A loud creaking startled the young woman, awake. She sat up looking at the door as it swung open revealing the same young man. He walked out a little but not far. His face illuminated by the sun causing his dirty blonde hair to shine, and the freckles to pop out against his skin.

The young woman stood up and walked over to the door. She wondered if they were going to let her in or if they were just tricking her, either way she didn’t put too much thought into either. She approached the man and stopped when she was standing in-front of him. He looked down at her his face emotionless. She couldn’t make out anything. She had no idea what he was thinking.

“Why are you still here?” he said his voice catching her off guard. “I thought I told you to leave.”

“I thought I told you that I wasn’t going to leave until I was able to come in and speak to the King! Even if that means I die here.” she spoke her voice confident and strong as she looked up at him.

“No,”

“No? No what?” Her face fell as she tried to figure out what he meant by that.

“You never said that you were going to stay. You pleaded that I let you in and that was the last you spoke to me.” his face still emotionless and hard.

“It doesn’t matter! Why did you come out? Did you simply come to tell me that I would never be allowed in or did you have something you wished to tell me.”

“I came to tell you, you must have a letter. I don’t wish to see you die out here so go back to your kingdom and gather a letter than return.” for the first time she saw him his face changed. It changed to look almost pleading. She knew he would not plead with her that she return but his face told her it all. She knew that they had no intention of letting her in even if that meant that she died out her. That didn’t mean that they wanted to see her die. This guard proved that.

“I am sorry but I cannot. If I return I will die as well. My only chance is here and to get in.”

“Very well.” He turned and walked back into the gates. Right before the doors shut he turned around and looked back at her, “I wish you good luck.” and with that the doors shut.

She didn't move for a few minutes. She just stood there staring at the door. It was almost as if she expected the door to open and for him to walk out saying “Oh the king said to let you in anyways.” She knew that it would never happen though. They would sooner let her die than they would let her in, and there was no way that she could return to her kingdom because if she did that she would also die. The prince was not one to take her failure lightly. And even in all of this she still hoped that the doors would swing back open.

It had been five days now. She had finished off her remaining food and water two days ago and she found herself starving and dehydrated. She was covered in dirt, and her once blonde hair was now brown with dirt and mud. A few of her older cuts had opened up along the journey or she had gotten new ones leaving dried blood on her skin. She was certain that a few of her cuts had gotten dirt in them and they might have been or might get infected.

There were lots of times that she thought about going back and facing the prince and the price that he gave her, which would probably be death. She would even start walking back but than she would turn right around and walk back to the tree. She was not going to give up and she kept telling herself that anytime that she started the think of going back.

She was sitting with her back against the tree reading her books like she has done for all the other days. She was reading the books for almost the hundredth time and it bored her at this point. She had read it so many times that she knew everything that was happening. She knew every word in the book and every even with when it happened. She read it not paying attention to the things happening around her. Because of that she didn't realize that a small door had opened. There was a small door that was hidden in the stones was cracked open and a little girl sticking her head out.

The girl had to be no older than 10. She had short black hair, that in the sun looked almost blue. It stood out against her flawless pale skin. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she peered out the doorway. She wore a short, knee length, white dress that matched her pale white skin tone.

The young woman looked up from her book looking to the doorway but before she looked down at her book she saw the young girl. Her eyes widened as her eyes met the girls.

In the next minute everything happened so fast. The girl went back behind the wall her hand sticking out gesturing for the young woman to follow her. The woman threw her book into her bag and ran over to the doorway. She slipped in after the girl as the door shut behind her.

She found herself in a dim hallway. It was not very big, only big enough for one person at a time. The woman assumed it was a type of escape route for the worst case scenarios. She could just barely make out the silhouette of the young girl, as she traveled through the hall. The women following behind making sure not to lose sight of her. Soon the hall began to get bigger and she saw a light coming out from another door. The door opened causing light to flood into the small hallway blinding the woman for a minute. When her eyes adjusted to the light she stood frozen in the doorway to another room. A huge room.

There was a large bed, bigger than she had ever seen. There was a large wardrobe that she assumed was filled with dresses of all colors and kinds.

As she stood there gasping at everything the little girl looked at her with a grin on her face. It was one of those faces like she knew something that the woman did not. She let out a giggle drawing the woman out of her amazement.

“Why did you do that?” the woman asked as she looked down at the girl.

“Do what? Let you in?” she said like it was obvious, “Because you were going to die. I know you have a mission that you must complete and I couldn’t let you die out there before you have completed it.”

The woman stood there looking at the young girl as the words left her mouth like she was an old woman who had seen much. “Who are you?” she asked the young girl.

“I’m no one. You may stay in here-” the woman cutting her off “I cannot stay here”

“Of course you can”

“No! I must get into the city by my own doing and by waiting. I will not come into the city without the permission and hope that they will help me with my mission! How could I do that?” the woman was angered by this young girls words. How could she come in the kingdom behind the Kings back. She would not disgrace the king even if she may die.

“Very well. What do you require before you leave?”

“Could I get some more food and water. Nothing to fancy just something like some apples. And than could I also have a book or two.”

“I will go fetch those for you just give me one moment please.”

The young girl came back carrying a bag full of fruits and two canteens of water. She also held onto a bi old looking book. The woman took the food and water placing it into her bag along with her new book. She thanked the girl before she headed down the long hallway once again. Once she made it to the end she was surprised to see that there was no light coming from under the doorway. She reached her hand out finding the knob to the door pulling it open. The light flooded into the room blinding her.

When her eyes adjusted to the light she walked out of the door and took up her place under the tree. She didn’t want anyone watching her to grow suspicious. She could not have them thinking she was doing something she shouldn’t be, even if that is what she just did.

She placed her bag down grabbed one of the bananas and the new book. She looked down at the book realizing that it was the story of King Arthur. She had read this book before but as a young child. It was a story of a kingdom that hated magic but a prince, who would later be king. He meet a young warlock and they because friends but at the end the prince died and the kingdom fell. She loved the book and read it many times. She liked the book and how it seems as if the prince would save everything but in the end he didn’t make it and then she was left to wonder what would have happened. It wasn’t like the other books that she had read and she knew that but she still loved the book.

As she held the books she thought about when she was younger with the book. She didn’t remember to much from back than but she remembered enough.

She felt her eyes close as she was pulled into the past.

She opened her eyes to be created by the great stone walls of the castle. The walls high and grey. Music filling the room and men and woman were dancing and laughing all around her.

She smiled as she saw her brother out of the corner of her eyes as he dance with his new wife. Her brown hair shimmering in the light of the torches. They looked so happy dancing around in circles as the others joined in. Than the music was gone. There was no sound. No laughing, no dancing, nothing but the ear rattling scream.

The young girl sat on the floor as a red puddle spreading across the floor. Her once white dress and hands now covered in blood. A red stained blade at her feet.

Her throat felt like it was being ripped out.

She reached her hands for her throat but she couldn’t move her hands.

The ear piercing scream echoing in her ears. She felt like her eardrums would burst at any moment. She didn’t know where the scream was coming from but it sounded as if it was a mile off but at the same time right in her ear. The scream was so loud it seemed to bounce off every wall in the room coming back to her. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was the one screaming.

It was her.

She was the one letting out the blood curdling scream.

She felt strong arms pulling her away against all her struggle. They ripped her away from all the death and blood around her. Pulling her away from the dead bodies and death of those she knew and loved. She struggles against the arms trying to get back to the bodies of those who had fallen but the arms didn’t give way. She screamed louder trying to pull her arms out of the grid but they just tightened on her arms as she they continued to pull her away. She was pulled away from everything that she had once known. She was pulled from those that she knew and those she loved and thrown into a new life in a new place.

They threw her into a foreign life she had didn’t want. She wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to her old like with her old friends and her old family. She wished that she hadn’t been alive that day. She wished that she had died along with everyone else in that room. She didn’t understand why she was still alive and everyone else was dead. She wanted them to be alive. She wanted them to be the ones who were living, fighting right now. She wished it wasn’t her.

She had been living in this new life for only a few years the events of that day fading away. She was taken away that day, away from all the death but it followed her. The death followed her to her new life, to the new people that she had meet. It killed them. It had taken her new family away from her killing them once again. Now it had taken both her lives away from her. It took both the families that she had with no warning.

The death followed her everywhere.

It was impossible to get away from.

It was her curse, a curse for the sins that she had committed.

Her eyes flew open. She was lying on the ground blood surrounding her once again. It was that night all over again. The blood covering her hands and body. She let out a scream of pure horror as she scooted back, trying to escape the death. Her breath becoming heavy. Her throat throbbing from the scream. Her vision filled with the blood and death from that day.

Her breathe coming out in pants as she closed her eyes taking in a large breath. Her body relaxing a little as she shoved the images down as away. She opened her eyes, being greeted by the green grass covered in dew. It was not blood just the wet grass. There was no blood, no death just the beauty of nature.

She closed her eyes once again reassuring herself that it was all a dream. She didn’t know why she had to remember now but she wished that she hadn’t. That was almost 15 years ago now. Why did she have to remember it now? She was only five at the time it had happened, how she remembered it so clearly she would never know. She wished that she would just forget it already, but she knew that it wouldn’t happen. She had lived her whole life remembering it and just shoving it down for that time. She pushed it away and continued on pretending as if nothing had ever happened that day.