S.U.R.V.I.V.E. by shadowgirl416
Beta Reader: Avatarfan445 :D!
Chapter 3: Runaway
She had no words to explain what she had just seen…
Her castle, her home - was… was… different!
The colors, the things, the paintings, the furniture… everything!
"Dominick- you better have an explanation for this"
She made him mad, and sad - but he didn't change everything in their home.
Wait…
Maybe he was kicking her out! He didn't want to be with her anymore!
Oh God!
Her babies! She wasn't going to see them again!
"What have I done? I said things that I really didn't mean - I love him, and without him in my life I wouldn't be able to go on. What have I done?"
….
She entered the main room; she recognized it even when it was completely different.
Two figures sitting in the thrones that were supposed to be Dominick's and hers…
Were her eyes deceiving her?
As she got closer with the guard, she recognized the man sitting in Dominick's throne: Frederick!
And was even more shocked when she saw the woman sitting next to him, on her throne!
"Lily?" she breathed in disbelief.
The black haired woman smirked and stood up from the throne.
"I see you have done it, please wait until tomorrow to receive your prize. Now hold her while we talk to her…" she told the guard holding Erika.
"What have you done with Dominick?" she screamed trying to break free from the man's grasp.
"Look, darling. She is the idiot that signed the deal-" Lily chuckled as Frederick joined her side staring at Erika.
"Thank you for making this all possible" he mockingly said.
"What are you talking about?" Erika felt confused, venom and anger filling her voice.
"All of this - you did it" Lily replied pointing at everything around her.
"What? What have you done to me?"
"To you? Nothing, darling. I took your responsibilities away, I only made you a big favor" those words reminded Erika of what she told Anneliese when she pushed her - maybe she had done further damage... A damage that she wouldn't be able to cure or reverse.
Guiltiness started building up as she remembered.
"You see… we were waiting for you." Frederick continued "You ruined all my plans, so you had to be… erased from the story to make us have a happy ending"
Erika only watched them as they talked - what was going on?
"You wanted to be free from all the work that being a queen required - so I took it from you" Lily said.
"What do you mean?" she asked, then she remembered- "Where's Dominick?" she screamed, maybe if he was near he could help her.
"Dominick… he's gone." Frederick chuckled
"We are the rulers now - you are erased from the story and Dominick is… another one" Lily smirked.
"I don't know what are you talking about… please stop this-" tears where starting to form in her eyes.
"Darling-" Lily started as she took a paper out of her elegant black dress pocket "You signed the contract, you caused this" she showed to Erika, her name signed at the bottom of the piece of paper. "So tell me… how are you enjoying your day?" the witch mocked.
"What have you done?" Erika stammered
"Oh no! Erika, it's what you've done! Thanks to you, Dominick couldn't get married before Frederick"
"What?" She didn't have any idea of what they were talking about- the tall white man started explaining.
"My uncle wanted his son to be king, and to make that happen he had to get married before me - but Dominick's bride ran away! The king 'passed' away and I took his place along with my witch girlfriend!" he cruelly laughed embracing the pale woman at his side.
"Don't call me that-" Lily flatly complained.
Erika processed the new information being delivered to her, examining where it could be wrong "But I helped the princess to come back… I pretended to be her so the marriage wouldn't get cancelled!" Erika remarked, Lily took the contract again.
"How could you?… When you never existed." she giggled.
"I don't understand!" Erika's tears ran down her cheeks, Lily got closer to her.
"Here, let me spell it out for you sweetie" she pointed at some words on the contract "You gave me a day from your past - a day from your childhood that you didn't even remember…" she smirked, put the contract on Erika's pocket and let her to figure it out.
'A day from her past, her childhood, which she didn't remembered…?'
She looked up at the smirking evil rulers, her face smeared with shock.
"You took the day I was born." she sneered.
"No, Erika. You gave it to her" the king pointed at his wife as she smiled with pride.
"Enjoy this while you can, I'll find Dominick and one day I'll be back-" the violet eyed woman cut her off.
"Wait! … You haven't heard the best part - since you were never born when this day comes to an end… so will you!" Lily exclaimed as she giggled, her husband joined her with an evil laugh. Erika felt like fainting again, this couldn't be happening!
She was going to die?
No, no- maybe they were tricking her!
"Where's Dominick? Where's my family?" She screamed, the tears and sadness being replaced by anger and hatred.
"Silly little girl, you don't get it do you?" Frederick grinned, Lily continuing his statement "You see, you were never born… you never helped Anneliese and Julian, you never met Dominick - your kids don't exist" she grinned once more.
"OH! You see you got exactly what you wanted! And so did we!" Frederick commented.
Erika got angrier.
She had to do something about this, but staying here and letting them get away with this wasn't going to work.
She kicked the man who held her in his crotch - freeing herself from his grasp.
"Guards! Get her!" Both evil minds called in unison.
Erika started running as fast as she could - this was her palace she knew the way out.
Many men were chasing her and she just kept praying that they didn't throw those lances at her.
She finally got outside; she was near the royal stable.
Erika ran as fast as she could towards it, and pushed a man that was on top of a horse - sending him to the floor - she moved his leash to make him start running. The horse neighed raising his frontal legs to the air, then started running like the wind.
The guards saw her getting away and decided to say she escaped - she was on a horse she was probably miles away from there already.
But some guards decided to follow her with their own horses.
She kept her distance but she knew she couldn't hold the horse forever at this speed, so she decided to run away like she did at the party - towards the forest. The brown horse kept running deeper into the woods, until the guards were not making any noise - or they were so far away they couldn't hear them-.
The horse stopped gasping for air, Erika's hands were trembling.
How could this be happening?
Everything was gone.
Dominick was gone - her babies where gone!
Everyone she knew was gone…
Wait!
Anneliese and Julian!
They could help her!
She started her way towards the neighbor kingdom across the forest.
...
After some hours -
After climbing all the way up to the mountain top, Erika's horse got closer to the entrance of the familiar castle, a guard with a lance on his hand staring at her.
She looked up and met his gaze.
"Who goes there?" he asked, Erika started thinking about what she was going to answer.
She couldn't say the truth and say she was the queen from the other kingdom - the guard was going to think she was lying.
"I-I…I was sent here by - King Frederick to…h-m - deliver a message to the… King." she replied, her voice shaking - she was not very good at lying.
The man examined her for some seconds and raised an eyebrow.
"Why didn't they sent you in a carriage?"
"Well…huh-Because…letters don't weight that much" she was so busted.
"Can I see that envelope then?" he asked, she nodded. Thank God she had that stupid contract on her pocket, so she showed it to him.
"Are you armed?" she shook her head, placing the piece of paper on her pocket again.
"I have to know your name, to keep records" she nodded
"Madeleine…Carp" she smiled, the guard nodded and opened the door.
'LUCK' she thought as she entered the palace territory.
She stared at the castle, it was different from the way she remembered it.
The colors were completely altered; the mint-green ceiling was changed for a dark red and the rest she remembered was all pink it was…purple?
'Wow, they really need some advice with color combinations' she thought, she could help them she had been combination colors for beautiful gowns almost all her life - she had some experience.
The weird thing that she notice was the gigantic 'P' placed in the entrance of the palace.
Why would they have a 'P' on their house, that letter wasn't in their names…was it?
No…maybe in their last names.
She decided to ask them those questions when she actually was with them.
Some guards stared at her; she pulled on the control of the horse to make him stop walking. One of them pulled a little piece of paper out of his pocket, showed it to another one and pointed at her.
Maybe Frederick had told Anneliese's guards to catch her, so even when she was at her best friend's house - she had to run from them.
She looked at how they walked closer, how they carried their lances and looked at her with bloodthirsty eyes.
'Anneliese and Julian are going to get you all for this'
She jumped down of her horse, and in the moment her feet touched the ground she started to run - again.
They started running behind her; she instantly spotted some bushes and jumped inside of them. They didn't saw her hiding there and kept running as she smirked with satisfaction.
Then she realized she was under the balcony of Anneliese's room, she assured herself of her location when she started to hear her singing…
Anneliese had to get away from him, just for some minutes to think about what made her happy.
He was suffocating her!
He was planning their first anniversary ball, and it was that night. For her it wasn't another year of a wonderful marriage, it was another year without him.
Her sorrow only grew when she remembered him… and how she had been forced to marry that…person.
Her only wish was to see him, just one more time. And confess everything she felt, but she knew that was never going to be true.
He was gone, probably with a new partner by his side. Living happy without her while she mourned his depart every single second of her life.
What could she do? Anything. It was all part of the deal, and she had agreed with it.
What could she do to feel better?… Sing her sadness away. Even when she knew it would only make it bigger and painful.
Anneliese walked outside, resting her elbow in on the railing of the balcony. Placing her hand under her chin to support her head.
She started to softly sing to the wind:
This time, This place
Misused, mistakes
Too long, too late
Who was I to make you wait
Her eyes started getting teary.
Just one chance, Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know
You know, you know…
He finished climbing to be on top of the ceiling of the castle. It had been hard and dangerous but she was worth it.
Just to take a glimpse at her, to hear her sweet voice one more time… and try convince her to go with him.
Those were the reasons he had to infiltrate in this territory.
Her.
He walked carefully…he heard her singing and finally spotted her - his heart started beating faster.
The brunette heard Anneliese singing, some meaningful words but - dedicated to who?
She sounded sad and hopeless… no happiness or life in her voice.
Not anything like she last remembered her in the birthday party…
Erika watched how a masked man started to descend from the ceiling using a rope.
He landed on a corner of the railing of Anneliese's balcony, and quietly stood there - watching her.
Erika didn't know what to do; maybe she had to warn her.
Maybe he was going to kill her!
Or… maybe not, he could had done it long ago since he arrived and he was just staring at her.
She kept hiding and watching every move the persons on the balcony did.
The queen continued her song :
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore…
Tears ran down her eyes and passing through her cheeks, it was worthless. Nothing could make this hurt go away.
She cleaned the tears off her face with her hands. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a presence near her.
She recoiled a little when she saw him; she could have sworn she was alone. But a masked man with dirty and ragged clothes was standing in her balcony, holding a rope that was connected to the ceiling.
She walked closer to him; somehow she wasn't afraid of this masked stranger.
He bent to look more directly at her and started to sing:
Do you ever think about runnin' away?
'Cause I was thinkin' about leavin' today?
She gazed at him, he sounded way too familiar.
We'll follow forever where our hearts wanna go
Maybe we'll live somewhere where nobody knows our names.
Then things might change for the good.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
I wanna be somewhere so far away.
To lie under the night at the end of another good day.
I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,
He watched her while she looked at him - she was as beautiful as he remembered.
But as long as we're together then forever is never too long.
Too long, oh no
She smiled at this kind stranger; he was offering her to run away with him.
"How can I runaway with you? I don't know who you are" she told him as she aimed to touch his mask - maybe being lucky and try to remove it.
But he caught her hand just in time, and he looked straight into her eyes as he continued his song:
Do you ever think about my comin' back?
Hoppin' on a train and we'll burn up the tracks.
We'll jump off somewhere that we don't know how to say.
He kept piercing her eyes with his icy ones, making her feel… comfortable.
She joined his song:
Maybe hitch a ride from someone who can tell us the way.
To where these things might change for the good.
He smiled too, though his mask didn't let her notice. She grinned with happiness as she recognized those eyes.
And both sang in unison:
I wanna be somewhere so far away.
To lie under the night at the end of another good day.
I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,
But as long as we're together then forever is never too
Oh, forever is never too long
Erika was baffled; Anneliese was flirting with a stranger that came down from the ceiling!
Who was he? Some type of spider man?
'How can she do this to Julian? Should I tell him?'
She was so confused by her behavior!
How could she want to run away with someone when she was married to Julian and was pregnant with his child!
Anneliese got closer to him and she felt something in her heart.
Something forgotten and put aside for so long that sprung to life when she realized her mind wasn't playing her games - those eyes!
Those unforgettable, piercing blue eyes!
It was him! He came back!
She continued singing:
Not with you right here by me
He joined her; she left him to sing along:
Baby maybe we'll just see, yeah
Where this road will lead for us.
He still was holding her hand, and they twined their fingers together.
Butterflies on his stomach, her heart on her throat.
And both sang in unison to each other:
I wanna be somewhere so far away.
To lie under the night at the end of another good day.
I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,
But as long as we're together then forever is never too-
I wanna be somewhere so far away.
To lie under the night at the end of another good day.
I can't tell you how long we'll be gone,
Their heads leaned closer, inches apart.
Even with his mask on she could feel his breath on her lips.
But as long as we're together then forever is never too-
Forever is never too long.
A maid carrying a tray screamed when she saw the scene between them.
She dropped the tray and yelled: "An intruder! An intruder has the queen!"
The 'stranger' released Anneliese's hand, and jumped off the balcony.
The blonde's jaw almost touched the floor when he did that, but he landed safely on the ground and started running away.
Anneliese gave a dreamy sigh as she watched him running.
"Your majesty, are you alright?" the green eyed maid asked. The queen turned her attention towards her, and tried to hide her happiness.
"Yes, yes I-I am alright...Thanks to you" she took the maid's hands "If you hadn't screamed that burglar would had taken me, thank you" she smiled, the maid bowed feeling a little confused.
How was she going to get kidnapped? She was singing with him leaning her face along with his - even with a mask on.
"I-It was nothing your highness, I'll inform the guards to keep an eye on burglars"
"Thanks again"
Author's note:
I do not own any of the songs.
The first song that appears is a part of 'Far Away' by Nickelback - Anneliese is supposed to be singing it so try to imagine it with feminine vocals lol. The second one is 'Runaway' by Three Doors Down :D
So, wandering who is the mysterious man that visited Anneliese?
Stay tuned for the next chapter and thanks to everyone that supports my writing!
Really means a lot to know people enjoy what I write 3!
Many thanks to my beta reader Avatarfan445!
Please review if you read, I check the story traffic - so I know you do read it.
Thanks for reading!