Stay
Chapter 26
A/n: Hey guys. Surprised I'm still alive? Actually me too haha. Lately I realized how terrible a writer i actually am. Almost 3 years and I haven't even finished one story. Sounds ridiculous, yet it's true. Thats why I want to give a huge hug to everyone that stuck around and didn't leave this story. I love you guys so much and your reviews make me constantly think about how I can make this story better. It's going to end soon, and I'm thinking about whether I should have a prequel since some of you guys suggested it. Thoughts?
Also everything in this chapter is purely based on what I think would have happened in that time frame of the story, so Colin may have just been a kid babbling with a farm accent for all we know.
Anyways I loved writing this chapter, so hope everyone enjoys it!
No matter how harsh and firm sorrow gripped me in its hold, I knew I couldn't stay like that forever. Jack needed me. Also the fact that his sister and mother were nowhere to be seen drove a fierce shiver up my spine. I needed to get out of here. I gingerly stood up and brushed the snow off my shoulders. It wouldn't be long before daylight, when the crowds would gather at the square to witness Jack burn at the stake. Just thinking of those words made my bones quiver. My first instinct was to sneak into the town jail and find him. So I hurried down the path where Colin's entourage had gone. I didn't know how much time had passed, and the only thing that could console me right now was the lateness of winter mornings, which could buy me some time for finding Jack.
There had never been a reason for me to visit the Burgess jail, so naturally I hadn't the faintest idea where it was. All I knew was that it was situated somewhere near the mayor's mansion. Going there was the only solution I could think of. I couldn't go home since Colin's men would be there, and that probably meant I would never see Pegotty ever again. As if things couldn't get any sadder. Not to mention that there was no possible plan of ever rescuing Jack, even if I found him. What could I do, anyway? There wasn't any safe way of passing the guards that were sure to be watching the entrances without being harassed. As a young girl living in the 18th century, my options sure were limited.
Dry branches splintered under my feet as I descended into the dark confinements of the city. Carefully I walked through the cold roads made muddy by all the melted snow. The darkness was eerie, twisting around and attempting to choke me. My feet pattered through the slush as I wound through alleyways, towards the mansion where my father had taken me to on a visit in the early days when we just moved to the town.
The mayor's quarters loomed up suddenly before me when I turned the last corner. Two guards stood at the front gates, torches blazing in their hands. Another gigantic building rose ominously about 100 metres south of the mansion. Flames of torches licked at the thick dry brick walls which housed the crooks and bandits awaiting judgment. Among them was Jack, beaten and innocent. I had to get in there.
When I inched closer to the jailhouse, keeping close to the shadows, I felt sharp prick on my finger. A thorn gleamed from a rose bush beside me. I looked around and saw that the jailhouse was surrounded by a perfect circle of the most beautiful rose bushes, separated from the building with a radius of about 10 meters, the blooms almost reaching my shoulders. But the fragrant aromas of the flowers in bloom could never compare to the viciousness of its thorns. Sharper than needles, they glinted wickedly under the pale moonlight, forcing outsiders to keep away and criminals to stay in. I could never crawl through those bushes alive.
As my eyes skimmed over the perimeter of the bushes, I noticed a guard standing at a gap in the rose bushes; the only safe entrance into the jail. How was I supposed to get in there without being molested or punctured severely by those deadly thorns?
The cold winter gale whistled through the trees. The guard gave a sniffle. I waited, and waited while standing beside the bushes, but no plan came to my head. The guard lifted a hand to scratch his head and resumed his stiff posture. I heard a lone wolf's melancholy howl from deep in the bowels of the woods.
Finally a rustle through the trees broke the silence. From behind me, a warm strong hand clamped over my mouth and pulled me down so I was crouching by the thorns. "Be still," a calm kindly voice said when I tried to wriggle free. I whirred around to see a towering old man with the strangest face I had ever seen. It was like I had seen him before, maybe in a dream. He was glowing in the darkness, except his was a glow coming from inside him, like how the moon would light up softly when it was at its fullest, when Jack and I lay in our secret clearing and gazed up at it, talking about our plans for the future.
The old man wore a long cloak which pooled at his sandaled feet, and his (e/c) eyes twinkled brighter than the stars. "(f/n) dear, you need not be frightened. But true happiness comes only when you find it in yourself, and not in anyone else." With that he rose up and gazed at the jailhouse.
"Later, lose no time in running into the jail. Find Jack and stay by his side. But when they come to collect him, hide and follow them to the town square. Never let them see you." The man then helped me up and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. But I will never stop loving you, my little (f/n)."
After saying this, he turned around and paced towards the guard, his words still ringing in my head. I edged along the bushes to see what he would do. The man stopped in front of the guard and pressed his hand to the burly fellow's forehead. A faint glow emitted from his palm. I heard a thump as the guard thudded onto the ground, then a snore as he slid into a peaceful slumber on the cold icy path.
The old man looked up at me, and for a second I was sure I knew who he was. Then he vanished into golden dust, leaving me with an opening to the jailhouse, to Jack.
I stepped over the snoring guard and walked along the well swept path right up to the huge metal double doors of the building. I grabbed the door handle and with all the strength I had, gave the door a forceful yank. I almost stumbled over when it readily swung open on its hinges, no resistance whatsoever. I figured you didn't need chains or locks when you had a full circle of sickly sweet deaths staring right into any intruder's face.
A cold breeze struck my face as I nervously stepped foot into the jail. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was enough to make me double over and gag. How could anyone live like this? The place reeked of the stench of human waste and musty unkempt cells. Chains tinkled against metal bars as prisoners got up to see who had entered their abode, the straw on the ground shuffling beneath their feet.
Keeping on a straight face and trying not to make eye contact with any of them, I proceeded into the one large corridor into their midst, the door banging shut behind me of its own accord. Men and women in tattered clothes and matted hair leered at me, some even stretching their arms through the bars to get a hold of me. I was trembling all over with fear, my eyes constantly darting left and right searching for Jack's slight figure.
Jack
Cold winds blew into my cell as I heard the door being swung open. They're coming for me, I thought to myself. Wincing in pain, I got up from the curled position on the floor and leaned head against the cold hard stone wall, the cut on my forehead was still sticky. Strange enough, it was so soothing against my skin, still bruised and bloody from the beatings dealt out by Colin's guards. I would've froze to death already in these few thin clothes, but instead I felt as if the wind was healing me, the chilling cold wrapping around me in a protective blanket.
I was turning into a monster. What sane being would love the cold as if it was his lifeline? The last traces of warmth in my body were dissipating into the air around me. I squinted through the dark at my palms, freakishly pale, almost translucent. They weren't wrong in taking me away, tearing me from her. I hadn't dabbled in no magic, but my current state was enough to make me fear myself. How could I let her see what I'd become when I had no notion of why?
Groaning, I turned my head towards the dull steel bars of the jail. The footsteps coming towards me were nothing like the heavy claps of leathery boot soles. Fast light paces grew louder, and suddenly, her face appeared through the cell door. For a moment she stood there stock still, staring at me with her lips parted. What a state she was in. Her clothes were caked in mud, her hair sticking out of its braid. But all that vanished as I dragged myself towards the bars, needing to touch her. She rushed to me, kneeling down on the broken stone ground as she reached a shaking hand towards me. I grasped it and pressed her palm to my face, kissing it gently. 'Jack, you're so cold,' she whispered, smoothing my hair while I smiled at her through the pain shooting through my head.
'(f/n), I thought I would never see you again-'
'Shh...' she hushed, pressing her forehead against the bars, her eyes fixed on me. 'I wouldn't ever leave you, Jack, no matter what you become. You know that.'
In that moment, something inside me fell. I had misguided her. '(f/n), you must run away. There's no place for you here anymore.' I reached up and wiped a smudge of dirt off her nose. She deserved better than this.
(f/n) shook her head. 'No. You're the only one who understands me. How can I be happy if I'm not with you?', she pleaded. Her beautiful eyes began to cloud with tears. It wrenched my heart to the point where I didn't even feel the pain of my bruises, but I had to make her understand.
'Listen, baby. You can't tell yourself that you'll only be happy if I'm around. What if I'm gone? What if I just disappear the next day? No matter how hard you make sure you're beside me, I can't always be there for you. No matter how much I want to, we will never be together forever. You must understand, that you must find it within yourself to be happy.'
There. I said it. No way was I going to let her pine after me when I died on the stake. If she didn't get out now, she'd never get the chance again. Her face fell as her hands started shaking. 'I...I can't leave you, Jack. Why don't you understand?' Her eyes were wide in confusion, reminding me of a deer I once saw in the woods. The poor thing had its leg caught in a tree root, and its dark brown eyes were rounded in panic as I helped free it.
My girl was scared. It was the last state I wanted to see her in, but we both knew that we couldn't save each other. I took her face in my hands and tried to calm her down. She shivered at my touch. '(f/n), promise me you'll save yourself, please.' I smoothed down her unruly hair and smiled at her. To my surprise, she gave a little laugh. A tiny sparkle flickered in her eyes for the slightest second.
'Yeah, having a date in the dungeon is totally my idea of fun,' I grinned. 'Jaaaaack, don't joke about this.' (f/n) sidled closer to the cell bars and sat down, leaning against them with my hand in her soft palms. Sighing, she whispered, 'Actually, I couldn't be more happier now. We're together again, and that's enough for me.' She shifted around and looked me in the eyes. 'Don't worry about me, Jack. Just remember, that I'll always be yours.' Her lips curled up into a smile, and I was reminded again of how long ago our last real kiss had been.
We stayed there in silence, my jail mates whispering through loose bricks about the crazy couple we made. Occasionally I glanced at her direction. Her tears had dried, and she had on a face that made her the most beautiful and peaceful person in the world. The moonlight that shone through the straw roof reflected made her cheeks glow I immersed myself in her presence, not bothering about the fate that awaited me when the sun would rise. For now, nothing could separate us.
(f/n)
We must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes, Jack was shaking me urgently. His piercing blue eyes were all the more striking in the dark. '(f/n), hide! They're here.' I snapped awake and scrambled to get up. It was still dim around me, but I felt sharp winds blow towards me from the giant door creaking open. The sound of guards hollering made me panic when I noticed a huge pile of straw lying next to the wall beside an empty jail cell. I buried myself in the musty pile and held my breath.
From what I could see through my hiding space, there were four young guards clad with light armor sauntering down the corridor. Each held a burning flame torch. They joked about with each other and sometimes pounded the bars of different cells with their clubs, yelling obscenities at the prisoners. It was disgusting to look at.
I held my breath when they neared Jack's cell. One of them fished out a ring of rusty keys and started looking for the correct one. 'Wha'dya think's gonna happen to this one, eh?' The blond haired one drawled. 'Dint'cha hear, ya deaf goon?' His companion replied. This one's goin to the flames. Careful now, ye don't know what he got up his sleeves."
As soon as the lock was turned, their chatter quietened down. The door swung open and revealed Jack who lay slumped against the bricks, his tired eyes gazing wearily at the men in front of him. 'Right sonny, don't make a fuss and we won't burn you.' His friend produced two heavy chains and shackled Jack's hands together, so they weighed down his slight form even more. 'Get up,' another one said gruffly.
Jack didn't move. Clearly irritated at his order not being obeyed, the guard swung his torch near Jack and laughed when he flinched at it. 'When I say get up, you get up!' He would have taken another swing at Jack,when the first guard held his arm out and restrained his crazy colleague. 'Dirk, no torch. Only if he fights us, got it? Boss's orders.'
Dirk grumbled something that would make one's grandmother box their ears, and shuffled away from Jack, his eyes gleaming with hatred. 'You know what they do to magic folk, Ice boy? They burn 'em, and that's whatcha got comin at ya.'
The other three helped Jack up and half dragged him out out of the cell. He seemed so weak and drained, ready to drop dead at any second. 'We gotta be careful with this lad, Jim. Seems like the bad luck's with him. Did ya see what happened to Mason out there?' Blondie shivered. 'Shut up and we can get this over with quick,' Jim growled.
I crept out of the mound of straw and followed them silently, the mud on the floor muffling my footsteps. The other prisoners didn't make a sound as they watched me in curiosity. Jack's breaths were heavy and forced, and every time he slipped a bit and was hoisted back up roughly, the groans that came out of him tore me apart.
It was as dark outside as when I came in, so there was no problem for me to slip out the doors right after the guards. For the first time, I thanked the darkness that wrapped around me. I scurried around the building just when one of them turned around to bolt the doors.
'Hey Jim! I think I saw somethin run off away there,' the burly guard who had hurt Jack yelled. I flattened myself against the wall and held my breath. A drop of sweat glided down my neck. 'Please go away please go away please go away,' I begged to no one.
'Just a rabbit, son.' Jim's annoyed voice grew muffled as together they trotted down the path, their torches gleaming and flickering. The sun was already reaching its long flaring fingers of ray between the mountains.
As soon as their footsteps faded, I sprinted away towards the opposite direction of the city square. Countless meetings with Jack had trained me into memorising every alley and backway there was in Burgess, making me a walking map. I didn't want to make a scene at the main entrance, so I took a few turns to ensure I'd emerge from the service houses on the far end of the square, away from the eyes of the people who would come to see Jack be tortured and burnt.
The service houses reeked of cheap perfume and incense. Cleverly hidden away from the view of normal passersby, these ugly, poorly-thatched buildings were home to the girls who were abandoned or so poor until they had to sell themselves for money. The dark shadowy alleyways proved ideal for those who came to seek pleasure and fun yet wanted to remain unknown.
Scantily clad girls shivered as they stuck their heads out the narrow doorways, pulling their cloaks tighter around them and checking out the growing bustle in the square. I ducked my head and skimmed along the grimy path, lest one of their owners passed by and decided to have me as an addition to their money making business. Timid eyes peered at me from dark front halls that had never seen the sun, painted nails and cherry lips flashing by as I picked up my pace.
Once, the heel of my shoe caught onto a turned up tree root. Falling face down on the ground, I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up. Something warm ran down my nose, and I wiped it away, my sleeve stained red.
They had erected a timber pole on a large wooden stage in front of the town hall, leveled tall enough so that everyone could see it from wherever they stood. Dumped around the pole were dried sticks and tree roots, arranged in a heap around the pole, ready to catch fire upon a tiny spark. Already there were hundreds of people milling about, pointing to the stage and gossiping to each other. I scoffed at them. Who did they think they were, come to see an innocent boy meet his doom while tied to a tree? Of course, they wouldn't think he was innocent. Colin would have made sure of that.
I drew my scarf up to conceal my mouth and nose before slipping into the shadow of the town hall. In the distance I could hear the drums, thundering that a prisoner was to be put to death. There were guards all around me, separating the spectators from the stage. No one would recognize or even take notice of me, as I had discarded my shoes and my face was the prettiest sight to behold. I pushed and jostled until I was pressed up right behind two guards and could see through the space between them. The crowd had parted, and I could see Jack's silvery head as he struggled to stand straight, four guards dragging him towards the stage. I glanced up and was so close to letting out a scream. Colin stood beside the pole, looking extremely smug and important. That snake! The only one who deserved to burn was him. Colin had donned a fine purple robe with gold threads lining the collar, and looked on disdainfully as Jack ascended the steps.
Jack was so badly hurt and pale. His clothes hung tattered on his body, and he let out a heart-wrenching cry of pain when the guards threw him down at Colin's feet. The metal shackles on his hands thumped on the stage. Silence flooded through the crowd, and everyone stood on their tiptoes so they could hear the criminal's sentence.
Colin's foot twitched as if he was about to kick Jack in the chest, but he cleared his throat and took a step forward. 'My dear citizens of Burgess, as we all know, the Decree of Peace and Justice states that every man be granted his free will to live as he may. Yet, if he by any means harbours intentions of harming a fellow citizen, be it in any form, he shall be subject to condemnation, and should he be found guilty, due punishment shall be delivered to him.'
'Cut the prologue, prissy and get to the main point,' I hissed under my breath. The guard in front jerked his head in my direction, and I stared up dumbly at him, sucking my thumb like a simpleton. He grunted and looked away.
'Over the years, our ancestors have been as fair and just as the law they passed down to us. And the law states, all but one crime is unforgiveable, that is the practice of witchcraft and magic.'
Colin gestured to Jack. As he opened his mouth, dawn spread over the square. 'And so my friends, we gather on this day to hear the charge against Jackson Overland Frost, a boy turned foul by magic and spells, all of which we detest.'
The crowd's whispers were like the wings of birds flapping as they took off into the air. Jack rolled onto his side and sat up, glaring at the people who had once been so kind to him. I saw the baker who used to give us a free bun on good days, looking at Jack like he was a monster. I saw Mrs. Todt, the town seamstress who always spoke so well of Jack ever since that time he saved her cat from falling into a lake. She had her gnarled arms crossed over her chest, her lips puckered in distaste.
I hated everyone here. Why wasn't anyone helping Jack? Could people's opinion of you really change so fast, regardless of how long you've known them?
Colin's shiny boots clopped against the stage boards as he read out Jack's charges. 'You, Jackson Overland Frost, have been charged with dabbling in the dark arts of magic, possessing the knowledge of manipulating the elements of nature, and potentially harming an innocent human with that power. This, as decreed so long ago by our forefathers, can only be forgotten by the punishment of death. Therefore, I hereby condemn you, Jackson Overland Frost, to eternal death, upon the stake.'
As Colin talked, Jack was busy scanning the crowd, his chest heaving painfully as his icy blue eyes took in every face come to see his humiliation. I knew he shouldn't see me here, but too late. His eyes found mine, and we both froze. It was like the first time we set eyes on each other, when I had just come to Burgess in a crowded wagon. Back then, we were worlds apart, and now we were even further than before. I thought I saw him shake his head at me once, before he looked away and went on drinking in the crowd, like I was just another face there to laugh at him.
One second the crowd was murmuring, the next they were hollering that Jack should die, and the sooner the better. Everywhere there was chaos. 'Kill him!' 'Don't let him live!' 'Burn that creature out!' The people were livid. I guess I didn't catch what Colin said to make them like this, but chances were good that Jack would die within the next hour if they continued.
Except he wouldn't.
I would not let him die.
Especially at the hands of Colin Leggard.
Guards marched onto the stage and grabbed Jack from Colin. They brought him to the stake and fastened his arms around the pole and tied his feet to it so he was positioned above the dry sticks. Jack squirmed around uncomfortably, trying to find footing on the wood so he could hold himself upright.
A flicker of light caught my eye. The captain of the guard ascended the steps with a blazing torch and handed it to Colin, who took it with relish. Jack's eyes lit up with fear, and like a captured animal, he started to fight free of his bonds.
'Too late, old chap. You should have thought things through before you went and got yourself into this,' Colin smirked. Jack was pleading something I couldn't hear, but Colin advanced towards him. The torch was lowering, the twigs were quivering with the heat, one more step and they would catch fire…
'NOOO!' I slipped between the guards and sprinted towards the stage. Hurling myself onto the platform, I dived between Jack and Colin, the flames in his hand inches from my face.
No one was shouting anymore. No one whispered, no one fidgeted. I felt every eye on me as I breathed in heavily, my eyes glaring steadily at Colin's. For a while he wasn't sure how to react, then he plastered on a sickly smile and said, 'Step aside, (f/n), I don't want to have to ruin your pretty face.'
'I don't care, Colin. I will never let you hurt Jack, you snake.' Jack was dumbstruck as I hurried to untie the cords that held his hands, but was firmly lifted up by a guard and thrown down at Colin's feet, just like Jack.
'This boy has been caught red-handed performing magic, and yet you still dare to stand before me and defend him?' Colin's voice was calm, but I could hear the anger broiling underneath.
Wickedness flickered through his eyes, and he grabbed me by my hair and tossed me so my head thumped against the stage. '(F/n)!' Jack shrieked like he was about to go crazy. Colin strolled over and placed his boot on my head, pressing down just enough so that I could feel the pattern of the sole imprinting on my cheek.
'Let it be known to all here, that this wench, (f/n)(l/n), who has been bethrothed to me, blatantly refused to be faithful, and instead chose to defend her lover. Now I ask you, friends, would you tolerate this infidelity?'
Colin raised his hands to cries for murder and for me to die with Jack. I looked around and found my father standing at the doorway of the town hall, his face in despair. I bit my lip and tried to smile at him, and he looked away in shame.
The boot was lifted off my face, and I heard a sharp crack sound in the air as Colin drew a long, slender whip from his belt. 'For the adulterous, the punishment is to be tried and whipped. Yet, this whore-' 'Don't call her that!' Jack growled, his muscles straining hard against his bonds. Colin paid him no attention. '-was found alongside the criminal when he was arrested, and apparently holds knowledge of his doings. Not very innocent after all, I daresay.' He slid the whip over his palm and cried out, 'Drag her down! I will not have her falling off to her death. Its too easy.'
Two more burly guards hauled me up and dragged me so I was kneeling on the ground, the people pressing in on me. Colin held the torch and in one quick motion, flung it onto the woody pile beneath Jack. As the flames licked up the twigs hungrily, Colin smiled in triumphant as I watched in horror at Jack screaming, my body held down by arms too strong to tackle.
While the wood burned, Colin descended the steps and came to stand before me. Tipping my chin up, he raised his whip and gazed pitifully at me. 'I didn't want to have to do this, (f/n), but you gave me no choice.' With a smirk on his lips, he brought the whip down. I met Jack's gaze, and held it as the blow landed.
As the whip struck my face, pushing me to the ground and leaving my skin burning, a wild snarl reverberated through the air. The sound of ice breaking and cords snapping were clear as a shotgun fire. Strong winds started up from the north. I winced as the whip flew at me again, only to find a dash of blue streak through the air and knock down Colin. Jack's features were oddly lit up, his teeth bared as he delivered blow after blow to Colin's body. The blonde-haired boy was panic-stricken, desperately trying to inch away from his attacker, but Jack was on an unforgiving roll. All around us, people were screaming and running away. The heavens thundered and darkened, and snow started falling down like rain.
Jack pummeled Colin relentlessly, but Colin was not one to give up. Eventually he got up, but instead of fighting back, he charged at me, his face that of a maniac's. I couldn't get up, the side of my face was swelling making my eye close. I felt Colin's fingers close around my neck, and just as I thought this was how I would die, Jack dove at Colin and bowled him off me.
The two of them continued wrestling each other, one trying to come at me while the other forced him away. I looked on in amazement at how Jack suddenly had the strength to bulldoze Colin like that. What had been a roaring fire at the stake was now a damp heap of smoky ash. Jack must have frozen his cords then snapped them off before letting himself loose on the person who started all this.
All of a sudden, I saw Colin pick Jack up and hurl him across the square. Jack's body made a dull thud on the pavement, and crimson red pooled around his head. 'Look who's down, pretty boy. You can't win, Jack Frost. I will always triumph over you.' For a second, Colin's eyes flashed golden.
'Jack, please wake up,' I begged softly, wishing he would get up. The remaining people around stopped and fixed their eyes on Jack. He lay crumpled on the snow, his blood seeping into the pure white. Colin sauntered over to him, but before he could cover half the distance, Jack hoisted himself up and grinned at him. 'Never in your wildest nightmares,' he said. Then he lifted his arms and shot such a violent blast of wind at Colin that the boy was thrown against the bricks of the town hall, his neck snapped at an awkward angle. At this sight, I felt nauseous again and dropped on the pavement. The next second, Jack was right beside me, holding me in his cold arms. '(f/n), its okay, you'll be fine, just stay with me, please, stay with me.' His hand cupped my injured cheek, and I could just make out the curve of his lips before the darkness hit me.