Chapter 20: BACK TO D'NALGE: Imprisonment
"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded spinning around; my mind still a daze as the pound of the guard's slow footfalls slowly subsided until they were no more. They were long gone-- it would be useless to shout for assistance anyway. A prisoner harm a prisoner? They could care less. The door was slammed shu5t once again-- they had gone back up the stairs, and had most likely returned to their card game, unless they had alerted the King of my arrival. The bastards. They'd left me all alone with the strange boy, with no possibility of escape. Where was the justice in that-- had D'Nalge's legal system been abolished in order to allow happenings such as this? What bullshit. No trial, no lawyer, no nothing. And I would be executed come the sun tomorrow. What did that give me? Twelve hours? The situation was hopeless. Completely hopeless-- oh, well. It figured; the people I had been trying my best to save had fucked me over in the end, and here I was. All alone with a potential psychopath.
"A friend," he replied smoothly after having thought the question over as my thoughts raged. I instantly remembered the last time I had heard this answer; the dolt I had been then, perhaps I would fall into another trap lest I distrust him… I was no longer callow after that memorable instant with Travis's disguise some time before.
"I'm not sure I can trust you," I replied, carefully, "Friend or foe. I've placed my trust in others only to be deceived in the end. Forgive me if your intentions are good," my head was reeling. I needed to sit down.
"Don't be afraid of me," he replied as the two of us heard the door that had led to the stairs lock.
"Don't come any closer," I warned, and I allowed myself to venture nearer towards him in order to look upon his face, which turned out being perfect in every imaginable way, "I've dreamt of you for months," he whispered, "Ever since they first imprisoned me here-- I've needed you, and you've come," he had begun to cry-- how long, I knew not. I sighed, hoping he wasn't lying. Hoping he had not donned some clever façade in order to lampoon me. That his seemingly good intentions did not bode ill for me.
"But who are you?" I demanded shakily; trying my best to still sound strong and not appear frightened by his altogether bluntness-- he did not venture an answer. "Please," I whispered, "Please just tell me who you are and what has happened to this world."
"My name is Matthew," he whispered, "And I was sent here because I successfully killed a shaska about five years ago… The King of this world, Nicholas VII made a proclamation some time ago that anyone in D'Nalge associated with the shaska in any way, shape, or form would burn at the stake. It passed through parliament by a landslide. The deaths began immediately after-- that was about two years ago when signs emerged that the world was beginning to come to an end. My family and I successfully hid out in a neighboring village at the back of a storeroom in an abandoned cottage-- it took them over a year and a half to find us, and after having been identified by a backstabbing friend of my father's, we were led here to die. As you can see, I am the last alive; over five-thousand have gone before me. Including every member of my family-- my mother, my father, and my little sisters. They meant the world to me, but now they're all gone," he spoke the explanation with great speed-- as if under the impression that the world might end at any moment, leaving his story untold. Almost immediately after finishing, he began sobbing loud, disoriented sobs. My heart bled for him; he scared me. He seemed so helpless-- more helpless than even I. I stared at him, hoping what he had told me was true… Hoping that this would not be some cruel jest that would lead me to my end, "Time is ticking away for me, Beatrice… I've little left."
"As do I," I replied gently, after a long pause; now frightened for the boy as well as for myself. I decided my best bet was to trust him right then and there… After all, he seemed so distressed-- so utterly saddened by the losses he had endured. He spoke with such sincerity that I could not simply dismiss his tale as a lie. He needed me, and I knew that I had to do my best to protect him. He was weak now, and there was something about him-- his mannerisms were reminiscent of someone I'd loved in times passed. He was weak of mind as well as body; he would be subject to madness-- if he hadn't been already, and I was determined to at least tryto save him from going down that road-- even though we only had twelve hours-- if that.
In the period of uncomfortable silence that followed, I proceeded to peruse through the prison-cell. It was large-- enormous, even. I shuddered at the thought that it had once housed other prisoners-- hundreds at a time. A single window was our only look to the outside world; it was barred… an impossible escape tool. I bit my tongue in concentration, looking for a way out. There was evidence of mice-- maybe rats, and by no means was the cell scrupulously clean. The truth could be no further from it.
"Tell me your story," he began later, "Tell me about the life you have led after your fiancé was murdered and you were able to disappear from D'Nalge-- you must be a powerful girl to have done so, and to have returned ten centuries later to aid a fallen boy-- a mere waif in the scheme of things."
"I returned home to the earth," I began, "This guy, Travis killed me and my best friend Carla, and my spirit-- or whatever you call it here has been sent all throughout the memories of my mother and father. Travis attempted to destroy my soul, but I was successfully able to kill him-- a shaska," I added; seeing Matthew's wide eyes, "But he's dead now, and I have returned to D'Nalge to save it from its destined fate, though, as you can see, I have not been altogether successful as of yet," I then managed to show him my bound hands. The rope had stained a dull red, and I was surprised to find how simple it was to keep my great sense of humor in such an utterly dreadful situation.
He ignored them, and looked out the barred window, longing for the outside world, "But that's beside the point," he paused to laugh, "What's important is that you're here now… Can you save me?" he asked.
I was taken aback by the blunt question and it took me a while to reply, "I don't know anymore," I whispered. And in all truth, I was determined not to provide him with false hope-- for I knew how painful that could and would end up… If I showed false confidence, I would only end up sabotaging myself in the end. He had to know that there was a chance-- a high chance that nothing would come of my return to D'Nalge other than two fresh piles of ashes in the morning, "Those dammed guards didn't allow me much freedom," I presented my bound hands to him once again, and then gasped; recognizing his beautiful ice-blue eyes, "My God," I whispered, "I think I know you-- From a dream…"
"I thought it worked," a grin spread across his face, "A mere contact spell, but--"
"Then you're a--?"
"Fairy?" he asked, interrupting me, "No. If only. I would have been out of this cell the second they threw me in-- I wouldn't have had to call out to you, and D'Nalge would be long saved. Old magic is something that can be learned by anyone; minor healing spells, and contacting spells. Nothing much; otherwise, they'd all be alive," there was a tone of bitterness and anger in his voice that I easily recognized; a tone that I had only previously before heard in mine.
For one of the few moments of my life, I was at a loss for words. The headstrong, slightly intelligent, and at times, rash Beatrice for the first time in a long while actually felt compassion for another human being. I allowed myself to reach out and touch his smooth face, although my hands were still tied together, "I'm so sorry for you."
He nodded his head sadly.
Silence fell between the two of us once again. This time, however, it was warm-- comfortable, even. There was a mutual understanding between the two of us as we had both suffered great losses but were keen on attempting to move on, "I'll try to save you," I finally whispered, breaking the silence, "I really will."
"I know," he whispered.
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We lapsed into long moments of complete silence without saying a single word to the other. But every now and then, we'd break from the routine, and speak a few words of ourselves… Trying to make light of the circumstances and improve each others' mood, although it was useless.
I wanted to cry at the sight of him. Following that temporary uplift in his spirits at my arrival, he grew almost deathly tired. He was obviously sick-- though from what, I was unsure. I did not want to question him about it as I did not wish to make him feel any worse. He was extremely thin, and appeared weak. Malnutrition, I automatically thought, but there was more to it than that. He had obviously suffered much mental hardship. Poor guy. After about an hour of us trying to keep each other talking, he lay down on the cold stone floor and I stopped in mid-sentence. His eyes gently closed, and I lay beside him as he drifted off into sleep. I could not believe everything that had happened to his world; picturing the families of D'Nalge torn apart for the sake of the shaska made me almost sick with fury.
He felt so warm against me; his back to mine. My heart began racing, "Gone," Matthew was whispering-- muttering the word in his sleep, "All gone."
I shivered gently, and inched even closer towards the boy who needed me so.
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It's all over…
And there is no way to save them. Those poor people-- the men, women and children that I had traveled all throughout the worlds to ultimately save are now dying. Screaming out my name, but I know-- and so do they that there is no way I can reach them. All I can do is watch them from the prison-cell along with Matthew as they all perish in angry fire and gray smoke; as the shaskas begin to feed reveling in their accomplishments, "Stop!" I scream, hoping that my objections can somehow reverse the bitter happenings.
I run to the bars of the cell, and frantically begin to tug, "Damn," I scream.
"It's pointless," Matthew whispers, sadly.
"But, we have to do-- something," I gasp from the strain.
"It's pointless," he repeats, and the shackles reappear on my hands.
"No, it's not," I whisper more to myself than him, "It can all work out if I can just--"
"Help!" a voice calls and I scream as I realize that a small child is screaming the word over and over again directly at me. I reach out to touch her, but she collapses onto the ground just outside the barred window not even a second before I am able to do so. The lacy white nightgown she wears quickly stains dark-red with blood.
Everyone is dying, and although I long to help them, I know it is useless. It's over; the shaska have won.
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"Wake up, Beatrice," a gentle voice was whispering through the bitter cold darkness of the shadows-- a voice that whose owner was desperately attempting to reach me despite my fright and loud shivers. I felt myself being pulled away from the mass panic-- the chaotic screams, and the deaths. The countless murders of the innocent.
"Who's there?" I whispered, opening my eyes-- the dream had caused me to break out in a cold sweat, angry tears of frustration in my eyes. I paused to wipe them away before fully opening my eyes to look upon the faint outline of a handsome face.
"It's me," Matthew whispered, and I let out a sigh of great relief. No one had come to destroy me. I remained safe, and the events that had transpired within the dream were nonexistent. I breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Thank God," I whispered, still shivering, "I nearly thought--"
"I know," he interrupted, "I heard you in your sleep."
I stared deeply into his eyes, nearly becoming lost within them as I did so. I shook the feeling off, realizing I was shivering only partly from the dream I'd escaped, "Why's it so cold?" I asked wondering if it was possible that we would both freeze to death before our scheduled execution at dawn. I laughed at the thought of the two guards-- maybe even the King himself rushing in, wanting to see us die in agony only to have their dreams crushed by finding our freezing cold corpses.
My teeth chattered loudly and I inched closer still to him for more warmth, "The four winds meet here at around midnight every evening," he explained, "It'll warm up in less than an hour. Don't worry," he smiled warmly.
I grinned a strained grin and stifled a yawn, "At least it won't be as cold in the morning when they come to--"
"No. Don't you get it, Beatrice? There's not going to be a 'tomorrow!' It has been prophesized for centuries that tomorrow, just before dawn, D'Nalge will perish in fire and smoke. What's left of this decimated world will at last cease to be. Nothing but a memory will remain-- albeit a small one," his eyes sparkled with slight fear.
Just like in my dream, I realized frightened, but I could not admit to that just yet. I wasn't sure whether or not Matthew knew of the dreams (or slight visions) I'd been sent during my previous stay. My head reeling, and deciding not to blow up over the fact he'd failed to mention this before, I pressed on, "But how do you know all of this?" I asked, almost eagerly-- intent on learning more. Whatever more I learned might help me turn the tables in my favor once again.
"The stones," he replied simply, turning his back to me, "A man imprisoned here centuries ago-- a prophet. He was beheaded for treason-- legend has it that he prophesized that the King's first daughter would die before the age of seventeen-- she did. He made them all and most ended up coming true."
My head continued to reel at this surge of information. I opened my mouth. "But--"
"Just look," he whispered, at last cutting me off, as he gestured towards one of the larger stones that made up the wall " 'IN THE TIME OF THE NEW MILLENIA, A BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND WICKED SHALL BE FOUGHT," I nodded just before zoning out. Having heard the prophecy from Elaine, and then many times-- too many times over and over again in my mind throughout the last year, I did not wish to hear it again-- not just yet.
So, here it was. Some lunatic had foreseen my future. And how funny was it that it all came back here-- that it could all be traced back to D'Nalge… All that time I'd spent here before, not knowing that the root to all my troubles and misfortune was a mere few miles away-- mere feet below me as I'd danced with the prince at the ball. It all came back to D'Nalge-- everything came back here…
It made no sense, and yet it made all the sense in the world. It was so God-damn ambiguous, I longed to throw my head back and scream.
I need to figure out a way to--
But the words were different now. He was reciting a certain part of the prophecy that I had never heard before. I stared intently at my trembling hands, " 'THUS ENDING IN THE DEATH OF A WORLD. IN THE PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY THAT FOLLOWS--"
He stopped suddenly and without warning. I turned back to face him, slightly vexed, "Go on," I whispered, now excited to hear the remainder of the prophecy-- the crucial words that Elaine had mysteriously left out.
"But that's all there is here," he whispered. "The rest was removed centuries ago and taken to a lost world-- something to do with policies at the time-- not that they've improved as of today. No one knows where the second half of the prophecy went to, but surely you have heard it as it concerns you?" he inclined his head slightly, and looked into my eyes hopefully; causing my heart to race with passion-- or at least that's the only word I can find to describe it.
"No," I replied, deeply irked by Elaine's gargantuan lack of information, "I've only heard the first half-- like everyone else," and I leaned in to find that the stone on which the prophecy had carefully been carved into was only half there; a jagged line splitting it right down the middle. I suddenly envisioned that same jagged line entering me; changing everything I'd believed and been taught. "But who would take it?" I pondered.
"Who do you think?" he asked as I realized the answer.
"Then--"
But I could not speak at all anymore as the cell had suddenly begun to shake violently A piece of ceiling fell from above us, and narrowly missed hitting my head as I was able to dodge it at the last second.
"What's happening?"
"It's beginning," I heard Matthew whisper in the darkness.