Krysta Cauldrin tugged on the cold chains binding her upright, in a cold cell. Her tired body cracks with every move, yearning for relief. Her once fair skin, now covered in old bruises, her chapped lips look so deprived, her hair lost its sheen, her plump, rosy yet cold aura now fades like a dream of an old soul.
She's spent a really long time within these moss-covered walls, only able to keep feeling the rain of spring to quench her thirst, the heatwave of the summer, the cold antidote of autumn, ending with the unbearable nights of winter. Time...and time again.
Krysta has lost thought of time, day, where she is or what's going on beyond the walls. She does know that she is fed only once a week, at she hasn't seen any new faces in a long while. At least, she can tell when the summer sun lulls her to sleep, when the spring rain makes sleeping not as unbearable as in winter but she couldn't feel anything from autumn; her birth season.
'…Am I dead?' '…Is my soul wandering the Earth?' '…Am I paying the price for trying to change things?' '…is this my fault?' she anguished in her mind.
A door slammed shut "Is she here?", Krysta spoke to herself. Marie; her best friend, now her maid and prison guard was the only one left in this former mansion paradise on a lone, forgotten island.
"Hey, Krysta", an auburn-haired lady said weakly as she walked down a flight of stairs. She had a pear figure with a very fit body. Her knightly walk landed heavily on each step. With slightly drained hands, she held an old silver tray of white bread and a flask of mushroom soup.
Every evening, a bird drops a palliative, more like a survival pack immediately at sunset for her to live for just a day. Nothing ever remains from the other day. Krysta couldn't tell what will happen or what happens outside the island prison, leaving a lonesome burden and guilt to bear for both the guard and the guard.
"It's been awfully boring in the cell, right?!", Marie called out, dropping the tray in her hand in front of Krysta. She then squatted in the place where she usually placed herself in this darkness. Not like she has a choice.
"Oh Krysta, she had it all", Marie thought to herself. Before, no one could dream of staying near her; The Century's Elite. She was rescued by Krysta years back and from then, she was content with being her best friend's guardian knight but, seeing her friend's ocean blue hair fade into grey and her silver eyes, full of li, and talent...now dark brown and ordinary. Her glory seemed like a poor man's fantasy.
It's all his fault, her husband...Irvin Huston
He took everything good, gold and harmful from her and banished her to the island. Everything else, from stationery to cutlery was stolen by the house staff. Marie woke up from whoever knocked her out to realise that less than 2 years have passed.
The first year was excruciating. Krysta began tugging the chains, like a madman. Marie would cry almost everyday seeing her once glorified saviour being driven to death, till both of them passed out in their tears. Around her second year of captivity, Marie made a makeshift hammer out of heavy stones by the coast and other harmless items left on the island and finally opened the cell door but alas, the chain won't budge. These old looking chains were made with an ancient jade design. There was nothing strong enough to break them.
Maire remained squatted in front of Krysta with nothing but silence between them. It was mid-spring, so you could hear the sounds of birds as they controlled the sky.
*Caw, jingle jingle
...
She heard the sound again
*Caw, jingle jingle
*Caw caw, jingle jingle
Her eyes lit up. She thought long and hard about where she'd heard that from. A talking rook was only common to the domestic breed, raised by nobles this, it sounded too familiar
*Caw, jingle jingle
Marie squealed as she got to her feet, "It all makes sense". The rook was probably a messenger bird. The bird that brought the pack was a falcon, and the heat says it was around afternoon. This was a once-in-a-million chance of getting out of here. She rushed up the dungeon stairs, past the cellar and out the garden door. The property was cheaply built and overgrowth was everywhere, like a forgotten kingdom.
She ran like a pro and leapt over the picket fence, straight into the forest.
Without losing steam she dashed through the forest, peering for the sound of the rook. Cutting the sunlight, she could faintly see a rook among the crows carrying a reflective crest. If there was any chance for their existence to be known, it'd be now. Out of nowhere, a heavy thing dropped right in front of her. The rook was being attacked by a Falkarye.
They were a vicious species of carnivorous birds. Their slightly flat beak is laced with teeth. They looked like very huge birds, you can never tell that they're not falcons. Their only way off this island was in danger. Marie quickly jumped on a tree branch and forced it to break. She needed to save the rook. She started taunting the falkarye with the stick. Luckily, the falkarye started slowly waddling to her. All she could do was wave the stick around.
After many helpless waves, the bird flew to the sky, attempting a dive at her. Like a jousting stick, Marie took a stance to stab the bird. If she fails, it'll rip her chest but if she succeeds, the blood will probably attract others. Like animals' fight club, the joust began and like a miracle, she drove the stick, directly under the ribcage and out of the bird all together.
Marie fell to the ground in relief. She jerked back to her purpose and crawled to the rook.
It was alive. It had breathtakingly shiny feathers, for a rook. She picked it up and quickly began panicking as the rook slowly lost breath. She thought of the first aid box on the 2nd floor. She ran back to the mansion with everything she got.
After ensuring the bird was fine, she searched the bird for anything, like an ID. She checked the crest but she couldn't recognise it. She decided to put the injured rook in a basket from the bread supplied to her five days ago. She then saw a pouch under the wing and it contained something she knew too well - forever ice.
Once a rare antique, now found in every market, Irvin Huston used it to torture Krysta anytime she yelled at him or spoke when he came to sleep with her. It was after she asked Krysta that she confessed that he was smuggling the forever ice from her home. Marie knew then that he was a major addict. She knew that if anything, Krysta was the only one that could come up with an idea.
She went back down to the cellar. Rather than a friend calmly waiting, she met Krysta banging against the floor between her legs. She quickly dropped the basket by the door and rushed to suppress her mistress. She pushed her head up with all her strength but as she seemed to calm down, she bit Marie hard, blood covered her teeth.
Episodes like this were common, gladly today seemed less violent. After everything, she'd cry till she dozed into a deep sleep, she never bit her before. Marie quickly tore her bitten hand away and scuffled to the basket. Seeing the fear in Marie's eyes, Krysta slowly claimed herself and the crying part started.
"Marie, please end this suffering for me...kill me. Kill me please", Krysta said bowing and bawling. Marie got up and delivered a resounding slap to Krysta, losing balance.
"Are you out of your mind?!" "No, it's just..."
"Just nothing! I would have never been here if you'd ever listened to Luc when he said that he was bad news. In fact, you've...done everything but listen, yet... I'm here with you", Marie held her cold hands, trembling with utmost fright.
Her limbs have grown numb long ago, but today, Krysta felt the hands of someone truly fighting for her...beside her. A rush of pain rushed to her eyes and brought back her tears. Exactly a week later, Marie woke up in an old room on the 1st floor. It took a while but she made the ground floor host most of the needed rooms, the 1st floor had the room, leaving the 2nd floor and attic abandoned.
She has already created a daily routine:
First, she'd go to the cellar and pour out wine into a plastic bottle. Then she'd give Krysta a sip and force her to stand to strengthen her legs. After sword practice in the forest, she'll grab a backpack and scour the island for anything useful till the falcon arrives with the palliative. Then, she'll stay with her deranged master until she falls asleep and she heads in for the night.
There was nothing that could've disrupted her laxed schedule after all this time...
*Knock knock
"The heck?!", Marie yelled out. There's no way. No one else should be on the island. Marie rushed to the door but approached it stealthily. She tried her best to avoid the keyhole or the tainted glass.
She took her time to try and study the strange person that made it to the island. She waited for him to lose his guard and soon enough, the person leaned his back against the door. She flung it open and pinned him to the porch. Her eyes widened to see a very young man with auburn frizzy hair, and green eyes. She looked at him from head to toe and noticed how young and naive he looked. He was already tearing up.
She slowly let go of the guy and rose to her feet. Upon steadying himself, he saw the gorgeous angel who was on top of him and began blushing hard like a virgin.
"Hey you!" She asked the guy who's been red for an awfully long time. He covered his lips with the back of his hand, like a cleaning drool. He started to stare strongly at her face.
"...get up"
The guy grudgingly rose to his feet and stretched out his hand for a handshake. From his build, he looked like a soldier. Visible scars, upright posture, full toned muscles yet...his childlike innocence is plastered on his face. Marie stared defiantly at his calloused hand and gripped her indigo geometric-patterned shawl, tight to her chest.
"...Come on in"
She marched into the house and he followed briskly.
As he walked into the abandoned house, he noticed the homie feeling that the house brought. The wallpaper was fresh, the house was well lit...not a single speck of dust in sight. As he walked in the direction oSaviourSavior, he immediately bumped his head on the bottom edge of the stairs. "This house is built for small people", he mumbled.
She walked straight into the makeshift kitchen at the end of the main hall, reached into a near-top cupboard and pulled out a jar of honey. She turned around to the burning makeshift charcoal stove (~just a metal pit full of burnt sticks) and placed the pitcher full of filtered rain water on the stove.
The man watched in awe of her physique. Her coffee brown hair falls beside her ears but never makes it to her shoulders. She cut it, it was obvious as the uneven tips gave her an aloof aura. Her slender arms hid the hidden strength she acquired by tensing every muscle in her body. She was probably a warrior but yet, she had soft looking hands despite the fading callouses, smooth skin like a noble lady, juicy lips that looked virgin...
After a long time staring hard at her back profile, she slams a mug of Ceylon honey tea on the table in between them, shocking him out of his delulu, x-rated thoughts...
He stared hard at the cup that stopped his thoughts. Her hand was still on it. He picked it slowly, mesmerized by her effect on the cup. He wanted to be the cup. Lust hasn't come over him like this in a long time.
"Umm...y-y-you're holding my hand w-with it"
"..."
He immediately stepped and dropped the cup. The cup began falling to the ground when Marie quickly twisted her arm and caught the cup. He was simply amazed. He didn't notice when his hilt caught the tablecloth, he wanted to speak when everything began crashing down. She immediately balanced the cup on her head and put all her weight on her right leg. She pushed the tablecloth back with her left hand and caught the biscuit plate, balancing it on the tip of her stretched left leg. She tossed the plate to herself and took a biscuit before setting the table back.
At this point, all he could do was stare. He needs to know who she is.
*Shing
He pointed his unsheathed sword at her neck.
"Speak up. Why are you here? How long and exactly what you're hiding on this island"
"...What do you mean hid-"
"Don't play dumb, I saw it! The illegal shattered crystals are all over the island!"