Damsel Page #18

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It grabs at Elise’s feet. She punts the creature’s skull,

which promptly dislocates from its spine of ivy.

The skull spins and crashes into the curved adjacent wall.

The bow prince lies beaten.

Elise kneels and draws an arrow from its quiver.

The remaining 7 princes gain on her.

She releases an arrow, it flies toward the undead prince who

wields two maces.

It explodes through the creature’s skull, sending fragments

of bone and dust into the air.

The nearest soldier bears a shield and sword. 15 feet.

She draws and fires. The arrow ricochets from its block.

It rushes at her, shield first.

From three feet, it takes a mighty stab. She rolls out of

the way.

She eyes the maces, 40 feet across the room. Abandoning the

bow, Elise makes a run for it.

She makes it to the maces, in the hands of the second fallen

undead prince.

The prince with a mighty two-handed sword is near. It swipes

at her. She leaps backward, knocking its strike with one of

the maces.

She spins the weapons around her palms confidently.

This just became a fair fight.

The prince with the great sword is clumsy, but its weapon

deadly. It takes several mighty swings at her.

She’s able to dodge, but has been backed toward another

shielded soldier, who stabs at her.

She swings at the shielded prince, who bashes her strike.

105.

She falls backwards. The great sword comes down hard. She

rolls, barely dodging.

She’s on her feet and behind the great-sworded monster before

it can ready.

She smashes the back of its skull with her right mace. It

cracks and falls to the floor. She finishes it with another

great bash to its skull.

The shielded monster is back on her, readying another stab.

Spinning, she knocks its attack. The monster fumbles. She

bashes it across the face. Its skull shattered.

Four remain. The prince with the two handed axe is on the

opposite side of the room but it gains.

Three shielded princes remain. One particularly large one.

The nearest comes at her swinging. She parries.

Another is at her. Two at once.

She swings at them but can’t get by their shields.

The large, shielded prince is nearly on her. She will be out-

matched.

Another heavy swing comes down on her. She parries but the

force sends her backward.

Another swing, then another.

A shield bash crushes against the heavy swing of her left

mace. The vibration is too much, the hilt slips her grip.

The mace goes flying backward, out of her left hand.

She’s on her knees.

She uses her free hand to grab the opposite edge of the

creature’s shield, throwing it to her right.

The undead prince stumbles. She spins around it and brings

her right mace backward into its head. It stumbles to the

floor.

She gathers herself quickly and crushes the floored princes

skull, finishing it.

She pulls the shield out from under her most recent fallen

foe, using it to block a swing from the other shielded

attacker.

106.

The largest shielded prince and the prince with the great axe

are on her.

Three of them now.

She can’t manage. She hunkers behind the shield and charges

through them with a cry of adrenaline.

They stumble but get their footing quickly.

They’re heading toward her again. The monster with the great

axe is closest.

She calculates.

The massive steel axe comes across her. Deadly. She bends

back, barely dodging.

The undead prince spins with the weight of his swing and

brings it down on her, like a guillotine.

Elise propels a mighty, counterclockwise spin, to the side of

the axe.

All at once, she brings the edge of her shield parallel with

the ground.

The prince with the two-handed axe’s skull bursts under the

power of the shield’s edge.

Dust flies.

The plan of her bold move continues as she uses the momentum

of her spin.

She ducks into her shield, blocking the next monster’s stab

and bringing the mace, in her right hand, into its skull.

She continues the counterclockwise spin.

She throws all of her weight into her shield, anticipating

the largest of the shielded prince’s, swing.

But the swing does not come.

Her miscalculation causes her to stumble forward under the

force of her own momentum.

The monster bashes her with its shield, sending her tumbling

over herself. Her own shield breaks free of her grip and

slides a distance, out of her reach.

107.

The undead prince follows with a deadly swipe. She rolls,

inches from its strike. The sword bounces from the stone

floor.

Elise stumbles to her feet. Unarmed, she squares off against

her foe.

It comes at her, swinging and slashing. Several near-misses

as she spins and dodges its barrage.

Finally, she sees an opportunity. Moves out of the way of a

particularly heavy swing and maneuvers behind the creature.

She grabs hold of its jaw, wrestles it to the floor and

pulls, with all her might, until the bone and vine separate

from its shoulders.

Breathless and somewhat surprised by her accomplishment, she

drops its skull to the ground.

The ivory throne room is quiet. Alone at last, Elise

approaches Prince Cavill.

She brings her hand to his cheek.

ELISE:

How might I wake you?

A fairytale kiss?

Elise jolts forward from a painful force coming from behind

her. Shock blankets her face.

A cold metal sword slides into her flesh. It pierces through

her back and protrudes from her abdomen.

VEL:

This is for Fishel.

Vel wrenches his sword from the mortal wound. She whimpers

as it dislodges.

She drops to her knees.

VEL (CONT’D)

And I’ll be taking that reward.

Close though.

Her wound bleeds. She grows light-headed. Falls to her

knees.

Rapunzel saunters down the marble staircase that leads into

the throne room, from above.

108.

Vel steps backward, weary of the powerful woman.

She continues downward.

Blood streams from the Elise’s wound. Her hand is soaked as

she tries to stop its flow.

RAPUNZEL:

Dear Elise, don’t struggle.

Rapunzel twists her hand toward Vel. He’s held at bay. His

neck locks as vines writhe up his body.

His arms are pulled forcefully behind his back. Vines twist

through his palms and wrists until his hands are bound to one

another.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

This coward struck to kill.

His face swells red as the vines begin to tighten, strangling

him. He struggles to breath.

Elise tries to stand, whimpering in pain.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

This vermin.

The vines pull Vel’s face to the side by his chin. His eyes

grow wide with fear. His end draws near.

Rapunzel steps to the floor of the throne room and Vel’s neck

snaps.

She lets his bound body fall to the floor.

Her walk is a slow dance. An art of malevolence.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

I can save you. I can end your

pain.

Rapunzel nears Elise. Ominously towering over the dying

girl.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

My legions swallow Thessia. South

Shire. Your home burns. Soon

Braun.

Rapunzel’s eyes soften.

109.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

You’re everything Edward was not.

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