What Happened to the Little Girl in the Woods? An Excerpt from Deck of Cards

****Caution**** This post contains spoilers!

In the first chapter of Deck of Cards, we find out that Princess Katherine (a.k.a. "Katey") has not spoken a single, solitary word since she was four years old.  The reason for her silence is an integral part of the story, as are the ramifications of her refusal to do so.  In fact, if Katey was willing or able to speak, many aspects of the story would turn out quiet differently.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter Eight, which reveals how the princess lost her voice.

What happened in the woods that night would change Princess Katherine forever.

The carriage jostled about violently, more so than any time Katey could remember.  She was huddled on the floorboards, wrapped in her brother’s arms. Nichole and her mother were hunched down in the seats, attempting to brace themselves against the jarring motion of the quickly moving coach but it was most difficult and they might have felt the pain from various bumps and bruises if they hadn’t been so completely terrified.

The alarm had come in the middle of the night. Katey, the baby of the family, had been fast asleep, completely unaware of the impending doom surrounding the castle, her home.  Her mother, Queen Deloris, had scooped her sleeping angel up in he arms, wrapped her in a blanket and rushed her off to the waiting carriage. Nichole and James had followed closely behind.  Even as they entered the escape vehicle, they could see the first wave of soldiers from the Great Heathen Army swooping down upon the town’s people.  It wasn’t until the carriage began to move that Katey awoke from her pleasant slumber.  She was confused at first unsure where they were or what was happening. As the horses took off, she began to see flashes of lights around her.  She pointed them out to her big brother, smiling an enchanted smile as the sparks lit up the sky in hues of yellow, blue and red.

James had held her tightly and it wasn’t until she began to hear strange noises outside of the carriage that she began to grow afraid.  A group of guards rode along each side of the coach and Katey could hear the snarls and snorts of the horses as they ran, blazing away from the castle in a furry.

Katey glanced up at her mother’s face.  She was crying, clutching a handkerchief. Nichole was also sobbing, clearly terrified of what might happen.  James was doing his best to be strong. He continuously whispered in his baby sister’s ear, “It’s okay, Baby Katey. We will be okay.”

But they were not okay. 

The royal family was being moved to what should have been a safer location, a palace cut into the side of a mountain in the northern territory, known as Palace Olympia.  To get there, the carriage had to travel through a thick forest. The road was narrow and bumpy, not meant to be traversed so quickly.  They should have been relocated days ago, in the sunlight, before the invaders broke through the barricade at Waynes but Deloris had insisted on waiting for her husband, King Jordan to return. He had not made it in time and his whereabouts was unknown.  Her attendants had pleaded with her, begging her to take the children and go. Finally, she could wait no longer and they made their hurried exit. 

By the time they reached the edge of the forest, arrows were flying by the carriage. They knew a legion of the Royal Army was stationed within the woods.  If only they could reach them in time, perhaps they could provide enough protection to Deloris and her family so that they could make it to the safety of Olympia.

            But the Heathen’s were gaining on them and there were not enough guards to fight back. One by one, the riders began to fall, Katey seeing them topple off of their horses all around her.  She hid her tiny face in James’s neck, praying that this was all just a horrible nightmare.

Suddenly, the carriage hit a rut, shuddering violently and then tumbling over onto its side. The horses were dragged down with it, the drivers thrown into the trees. Deloris knew she was on her own.  Gathering up her children, she pushed her way out of the door, now facing upwards, into the night.  The Heathens were just behind them, slowed only by the carnage of her fallen guards.  “Quickly,” she whispered. “We haven’t much time.”

Katey could feel a trickle of blood running down her face as James handed her out of the carriage into her mother’s protective arms.  Nichole was out next and then James behind her.  Deloris jumped to the ground grabbing her tiny daughter off of the carriage, and reaching for Nichole’s hand.  The four of them took off into the woods on foot. 

Deloris knew that her husband’s army must be nearby.  She hoped that she would be able to hide her children in the trees and then attempt to locate help. However, the Heathens must have seen which way the queen went upon entering the forest.  She could feel them close behind her.

The foliage was thick and full of brambles, which caught the children’s skin and clothing. It was a small advantage, however, because it prevented the Heathens from pursuing the royal family on horseback.  Deloris could hear footsteps approaching.  She quickly looked for a thicket to hide her children. 

The barbarians were growing ever closer.  She could hear their grunts and groans, practically feeling their stale breath on the back of her neck. Just then, she saw an undergrowth that just might lend itself to her purposes. She directed her children beneath the branches, and they hurriedly did as instructed, despite the sharp thorns that poked their tender skin.

Katey had never imagined anything so terrifying. Even in her worse nightmares, she had never felt like this.  Her mother had her arms around all three of them, attempting to shelter them from the unimaginable evil that lay just on the other side of those thin branches. They collectively held their breaths, waiting, praying for the Heathens to pass them by.  They heard heavy footsteps draw closer, then fade, repeating as more and more of the enemy approached their location and then disappeared into the night.

A cloud passed over the crescent moon, leaving them in pitch black.  Katey began to shake. She could barely see the face of her brother just an inch from her own.  She watched as he silently brought a finger to his mouth, indicating that she must be quiet.  She nodded her head, fully intending not to make a sound. As her eyes shifted back to the blackness before her, she suddenly saw one bone-white hand pull back the thin veil of brambles before her.  Her hands flew to her mouth, attempting to hold back the scream that was forming in her throat but just then, she glimpsed the most hideous face imaginable, pure evil in human form. 

And she screamed.

The noise caused the Heathen to turn his head instantly in their direction. He had his crossbow ready and he instantaneously fired at the source of the noise.  Despite the darkness Katey saw the arrow flying at her face, causing her to scream even louder. He had missed however, or so she thought.  She turned to hide her face in her mother’s gown only to realize the soft satin white fabric was now soaked in warm, sticky blood. She looked up to see that the arrow had landed squarely in her mother’s chest.  As Deloris fell forward, gasping for breath and gargling blood, Katey’s screaming stopped.

Queen Deloris loved her children and her husband more than anything. 

Read more of Princess Katey's story and discover if she ever finds her voice. You can purchase Deck of Cards here for only $2.99. It is free for KDP Select/Unlimited members.

A very small girl with a very large burden to bear.

All pictures courtesy of Getty Images