BONG!

The clang of the ancient bell rang throughout the city. A gentle yet ever-present heat permeated from the morning sun. The smoke from the mines surrounding the city of Zale drifted into the air, creating a haze and muting the colors of the sky. Within the haze laid the finely crafted walls of a monastery. It stood aloof from the surrounding buildings of relatively poor construction.

BONG!

The simple workers gathered slowly around the structure in answer to the summons. There, they hoped for the protection granted to only the faithful; many of their prayers will remain unanswered.

Within the monastery’s chapel, there was silence; utter silence. The only thing that could be heard was the occasional cough from some of the more elderly members of the congregation.

The prayer bells had rung over an hour ago, and the monastery inhabitants gathered together in the meditation hall. Each person sat in a meditative pose on their mats. Lighting crystals were placed throughout the building, gently brightening the room like a morning sunrise.

The smell of incense wafted from burners hanging from the ceiling; strong enough to almost overpower one's thoughts. This was the point. The silence was to focus them, the light relaxed them, and the smell pushed all other thoughts from their minds. The prolonged time spent sitting still numbed them for extended periods of time . All of this was to tame them; to keep them in line, albeit just one.

*****

Aletta slowly sat up on the medical bed and looked around. So far, so good, she thought apprehensively; afraid that someone might hear her thoughts. She had pretended to faint while caring for some of the older residents. This gave her the time to enact her plan. Being careful to stay as quiet as possible, she slid out of bed and located a small bag of supplies placed in an unused corner of the medical bay. She had been squirreling away supplies for her escape for weeks, and now was the time to make that effort bear fruit. This week, Charles was on watch, and she knew he had feelings for her. She had been enticing him in preparation for her to persuade him to let her pass by without noticing.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Been a while since I've seen ya, Lady Aletta," said Charles.

"Oh yes, I haven't been feeling well for a few days now, and I would love to go out and get some air."

"My Lady, you know that you are not allowed outside unless you have escorts."

"I'm only planning on going on a short walk. I will not even leave the monastery; I just want to walk around without feeling like the walls will crush me."

Charles eyed Aletta suspiciously, but her begging puppy dog eyes were too much for him. "Alright!" He surrendered. "Be back before anyone notices. If you are caught, you snuck past me, okay."

"I did sneak past you." She giggled as she walked past him, leaving a small fruit in his hands. He eyed the food hungrily. "Take it. It's from my own supply."

With that done, she was clear to head out to the rendezvous with her local contact and friend, Simara. They had been on and off again friends for the last few years, and luckily, they were in one of their on phases. With the upcoming events, she felt that would soon change again. After exiting the gate, she entered a nearby storage building and swapped into more serf-like clothing. With this, she should draw only a little attention.

She stared at the discarded dress; the beads and embroideries she had spent weeks working on, lying on the dirt floor of a peasant warehouse. Tears struggled to erupt as she left the dress in a small crate in a forgotten corner of the building. Her hand trembled as it reached towards the exit door then she paused. She went back to the disposed dress and looked at the largest gem in the centerpiece of the dress. After a few minutes of tearing at the cloth she freed the gem and pocketed it. Now, to just casually walk out without a care in the world. There is no reason she shouldn't be able to just walk out. She can do this.

Aletta stepped outside the monastery grounds alone for the first time in five years. The escape had gone smoother than she had ever hoped. The guards didn't even give her a second glance as she hauled a load of laundry out of servants' quarters towards the small well that supplied all the water for cleaning.

She simply took the cloth-laden basket near the other servants and walked off, giving a simple excuse to those around her. Now, all she had to do was make it to the tavern where Simara was, and then she'd be on a one-way trip out to freedom.

"Time to go live life as I wish." She hummed to herself. As she sang, a sharp pain hit the base of her skull, and darkness took her.