Music Recommendation: Princess Margaret- Rupert Gregson
Katherina's already weakened body since last night fell on the cold ground. She used all her strength to move away from Hellion. They were both humans, but she didn't have any people to back her up or strength.
"Your boy seems to be as arrogant as those vampires and it doesn't seem like me pulling out his eyes would do anything. But I know hurting you will bring him pain," Hellion nodded. "If you had married a human, I would have let you go."
But Katherina knew his words were untrue. The man had lost his mind and didn't look like someone who could regain his sanity.
Hellion suddenly bent down in front of her, catching hold of the woman's leg, who tried to struggle. He sunk the metal claws into her calf muscles.
"AHHHHH!" A high-pitched scream erupted from Katherina's lips, and her face contorted in pain.
The metal claws had not only ripped through her dress or pierced into her skin, but he had pulled it down to tear the muscles in her leg.
"STOP HURTING MY MOTHER!" Vincent screamed at Hellion in despair.
The lower part of Katherina's dress started absorbing blood from her wound. Her little ability to move was completely cut out. She held her leg, which was in severe pain.
"Shall I stop?" Hellion questioned the woman who was bleeding. "I can stop here with you and go to your son."
"NO!" Katherina shouted while her eyes were closed and she tried to take a deep breath to handle the pain. "Don't hurt him, please!"
Hellion turned to Vincent, where the boy, instead of looking scared, appeared angry and gritted his teeth. The man chuckled before he said, "You are lucky you have a human for a mother. If she was a vampire, she would have sold you out. They always think about themselves first and no one else. Maybe you can drink from her," he laughed in delight.
"AHHHHH--ARGHH!" Katherina screamed louder than before when Hellion pierced the metal into her arm.
At the same time, one of the men who had carried Maxwell's body from there returned and said, "Hellion, there's something we need your help with."
Hellion, who was enjoying himself, looked disappointed that he had to pause his fun. He replied,
"Fine."
"What about this woman?" Questioned another man as Katherina was left unchained.
Hellion huffed, "If she can stand on her two feet, I will give you a gold coin. She won't be able to move in her current state," and saying this, he left with all the other men there.
The pain was unbearable and Katherina's eyebrows drew together. She tried to breathe and her gaze raised and fell on her daughter, who didn't move and then her son, who looked back at her.
She asked him in a feeble voice, "Are you okay, Vince?"
Vincent shook his head and replied, "How can I, when you are bleeding and in pain." His eyes moistened because of their hopeless situation. In anger, he tried to pull the chains that kept him at the pole.
"Stop doing that! You are going to hurt yourself more!" Katherina's heart broke on seeing her son like that. She said, "If the council sees Maxwell... they will come here soon to rescue us. Don't do anything that will bring harm to you or your sister, okay?"
The young boy watched his mother continue to bleed, which wasn't in small amounts as the snow turned redder. He asked her,
"What if the people who are supposed to rescue us don't come in time?"
Katherina shook her head, "They will. They will come soon... Are you hungry?" She asked him because the children had been left unfed.
Vincent could tell what his mother was thinking and quickly shook his head, "No. You know me, I never eat in the morning."
Katherina's vision turned blurry and she nodded, "How could I forget," she mustered a smile, but her lips trembled. "But isn't that because you always drink some before the time of dawn? You haven't eaten anything since last night."
"I am fine, mother. You shouldn't talk and save your energy," the boy said with a frown and clenched his hands, turning them even paler than they already were because of the weather.
Katherina's eyes moved to look in the direction of the hut and where the men had walked away. Vincent said, "Mother, if you can, you should escape from here. Don't wait for us."
The injured woman crawled on the ground, pushing her good foot to move. She reached where her daughter was and quickly checked her pulse. Feeling her heartbeat, a relieved sigh escaped from her lips. She then sighed as if unable to believe that she and her children were in such a mess. She was thankful that her daughter wasn't dead and was alive. She then moved to where Vincent was tied.
Raising her shaky hand, she placed it on one side of Vincent's cheek. She whispered,
"My kindest and smartest one. Do you know how much I love you and your sister?"
Vincent felt a tear slip from his eye and fall on his lap, "I do. And I love you more. The most."
His words brought a smile on Katherina's lips and she replied, "I know. I have always known it." She continued, "What we are going through is only a moment that is meant to pass, my son. One day you will be safe and this will only be a memory."
"You will be there with me, won't you?" The young boy frowned as he stared at his mother.
"Of course," Katherina didn't want her son to lose hope, even though she somewhere knew how things would turn. The thought broke her from inside with the thought that she wouldn't be able to see her children grow, but she wasn't sure if her children would have a future if the council didn't help them. "I will always be with you," tears slipped from her eyes, and the young boy knew what his mother meant.
"You are losing too much blood," Vincent whispered on seeing the blood trail from where her leg and arm had been stabbed; it had left a trail on the snow until she sat next to him.
Katherina's eyes moved to look at her stained dress. She was feeling faint and couldn't breathe well, while her body was losing energy. She murmured, "I am..."
She then turned to look at her son and said, "Don't blame yourself or your sister for what has happened. Tell your father, I love him. Take good care of yourself, your sister and your father. It is unfortunate that things had to be cut short like this..."
"Don't leave, mother!" Vincent shook his head, noticing the paleness his mother's face held.
Using the last of her energy, Katherina leaned forward and kissed the side of Vincent's head, "Keep me in your memories and in your heart."
Katherina had lost too much blood, and the cold weather had worsened her. She pulled away from him, and the young boy and his mother's eyes met while the woman smiled for the briefest moment before her eyes started to ink themselves with darkness. Frozen for a second, Vincent stared at her,
"... m-mother?"
His mother's body lost its strength and fell on Vincent's lap, dead.
