Hide and Seek

Where is Cedric? He has been gone for too long. Maybe he—no, that’s not possible, Virginia speculated. Suddenly the door opened with a conspicuous screech. Virginia jumped out of the chair she had been lounging in and ran. She made it to the secret door, the only way out, just before she felt enormous, cold hands wrap around her, pulling her back. She screamed in alarm, but felt those same filthy fingers cover her mouth. Trying to wriggle out of his grasp, she silently prayed to whatever god was listening. Virginia felt a fire burning in her veins. It pulsed through her mind and soul. Some called it magic; to others, it was a gift; to Virginia, it was just who she was. She released it. Virginia knew she had been defeated when she felt her spell blocked. An eerie cackling filled the room. No! her thoughts cried, This can’t be happening! The guard, with a tight grip, swung Virginia around to face the room. Virginia wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes, for the sight she saw was nothing short of a horrible nightmare.

Guards huddled around her two sons, whose feet and hands were bound tightly with rope. And in the center of the room, with a hair-raising smile painted on her face, stood the duchess. Finding the guard’s hand no longer wrapped around her face, Virginia addressed the villainous monster in front of her.

“Aglica,” she hissed, “I never thought I’d see the day when you sunk low enough to employ men to do your dirty work.”

“Silence, you wench! You do not afflict me. While you’ve been off, hiding, sharing bed with a fool, another fool, actually, I’ve been doing something useful. And this time, I will not be defeated by the likes of you, or the likes of anyone else."

Pursuit

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Cedric knelt in awe at the mystifying duchess. She lifted her head imperiously,

            “It is not him; he is not the one. Far too weak of will.” Cedric did not feel insulted, rather warmed that she spoke of him. His sudden dependence on her was sick, wrong, unnatural, but Cedric didn’t know any better anymore. The duchess lowered her eyes to meet Cedric’s gaze.

            “Is it one of your sons that I seek? How would you feel, if I took one of them? Or maybe it is your wife, sad little Virginia? Yes, maybe it is she.” Cedric suddenly had a moment of clarity. His wife and children were in danger; he had to do something. His hands searched for a weapon, anything, when he found himself hanging inches from the ground, the duchess’s hand the only thing keeping him from falling. Her voice rang out to her guards,

            “Find her, find her and bring her to me. Perhaps she is something… special. Oh, and would you please dispose of … this,” She said this as if he was an animal, a lowly, disgusting animal.

Fascinated

Her sapphire eyes sparkled with curiosity. Cedric smiled back at the lady who stood before him. What reason could a duchess possibly have to require him? Cedric’s cows were run dry, his farms barren, his animals bore no meat, and he could no longer wield a blade. The noblewoman laughed as if she could hear his thoughts from where she stood. Still, he wondered. Why would such an elite lady want a mere commoner, why would she send men armed with swords on horseback to summon and fetch him? What must his wife, Virginia think? What will his children say when and if he arrives home again?

“Cedric,” the seductive sounds that rolled off her tongue caught him off guard. Her beauty was that of a siren, only to be matched by that of the Queen, Herself. Cedric looked up into the duchess’s face. She gazed into his eyes while motioning with her hands for him to come closer. He shuffled forward, unaware of the soldiers that surrounded him. They followed inwards to form a tighter arc around the poor farmer.

When Cedric was only a half an arm’s length away, the duchess reached out her hand. Cedric almost moved away, but decided to stay, compelled by an invisible force. He leaned his head in farther.

“My lady,” He whispered. She traced the scar that ran from his forehead to his left cheek, mirroring the image with the tip her right ring finger’s nail. He was caught in the magic of her spell, hexed by her perfection. He was caught in the turbulent waves of her auburn hair, which danced on her shoulder. The world spun all around him—except for the two of them, drifting in and out of existence. He was totally and utterly captivated. He repeated his words again; the fear that she had not heard his words lingered in him still.

“My lady,” He cooed, wanting nothing but to please his mistress. He was bound to her by heart, mind, and soul. He was obligated to carry out her wishes no matter the consequences. He knelt on the ground in front of her feet, tears of longing landed silently on her toes.