Author's Note:
I would like to apologize for the delay with this chapter. During the summer I work a full time job and was unable to work on my story on a regular basis. I'm now back to a more set routine and should be able to update more regularly. I appreciate everyone who has been reading my stories and am sorry for the long wait. I hope you like this chapter.
Chapter 26:
(Isabella POV)
We started walking towards camp when my vision was blinded by a sea of brown. I tried to turn back to see what was happening but I felt the sharp knife poke against the back of my shirt and I knew I had to keep walking forward. I kept a steady pace dragging my foot across the ground trying to avoid any obstacles that might be in my path. I kept my posture straight and movements deliberate as I focused my energy on making the vines grow higher and higher.
Suddenly I felt and arm pull me back to stop after walking however far we did. I knew that people were talking but, I wasn't sure what they were saying. I was only able to make out muffled words and broken sentences. The last bits and pieces that I heard, "Take them away... don't bring back... presentable..." I then felt myself being pulled away.
Suddenly I could see and I saw a burlap sack in the person who was guiding me's hand. I didn't have much time to react as I was pushed forward. I was thrown to the ground of a dirt cell. I was looking around when I realized that Tío Felix was gone, "Where is my... Where is the man I came here with?" I called out to the soldiers who were standing outside my door. I was only met with silence and I felt a sinking feeling forming in my stomach. I didn't want anyone in my family to get hurt and now I had no idea if Tío Felix was hurt or not. I had to shake it off and focus on the plan, reminding myself that they wouldn't do anything to him without a reason.
My mind was focusing on growing vines around the camp and trapping everyone inside. I was thinking over the plan and all the different variations I needed to come up with now that things have changed. We lost the element of surprise, I don't know if Caleb made it inside, I don't know where Tío Felix was. The best way to handle this was to get Tío Felix out before I faced the General, but I knew that probably was going to happen so , I would have to get him out while I saw the General I thought.
My mind was interrupted as I heard the lock come undone and a soldier step inside. He grabbed my arm and began dragging me away. Initially I tried to resist but, he pulled out a knife and warned me, "Try anything and the man we captured with you doesn't make it out of here." I nodded my head. A rush of relief came to me as he pulled me across the camp, Tío Felix was alive and he was ok.
The soldier ushered me into a small tent. There was a small, elderly woman sitting in the corner who looked surprise to see someone coming in. The soldier gruffly said, "Make her presentable. We don't want a Wild Woman brought forth before the General." I was getting an audience with the General, I thought to myself, letting the comments about my appearance slip away. The woman nodded and the soldier looked at me, "You are in the middle of the camp, don't try and do anything because we will catch you, stop you and kill the man you came here with." I nodded my head again.
I looked at the woman who came over to me, "Come on. We have to get you ready." She said her voice as loud as a whisper. She directed me to some water and soap and I was able to clean off the dirt from my cell off of me as she began to wash through my long hair. She moved away from me and began looking around. "We don't get many woman here but this should do quite nicely." She said as she was looking through the trunks for a dress. She then gave me a dress that reminded me of what Abuela used to want me to wear. It was a soft lavender gown that went past my ankles as the hem hit the floor, "This dress belonged to the General's late wife many years ago. It looks lovely on you," the woman spoke as she began arranging the fabric on my dress, fixing each layer and ruffle. She went behind the dress and began tightly tying the strings at the back of the dress.
It was the first moment where it suddenly dawned on me exactly what was happening. I was a prisoner being presented to their General and they were so focused on making me look perfect before seeing him. The woman smiled as she presented me with a pair of lavender slippers that matched the dress. She brought me in front of a vanity as she displayed different items on the table in front of me. "You have such long hair," She commented as she began combing through my hair. She worked from the top of my head and began adding some small tight braids to properly frame my face. I noticed that the streak of hair I had dyed with flowers was gone and that any reference to plants that I usually adorned was gone. She then moved in front of me and began using a bunch of different powders and make-up, continuing to make me, "Presentable." She smiled as she was done and turned me to face me the vanity, "You look perfect." A hollow feeling formed in my stomach as the words past her lips. I looked a lot like I used to in town before I started acting more like myself, and yet I was completely devoid of flowers and that made it almost more heartbreaking then in it was before.
The soldier from before came back in. The woman urged me to stand up and she brought me to the center of the room. He circle me twice, very deliberately before nodding his head. He then picked up two silver shackles and placed them on my wrist connecting them with a long silver chain, "The General will see you now, Wild Woman." He said before he began to pull me out from the chain that connected my wrist. I knew where the tent was from the tree-line so when the soldier guided me the other way I already knew what was happening. I was being paraded around the camp as all the different soldiers began to look at me. Some whistled, others called things out. I kept my gaze focused on a fixed point and continued to walk that way, thinking how none of them knew about the vines that were growing outside their camp.
I was finally brought to the big tent and as the flap lifted I looked around and saw that no one was inside. I stopped walking for a moment and was jerked forward when I realized the soldier hadn't stopped. He lifted something up from the table and then, brought me to the center of the tent. I watched as he took out a spike before nailing it into the ground through the chain he was using to guide me. He fashioned a gag over my mouth securely tying it against the back of my head. When he was satisfied with everything, he looked at me, "Don't get any ideas." He said as he walked outside the tent. I brought myself down to the ground, loosening the strain of the tight chain. I starred at it as it stirred up an odd mixture of feelings. I think it was meant to hammer in the idea that I was a prisoner but I knew that I would be able to get out. I knew that with my gift this really wasn't that big of an issue, but I still didn't know where Tío was.
The flap of the tent opened behind me but, I didn't turn around to see who was coming in. I heard the sound of boots hitting the dirt as they came around to face me. I looked up and saw saw Caleb standing there as well. How had he gotten in? I opened my mouth to say something to him, but was only able to weakly say, "Caleb" against the gag on my mouth before I heard someone clicking their tongue before saying, "Now that is a perfect image. That dress looks better on you than it did on Marina." Caleb stood quietly for a moment. I looked to his right and a man who looked exactly like Tío Felix, granted he was a few years older, but it was uncanny, "Lieutenant what can you tell me about our prisoner here?" I looked back at Caleb but something felt off.
I searched his eyes trying to see what he was thinking but, they were blank and empty. "Lieutenant?" The man said and Caleb turned on his heals to face the General, "Sir," he started but stopped before taking a breath, "Her name is Isabella Madrigal, she is a woman from Encanto." What was Caleb doing? I thought to myself. Why was he telling the general anything about me? The General nodded his head as he went closer to me and lifted my face up to look more directly at him, "Ah yes, the Wild Woman who was showing you around." Caleb told him that, what else did Caleb tell him about my home that he didn't tell me? Before I could finish this train of thought the General asked, "What else can you tell me Lieutenant?" I wanted to look over at Caleb but the General was holding onto me keeping my gaze focused on him. His fingers grazing along the bottom of my chin. My mind was reeling as I thought of all the different way I could get out of there, but most would involve leaving Tío Felix behind.
Before Caleb could say anything the flap to the tent opened again, "Oh I see our other prisoner has joined us." The General said still keeping his gaze locked on me. His eyes drifted over to Tío Felix for a moment when his eyes widened, "Felix?" He said questioningly. The General let go of me and walked over to him, "That is impossible, Marina and you died in the fire." Tío Felix just stood there quietly, "Only my Mama died in that fire you started. I survived." What was going on? Who was Marina? How did Tío know the General? Why did they look so much alike? Why was I the only one who seemed lost during all of this?
A heavy tension hung in the air of the room. I looked from person to person in the room and then I saw Caleb's hand. He pointed his index finger to the ground and moved his hand in a small circle. I knew what he wanted me to do. I began to grow vines around the energy was being divided between the barrier I was making around the camp and the tightly woven vines I was growing around the tent. I made them thick and tough and was growing them fast, faster than I probably should have as attention began to be drawn to the tent from the outside. I heard a commotion coming from outside which seemed to be drawing attention to the General as he made his way over to the flap of the tent. He lifted it up and was faced with heavy brown vines. He lifted up a sword and tried to cut through them but they wouldn't budge. He looked angrily around the tent, "What is this?" He bellowed.