like honey but poisoned

I've been a bit of an emotional mess lately, but I'll try to upload chapters a bit more frequently, 'though I don't know, if it'll work, but I'm trying. Hope you're doing fine. 💕

Lissa's POV

I loved dawn, because it often gave the sky a pink colour and clouds would suddenly no longer look like clouds, but like cotton candy. My sleep-deprived dreaming was cut short, as I remembered that Therese was talking to me and I was supposed to listen.
"Lissa? Did you hear what I said?"
"No, sorry. What did you say?"
"I was just saying that we should probably take the way through the forest to Crimson. It'll take longer, but it's easier to avoid guards then."
"Uhm, right, you're right. That sounds logical."
"You look pretty exhausted, why don't you try to rest for a bit at least?"
I yawned and simply nodded.

"No, Nessa, it's too dangerous for you!"
"I am very capable of deciding that myself, thank you!"
"Ness, I don't think you understand the severity of the situation!"
"Please, don't talk to me like I'm a child! I appreciate that you're worried, but I'll go with you, no matter what!"
I stretched myself and wiped the sleep out of my eyes, before leaving the tent to see what was going on.
"What are you guys fighting about?"
"Nothing, it's-"
"She doesn't want to let me go with you!" Vanessa interrupted.
"Look, I just don't think it's safe..."
"But Lissa's coming too and she's a sixteen year old child!"
"But that's different, she has certain abilities and-"
"Oh I get enormous abilities too, if you don't stop talking to me like that! You don't want to get me mad, Tessie, this I can assure you!" Gesturing wildly she walked closer and closer to Therese and I could see that she got slightly intimidated.
"Okay, okay fine, then come with us."
"Good." Vanessa smiled and clasped her hands. "So what's our plan?"
We explained the plan to Vanessa.
She stared into space for a moment, before stating: "But isn't that all a bit vague, like what about weapons for example? We need to get some don't we?"
"Well, we need to improvise obviously, because we can't get back into the castle without anyone noticing."
"Good Lord, you both wanna tell me you don't have any weapons to use?"
"Uhm, I have a pocket knife," I said, but she just ignored me.
"It's not like we had much time, when they stormed the castle, Ness!" Therese hissed.
Vanessa sighed.
"Well, at least, I'm prepared," she said flicking her hair over her shoulder.
"What do you mean, you're prepared?" Therese questioned.
Vanessa laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Therese! Did you think I'd go camping here in the middle of the forest, without having a gun with me?"
Therese and I could only stare at the woman. Vanessa seemed to have more secrets than I initially thought.
"I'm royalty, I'm precious. There are people who want to see me dead, I'm just doing what's necessary," Vanessa continued while casually starting to load her gun.
"You keep on surprising me, Nessa," Therese stated dumbfounded.
"Well, I'm a complex woman. Now let's go save my niece. I'm ready to kill!"
Therese and I just looked at each other before following Vanessa to tell her she was walking into the wrong direction.

"This is hopeless, we're never gonna get inside with that many guards in front of the entrance," I mumbled in frustration.
Therese, Vanessa and I were sitting in a tree trying to get a better look at the situation.
"I'll do this," Vanessa grabbed her gun.
"Ness, don't do anything stupid," Therese warned.
"Can you even shoot?" I questioned.
"Uhm, we'll see. I can play video games 'though, surely it won't be that different."
I wanted to hold her back, but she had already started to shoot the guards, just one by one, like they were sitting ducks, not people. And I started to feel queasy watching the grotesque scene unfold in front of me.
"They move so much slower than in video games," Vanessa giggled.
"Uhm, Vanessa, how much ammunition do you got?" Therese asked concerned.
"Dunno. Why?"
"Because they keep getting more and more and they're coming in our direction if you haven't noticed. If you don't have an awfully big amount of ammunition, I think this would be a good time to run before they reach us."
"Oh uhm, right."
I was the first to get off the tree, then Therese. But Vanessa just didn't move.
"What's the matter, Ness? Come down already, we don't have time!" Therese yelled.
"I- uhm, getting up was certainly easier than getting down." She seemed nervous.
"Don't tell me you're scared of heights please!"
As Vanessa didn't answer, Therese turned to me.
"Okay, I'll try to get her off that tree, but you need to go now. They'll be distracted by us, so you have a chance to get inside."
"But I can't leave you here!"
"Yes you can! Now go!" She shoved me violently and I knew she was right, so I ran as fast as I could.

The tower was currently under restortation and it wasn't guarded at all, because they obviously thought that no one who's in the right mind would do what I was about to do - climb the tower to get inside.
Luckily there were lots of windowsills and I had climbed the tower before, but I was much younger and the tower wasn't as ruined as it was now. Still I managed to climb it impressively fast, maybe because of the adrenaline. But as I lost my footing I noticed it wasn't as easy as I had pictured it in my head. My hands were all sweaty and I felt nauseous at the thought that I would die instantly, if I fell now. I took a deep breath as I tried to hold onto the windowsill and pull myself up. I prayed it wouldn't break apart too. Seemed that my prayer was heard, because it didn't and I managed to get to one of the balconies.
The balcony door was locked, so I didn't have any other option. I punched the glass and it broke apart immediately. I didn't know whether to be shocked or relieved that it took so little effort of me to destroy it. I gritted my teeth as I felt the sharp pain, but I knew that my hand would heal again quickly.
Now my top priority was to find Marie. The most logical possibilty would be that she was in one of the dungeons, but my gut instinct told me something else, so I went to the dining room instead. Typical of me I acted before thinking, as I had opened the door before making a plan on what to do next.

The sight that I saw had me cover my mouth in order not to scream.
Marie was tied to a chair and looked paler than ever, over the left side of her face there was a deep cut that ran right through her left eye. It took all of my self-control not to run towards her immediately or to cry over the cruelty of my mother. Speaking of which my mother's back was facing me and she hadn't yet noticed me. Part of me wanted to attack her right now, but I was still frozen in place, too shocked to react.
But Marie saw me and smiled, which caused blood to flow out of her mouth and I got even more terrified of what cruelties she had to endure. Would it even be possible to get her out of this alive?
"I see, we have an unwanted visitor," mother said and turned around to face me.
"M-mother, why did you do this to her?"
"Hm. Revenge? Because I felt like it? Maybe because I was bored."
The more she talked the more insecure I felt again. Yes, I was determined to save Marie, but I was also very, very scared of mother.
"Or maybe I did it, because she turned your little head. How did you think I'd react to you bonding with the enemy?"
"The enemy? How can you be so corrupt and bitter and bad? Do you not have any sympathy left?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Sympathy is for the weak," she hissed and turned to Marie.
"Now, Elissabeth you should start to get used to the thought, that you've come too late."
She wrapped her hands around Marie's throat and started to try to choke her.
I stood there and watched, convinced that I couldn't do anything about it, convinced I was too weak, too helpless.
But the thought of Marie dying was unbearable.
Something inside me snapped.