I sit here writing this by candle light in an old barn. The wind outside is cold and comes through the cracks in the walls. The cold air seeps through my thin clothes, seeming to touch naked skin. The only thing that keeps me warm is the hay which I sleep in. My hands are numb and it is hard to write, but I'll do my best. My torture started two weeks ago, at my castle where I was queen...
I stood on the balcony over looking the rows of little houses surrounded by the castle walls. The sun shone dull behind a few clouds, and the town was in its shadow. A mob stood below me, growing larger and larger by the minute. My leading knight and councilor, Sir William, stood by me, also watching the mob.
"There is nothing more to do but pray for help, Your Majesty." He told me mournfully.
Oh, my people. Whom I loved and cherished before myself. Whom I served and tried to help. People who loved me so much had turned against me! In less than an hour, most of my subjects had turned on me. They flocked to the gates and fought my soldiers whom I placed there for their protection. I must find the person who started the rebellion.
"Yes, there is nothing we can do," I said to Sir William grimly.
"Come! Let us escape before the mob gets through the gates." Sir William started for the door, and I reluctantly followed.
The yells of protest I could hear through the stone walls as we ran down the empty corridors. Our footsteps echoed as we ran. Sir William led the way, weaving through the maze of halls. We stopped by a high, narrow window. The mob had slain the soldiers at the two main gates and were running forward. One man, whom I reconized almost immediately, stood before the mob on a prancing steed.
"People!" He yelled and the mob silenced. "Find Queen Dafna and bring her to me! I will make sure that all of you are paid handsomely for your service."
So, the mob was being paid! And by my trusted friend. I turned towards Sir William. "I can't believe it! My own people turned away by my close friend Lord Swollett."
"Swollett?" Sir William repeated as he recognized the man. "My brother? My own brother has turned against us?"
"Yes," I answered in a whisper.
We then heard yelling from down the hall. Sir William grabbed my arm and we started off running. Someone must have seen us for we heard the yelling and footsteps. How could he? I couldn't understand nor did I have any time to think about it. Sir William led us into the kitchen, where the frightened cooks had hidden. They jumped when I entered.
"Anyway out?" Sir William asked quickly. The youngest drudge nodded and grabbed a torch. She gestured for us to follow.
The kitchen drudge led us down into the depths of the castle. The stairs were old and cracked. Mice and rats ran about trying to avoid our feet. She seemed to know all about this place, the place lower than the dungeons. The air was damper than the dungeons and it smelled of rotten flesh. Never would I send anyone here. Actually, never did I know this place exist. The stairs seemed interminable.
Finally, we stepped on to a soft and rocky floor. It was ground beneath my feet, cold and wet. The drudge moved the torch around to light up the room. I almost screamed when I saw what covered the ground. My hands flew up to cover my mouth and I looked over at Sir William. He, too, was horrified. The ground of this room was covered with decaying bodies. No wonder the air smelled rotten. This disgusting place seemed not to bother the drudge. She simply shrugged at our surprise and continued on into another room.
The drudge led us through endless rooms, all filled with dead bodies. The air started feeling fresher and I felt better. Almost before i could breathe normally, the stone and dirt walls gave away and we stepped into the forest far behind the castle. I gasped and looked around. The trees stood tall and the leaves were green. No sign of what just happened to me. The drudge blinked at the light and shrunk back into the darkness of the under ground caves.
I turned around and faced the drudge. "Thank you," I whispered before the drudge disappeared into the caves.
Sir William took my hand and we started for the forest. We didn't get far when we heard a scream. Both of us turned around. It had come from the caves. A screamed filled the air again, but stopped halfway through. I shuddered thinking of the poor drudge.
"Stay here, Your Highness!" Sword drawn, Sir William rushed back into the cave. I remained motionless where I was.
There were a few grunts, and then the clash of swords. Yelling and shrieking came from the cave. Then an evil laugh, only the laugh didn't come from the cave but from behind me. I turned in time to see Lord Swollett standing behind me. His black cape swirling around him gave the impression that he was hovering in the air. His evil laugh echoed through my skull. From inside the cave came a groan as if someone had died.
Swollett reached for me, but I slipped from his finger tips and ran into the woods. I heard him rush after me. I could hear his deep breathing, and I could feel his fingers read out to grab me. I ran deeper and deeper into the forest, not allowing myself to stop. I ran through the incredibly thick underbrush. I could no longer hear Swollett or his men. I only heard the sound of my heavy breathing. I couldn't stop not matter how much I wanted to. I tripped over an up rooted tree and tumbled to the ground. It gave out under me and I slid down the steep slope. Twigs and branches scraped my face and arms, cutting through my gown.
Finally I stopped at the bottom of the ravine with a loud thump. I had landed on my stomach and the rising dirt got in my mouth. I managed to drag myself up and stand. I had landed near a small pool, and I stumbled over to it. I sagged to the ground and reached towards the water. I saw my reflection in the tranquil water. My usually smooth, clean face was cut, bloody, and smudged with firt. My gown, which had been a beautiful white silk, was now brown with dirt and ripped in a hundred places.
When I finally dragged myself away from the the pool, the sky was turning dark. A great thunder rolled nearby. I must find shelter. I walked away from the pool without looking back. I had found my true self and I must always remember how I felt now, so when I retrieved my throne I would rule my people better than any other ruler had. I started to run through the forest.
Sometime later that night, I found my way to a road. By now it was more muddy and I was drenched by the rain that fell with the storm. My skin was cold and I was soaked. I walked down the flodded road and saw a farm on a hill. My spirit felt alive again and I ran to the farmhouse with renewedstrength. I made it to the porch before another down pour of rain. I knocked on the door, praying out loud that the people would take me in.
A bolt was moved from the inside and a middle aged woman opened the door. She looked at me and then at the rain. "What is it, Child?" she asked in a motherly way. I wanted to shrink away from her eyes because they were piercing through my own.
"I need a place to stay tonight, out of the storm." I saw the look in the woman's eyes. "But if you don't want me, I'll go somewhere else."
I turned to go but the woman stopped me. "No, wait," she said. I turned back to her. She seemed to hesitate. "Come inside, Child, before you catch your death."
I followed the woman inside the house. She took me into the kitchen where her family was eating dinner. A boy as old as me sat at the table with the farmer and two younger children, a boy and girl. The woman made me sit by the fire and wrapped a warm blanket atound my shoulders. She then gave me a bowl of soup to eat. I felt everyone's eyes on me and, for the first time in my life, I felt self-conscious.
The woman herded the young boy and girl upstairs and the farmer and his eldest son were frozen in their seats. The woman returned a moment later and took away my empty dish.
"Thank you," I said politely after I finished. "I know it is hard to let vagabonds into your house. I didn't mean to intrude."
"Oh, no, Child." The woman said roughly but her eyes were filled with kindness. "We know you needed help. Tell us why."
"Well," I hesitated. "I am being hunted by Lord Swollett."
"Who isn't?" the son asked with a snort. "So what did you do? Support that young queen during the revolt?"
"I am Queen Dafna," I corrected softly. I watched all three of them gasp in surprise. "Lord Swollett chased Sir William and me out of the castle with the paid mob at our heels. Sir William was captured or, I fear, was killed. I barely escaped and I need shelter."
"Oh, of course, Queen Dafna. We will protect you with ours lives." The farmer raised his hand and the son stood up. "Take our queen to the barn. There we can hide her. Take a candle and a heavy blanket as well. I apologize, Your Majesty, but it would be safer for you there."
"I understand." I gave the farmer and his wife a smile as I stood up. The wife disappeared from the room and was back in a second with bundles of clothes.
"Here, change out of that wet thing and put on some dry clothes. They are Rod's, I hope you don't mind wearing boy's clothing, but it is warmer." The wife handed me the clothes and I thanked her.
Rod did what he was told and led me out of the farmhouse. The rain had ceased for now, but the sky was still dark. He left me at the door of the barn and I ventured in by myself. I found my way alone passed sheeps. I curled up in an empty and clean horse stall on the hay left there. I lit the candle and set in on a box. It was time to make a plan to get my knigdom back.
Rod came everyday to help me work out my plan of revenge. His ideas were wonderful; surrounding the castle and starving the people out, or gaining trust to the inside and attacking from within. I could have chosen one, thought I must think carefully. All those years of learning military tactics would come to good use after all.
When I woke up one morning, I started coughing and couldn't stop. Rod appeared at the barn door carrying a bowl of a horrible tasting gruel. He forced it down my throat. My head felt too heavy and my eyes hurt as if something was stabbing me with knives. My eyelids felt, oh so heavy, I had to close them. I couldn't think of anythign but sleep.
She was running with a bloody knife in her right hand. I could see her well in the misty light and I was shocked to see that the woman was myself. She ran into a crowd, hair hair in knows and flying lossely around her. She wore a plain white dress stained with someone's blood. She swung my head nervously around. I made eye contact with her. She had a strange beastly wild look of terror in her normally calm eyes. Her face was twisted in horror. I looked like a stranger even to myself.
Suddenly I saw a group of soldier. They held weapons of torture in their hands; knives, whips, and other things. They saw her and raced towards her. Only she didn't seem to see them. I started screaming at her to move but no words came out. I stared at her and looked into her eyes as the soldiers surrounded her. A pleading look entered her eyes. I saw her kicking the soldiers. But many came and she couldn't get free of all of them. The brought forth their weapons and I couldn't bare it any longer. I tried to push towards the soldiers and her, only to be pushed farther and farther away. I kept my eyes locked on to hers. They seemed to be pleading even more. I screamed and kicked to get over to her but I never made it. Finally, I lost eye contact and I couldn't see her anymore. I kept screaming, hoping to hear myself but I heard nothing. Nothing. Wait! I heard my name being called ever so faintly.
"Dafna!" I was brought back to consciousness by the violent skaing of my arm. I opened my eyes to see a blurred outline of Rod leaning over me. His hand was on my forehead and he was muttering to himself. "Dafna! Dafna!"
I shook my head to try to clear the heavy fog that had come over it. My mind started slipping back to the crowd and soldiers. Was it real? I asked myself. It sure seemed real; the look of terror in my own but strange eyes, and the weapons with their sharp points. I was being shaken again.
"Dafna! Wake up!" Rod was telling me thought I don't think I understood at the time. He was shaking me so hard and my arms started hurting. "Wake up! Stop screaming!"
I opened my eyes and was surprised to see so well. I opened my mouth to speak. "Rod, am I... am I...?"
"Dead? No, if you were, I wouldn't be talking to you." Rod spoke lightly but I could tell he felt deeply relieved. "You are almost well. When you are, we can think of a plan but now you must rest. Just don't start screaming again. Father and Mother were afriad someone might hear. Lord Swallot's soldiers have turned the countryside upside down to find you."
"I'm sorry." I did feel tired once again. Rod gave me a drink and I fell right to sleep. No wild eyed figure of me appeared and no soldiers came after me. I rested in peace for a while.
The next morning I was up and walking around once more. My people! My mind screamed silently for my people. How could they be turned from me by a liar and a murderer? Sir William, I thought about too. I must find my dearest friend. A plan unfolded in my mind, a plan that almost seemed evil to me. I must save my people, and that was my only concern. Only I was too weak to do anything now.
... I wrote this so when I don't return, they will know why. I have thought for days and planned carefully. I must go now, and get my throne. I must rescue my people whom I love. Lord Swollett must pay for waht he has done, and I am the only person to make him pay. I will. I will turn out this light and leave this confession where they will find it. I, Queen Dafna, will disappear and retireve my throne. Only one person will be with me, Rod. I swear that when I get my throne I will knight him. Now I must end writing and I will write no more.
Epilogue
I remember: it took more than two week to regain my strength, for at that time, I was not accustom to the hardships of the peasantry. I helped the farmer in his fields and his son Rod taught me different techniques used with specific weapons. Over that healing peroid, I became quite attached to the poor family and came to love them like my own. I hated the thought of leaving them but I could stay no longer with my kingdom under the rule of a tyrant.
After weeks of careful planning, I could wait no longer. I could not bare the thought of the farmer's family being hung or sentenced to life in prison if Lord Swollett found me among them. I had made up my mind to leave unseen. I told my plans to only Rod, who promised to aid me in my new battle. Rod and I agreed to meet at the caves behind the castle in two days. Rod would bring the supplies we would need to penetrate the castle and stir up a rebellion against Lord Swollett.
I stole out into the dark night, leaving the confession I had written by the door of the farmhouse. I ran quietly and swifly into the forest, retracing my steps weeks earlier. I paused momentarily a good distance from the farmhouse and turned around for one last glance. I raised my arm and froze in a salute. And the wind blew my new huntsmen clothing...I was ready to win my kingdom back.
"Thank you. You will be paid handsomely for your hospitality," I whispered; the words lost in the wind. Then I turned and disappeared into the forest, heading for the distance castle.
