Chapter 5

5

-----------------------------

Begging to go home only seemed to thrill Fiaerna more and more, and so Caste changed course yet again, desiring not to argue but to find food and a quiet place to rest instead. How could a Champion fight on an empty stomach, she reasoned. And so, knowing she had instilled fear into Casterline and now had full control over her, Fiaerna bade the woman stay put in the grasslands where she sat, while she teleported away to gather what Caste prayed would not be her last meal. But the thing about Caste was, she couldn't just sit still. Even if it resulted in punishment from this crazed little Princess, Caste still felt a sense of awe and wonder at the concept of being spirited away to an entirely different world. She had adored reading fantasy novels all throughout her childhood so to be stuck in a fantasy of her own meant exploring was absolutely necessary. Consequences be damned. So she stood up and started walking away from the Castle and out towards a bleak and obliterated town. As she drew nearer and nearer to the town square, lovely flashes of beauty danced past her mind's eye, as if she were reliving a memory. These images were bright and sunny, children laughed, Court Jesters juggled, and Minstrels sang like angels. A happy daydream. Each flash flooded Caste with an odd nostalgia. And it all felt so real. It was only when the sound of crying filled the air did the Warrior-to-be snap back to her senses. There in the town square, a goblin child sat beneath the gallows wiping tears in vain. Casterline felt no fear and slowly approached. When she was close enough to extend her hand, the child sat straight up with wide eyes. No hesitation, the little one squeezed Caste's hand tightly and they both fell into a trance. Unlike the vivid flashes from moments earlier, Caste found herself dreaming from the perspective of a mysterious blonde woman. Reflected in a grand, bejeweled dresser mirror was her body with Caste's Soul peering through from inside. Oddly, being in this body felt natural to her, comfortable even. Like slipping into an old, well-worn pair of sneakers. Or jumping into the bed of your childhood home. Being there, wherever there was just felt...right. The Blonde Woman was putting the finishing touches of makeup on her face, neck, and arms when a lovely young woman in maid attire appeared at the door behind her. Peeping from behind the maid's skirts was a precious little girl, a miniature version of the woman she clung to. "Drizelda, Tatiana!" Caste said like an old friend, shoving the makeup hastily into a drawer. "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon but Tati was worried about you and asked if she could read you a bedtime story...You really should be lying down, Highness." "That's very sweet, come sit with me, Tati." The tiny maidservant's face lit up, and after receiving an approving nod from her mother, the cute little cherub dove onto the bed next to her Queen. She began to "read" the upside down book aloud to the Queen's delight and Drizelda's amusement. She fell asleep two pages in. Drizelda lowered her head in apology and swiftly moved toward the bed to scoop her daughter up, but The Blonde Woman insisted the maid sleep in the royal bedchamber while she took to the servants' quarters. "Unheard of, Your Majesty!" But Caste put a foreign finger to her lips and headed off to sleep in the commoner's bed. Once there, she closed her eyes and the scene melted away. When Caste came to, she was herself again. The Goblin child had released her grip and collapsed to the ground. A pool of blood welled up from a hole in the little one's chest. A larger Goblin rushed over, low sounds of unintelligible agony rushing forth. The child’s mother perhaps? They both knelt down on either side to stop the bleeding. The unfortunate consequence of having their hands touch was yet another trance. This time, Caste was seeing everything from a third person point of view, as if she were watching a film. A teacup shattered against a large and beautiful tapestry. Fiaerna screeched at Drizelda. "I'll make it properly this time, Princess. Please don't whip Tati again. She's so young and so small. She's done nothing to you, she doesn't understand why she gets punished for my mistakes." "The tea is as cold as ice, you stupid wench!!! Bring her to me. Right NOW!!!" Drizelda, trembling, shook her head. "No. No, Princess. I will not subject my baby to your psychosis any longer." "I'll have you hanged." "So be it." "Guards!!!" The film then shifted yet again and Caste's awareness moved right along with it. Now she was forced to witness the tragic scene of Drizelda post-hanging as the sun sank low behind the gallows. Scene shift. Caste glimpsed The Blonde Woman yet again, this time the scene took place in the middle of the night. She looked tired, sickly, and terrified. She handed something small and wrapped in a black cloak to a tall and slender manservant. Caste knew it was Tatiana. Once again, she’d come to. Back within the confines of reality, she’d realized too late that the goblins before her were the manservant and child from her visions. The Goblin she’d assumed to be the little one’s mother had turned out to be Tatiana's widowed father, deperately searching for help to lift their Curse. They both lie on the cobblestones, bleeding out. After several agonizing moments, the Goblin bodies dispersed into a ray of dazzling fragmented light to show their true, human forms. Footsteps slowly approached before stopping next to Caste, causing a shadow to loom menacingly over them all. "Fiaerna...how could you? Why? Why did you shoot them?!" Fiaerna stood silently smirking over her kill, but uttered not a single word. After watching the Goblins-turned-human get slaughtered, the warning bells inside Caste's head turned into her own screams. The threat of death was as real as the Magic this crazed Princess would wield to execute her with. But what had she done? She had only lived an ordinary life. Her joy, her purpose, found in being a caring daughter, a strong wife, and a loving-- "Mother. Be silent. Your cries--" Fiaerna warped to Caste, suddenly gripping her hair tightly. Her other hand covering Caste's eyes, "--pierce my ears!" She flung Caste ever so cruelly to the ground. Pointing an invisible trigger right between her eyes she shouted, "Bang!" and all went dark for Casterline Akahoshi.