Ch. 11: Past Mistakes
Ow...My head.. Shawn slowly slid his eyes open as he began to regain consciousness. His entire body ached, but most of all, he had a splitting headache. Trying to forget the pain, Shawn carefully looked around. He had been moved from the forest to a small room. There was one light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling, but it's fading glow did little to help him. He could, however, make out the silhouette of a round table positioned underneath the light bulb. One wooden stool sat next to the table, but it looked ready to fall apart. Shawn slowly stood to his feet and rubbed the back of his head while he examined the remainder of the room.
The only other thing in there was the door. It was a large door, made out of some type of metal. Shawn pressed his ear against the cold door, trying to make out any noises from outside his make shift prison. He could hear them. Faint voices talking amongst themselves, but Shawn couldn't make out what they were saying. All he knew was that if he didn't get out soon, he would be in a lot of trouble. Rummaging in his pockets, the boy tried to find anything useful to help him break a hole in one of the weak looking walls. Nothing.. Shawn quietly knelt down next to the base of the door, which sat a good inch off the rotting floor. He could make out eight feet; which meant there were four of them out there. Standing slowly, Shawn took a seat on the old stool next to the table and pondered what to do next. He needed to get out, but he couldn't make any noises are else the thugs outside would hear him.
Unless.. A quick smile played its way onto Shawn's face as he bounced up from the stool. He kicked the old thing onto the floor, then smashed the table apart, trying to make as much noise as he could. Outside, Shawn could hear the voices grow louder and angrier. It's working. Now come on and open the door. A soft click snapped against the door, followed by a faint grunt. Barely dodging the bright new flame that entered the room, Shawn ducked behind the metal door and waited for them all to enter. Four short and plump men carelessly walked into the room, weapons in hand. They surveyed the tiny room swiftly, but tensed when they realized their prisoner wasn't there.
"Hey! Where the hell'd he go?" "Got me. I coulda sworn he was just here..Wasn't it him makin' all that racket?" The other three nodded in agreement, and made their farther into the small space. Seeing his chance, Shawn slipped behind them and out the door, slamming it shut behind him. "HEY! You son of a bi-" Once the door had closed shut, Shawn hurriedly locked the bolt into place. Loud muffles could be heard on the opposite side, but he knew no one would hear them. Ok..Now I need to get out of here. The room he was in now was much bigger. There was a large square table in the center, and five chairs scattered around it. Two hallways on either side of the room led elsewhere, though he didn't know which way to go. So, instead of picking the wrong choice, Shawn cautiously walked into the hallway closest to him on the left. He could feel a breeze, and shouting echoed into the walkway. Without second guessing himself, Shawn ran down the hallway. He carefully slowed to a quiet walk though, when he heard more voices coming closer to him.
"So, where to next?" "Well, first we gotta check on the prisoner fer Eddy. Then, I say we go and rape some random women!" "Hahaha! I like the way ya think!" Shawn knelt down in the shadows, patiently waiting for the two brutes to walk by. He spied their shadows dancing along the wall across from him, and took a deep breathe. Once the two had walked past him, Shawn jumped up and slammed their heads into one another. short groan escaped one of them, while the other simply collapsed onto the ground. Another quick smile flashed onto Shawn's face as he moved the unconscious bodies against the darkest wall. Waiting to make sure no one else was coming, Shawn moved forward, the screams now getting louder.
After a few minutes, he came to a large open window. On the floor next to the window, Shawn spied a half broken throwing axe. It was still in great shape, but half the handle had been broken off. Shawn quickly picked it up and silently gazed out the window. I'm...In the clock tower? It was true. Shawn had been moved to the clock tower that stood near the center of town. Underneath him, in the growing morning light, he could make out a group of people standing around a smaller group of people. The larger group was laughing and whispering among themselves, while the smaller group cowered in fear. Shawn raised the throwing axe, trying to figure out which to hit first; but he stopped suddenly when a familiar face caught his attention. Walking towards the two groups, a young man with jet-black hair that fell around his shoulders approached them. He was wearing a crown of some kind, and a long red cape was draped over his shoulders. Ed..?
"So boys. What do we have here, hm?" "Hey there boss. We got us a couple of virgins 'ere." "Virgins you say?" Edward kneeled down next to one of the three girls that his men had surrounded and lifted her head. "You seem to old to be a virgin." The girl quickly slapped his hand away as she hissed at him. "Traitor!" Edward gave her a small frown, which turned into an evil grin in an instant. "I'm no traitor. I simply played you all like the fools that you are." Standing, Edward turned and began to walk off towards the Mayor's home. "Go ahead and due what you want with them boys. Just be sure to get rid of the bodies when you're done." "Sure thing boss!" "Oh, by the way. Where did Hugo go?" "Uh.. I think he went to go check on the prisoner fer ya." A soft snicker erupted out of Edward. "Oh that's right. Poor little Shawn. He's probably dead by now. Oh well, these things just happen I guess." The group chuckled calmly to themselves while Edward glanced over his shoulder down to the girls. "Such a pity too. He would've loved all this.."
Clutching the throwing axe in his hand, Shawn glared down at Edward from the window at the clock tower. His one true friend. The only person that ever took care of him; betrayed him. He used me! Anger boiled up in Shawn's body as he watched Edward walk away. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his arm back and threw the axe. It whizzed through the air, leaning slightly towards the left. "Oh! I almost forget. When you boys are done with them, be sure to grab Darin and go ta-" The group of thugs, turning to see why their leader had stopped giving them orders, moved away in fear. Edward fell to his knees, an axe lodged into his lower neck. Fear grappled his face, and his skin began to grow pale as the blood trickled down his body. He slowly moved his head to look towards the direction the axe had taken, and immediately spotted Shawn. "Y..You! Snake!" Edward gulped at the air, trying to breathe in one last breath before falling over onto his side. Meanwhile, Shawn stared back at him, his anger subduing inside his body as a small laugh echoed in the hallway. "Good riddance.."
XxXxXx
"..After that, his group just kind of went nuts without him and left the place. I left the next day..I couldn't stay there after what I did.." The princess merely nodded, her gaze resting on a rose bush in front of her. "So what happened after that?" Shawn heaved a quiet sigh and pushed himself off the stone pillar. "Afterward, I just wandered around looking for work. Then I stumbled upon a job opening here in the castle as your bodyguard." "I still don't understand..Why are you so tense all the time?" Laughing to himself, Shawn shrugged his shoulders a bit. "I guess I never got over what Ed did to me. Well, not just me, but to the whole town. I suppose I'm still a little angry at myself for believing him, and for killing him." "So, you go around acting as if you're emotionless to protect yourself and to protect everyone else?" "I guess so." "What do you mean you guess?" Cassidy stood and smacked Shawn's shoulder playfully. "You need to stop being so emotionless. It's not healthy." The Cobra stared at her for a few silent seconds before laughing to himself once more. "Yes, your highness."
Meanwhile, leaning against a pillar shrouded away from the princess and Shawn, Tye yawned lightly. He was fiddling with a knife and tossed it into the air a few times, listening to the other two talk. His mind wandered about, thinking of how to approach Shawn now that he knew who he was. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to worry about that. "So Tye, how long do you plan to hide back there, hm?" Tye froze, but soon recollected himself and smirked a bit. Walking out from behind the pillar, the White Wolf laughed. "As always Cassidy, you somehow know everything." "I make it a hobby of mine." Laughing again, Tye shook his head and flopped down onto a bench. Shawn though, was in small disbelief. "Tye..You've been here...the whole time?" "Yeah pretty much." "And...You aren't mad?" "Nope." Tye kicked his feet up onto the bench and laid back onto the cool stone seat, still toying with his knife. "You had your own reasons for hiding your identity. No ones gonna judge for it." "Really?" "Of course. Although, I'd be watch Kyrie and B. Those two might freak a little." Laughing, Shawn took a seat on the bench across from Tye's. "You've got a point there.." The two stared at each other for a few silent seconds before their reunion was interrupted by a loud crash. Tye jumped to his feet, sword drawn, and stood in front of Cassidy. A split second later, Shawn was behind her, his whip out, both warriors ready to protect the princess. "What was that?" "I don't know. But it didn't sound friendly." The two carefully surveyed the garden, catching every single object that flinched. But their concentration was broken when a loud screech echoed through the skies, followed by a familiar voice shouting at them.
"Tye! Shawn! Get down!"
XxXxXx
Alex lazily walked around the castle, boredom creeping up on him. A small yawn escaped his lips as he rounded a corner into the dining room. He was greeted by the girls, who were all eating at a nearby table. The oldest boy took a seat next to Brissa, and was immediately met with a servant. "What shall you have to eat, Sire?" "Um..Whatever they're eating I guess." "Very well, Sire." Once the servant had disappeared into the kitchen, Alex looked towards the ceiling and stared at the large chandelier. "Hard to believe I was dangling on that thing a couple days ago..Now look at it. It looks brand new." The girls all gazed up at the chandelier as well. "Weren't you scared?" "Shitless." Giggling, Kyrie shook her head. "Hey you asked." "You know Alex, sometimes I think you'r-" She was cut off, however, by a loud crash that echoed into the room., followed by a loud screech. "Shit." Another loud crash shook the room, knocking over several vases and portraits. "I swear this place is like a battlefield!" "Tell me about it!"
Alex jumped up from his chair, immediately reaching for his bow. He ran over to the window, and his eyes grew wide as he came to a stop in front of one open one. "Girls, we have a problem..Again!" Hopping out of their seats, all three girls ran over to the bowman and took a peak out the window. Flying in the sky straight towards the castle was a monstrous looking bird. it's large blood red feathers flapped hard against what little wind there was. It's mouth let out another piercing screech, revealing a set of ghastly looking teeth. It's talons scraped across a building, ripping the roof off. Alex climbed through the window and slid down the side of the wall, running after it once he had hit the street. "Alex! What the hell are you doing?" "I'm gonna try and kill it! Kyrie! Take the girls into Marissa's room and keep her safe!" "Ok! But you'd better be careful!" "Always!" And with that, Alex dashed around a corner. "Who's Marissa?" "I'll explain later, just follow me." Leading the other two girls out of the dining room, Kyrie ran through the rattling hallways, leafing through her tome. Behind her, Brissa unsheathed her blades, watching corners and open doors. Aubrey spun her spear, getting it ready just in chase.
The three ran swiftly through the castle, moving past chaotic soldiers and their commanders barking orders. They were all met with almost no resistance, which worried the girls. "Why aren't there any enemy soldiers?" "I don't know! Maybe they're on their way?" Laughing, Aubrey shook her head. "I hope not!"
Damn, this thing is fast. Alex darted past another building as the terror in the sky destroyed the top floor. Drawing his string back, he fired an arrow at the bird, hoping this one would actually hit the thing; but to his disappointment, it missed by a good distance. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Alex picked up his pace, trying to get underneath the bird, but was cut off by a row of rubble and debris. Tugging the bow over his shoulder, the boy climbed up a half destroyed building, then jumped a good distance onto another. He then made his way to the top of that building and jumped down onto the street below, rolling as he landed. Glancing into the sky, Alex caught the back of the thing's tail, and bolted after it. He soon realized though, that it was headed straight for the gardens. Where the hell is it going? Sadly, his question was soon answered.
After running for a few minutes, he spotted three figures standing in the gardens. Two of them were surrounding the other, and Alex caught sight of Tye's coat. But he almost stopped when he saw Shawn standing behind the princess, ready to fight off anything. What the..Shawn? Another crash rattled the earth beneath him, causing him to stumble onto the ground. Gazing up, he saw the bird swoop down, straight for his friends. Bouncing up, Alex ran as fast as he could towards them, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Tye! Shawn! Get down!"