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Chapter Nineteen, Part One - Gone With the Wind

Chapter Nineteen

Gone With The Wind

Three hours passed with still no sign of Westley. By then I had cut one, long, skinny groove into the snow, created by my ceaseless pacing. And all the while the sky was growing ever darker, the chill in the air had risen, and my nerves had begun to fail me. I was beginning to grow worried as horrible thoughts incessantly passed through my mind. I wondered if perhaps, wherever he'd gone, he'd been eaten. Or if I would be.

Several yards away, a twig snapped as the wind picked up and rustled through the trees. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself, praying and hoping that Westley would return soon. In the daylight I could pretend to be stronger and braver than I was... but now that the light was fading, unfortunately my make-believe skills were vanishing too.

But come to think of it, the forest was losing light awfully fast...

My heartrate picked up as I glanced about me, watching as the remaining sunlight vanished from the air like sand through a sieve. A glance up at the sky revealed that it had gone as black as night with no stars and no moon to be seen. Carefully, I unzipped my coat and pulled the Sapphire from beneath my shirt, casting it's light across the clearing.

"The time has come and decisions must be made. I ask this question - are you prepared to do what it takes in order to survive... or will you succumb to the fear and forfeit your life?"

I knew that slow, gentlemanly voice. Gathering my courage, I slowly turned to face the Slaugh.

"I choose neither Court, but it isn't a decision made from fear. I'd rather die tonight - knowing I did the right thing - than live like a coward for the rest of my life."

"Wise words... I applaud your mettle young sapling,"

The Slaugh politely inclined his head and I too returned the acknowledgement.

"So that's it then? I made my decision so you have to kill me now, right? But how? You don't have a Blade of Woe with you, and even if you wait for Westley to show he won't give it to you willingly."

The Slaugh tilted his head, pausing as he deliberated his answer.

"My dear, there are ways of killing the body without killing the mind. This option would suffice for her Majesty."

With another shiver I imagined being in a coma for the rest of my life - unable to move or speak, stuck for an eternity with only my thoughts for company.

"I'm sure it would, but that doesn't work for me," I replied, lifting my chin. "I won't go out like a chump, and I won't become a vegetable either. So if you're gonna kill me, do it all the way or not at all."

There was another pause in which we both considered the other. It was strange - I hadn't expected to feel so calm while literally standing two feet from death, and yet, somehow, I was.