Take Me To Wonderland (Ever After High fan fic)

Chapter 47: The Jester's Plot

Metal shackles clamped around my wrists and ankles that were attached to a stone wall. There was no telling what the marking and stains were along the cobblestone walls and floors. It was already difficult to tell from the darkness, but there was no doubt that there was possibly blood splattered. The floor was cold against my bare feet that were stripped off me. The room was dark and empty except for candelabras scattered around the corners leaving the large room scarcely dim. The lights played tricks on my vision confusing me. It seemed like shadows were dancing along the walls that turned into terrifying faces. Figures would move in the corner of my eyes that felt like evil spirits lingered around.

It felt like I wasn't alone. Shutting my eyes did nothing but torment me further. Foreign whispers echoed off the walls saying indistinguishable things that couldn't be made out. Closing off one of my senses turned on the next. If I wasn't seeing things I would be hearing them. Fear was trying to trickle through my mind as the whispers and figures would infiltrate all around. My chest burnt with my heart pounding loudly in terrible anticipation fearing the worst.

The squeak of a door opened piercing the light through the room forcing me to squint. The brightness from the other side vanished as the jingling of bells echoed off the walls as footsteps neared. She's back. It's been hours since Courtly has kept me in here. To her, this is all just a game. A sick and twisted one.

My tongue suppled to the roof of my mouth to absorb any moisture from my dehydrated body. She had deprived me from food and water. She resorted to violence, using weapons as her favorite source of torture. She would do a lot worse. Courtly would tell me about how Chase was following under her command doing her bidding and other things. She was a very confusing woman. She was never straightforward with her answers and always was iffy with her sentences. She was not an honest person.

Honestly it was a mystery to know who allowed her to have these rankings here in the first place. Did the Red Queen allow for this? For her not exactly in her right mind, it was perhaps plausible it could've been her doing. Or maybe Courtly seized a chance to take it. Whichever way, it didn't matter, because she was about to have another go at me. And I was really going to get it.

"Morning! Sleep well, princess?" giggled Courtly delightfully.

It was a terrible joke. I couldn't sleep a wink. She placed a heretic's fork around my throat, restraining me from moving my face as both ends pierced my throat and chest. A horrible medieval torture device would pierce my skin if I moved my head one way or the other. It wasn't like I could. My head was forced to strain itself upright the whole time forced to stare up in one position. Dried blood crusted from my collarbone and chin from any attempt to speak.

"Where is Chase?" My voice was hoarse, the metal piercing my jaw slightly from daring to talk to her.

Courtly's lips curled upward as she let out a laugh, a light jingling of bells following along from her hat. She stepped closer toward me, reaching a hand to snatch at the metal encasing around my throat, pulling me near Courtly's face. It's teeth sunk into my flesh, piercing the already open wounds to cause it to bleed.

"Tsk tsk. That's for me to know and you not to find out." she said with a shaking of her head, her bells jingling in response. She released her grip causing me to sway back by the chains. "Chase has an assignment. So he's too busy to come to your rescue. But, I'll be sure to leave you with a little present for him when he has the chance. Hmm I've got a few branded materials I've been waiting to try out. Ready for another round of Persecute the Princess?"

She began to laugh maniacally as she started to unfold the tools hidden from under a clothed table. Her long, painted fingernails scanned over each item before stopping over something I couldn't see. From what I could tell it was long and shiny as it glittered in the dim candlelight.