The girl on his canvas was me.
Me, with a cane in my hand. And a man lying lifeless at my feet. He painted the exact scene.
My hands trembled. I looked down at the cane I was still holding. The light from my lamp flickered, and I noticed something strange, something I hadn't seen before.
The handle of the cane… wasn't like the ordinary ones I saw before. It was carved into the shape of a tiny, naked human body.
I dropped it immediately, shaking with panic It fell to the muddy ground with a soft thud.
I looked back up. But the man, the one with the brushes and the painting… was gone. Just like that, he disappeared.
I spun around as I searched for him everywhere, my heart racing.
"I know you haven't gone far!" I shouted into the darkness. "Come out!"
I tightened my fists. My whole body was shaking, but I didn't lower my guard.
I shouted into the trees, "W-Where on earth did you hide, Mister? Why did you run away like a scared chipmunk?!" My shaky voice echoed back at me, hitting the big cypress trees like a slap.
Suddenly, the swampland turned darker. A cold wind blew through, killing the fire lamp near the house. Rain started pouring down through the rotten tree branches in messy clumps.
"Ugh! Great," I muttered, pulling my hood over my head. It really was a terrible day. Then again, I never really had lucky ones. Some people were born with good fortune. I was born with mud in my boots.
Creepy sounds floated through the trees, like ghosts crying in the wind. I ran to take cover under a tree, holding the lantern close to my chest. I reached one hand out into the rain.
The rain felt heavy and sticky against my skin. There was a strong, coppery smell.
One drop. Two drops.
My hand was drenched with water. I looked down at my palm and almost screamed.
It wasn't water.
It was blood. My palm was soaked with blood.
The blood clung to my fingers like it belonged there. My body tensed up as if the swamp itself had grabbed hold of me.
Should I run? Scream?
"Celeste!" a voice yelled from the distance.
I knew that voice. Amelia. She was my best friend. She had been waiting outside for me.
"Celeste." She called again.
I couldn't answer. My mouth wouldn't move. My brain was spinning.
She came crashing through the trees and grabbed my hand, yanking me back. "Stop throwing yourself into danger! I am tired of following you into messes. I don't wanna die before my wedding!"
She dragged me out of the swamp like some misbehaving child, and I let her. I was still shaking as I stumbled along behind her.
When we finally reached the edge of the swamp, she let go of my hand and whirled on me. Raw anger poured out of her.
"Celeste, you are so fucking frustrating."
Yeah. I get that a lot.
Still, I wasn't really listening.
My eyes were still moving, searching the spooky land behind me. The ground was firm here, and the weird wind and rain were gone. Something wasn't right back there. Something terribly wrong.
"I have to find him," I said, more to myself than her. I turned to go back Amelia jumped in front of me, blocking the path.
"No. Absolutely not. You are not going back in there!"
She grabbed my hand again and dragged me toward Shadowton Street.
As we walked, I noticed how bright everything looked. Most of Winderfell's streets were always glowing thanks to the giant gas lamps and torches lit by the Great Windslor Castle.
People said the ancestors built the castle with thousands of lights so their children would never know darkness. And now, it had become a tradition, the one they still followed today.
I stayed close to Amelia as we walked. My voice came lower than I expected. "There is something wrong with that swamp. It felt… evil. Like it was alive or something."
Amelia groaned. Her gown was dripping from the swamp water, and she was clearly not in the mood for my nonsense. She turned to me and stuck her hand out.
"Let me see what you stole."
With an abrupt nod, I reached for my belt bag and as I began to unchain it, I realized what my best friend had said. Stealing whatever she can wherever she goes was one of Amelia's horrible habits.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "I didn't go there to steal for you."
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "Oh, you freaking didn't? Then why? Villagers say the royal family hid treasure out there. Or something precious. And you just 'happened' to wander into the swamp and step right onto the border between Winderfell and Alberro? You could've been caught and killed, Celeste! For what? Nothing?!"
She kept ranting, but I couldn't hear her anymore. My mind was spinning.
Should I tell her? About the blood? The rain? The painting? The man? What I think I did?
No. Not yet. She would freak out. But… how long would I keep this to myself? I had no answers. I was freaking out.
I opened my mouth, and the words slipped out anyway. "Well… not entirely nothing," I muttered, my mouth felt dry. "I-I think… I killed someone."
Amelia stopped mid-step. Her whole body stiffened. "What?"
I slowly nodded.
She stepped closer. "You are serious?"
I opened my palms. Even in the torchlight, the blood was clearly there.
Her mouth parted in shock.
I knew Amelia always thought I was brave. "Mother of all daredevils" she called me. And normally, she could brush it off. But this time… this was different. Even she looked scared.
"But it's not even the man's blood." I began. But then I stopped as the sound of footsteps reached my ears.
I didn't even think. I just grabbed Amelia's hand and yanked her behind a tree across the street. The shadows helped hide us.
"Who is out here this late?" she whispered.
"It must be someone from the castle." I replied, keeping my eyes fixed ahead.
We both watched silently.
Two middle-aged men walked by. Both wore vests and old ankle breeches
"Why would the king call us so late?" the taller man asked.
"I heard the castle needs a food taster… and an executioner." the other replied.
The tall one grunted. "A headsman?"
My heart skipped a beat.
"Yes." said the other man. "Didn't you hear? The king is passing the throne to his elder son. They are getting prepared for the handover."
Their voices slowly faded as they walked away, disappearing into the distance.
"A new headsman… before the prince takes the throne?" I murmured. "What happened to the last one?"
Beside me, Amelia looked totally lost. "I don't know. No one ever talks about the headsman. But this… this isn't what I heard."
I turned to her quickly. "Then what did you hear?"
"I heard the king didn't want to give up the throne. He is sick now, so the prince is running things. I also heard they invited villagers to apply for some confidential jobs that can grant them a fortune. But… if those guys are right, then something has changed. Something big."
Granting them a fortune… it hit me.
"I am broke. I need to pay my father's debts. Maybe I can try?" I told her. "And you know what? I have never been inside the castle. This might be my only chance. I should follow them."
I was not lying. I was desperate for anything that offered money. And she said a fortune. But there was more to it. The swampland. If I was not wrong, the royals were involved in whatever I witnessed. No one else could answer my questions but them. They owned that place, and surely, they knew everything it hid or they hid. Whatever. I needed the truth before what happened there swallowed me.
Amelia stared at me like I had gone mad.
"Don't you dare—"
Too late. I had already taken off, following the men toward Windslor Castle.
"Ugh, no! Stop right there!" she screamed behind me as she lifted her skirt and ran after me.