Another YouTube Fairytale: Nate's Life In The Prisons; Book 2

Chapter 9 - The Great Murder

Nate's hand gripped the ledge for dear life, his dirty fingernails wedged in between the cracks of the stone. With all of his might, he pulled himself up, finally feeling grass beneath his fingers. Nate had removed the rock - he was at the same spot where Cristina died.

Nate promised himself that he wouldn't look. He came up to see the light again, not to dwell in the past. But as soon as that familiar breeze rustled his hair, he couldn't help but look back.

He didn't know why, but he half expected Cristina to still be lying there - her body pale and still. Maybe she would even be standing up, just as alive as ever. But it had been two years - of course she was gone. Not even a single footprint in the sand.  Nate stood by the water's edge and let the water surround him, the waterline shocking his ankles with its cold, clean embrace. He felt the scent of the air around him - or more, the lack of a scent. Living in the sewers, Nate was always overcome with loud noises, terrible scents, and sights that were always either too dark or too bright. But up here, the world was quiet. Not silent, quiet. Like the sound of a page being turned in a book. The only smell was that of the grass, the sea.

If only the sky wern't still gray. The kingdom was heading headfirst into famine, and it looked like nothing would stop it at this rate.

Nate looked up to see the castle walls. And to his surprise, he could actually see something growing - vines, a beautiful shade of dark green, climbed up the castle walls. He ran up the hill leading to the castle walls, and tugged on the vines. They were strong, and the bricks looked climbable.

Nate took a deep breath, letting the weight of what he was about to do sink in. He was breaking into the royal castle. He could be killed, just like Cristina.

And horrifyingly enough, that thought only made him more determined, as two words ran through his head. Win-win.

Nate perched on a sturdy block, gripped onto the vines, and started to climb. Every few seconds, he'd pause to look around for any guards. There were none around. Finally, he reached the top, perched on top, prepared to jump down.

He scanned the ground quickly. It was a garden. 

Nate had never seen something so beautiful. The grass was a brighter green than the grass outside the castle walls, the soil a deep, rich brown. The vines also covered the other side of the wall, springing from the ground in thick tendrils of dark green - small leaves, and even little pink buds blooming on the sides. Poppies grew in red bunches in various spots across the garden, laced together with patches of pristine white baby's breath. Yellow daises and forget-me-nots were sprinkled through the garden.

Nate noticed a strikingly beautiful blue and purple flower grew in a planter made for only one flower, and for good reason - it was by far the centerpiece of the garden. The shape was a fusion of a rose and poppy. Dark blue petals faded into a purple center. The stem was a dark red color, red thorns escaping it. Smaller pale blue buds were circled around it in the soil - more were blooming.

Nate had to get a closer look. He jumped down onto the cobblestone path, performing a roll to protect his bones. He stood up quickly, regaining his footing, as he approached the flower. Upon a closer look, the could see that the inside of the flower - the spot where the pollen lay, was in the shape of a bright yellow star.

Nate wrapped the cord of the star necklace around his fingers. He could feel the star pendant underneath his fingertips. He remembered that starfish that Cristina had in her bag. He wondered where it was now. Somewhere in the castle? Maybe there was a buyer, and it got to them? Either way, it was long gone.

It was at that moment Nate realized that he was seeing stars everywhere. Any single, tiny thing that was even vaguely star-shaped, he would see it. Because he wanted to see it. That's what stars were; little sparks of light in the darkness. That's what Cristina was for him. Even before the Diggers became the Daggers, Cristina was a ray of light in a dark world. And now, Nate was seeing more of those stars everywhere he went. He realized then, he would never stop seeing them. He would never stop seeing the stars around him, because he was always seeing Cristina around him. He wanted to see Cristina again and he did - in every star around him.

Nate had to take the star on the flower, too. He had to steal something else that reminded him of Cristina. Win-Win. He thought. He'd be acting like a true Dagger, stealing things, which would make Dark happy. And he'd have another reminder of Cristina. He gripped the star necklace tighter. The one he took from Thomas. He remembered how angry he sounded when he stole it.

Nate reached out, when a voice stopped him.

"Who are you?" Nate turned around.

There was a woman, right behind him. She wore a pale yellow dress with darker yellow flowers on it. Her short brown hair was accesorized by a small crown. Nate already knew who she was from his days as a Digger.

"Princess Gwen!" Nate stumbled back, avoiding the flower.

She raised an eyebrow. "Princess? It's been years since I was unmarried. Anyone would know I'm queen, unless-" She glanced at Nate's hand. "You've been... living... underground." She then slowly looked up to meet Nate's eyes.

Queen Gwen backed away, terrified. She was about to scream. Nate couldn't die here. He wouldn't.

Before she was able to even take a breath, Nate drew his own dagger and shoved her agaist a stone pilliar. He held it close to her throat, silencing her quickly. "Don't speak, don't say anything." Nate's intimidation was soured only by his fear.

"What do you want?" Gwen whispered. She was scared, yes, but she wasn't backing down. She could at least pretend to be brave.

Nate would have answered genuinely - he was scared. But then he remembered some advice Dark had given him. Turn fear into anger, and they'll be afraid. And there was one point of anger that he could always draw on.

"Your men killed the woman I loved. Two years ago, she died on the beach, not 4 meters from these very walls. I watched her die while your men tried to drag us away. And then, I watched while they dragged her across the sand - did you allow her a real death, or did you just throw her down some hole?" Nate's anger fueled him. He pressed the knife closer as the queen's breath quickened.

"I didn't know-"

"Gwen!" They both turned around to see another man. Dressed in dark blue royal clothing, Nate could clearly make out an image. This time taking time into account, he could tell it was the former Prince A.J. Now King. Gwen's husband.

"A.J!" Without warning, Gwen turned around, trying to rush to her husband. But the knife was too close to her throat.

As soon as she escaped Nate's grip, she fell to the ground. She looked up, reaching out towards her husband as Nate backed away.

"Gwen!" He knelt down, holding her in his arms. Her throat was slashed - a ribbon of red around her neck, dripping down her dress. She died much faster than Cristina, though- dead within seconds as her eyes glossed over and her chest stopped moving.

The king was silent, but only for a second. A group of guards ran around the corner, pausing at the sight. Finally, the king spoke.

"The queen is dead." He said coldly. "The queen is dead!" He finally looked up and allowed Nate to see his face. It was bright red. His face layered in tears. He looked terrible. But, seeing Gwen's body in his arms... all he could say was one thing.

"At least it was quick." Nate gripped the knife tighter. "I watched the girl I love die at the hands of your men. But she didn't get a quick death. It was slow. Painful." Nate dragged out the words. "I watched her die. I watch her die every night." Nate stood back up and faced the flower. "I only wanted the star." He muttered softly.

"Kill him." Nate turned back abruptly. "KILL HIM!" The king stood and stole a sword from one of the guards. "Show no mercy."

Nate gritted his teeth. "If that's how you feel."

He jumped up onto the wall and swung himself over in one motion. A few crossbow arrows followed him, but as they climbed the wall themselves, Nate was already gone. Vanished down the hole.

King A.J looked down at his wife, then at the flower. He plucked it from its base, holding it. She loved the garden, all the flowers. And now it's where she died. He crushed it in his fist.

"Your Highness?" One of the men asked.

"Start a manhunt for that boy. Kill him on sight." A.J looked at the stem in his hand, breaking it in half. "And issue a statement. If I see a single flower in this kingdom, I'll watch the owner burn. No one else is ever going to suffer this ever again."