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Chapter 11
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The Right Choice Chapter 12
Grayson The next few days were terrible. Catherine wouldn’t talk to anyone, except to bark orders. Abby avoided me completely, and I still didn’t understand why. Only Rose would talk to me out of the three girls. “I’d like to pull that stick out of Cat’s ass and beat her with it.” Rose mumbled to me one morning, after listening to another one of Catherine’s rants. “I would pay good coin to see that,” I said, causing her to laugh. Even though she wouldn’t interact with me, I still found myself staring at Abigail often. Everything she did was graceful, like a dancer, and I loved watching her move. I would sometimes catch her dancing when she thought she was alone, her curls catching the last of the day’s light. She was so beautiful, and I had lost her. Abby had told me to get to know Catherine, which was proving to be impossible. When she wasn’t barking orders, Catherine kept making comments to make me feel like a burden she would rather not deal with. I wasn’t the only one facing
The Right Choice Chapter 13
Abigail *WARNING: MILD REFERENCE TO ATTEMPTED SA* I let him hold me. I couldn’t calm down unless he was near, and I felt safe in his arms. The thing had brought back a memory of the time the real Jacob had attempted to corner me in the armory after drills. He had me pinned to the wall, and was trying to get his hand up my shirt. “Jacob, stop!” I yelled repeatedly, hoping someone would hear. “Hush now, Duchess. You know I’m your only option. No one else wants someone as ugly as you. I’ll take you to paradise, Duchess, and then your father will have to let me marry you.” I head-butted him, breaking his nose. When he let go of me to grab his nose, I kneed him in the crotch, pushed him over, and ran. I started hyperventilating as that memory played through my head over and over. “Breathe, Abby, breathe with me,” I heard Grayson saying through the fog in my brain. I felt him put on hand on the center of my chest and the other on my back. “Come on, with me… in… now out… in… out… tha
The Right Choice Chapter 14
Grayson I saw pain in Abby’s eyes when I asked her that question. I regretted it immediately and said, “Never mind, Duchess. You don’t need to answer that. Master Thomas just needs to mind his own business.” I looked past Abigail and glared at him. Thomas pretended not to notice. “I will be sure to ask the princess the next time we speak,” he said smugly, “And I’m sure the Duchess can speak for herself.” He turned to Abby. “Well, Duchess? Has the prince enchanted you?” She looked into my eyes as she answered his question, the pain still evident, “The prince is very enchanting.” She turned to Thomas and said, “He’s also been my best friend since we were four years old. So if you are asking if I care for him, the answer, Master Thomas, is yes. I do.” I felt my heart swell. “Well, I guess that answers that,” Thomas said. He slapped the top of his legs and stood up. “It seems to be my turn to make dinner. I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.” I watched as he walked off. As soon as he
The Right Choice Chapter 15
Abigail The next day, we entered Knocklean, and not 20 feet inside its borders the sky opened up, and we were caught in a downpour. “Well, this country is quite pleasant,” Thomas joked an hour or so later as we made our way through the mud. “Perhaps I will holiday here one day.” I rolled my eyes, and saw my sister do the same. She and Cat were holding hands, helping each other through the mud that already came halfway up our thighs. The trees closed in around us ominously, as if they were trying to herd us in a certain direction. They hung overhead, their bare branches like boney fingers that offered no shelter from the cold, hard rain. There were things moving amongst the trees that I couldn’t properly see, and strange noises I couldn’t properly hear. The forest looked like it was drowning in sadness and illusion. We tried to trudge through, but the path was difficult to navigate. By the time we stopped at midday, everyone was exhausted. We huddled beneath the trees, trying t
The Right Choice Chapter 16
Grayson Abby killed the two ghouls that were attacking her sister in quick succession but did not see the one that was sneaking up on her. I moved to save her, but my legs were stuck in mud that went almost to my knees. By the time I pushed her out of the way, she had already been stabbed. “No no no no no no” I cried. I looked at the thing that had stabbed her and felt a power I had never known before flow through me. I raised my sword and cut off the thing’s head, sending it flying. I cut through two more before I was able to get to her. The wound was bad – and deep. I didn’t know if I had the strength to fix this. “Hold on, Abby.” I whispered. “Please. I love you.” “It hurts,” she muttered. I could tell she was about to pass out. “I know, love, stay with me. I’ll get you somewhere safe.” Rose came squelching over as quickly as she could to stand guard over us. “We need to get her out of the rain!” I shouted. “Grayson…” her voice was weak. She was fading. “Yes, Wildflower?” “I
The Right Choice Chapter 17
Abigail **WARNING: mild references to SA** When I woke up, I was lying on a cold stone floor. A dry cold stone floor. I looked around and realized we were inside an almost empty room. Grayson was lying beside me, asleep. Rose came over. “Thank the gods! You’re awake!” She gently hugged me. “What happened? Where are we?” I asked as I sat up carefully. “You were stabbed, and it was deep,” she explained. “Grayson saved you.” She paused. “Abby, did you know he had magic?” My eyes widened. “No, I had no idea.” I looked at the man sleeping next to me. What other secrets did he have? I brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen into his face. So beautiful. “Well, he does, and he’s powerful, according to Aryk. He just doesn’t know how to control it well, apparently, and healing you really took a lot out of him. He’s been asleep for over an hour.” Aryk walked up to us. “Your sister is correct, Duchess. Your prince holds great power, and I don’t even think he realizes the extent of
The Right Choice Chapter 18
Grayson I found myself running to a hiding place I’d had as a child, Father right behind me with the switch. I had just seen my father over my brother’s dead body, his hands still around Duey’s neck. Father had spotted me and started shouting. “You! You did this! This is your fault – you and your damned ‘feelings’ and ‘pain.’ I’ll show you pain!” The king grabbed a switch and started chasing after me. I had run as fast as I could, trying not to think about what I just saw. I just wanted to survive. I thought I was safe in my hiding spot when Father dragged me out by my foot. I tried to shield myself from his blows. “You killed him! It’s your fault he died!” he yelled between blows. “You turned him against me! It’s your fault! His blood is on your hands!" “No, father! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t kill him! I didn’t turn him against anyone!” In the distance, I heard a familiar voice calling me. Begging me to come back, saying what I was seeing wasn’t real. I knew that voice. Abigai
The Right Choice Chapter 19
Abigail The next morning, we all gathered around a small cooking fire and discussed what had happened. Aryk wanted to give us a chance to talk about what happened. He went first. “My worst nightmare was losing all of you and causing pain to the Queen. Sarah has put a good deal of trust in me to keep you all safe. My biggest fear is disappointing my old friend.” Cat looked at him with pity in her eyes. She reached over and gave him an awkward hug, made even more awkward by his pat on her head. He would not say any more, even though the whole thing was his idea. Cat went next. “We had reached my father, but he had been corrupted already, and I couldn’t save him. I had to leave him behind. He left me to fight the monsters on my own.” Rose put her hand on Cat’s shoulder and Cat looked at her gratefully. On his turn, Thomas said, “I was trapped in a coffin, buried alive. None of you could hear me screaming.” I reached over and patted his arm, and he smiled at the acknowledgment. I
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