carsgovroom

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Um I was thinking it was below Narissa's hollow but it could be closer to the castle. I don't think at would be good it would be too close to anyone who could help her.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

She probably should have known better than thinking she could talk her way out of this. This world was unknown to Sam, these people strangers. Maybe she could have talked and debated her way out of any situation in law school or back in her own world. But here she was essentially an alien. For all she knew he murdered ten girls a day. So she felt herself go cold when he started smiling the worst smile she had ever seen and silently berated herself as he confirmed himself to be every bit the monster she had described. But she refused to look away from his eyes, not matter how cold and terrible they were. He looked at her as though challenging her to advert her gaze, and she wouldn't give him that satisfaction no matter the outcome.

She felt herself grimace when he told her she had been spared back in her world due to the fact that her death would have caused them exile. But there were no rules that protected her here. He had taken a step towards her before he said that last bit, and she wanted to lean away from him as much as she could, but she was pressed firmly against the tree Dorothea was hiding in. Cornered by these three men who were likely to murder her in the next ten seconds. ."...Oh," was all she could say weakly in response to him declaring they could slice her up as much as they pleased. Then she felt the cool blade from the the man with the nose's sword on her throat. "Oh, God." This was it. How it was going to end. In screaming and slashing and blood in the middle of a forest in this fantasy world. Sam suddenly remembered that her dad's birthday was in two months and she fought back the urge to cry. Instead she fixed her gaze on the eager man with the broken nose and decided to be defiant until the end. "I don't suppose apologizing about your nose would do me any good, would it?"

"Tie her up."

Sam had been expecting the next words out of his mouth to be orders to begin hacking at her with their blades, and she stared at him visible shock. "What..." She was cut off by the Nosy Man's start of a protest but then the Marshal had him pinned against the tree beside her in an instant, she heard herself let out a gasp. She was shocked she hadn't leaned away and cut herself on the other sword. She watched the two men as the one in charge threatened without threatening in the most dangerous voice she had ever heard. The effect was instantaneous. As soon as he had been released, Nose had turned her around and took hold of her arms, a bit more roughly than was necessary she thought. Then her wrists were bound tightly behind her back. Sam winced as the rope cut into her skin and she knew she was going to have some lovely injuries there to go with the bruises she had already received from their gauntlets.

Once her hands were tied firmly behind her back she felt the Marshal take hold of her. Sam felt herself being dragged unceremoniously out into the center of the clearing, in perfect view of where Dorothea was perched at the top of the tree. She looked up at her, unable to keep a brave face this time as she felt the sharp, cool edge of another blade near her throat. The Marshal threatened to slice her to bits unless Dorothea came down from the tree and handed herself over. The dagger moved from her throat to behind her ear as he suggested she might not need them. Sam so disagreed but was unable to find her voice, which was probably for the best anyway.

Dorothea made a threat of her own and it made Sam grimace slightly. She may have been a princess but her threats seemed empty when they cam from a cat and when he as one motion away from slicing Sam's ear clean off. At the suggestion of plucking out eyeballs Sam felt the coolness of the dagger on the skin of her face as he moved the dagger once more so it laid under her eye. She had been attempting to force herself into acting calm but she could practically hear her heart racing wildly and her breathing was audible and panicky.

Sam looked up at Dorothea once more, just as cornered as she was. The princess looked furious in her defensive position but what could she do? She was essentially powerless in the form she was in. It still was painful to watch as Dorothea submitted and began her descent from the topmost branches of the tree. Sam closed her eyes, trying to fight back the feeling of defeat and despair, then opened them again. "No, don't do it!" she yelled to her, even though she was probably going to get sliced for this. She was probably already dead anyway though. "You can't trust him, he'll probably just kill me when you hand yourself over anyway! I'm not worth it!" Sam didn't want to die, didn't like saying these things about herself, and was surprised that she was even saying them. But they were true in a sense. She was no one. She was normal, average, and she didn't even belong in this place. She shouldn't know Dorothea at all, and Dorothea shouldn't be willingly handing herself over for the life of a girl that wasn't even from the same world as her. Maybe just as much as Sam shouldn't have been willing to risk her life for the princess. But Sam didn't want to watch this man she hated more than anyone else at the moment win. It was against her nature, no matter how skeptical and cynical she was. She hated it when the scumbags won and got away and walked all over everyone else in the process. Sam couldn't let that happen to Dorothea when she had no means of defense. She didn't think she could stand seeing the Marshal's face if he got what wanted.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

"Dorothea, no. Listen to me," Sam said as she shook her head. She was trying to put on a brave face but she could hear her voice cracking. "I can't run through these woods all night, and even if I could...I won't know where I'm going. I don't know anything about this world. I'd just get lost and they'd catch us anyway. Don't get caught because of me." She could hear them now, the men with the clinking armor. The sounds were growing closer each second and Sam glanced over her shoulder quickly as she tried to calm her racing heart. She looked back up at Dorothea as the cat girl declared that Sam was her responsibility. It unexpectedly touched her heart and Sam felt herself smile a bit. "I can take care of myself," she said softly. Sam had felt this way for so long, even as a kid. But when she had said it just now it had felt a bit like a lie on her tongue.

The princess began to leap onto branches higher in the tree and Sam heard the disturbing of the leaves and twigs on the forest floor. She closed her eyes briefly before slowly turning to see the Marshal and his two guardsmen approaching. She felt her heart hammer in her chest as the two thugs advanced towards her and she stumbled away from them until her back was pressed against the tree. They had cornered her and had their swords drawn and held up near her throat. Sam eyed the blades, her face pale, before looking into their faces. The one with blood dripping from his nose had a particularly pleased expression on his face and he looked like he couldn't wait to run her through. He spoke to his leader, basically asking for permission to kill her on the spot.

It was at this moment as she stared Death in the face that Sam realized if she died here in this world then no one back in her own would ever know what had happened to her. To her family and friends she would have simply just vanished off the face of the earth. She couldn't let that happen. She had to live, had to get home. Sam refused to die in a world that wasn't her own. She looked at the Marshal to see him considering her and she found her voice. "What kind of man are you? First you kidnap me and trap me in this place, for no reason by the way. I swear I didn't know anything. And now that we're on the other side you're just going to kill me? Why didn't you just do it before, why bring me here at all?" Sam could hear her voice shaking as she begged for her life. But it was not just due to fear. She was also angry. "You made me a liability when you had these two drag me through that mirror! And look at me, how much of a threat could I possibly be to you? Look. At. Me. Please." She swallowed as she gazed at the man. "Only a monster would murder a scared, lost girl in the woods. Is that the kind of man you are? A monster?"

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Sam let out an incredulous little laugh when Dorothea was done talking. "You have an evil stepmother? Of course you do. Why wouldn't you?" Sam also had a stepmother. And a stepfather. Neither were evil, of course. It didn't work like that. At least in her world they didn't. "So...this Liam guy? What's he like? It isn't like some kind of arranged marriage is it? Do you actually, like, love him?" She didn't believe much in love. Not since her parents had divorced when she was a child. It had been messy and by the time she had turned eight she had watched her mother and father fall completely out of love. Her parents seemed fine enough now with their new spouses, but she'd never forget the fighting or the yelling. Sam didn't like the silence between her and Dorothea though, especially in this place, and wanted to keep a conversation going.

She stubbed her toe on something and grimaced. It hurt a lot, even through her boot. She felt like a idiot, stumbling through this forest, stepping on twigs and nearly tripping over rocks. Sam was a city girl, and she had never spent long anywhere else outside of a couple of vacations to see her mother's parents in Florida. She certainly had not spent much time in any sort of wilderness, including forests. And this particular forest seemed like it was endless. Plus it was getting darker by the minute. "How far is it to this castle again? A few miles?" She frowned at Dorothea. "You sure about that?"

Dorothea's head had swiveled around to look behind them. Sam didn't think much of it until she heard Dorothea tell her to run. "What why?" she asked looking over at her as the cat secured herself on her shoulder and neck. There was only one reason she could think why. Dorothea, with her cat's ears, had heard something behind them. Namely the Marshal and his two henchmen. Sam couldn't stop her heart racing in a panic and, as Dorothea suggested she not fall, she started to run. She had run track in high school and the adrenaline was also kicking in in this situation, but neither of these facts changed the fact that Sam had no idea where she was going. She was dodging trees, climbing over logs, doing her very best not to trip and send them both toppling to the ground. She had no idea if she was still even going in the right direction anymore.

She came to a stop for a moment as she tried to catch her breath. "Dorothea," Sam whispered uneasily, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, "There is no where to go." She started glancing around, looking for any place to hide and seeing nothing. It didn't help the sunlight was nearly faded. In a desperate moment Sam lifted Dorothea from her shoulder and set her up on another tree branch. "Climb this tree. Hide or...or something. Maybe they won't care about me."

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Raquelle is a totally fine name. I think I'll introduce Liam within the next few posts to give her a chance on some action.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

The queen was silent as the Marshal spoke, and she considered him for a moment, and then the other two guardsmen. One of the men had slash wounds from claws on his face, and the Marshal himself looked as though he was bleeding from bites and claw wounds as well. The second man, however, had a broken nose. Not an injury obtained from a cat. Her eyes narrowed slightly but she said nothing of it. If it was important she would find out soon enough. So Narissa just smiled again. "Then by all means, Marshal. Commence away. It'll be night soon and I must return to the castle now. Before the King starts looking for me." She nodded at her guardsmen before turning her head and walking through the arched doorway, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

~~~

Sam watched the cat as she spoke. She introduced herself as Dorothea, as a princess. Of a place called Eldonia. The name meant nothing to Sam, and she felt a chill as she was forced to accept that she was as far away from home as she could possibly be. It then became relatively easy to accept that Dorothea was actually a human who had become a cat. By magic? Of course magic existed. Of course the cat was actually a princess under a spell. Sam listened with an expression that gave away how overwhelming this was to her. Learning about the doorway she had been brought through wasn't comforting, either. The doorway that was only open when there was a full moon on the other side. In her world. Sam was finding it hard to breath. She was in another world. By now it was morning back in New York and door was closed, trapping her here. Where there were kingdoms, castles, princesses, men in armor, and apparently magic. Like something out of a story book.

Getting her answers had done nothing but make her more uncertain. And afraid. Sam wasn't used to feeling like that. She was cynical, clever, and able to take care of herself. Here in this world though she felt lost and confused. Dorothea was promising to help her get home. Sam just had to trust her, and start walking before they got caught.

Sam was skeptical, as usual. She had to trust a cat. A princess technically, but one who was stuck in the body of a cat. Dorothea was stuck. A bit like how Sam was stuck in this world. At this thought she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and gathered up whatever nerve she had left. There wasn't much, but there was enough. Sam opened her eyes to meet the cat's gaze and nodded in agreement. She reached forward to lift Dorothea off of the branch and set her back on her shoulder. Then she turned and started walking. "My name's Sam," she told Dorothea after a moment. "Sam Shea. It's nice to meet you. I suppose. So this Marshal guy. I'm guessing he was the blue eyed one who was giving the orders." There were a few more moments of silence as she walked through the trees and then she glanced over at the cat again. "Dorothea? If you're the princess and the queen's men are chasing us...then they're your mother's men right? Why would your mother need you to disappear? Did she do this cat thing to you?"

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Yeah... I did. Hopefully I fixed it. Basically it's forest and Verinia to the east, ocean and Itelia to the west. Speaking of Itelia I should probably introduce Liam soon~ And yeah they are pretty far from Eldonia's central city (I guess that's where the castle would be). That's why Narissa has those archways so she can get there and back in an instant and not raise suspicions with extended trips into the forest.

And I think your posts have been quite lovely. I, meanwhile, am too obsessed with details. Probably need to rein it in a bit. I keep writing novels. Please don't feel the need to match me ha.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Mmmmmkay so like Eldonia is like the central kingdom? To the east is the forest that can be called whatever and it is enormous, so enormous that it is shared with Eldonia's eastern neighbor, the kingdom of Verinia. Narissa's hollow, basically where Sam and Dorothea would be right now in the IC, is close to the border between Eldonia and Verinia, deep in the forest. Itelia is Eldonia's western neighbor and closest ally, which is why Liam and Dorothea would have grown up together. It's right along the coast so probably lots of merchants and sailing and fishing. Then Eldonia also has southern and northern neighbors (haven't named them yet). The kingdom to the north is a more mountainous, snowy area and the kingdom to the south is like a desert environment. The rest of the land in between are valleys and farmland with plenty of villages. And that's basically the rough outline of Adosia's geography ha.

Hopefully that makes sense?

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

I have a better idea of like the layout of the land and a few of the kingdoms? If you're interested.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Narissa was silent for a moment, observing the Marshal as he gave his report. She felt a surge of anger about the fact that Dorothea was still not in a cage. Blasted girl. It had been most satisfying to cast the enchantment and watch as her pretty stepdaughter was transformed in front of her. The satisfaction hadn't lasted long, however. She had been furious when Dorothea had escaped for the first time, slipping right through the mirror at the precise moment. The gateway was a tricky thing, only open for a limited time based upon the size of the moon in the World-On-The-Other-Side, which was made trickier due to the fact that in their world, in the land of Adosia, time moved faster. A month on the other side was a year in Adosia. By now the full moon in that world had set and the sun was rising and the mirror was just a mirror again. Dorothea had needed to disappear but not into the World-On-The-Other-Side. Narissa still needed her. She hadn't raised her voice at the Marshal, but her anger had been perfectly clear. Go through the mirror. Bring the princess back. Or do not come back at all. And here he was, back in the flesh. But her stepdaughter was still missing. On this side, yes. But here she could slip back to Eldonia, to the palace. Even in the animal form Narissa had trapped her in Dorothea could send her plan crumbling to the floor.

"See that she is, Marshal." He was a good man to have on her side, despite these recent events. Mostly efficient and as loyal as he had once been to her husband. Before she had swayed him. It had been a victory for her, when she had persuaded her husband's most loyal man and confidant to turn on him and serve her instead. Ordering him to help her capture the princess had been one of the last of several tests of loyalty, to see if he had truly turned away from the people he had once served. Having him watch as she cast the transformation spell on Dorothea had been another. This blunder of his, letting her slip through his fingers and escape, was most unfortunate. Though he still had this one last chance to fix everything. She looked him in the eyes and the smile slipped for a moment. "The prince isn't expecting her in Itelia until tomorrow, so no one knows she is missing yet. If she slips back to her father, everything I've worked for will fall apart. Find her." Her tone softened dangerously as she titled her head slightly to one side. "Do not fail me again, August." She didn't need to threaten anything.

Narissa turned from her guardsmen, looking at her shelves of vials and books as though searching for something of interest. "Were there any problems?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder past her curtain of gold hair. "On the other side? That world is so unlike our own."

~~~

Sam came to a halt when the cat stopped, She was panting, not so much from the running itself but from everything. The being grabbed and dragged into this place, the escape, the jump. Her heart was racing as she tried to catch her breath and the cat was speaking again. It made her wince, even though she had been expecting it. The cat said that the doorway was closed by now and that she was stuck here. Sam felt a chill rush through her and she closed her eyes. "What?" she asked, even though she had heard every word. "What do you mean stuck?" The cat was still speaking (how could she do that?) and Sam knew she was right, about the men and the danger. The thought of the Marshal's icy eyes and the hard grip on her chin made her shiver again. But despite the eminent danger of being hunted down by the men who had abducted her, including the man she had given a broken nose, she was still unable to get past the fact that she was stuck here. And she had no idea where here was.

She opened her eyes when the cat leaped up onto her shoulder. Sam turned her head to look at the furry thing just sitting there and directing her towards a castle. Of course this place had castles. Even at the promise of finding a way back home when they got there, she hesitated. "No," Sam suddenly said, shaking her head as she reached up and pulled the cat off of her shoulder. "No," she repeated as she strode over to a tree and set the cat down on a branch at eye level. "No!" Sam clenched her hands into fists to stop them shaking. "You want me to take you to this castle? Fine but first I need some answers. Like why you can talk, who those men were, why they brought me here, how they brought me here, and, oh yeah, where here is!" She stopped to take a very shaky breath and closed her eyes. Her voice had been on the verge of becoming hysterical and her hands had became knotted in her red hair, as though she were in danger of ripping it out. "And you better talk quickly," Sam added through gritted teeth, opening her eyes to gaze at the cat. "Please."