Chapter Three

Melissa held Cassandra's left hand tightly as they walked through the market stalls. Cassandra hated it, the people, the crowd, the way some people glared at them. They were still discriminated for their fathers crime , a crime only they, knew he didn't commit.

That day when the rain had fallen, the sky was empty. it was evening, no sun, no moon, no stars. Cassandra remembered bursting out of the crowd with her petite stature, running to hug her father who knelt down in shame. His two hands was bounded by a thick rope and he was clothed in rags.

Cassandra burst out crying as she held unto her father

"Please!" She begged the king but no response. He was dressed in a white and red coat embedded with shiny stones. He simply used his hand to gesture to the guard to take her down

The powerful guard held Cassandra's arms tightly and threw her off the stand to the ground. she fell into the mud path that the people had cleared for her. Her white flare dress gets soacked in mud but she lay there weeping. The people that had earlier made way for her, enclosed her with their bodies that blocked her view.

Melissa stood far from the crowd. Actually she was isolated from the crowd. She brought out a white hanky and used it to dab her wet cheeks. She knew that nothing would stop the great king of Tiwan from making his decision, he was jealous of her husband and so he employed a scheme to put him to death.

"Oh lord! My husband didn't do it. Why? Why? What did we do wrong?" She kept muttering to herself as tears fell uncontrollably out her of red swollen eyes. Cassandra crawled and tried to push herself forward so she could see. she finally got a better view and lay there on the ground as her heart pounded.

The fat king stood up from his royal chair, making the wooden stand to creak. King chester was a fat king with chubby, dropping cheeks. His blonde long hair was beautified by a golden crown, embedded with precious stones, also his large fluffy white and red coat. King chester was not handsome but he did not look frightening either, he was a cute fat man. Who would believe that the king could tell a lie?

"People of Tiwan! I have come to make it absolutely clear that disloyalty shall not be tolerated in this kingdom" he snarled "Edgar, my best warrior has betrayed me"

The people heaved a deep sigh of disappointed and murmurs spread out from them.

"Silence!" King chester exclaimed, and at once the place was quiet as a grave yard.

"Although I do not want to do this" he wearily looked at Edgar, whose face had been brutally bruised. "But! Somebody has to be taught a lesson for others to learn"

He pompously walked back and collapsed on the chair. There was small guillotine that they had made, copying the French. It was in their mist but it sat on a large wooden stand. The stand contained the king and his wife sitting at the extreme edge.

The guillotine was a wooden device, tall and upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top.

Two guards lifted Edgar and dragged him towards the guillotine. One of the guards raised up the blade and the other placed Edgar's head in position, his neck directly below the blade. The silence that was present could murder. Like time had slowed down, everyone was moving in slow motion.

Cassandra held her breath, her chest throbbing. She didn't want to look but her blue eyes could not stop but look directly at him.

Edgar's eyes met hers, for a moment and then he looked at the basket. One last tear dripped down his cheeks. He was broken, the king who had befriended him before was the same king acting like a stranger.

The blade was released, swiftly and forcefully, decapitating Edgar's head with a single, clean pass and his head falls into the basket. Time normalized and Cassandra screamed immediately. Tears pouring like fountain out of her eyes. Melissa had put her hanky in her mouth to stop her from screaming as well.

Cassandra shut her eyes very tight like she'd never open them again. Her head came crashing down into the ground

"No, no, no, no, no , no" she kept saying to know one. She wanted to believe it was dream but it wasn't. She clutched her stomach tightly that maybe her intestine would burst out but it didnt.

The king departed his people and some of them intentionally stepped on Cassandra's body . A woman used her shoe's toe cap to kick Cassandra's head. The pain was unbearable but it didn't hurt like the one in her heart. She lay there in the town's biggest market till everybody had gone. She lay there lifeless. Cassandra cried till they was no tears left.

She had lost her best friend, a brother, a teacher and most importantly a father.

Melissa summoned the strength and carried her child home. She was still grateful that the king did not banish them from Tiwan. But why would he? When he knows they are innocent and wouldn't dare to challenge him.

Now this green eyed, red hair girl walked in a white shirt having a queen anne neckline. Her beige short skirt was pleated, her sandals braided with leather. She was a different girl, not the one who wondered in the forest trying to run away from a traumatic memory, years ago

Melissa couldn't afford to leave her alone in the house or else she would pay dearly for it. Cassandra loved to be mischievous. Cassandra's red hair was pack in a messy bun. Her hair looking the neatest it had ever been. Green eyes flickered as she thought of something troublesome, as they walked through stalls. She leaned a little and used her hand to grab a red apple from a table. The market was too crowded so the seller didn't notice.

She bit on it loudly as she chewed.

Melissa gasped in shock "where did you get that from?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I mistakenly bit it, so now I cannot return it" she gave another huge bite. looking at her mother, her eyes widened "Sorry"

Melissa shook her head, "I pray to the Lord that you wouldn't kill me. Be careful or you'd get us kicked out of Tiwan"

She rolled her almond eyes "It's better that way. People would not stop glaring at me, they can not just forget, like I have it written on my forehead. My father's crime is not mine"

Melissa sighed "I'm sorry my dear"

Cassandra swallowed another bite " Someone pushed me the other day"

" I am sorry. If only I could earn some money from the farm, we can actually leave for good"

They halted at a white stall. Melissa started talking to the woman selling cauliflower while cassandra stood there. She was looking around till she felt as if someone was boring into her soul. Her eyes finally met a pair of gray eyes. The woman skin was dark as the night. She wrapped her head with a black scarf but cassandra noticed her face was a little bit wrinkled. Coloured people were very scarce at that time because most were forced into slavery but this one was bold and proudly free.

Cassandra used her eyes to communicate with the woman. Her eyebrows furrowed and she sent the woman a deadly glare, thinking that the woman would back away after seeing her strange forest eyes. Cassandra turned her gaze away.

She felt no eyes on her. She decided to look back to the woman and when she did, that woman had disappeared. Her green eyes went searching for her in the crowd. Suddenly, Cassandra's jaw was grabbed by long fingers. The woman's fingers were long, decorated with rings and her nails were long as well. Cassandra had to admit, the woman was too beautiful for her age but it didn't please her and Cassandra shook her off immediately.

"How dare you?"

The woman studied her. She sighed seeing how skinny was. Her collar bone was as if it would tear out of her paper white skin.

"What is wrong?" Melissa came instantly to her aid while the seller turned to speak with another customer.

The woman's grey eyes still searched Cassandra, "You feed this child?"

Melissa grimaced, she did not need an advice of how to sustain her child. "She doesn't always have appetite but I do try to force her"

"As I see it, even if you give her a cow to eat. She wouldn't add one pound"

As cassandra chewed on her apple she had a great urge to spit it on the woman's face but she could not. This woman had an unknown force around her that made Cassandra wonder, who is this?

Melissa's mouth open in awe "Thank you" she said immediately "I shall take her to a physician" she said and she held her daughter's hand again.

The woman bent over to have a clearer view of cassandra eyes, " This isn't the job for no physician. If I think it is what it is, she would still die but I would help her live longer"

Melissa's breath hitched "Please you may go now"

The woman paused, looked at Melissa and burst into a sinister laugh.

"This girl has months left to live, or even days. I can help. I must help! Not only is her life in danger, everybody's life is. Your daughter has awoken demons, demons hungry for souls. I will be in the Cave Of Zarieth" she used her left hand to lift up her thick long black dress

"I shall leave you and do not forget, bring the book with you" she then left immediately.

Book? What book?, Melissa closed her eyes in anger. She wished people would just leave them to themselves but the woman was right, Cassandra looked like she was dying. Melissa opened her eyes and when she turned back to look for the strange woman, she was gone.

"A witch or whatever they call them" cassandra snarled "I am not going to any cave, mother. This might be a trap!"

Melissa frowned her face in disgust, sometimes cassandra talked foolishly. "Why would you think so"

"We can't trust anybody"

"Yes and I can't trust you either. Now shut up while I think"

Melissa would do anything to save her daughter but this young girl wouldn't corporate. She thought of a plan to force her.