Chapter 29- A fairytale

He was once,

an angel.

~ Unknown.

*** 

 Early the next morning, after a heavy rain poured down in the land of Dragsholm, washing away the slit and dirt on the surface, the sky remained gloomy with the sun taking its cover under the blanket of the thick clouds. As usual, the slaves had woken to carry out their various tasks.

 With the dull and gloomy weather, it was obvious it would rain again, but within the next hour, it returned to its natural form. The cloud still retained its thick mists not planning to float anytime soon. Even though it accommodated the hidden sun against the world, there was the wind that made boughs of naked trees sway in a rhythmic pressure of certain eruptions.

 But once again, the same couldn't be told to the tower at far end. One who gazed up high would frit in fear. Just how much distance it took for the ominous aura to reach this far; as though it sent a message one could clearly read out aloud and hear from the whispers of the wind. Death. It was all it screamed.

 Somehow, this weather reminded her of the husband to the woman she fed on her womb. Her father? He hated her, but never had it bothered her to the extent he had sold her as a slave to this kingdom. The cursed land. Land of so many nightmares.

 That look, Medusa could remember. It was filled with hate, disgust, anger and pain, right from day one, before she was enslaved to Dragsholm. She remained passive but internally Medusa harbored zero feeling towards the man she never referred to as a father. From the start, she lived like a slave, working till her hands bled which eventually got calloused, beaten till her body was left with scars; a reminder of the harsh cruelty she received, and punished till her knees were bruised, mouth chapped, eyes swollen.

 All this maltreatment started when he remarried in replacement of her deceased… his deceased wife. And the woman turned out to be how she had expected; cruel, brutal, and loath the mere sight of her.

 She was reminded of a day that flashed her memory like fire being set on a pile of clothes. One dull night, her young self at the age of five, was sent out on an errand by her stepmother, into the woods to get more logs that would last for the night. She wasn't allowed to return without the logs until the woman was satisfied with the amount she desired. Who would send their little one by this time and at this weather which was about to release a vengeful downpour of rain. But that woman did.

 Little Medusa walked under the gaze of the gloomy sky, where the clouds grumbled and lightning sparks tried to escape every time the clouds clashed against each other.

 When she succeeded in gathering enough logs, she had only taken three steps when she was suddenly surrounded by three huge men. Their faces were all covered with masks that could hardly identify them as they stood in a predatory poise. Droplets of rain fueled with intensity as if someone angered the gods began to pour. And Medusa remained positioned.

 At this state, anyone under such circumstance would heed to their feet or scream in fright for help, but this wasn't the case for little Medusa. All she did was return the gaze they passed to her. And she was enjoying this more than ever.

 "Little girl, what are you doing under this harsh rain? Have you lost your way?" One of them asked over the heavy rain that kept increasing each passing seconds.

 Little Medusa stared at the man that spoke, his bulky body marching in a predatory swagger as she watched him approach her in a threatening manner with a posture that indicated 'no way to run' and she could only look at him with indifference. However, she remained silent, her lazy eyes watching them, before she turned her back to leave. And someone blocked her way. Her face darkened.

 "How rude," The man commented with a scoff. "I asked you a question and you intend to walk out. Weren't you thought manners to respect your elders?" he asked disdainfully and gauged her petite figure from head to toe.

 Medusa still did not answer. At this point, they were all totally drenched but none seemed to be fazed by it. Their business had taken over their rationality. She glanced over her side and shifted; taking the other way, but that same someone blocked her. She was in the middle of pawns; the clear definition of rabbit being surrounded by sly foxes.

 "Tch, your courage amazes me, little one. I find it, hmm, let me say, pleasing." He hummed at the end. "But little ones like you remains little in the eyes of the big ones, the mightier ones." He laughed and the two others joined him.

 Then she turned to face him. He walked closer without breaking eyes contact and just when he was few inches away, he crouched to her height, tilting his head and observed her. "Should I tell you a story girl?" then he raised his finger and moved the silver hair that covered almost all her face. But after he did, he almost regretted it. The look in those blue eyes; as if they were possessed by satan!

 He quickly composed himself and shrugged off the feeling. "This story revolves around a girl named Marinna." He started with a small sigh. "She was someone who took courage in every.little.thing she did." And he stressed it, using his finger to draw a small invisible arc step by step in space. Then he put on a small smile and continued. "Marinna stood up against any offense, although I must say, she was such a brave intelligent one. She was a victim of both jealousy and hatred. Due to that, Marinna grew prideful and pompous, always looking down on others while she referred herself as the 'big one.'" He paused. The rain didn't stop so as the people under it. A heart contented smile graced his lips when he continued.

 "One day, Marinna was attacked by big men, those who were far bigger and stronger than her. And guess what?" No response. Or rather he didn't allow her to respond. "The courageous, envy in people's eyes turned out she couldn't save herself in the end." He released dirty and satisfying laughter. "Her lifeless body was all that was seen, neither her voice nor her tears. Her fragile neck was snapped away from her body. Her life ended there. In a tragic fate." As he said those words, he turned to face Medusa.

 It only took Medusa a millisecond to pin the true meaning behind the underlying words in disguise as a tale. It wasn't a story just about Marinna but a tale that was going to be about her. But they missed a crucial part of it. Marinna never died.

 Fools, she thought. Little did they know that the table would turn and face them.

 "She will cost quite a token," another man from behind spoke, in such a way that the bulky man smiled. But the next minute, lightning flashed across the sky causing the thunder to rattle with the loudest boom they have ever heard.

 The lean man who spoke, looked up to the sky that poured down heavy raindrops before observing his surroundings. He doubted anyone would be present by this time and by this weather. It was a perfect timing for them. "Let's get this done with."

The bulky man that spoke earlier trailed his finger down to little Medusa's nose before caressing her lips in a satisfying manner. It disgusted her. In a swift movement, she bit his finger with little effort very casually, and the bite made a bone cracking sound.

 He screamed hysterically at the sudden attack as he stood jumping on his feet in pain. The other guys watched him in utter shock. What just happened? The thunder then struck again.

 "Quick, bring out the salt!" One of them with a mask that only covered his eyes spoke, passing an urgent look at the lean man. At his voice, the man quickly took out something from his cloak with a shaky hand and then handed it to him.

 The man hurried with careful steps towards Medusa and kept a suitable distance away from the little witch, and unfolded the small cloth it his hand. Then he walked around her, in a circular manner, drawing an obvious circle with the salt in his hand and muttering a terrifying spell.

 Little Medusa watched all this happen, following his movement with an eerie aura. Every now and then, the man pouring the salt would steal a glance towards the girl in fright. He was frightened by her intimidating aura. He did so until he successfully drew the circle and quickly moved back, watching the little girl stuck in the middle of a ritual.

 They stood, watching the girl look at them behind her drenched silver hair, like someone being possessed. A minute passed, and nothing happened. It indeed concluded she was trapped under the spell.

 "D-did it work?" the lean man suddenly whispered to the furious man besides him, who responded with a deadly glare. He shifted in reflex, affected by his burning ire. Then he swallowed, and looked at the girl again.

 Then another minute passed, when the girl finally took a step. Forward, forward, forward, and until she reached the end where the salt was drawn. She looked up from the ground, to the people who watched her. One with rage, another with determination and the last with fear.

 And then the impossible happened. She pulled out her left leg and stepped on the ground outside the salt. The sight of it stole their breath in shock with a beating heart. Little Medusa then relaxed the leg of the ground, before bringing out the second one, fully stepping away from the salt, and breaking the barrier.

 She cracked her neck in an unsatisfying manner, staring at them like her next feast. Their faces eventually drained at the horror of it.

 "I'll so fucking kill you, little witch!" The bulky man came after her with a furious glare, matching like a mad man who has lost his sanity a long time ago.

 He swung his hand to grab her, only for it to cut through the air. His eyes widened. And next he breathed through his nose, before turning back. "Where the hell is she?!" he screamed on top of his lungs under the blazing thunder that resounded in the forest.

 'Looking for me?' Like a siren luring its prey, the voice sang in his head, and he snapped behind.

 "Where the f*ck are you?!" he yelled frustrated by her twists and turns. "Ohh… I get now," he released a short laugh. "Don't be scared," he coaxed half-heartedly. "Your fate will be far different from Mar-" When suddenly, the voice of the man faded with the harsh wind, as his head dangled boneless around his neck. His body fell to the ground with a heavy thud and his eyes was wide open in shock.

 The other two men stared at their partner's body laying cold on the muddy ground, as the rain slipping down the slopes came in contact with his body, washing away the red liquid contaminated with it. One gone, two left.

 Furiously, "I'll kill you!" With the overbearing rage he carried, he didn't think twice before approaching the girl that appeared out of the blue. Gone was another sanity. He had indeed fallen into the Devil's trap.

 On his third huge steps forward, his right knee suddenly twisted, disfigured. It looked like something strong and powerful damaged his leg in such an instant. The sight of it was horrific.

 Screaming, he fell on his left knee, with his hands grabbing the dislocated limb, watching it in agonizing pain, and wailing like a tortured prisoner. And with sharp breaths, he glared resentfully and gritted his teeth, intending to get on his feet with his other leg. His mind was made up. He was going to kill this bloody witch!!

 But what happened next was something worse.

 His other leg had the same fate as the latter. His eyes threatened to fall of its socket as he opened his mouth, "YOU…!!!" He screamed, wailed, cursed and in no time, his body gave up.

***