Chapter Nineteen - Rocky Roads Ahead
Soooo I realized I had a few options. I could either work on the update for one of my other stories that I wasn't feeling inspired for at the moment, or I could work on an update for Little Black Star that I would be inspired for. Naturally, I chose working on this update, because if I'm inspired it'll be better. I know, I know, some of you (and maybe even people who don't read this story but read the others) are waiting for those, and I promise that they'll be coming soon. I just would rather work on something I'm inspired for so that I can be happy with it rather than force myself to write something that I'll just be banging my head on a table over (I have done that before).
Evx : Haha, that's amazing! Tell them that they are welcome. :p I love to hear the torture I subject people to, especially emotionally- I mean, what? Aw, I'm so sorry for them. c; And I'm glad Teague's arrival is reacted to the same by you as it is by Mina. At least he's here, right? That's a start!
Guest 1 : I'm glad you liked the appearance of Templestiltskin. I'd like to work in a few more appearances of other characters from the book - as there are still quite a few people I could include - and, as you've seen, Templestiltskin is still in the game. As for Nix, well, ya. I mean, I can't hurt him anymore, right? But I did go hurt him pretty badly. Oops. I'm glad you appreciated the Claire and co appearance, and that you love the story even with it's cliff hangers (both literal and figurative). And that is probably a perfect reaction to Teague. xD
tardiscompanion101 : Poor Mina is right. But I mean, she's not suffering as badly as she is in some of my other stories. cx Although you are right, she doesn't deserve this crap. She normally never does, I just throw it to her anyways. After all, what would the story be if I didn't?
Now, let's get to the actual reason you guys are reading, even though I'm sure my awesome comments on your reviews play a part in why you keep coming back. :3
This startles me, and I scurry backwards, finding that I can still hear them as I push against the corner, trying to hide myself. "What do you mean, you're doing this the hard wa-"
They don't get to finish the statement, and I hear the sound of a hoof colliding with...something. I don't really want to know what just happened, but I'm really wanting to hide in this corner. I don't know what's going on, but I'm terrified. I can't really figure out what was going on in that conversation, and that terrifies me.
The door opens, and light comes flooding in, and I blink. It seems so bright compared to this dark room, and it takes me a moment to even be able to see. It's like it temporarily blinded me. However, when I can, a centaur stands in the light in full glory. I expect to see Blonde there, but I don't. Instead, I see Blue, and I'm too stunned to say anything. I didn't even consider it, but here it is, right smack in my face. He was blue and gray in coloring. It all makes sense. How did I miss it?
He slowly begins to shrink down a bit, and the whole horse part disappears, turning into normal, human-looking legs. His hair changes to black in color, and the tail disappears completely. His hair adjusts a little in style as well, becoming it's normal look again. His clothes are there, the black in color I'm still getting used to when considering the gray clothes I saw him in for two weeks. And his eyes. The eyes that I once thought were gray stay the same, because they were blue the entire time. I thought I knew Blonde's eyes as his, but I can see now that I was wrong. If I'd seen Blue's eyes, I would've known.
"Miss me, Princess?" A smirk takes his face, and he extends his arms almost as if he's expecting me to run over and hug me. "Your prince has come to save you from the tower."
I can't decide if I want to cry in relief from the fact that he's saving me - again - or murder him.
Mina's Point of View
(at this point, you probably expect that, but I do promise you'll eventually get a chapter that's not her perspective!)
I think the shock of everything that's happened finally gets to me as I look at the pigheaded prince, and my legs become jelly, causing me to fall onto my knees on the ground. Hard. At this point, I don't care that it hurts. I'm just relieved that I'm going to survive. At least, I think I'm going to survive. With this prince, I'm not sure.
"Um..." Teague looks as if he's not quite sure what to do with the fact that my legs have literally given out beneath me, and actually seems rather uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" It's a really stupid question for him to ask. While the fall didn't hurt super badly, I have other injuries that do hurt, and he should know that. Not to mention the fact that I am emotionally hurt and scarred, and that the whole point of this curse is to make me suffer. I think, anyways. It doesn't matter all that much. The point is, he should already know the answer. "No, that was a dumb question. Of course you aren't okay."
He definitely seemed smarter when he was Jared, at least in my opinion. "Obviously."
"Let me see." He orders, and I make a face.
"They aren't that bad. I'm fin-" I try and argue, because I realize that I don't know if I want to give Teague the satisfaction of knowing that his curse is getting to me.
He stops me. "Let me see them, Princess." I wince a little as he uses the nickname he used while being Jared.
"Fine." I mutter, extending my hands and arms out in front of me - facing so that my palms are upwards - so that he can see them. He approaches, kneeling down with a concerned look on his face, and gently takes my left arm so that he can examine it further. I take the moment to smack him across the face with my still bleeding right hand. It might not be the best decision I've made, but it's satisfying. "That felt good."
He pulls back as he let's go of my arm - more from shock than pain, I'm sure - and looks angry. "What was that for?"
"For sending me into this torture!" There goes the idea of not letting Teague know he's getting to me, although that had 'failure' written all over it from the start.
He sighs, obviously sounding as if he is trying so hard not to lose his patience with me. "Look, I'm trying to help you, so I'd prefer if you didn't slap me. Just let me fix you up." Ya, slapping him was not a good idea. It's best not to get on the Dark Prince's bad side.
Teague takes my left arm back again, waving his hand over it. A warm, gold glow rushes over my arm accompanied by a feeling that tickles, and the cuts and bruises disappear as the glow and feeling does as well. He repeats this with my right arm, and also with my side - through my shirt - so that the bruises from being thrown around and hitting things there are gone. However, he doesn't help my neck injuries, and so I decide to ask him about it.
"What about my neck?" The question leaves my lips as my own hand reaches up there, feeling how raw it feels and the two, rather cold necklaces adorning it.
He shakes his head. "That would be cheating."
I raise an eyebrow suspiciously. "So you can heal the rest of my injuries and save my life, but you can't heal my neck and take the necklaces off?"
"That's the way it works, yes." Of course, he makes it sound like it's obvious, but that just frustrates me. "Now come on, Savannah and her guards will be coming soon to get you for your execution. I'm assuming you don't want that, so let's get you up and out of here." I try to stand, but my legs shake too much and I fall back down, this time onto my backside. "Here, take my hand." He extends his right hand out to me.
I grab it with both of my hands, and try to get myself up with his help. It doesn't work though, because my legs still shake and I fall back down, releasing his hand as I do. What is up with them? "Stupid legs."
"Ugh, we don't have time for this." Teague says, running a hand through his hair in a frustrated fashion. "You must've hurt them somehow."
"Can you heal them?" I ask, thinking about the fact that I am at a serious disadvantage if I can't walk.
He shakes his head. "Yes, but not right now. It'll take too much time. We'll have to get you out of here a different way."
Before I can protest, he picks me up, holding me bridal style. So, of course, I protest after. "Teague!"
"Calm down. I'm saving your life. Are you seriously going to criticize how I go about doing that?" He asks, and while I guess it is rather ridiculous when he puts it like that, I'm not going to admit that.
That's when the realization of just how close our faces are together hits me. He's already turning his head away, beginning to leave this cell and head out. However, I'm still looking up at his face, and thinking about the fact that, while we were in the cell, I actually felt like Teague was concerned for me. Not only that, but for a split second, it actually seemed like he was full out worried about me. It's probably a ridiculous thought. There's no way he would feel like that when it has to do with me. I'm just a Grimm girl that's he has cursed, and I don't even know what happens if I manage to break the curse.
Happy moment ruined. Go me.
I turn my gaze away from Teague's face, and he uses his shoulder to shove the door of this jail building - at least, that's what I think it is, as the cell I was locked in is in here - open, and a loud, alarm-like sound goes off. Instinctively, my arms go up to wrap around his neck out of fear so that I can cling to him. He snickers at me, and I drop my arms, embarrassed. Although I will admit I'm also irritated by the fact that he's laughing at me.
"No worries. I'll protect you from the scary alarm." He's still amused by my action, and probably by my embarrassment as well.
So, naturally, I defend myself. "It's not the alarm I'm scared of. It's what the alarm means."
He waves it off as if it's nothing. "I told you I came to save you, did I not? Don't worry. It wouldn't be much of a fairytale if the prince failed to save his princess, now would it?"
"Can you just stop calling me that?" I ask.
He doesn't respond. Instead, I feel his hold shift slightly to a more protective way of carrying me, and he takes off running. I close my eyes, tilting my head towards Teague so that I won't have to see what's happening. I would like to believe that he'll save me, however this whole situation that's occurring scares me, and reminds me of what happened last time Teague came to save me. I ended up getting snatched by one of Scylla's heads. Granted, that was better than sinking with the ship, all he really did was shove me behind him and then fly off when the head grabbed me. So, I guess it's okay for me to be concerned that Teague might not save me. At some point, I'd like to ask him why he made one small, pathetic effort to try and help me and then just flew away. Now is probably not the right time.
"Wilhelmina Grimm is escaping with another, unidentified Fae! Initiate lock down!" The voice of Savannah White booms out over some sort of intercom - probably the same thing that the alarm went off on - and I hear the sound of hoof steps.
"Crap." Teague mutters under his breathe. I barely manage to make it out. "Dang it."
A little bit of fear runs through me. That doesn't sound good at all. "Teague," I say his name hesitantly, "you do have a plan...right?"
"Of course I do." He says it like I'm ridiculous, and I feel slightly stupid. I also am annoyed by it though. Just a moment ago, he made it sound like that announcement was really bad. Now? He's acting like it's ridiculous that I even dare to ask such a question. "I just can't go rushing out of you right away, so we're gong to need to do something else. I'm going to have to throw the hounds off our scent, because I can't just teleport you out of here. I can get us down, and then you are going to hide. Okay? I'll come back for you once they think we've gotten away."
"Do you promise?" I ask nervously. I can't help but wonder if he won't actually come back for me. That would be worse than a lot of other things he could do, if I think about it.
He humors me - I can tell that's how he views what he's doing by the look on his face - and nods. "Of course."
He rushes down a ramp, and when I turn my head to look ahead of us I see large spikes jutting out of the ground around this little tree civilization. Wonderful. They've really designed this place well, haven't they? Teague makes his way over to a tree, and examines the ground. I follow his example, and see a hole underneath. I have a feeling I know what he's thinking. I also have a feeling that I'm not going to like it.
"I'm going to set you into this hole, okay?" I shake my head even as he says the words.
"No no no, please Teague, no." I whimper, still shaking my head.
He tilts his head, taken by surprise and seeming frustrated with me. "We don't have time to argue. This is a perfect hiding spot."
"But it's going to be dark and small! There will barely be any room for me to hide, and there will be no way for me to escape!" I try and argue with him, but he shakes his head.
"Do you want me to save your pitiful life or not?" That stings. I say nothing, and he takes that to mean that I do. "Then you're just going to have to deal with this. Stay put, alright? Don't let them catch you."
It's not like I'll have much of a choice in whether or not I stay put. From what I can tell, my legs are still injured. That's why Teague is carrying me, after all. Even if there was a back entrance, I wouldn't be able to get through it fast enough. I'd literally have to drag my legs along behind me, and that would go painstakingly slow. Not to mention it would totally give me away. If anyone comes and finds me here, I'm doomed. Not that Teague seems to think of that. He sets me down not quite as gently as he could've - although it's more gentle than I expect - and I sit under the tree, terrified. If I'm caught, I am dead meat. There'll be no saving done by Teague if that happens.
"I'll be back once they think we're gone." And on that note, the prince is gone.
I sit there in the dark, turning my gaze away from the dirt wall on my right side and staring up the hole that is slightly to my left to see what's going on. It's really dark outside now that the small, invisible light sources that the centaurs have on their wooden, tree village are gone, and it doesn't seem to be getting any lighter. I guess it depends on whether it's passed midnight or not. For all I know, it might get even darker. My breathing seems way too loud, but I don't know how to quiet it. My heartbeat is going too fast, pounding so loud that I'm sure everyone around can hear it.
I hear a rustle from above, and suck my breath in nervously. I want to let myself believe that it's Teague returning already for me, but I know it's not the case. Maybe it's something harmless, like a vampire turtle. But I shouldn't let myself believe that. I know that it's much, much more likely that Savannah's lovely centaurs that she has control over are coming closer. I can't let them find me, but if they see this hole, I'm a goner. I doubt they won't see it too. So my only hope is to use Fae magic.
The only issue is the fact that I haven't been able to use that magic that I've been practicing with before I came in here since I came in here, and that means that my fate rests on something that is pretty much impossible.
Please don't look in here. I will. Please don't look.
"There's a whole over there, guys." A voice says - I think it's Black's - and my hopes are dashed.
The response comes from someone I don't recognize. "Well check it out then."
Inwardly, I begin to sob. I'm going to die. It's all gone to waste. I'm going to be murdered. I got my hopes up for nothing.
"Then don't choose to die. If you don't want me to have died for no reason, and if you don't want my death to be your fault, then get up and save your life! Or are you going to let your mother be right?"
My dad's words echo in my head, and I hug myself tighter, trying to pull myself together so that I don't sob out loud. Not that it really matters, seeing as they've seen the hole, but at least I'm not giving myself away. If I die, then I have to know that my dad's death was for nothing and that I can't do anything in order to be forgiven for the fact that he died because of me. I can't die. Yet what else am I supposed to do?
I shut my eyes, wishing that I could to be anything else than myself so that I can survive, and I prepare for the fact that I am about to be brought for my execution.
Uh oh. We had a kind of cute, kind of argumentative chapter with Teague and Mina. And then, as we saw, he left her to try and protect her. Of course, that didn't seem to end very well. What do you think is going to happen? Is Mina going to have escaped, only to get caught again? Is Teague going to save her? Also, do you agree with Mina about her thought that Teague wasn't actually concerned and/or worried for her? Or do you disagree, and think that he was? Please let me know what you guys are worried about, what you hope for, what you liked, what you disliked, what your theories are, what your reactions you are, and anything else you may want to let me know in your review! ^-^
I'll see you next time, whether that's at another one of my stories or at my next update here. Also, I hope you guys are happy that I actually gave Little Black Star (and some of my other stories) cover photos! They deserved them.
~ Dagger