"Who are you?,let me go!! "Lilibeth screamed,a bump on the road forcefully woke her up ,her head was banging ,she tried to open her eyes but it felt like heavy stone was placed on both eye,when she managed to scream for help,she heard the menacing smile of a man,who is this? she asked herself,was this going to be her life from now one,prey and enemy to people wh she may have never met in her entire life, she thought of her uncle ,he died like a nobody for a cause he believed in,a cause where she herself who is supposedly the pioneer has no knowledge on how to go about it .
"Who are you please?,i have done nothing to you,why keep me in chains?, please let me go,i think you got the wrong person"Lilibeth pleaded with hope that for some reason,she was not the target of her abductors,maybe they made a mistake and would maybe release her.
But then came the laugh again,it was Archbishop Baldwin "ohh Little Miss Lilibeth,i must admit you're a tough one to find,but be rest assured, you're the one i want,there is no mistake,so just rest on,we are still far from your new home".
*****
Just a few miles to Central England, Archbishop Baldwin stopped the troupe
"Is there a problem Archbishop?"questioned the captain of the royal troupe,the Archbishop was unresponsive,"captain if I tell you to stop ,you stop ,if i tell you to move ,you move,now take the detour or you can see yourself home and on trial for treason."
The captain like any other soldier in England was scared of the Archbishop,he reluctantly commandeered the troupe as they followed the Archbishop to his mystery location.
They entourage trailed to an outskirt,far across town,the town was lifeless, trees dead ,no sign of lifestock, the Archbishop stopped the entourage in front of an old building,the building's foundation was shaky,you could see peices of wood falling from the building structure,the roof was half way gone,it was nothing less than an abandoned building.
Archbishop Baldwin stepped out of the carriage," bring the girl" he ordered the captain.
The soldiers dragged Lilibeth,she tried to resist but a resounding slap from the Archbishop got her to recoil .
"I don't know why you keep struggling girl,there is no way out of this Lilibeth, captain tie her to chair".
"Now,none of you should mention her to the queen,we could not find her and that's it, and you know better than to go against me Infront of the queen,it's your word against mine "Archbishop Baldwin threatened.
They left Lilibeth in the building and made their way to the palace, Lilibeth screamed,she hoped that maybe or hunter would pass by but soon her voice became weary from the constant screaming,she was still weak from her experience in the crystal cave,hot tears rolled down her cheeks, for the first time she could actually see the end,all hope was lost.
******
The church bell tolled early the next day in central England, Lords and Nobles proceeded to Hietcliff Castle,the queen on the first cockcrow had send out work to all the Nobles within Central England,she was furious,her reasoned her throne was being threatened,she sent out a troupe to go find a criminal just for them to decline giving her an answer because the Archbishop said so?,she swore to make a lesson out of the Archbishop but she wasn't so sure how to do so, Archbishop Baldwin was a respected man,he was there before her father, during her father and after,for some reason he seemed not to age,he was not someone to be disposed easily,such an act might lead to a bloody protest and revolution,even from her own soldiers,she had smart about it.
She was pacing around in the throne room when the lord's an Nobles began to troupe in ,each pair coming in with a bow,she quickly assumed her throne,eyes fixed on the door, waiting for the Archbishop to walk in.
The room fell silent, Archbishop Baldwin walked in with his deacon assistant,he slightly bowed down, and walked to stand at the right hand side if the queen which has been his spot for decades now,he felt confidence,there was no reason to fear,thr letter of summons the queen sent out was had no written agenda,it merely read"urgent meeting at the royal court",it could be anything.
He already made sure to warn the soldiers not disclose what the entirety of what happened, little did he know that the soldiers refused to even indulge the queen with the slightest detail of what happened, claiming the orders came directly from him.
The said soldiers were already in the dungeons,all the queen needed was to find a reasonable fault in the Archbishops defense to put him in prison.
"Come before the court Archbishop Baldwin" the queen ordered
"My queen,you made a mistake,you mentioned my name" Archbishop Baldwin said in confusion.
The queen snapped"If you question me one more time Archbishop I will have your head in the gallows, how dare you?".
Archbishop Baldwin knee he was in deep trouble,he slowly walked down to the middle of the throne room and facing the queen he bowed once more.
With a smirk queen Diana began,"Some of you ever since i assumed my father's throne has made it a habit to disrespect me and my throne, I'm left in awe that my own soldiers,under my my payroll refused to disclose necessary information to me,the queen on the other of one of you,do you mind explaining to me Archbishop,what gave you the right to think you have got more power than me ,in my own Kingdom?"
The royal court was filled with gasps and whispers,this was the first time the Archbishop would be publicly questioned by any monarch, while there dwelled in their wonder , Archbishop Baldwin was shivering, queen Diana might be young but she was a ruthless ruler who has made it her reputation that she feared no one .
"Your majesty,my queen,for decades,i have served your family and my loyalty lies with the throne, your soldiers have no order from me not to disclose the happenings of yesterday to you,they merely misinterpreted my admonition not to disturb you with the details since the girl we found was innocent and not the one we are in quest for" explained the Archbishop.
Everyone in the court believed the Archbishop,he was a beloved man,they saw him as the man who brought sanctity to England during the uprise of the witches.
"Are you sure this is true Archbishop?"asked the queen.
With a satisfactory smile, knowing he convinced the court,"yes my queen,i swear before God and the throne that all i have said is true"
The queen was not satisfied "well Archbishop, irrespective of the idea that you did your said actions in goodwill,it does not lie within your power to tell my soldiers what and what not to disclose to me, for that reason, you're temporarily banned from this court, and you shall not leave the city untill investigations are concluded in this matter, you're dismissed".
The smile left his face, Archbishop Baldwin knew he was in big trouble,he bowed "As you please your majesty" and immediately left the place.
*********
Archbishop Baldwin snapped at his assistant "Come on hand me the bag,if anyone asks you,you don't know where I went to and neither do you know when I left,do you get that boy?!!"
"Yes your grace"the deacon assistant responded on fear.
Wearing a common cloth Archbishop Baldwin made his way to the city gate,the guards and the gate where all loyal to him and with signal from him they let him cross the gate ,he was heading to France,he has sent a word earlier in the day to his friend the Catholic Cardinal Matheo, Cardinal bishop of Avignon,the Cardinal informing him of his arrival .The Cardinal was a enthusiast for mythical creatures and stories so telling him about Lilibeth was enough to get on board.
He rode to the abonded house where Lilibeth was tied up, sighting him , Lilibeth began to plead,"Please can i at least get something to eat or water,or you can as well kill me if you don't what me alive.
Archbishop Baldwin smiled,"If I wanted you dead girl ,you would be deep into the soul now,so quiet nagging ".
He brought out a jar filled with liquid and fed it to her, Lilibeth quickly gulped down the liquid ,soon she began to fel dizzy then she dozed off,it was not water but a sleeping potion.
He untied her, carried her to the horse where he placed her on the wither of the horse and they continued the journey to France.
********
Archbishop Baldwin got hungry,his skin itched and he felt irritated he slowly stopped the horse and tied it to a tree, a fox was trying to hunt his prey just few feet from where he stood, Baldwin was uncontrollable,he began to transform to something else,his body became pale,fangs appeared in his teeth, and in a speed like no ordinary man he attacked the fox and with is fangs he pierced the skin of the fox,he was drinking it's blood.
Lilibeth was slightly awake, whatever the Archbishop gave made her weak and unable to move,she saw what had just happened and it made her way more scared than she ever was.
Archbishop Baldwin was back,the fox was drained dead,he tried to change his clothes which was stained with blood but he met Lilibeth's glaring eyes,"What are you?..."