97: The freedom I didn't want!

The freedom I didn't want!

Music Recommendation: Berlin- John Powell1

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The force of the object used to strike Anastasia's head was enough to make her drop to the ground, and the wound started to bleed. Zion, the Vizier, quickly approached the scene upon hearing the sound of the body hitting the floor, and he questioned, 

"Isn't this the newly turned courtesan? Did she overhear us this whole time?" 

"Probably," replied the other person, observing that there was no blood on the metal object. "I wouldn't have known she was there if I hadn't seen her reflection in the glass. A pity that she has to die, though."

"Die?" Zion asked, taken aback before saying, "She's a courtesan, one of the treasures of the palace."

"Concubines are treasures, Zion. Courtesans are whores. Kings and queens are treasures," the person corrected the Vizier, using their foot to deliver a kick to the unconscious young woman's body. "Tie her up and have her thrown into the sea. There have been enough mistakes made already, and we need to pick our battles. Erase her existence, and no one ever heard a thing."

The Vizier agreed, saying, "Leave it to me; I will make sure she doesn't breathe a word of what she heard."

"I will talk to you tomorrow if there's anything to report," the person stated, handing the iron statue to the Vizier before walking away. 

Zion carefully wiped the metal statue with his shirt to ensure there were no traces of blood on it and returned it to its original position. He then lifted the unconscious courtesan, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the corridor. 

He took the young woman towards the seaside, ready to cast her in, but there were guards in the corridors, making it difficult for him to go unnoticed, as his presence would be reported later. There usually weren't many guards at this time of the night, which was why he was here, but it seemed that security had been tightened. 

He decided to dispose of the eavesdropper later when the opportunity presented itself. Stowing her away, he went back to clean the floor to make sure that any evidence had been erased. 

Hours passed, and morning finally arrived. 

When Anastasia regained consciousness, she felt pain radiating from the back of her head. She groaned, feeling the muscles in her body ache. She smelt hay in the air, and her eyes pried open to see where she was. She found herself in a confined space with weathered wooden walls constructed from planks, with rays of light passing through some of the gaps, making the place less dark. 

She tried to scream for help, but her mouth was gagged, and her hands and legs were tightly bound. Struggling to free herself, she tried to bring her bound hands forward, which were tied behind her back with rope, but it was impossible. 

Anastasia was tired living in the palace and just wanted some peace. Where was she?! 

Feeling alarmed, with her head feeling fuzzy, she tried to look around and noticed there was nothing but stacks of hay surrounding her. She tried to recollect what she remembered last, and flashes of images flickered before her eyes. 

'Stay.'

'I didn't say I didn't like it,' Anastasia heard Dante's words echo through her mind. 

She remembered walking in the corridors. A lot of walking, but she hadn't reached the top of the stairs of the Paradise Tower. Marianne! She was with her sister's ghost before she disappeared. She tried to call her sister's name, but it came out muffled. She remembered hearing whispers, but she didn't know whom they belonged to, and it was hard to recollect anything with the throbbing pain in her head making it difficult to focus, further blanking her mind. 

Anastasia looked at the door, which was tightly shut, and knew it would be locked. Peering through the gaps in the wall that allowed her to see the sky, she realised it was still early in the morning. She had to get herself out of here! God only knew why she was brought here. 

The longer she stared, the more familiar the place became, and she realised that this was the storage room next to the stable of the palace. She had come here a few times before. There had to be something sharp nearby to cut her bonds. With that thought, her head turned to look around the room, and she was grateful that her eyes weren't covered. 

She crawled on the ground with difficulty, and when her eyes fell on something shiny at the edge of a table, she moved faster. It was a small dagger, and she kicked the table on which it was lying for it to fall to the ground. 

Not wasting any time, she rolled over onto her back to pick up the dagger and wedged it between one of the small gaps of the wooden planking. Soon she began to rub the ropes of her bound hands against the sharp metal edge of the dagger. 

Adrenaline coursed through her body, intensifying her heartbeat as she anxiously feared the possibility of someone entering the room before she could escape. When she felt the ropes loosen, she felt herself smile but reminded herself that she wasn't free yet. Once her hands were free, she used the dagger on the ropes firmly wrapped around her legs, using all her strength to sever the restraints. 

When her feet began to feel less restricted, Anastasia heard voices right outside the door. Fumbling with the dagger, she hid it in her dress and arranged the ropes around her wrists to make it seem like she was still bound.

The door opened partway, and Anastasia quickly closed her eyes.

"You know what to do with her. Make sure no one sees anything," Anastasia heard a familiar yet unfamiliar male voice because she couldn't put a face to it. 

"Yes, Sire!" said another male voice. 

Anastasia's instincts urged her to fight, run, and cry, but she was afraid. When she pried her eyes open a little, she noticed more than two pairs of shoes standing before her. The realisation dawned on her that if she tried to get to one person, she would be pushed down by the other three. 

Soon, she felt something being draped around her body as if she was being wrapped by something similar to a gunny sack. She then felt herself being lifted and carried, her heart pounding as she fought to remain still in her state of fear. Even though her hands were free, her feet weren't, preventing her from making a run for it. 

"Go now," the male voice commanded. 

"Zion! I have been looking for you, and went to the royal courtroom," came Prince Aiden's voice, and Anastasia finally remembered who the male voice belonged to. It was the Vizier! She remembered last seeing him in the corridor, conspiring with another person. 

Prince Aiden walked to where the Vizier stood, his gaze following one of the guards who was carrying a rolled object, resembling an old carpet. As the guard walked away he asked, "What is that thing being carried?" 

The Vizier smiled politely at the third prince and replied, "That is a useless roll of gunny sacks which will be given to the poor so that they can make use of them."

"Oh, things for the people," Prince Aiden nodded as he stared at the guard before turning back to the Vizier, saying, "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that the king was looking for you and thought to let you know."

"Let me go to him right away," the Vizier replied, offering him a slight bow and walking inside the palace. The third prince stood there before noticing that the storage room was open and looked at the stacks of hay. 

"May I help you with something, Prince Aiden?" someone behind him asked, and it was none other than the new gardener, Gabriel. 

"Nothing at all, I was just looking around. Do you know where the tools to fit the horseshoes are stored?" Prince Aiden raised his hands to show the action of hammering with a smile. 

"Let me bring them to you," Gabriel said, walking past him. 

Far from there, Anastasia felt her head throbbing again, and she could hear two sets of footsteps walking on either side of the man who carried her. Was she going to be sold in the market? But she was a courtesan, and that wasn't possible, she thought as the anxiety in her chest increased. 

She was dropped on the ground, and Anastasia resisted the urge to cry out at the pain in her sore muscles. She heard one of the men say, 

"We will be going ahead." 

"I will finish this and join you," said the one who had dropped Anastasia. 

Perfect, Anastasia thought. All she needed to do was to grab the dagger and stab the person. Maybe stab the person's feet, as she was lying on the ground. And maybe, if she was successful, she could escape from here. If she were to be caught, she would blame it on the Vizier and his men!

She prepared her body and mind upon hearing the footsteps recede into the distance. But what she didn't expect to happen next was the Vizier's man pulling on the coarse material that had been wrapped around her, and in the process of rolling out she didn't have time to strike and only managed to grab the dagger. 

Anastasia saw the light conquer her vision, the clear sky, and the water—Water?! Her eyes widened for a fleeting moment before she fell into the cold, salty water. 

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