Elizabeth finally calmed down once we were halfway on our journey home. With a clasp of hands, she appeared to be rubbing her fingers together as if she was trying to think of something to pick up a conversation.
"It is a pity that we were only there for one day." Elizabeth joked suddenly as if she completely regained her usually jubilant character.
"I wouldn't say the same considering how you left me to rot with a room full of children." I returned her joke with another. Slowly but surely, we both regained the confidence to talk freely about comedy and ourselves.
Yet it was all short-lived once Richard's reflection was seen in a window to the right of me. It was as if he was mouthing out words to me and giving me a warning of something dangerous to come. I refused to believe in his fantasies since my time with Elizabeth has been a liberating moment from Richard's presence.
Richard, on the other hand, was completely correct of an imminent danger coming towards us. A small tap was heard on the window and I immediately responded.
Bang!
My sensory functions failed and my consciousness soon fell into a dark abyss. Did I die? I thought to myself this can not be how I die. A flicker of light appeared before me in the void of my unconsciousness and there was nothing else running through my mind except for the notion that I might truly be dead and the light before me could possibly be Heaven's door.
There were no songs of rejoicing nor was God's face present. Instead, I was greeted with the morning sun and a tall, old tree that gave me shade from the rays of light. Upon checking my head for the bullet's entry point, I realized that this place was not reality at all because my head possessed no injuries whatsoever nor did blood run down my face as I wiped the area. Only one conclusion could explain my current location and that conclusion being, I am presently trapped within the confines of my own imagination.
Elizabeth nor the carriage was anywhere to be found and the only thing that I was able to find was a dirt road laid before me. In one direction, I am able to enter into a town that could cater to my needs; and the other, only the horizon was there to welcome me. I took the obvious choice and walked into town. Just as I was about to start to walk, a mysterious stranger grabbed my attention from behind.
"Hello!" The man said, "You seem to be quite pitiful to be traveling upon the road all by yourself. Do you mind if I offer you a ride on my cart?" He asked.
Of course, I would not object to being given a free ride but there was a small essence of fear and hesitance within me that pressured me to decline. It was his somewhat eerily familiar essence that a feeling of ill intentions was hidden under the raggedy clothes that covered him. I accepted his offer anyway and prayed for my prejudice to be proven wrong.
I climbed inside the cart and what welcomed me was most unexpected. The entire interior of the cart was covered in glittering gold and scattered upon those heaps of shining metals were fine jewels that would catch the eye of any human that could see. Lastly, the grand piece of all that subverted my expectations: Sylvia, Mary, and Joseph seated together right in the middle of it all.
My eyes were stunned, my body faltering, and my mouth speechless at the sight of my creations. It really is true that I am indeed trapped inside of my own mind. My reactions aside, I gathered my self as best as I can to find a proper area to sit and converse with the three.
"May I ask, where are the three of you going to depart to?" I questioned them.
None of them had given me a response, perhaps they saw me as someone not to be trusted. The silence continued between us and the loud noises of gold and jewelry clashing together accompanied it. It took less than an hour to arrive by the town's entrance and it took only a second for the cart to come to a screeching halt. The sounds of footsteps and voices gathered closer to us until the one who drove us here made a loud shout that caught everyone's attention.
"Welcome, everyone!" The man said, "I am James the merchant who sees the value in all things!"
There was no reaction heard from the crowd outside. Rather, a rush of footsteps quickly came towards the entrance of the cart.
"It is time to show the audience what you can offer, children." James said with a smile.
"What?" Sylvia was confused, "You said that we will help you with your business for a day not sell us like cattle!" She shouted against James as she revealed herself from the cart.
"Yes and that agreement was already fulfilled in the previous town. As for now, you are no longer indebted to me but I felt the sudden urge to grab a new opportunity presented to me when we arrived. That being, I can sell the three of you once we arrive into town." It was a cruel twist of fate for him to have the audacity to put these children on the market, but it would be crueler if someone did not intervene.
With my left hand, I grabbed a handful of gold to throw directly at the man's head. Firstly, I peeked outside the cart to see if he was engaging with the crowd. While his back was still turned towards us, I threw the gold right at his head and tackled him to the ground.
"Run!" I told the children to escape whilst I distracted the merchant, but that was not enough to save any of us. For once I took my chance to leave as well, the three were all held captive by the great brutes of the town. I, too, fell victim to the grapple of these men.
"How stupendous!" James exclaimed as he stood up from the ground while caring for his bloodied nose, "As you all can see, ladies and gentlemen, these three children were raised well and fed well that they have proven to be quite the agile bunch." He began to persuade the audience. I was completely powerless to help and was only capable to witness what could happen.
The first victim of the three was Mary, who was displayed like a dazzling trophy for all of them to see. Everyone was stunned by her beauty so much so that the first bidder raised up her hand immediately and shouted, "Ten-thousand!" The very sound of it and the smile of the speaker were enough to send chills down my spine. "Twenty-thousand!" The next one yelled, I struggled to break free from the arms that kept me bound and so did the children. "Thirty-thousand!" Louder and louder their voices grew. "Forty-thousand!" Despite her efforts to fend for herself, she could not hide the reality that she was shamefully displayed but she could only weep bitterly as she was held. "Fifty-thousand!" Another yelled.
Two powerful strikes on the toe and to the nose were what it took to set myself free from my captor. The next action for me was to liberate the children immediately.
"One hundred thousand!" I yelled this time, and everyone knew I did not look like a man who could provide such a cumbersome amount and laughed at my figure.
"A bold statement," James said, "But do tell me, from where does your immense wealth come from?" He jokingly asked, but I replied to his question with a finger pointed to his cart.
"Oh? You excite me so, stranger, but do forgive me for not asking your name earlier. What was it again?" James spoke arrogantly.
"Alastair Duncan." I answered.
"Well then, Alastair, if it is my valuables you want, you will have to expend every bit of stamina and willpower within you, have I made myself clear?" James said as he took off his hat and coat to prepare himself for battle.
Both James and I rolled up our sleeves and prepared our fighting stances. I made the first move as I threw my right fist aiming directly at James's jaw. He noticed my punch's trajectory easily and bent his body slightly to the left. Within that moment, his right leg lifted off the ground and made use of his knee to strike my stomach. My guard had been broken but I was able to see that my opponent was going to strike me again using the same leg as it came back unto the ground and prepared another thrust. I was able to catch his leg the moment it came into contact with my stomach again and threw his whole body onto the ground alongside mine. With his body pinned down, I laid myself on top of his as fast as I could in order to send my fists flying from both left and right consistently landing punches on his face. Unfortunately, James was able to turn the tables as he tightened his legs around my back and pushed my body into direct contact with his. He then turned both of us on the ground in order to make himself the one on top of me. His own fists that repeatedly landed upon me were faster and stronger than mine and were capable to make my eyes, nose, and mouth bleed within a few strikes.
"Come now!" He shouted vigorously as he was beating me, "Come and prove to me the desires of your heart! Let it overflow and be translated into the language of actions!" He went on and laughed at me.
I couldn't speak any words properly through my bloodied and swollen mouth, let alone utter a syllable; yet I felt an inexplicable desire within me that was begging to be made known. It felt as if it was commanding me to win no matter the cost and filled me with an unquenchable desire burning violently inside of me. It was an emotion not powered by my hatred towards my opponent but it was powered by a calling unbeknownst to me. My body and mind were starting to operate as if I was invigorated with stamina given unto me by a spirit so much so I began to fight like a savage animal.
Once James's left fist started coming down to my face, I latched on to it by sinking whatever was left of my teeth around his hand. He began to scream in pain but laughed moments after as if he was proud of something he had created.
"Incredible! Astounding!" he shouted, "I can see your passions and desires flow through and outside your body! It's such a beautiful sight to behold, Alastair! Fight and be consumed by these desires that fill you!" His arms were now wide open like he was actually accepting to be beaten down by me.
My mind and body started to drift from one another in thought. My mind said that it was now finished yet my body said that it has yet to finish my opponent with his death. Eventually, my body's influence conquered that of my mind's making me become fully bent on killing James in order to win.
With his arms opened wide, I lunged against his body at full force and began beating out every single essence of his life with an even greater punching force than I had before. His teeth were sent flying into the air then next were both of his eyes popping out of his cranium one by one. Blood was splattered at a great radius around the ground and on my face. Once my arms grew tired, I laid down on the ground beside James's lifeless corpse and took deep breaths to regain my stamina. The pain I received started to flow into my senses once again as I felt the scrapped skin from my knuckles and the sore bloody parts of my face. Despite my pain, my body stood up as it regained enough energy to walk into the cart and threw out all of the gold and treasures that were stored inside.
"Victory and triumph have come and I am very much well deserving of it!" I started to shout in a manner that was very out of character.
"Come and join me, for today, we will all drink, be merry, and celebrate one of the greatest achievements of my life!" A wave of pleasure had overridden my inhibitions and completely restructured who I was. With this small part of my past conscience still living on, I pray to anyone who is alive and sane to rid me of this awful spell that has charmed me.
The people who witnessed the whole scenario immediately flocked to the cart to take as much money and treasure as they wished, even the brutes fell victim to the cart's lustrous items. Though it seemed that I was drunk with the pleasures of victory, My prayer had been answered within mere seconds as I felt an explosion of weakness and frailty consume my body's senses. It was Joseph who had caused it, for as he broke free from the man who held him, he quickly brought up a broken piece of wood upon the ground and thrust it directly into my injured stomach. I felt relieved knowing that this was all a dream but I felt much more worried for my murderous creation.
"Alastair!" A voice called out to me as my body was collapsing, "Alastair!" the voice continued to call my name as if it came from a divine source.
My body soon fell back into the mysterious void. The voice become clearer and more vivid as it called my name, and the darkness that surrounded me felt like the ocean's dense water as I waved my limbs. All my blood and injuries soon washed off as if a spirit had healed me. At the bottom of the void was another piercing light that came out to reach me. I extended my hands forward to the unknowing light and accepted once again, whether I had arrived at either Heaven or Hell.
I opened my eyes once again and see that right in front of me was the one who called out my name, Elizabeth. From what I could recall, I was in a carriage until suddenly a man had come and shot his musket at my face. Now, I woke up and noticed that I was now in a hospital with Elizabeth, who appeared to be unharmed from the incident, sitting down by my side. An uneasy feeling was present in the upper left area of my head. I carried my left hand slowly to check the abnormality and came to the realization that I had lost my left eye.
"The doctor stated that the bullet had only grazed the side of your head." Elizabeth said to reassure me and calm my frightened expression, "There was no damage inflicted upon the brain but the bullet had caused a great burn upon your eye." At least it was a good thing to know that I had not become delusional or manic.
"How did we arrive here in the first place?" I asked, "And was not there a man present at the scene?"
"I can explain in full detail, Alastair, but I insist that you rest while I speak." Elizabeth replied, "The man who fired his musket at you came from Festigkeit and was also one of the people who held a bitter grudge against my family." Her sadness and frown appeared as she spoke. Though a tear had rolled down her cheek, I wiped it off with whatever willpower I could muster inside of me.
She appeared relieved for a small moment and kissed my hand. My hand was put to rest upon the bed so that she may continue explaining but this time, without the guilt that haunted her.
"Once he shot you down, he reloaded his gun and shot down one of the horses in order to make the carriage fall apart. The man violently shouted out 'Down with the Lafitte!' and I held you with as much care as I could provide whilst the carriage was breaking into pieces." Elizabeth explained.
"I'm glad that you were miraculously unharmed, but what of the driver?" I asked.
"He jumped out of his seat the moment one of his horses fell unto the ground and was trampled under the carriage wheels. If anything, I'm glad he escaped since the wheels and other exterior parts of the carriage were inflicted with the most damage."
"I see, but, how were we able to come here then?" I was still confused about the situation.
"Hush now, I'm getting there." Elizabeth lightly slapped my head out of her impatience, "Once the man who came to murder me flung the carriage door wide open, the driver of the carriage lunged himself at the assailant and insisted that I should take your body and leave. Though it would be impossible for me to drag you all the way to Greenberg, I realized that the assailant's horse was still capable of moving. I carried your body as hard as I could in taking it to the horse and mounting it atop of it. Once I had mounted the horse as well, I drove off into Greenberg immediately."
"What happened to the driver?" I asked.
"I didn't look back when I rode that horse because my main priority was keeping you safe. But I did hear a gunshot go off behind me though I could not confirm which one was shot."
A silent moment was held between the two of us for we were the only ones who knew of the driver's sacrifice. If only there was something to be done, I would have done it and made things easier for Elizabeth; but there was nothing, absolutely nothing. I was utterly useless within my own body as my conscience fought against a fictional man.
Just like that fight, I felt an overwhelming desire grow within me. It was a calling that ordered me to protect what I held dear with whatever I had no matter the cost and tortured my mind with the guilt and memories of my inability. Though this feeling was prevented from consuming me, I decided to welcome it with open arms knowing full well that this will of mine will surely keep Elizabeth safe even if it would cost everything I have.