Once upon a time in Romania…
I was being pulled along --- my hands and wrists fighting the
stinging pain caused by the hard, black metal chain shackled around my red,
bruised hands. The only thing that was going through my mind was that SHE had
betrayed me --- after all we had been through. After all the times we had
survived and raided... the 'red soldiers', my mind couldn't accept the fact
that it was her, who had betrayed me, Veronica!
"It’s not her... it couldn’t be. She possibly couldn’t
do such a thing, not after everything” my mind was bolting to re-assure me.
Half conscious, half struck dumb; I was being dragged along
by her, the red soldiers following... HER. From above her cunning and
deceiving, yet outrageously beautiful head, I could already get a glimpse of
the Northern gates of the horrid lifeless-valley surrounded castle.
Medieval Romania still
looked classy and surreally magnificent even in a time of such great crisis.
The Inn was kept a tinge dark so as to avoid any 'unwanted attention', but
being in that peaceful dark for such a long time, our retinas had become
accustomed to the darker Environment the humble outhouse rendered.
"Will it be anything else, lad?"
"It’ll be enough. Thanks, uncle Victor." placing my
empty glass on the bar table, I bid my gratitude to the dear old man owning the
bar.
"I hope this 'curse' breaks soon, son. People can’t take
more of his rule."
"Well, you have my word; it ought to end soon enough,
uncle." I convinced my Uncle. “Veronica says she has a plan.”
"AND THAT IS...?" Uncle's curiosity thickened, but
unfortunately, I was as curious about it as him.
“I... actually don’t
know myself” I replied, feeling a little ashamed.
After giving a mocking one-cheek smirk at me, He turned to
the figure with black hair sitting next to me." NOW, YOU TAKE CARE OF MY
NEPHEW, YOU HEAR?" His attention diverted towards her now.
"I WILL, SIR" Veronica finished her drink at last.
Stepping out of the old, wooden door and emerging into the
forest, we felt the sharp blinding beam light on our face.
"AND VERONICA... YOU BE CAREFUL NOW, THE INGREDIENTS YOU
TOOK ARE ENOUGH TO TRANQUILIZE A HORSE...!" Uncle waved his hand from
behind as we left for our next 'adventure'. " I WILL, SIR. THANK
YOU." Veronica replied, aware of the confused look on my face.
We walked along the white dense forest, snow melting under
our feet, making sounds resembling the crunching of paper. Trees towered the
sky to block our view of the clear Romanian Sky.
"DON'T WORRY, I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR LITTLE BOY."
Yet another one of Veronica's proud mimic succeeded in mocking me.
It dazzled us both what evil in such a man , who could, in
such a short period of time, alter the peace of a Kingdom and leave it in
ruins. After the sudden death of the just old King, his evil eldest son
Ozgredor, succeeded him. King Ozgredor, now.
The ground rumbled under the hooves, legs and wheels of the
patrolling caravan, the largest the two
figures hiding on the great oak tree
above it had ever seen. As sleek as a fox, Veronica easily made the jump and
landed perfectly on the roof of one of the carriages.
WHIISHHH. CLICK. BOOOM!
One by one, as quick as lightning, the cradle-trained young
adult put a bullet through every dazzled 'red soldier', or simply king
Ozgredor's private army they were. After the twenty eight second round, the
second figure landed, as perfectly as the first had, onto the same carriage.
"THAT'S ONE POINT FOR ME." Veronica declared.
“I GUESS SO. BUT REMEMBER I HAD RAIDED THE LAST TWO
CARAVANS" I proved my point.
"OZGREDOR'S FRIGHTENED. LOOK AT HOW MANY SOLDIERS HE
SENT WITH THE CARAVAN THIS TIME." Veronica admired her own Handiwork.
"WELL, WE DID MAKE HIM A RUN FOR HIS MONEY" I
couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"BUT, ALL THIS JOB HAS MADE YOU A BIT SLOWER"
Veronica teased me.
"HAHAHAA. LET'S GO GIVE THE WEALTH BACK TO THE
PEOPLE", I let out, collecting the booty filling the caravan.
Heading back, I thought how Lucky I was to have Veronica by
my side. It was so much better now that I didn't have to fight injustice alone.
How odd the circumstances under which destiny had let us to meet. Our
unbreakable relationship gaining strength with time. Bonding us together was
the common inability of us both to bear injustice. All these thoughts were
transient through my mind when THUD, the immense pain was unbearable, admiring
the strength with which Veronica had hit me on the head, in a few seconds I lay
on the cold muddy ground, unconscious.
My head was still hurting from that blow, my gaze was
constantly locked upon the deliverer of that blow, and now, she held in her hands the chains,
which were the only obstacle between me killing the red soldiers walking
besides me with my bare hands, if necessary. She now walked tall, free and
leading the army of the undead to Hell, which I could already get a glimpse of.
Upon reaching the Castle, we were let in by the guards at the huge, wooden,
3-layered door.
I was steadied in the middle of a large hall with a huge fire
lit on the side, keeping the slightly lit castle safe from the agonizing cold
outside.
"HENSEN
VELARIOUS!" growled the King upon
death itself, chained, helpless in front of him.
"YOUR LITTLE 'ADVENTURE' HAS CAUSED MY A FORTUNE."
he continued. "GET READY FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH THE GALLOWS, ON THE
VERY SIGHT OF THE SUN TOMOROW" the tyrant smirked. "HOW I HAVE WAITED
FOR THIS DAY, OHH. he cheered.
I was dragged down a few hundred feet below the castle ground
to the Dungeons, not having the spirit
to fight anymore, I let the guards ram me down the old stone stairs and jolt me
into my cell. It was dark, only two
hours remained until dawn would break the dark, and my neck. The last few hours
of my life, I decided to spend sitting, with my back leaning on one of the old
dirty corners of the ancient dungeon, my head playing a flashback of all the
happy memories made together with Veronica, whom I still couldn't get the
courage to accept as a traitor. But as I was finally about to accept the
reality of things,...
THUMPP!
The dungeon door opened suddenly and the light blinded me.
Then upon I saw a figure coming towards me. "Was it the boatman? Come to
collect my soul?" my mind wondered. But as a few seconds passed, I was able
to make out enough to recognize the
familiar features of the beautiful figure standing tall, a meter or so away
from me now. "VERONICA" My lips sent out, in a surprisingly soft
tone. Before I could say anything else, She cupped her hand onto my lips and
unchained me. Leading the way, Veronica ran, as quiet as the calm night sky
outside, through the castle halls with me trying to catch up from behind. At
the castle stables was a familiar carriage, waiting steady, as were the two
beautiful horses it was attached to.
Before climbing up to the seat on top of the huge carriage to
my seat besides Veronica, I stopped to look into the carriage window to see
none other than Ozgredor. Heavily sedated by Veronica's home-made sedative
laden cake, the King lay peacefully at the back of our carriage, unconscious,
unaware that a fate worse than the gallows awaited him.
Finally climbing to my seat, I heard the beloved mocking
voice of the veronica I knew again. "YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY THINK I WOULD
GIVE YOU UP FOR MERE RICHES, NOW DID YOU?" laughed Veronica with another
one of her mocking smirks.
"NEVER EVEN CROSSED MY MIND" I replied, trying to
get my humor back. All was alright now. As we rode our steeds out the Castle
gates, I could get a glimpse of the Morning Romanian Sun.
"NOW, WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH HIM?" I diverted her
attention to the figure asleep inside the locked carriage.
"HIM?... WE TAKE HIM TO TOWN OFCOURSE.” she replied.
LET'S LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT FATE AWAITS OUR KING."
A new day was indeed
dawning over Romania, our Home.
M. Romail Khan
O' Levels Final Year
PakTurk Inernational Schools & Colleges,
Chak Shahzad
Islamabad
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