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Vincent's Sory: Pain, Sadness, and Anger
It was another quiet and peaceful day, buts that how it always was. Never anything exciting or new, except the feast and what people brought to it. He sighed, “What a boring day…”
“Bored Vince?” a girl walked by and smiled. “You could always prepare for the feast in three days…”
“You want me to make my special deer, don’t you Elley?” he raised his eyebrow and she giggled, nodding. “Fine, I will,” he brushed some of his long black hair out of his face.
“Thank you Vincent!” Elley ran off.
He stared after her knowing that she was his only friend. He sighed again, walking towards the main part of town. Along the way he heard people whisper about him and, to his surprise, about witches. His eyes shifted slightly this couldn’t be good… “Excuse me, Vinny…” the cold voice shattered his thoughts.
“Yes Arddu?” he turned his cold gaze towards the man beside him.
He flinched slightly, then a smile played across his face, a disturbing smile. “There is this nice young woman, lives near you, who is getting Pressed today…” his eyes glinted darkly.
Vincent shuddered, “You accused her didn’t you?” his cold, red eyes pierced through Arddu, a cold blade straight through him.
“Yes, I did,” his eyes glinted again, “and I’m placing the first stone…” he walked away humming a light happy tune.
They always seem to do this, blame the young, beautiful girl. Dunk her, then burn or press her, hanging wasn’t that popular. He sighed, feeling people stare at him. Why this town? Everything was fine until Arddu showed up. “Hey Vincent!” the local herb girl came up and hugged him. “When are you getting me more herbs, huh? Like, relatively soon?”
“Hmmm? Oh yah…” he hugged her back. “I’m going into the forest soon to get more herbs, for my deer.” His gaze shifted through the towns folk, while the herbalist ticked off what herbs he should look for. His gaze fell on Elley and saw how unhappy she was, and then it clicked in his mind. “Who is being pressed today?”
“Hmmm? Elley’s sister, poor thing…” she shook her head, as Vincent turned on his heels and headed towards Elley.
“Hey Vincent, didn’t expect to see you here,” she smiled all the same, even though her sister was about to be pressed. She must have saw him give her the sceptical look, for she burst into tears and hugged him tightly, “They’re going to kill her and I can’t do anything!” she buried her face into his chest.
His face burned, what is he supposed to do? “I’ll be there for you…” he whispered to her, patted her back and stroked her hair, “… never will I place a stone.” She stepped back, looked at him, smiled and hugged him again. His face burned even brighter at least half the town was seeing this, and secretly laughing at him.
“Thank you Vince,” she smiled as he brushed some of the tears of her face, “but you have to get ready for the festival. Don’t worry Arddu said I shouldn’t come to my sister’s pressing.”
His gaze turned cold again, “Of course, Arddu…” She looked at him funny, and he turned, “I must prepare for the festival like you said.”
As he turned and walked away, “Thank you, you mean, I mean,” she stammered, “this means a lot to me.”
His face turned pink and he coughed, good thing she couldn’t see his face. “Your welcome, have a good day,” he started walking toward the forest.
Later that evening he came home and started the fire, like every other day. He boiled water for his soup and hung the herbs over the hearth to dry. Sighing he sat in front of the hearth and stared at the flames. Thinking of Elley he said out loud, “I hope she’s ok…” He heard loud pounding on the door, “Who is it?”
“Vinny. Come take a look at what has happened,” Arddu’s lilting voice wafted through the door, “it’ll be fun…”
Vincent’s eyes widened, his heart raced as he cleared the window, making sure to knock the pot over. He bolted to the town square, looking around, then he heard it, the earth shattering scream of a child. He ran over to the town’s people shoving his way through to the centre. Vincent looked ill and in a rage, Arddu was placing a rock on one of the boards, then he heard it. Every single bone in her body was broken, he heard them break from where he stood. Then he heard her scream once before the popping sound, her organs were popped or shredded from the bones or the weight. He had just heard her lungs pop, how could they? She was barely six! Arddu had to pay for his actions, but no one would believe him. All he could do was hug Elley and hope she wasn’t next.
“What you have just witnessed…” the father started, but Vincent could care less. He walked off, crawled through his window, looked around, Everything is fine here, he looked at his bed and smiled, something nice for a change. He crawled into his bed not bothering to change, he was just way too tired.
He bolted upright sweating, “Ugh, my head,” he put his hand up to his head and felt something sticky. He brought his hand down and looked at it, it had blood smeared on it, “Blood, great…” he grimaced.
“Vince are you ok in there?” he heard Elley’s voice outside.
“Yah, just hit my head against the table,” must have rolled out of my bed, he told himself.
“Are you ok?” she let herself in and ran over to him. “You must have hit your head hard to get this kind of damage…”
“Yah, I guess,” he looked up at her and winced, “Could you look at and help clean up the wound?” he asked.
“Of course, just stay still,” when he nodded she gently brushed his hair away from the wound, “Oh dear, Vincent you may have an infection…”
“Don’t worry, I have a special rinse for it, it’s in a pot in the cabinet,” he shifted slightly.
“Is this it?” after rummaging around she found it and gently applied some of it to his head, when he nodded.
“How’s it looking now?” he felt bad that she tore her dress to help clean the wound.
“Much better. Where do you keep your bandages, you always have some,” she smiled drying part of his cut.
“Right here of course,” out of his black cloak, which he normally wore, he pulled out enough bandages to wrap his head and then some.
“Wow Vincent that’s a lot of bandage,” she watched him as he wrapped his head with careful ease. “I dropped by to tell you Arddu is making an announcement at noon.”
“Guess this one’s going to be burned,” he sighed, they burned a lot of girls lately.
“Your usually right, well I have to head off now, see you later,” she ran out the door.
Vincent knew what was coming, he just couldn’t except it. Elley was the next to be burned. Arddu would pay for his actions if only people would believe him. Arddu was the witch, he caused the gash in his head. Or maybe he’s not and I’m wrongly accusing him, oh well off to town.
He packed the dried herbs from one of the ceiling beams, above the hearth, into separate bags for the herbalist, and quickly stuffed them in his cloak. He threw on some clean clothes, checked his head and put on the cloak. “Oh Vinny…” Arrdu’s voice floated in, “come see Elley’s trial. She’s being burnt at the stake…”
No not Elley, not now. His only friend, the only one who understands him… He quickly and quietly crawled out trough the back window and faded into the forest.
“You can’t!” she screamed. Vincent watched in horror as the dragged her kicking and screaming.
“Sorry Elle, can’t help you…” Arddu whispered in her ear.
Vincent twitched even from far away he could hear him. Vincent watched them tie her up to a wooden pole. He watch them set down the fire wood, he watched their every move. Finally he turned he couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked through the forest until he heard the blood curdling scream. He stood there leaning against a tree fighting back tears when he thought he heard something. “Hello?” he called.
“Come…” he heard a female voice whisper. “Come… my child…”
He couldn’t help but follow the voice through the forest. His cape billowing behind him, in the moon light it seemed to turn silver. He ran until he came into a clearing in the forest. “I came to you,” he said looking around, “where are you?” He continued to look around until he noticed it. Elley’s hand writing carved into trees and a faint aroma of herbs and blood. He walked over to the center and saw something familiar, Elley’s torn dress with his blood on it. “She… she was the witch…?” he looked hurt.
“She wanted to hurt you, my child…” she whispered through the trees. “She did hurt you, my poor, poor child…”
He felt a gentle hand on his wound and he whirled expecting to see someone. “Where are you? Who are you?” he called again. He slowly took off his badages, his gash was healed over completely, “What are you?”
“Follow me, my child, you can not stay here…” her voice wrapped it around him.
He heard something crashing through the forest then, “VINCENT!” it was Arddu, he sounded concerned.
Vincent turned as Arddu tackled him, “What are you insane?” Vincent struggled to get up.
“Don’t listen to the one who calls you her child,” he said with something in his eyes that Vincent couldn’t quite place. “I listened to her, I broke her spell. I killed an evil witch.”
Vincent stared at him, Elley was evil… He couldn’t stay but he would not listen to the voice. “I will leave the town Arddu,” he said quietly. “I am in to much danger if I stay here.” He stood up, he walked toward the edge of the clearing, his cape returning to normal. “I may not return to this town, do not save my house for me,” he looked up at the stars, “My belongings will be gone by morning.” He continued walking until he disappeared from Arddu’s sight.
The last thing Arddu and Vincent heard was the female voice whispering, “He is my child, Vincent is my child, she got what she deserved…” it chilled them both to the core.
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By: S-sama
