IX. If Venris were to be asked right that moment whether she had the guts and will to escape, she would say no. But at that night, in her room, she found herself tying several blankets end to end, making a makeshift rope. Hands fumbling, she repeatedly made mistakes in that simple task but still she managed to produce a fairly stable rope to aid her in her escape.
She then stood up and rubbed warmth into her arms, being immensely nervous. She was so used in going with the flow, in obeying her father’s every command. And now-what she was going to be went against every little thing that she did right from when she taken under her father’s shadow.
She was not sure she could live through this major life-changing decision that she just made.
She took out the slip of paper Selrotta wrote for her and re-read it again for the umpteenth time. In the scant moonlight through the darkness of the room she could make out the few words written on it with blue ink:
Leo von Frisch,
Please make sure that the bearer of this note is granted admission to the Midgard Academy. This will change lives.
Blitz Harper
P.S. You goddamn owe me lots so you better make sure you get her into the academy, or ELSE.
She put it back into her pocket after reading it.
Selrotta neglected to tell her who “Blitz Harper” was and why she signed with his name as if it was hers, but whoever he was, Venris was almost certain he could be one of the top students into the academy, being able to pull strings within the institute.
So I am going to the academy as a student. And start a new life, maybe. But how can I, when my name is well-known?
There was still the problem of her recognizability; Venris’s hand strayed to her face as she thought about it. I’ll just have to deal with it.
Her gaze shifted to the newly-installed mannequin at the far corner of her room, the mannequin wearing her diaphanous wedding gown. The faceless mannequin also had the wedding veil on, obscuring its face.
What would I give to make myself anonymous.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a light tapping against the glass of her window. Someone was throwing pebbles against it. Running towards the French windows, Venris parted the lace curtains and opened the window, leaning to see who was outside.
It was Selrotta, bringing with her the hunter who had insulted her the day before. Venris failed to keep her slight disgust in check.
The hunter noticed it, and could only roll his eyes at her.
But that night wasn’t a moment of bickering.
“You ready?” Selrotta whispered loudly, her voice carried away by the salty wind of the Albertan sea, but Venris managed to hear and nodded.
“Well then, let’s get down to business.”
Venris hurried back inside and grabbed the makeshift rope, tying one end of it securely to the bars of her window and threw out the other end outside. It dangled ever so precariously over the side of the Sea Side Villa, swaying in the damp wind.
Well, here goes.
She started with lifting her leg carefully over the windowsill, straddling it. Her hands gripped the rope tightly; the sweat of her palms moistening the fabric. She eventually managed to lift both legs out of the window. Still sitting on the windowsill she leaned out and looked at the sharp drop below her, three floors beneath her. She gulped.
“You better make it fast, the sleep spray we used would not last much longer,” Selrotta hissed. “Don’t worry about falling, our falcons will snatch you up surely, and Blitz would be able to support your weight anyway.” Selrotta pointed towards a pair of falcons circling overhead, watching over the scene.
Blitz? So he’s Blitz Harper…of all the people to help me…
She eyed him critically once, letting him know that she was very much displeased with what he did to her the day before.
Blitz could only shrug.
Taking a deep breath, she slid off of the windowsill and let herself dangle. It was then that she found out that her arms were not strong enough to support her weight, and they began to tremble immediately.
“Oh no…” Venris let out, her voice strangled. Her hands threatened to give way, shaking violently as she tried her hardest to cling to the rope.
Her difficulty did not go unnoticed to the hunter-couple. “Damn, it’s way too early for her to fall!” Blitz whispered urgently to Selrotta, who was unconsciously biting her nails.
He held out a hand upwards, to the falcons. “Beat!”
One of the falcons swooped down and landed on his shoulder, beak affectionately pecking at the apple-o’-archer perched on Blitz’s head. He whispered to it urgent instructions and immediately sent Beat the falcon to Venris.
Venris still managed to climb down one notch despite the violent struggling of her hands to hold on. She even dared to look down, a big mistake, which gave her vertigo. “Ah!!”
Blitz’ falcon flew closer around her, watching and waiting for any sudden downward movement.
“Just hold on!” Selrotta said, wringing her hands. “Chopper!”
Selrotta’s hunting falcon dived down and joined Beat in looking out for Venris. The two falcons now served as a lookout for Venris, ready to grab her shoulders should she fall.
“I can’t do it…”
“Just climb down for a few more notches then you can let go, Lady Dastonia. The two falcons can’t support you all the way if you fall down that high up!” Blitz warned.
“I’m…trying…”
But her hands just stopped trying and her grip slackened.
“Oh god, Blitz!” Selrotta’s hands flew to her mouth in horror.
It all went too fast for Venris. Her skirts flying about, she fell… Into the Abyss were the words that passed her for that one mind-numbing moment until she felt the painful bite of the two falcon’s talons on her shoulders, and the slowing of her descent.
The falcons eventually gave way to her weight though, and Venris fell with an oomph into outstretched arms. Blitz in turn crumpled under Venris’ weight coupled with downward momentum. “Ack…Lady, if you weren’t my beloved’s sister…I’d have thought you’re taking a fancy at me,” griped the hunter of the Archer’s Apple under Venris’ weight. “with the way you’re always falling into me--literally.”
“No time to crack lame jokes, Blitz,” Selrotta said as she pulled Venris up. “You have to at least bring her to the Midgard Academy’s gates.” So saying, she straightened her arrow quiver by her side and summoned Chopper to perch on her shoulders. “I’ll have to take care of some business here.” She looked pointedly at Blitz. “Alone.”
“But--”
“We already went through this for a million times, Blitz.” Selrotta said grimly. “Marrying Ven off to some thief is just the last straw.”
“But Lady Dastonia is not going through with the wedding anymore!” Blitz protested, half-shouting now. “What do you think we’re doing right now? Having a tea party?”
Venris looked on as the two argued. I barely even know them, she reflected. But they’re both working to get me out of here. Incredible.
She then noticed the gleam on Selrotta’s eyes as the latter fiercely defended her decision to stay. There’s no way Blitz Harper is going to change her mind with that kind of determination.
“But why, Selrotta?” Venris said, all of a sudden. “What are you going to do?”
“Just because…” Selrotta closed her fists so tightly even Venris could see the knuckles whitening even in the pale moonlight.
Then Venris remembered what Selrotta said to her, in passing. “When you said he got your mother, did you mean…?”
Selrotta looked away. “Well, yeah. He took away my family. He even took away my right to have a surname.”
“I see.” Such a terrible fate.
Blitz took a deep breath. “I could give you a surname, Sel,” he said solemnly. “But if you’re going to keep on throwing your life away like this I may not even have the chance to.”
“You worry too much.”
Venris was about to give the pair their little privacy when they suddenly heard commotion above, from Venris’ room. Lights flickered on in Venris’ room, giving off an ominous orange glow the flowed out to the spot where the three stood.
“Damn, we lingered too long,” Blitz spat. “Sel, you can’t stay here!” He grabbed at the huntress’ elbow, trying to pull her to him, but Selrotta was rooted to the spot.
“Let me go, Blitz!”
Urgent murmurings of Lord Dastonia’s guards could now be heard from afar. They were losing time, but Blitz was still holding on to Selrotta…
“Miss Venris?” gasped a voice from Venris’ window.
Venris’ head snapped up. Oh, god. It was Rumika, her maid. I’m caught. It’s too late!
But Rumika made no show that she finally “caught” Venris. Instead she threw a piece of filmy, translucent material out the window, to Venris. “You’ll need this, Miss!”
“What?” Venris caught the fabric, and marveled when she realized what it was. My wedding veil?! She looked up to Rumika, questioningly.
“Cover your face, Miss,” Rumika whispered with a smirk, and tapped a finger to the side of her forehead. “Common sense.”
Heh. That was incredibly simple. Why didn’t I think about it?
Blitz by that time gave up. “Come on, Venris,” he muttered. “And be quick!” So saying he grabbed Venris’ arm, dragging her away from the Sea Side Villa. “Sel’s hopeless. She always goddamn is.”
Selrotta waved a short goodbye to the two. “Be careful Venris. Our Princess of the Aster Garden.” She smiled, ruefully.
“Be careful too, Rottie.” Venris gave herself one last lingering look at her half-sister before she turned away. Mouthing a silent thank you to Rumika who watched on, she put on the veil as she and Blitz ran to the pecopeco tethered to a tree just outside the walls of the Sea Side villa. They were both thankful that the two guards stationed by the gate were still under the spell of sleep.
“I’ll just bring you to the Academy’s gates,” Blitz grunted as he helped Venris up the huge riding fowl. He climbed on after her, and gestured for Venris to put her arms around his waist. “I’m going to have to go back to the stubborn bitch to make sure she’s still breathing.” He struck the pecopeco’s side with his foot and they started their journey south, the pecopeco cawing in the night as they went.
Fleeing from the Villa and into the fringes of the forests surrounding Alberta Venris looked back to the slowly disappearing figure of her home, through the ghostly fabric of her veil covering her face.
