Chapter 6 - Surviving the Giant Serpent

I was awakened by hands gently shaking me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, sat up in my makeshift bed, jumped back, and yelped. David's face was literally two inches away from mine. My surprise overpowered the urge to wrap my arms around him and give him a kiss. What was he doing out of the cell? How did he get out? Could he not wait just one more night?
"What's going on? Where did you come from?" I asked breathlessly.
"Emma, don't you remember last night?" he answered with a question.
"Well, how did you get out?"
"They let me out."
David moved so I could see the two guards that always stood just outside my door. The one that I always talked to was twirling a ring of keys around clumsily.
"Bright and early, remember?" he said in a joking voice.
Suddenly the two guards got serious. One of them grabbed me and bound my hamds and arms with rope while the other restrained David. The guard continued to restrain him as the one that had bound me dragged me out of the room.
(My princesses are helpless damsels in destress. Any who are more or attempt to defend themselves will be severely punished. That is the most important princess rule.)
"This guy sure knows me well! I absolutely HATE...no, scratch that...LOATHE being helpless!" I shouted into the air.
I remained silent and glared into space as the guard continued to drag me. He dragged me to the back of a large room and let me lean against the wall.
"HEY! Aren't you going to untie me!?" I demanded angrily as he walked away.
"Leave that to your prince," he laughed as the other guard shoved David into the room.
They closed and locked the door behind them. David rushed to my side. A large sword hung from his belt. I hadn't payed much attention to what he was wearing before. I didn't know why it really mattered. His medieval prince outfit actually looked very sexy. His eyes burned with worry. How was I supposed to tell him that I had to be helpless.
"Emma, are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm afraid that all I'm going to be able to do for you is scream," I said disappointedly.
"That's alright, you need to be helpless sometimes so I can save you."
"It was you that got me started with martial arts in the first place."
"I had no idea you would be better at it than I am."
"Do you even know how to use that sword?"
"No, but I'm going to wing it. It can't be that hard. Will you help me?"
"As best I can. I must say I had no idea what I was getting us into."
"I don't really mind. In fact, I'm glad you got us into this mess."
"I'm glad you think so and...LOOK OUT!"
David hardly had time to block the fangs of the giant snake. I had been watching it come out over his shoulder but didn't know what I was looking at. The snake continued to advance but never tired. David tried with all his might to stop the snake's advances but she was slowly overpowering him. I was shouting foot positions and I screamed every time her fangs came close to him.
Eventually the snake gained an opening. She knocked the wind out of David and sent him to his knees with a single blow from her massive tail. Then she turned her attention toward me. Her forked tongue flailed about outside her mouth. It looked like she was licking her lips. She was enjoying this.
The snake's massive jaws came down upon me as I screamed in terror. She swallowed me whole and a large lump appeared in her skinny belly. After that it was like David was a whole different person. Suddenly he was the one advancing on the snake and the snake was the one who was getting weaker.
While David was fighting outside the snake, I was inside the snake clinging to the only thing I had left to cling to. All I had left was hope. At that moment I heard a voice and I thought I was crossing over to the other side. The voice was familiar to me. It was Daniel. He was trying to contact me.
'Emma, I was right. The king of this castle is the one I spoke of before. he is the son of Simon.'
There was that nonsense about the son of Simon again. Well, Daniel must have been right.
Back outside the disgusting interior of the snake's belly David was winning. He was getting closer and closer until he finally found his opening and cut her head clean off. I crawled as far forward as I could bare and collapsed from the weight of the dead snake. I thought I was done, I thought I was dead. Then a hand reached for mine and I took it without question.
David's arms welcomed me back to the real world. I coughed and stuttered and cried until I couldn't take it anymore. A sharp pain ran up my bad arm. I could tell without looking that the cut was open again. I didn't care. I knew, there in David's arms, that I had made the right choice. Victor would have never done what David did. He would have avengedd me and left me for dead.
I was truly happy to be in David's arms instead of Victor's. I wispered a silent thank you as he carried me down the hall to my room. He took me into the bathroom so he could wash my arm and give me a fresh bandage. Then he carried me to my bed so I could rest. I stared at him for the longest time.
"I'm not going to sleep. Not even if you sit there and stare at me all day," I said defiantly.
"Don't you want to get better?" he asked gently brushing my hair out of my eyes.
"Yes but I have to tell you something important."
"I won't stop you."
"I was very reluctant to go through with this. I've seen centuries of heartache and I'm finally starting to get smart. I should never have turned you down. You are the one I've been searching for. My love with you is stronger than it ever would have been with Victor. I know you don't know who Victor is but I will explain. Its kind of a long story."
"Then wait, you need your rest. There will be time for explaining later."
"Alright, you win. If you want to know now you can ask Archie but I'm not sure how happy he'll be to tell you about Victor."
"Its alright, I can wait."
By then he had learned my weakness. It had only been one night but he already knew how to make me fall asleep. He started stroking my hair and singing softly and within minutes I was fast asleep.
As I was drifting off to sleep I heard him wisper, "With you its never just 'I love you' is it?"
Just before I fell fast asleep from his dizzying spell I answered, "I already told you, I'm new at this."

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