You awe allowed to go whewe you want down hewe, do evewything you need to do with the howses" she turned and got back to the Throne Room with the Knave.

"Of course, your Majesty! As you wish!"

*Tha gaol agam oirbh, mo lassie = I love you (not romantic way), my child.