The creatures arrived empty-handed, transforming back into masked men with glowing red eyes. They knelt and bowed before King Zarvok.
"Well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in disgust.
"She escaped, sire," one of the masked men in armor said.
"You incompetent fool! There's a reason I made you general, Agrabak. Now you can't seem to bring me a little girl," King Zarvok said angrily.
He turned to face the crowd only to find a teenage boy stealing glances at him. Smirking, he walked toward the crowd and grabbed the boy.
The teenager let out a shrieking shout as King Zarvok sliced the boy's throat with his fingers. Blood spilled onto the king's face as he threw the lifeless body aside.
The villagers, seeing the boy's body lying on the floor, began to shiver in fear.
"I give you all just two days to provide the girl or I shall make an example of your children," he retorted angrily. He flipped his robe and departed back to his carriage, leaving with his men.
Once the king had finally left, the villagers rose in panic and fear. A woman wailed as she rushed to the lifeless body of the teenager.
"My son! My only boy!" she cried out bitterly, clinging to her child's body.
"Who was that girl?!" Lady Maria yelled angrily at the villagers. "I said, whose daughter was that?!"
"It was Violet, Mother," Dominika said, clenching her teeth as she stared at the wailing mother and the dead child.
The villagers began to murmur in shock at the sound of Violet's name.
"Impossible... she's not supposed to be here. She said... Are you sure it was her?" Lady Maria asked, staring in disbelief.
"It was her, Mother. I can't be mistaken," Dominika affirmed.
"Bring her here before she gets us all killed," Lady Maria said, sighing in frustration.
Dominika nodded and left while her mother rushed to join the other villagers to console the wailing mother.
---
Violet emerged from the water onto the grassy shore. She gasped and coughed as she lay on the grass, staring at the moon.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from behind the bushes. Violet stood up quickly, drawing a dagger. She pointed it at a girl wearing a cloak with a hood covering her identity.
The girl raised her hands in fear, not wanting to get hurt by the weapon.
"Dominika?" Violet squinted, trying to make out the figure.
"It's me... Dominika," she replied, smiling nervously.
"What are you doing here?" Violet glanced around, satisfying her instinct that something wasn't right.
Dominika took a step forward, giving Violet every reason to point the dagger aggressively at her throat.
"I said, what are you doing here?" Violet gave her a cold glare.
"Uh... we could start by putting the knife away?" Dominika chuckled as she moved back a bit from the pointy dagger at her throat.
"Tch!" Violet hissed, holding the dagger firmly without flinching.
"Or maybe not," Dominika smiled nervously.
Violet sighed and lowered the dagger. "What do you want?"
"I should be asking what you were doing at the parade," Dominika said, her tone turning serious.
"Why, am I not allowed to join the festival?" Violet narrowed her eyes.
"That's not it. You said you wouldn't," Dominika said, shaking her head in disagreement.
"I got curious," Violet lied.
"Well, your curiosity has brought trouble upon us. You shouldn't have saved the boy," Dominika said, sighing sadly.
"Why am I not surprised? Same old Dominika, blaming heroism for danger," Violet scoffed.
"You don't get it..." Dominika paused as she watched two men from the village holding large sticks, sneaking quietly behind Violet.
"I'm sorry," Dominika said as the men struck Violet from behind.
Violet thudded to the ground, passing out. Dominika watched silently as the men picked Violet up and headed toward the village.
---
Dominika got home and led the men carrying Violet into her house. Her mother looked pleased to see them returning with their quarry.
"I see you have made us proud, Dominika. The villagers will be grateful for such deeds," she said, grinning happily.
Dominika nodded sadly as she watched her mother point toward a wooden chair where Violet was directed to be placed.
The men left, leaving Dominika and her mother to handle the rest.
"I made pigeon pie, if you fancy a nibble, dear," Lady Maria said, beaming with smiles.
"I do not fancy a nibble, Mother. This is outrageous. We shouldn't be doing this. We don't give up our people—it's a law," Dominika said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"For those part of us. Violet isn't," Lady Maria said, sighing in resignation.
"But you said the other day that she was," Dominika stared in disbelief.
"I made a mistake. I take it back," Lady Maria said, taking a seat at the table.
"I won't agree to this."
"But you did when the king asked for her to be captured. Stop acting like I am the traitor and you're the saint. You are just as guilty as I am," Lady Maria said, rolling her eyes.
"I had no choice! It was either the children or her. And besides, Father wouldn't agree to this if he were still alive," Dominika defended.
"Well, I am glad he isn't, because if he was, we would all be dead. And we need to protect everyone," Lady Maria said, her tone repulsive.
"Mother, please," Dominika pleaded.
"I don't have a choice!" Lady Maria yelled. "You heard what the king said—he would have us all killed. Your father should have listened to me when I asked for her to be returned. I can't bear to lose anyone else, Dominika. You're all I have left."
"Mom, she saved me from getting eaten by a wolf!" Dominika yelled.
"Get used to it. People do evil things to survive," Lady Maria said, narrowing her eyes.
---
The voices were faint, creeping into Violet's restless sleep. Pain throbbed at the back of her head as she stirred, the muffled argument growing louder.
Groaning softly, she sat up and rubbed her temple, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then it hit her: something was terribly wrong.
Without hesitation, she leapt from the bed and rushed to the door, knocking it down with a forceful punch.
"Stop!" Dominika shrieked, panic in her voice as she and her mother ran after Violet.
She made her way out of the house and noticed all the villagers holding torches and forks right outside. For a moment, there was silence. They stared at each other, her heart hammering in her chest.
Then someone yelled, and the crowd surged forward like a wave of rage.
She dashed into the bushes, feeling a momentary relief at her escape, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Their shouts echoed behind her, the light of their torches pointing in her direction.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she ran faster, weaving through the trees.
Just as she thought she had escaped, the ground gave way beneath her. With a gasp, Violet fell into a massive cage made for animals, concealed by the underbrush.
The iron bars slammed shut as she tried to make her way out, leaving her sprawled at the bottom, stunned.
Cheers erupted from the villagers as they gathered around the cage. Her head spun with disbelief. She was trapped.
---
Violet staggered to her feet, fury rising in her chest. Gripping the bars, she began punching them furiously, ignoring the pain that shot through her fists.
The villagers flinched at first, but when they realized the bars wouldn't budge, they laughed.
"Look at her struggle," someone jeered.
"She's just an animal," another sneered.
"Animal? You're the animals! I saved one of you from getting eaten by those beasts," Violet yelled.
"No one cares! You brought chaos to us and you must pay the price," a woman shouted back.
"Price? You ungrateful souls! I saved your children thrice, and this is what I get?" Violet stared in disbelief.
"Shut up, witch!" someone shouted from the crowd.
Pain jolted through her spine, making her gasp. She sank to her knees, clutching the bars as Lady Maria approached. Her cold, calculating eyes met Violet's as she knelt by the cage.
"Violet," she said calmly, "stop struggling. You're only going to hurt yourself more."
Violet's vision blurred with rage. She lunged at Lady Maria, her fingers clawing the air, but the cage held firm.
Lady Maria stepped back quickly, her expression unchanging.
"I saved your daughter from being eaten!" Violet yelled angrily.
"You killed my husband, Violet, and I forgive you," Lady Maria explained.
"Oh no, you did! Father should have left you. You gold digger. All you cared about is yourself!" Violet snarled angrily.
"And all you ever did was bring havoc upon us. It's the main reason why you are here. I am doing this to protect my daughter," Lady Maria said as she drew away from the cage. "Leave her," she ordered, and the villagers obeyed, retreating into the night.