The Soul of Scarlet's Lost Tears

Day brakes, on a peaceful morning. I wake to find myself not in a guest room but in a dungeon like room, with metal bars in the window, as the walls was covered in black dust, and the floor or should I say ground was caked mud patches with small rocks. With the door being a plank of old wood, as the port hole also had a few metal bars in center.

“Boy, oh boy, what else won’t make my day more of a drag”. Hard banging coming from the door, followed by “mam, you are needed, please get yourself ready, I’ll be back in five minutes”.

Sitting up on the edge of the cot, I looked over to the other that was across from me. Which I noticed, folded on the cot was a bunch of clothes that myself wouldn’t wear.

Pulling back the rest of the blanket, I got to my feet, then said out loud as I placed my dagger, strapping back on my ankle “no need, I’m ready now”.

The door soon creaked open, as Gideon was too waiting on the other side of the door waiting for me as he promised. But wasn’t alone as he stood with two guards who were dressed all in armor.

Stepping out of the room, seeing Gideon smiling, as one of the guards nudge him out of the way, and the other walked behind me and closed the door behind him. I said, “there is no need for this”, as they grabbed onto my arms one by one, as I felt cold metal shackles going around my wrists in front of me, “its ok Sara, its standard procedure”.

Gideon said trying to make it clear for me to understand, as the last clank of the cuffs was made, I raised them up showing him when I told him “you call this being an honored guest?”.

Where words seem to not come, he just shrugged his shoulders, when “no need to get hostile, mam”. One of the guards said, looking at who spoke and it was Kohl “it is just that he, wants you to wear these until he sees you in person”.

It was after a big grieving sigh coming from me and Gideon as he too shook his head, as he stepped aside and let me take the first steps toward the door. When I was briefly stopped when the other guard put his hand on my left shoulder, “it would be, best that you walk between us, for appearance sake”, the guard sad, as I could only think to myself “you have got to be kidding” but I just let that go as I waited for them to catch up.

Exiting the hallway of cells, I walked in between the two guards, Gideon kept me company, and walked along my right side, keeping a mild pace. The silence of the damp hall was broken from the sound of rattling chains, which made its sound every time I took a step, where I even tried to mum out the sound by grasping the small length of linked chains that were hanging in between the two cuffs.

“Let me guess, first time being cuffed” Gideon asked trying to hold back a smiling laugh, “and if it is, so what is it to you”, I replied to him, as he didn’t say anything else after that.

It wasn’t long that we made our way to a huge room that had a stair case in the center of the room and on the very top of the stairs was three thrones, as the center one was bigger than the two that were on both sides of center one which would be the one that the king.

Or for the one who rules would sit, walking through the big doors that laid open. Once we entered, it wasn’t long when the doors men closed them behind us without a word spoken, looking around the room I noticed that there was a table in front of a lot of tall windows that had tall curtains that had barely hung over the floor which the table had all sort of fruits and loafs of bread, where it even appeared to be glass pitchers of wine surrounding with several crystal wine glasses on a tray.

To where I saw two more guards entering the room from the opposite sides of the stairs as they walked to the beginning of the steps, as they soon stopped, and with a slight jerk of their wrists, slammed two poles that they each had in their left and right hands.

Hitting vigorously against the floor, striking it three times, the one on my right side then start to shout “hear ye, hear ye, you are now in the presence of the honorable Lord

McGuiness”, all the guards then started to kneel followed by me seeing Gideon start to walk over to the table of garnishes.

I didn’t at all feel like kneeling, though the two guards tried their best as they began to pull on both of my arms. Which I started to sway them out of their grip the best I could.

They even tried to get me to kneel, even by hitting the back of my knees, as I tried to be like that statue and stand strong.

I soon heard chuckling, followed by a continues laughter coming from the top of the stairs, looking toward that sound I soon realize who was making it.

“You haven’t changed one bit, my dear, please come closer”. Taking one deep breath, I found myself walking up over the stairs, when I reached the top of the steps that’s when I realize who it was.

“Well I’ll be” a shock came over me when I suddenly remember who it was, “yes, my dear it’s me Jack from the Bell-Loch, how have you been” he said with a grin across his face, as if he forgotten that I’m still wearing the shackles, as I raised them up and said, “eh I’ve been better” holding up my hands baring the metal cuffs.

“Oh, come now” he said while clearing his throat,

“those do suit you, especially from what I heard”, “actually these would look better on you, then they do on me, so why don’t you be a miscreant that you truly are and put them on” I said as I unlatched both cuffs from my hands.

Seeing him have a look of surprise with a wide-open jaw, while I dangled one side of the shackles on the edge of one of my fingers.

I was soon tackled from behind by the two guards that stood at the beginning of the stairs, and brought to the floor face first, crossing the two staffs against my back. Making sure I wasn’t going to do anything let alone anywhere, which if you ask me at that time, all I was doing was taunting him. To see what his reaction was.

And he didn’t disappoint. “May I ask how did you do that?” he asked as he started to walk toward me, where I could only see the tip of his shoe polished boots come closer and closer since the two guards even kept my head down. With only using his right wrist he slowly waved at the guards to move back, they slowly took a few steps back, even removing the two staffs.

Not wanting to move, as I got on my right knee in a kneeling position, still having my head dropped downward not noticing that he had a smile on his face.

Where I soon saw, him step with his left foot on the metal shackles, then with one brush he kicked them out of my reach. Then I see him kneel on his left knee, and placing his left hand gently underneath my chin, “look at me, my dear

Sara” he said as he slowly lifted my head.

Where I could only look in a different direction with only my eyes, where he started to get a little frustrated, I could slightly tell, due to how tight his grip got on my chin, as he pressed harder against it.

Forcing me to look at him into his eyes, for what reason I did not know. Until my jaw started to hurt I then looked directly at him but with a stern exasperation. “Now, was that so hard”, he paused then added “though kneeling doesn’t quiet suite you, especially from what I’ve heard about you”.

I was sort of taken back when he said that, though I was still unsure. “So, what now Jack!” I said in a nonchalant tone which a few seconds later I was hit on my right side by one of the guards with the tip of his staff, with one swipe of my hand I then grabbed onto it, and pulled onto it as he let go of his grip, to where I then through it behind me.

Which it made a hard-clanging sound as it rolled down the steps.

By the last clang, it made, resting on the floor, rolling to a slow stop. That’s when I stood up on both of my feet looking away from him and down toward the staff, “let say, it never surprises me the way you conduct your strength, by masking it” Jack said while he gave a little applause.

I then looked back at him, as Gideon then added as he made his way up the stairs, then standing next to me, “was there a reason you wanted me to bring her here for”, “well” he answered him “well, there is not for you to know

Gideon”.

Jack stepped in between us, placing his left hand on the center of my back, as he slowly leaned toward me, and said “after you”, showing as he pointed with his right hand to an open door.

Rubbing both of my wrists, I took one last glance toward Gideon, then started to procced leaving him (Gideon) pondering more, and more on what just happened, as he took a huge bite of the red apple that was in his hand. Shrugging his shoulders, he to walked away, as Jack followed shortly behind me, somewhat showing me where to go.

Walking into a small hall, that lead a way from the throne room. As he pointed toward a small office. That had a shelf filled with a lot of rolled up parchments, of documents to old drawn out maps.

Pulling out a chair that was in front of a desk, asking me with his hands to take a seat. As I repeated to ask him what Gideon asked, “so, what is the reason of me being here”, “it’s like this” he started to say, “it is because, I am having difficulty with one of my fleets out in the far east coast, shipments been coming in late, or something like that” as he then cleared his throat while he walked around to the other side of the desk, then slowly began to sit as he handed me a parchment that had some writing on it.

“And what, you want me to help you?” I rebelled as I through down the parchment in front of him, “why don’t you ask Gideon to do this?”, “cha, Gideon? He is a leader, but what I was looking for is more than a leader but a Captain like yourself”. “Let alone, your reputation can do some good for me” he added, “so please, look it over again”, like for any agreement I always tend to ask, “ok then, say I do this, and help you out, what would be the catch, what do you get in return, and is there any danger will be faced”.

He soon said, “those are good questions you ask, and how I would say that there is always danger no matter what, an in return it’s just to know everything is going in the right direction”, thinking that he somewhat was holding back on telling me exactly what he meant, but I took a few long minutes then I soon told him “when do you want me to start?”.

He then grabbed onto my right hand with his right hand and started to shake it immensely, “oh, you don’t know how this makes me feel, thank you so very much”, “by the way how’s Captain Maxwell?”.

Astonished on how he would ask me about the Captain, which I said nothing, and shrugged my shoulders. As I took a few steps toward the left side of the chair, then, rolled up the parchment that he handed back to me.

Turned, looking toward the door. Not a moment come, I started to walk toward the hall. When I saw Madeline, peek around the doorframe, as she asked, “oh, I see you two have met already”, he responded by saying “yes, we met, is there anything else my dear”, “well, oh yeah, breakfast is now being served in the dining hall”, “thank you again, so, before you leave Sara how about you have something to eat”, “does she have to go right after breakfast, couldn’t she stay awhile, I would like to show her around”, she replied as he answered “no she doesn’t need to leave right away, it’s up to her when she wants to leave”.

As there was a slight hush of silence, followed by me saying “I’ll stick around, besides is that breakfast I smell”.