When I regained consciousness, I was lying on damp straw in a medieval prison cell and a pair of rats were just beginning to sniff at me. I cried out in shock as I suddenly shot into a sitting position.
"What does that mean?!" I cursed.
"Shut up, you witch. Your trial is coming up, nothing can save you now." Said an evil, familiar voice.
"Brother Martin?!" I cried, startled.
"Heh heh heh... I'm curious to see how long you will withstand the interrogation in your condition..." said the evil monk.
"How can you?! You realize that you'll have to answer for 2 lives with that?!", I cursed and gasped and clutched my stomach, which started to hurt again.
"What? She's pregnant?! You kept that from me!" said a strange, dark voice from the darkness of the prison.
"You are no longer interested in that. Here is the rest of your wages.", Brother Martin said and obviously handed someone a lot of money, because I heard it jingle. Then Brother Martin's voice departed, laughing maliciously.
With a heartbroken sigh, I leaned against the damp wall of my cell: "None of this can be true! Everything I did... just to end up like Esmeralda..."
"Did you know the gypsy girl?" asked the dark voice from earlier and then a man with broad shoulders and dark hair stepped up to the grating. He wore a three-day stubble, but what was most striking about him were his sky-blue eyes, which seemed to suck you in.
"Not personally, if that's what you mean," I said.
"I'm sorry.", the man said and bowed briefly, "My name is Raphael and if I had known about your special circumstances, I certainly wouldn't have brought you here."
"Of course," I said in a sarcastic undertone, "You've received your payment, so you can go!"
"Are you really a witch?" he asked.
"No! If I were a witch, I certainly could have seen you coming and fought back, right?" I began, "I'm afraid Brother Martin has succumbed to some delusion." I said, shrugging.
Raphael looked around carefully: "I know the Bastille very well, I used to belong to the Royal Archers and have been here quite often.", Then he whispered: "I could get you out of here. I know a secret passage that leads to the open and is hardly guarded."
"Why would you do that?" I asked him, also whispering.
"Because I know what is legal. It seems to me that the crimes you are accused of are again due to a personal concern, just like the gypsy back then.", Raphael replied.
Approaching footsteps made us both sit up and take notice.
"I'll be back tonight. Hold on until then!" Raphael whispered to me and then hurried away.
"Yes, of course...", I grumbled and already saw myself dangling from the gallows or burning on a pyre...
I was alone in the cell now and wondered what would become of me. I didn't believe the words of this mercenary who obviously brought me here. He was probably just happy to have his money and was now over the mountains. I was fully expecting that soon I would be dragged to the judge and convicted, just like poor Esmeralda was. My stomach started hurting again and I thought I must have been upset by the situation. I didn't give the slightest thought to the child that was trying to grow inside my belly...
I couldn't tell how much time had passed when I heard slow footsteps approaching. Suddenly the mercenary stood by my cell and began to open the lock.
"Quick, we don't have much time!" he said, urging me to get up from the sodden straw mattress. As I stood up, a sharp pain in my stomach ran through me again and I gasped. Then I felt two strong arms grab me and lift me up. The mercenary himself carried me out of the cell in his arms. He hurried through several corridors and seemed to know exactly where he had to go. I felt miserable and weak... I had been miserable many times, but not like this. That was somehow different. Then, as the mercenary made it to an exit, a guard yelled, "Who's there?!"
The mercenary set me down and I fell to the ground leaning against the Maier while the mercenary drew his sword and prepared to defend us. His motives were completely unknown to me, but I didn't complain either. Anywhere was better than here. I again felt a sharp pang of pain as the mercenary fought the guard who charged towards us.
