Lizette

-Karen-

 

"Hey! What's that blue thing?" a man suddenly asked. Oh no! Lizette was wearing a blue dress!

"Stay away from me!" Lizette's terror-filled voice shouted from feet away. No! Leave her alone! The voice in my head shrieked shrilly.

 

"Look at this sexy treasure!" I heard a second man say gleefully.

"Yes, indeed!" Another chimed in just as gleefully. "She's pretty cute! What do you think, gentlemen?" Can I save her without risking my own life? I don't know what to do!

"Please just leave me be!" I felt warm tears trickle down my face as she screamed for mercy. I did my best to stifle my tears and emotions, so I would not meet the same fate that I knew she was going to.

The men cruelly laughed as I heard them assault her. I dropped my head into my hands as I could only listen to her take the beating they had dealt her. Poor Lizette. "Well, she can't fight back now, fellas," the first man proclaimed proudly. Lizette cried out again, but I could hear that she was extremely injured. She whimpered and groaned until one of the men became angry with her.

"Shut up, stupid wench!" He shouted angrily. I heard a loud popping sound and figured they had probably snapped her neck with that blow. I sobbed as silently as I could as I thought about what a coward I was. Lizette. I chose to hide instead of trying to protect you. I'm a terrible person and an even worse friend! I thought I was being silent until the roof was pulled away to reveal where I had attempted to hide. I felt the blood drain from my face immediately.

"Well, it looks like we have another victim! How does round two sound, boys?" The second man inquired as I clenched tighter. Liz, I'll be joining you soon! What a well-deserved fate! I could see them drawing closer as I fought to suppress the growing terror. I'm too scared to move, much less breathe.

Suddenly, the man's voice from earlier called out, "Soldiers, halt!" I pressed myself against the wall, striving to quell any panic.

"Your Majesty!" The men declared in unison as their clicking boots approached. Your Majesty? I could feel their presence receding a few feet towards the rocky street. What? Seriously? I stayed crouched, even as the boots stopped just before me. I sensed his presence crouching down as he pushed back the hood. I hesitantly looked up, wondering what would happen next. He grasped my chin and forced me to stand, pinching the point of my jaw. I winced from the momentary pain and shut my eyes tightly. I could hear the men murmuring as they watched. The man who had given me the cloak said, "So, you're the thief who stole my cloak!" Before I could even protest, I felt a sharp slap across my left cheek as he grabbed me by my throat and squeezed tightly.

Thinking purely defensively, I punched him as hard as I could in the face, catching him off guard. He cursed angrily as I dropped his cloak at his feet. I leaped over the rubble pile next to us, but I could hear the soldiers starting to chase me.

 

"Lizette!" I rushed to where she lay and cried out in anguish at the brutality they unleashed on this innocent soul. The life was gone from her beautiful blue eyes. I could see her porcelain skin was bruised and bleeding and her jewelry had been taken. I dropped to my knees and screamed her name as I sobbed. "Lizette!" I picked up her warm, lifeless body and held her close, weeping into her limp form. I found my stone in the pocket closest to me and quickly snatched it with the full intent of exacting my vengeance on these monsters that now surrounded me.

A rough hand grabbed my left arm and yanked me away from Lizette as her body fell back to the debris-filled ground with a soft thud. Whoever pulled me away from her had a tough time as I fought back as viciously as I could. "I command you to stop fighting me, woman!" The royal snapped angrily. I refused his command as I clawed and bit him, exerting a great deal of physical energy. "You're quite tenacious, aren't you?" The man asked as he struggled to pull me to my feet. Once he got me on my feet, he pinned me to him using his left arm only. Ugh! He is too strong.

He lifted my face so I had to meet his gaze again. There was a large red splotch on his left cheek from where I had punched him. As a last-ditch effort, I slammed my forehead into his chin, battling the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me. I sprinted towards the palace, terror welling up in my chest, temporarily helping me ignore the dizziness. I had barely covered half a block when someone tackled me to the ground. Once more, I fought back fiercely as I was pulled to my feet. A solid fist struck me in the abdomen, causing me to drop to my knees, clutching my stomach and groaning in pain. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I never thought I'd witness the prince striking a woman!" One of the soldiers remarked to another, accompanied by a laugh. "But she's certainly spirited, isn't she, boys?" I could hear them murmuring in agreement.

The prince's arm tightened around my neck, rendering me powerless to resist. He dragged me several feet away and slammed me against a wall. I struggled to breathe normally, focusing on the voice whispering in my right ear. "If you want to make it out of here alive, stop resisting me! I'm trying to help you, you fool." Suddenly, he spun me around to face him. He looked furious, but I couldn't care less. I was busy figuring out how to get away from him long enough to exact my revenge on him and his soldiers with a spell. His gray eyes glared into mine as I averted my gaze. "The question is, do I really want to deal with such a defiant woman, or should I just dispose of you?" He asked, pressing his hand against where he had struck me.

I groaned from the pain and hissed, "Kill me, you foolish man! You'd be a complete imbecile to let me live. I'll only try to kill you as long as I'm alive, especially to avenge Lizette after your savage soldiers murdered her in cold blood!" The memory of her agonized screams was still too fresh as I hung my head and choked back a sob. "I'd rather die than obey you! But what do you care? You're just an entitled, arrogant prince!" I attempted to strike him again, but he defended against the attack.

"You're so stubborn, wench! Stop resisting me!" He growled, stomping on my right foot. Sharp pains shot up my leg as I groaned from the newfound discomfort. I glared at him, feigning submission. "Stay still!" He relaxed slightly and reached to brush my hair out of my face. Seizing the opportunity, I bit down as hard as I could on his hand with my teeth. "Gah!"

"Sire, do you want assistance?" One of the soldiers asked hesitantly. I could see the four of them out of the corner of my eye. They appeared perplexed and concerned about the situation.

He clenched his teeth from the pain and quickly returned the headbutt I had delivered earlier. "Ah! That hurts!" I shouted angrily.

"I know! It was excruciating," he snapped out of frustration. "Stop fighting me, woman! One more attack and I will let them have you!" I heard the soldiers perk up at this. Excitement lit up their faces, and I spoke without thinking.

"You're going to do that anyway! What difference does it make?" I yelled, feeling the rage rush through me. "Just get it over with already!"

He slowly exhaled, his icy gray eyes fixed on me as if pondering his next move. What the hell is he trying to decide? The smug smirk that appeared on his face made me nervous. Uh? Like a tourniquet, he grabbed my right arm and silently dragged me behind him toward the palace. I could hear the soldiers grumbling in disappointment as we left.

 

Horrible thoughts swirled in my head as we ascended the forty steps to the main entrance. What is he going to do to me? He grew impatient when I struggled to keep up with his pace and swiftly turned to face me. He lifted me and threw me over his shoulder, so suddenly, I clung to him with a slight shriek. I had always despised being high off the ground, and this was no exception. I heard him snickering under his breath as we reached the grand landing in front of the main doors. What is he going to do to me now that we are alone?