《A Tale of Two Daggers》


 Chapter 1: Motherless

    A newcomer comes to lady life, offering nothing but a void vessel to receive a soul. While the Death looked from afar, sheathing its teeth. Noticing her. Like a cunning devil watching from beyond the reach of the light, wearing a cloak of shadows that hides him from his eternal rival. But his hatred overcame his carefulness. He wanted to snatch the newcomer before her soul had a chance to reach the realm of the living.


    Lady Life, however, was strong, her protective aura was too strong for the death to challenge her. She prevailed and helped the soul cross to the world of the mankind without harm, but the death was stubborn and jealous. Another soul escaped his grasp once more.


    He was furious, angry and envied those have the right to live. He refused to back down, not without an offering for his own. He kept watching closely...waiting for an opportunity.


    He then saw that unlucky soul. A tired, lost and withered one. One that life took her blessing away from. And at the speed of light, he snatched that soul like the thief he is. Finally stated, he retreated to the shadows once more.


    One night, noisy cries filled a certain bedroom. The newcomer had arrived, and so did its journey began through pregnancy.


    Nurses were on full alert, preparing the blankets as one of them hastily carried the source of the noise with warm and caring hands. The naked body of the baby was rolled neatly with some soft white cloth, wiping it out of any excessive particles upon her shivered body.


    A newborn baby...


    Such a small beautiful creature with a pure core and essence, taken from her mother''s safe body straight to the hard cruel world, with nothing special or yet to be discovered.


    The nurse took a good look at the child''s crying face, giving her a small kind kiss on the forehead, and shaking her gently in a futile attempt to make her stop weeping.


    Some sights couldn''t be explained in words, which were the same that the nurse experienced. It was the marvelous part of her job, like a prize for her effort. To see the fruition of 9 months of caring and praying coming steadily to face the brave new world. Like a dashing warrior emerging from a mysterious fog.


    She stared at the mum. Her mouth was drawn to a straight line. She couldn''t speak a single word. But the nurse was sure she would be happy with her child. She put the small piece of humanity of her arms right next to her quiet mother.


    A tired sigh escaped the nurse that''s because her duty was not yet overall fulfilled. That last part remained nagging. To deliver what''s supposed to be an amazing news of another successful pregnancy during her eventful and stressful job.


    Outside the room, a man jumped in haste as soon as he saw the nurse coming, looking at her with high eyes. He already heard his child''s cries. But he wished to hear the nurse say the announcement herself...


    "Please, tell me I became a father of a boy!" The man appealed to the nurse.


    She bit her lips out of anxiety, trying to hide the other face of the truth. "I-I think you need to see everything for yourself, your newborn awaits you inside, Protector". She faked a smile.


    Her way of speaking was strange. It wasn''t the same one the father expected to have. Instead of happiness, she had the opposite. Instead of joy, she had been so close to dipping tears if it wasn''t for her strong will.


    The father''s eyes blinked in suspicious gaze. That response wouldn''t have come out unless a crisis struck. The nurse didn''t even try to stop the raging and terrified man from pumping to her side and dashing straight to the room.


    And how should he not feel that way? He had been waiting 5 years for this day to come. What nuisance would pollute such once-in-a-lifetime happiness?


    He ran towards the room hoping that the nurse was either bluffing or he was imagining things. The sound of his child got louder in his ears but not louder than his racing heartbeats.


    He bashed the door open like a charging bull, causing a loud bang that gave a fright to anyone inside, and nearly taking off the door of its place.


    He revealed a room mainly made of oak wood as old as the whole house. It wasn''t that type of eye-catching part of his home. But it was special enough for him and his wife.


    The mother was there, flat on her bed, alongside her daughter who kept screaming endlessly from the air that tormented her lungs after slamming into them, waving the cute little closed hands around.


    However, and despite how the new family member was so energetic and open to life. The atmosphere was wordless and gothic. As father slowly realized there was a white sheet covering his wife''s face and body.


    He knew what that meant, but still called her name through a cracked voice and traumatic gaze, expecting an impossible response.


    He noticed how her body was so stable and not a single breath coming from beneath the sheets.


    The denial reached its highest when he uncovered the sheets...


    Her eyes were closed. The temperature of her body was fleeting. Only then, did he realise that his wife was sleeping...peacefully...and...eternally.


    Grief entered his heart. He couldn''t believe it. It was too hard on him. He didn''t expect nor did he even imagine that he wouldn''t see her beautiful silver eyes open again.


    He took some moments to process that she could no longer be with him anymore. She wanted that child so dearly with much-anticipated love to give to her. Yet, fate didn''t allow her to linger long enough to witness her wish finally come true.


    The father''s knees met the ground first. With eyes filled with rivers. He needed someone to stand by his side, to hug him and say "I am here for you". But there was no one around. Not even the nurses. They all exited the room as soon as he entered with his speedy entrance.


    He was all by himself, weeping like a child but broken as a man. That said, the question arises. Can anyone blame him?


    She was a piece of his soul. The woman who loved him through thick and thin. Through health and disease. How can he let go of her to the death jaws that easily?


    He wiped some of his falling tears with his sleeve, unable to withhold his loss. He leaned his head against his wife''s chest. It was lifeless, there weren''t any echoes coming from her static heart. And with that, the last string of hope of having the doctor''s wrong diagnosis went away...Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Then came the part of his maniacally screaming...


    Death in the shadows was laughing while the mortal became shattered...


    It forced memories onto his brain, blaming him for the chances he wasted. He was selfish, and his duty as a protector killed all the time that he should have spent by her side. She was certainly sad. Regardless, not a single time did she blame him for it.


    He knew that, and he felt the guilt crashing over him every time he greeted her after returning from his work, and that''s why he wanted to compensate her with a child that could fill her life with company.


    Clinging to this pledge, She got hyped later when her fat stomach confirmed a coming birth. Her happiness was immeasurable.


    The memories flooded and began feasting on him alive. His mouth hurt, and his tears didn''t stop dropping. He couldn''t keep himself from holding her hand, he missed the warmth of blood that once ran through her veins.


    He was too weak to believe the reality, that he forgot he wasn''t actually alone anymore.


    It was the moment of realization when the sound of his child''s screaming finally found its way to the man''s fallen heart.


    She made it pop, like a needlebursting the bubble of gloom surrounding him from the outside world. If she had a distinguishable voice she would have said: "I am still here, old man"


    Nevertheless, her simple cries were enough to catch his attention and he followed the cries of his petite child till he finally noticed her.


    He took her by his arms, supporting her head with his hand, checking her properly. As a crying cute little child''s face meets his withered red-grieving round eyes, revealing how beautiful his newborn is.


    He glimpsed beneath her blankets, at the distinguishable part of her body and it confirmed that the child was a SHE.


    As small light reflects from her new set of eyes. She was terrified to see his gigantic tall personage in front of her. A man a hundred times bigger and larger at everything


    When their eyes met, he didn''t see a child, he saw a little angel without wings as if that angel was sent by God to aid him in his sadness.


    He wrapped his arms, and gently pulled her towards his rigid chest.


    Somehow without saying a single word, all of his sadness began to slowly dwindle with this interaction.


    It was not only the action of hug itself that made him feel some decency of delightment but the fact that his wife left him a thing or rather a gift from her womb before she departed, left him a bit of condolence.


    Her crying got mixed with his grief, comforting him, and sharing his sadness. She couldn''t speak, but her presence spoke a thousand speeches.


    "My love". He approached his sleeping wife. "Our daughter...s...she is...prettier than I thought". He barely mustered the few words he had amidst his sobbing and hicupps.


    He was the only person that would care for her now. He didn''t know how he would raise her all by himself. but at least he have her. Meaning that, he is not alone anymore.


    A hand patted the father''s back.


    When he turned around, he saw the same nurse who delivered the news earlier that day.


    "She needs you, be strong" The nurse encouraged him with a smile. An honest smile this time and no mask upfront.


    The father faced his daughter again, completely ignoring the nurse. Starting with a faint smile that was holding all the father''s instinct love he had...


    "Diana," he declared to us, smiling at his child despite his anguishing lament.


    "Beautiful name" added the nurse. "D-Do you wish privacy," she asked.


    "Yes. Yes please". He answered in his cracked loosened voice, still lost at his daughter''s feature.


    The nurse patted the father on his back again, politely stretching her arms requesting to carry the child for her to leave with her.


    "No. I need her!" he hugged Diana more to his body, shielding her from the nurse. He looked at his little child again. "I see my Wanda within her". He sighed.


    She nodded in understanding, retracted away and left him as he spent some final minutes with his wife, saying farewell, for the last time...


    The father was called Richard Onakran, he was one of the 15 protectors of the Town who were elected by the majority of the population. Where a protector is like a captain who commands 10 of the most heroic men of his choice, from their name, their function was to defend the Town, in addition to some secondary duties...


    Time passed as the dark clouds in the sky moved on.


    The mother who never saw her child''s fruit to life was properly buried behind the house. With prayers that one day, Richard may join her in her eternal resting place.


    ------------------------------------------


    Back to the land of the living, Diana grew up. She wasn''t the toddler that was back then. Her body and mind were shaped by her surroundings, liven her up to be the Sole and beautiful, seventeen years old girl of her father. Yet, along these years, she always was pinched by the society she lived in by the fact she was motherless.


    She always had that vacant feeling that her mother''s death wasn''t fair. Why did God introduce her to the world without a mother to guide her through life? There were a lot of subjects and problems that neither her dad nor her uncle could help as men.


    It was like a mandated curse to endure such a gender barrier for the rest of her life. Add to that her home was not exactly friendly towards her...


    Endora, a large Town with a promising economy based mainly on trade. Its geographic location lay next to a large forest at the edge of a huge empire.


    According to the law put by the Chief of the Town, Every girl was chosen to do a job, ranging from simple ones like farmers, washers, and cleaners, to dangerous ones like some carefully picked warriors and spear women.


    And so our story began with our girl. The beauty that was Irrelevantly chosen to be cleaner for the dishes.


    Ask any person in that vast Town about that job and they would answer the same common answer.


    The job she had taken was nothing short of a nightmare. Every day was an excruciating experience, filled with unbearable smells coming from the remains of food. The kitchen where she worked was a breeding ground for all kinds of foul odours that would make even the strongest of stomachs turn. The stench was so overpowering that it felt like it could knock out an elephant.


    Though Diana was a simple person. She never really objected or complained about anything, no matter how hard it can become sometimes. She would take it as a distraction to fill the absence of her missed parent, or at least that''s what she tried to persuade herself with.


    However, fate secretly began a gamble, and it threw its dice on a very specific night.


    When the girl was returning to her home from a late shift, yawning after a long day of worthless work. She saw unknown figures approaching the town from the far west over long eyesight, descending from up the hill, leaving a trail of smoke and dust behind ''em.


    At their sight, The girl horrifyingly screamed.


    At that point, she was very close to her house when Richard heard the scream, he thought that a wolf was attacking the villagers. Wolf attacks were common at that time. The protector took his long sword and rushed to aid whoever was screaming.


    He breached outside his house, slamming the door open. Alerted, he immediately awakened the warrior spirit inside, running for his call of duty. But the only thing he found was his daughter, Nothing else, He scanned the surroundings for a moment but there wasn''t anything disturbing at the front except for a crowd of bystanders who began grouping around the event


    He rushed and hugged her with one of his arms and checked her slim body for any injuries.


    "Diana, you ok, my dear? What''s happening?! Are you hurt?" Richard comforted the girl, scanning her feminine body for any bruises or signs of attack.


    "Father, there". The girl shakily pointed toward the unknown figures descending from the hill.


    "Bandits!" She cried. Hiding behind his muscular body.


    Richard after hearing the word "Bandits". He simultaneously pulled out his sword and took his stance, turning around to face the wild animals in the form of humans.


    However, by the time he looked back at what his daughter was pointing at. The figures got much closer, and the moonlight soon overcame the shadows that hid who they were.


    They weren''t Bandits, they were far worse to the extent that her father''s sword was a mere toy to them.


    The protector''s eyes widened in horror and wished truly she was pointing at real wolves'' packs cause those figures weren''t meant to be fought with. Real bandits were humble students compared to their viciousness.


    He slowly lowered his sword. He felt powerless. He was resisting his legs from shaking in front of his girl while his heart had already begun a marathon of his own.


    Them...What are they doing here at those late hours of the night...hold on...the tradition...No! Not now! Of all the times!!


    He took a glimpse of his daughter hiding behind him. He was supposed to be a protector after all, right?!


    Wrong.


    Not against them. His title drops like a fire''s ashes against their ravenous flood. No one is above them. No magistrate or judge can control them. Simply put, they are the law in their most psychopathic form. Some may even dare to say that they were protected by the devil himself...seeing who they really were...made Richard curse the day he was elected as a protector...

 Chapter 2: Anarchy

    The earth was trembling beneath their horse''s feet. One could feel a shiver down his spine upon their sight. They were more ruthless than beasts of the night, more brutal than any wild creature that lives in caves or woods.


    Although the king''s men were mere human beings. Yet, their acts weren''t even close to the cruelty of the animal behavior. With hearts full of blackness and manifested with the madness of pursuing unlimited power. They were tools to do their king''s dirty work, imposing maximum order in that tyrannical system.


    They were the voice of the king through all of his kingdom''s reigns. They were his hand over his domain. None dared to defy their subjection over the public. Their pockets were always filled with money that came from high taxes that the king imposed on his common poor people, killing them every day with poverty.


    The king was called Wain, a powerful yet unforgiving king, some said he conspired against his blood-bond brother and hired an assassin to kill him during one of his walks in his garden. They also say that he had prepared an accident where his brother''s two young twins'' sons would be killed as well, just to ensure that the kingdom remained ruled by his bloodline only.


    But no one had minimal courage level to publicly accuse him, there was no evidence and no one from the royal family to replace him. And Absolutely no one would trust a woman to sit on that throne.


    Speaking of the women, Wain''s power didn''t stop at claiming the throne, he also had his eyes on his brother''s wife for as long as he remembered. He used her grief and weakness against her, he talked to her about how he was the best option and the wisest choice to keep the royal blood clean and formidable and to prevent anyone from even thinking about harming the queen...


    A cunning scheme yet It worked. And a marriage was made.


    But that was just the beginning...


    Thirsty for more control, He trained a mighty army to conquer the surrounding countries, either that or they would buy peace for a stream of annual tribute. Establishing the large feared empire through the region...


    The Martizian Empire.


    With each neighbour falling to the horde of his army, he grows stronger with boundless hunger for More money, more influence...


    ...and more women.


    That''s right. Alongside his marriage. He had a proclivity for having more women around him. The king was a philanderer, respecting his wife wasn''t any of his concerns. She wouldn''t be surprised if she witnessed strange women sleeping with the king sometimes. Using her own bed.


    And as a result of his actions. Every time he tried to come close to her, She felt disgusted and She constantly pushed him back. She was too weak to give children. And she always looked at him as her husband''s brother. She never saw any feeling developing towards him.


    She hoped for another kind of husband. Not necessarily must be fed lust for his erotic hunger every hour. But a protector that actually cared. A concept that a desired lover like Wain had never comprehend.


    She knew he wasn''t to be fully trusted but his corrupted shady wings were better than nothing.


    And for that, that tradition came into effect.


    Where every few years the king would send some scouts to any random area - suddenly and without any pre warnings- to search for new beautiful "servants" for his palace. Those girls were abducted at a young age against their parent''s broken will. Whether she was from rich or poor origins, they weren''t making exceptions for anyone. If she was pretty enough then she becomes the king property.


    For a any girl, this fate was worse than death; Because it was rumored that whoever enters this palace never leaves it. In another word, the parents often lose their daughters forever.


    It was a dark time, where ugliness turned to an uncommon grace.


    ------------------------------------------------------------


    (Back to the present day)


    "FATHER... FATHER!!"


    Richard woke up from his thoughts to see that things were already in motion.


    The king''s men marched in line with their fearsome horses towards the west gate.


    On their true sight, the chaos spread throughout the whole Town. The Other protector''s lung for the bells of the town hall. The bells that rang in the most direst hour had came to action. Their sound roared to the ears, Giving a warning signal.


    Danger is coming.


    The people began to swarm the streets to heed the call, frightened and uncertain of what was going on. Yet, the chief of the town a man in his 50s, with a white small beard and hair managed to calm his terrified herd.


    The horsemen bashed into the streets in waves till they reached the centre of the town. They all gathered together in a clutter while a certain distinguishable knight approached the chief man on his strong horse. The banner of the proud Wolf fluttering by his side, pointing out at whom he take his orders from.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He disembarked, and all of the citizens bowed except Diana. She was amazed why would all of the town worshipped some knights. Shouldn''t they bow only to God? and if not, why they are so afraid of them? Who are even these guys??


    Her father was alerted how his daughter was not bowing. Part of him excused her, after all it was his fault that she didn''t know anything about King Wain''s full history. He didn''t want her to be engaged in politics too much.


    So without a warning his hand bolted and grabbed hers and pulled her down to his side.


    "Father, what''s going on?"


    "Silence". He said firmly but very quietly, leaning close to her ears. "I''ll tell you later, but right now, don''t make eye contact with them."


    "Why would-"


    "Later I said and heads down!". His hand slightly pushed her head more to the ground.


    "Good evening, chief," The captain heeded with a friendly formal smile to the old leader.


    "And good evening to you too, sir. What do his majesty''s men do in our humble and peaceful Town, if I may I ask?"


    The Captain looked into the chief eyes and saw how terrified he was. The same reaction everywhere he went. It became a habit to be the source of distress in every town he traveled to. A bonus that comes with the job.


    He smiled to conceal his disappointment and placed a hand on the chief shoulder.


    "Easy old man, Calm down before your heart explodes". Then he looked at the huge mass of people gathered behind the chief in anticipation.


    He took a deep breath to yap the news. "We will not harm you. However, My king''s orders are clear, we are hereby sent by him to search for new girls to join his palace. Help us so we can leave as fast as we can"


    The last line was like a lightning strike on Richard, the protector''s hair stood on end, nearly turned to white. He knew sooner or later that that moment would come, but he never foresaw it to be so soon.


    He looked at his daughter...If one of those men saw Diana, that would be it. She will be taken on sight and her future will be eternally forlorn at that tyrannical palace. He will lose the only one that keeps him going in his lonely life. He will lose his daughter forever.


    The captain nodded for his men to pick only the beautiful girls and left the other lucky ones.


    And this is when the true anarchy began...


    Like a swarm of hornets upon a beehive. The men spread across the streets, storming every house. Unlike the captain, not all of his men were tolerant like him. They exercised viciousness and harshness while they breached every house with their legs, determined to spot beauty where it lingers.


    There were crying and shouts everywhere in the town. where the men sweep clean, abducting girls from their parent''s arms. The mother''s screams were combined in an unrecognizable cheerless symphony to hear. Every house was under attack. Fathers started fights they could not win. Each time a girl is about to be taken. The father comes to face the soldier. But only to be beaten and humiliated in front of the daughter he desires to protect.


    Showing the daughter and her mom a display of dominance. How the father, the leader of this family is a pathetic good-for-nothing man who practically can not protect the women he loves. If they resisted even more. The extremists do depart but after beheading the whole family.


    Using that chaos, Richard quickly ran to his house along with his confused daughter in his hands who didn''t know what was going on. Luckily for him, the search was still a few blocks away, which gave him about 3 minutes to act.


    He closed the door behind him with all the locks it had shut. He dragged a chair and sat on it. Hands between his head. His Heart beats rapidly. His mind raced to find a solution...


    "Bribe them? No, they already sleep on beds of money"


    "Beg? Too stubborn to listen"


    "Escape Endora? There is nowhere to go. I am not going to turn my child into a fugitive in her own land!"


    He was running out of time and choices. The sound of horses could be heard at his doorstep any moment now. Till he remembered one item behind his house...


    A cart of hay. He was supposed to protect and escort safely to a nearby market in another adjacent town called "Shan" the day after. But the merchant had a problem and temporarily left it with Richard''s hands till he returned later.


    It was his only chance.


    He got up and was ready to grab Diana. But the girl had enough, slipping her arm out of her father''s grab in objection


    "Could you please stop pulling me with you everywhere and tell me what the hell is going on outside?!"


    Richard faced her, still breathing heavily.


    "Look, those men you saw earlier, are taking the most beautiful girls in the town and that includes you, so either you hide in that pile of hay that i will show you and don''t make a sound until I return to you or you will be taken away from me forever..."


    "But why, why the-?!"


    "I don''t have time for this Now! Please, My Dear! Just follow me, and if we go through this safely, I will explain everything in time, I promise!"


    Diana stared at her dad, she felt anger that there was no clarification to her terrorized curiosity but also pity that Richard would carry the burden of facing those soldiers alone. She had many unanswered questions. But feeling the threat in her father''s voice made her nod in understatement. At least for the time being.


    Richard bashed the back door of his house open as he spotted the perfect spot to hide his daughter.


    When they reached the cart, her father supported her. Yet, Before Diana jumped to the hay. She halted, looking back at her father. She couldn''t stand the terrified look in his black round eyes.


    So, instead...


    She jumped between his arms. hugging him tightly for a couple of seconds. Resting her hands on the back of his head. The sensation of her being between his shielding arms, Reminded him of the past days when she was a child who used to be hugged whenever she was afraid of the nightmares she had.


    "I won''t let them take you away!" He hugged her back, with a glimmering tear sliding over his cheek.


    "I know you won''t, Father" she smiled, wiping the drop with her hand.


    She turned around to jump into the hay.


    "Wait, here take this, that''s your final option"


    She looked with nervous eyes.


    "Hold on, that''s my d-!!"


    "Just take it! and pray you won''t use it"


    She nodded hesitantly and took the object. Then she jumped in the hay. Gross, uncomfortable and with impossible small space to breathe as it is. It was for her good safety.


    Richard stood there checking every corner of the cart making sure there was nothing visible to whoever passed by. There was no window for tripping now. He made up the hay well, concealing any suspicious traces at his best, Before returning to the house through the back door.


    Before he touched the back door handle, He looked back with sad looks back at the cart, one last time. Checking if he forgot anything. There wasn''t any room for flaws, not with Diana on the line.


    He didn''t spend 17 faithful years raising up his little girl so it can be taken from him just like that. How could he call himself a father, if he couldn''t protect her? What would his wife think of him if the most precious gift she handed to him was lost?!


    That said, there wasn''t really much to do now but to hope that this day doesn''t end with a tragedy.


    The moment he opened the back door, the front door started knocking...

 Chapter 3 : A walk around the house

    The sound of the banging on the door didn''t stop. It just made Richard sweat even more. He knew who was behind the door, and he sure did know what their intentions were. The only variable here was him. His actions will pave the incoming scenarios from now on.


    Ok, Keep it gentle now, they will sweep the area then leave, don''t overdo it and don''t lose your daughter...


    "Coming !" His voice trailed in response, trying to hide the intensity of his anxiety.


    He opened the door halfway. Revealing 4 strong men with their horses. However, not in the slightest did he anticipate the identity of the 5th knight...


    The captain himself.


    A quick look at those equipped swords and full armours of iron, made him think twice before crossing the gang at his doorstep.


    "Greetings, sir!" The captain smiled with a nice face, bowing slightly above his horse while his brown eyes scanned the protector.


    "Greetings" Richard smiled back. "How may I be of assistance, captain?"


    "Well, you know the tradition. I heard that you had a pretty daughter, Mind if I checked if what I heard was true?"


    At first impression, he didn''t know what or how he should answer. How did he know he had a daughter in the first place? Did someone snitched him over to the soldiers?


    Richard gathered all the confidence he had before answering. "I-I am sorry, captain. I truly want to help you, but The one you are looking for is long gone dead"


    He forced his eyes to his receiver''s eyes to fully cook his plot. Hardly trying to hide the sweat cluttering over his bloc.


    "Oh. Was it the Black Death?"


    "N-No, sir. It was...a lone wolf attack. It attacked us while we were on our way to our neighbors, in the next village, I-I managed to kill it, but not before it took her soul with ''em. Sh...She died in my arms, sir"


    The captain blinked. His smile faded instantly. He lost the glimmer inside his eyes.


    "Sorry...for your loss," he said, bluntly and blankly. It was an awkward attempt to share the unreal grief.


    "But sadly I can''t take your words for granted, even if you are telling the truth"


    He motioned his head to his men. "Search the house". He commanded with full seriousness.


    The soldiers disembarked their horses and were heading towards the door, only to find Richard blocking the entrance.


    "But I already told you!" He protested evidently.


    "And I believe you! It is just a routine search. Besides, why are you so nervous if you don''t have anything to hide?" He narrowed his eyes.


    "B...B...Because you people will turn the house upside down and I just cleaned it!". His plea was beyond sarcasm. It was miserable.


    The captain blinked. Hardly trying to mute his laughter. "Oh, come on. Don''t make a fuss of it. We are searching for a girl, not a rat".


    One of the men approached Richard dangerously close. "Move. Before. I.Slice. You. To. Two Halves" he said with a hostile face, while his fat fingers slowly sought for his sword hilt.


    Swallowing his pride, Richard stepped aside, allowing the men to pass.


    Submitted by his threat. The soldier smirked "pussy" to Richard''s face and the other grinned mockingly at him. He couldn''t do anything except watch them enter his house as if the owner was dead already.


    Trying to hold his fumes, the protector blew air hard from his nose, in denial of this oppression. His fear was dramatically changing to anger. It was a good thing in a way to hide his true scheme.


    "Please, excuse their manners. We were marching for 5 straight hours in dark routes". The captain said, speaking for his men''s unpure entrance.


    Richard gave a glancing smile, teased with how the captain was too calm and chilly, regardless of how his men were so arrogant and scummy type.


    "Hey". He gestured with his head before disembarking from his horse, as his iron armour parts clung towards each other, as he took some a few steps towards Richard.


    "How about we start this properly, shall we? What''s your name protector?"


    "Richard"


    "Pleased to meet you. Name''s Liam. I am a 100-man captain, listed under his majesty''s 103rd battalion, but you probably don''t care about that, haha right?".


    Richard answered with a cringy blank face, giving no expression.


    "Yyyyyyeaa, I know I am bad with jokes. I know! How about a walk? I want to stretch my legs anyway, would you care to join me?"


    "And your men leave afterwards?". A grim face was handed to the captain.


    Despite that. The captain sighed in complete tolerance. "Yeah yeah, but only If my soldiers came clean. That''s a promise. Now shall we?" He extended his inviting arm.


    Like I care about your promises, he mumbled.


    The two men began to walk parallel to each other. Still, unknowingly playing along while each of ''em had a hidden intention.


    The gloom of the atmosphere itself didn''t help. The Town was still in chaos. Random screams and shouts could still be heard from the neighbours, echoing through the alleys and streets.


    The night was still on...


    To try to mask it, the captain put his arm on Richard''s back and gave him a slight push. He gestured for him to stop looking back, as it wouldn''t make much difference either way.


    "So tell me more about her"


    "Who?"


    "Why your daughter, of course. Describe her to me, will you?"


    "Eh, well. She roughly reached the height of my shoulder. Not that Chubby type...em...brown eyes...um..." his mind was working on the double to find an elusive description for the captain, but it was not that easy when Diana''s real figure was flashing at the back of his head every minute.


    Why on earth is he asking for a physical description of a deceased person? He thought


    "Not chubby, you say? That''s Great, So where did you bury her?"


    Son of ***, he is testing me! From here on, I need to be careful with my answers! he thought.


    "This way" he led the way towards the targeted spot of land. Praying that his next little play won''t be blown up.


    The two kept walking, till Richard realized how the two were closely passing right next to the cart.


    He swallowed hard. He hoped for his daughter to preserve her stillness a little more. Despite knowing him how she was in a tight spot, lacking air and comfort. But she had to endure. Just a little more...


    For the danger had never become closer.


    "Here" Richard pointed towards a tombstone that was made up for an old grave.


    The captain took some steps towards the Grave-stone. He bent his knee to the ground to look closer to see the engraved writing.


    Wanda onakran


    "Lovely name" the captain smiled back to Richard.


    Richard smiled contently.


    "Say, Have you mentioned your daughter''s age?"


    Come on, isn''t that enough, you weasel!! He internally protested.


    Richard tried to keep cool nonetheless.


    "No, she was 17, sir". He answered under his clicked tongue.


    "Hmm, Strange. Don''t you think that that grave is too big for a teen girl, Protector?"


    "Your point?" Richard crossed his arm, he became serious again.


    Before he got an answer, the back door was opened and the 4 men got out.


    "Sir, The house is clean. She is nowhere to be found" one of them reported.


    The captain''s eyes didn''t leave Richard''s. He sighed as he put his hand over his hips.


    "You know, Protector. I travelled to a lot of villages and towns. I met so many protectors. Ones with strange hobbies! I once met a protector who acts like a clown in a theatre and I met another who was capable of playing the most beautiful music your ears ever heard. Can you believe that?!" He said with a giggle.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Richard didn''t pay any attention to the captain. He was worried more about the 4 men under his command who were encircling him slowly. All eyes were focusing on him.


    Like a group of hyenas, they encircled their prey. Waiting for a gesture to strike.


    "But you Richard! Ho Ho! You amaze me even more with your acting skills!" he said with his suffocating smile.


    "Do I look like I am in a mood to act for you!?" Richard raised a brow over his lion eye, Abandoning his cautiousness in speaking.


    "No..."


    Suddenly the captain''s smile vanished and so his sword left its sheath...


    Cutting through the air fast...


    Too fast for the eye to catch...


    Too powerful for a shield to counter...


    Too sturdy for a sword to parry...


    The captain''s sword stopped diving two inches from Richard''s neck. Flooring the protector with how enormous was the captain''s precision and skills in using his blade.


    "...You protector, are one hell of a filthy Liar"


    Richard''s heart dropped.


    He failed. Just like that, he was about to lose his neck. A stunning reminder of how the king''s soldiers were inclined to spill blood cheaply for the slightest mistakes. Lying was just a sample.


    "B-But how?!" Richard''s brain didn''t comprehend.


    "I saw you running with a girl just the same age some time ago while I was talking to the old chief. So At the beginning of the search, I ordered one of my men to follow you back to your house and report back.


    He looked at his men.


    "She is in that cart. Grab her," he said to them


    Then he faced Richard again. "Both of us know this will turn ugly, but know very well that you have chosen this method when you began twisting with words, Protector"


    The men gathered, and approached the cart from all directions, while each one sought to bring up his sword.


    Richard''s heart was thumping,


    "Hey! No weapons! We don''t want to scare the child". Liam delivered his specific order.


    The soldiers looked at each other ponderously. Trying to figure out how they would succeed without using their blades.


    Richard on the other hand was freaking out. He had already run out of options. He was standing there helplessly. Seeing how the men were closing in on the cart, inches away from his daughter.


    Think Think Think!


    His mind tried to anticipate all scenarios and how to deal with them. None were including a treaty. He was outnumbered and outmatched by skills and equipment.


    But.....


    There was that last option. The last hope is that by which maybe, just maybe, his daughter can slip away. A choice of a selfless act and a noble sacrifice.


    "Use it!!"


    He shouted, pushing out all the air in his lungs, as the last breach to break her free.


    Then...and Out of nowhere, the girl jumped from the hay, causing a hurricane of flying yellow pieces everywhere, blinding them for breathtaking moments, ensuring a cover to run for it.


    In her panic, she slashed one of the soldiers in his chest, with the same thing that her father had trained her to use for many years since she was 10.


    Her dagger.


    The soldier leapt back, opening a small window for the girl to begin her escape.


    "STOP THAT GIRL!" One of them shouted and the pursuit began.


    Diana ran with her fast long feet through her town streets. Eyes filled with fright and tears. Trying to ignore how she left her father behind. Suppressing the thought that he would face the harsh consequences of her action.


    He vowed to protect her and he would see his duty to the end. Even if that ending matched with ending his life.


    All of this considered she had little knowledge of her surroundings. She didn''t realize that there wasn''t anywhere safe. The soldiers were plaguing the Town. There were at least Five soldiers on each street.


    She ran to alleys, streets, and even through some houses. There were soldiers everywhere!


    With each wrong turn, her pursuers'' number increased, till she finally took her one last sharp right.


    To a dead end.


    Her hand slapped the wall. Swearing hard. She looked back above her shoulder with desperate eyes for a way out. There wasn''t any. Except one...


    The same way she got herself into this trap. The same route that was stuffed with 20 armoured boots blocking it. A summation of 10 angry pair of eyes.


    The soldier who was hit by Diana took the lead.


    "Ok, that''s it with you! Everyone, weapons free!" He shouted with clenched teeth and in response to him, all the soldiers pulled their swords off their sheaths up high.


    "By the law, any aggression to the king''s soldiers should be only met with the same brute reaction!" The soldier reminded the girl.


    Unknowingly, He was telling her the reason for what would happen to her in the next few minutes.


    She could only imagine what they would do to her by only looking at their shady, hideous smiling faces. If one slash to an armoured soldier enraged him that much, imagine the same amount of hatred multiplied by ten.


    Like a fire surrounding a lonely rose.


    A dagger vs 10 swords.


    Widely unfavoured, the girl raised her shaky hands pointing her small dagger tip. Hoping that her languid courage would make her stand her ground in front of those stainless swords.


    Trying to keep hold of her strained nerves. The tears began to group in her eyes. There was no way out and she was cornered there with her back towards the cold wall.


    She could hear their loud furious breaths suffocating her chest already. The more she resists and cries, the more the sadistic soldiers will enjoy.


    She closed her eyes causing water to fall down her cheeks as her body shook hard from sobbing. Making peace with what could turn out to be a raping at any moment. The question was would she survive all of them?!!


    "Hold it right there!!" A voice echoed behind the attackers. Putting a halt to their tracks, They looked back in confusion.


    Diana opened her eyes and saw a far dark figure. One remarkable male person with a red cape wavering behind.


    "Sir!" The men saluted their captain.


    "What is the meaning of this?! What kind of deaf ears do you have, ha?!" He scolded them."I said NO WEAPONS!"


    "But ...but...captain, she broke the law! She attacked me!"


    "Attacked you!?? She barely scratched your armour, chickenhead!" he said furiously.


    "And what about my law?! that very specific order that you are breaking right now! I can order my men to arrest that mob of yours and you on top of them, right now! Charged by violating a direct ruling from your head captain, how about that?" The man was threatening with a confidence outmatched only by his domaining voice.


    The girl watched surprisingly while the aggressors became victims of their actions as they looked at each other. Feared the fact they could be enlisted in the next martial court.


    "W-we are sorry, cap-"


    "SORRY!? DO I LOOK LIKE I AM YOUR MOTHER!" He yelled with a fearsome expression. "I will show you how sorry I am once we get back to the camp, now out of my sight!" He waved his arm away.


    As the wind blows away the intention, the soldiers- one by one- are left with ashamed heads. They were only thinking of what punishment would await them back at the camp.


    The captain stood alone for a bit, making sure his men obeyed his orders for good this time.


    He looked back towards the frightened Diana. She was barely keeping her legs together, tears were all over her cheeks. Her confused small blue eye was fixed on the captain.


    "Did any of them lay a hand on you?" He said with a firm tone. Diana took some moments to realize he was talking to her.


    She moved her head weakly, indicating negativity.


    The captain sighed with relief mixed with slight exhaustion while grabbing the bridge of his nose. "You know, none of this bloody mess would have started if your father just cooperated"


    The word ''father'' punched Diana back into existence, giving her some energy to speak.


    "D-Did you k-kill him..." she asked with glimmering eyes. Afraid of the answer.


    "The protector? Nah, as far as that man pissed me off with his crooked mouth, No. I just dropped him unconscious next to the same cart you have last seen him. The worst thing he would have when he wakes up is a crappy headache and maybe a small crack in his skull"


    The captain''s comforted answer was like rain that vanquished the flames in Diana''s mind and heart. That is to say, She was filled with consolation.


    The dagger slipped from the girl''s finger, falling to the ground. While she crashed on her butt. Wrapping her arms around her head, she sunk between her knees. Covering her swollen eyes with darkness again, Bursting into loud crying


    She knew that she was already far gone to be recovered...and the fate of her Dad was already sealed the moment she sprinted away from the scene.


    She could hear his boots coming closer. His shadow climbed over her weak presence till he was a foot away. She felt his eyes scanning her.


    He kneeled over his knee. Putting his hands on her soft skin fingers, trying to keep her calm


    "I didn''t know your name yet, Can I know the identity of the young warrior in front of me?" He asked quietly.


    She slowly lifted her chin to face him in the eyes.


    "D...Diana" she was barely heard.


    The captain blinked with excitement upon taking a closer glance at her face.


    He was taken aback by how angelic and pretty her face was. Even when she was in mid crying her strawberry cheeks and her round dark blue eyes couldn''t be easily unlooked, along with her courageous stand moment that hid a bold character beneath her female body.


    She was perfect in all ways.


    He smiled happily. "Prideful name, indeed" he extended his hand, offering peace. A thing that Diana yearned so much to seek.


    She looked with watering eyes at him.


    Skeptical.


    "Why are being nice to me, don''t you have your cursed orders?"


    The extended hand was pulled out, instead, the captain humbled himself to take a seat in front of her on the street.


    "Maybe, maybe you are right, dear. But when they gave me those orders they didn''t mention how they want these orders to be completed. Violence is not always the best way to get things done"


    "EXCUSE ME ?! YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE, SIR!" She burst like a bubble. "I saw your weapon on my father''s neck when I jumped off the cart!" She backed her words, knowing what was the sword''s function in that moment.


    "Yet, he still keeps it as we speak. I just threatened him to get it to you. None of this chaos would have happened if he had been straight with me from the beginning!"


    "Oh, so He is guilty now!?"


    "In a way, yes. But I know how he feels. Trying to protect a treasure like you. Believe me, as a father I would back him with every speck of my soul. As a captain, however, I have no such luxury"


    Her weakened Eyes from crying swooped away, trying not to think of the inevitable.


    Liam stood up, offering the same hand again.


    The girl stopped for a second to think of the choices she had, if she refused, they would probably kill her father for real and take her by force, and if she agreed to come with them, she probably would never see her father, her friends or Endora again, but they will live long enough to miss her.


    "If I came with you, would you promise me not to hurt my father or my town?"


    The captain smiled: "I wasn''t aiming to do that from the very start. but I can promise you this.  None of my men would ever annoy your family in any way ever again, is that good enough?"


    She nodded with a fair smile.


    "Come on, let''s leave this place". He said


    She took his hands doubtfully, she didn''t fully trust him. Although that won''t make any difference in her situation.


    The girl took her dagger back to her dusty clothes. Liam didn''t mind her carrying it with her as long it stayed in his hide and was not used again.


    He wrapped his arm around the girl and was escorted under his personal protection to the square, where there was already 20 other girls taken from their families.


    During her walk, Diana saw her father. He got up from his coma with the help of other protectors, staring at her with sadness and haze, he didn''t believe that his daughter was taken away in front of him and he was sitting there, without enough energy watching her depart forever.


    "Captain, could you spare me some minutes with my dad?" She asked dearly.


    The captain was shocked by that question, he would never wish any of this for anyone, yet he was a mere tool in the hands of those above him, he had no choice.


    The captain nodded "Fine, but please hurry. We run on a schedule here"


    The girl ran to her father with more tears. Only to be met by the arms of a shattered man...


    She hugged him with force. They squeezed each other''s bodies, grabbing each other tightly for 2 long minutes. Busting in immersive sorrow.


    Suddenly the girl sensed her father''s fingers, inserting something onto her pockets.


    "D-Dad, what is that?" She hushed him in his ears.


    "Whenever you feel alone or sad, look at it and r...r...re...remember me-" he paused to sob, seeing the soldiers approaching him and Diana.


    ...a-and beware, never give up to..."


    then before he finishes his last words to her. She was powerfully retracted from between his arms.


    It was horrible scenery. The citizens barely held the devastated man together, from collapsing. All while Diana was being put in the large carriage along with the others in that carriage like some cattle as she saw the big door with iron bars closing behind her.


    Liam looked at the father with the edge of his eyes.


    "I am sorry," he said. Only God knew whether he really meant what he was saying or not.


    He rolled back with every soldier under his command and with the large carriage full of 21 girls as they marched from the grieving Town.


    Diana, along with many girls, grabbed the iron bars of the door to see her father one last time. Not sure if she ever will be able to see him again.


    *************

 Chapter 4: Confrontation

    The carriage began the long journey to the capital city.


    21 girl, whom Diana was the last of them. Afraid, shaken, and crying. Unable to face their fear of the nameless future ahead. All they were thinking of were their parents. The poor couples who just lost a piece of their family and had to move on without them.


    However, Diana was different. She was consumed with what her father had concealed in her clothes during their last hug. She could feel the considerable weight that invaded her pocket.


    She curiously buried her hands in her clothes, her fingers touched a glassy soft surface joint with a small chain. She looked left and right, making ten times sure that no one was watching her intently.


    When the coast appeared safe. She pulled it out.


    Realizing what it is, her eyes widen in admiration. It was a fire-shaped ruby necklace. A thing that she had never seen before.


    She examined it purposely. The red mirror of the ruby was mirroring her curious eyes.


    It was beautiful and reflective. She didn''t know why her father wanted her to have it. It could be a reminder of her true identity. The sole daughter of protector Richard Onakran. Not a slave. Not a maid. Or a follower of whatever lurks ahead.


    But again, wouldn''t her dagger be enough? So Why would he give her such high price piece of jewellery coinciding with her captivity? Could it be linked to her destination? She was sure that she hadn''t any enough money to pay for even one day in the inns in the capital, where the prices could buy Endora 20 times over. And for that, a good baragin would be in order if the worse took place.


    With only the glaring light of the cloudless moon in the heavens. The journey to the capital began. It took about 6 gruesome hours by a carriage pulled by two strong horses. Where the journey was nothing short of a nightmare. The road was full of cracks and rocks, so the carriage was shaking every now and then, thus making it difficult to rest or sleep inside it.


    Thus continued the march towards the largest city in the kingdom...


    Canterpool...


    The Rich capital of the kingdom where the royal palace in addition to all ministries.


    Inside that moving prison, there was dead silence looming within, none of ''em was in a mood to talk. There was nothing to discuss about, even if there was, the girls were too weary to speak about it.


    The carriage, escorted by a line of calvaries led by the captain at the front, went through numerous terrains: Flat roads, Rough forest paths then the paved stone surface of the clean streets, welcoming and assuring them that they have entered the city.


    It was large and cheerful. There were good-looking people on all sides. Rich people judge by their outfits.


    It was Fascinating to the simple girls how the city was full of lights even at a late hour like this. People were very different from the people in their town. They were clean and had a fancy way of talking. They saw generous architectural art in the tall houses made of brick and stone. They were only accommodated in simple huts or poor-quality wooden houses for better equipped families.


    It was an entirely new world for them.


    Toward the horizon, The palace stood itself out as an unbreakable stronghold on top part of the city, surrounded by walls and towers. While Guards were everywhere, watching every corner of the place.


    "Open the gates!" Captain Liam shouted to the gatekeepers.


    And so did happen. Two massive doorways were opened revealing the excessive amount of security and royal guards behind it. But also showed a vast garden where enormous fields of flowers and trees were spanned all around them. It was a caged paradise yet so sacred for any commoner to touch.


    The carriage entered, and the wheels kept rolling through the internal street of the parades that was cut professionally through the garden like a paint of an artist.


    The girl''s mouth dropped when they witnessed the large royal palace. Another product of the architectural art and hordes of money spent.


    They stopped at the bottom of the stairs. No one came to greet them except for more guards. The girls were forced out of the carriage like a herd of sheeps, where pushing them and shouting at them were part of their humiliation.


    They were escorted to the meeting hall, a very vast space inside the palace with heavy guards all around them.


    Luckily, the captain ordered the treatment to change at once, afterwards he tried to calm every girl- face to face- for what was coming next. Then he ordered the girls to stand in a horizontal line. Each girl side by side. Telling them to bow when they hear the trumpets playing.


    "Ok now, when your king comes here, you will all bow. No exception and certainly no sobbing aloud!" He eyed a teen girl who hadn''t stopped crying since she hit a foot in the building. "Believe it or not. Your king won''t hurt you unless you show rudeness. And acknowledge me when I say, you don''t want to see him pissed"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    After a couple of minutes of waiting full of crying and anxiety. He came.


    The tyranny...


    The murderer...


    The cruel one...


    With loud footsteps that rang through the big hall. Proud and symbolic. He had no loyalty for anything except for the power of the crown. But unlike what was planned, he didn''t come alone...


    He was holding the hand of a middle-aged woman


    She was pretty and still, she was - and despite all the hell that the king had made her walk through- to keep her gentle figure and a part of her prettiness. She wore a blue reflective dress and had dark curly black hair with a petite white necklace around her small neck. Her sweet black blue eyes held back a loving and injured heart.


    The king, on the other hand, was a very tall and athletic man. Some think It was grievous that his white clothes cost so much. The money spent on it could have been used to feed a small village for an entire year. It''s heartbreaking to think that such a large sum of money could have made a significant difference in someone''s life.


    The musician played their trumpets, praising the king. The soldiers bowed to their superior. And when their turns came...As they were instructed to do. The Endora''s girls bowed to the king during his entry.


    ...Except for Diana.


    The captain glanced with alarm and so did his soldiers.


    Not this girl again !!


    She didn''t bow for some reason. She didn''t know why she didn''t obey strict and straightforward orders. No one really knew. Was she still in shock at losing her father? Was she afraid that she forgot what to do? Or Was her nose so high she denied the order in the first place?


    Whatever the reason, The king noticed what Diana didn''t do, so he approached her as the first to check.


    It was seconds before he was standing in front of her. Silent and With sharp piercing eyes.


    Diana never felt such fear since the last wolf''s attack. His screaming tall figure was overwhelming her trembling, shaking, and terrified short being. Yet, she was very cunning not to show any of this to the people around her.


    He kept checking her with his preying eyes and at the first glance, the king noticed the red ruby necklace around her neck. Pinching his pupils with a dreamy red shape. He was intrigued to see it around her neck. But he was also confused. Jewels never reached the commoners'' hands because none of them had either the finance or the position to buy them.


    So how a low-life girl got hands on this piece?


    With his eyes strictly focused on Diana''s chest. Her mind snapped at how she forgot to hide the last remaining piece of her family heritage.


    The king''s hand came closer and wanted to check the necklace out of curiosity.


    His action was halted immediately, he was shocked to find his hand was grabbed tightly by another smaller hand. The hand that belonged to Diana.


    "PICK. YOUR. FILTHY. HAND. OF MY FATHER ''S NECKLACE !!!" The words came as a headbutt or a low-blow punch.


    Every person in that room looked at her with an open mouth. Even Diana was surprised by herself. No one saw that coming.


    Absolute defiance to the king!


    The king''s face turned red.


    "SUCH A RUDE GIRL, DON''T DESERVE SUCH GIFTS! "


    His words were ended by slamming the poor girl with the back of his hand leading the girl to gasp back.


    The slam itself wasn''t painful. Not as much as what his marriage ring with the tiny white diamond did to her face.


    The daughter of the protector was injured by the king''s ring causing a large bloody scar above her right eye.


    That didn''t break her, her eyes met his eyes with no fear ignoring the blood and pain on her face. Hardly stand on her footing without bursting into weeping.


    Having enough of watching the dispute, the queen interfered putting herself between the king and the bleeding girl.


    "Wain, enough of this _"


    "Yes! It is enough. I will make an example out of this female! I will hang her in the middle of the city centre and feed her corpse to the hungry dogs of mine!!!!"


    The king was breathing heavily from his anger like a bull ready to strike. The only one who dared to stand between him and his prey was his closest one.


    The Queen.


    She turned her gaze to the girl and then to her husband then she began to speak slowly with a layer of voice much lower than wain.


    "How about you lend me this "female" to be my maid". Crossing her arms above her chest, she contested the king.


    The king''s reaction changed. From his outcry to being stunned.


    "You are joking, right?! I could order my men to get you another one. For Fuck sake, there are 20 other options!" He narrowed his eyes at the bleeding girl.


    "Maybe. But this girl is unique, she seems brave, Think about it. She just stood her ground in front of the king. Imagine this girl being on our side not in our enemy''s hand"


    The king stumbled in his words: "B-Bu- But she is injured!"


    The queen raised an eyebrow: " I didn''t see any blood on her face when I first saw her"


    The king retracted in silence, unable to say anything.


    Despite his lust, and unforeseen limits with women. He always had a private room for his brother''s wife in his heart. The murderer of the two princes still finds the effrontery emotions to love their mother.


    Such admirable hypocrisy.


    So it was her, the only person who could firmly control his cruelty and madness, taming him, using his worshipping love against him.


    He put both of his arms on his hips, chained by his feelings, Beaten by his only weakness. He frowned in his defeat.


    He waved his hand in awkwardness." F-FINE! At least Let me call a doctor to heal her" he waved his hand to the air.


    The queen refused, she said that she would act "properly".


    She faced the prideful girl. "Follow me" she gestured with a blank face.


    The girl didn''t move for a moment. She needed the time to stop so she could understand what the hell was going on. The fact that she was either too cheap or too expensive for the king and the queen of the country to argue about her was shocking in itself.


    In both cases, it appeared that her overestimated pride had led her to be the core of action in the royal palace.


    "You!" The queen yelled to the nailed girl, catching her disregarded attention.


    "You coming?!" She raised an eyebrow.


    The lined girls saw her moving out of the ordered formation towards the queen with a slightly bowed head.


    Diana followed her dragging shame behind her and pain over her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, shy of all the eyes looking at her, all because of her big mouth.


    She passed in front of the king, feeling his hateful piercing eyes still clinging to her body like claws.


    She didn''t believe that the queen herself barely made her slip away from this confrontation with only a bleeding scar. Her fingers checked her neck and the precious necklace of hers was safely resting beneath her chin. Safe from the hands of the king.


    She won''t serve such a ghoul and ahead of all and she was saved from losing her neck.


    For now.

 Chapter 5 : A matter of loyalty

    The girl walked with the queen in a long corridor until they reached the palace, from there, they reached another palace nearby, through a common garden.


    And eventually, through fancy hallways and lengthy stairs, they finally reached the inside of the queen''s bedroom.


    "Wait here". The queen delivered her first order but her tone was different. It was more like a request rather than an obligation. It was strange given how superior she was.


    Diana nodded orderly, sitting on the queen''s comfy bed. She immediatly felt how soft the sheets were. It felt like sleeping on the clouds. The appearence of the room was gorgeous. There was fancy stuff every corner. The lady of the palace herself was a piece of art on her own.


    Her head ached, Tempered by the injury on her face for one and the present situation as another subject to worry about.


    Her eyes snooped around the room as the queen opened her closet, looking for something. Diana, however, got hooked by a certain figure on the left wall.


    Diana examined the portrait for some moments. A large painting of the queen with two boys looking just the same, along with a middle age man carrying a royal mace.


    Diana examined the portrait for some moments. That must be her family. But something was out of its place. The husband was not the same person she was holding hands with two minutes ago. What happened to her husband? And now that she is recapping... there was no sign of any of the two twins.


    The queen noticed Diana''s sneaky eyes back there, and just the same time her fingers got what she wanted.


    A bandage.


    She approached Diana and told her to hold still as she rolled bandages around her injury, patching her up and stopping the bleeding from further messing up her face.


    During the process, Diana was unsure of what was coming next. She should thank the queen for what she had done earlier, however, now that she expressed a perfectly bad impression to the royal family. She decided to remain silent instead. Part of her was still feeling embarrassed about what happened with the king. How she messed up widely and opened her mouth where silence and compliance were the keys to her survival.


    She kept noticing the queen, as quiet and obedient as she could, till something stole the attention of her eyes...


    A glimmer, not from a source certain light but its reflection. She barely contained her confusion when she came to realise what was going on.


    There was a tear gliding on the queen''s cheek. The queen didn''t even try to hide it or wipe it out.


    Diana couldn''t help her curiosity about the reason that made such a high-figure person cry. If anything, she herself could be a factor contributing to her sadness.


    Does she love the new king that much?! Diana wondered despite such possibility being far from truth by oceans.


    Scared to stick her nose more into what was clearly not her business, she just waited put till her mistress finished dressing the wound.


    After making sure the bandages were organized on her maiden''s head, she sat next to her on the bed. While Diana was feeling out the dressing on her head, covering the scar, her queen was sobbing next to her in peace.


    Both sat there, staring at the floor for a minute.


    "You have Edward''s eyes". The queen spoke through her cracked voice.


    Diana didn''t respond. She didn''t know what to say or who''s Edward. Or if she was supposed to respond in the first place.


    "I am talking to you, you know". The queen confronted Diana.


    Diana stuttered with clumsiness... "E-Excuse me, um... I don''t know what should I say or who might be Edward to you?"


    The queen''s eyes looked away, squeezing even more tears from her swollen eyes as she struggled to keep herself together. She looked at the picture, eyes glimmering at the figure of one of the twins.


    "My...son". She whispered. Her finger was directed towards the boy standing on the left side.


    "Oh". She said as she followed the gaze before the painting.


    "Well, Where is he? I didn''t see anyone matching the painting but you"


    The queen''s head tilted toward Diana. This time her face was dull and had a slice of annoyance but nevertheless she kept her royal compure while addressing her newly recruited servant.


    "Haven''t your father told you anything about the royal family?"


    "Not directly, I heard only rumours. And not good ones". After the last couple of words came out, she wanted to slam herself thousand times over. This was no way to talk to a queen.


    "Figures". The queen half-smiled. "Those in the painting are all dead. Murdered to be specific. I am the only one alive.


    Diana''s eyes widened in fear. Murdered? Here! In this fortress!? Who would commit such a horrific act with all those guards around?!


    "I-I am sorry, my lady". Her eyes dropped. "Did they catch the one responsible?"


    "No". Her heart silently bleeds.


    Diana nodded wilfully.


    Both paused for a while. Letting the air soothe up a bit and giving Diana more time to think more wisely about how to approach the queen as she gathered some courage to start another discussion.


    "Why didn''t you approve of the king, Your Majesty? I mean, you saw how my big mouth capable of". She shyly addressed her own mistake. Not that she liked to be criticized more. But her curiosity defeated her pride at that moment.


    "Because the best way to deal with your ''big mouth'' is discipline and maybe some manners. Besides, I agree that your necklace is marvelous indeed, I approve of the goal, not the method"


    Her eyes shifted to the amulet. "Was the necklace a gift from your dad?" She added the question despite how she already knew the answer.


    "It is. My lady. The only thing left from Endora. My hometown" Diana begged, as she hugged the ruby, afraid that the same scenario might repeat itself.


    However, Diana was surprised by the queen''s hands resting on Diana''s shoulder.


    "Fear not, you are not in prison. You are in my palace. Of course, you can keep it. I love my girls of mine to be happy and well-decorated. Your appearance is of an importance from now on". The Queen smiled weakly.


    "My lady, I-"


    "Anna, call me Anna" the queen declared her name to her audience.


    Delighted by the opposing to the expected, Diana was more than welcoming with the queen''s kind-hearted impression. She gradually accepted her new position as one of the maids of the queen. Making peace with the past and slowly opening up to the future.


    As time went on, Anna slowly trusted Diana enough to let her know all about King Wain and herself.


    The Poor honourable lady endured such a black past. But still maintained her stance for her people who adored her and also for the charities that she controlled all over the kingdom. So, it was high time Diana knew how to respect such a symbolic woman.


    On the other side, King Wain was triggered whenever he saw the girl. That day didn''t quit his remembrance. He didn''t forgive her but he didn''t condemn her either.


    With that said, she didn''t expect a friendly remedy. She was marked as the maid who defied the king face to face and lived to see his fury. That fury was always resembled in the harsh manners when speaking to her. He took the most pleasure in spotting the little mistakes she makes and reported them back to the queen.


    He wanted revenge. He couldn''t receive the idea that a girl who didn''t achieve puberty mocked him and also has the favor of the second highest crown in the country...


    It was infuriating.


    Diana endured, maybe time could prove if her loyalty was true enough to win him over as well. Unlikely as it may seemed, she never knew that her life will change forever after one accident that would happen a year after.


    _________________________________________


    1 year later...


    Diana knew the palace like the back of her head, with every room and servant in it. Her friendship with the queen grew ever tighter each day until the queen considered her more like a daughter.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She was thinking about how fate made her change from just a disgusted dishwasher to a maid of the queen.


    She was still a servant. Yes. But with the first Lady in the country by her side. Things got much easier at least for then. No fights. No dangers of wolf attacks. The title of the maid of the queen was still impressive, Her father would be proud.


    Yet...


    Her father. She missed him every day. She missed how she slept between his arms whenever she had bad dreams. How she is the little brat who provokes fights with the protector and the next hour he comes and proves to her what kind of heart is buried inside his buffed chest. The sweet pie-loving soul he had.


    She hugged the necklace dearly every night whenever she slept. She was trying to stop believing that the hope of returning had already been diminished. Only that mysterious necklace and the useless dagger was all that remained of him...


    ...


    Till one day the king was having a meeting with his governors. Yet, since the king was extravagant when it came to parties. He made one as a cover for his meetings, as the king didn''t want everything to be too official.


    He invited all wealthy and influential persons from all corners of his kingdom to discuss politics with ''em.


    And of course. The queen was there, and by the order, all her servants (including Diana) had to be by her side.


    The party was full of people. People who wore expensive clothes that implied how ribald rich their families were. Some of them were friends of Wain or high-ranking generals in his army.


    The party went smoothly at first glance. All were happy and immersed in a loud random chatterer. After a while, the queen requested some wine from Diana. As ordered, Diana bowed and went happily to fetch some. Queen Anna wasn''t fond of alcoholic products but she needed to keep an image. For her current husband sake that is.


    When Diana went to the kitchen, she heard whispers and people talking in a very low voice, she was barely hearing them. Her curious eyes forced her to look closer, to see three figures¡ªthe head of chiefs (cookers) and the other male two servants.


    She heard the head of the cookers begin. "We must do this tonight, it''s our best shot. We need to be quick and vigilant. So always remember, after you serve him, we get to the back yard and we will escape through it"


    "And what if someone stopped us on the way? We are barely servants!"


    "Fear not, I know someone who could help us escape, but we must be sure he is dead or all those days of planning will be in vain!"


    Diana was unable to move from the shock that paralyzed her body. She couldn''t control her accelerated heartbeats.


    There was an assassination attempt planned to happen at the party!


    The girl silently slipped away, back to the queen, with a lot of questions in her head.


    Who''s the target? How they are going to kill him without drawing suspicions? And the most important is why they would do such a crime in the first place. Are they doing this for someone. A devilish contract perhaps? or just to undergo a Private vendetta against the victim?


    Queen Anna gazed as she noticed Diana coming empty-handed. But also noticed how she was running away from something.


    "Dear, you forgot the w-"


    "Screw the wine! My lady, we need to warn the king. I think there is a plot to kill your husband!"


    "W-What?! That''s impossible! The king picks his most trustful men to be his royal servants, how can that be true?!" Anna questioned. "Diana, have you been overdrinking?"


    "I am telling the truth!"


    "That''s Still Not Possible!  The king had appointed tasters and guards everywhere. Both for him and me. It''s highly unlikely he is the target". Queen Anna analyzed.


    "If not the king then who? Who do you suspect, my lady?" Diana asked.


    Anna gazed away, thinking for some seconds. But Soon after, Queen Anna finally came to  conclusion. Uncommon, but if true, a devastating one.


    "Oh god no! My lone sister''s son is here!" A shock brushed through Anna''s face.


    "His name is Louis, Go Fetch him IMMEDIATELY!" The order came sharp as a knife.


    Diana obeyed the royal order and rushed to find the possible victim.


    But there was a catch.


    She didn''t know his face or at least what he was wearing. The only thing she knew about him was his name. She should have requested more information.


    "Idiot! UGH.  No matter, it would already consume more valuable time to find my lady now. She must be already searching for him as we speak. I need to improvise. A royal family member shouldn''t be too hard to find" Her brain echoed inside her head.


    However, There were at least 200 men and women there and the palace was overwhelmingly huge that it can shelter a population inside. It will take some time to find That Louis.


    She didn''t even know how old was he. If he is a grown man or a boy that is younger than her. So, with no information given. Diana kept searching blindly, through her awkward shouts.


    "Prince Louis, Where are you?" repeatedly.


    "Prince Louis, can you hear me?" Her voice was fading away pointlessly. She tried to ask the guests but strangely, no one knew him personally and there was no helping response received. Except for the gestures of the guests who looked at her with a query and other gave her a disdain stare.


    It wasn''t going anywhere like this. There was too much noise and very little knowledge of her mission. While the element of time was pressing against her.


    Then out of the crowd, Her eyes spotted him. She saw one of the two servants she saw earlier in the kitchen, carrying a tray in one hand. The tray had a jug which was probably full of wine and a cup next to the jug. The man was heading towards another room. He was serving wine to someone.


    "Maybe their target is there!"


    Diana followed him, keeping a little distance so as not to spook him. She tailed him to the room, till she saw a tall boy sitting and talking with another boy of about the same age.


    She presumed that one of them was Louis. But she couldn''t tell which one.


    She watched closely behind the room door as she witnessed her queen''s worries come alive. Louis could be the one who requested the wine, indeed. But she can''t confirm it. And she can''t be absolutely sure that the wine was poisoned.


    Her heart bumped fast as the boy laughed with his friend innocently. Unaware of the expected conspiracy made for him, as the queen presumed.


    The male servant poured the red wine into the cup, and then placed it in front of the boy. "Your wine is ready, My prince". He smiled while bowing


    "Bingo!". Her eyes were fixed on the Right side boy.


    Prince Louis was a handsome boy about 18 years old, he was wearing a green shirt closed by several buttons in a vertical row, one side of his body, added to his black expensive trousers, and shiny black boots. He had yellowish-wavy hair and black eyes.


    The prince took the cup with happy eyes, staring at the red fluid that soon would touch his lips.


    Either she acts now or lets her lady mourn later.


    "DON''T DRINK THAT!" Diana shouted.


    Both the servant and the two boys looked confused.


    "Excuse me? Who are you?" The boy exclaimed


    "Name''s Diana, my prince. The queen sent me to warn you about what were you about to drink"


    "Pardon me?!"


    "Here I will show you!"


    With that line, she snaffled the cup of wine from his hands and handed it to the servant.


    "Drink that!" She ordered.


    "Hey, that''s mine!!" Louis stood up in a logical protest.


    "That''s not for me! Besides, who are you anyway to give me orders?" The servant joined the prince.


    "I am the maid of the queen and was sent here by her orders, now do as I say or I will tell my queen that you are disobeying her!" Diana answered proudly.


    "And I am the servant of his highness, which means you go suck a lemon!" He smiled mockingly while locking his arms over his chest


    "What did you just say to my girl !?" said the queen who suddenly appeared behind the servant.


    The servant''s heart dropped with an echo that could be heard from Endora. As he turned back to Anna and bowed to her.


    "S-sorry m-my queen, I thought..."


    "I don''t care about what you thought! No one speaks to my girls like this! Do you understand this melon face!" She scolded the fat servant.


    "Now. Drink. The. Wine." She repeated.


    "Y-Yes, my queen" The servant grabbed the glass of wine from Diana. The more the glass got near to his mouth, the more his handshakes were even more. Till finally the fluid went through his throat. Finishing all the content of the glass.


    "T-Thanks for the good wine, my lady!" He faked a smile.


    The queen waited for a minute.


    Nothing happened.


    Diana blinked with a disclaimer. Did she catch the wrong person? But that man was one of the three conspiracy thinkers. Both the queen and Diana exchanged a disturbed gesture. Had the queen falsely accused a rude yet innocent servant?


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH"


    A woman''s shout broke out


    "What was that?" The queen exclaimed.


    After a few minutes, two of the Royal guards ran with thumping breaths.


    "My lady, we need to leave now!"


    "What is going on?" Anna asked


    "You don''t know?! One of the tasters of the king just got poisoned! The king ordered your quick evacuation" He declared.


    All eyes jumped high.


    "So they were targeting him after all" Anna smirked in surprise.


    "My aunt, the servant !" The boy burst out.


    When the queen looked back, she discovered another dreadful truth.


    The man held his throat as a horrible thick foam was pouring out of it. Whether his last moments were filled with regret or hatred. He fell flat on the floor, with soulless opened eyes. Choking with his own poison. Dead.


    Louis was unable to speak from the trauma of what he had just seen. Backing away as he stared at the corpse, swallowing hard.


    Everything became clear to the queen and Diana now. There was two assassination attempts not one and they all failed.


    Soon enough, After the aftermath of this tragedy. The queen and Louis were evacuated along with all of her maids.


    The party ended, and it marked one attempt- out of many before- to kill Wain.


    Diana snitched the identity of the plotters and after a couple of days, they were brought and publicly executed.


    Days passed...words reached Diana that the king was impressed by her close save to the boy But as ungrateful as he is, he soon forgot the heroic action of Diana. However, on the contrary, Queen Anna never forgot such a feat and she promised Diana a satisfying reward later on.


    Overall, the matter of loyalty caused tension in the royal palace that escalated with every hour that passed. No servant fled from interrogation or the heavy random inspection except for Diana. Anna vouched for her.


    ...


    The night of the same day came pretty quickly. Diana went to her room, changing her working clothes to her sleeping pajama. She checked herself in front of her small mirror. Brushing her tall Hair, which was rolled into a bun before.


    She had been thinking about all the action today. She didn''t have such an intense time since her confrontation with the king.


    Yet, one thing kept pinching her...Louis.


    She didn''t have time to actually talk to him. But his attractive face , filled with the motivation of youth was always the subject of speaking of all girls around her after the party. And now she met him in person, some of those tales were true. He did have that ''perfect'' laugh of his, that captivated many hearts. And his seducing blue eyes were so peaceful as a river.


    "Hey, what is wrong with me, how am I even thinking like that!" She scolded herself, shaking her head out of embarrassment. It was too late at night, and Diana felt something pinching  her heart.


    She felt...strange feelings...good ones. She couldn''t control her smile whenever his face flash in her head. Her cheeks flooded with red showing cuteness and happiness.


    Am I in love with that boy?! No, that''s impossible I just met him today" Her heart and mind began wrestling. She didn''t know who was right but why did she care anyway. As long as that warm feeling remained and no one was hurt, she didn''t have a reason to object.


    During her thoughts and smiles. Something happened...


    Her chest began to glow.


    The glowing light catches her eyes. She blinked at her chest in disbelief. The light was so pure and engulfing.


    She buried her hand under her pyjama pulling out the source of light. The ruby that her father gave her, was shining bright in a pink colour that filled her entire room.


    She thought of throwing it away, out of fear. Yet, she kept calm. Handling that weird phenomenon. Why would her father give her a strange embedded magic necklace?!


    As She examined it with puzzlement...Another event followed...


    Knock knock knock


    Diana jumped from her place at her room''s door knocking.


    "Oh, what now" her eyes rolled.


    She panicked for a moment as her eyes searched for a place to hide the precious shining necklace under her pillow. She hoped it wouldn''t cause her further trouble. Then She approached the door with steady steps with common wondering.


    Who would visit a girl''s room at such a late hour?


    She rested her hands and ears on the door. "Yea?" She began. Without opening the door.


    "Hey! Um..hello. it''s me...ahem... Prince Louis.."

 Chapter 6: A Hunting Trip

    It was true. The knocker on the door was Prince Louis.


    Diana''s heart bumped happily and nervously at the same time. However, she was very careful not to show that. Childish egregious wanton displays of affection were prohibited to be shown at the palace as it was a sign of a lack of professionalism.


    She quickly checked her clothes, closing any buttons. She was meeting a prince, which meant she needed to keep herself tidy.


    The door opened with a squeak. Revealing the boy Louis in the same outfit he had at the party.


    "Good evening" He bowed with a smile.


    "G-Good evening, sir" She smiled back.


    "Diana, right?" He exclaimed innocently.


    He probably knew my name from Lady Anna. She thought. "Correct, it is an honour to meet you in person, My...I mean...your Highness". She didn''t begin the conversation yet, and her tongue was not behaving correctly.


    He smiled. "The honour is mine, Diana"


    Diana''s red cheeks were too flourishing to hide it. She had some moments where her lips couldn''t shift from smiling mode. She was so consumed by the handsome face of the boy to the instinct that she forgot to ask him why he was at her doorstep in the first place.


    "SOo, back at the party..." he scratched his head as if it would help lessen the cringe. "I...I didn''t particularly have a chance to thank you back at the party. You know for saving my sorry pitful life" He chuckled.


    "I-It was my duty, sir. I didn''t do anything moreover it" she smiled. Proud that her action was recognized. But part of her is pissed that she had to address a boy close to her age by the name "sir" and "your majesty". It just felt off. No matter. He was a member of the royal family and that means the nickname comes first. Addressing him directly could lead to non-desired consequences from the royal palace.


    She snapped away when he began talking again."Of course, you did! You gave me a second chance to live. You need to be awarded!"


    Diana''s smile faded a bit "A-Awarded?"


    "Yes! How about this? I know that the king doesn''t allow any of the girls to leave the palace. So how about he make an exception for you? Would you accept my company on one of my hunt trips?"


    Her smile faded completely. Replaced with a total surprise.


    A trip with the prince himself!?


    A way from the king and the palace!? Something different than noticing the same classical palace every time? And for once doing an action that she really wanted not ordered to obey?


    Not even in her hallucination could she imagine that!


    She could use such an offer, to see the outside world again. To feel free even for small moments. It would be like a taste of heaven in a life of hellish imprisonment.


    However...she couldn''t say yes.


    Such a daydream had a drawback. She forgot she was just a maid, even if she served the queen. She still needed direct permission from the king himself. The same king that ordered her hanging if not for the unexpected intervention of Anna a year ago.


    She hesitated, her mind insisted on accepting the offer. She earned it fairly. She wanted to feel appreciated again. Also, she could use some breathing from her hard job.


    On top of that, she would love to spend some time with him. She hadn''t met any boy her age for months. She would like a person who understands her quite right.


    Someone like Louis...


    Louis blinked, noticing her taking too long to respond.


    "If you are worried about the king or my aunt (the queen), Leave them to me. I have my ways around them. but I still desire to hear your answer first before I convince them. Would you accept my offer?" said Louis as he raised his eyebrows.


    Smiling. Fingers crossed behind his back for approval.


    She stared for a while.


    Him? Vouch for her? She wasn''t sure if it was a good idea. Wain was not a person who could be manipulated in a velvet glove.


    With that thought in mind, she put an end to the conflict inside her. She had an answer.


    She nodded with flowering lips. Humbly giving a sign of an aye.


    "Wonderful!" He shouted. The echo of his voice could have been heard across the long hall.


    Diana chuckled playfully with full eyes. Both hands were on her mouth.


    "The volume!" She whispered, with a smile.


    "Oops, sorry" he whispered back with a sheepish smile, staring straight at her childish eyes and her alluring small cheeks.


    "Looking forward to meeting you, my saviour" he bowed.


    However this time, he didn''t stop at bowing. He extended his hand, asking for an exotic request.


    She had seen this action before in the palace. Some rich folks make it as a sign of prestige or so Anna told her.


    She slowly granted him her hand, failing to stop the blushing at any rate as his lips grew closer and closer to her hand. While his own held hers in the air.


    Fast but pretty. Louis''s lips docked a kiss to her hand. It was swift. She barely felt it touching her soft hand. But she felt his mark on her heart.


    She took her hand back to her chest, holding it with the other hand. With a craving smile of pleasure on her shy features.


    "Well, Good night".He bit her farewell with another bow.


    "G-Go-Good n-night" she stumbled into words. While she watched him leave.


    With each one of them wished the other goodnight. The girl closed the door to burst into shy laughter. She never felt so much warmth talking to someone before. Her emotions were over the scale, with a promise of a good day on approach.


    ?????????????????


    On the next day. Everyone got up, going on their same-day routine but for Diana It was different, this day could be unique. A day that may not ever visit her again. A thing that made her feel joy and grief at the same time.


    She carefully wore her clothes in front of the mirror, fixing any crinkles in her maid''s dress.


    Till it happened....again.


    The necklace was emitting a powerful light all over again, just like the last night. Back then, after meeting with the prince. Diana returned to its mysterious amulet, to find that the light had already faded away.


    However, something was visibly off this time.


    The ruby shone in a pink aura of light that night. Yet Now, and at this instance. The ruby turned black, emitting a strange blackness in its core.


    What is wrong with this necklace, is that sorcery? But my father knows nothing of such forbidden things...


    She kept wondering. Her father told her it will keep her memories of him. But all it does now is arouse questions.


    She shook it, to see what would happen.


    Nothing.


    She put her ears on it.


    Silence.


    She even tried to smell it.


    Nothing special.


    "Then where is that light coming from?". she whispered to herself.


    Knock knock


    The door of hers comes to life. She looked through her small window. It was mid day.


    "Hey kid, you still there?" said a man behind the door.


    Oh No, this voice...


    She recognizes the person at her doorstep at once, that was the king.


    "Y-Yes, sir" she yelled behind the door. "Half done dressing, your majesty" Diana added, without giving him access to her room.


    "Okay, good thing that I caught up with you before you leave. When you are done, a soldier of mine will escort you to my palace. I wish to speak with you"


    Her heart dropped, preventing her mouth from responding.


    "HEY, did you get that?" He insisted on having an answer.


    "Consider it done, s-sir" She forced the words off her electrified lips.


    "Good, don''t keep me waiting"


    Ending with that line, she heard his footsteps moving away from the door. Leaving her to think why would Wain ask for her personally?!


    Never once in that whole year that she spent in the palace had she even been requested by him. He didn''t exactly like her face and neither she did. She was avoiding his gaze every time, not that she was afraid of him but she tried not to smoulder his... idiocy.


    She felt her spine-tingling. The faded scar on her face always reminded her of the first impression of him, that she didn''t quite forget.


    Not having much choice, she hugged the glowing necklace as tight as she could to her chest. Closing her eyes. Praying. She would use some of her father''s calming words now...


    Eventually, she finished her dressing and opened the door to leave, seeing the royal guard leaning against the wall in his armored suit.


    "Gorgeous as always, Diana" he greeted her with a smile.


    "Thanks, Philip" she smiled back at him.


    "Shall we?" He offered to lead the way.


    He was always a good friend and one of the few royal guards who was- for a change- nice to Diana.


    He escorted her through halls and past people. She felt some embarrassment as some eyes were spotting light on her. The whole palace was whispering about her as the favorite girl of the queen.


    She knew that, but she tried to not think about it. A heroic maiden is still a maiden.


    "So, Philip" she began. "Do you know what is the important thing that king wain wants me about?"


    "Well, I am not actually authorized to disclose such things. But I will give you a hint". The 27-year-old man teased."Prince Louis is involved" he added.


    Everything became slightly clear. Knowing at least what was happening, gave her some esteem.


    I hope you know what you''re doing good-looking princeIf you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The walk to the throne room took a short time, but it felt like a century for Diana. The halls were infinite and the palace of Wain was huge. At any moment, Philip could open the door to the throne room. Knowing that she was getting closer to that ambiguous room, her heart kept racing miles. Until one big door was opened and her feet echoed inside the royal throne room, witnessing the king and his queen on their thrones and Louis standing on the left side of the Anna, while the path ahead is surrounded by 6 Royal guards parallel to each side on both sides of the red carpet.


    Wain was leaning to Anna side. Talking and whispering.


    "Here you are" the king called when he acknowledged Diana presence. While positioning himself to be more comfortable in his seat.


    Diana confidently strode the necessary distance to behold the royal family in all their regal splendour. She bowed as a sign of respect, not for the king but for her lady. She can''t disrespect her presence in this meeting.


    The king began. "See, Prince Louis here told me about his request to let you come with him for a hunting trip. And frankly, I don''t exactly hate the idea. What say you?" He supported his head with his fist, leaning his body slightly to his right.


    Diana raised her face to meet the king''s gaze. "I don''t really see a reason for you to refuse"


    "First, it''s Your Highness, not you! Secondly, there is a reason. It''s above your left eye" he gestured with his suppressing voice.


    He didn''t forgive the past.


    Oh, so he is patronizing me now, trying to humiliate me more. This man is a lost cause


    She stared at him with dull eyes. However, also noticed Anna''s hand patting on his own. It felt like she was charming him to calm down.


    "Anyhow, so is that a yes?" Wain asked.


    She answered with a simple nod.


    The king remained silent for a moment then he whispered something to the queen''s ears.


    The queen responded with a smile and a nod.


    The king faced Diana again.


    "You know when I first met you. I said to myself that you would never live under the dome of a palace. Not to mention serving my wife...Turned out that you- despite that sly mouth of yours- had one intimating feature.


    Loyalty...


    The only thing I lack with those dogs around me, even the pet has more of it than them"


    Despite Wain''s piqued words, Louis listened with a smile. Happy with what he was hearing, his eyes began to admire even more the girl who saved his skin.


    "Sooooo?" Louis''s patience ran out.


    King Wain gasped, ready to shoot his decree.


    "Return before sunset"


    Wain gave a very faint smile. with Anna providing more clearer one.


    "Go, you have our blessings" Anna added.


    Did that man just praise me?!. She thought to herself. She stood there, blinking in disbelief. She was certain that he wasn''t that appreciative person, or was he?


    Louis stepped forward and then bowed with a joyful smile. "I knew I could count on your wisdom, my king"


    "Just go, you hypocritical bastard" Wain chuckled.


    "Come on!" Louis grabbed Diana''s hand, in a hurry.


    The pace of the event was overwhelming her with unexpected happiness.


    The two got outside the palace''s main door. She felt the cold smooth wind tickling her hair. She looked at her connected arm with Louis. The gratefulness of his small perfect lips, combined with his nobility smile.


    She almost felt as if she was dreaming and it was a happy one.


    Louis had already prepared traps, bows, and arrows before even firing all of his deadly convincing weapons on his family. All his equipment was ready. As if he was sure he would win the king over earlier. He even got the horse hoisted.


    She was more than timid to wrap her arms around his body along the ride but soon she got used to the touching forthcoming.


    The horse sprinted to action across a forest through a cleared road. It was located far east of the palace, outside the city. Out of his attractive figure, Diana couldn''t focus on anything around her except him.


    It was settled.


    The girl had feeling for him, or maybe it was a mere approbation. It was complicated to describe. But it was so sweet to be felt. Such care. He was ready to face the king just to let her feel those treasuring moments gain. To feel her soul break free from this noble upper-crust prison.


    He allowed her mind to jump back to a time when she was at Endora. When her father would take her on his "adventures". She would relate to such feelings back then.


    She knew she couldn''t resist those pure emotions for him. She felt a lot of ''safety'' around his side. The word she lost its meaning when she jumped off that cart of hay.


    Yet, after a while her brain finally was ambushed by the reality...


    Girl, have you lost your sanity back at the throne room!? Snap out of it! You are a maid, and he is a member of the royal family. Even if the queen and king ignored the huge social position spacing between you and him, you don''t know if he has the same feeling for you! (She scolded herself)


    He pulled the rein a bit backwards forcing his fast horse to slow down to a walking speed. Giving some space for the animal''s muscles to take repose.


    "So..." he began. "Where are you from?"


    She blinked. "S-south, a Town called Endora"


    "Hmm, never heard of it. Could you describe it for me?"


    "Yes sure, um...it''s large. Mainly built on a strong self-built economy... Mediocre state of living. Basically, my home"


    "And the people?" He asked with a simple smile.


    "I-I don''t want to touch that matter..." she said, the cracks of the past didn''t fully coalesce.


    The hooves of the horses stopped in their tracks. Louis stopped the horse.


    She stared with uneasiness as he tilted his head back toward her.


    "Please, dismiss my insolence questions. I can''t control my enthusiasm occasionally. I am sorry. I beg forgiveness" he blinked.


    Diana''s surprise couldn''t have become larger.


    Wow, He...He is so gentle.


    "You are...apologizing"


    "Um...yes, I didn''t mean to bring up the past"


    "What? No. It''s just that...I thought all..." she didn''t dare to continue.


    "You thought me a *****e just like Wain, ha?"


    She raised her eyes, ashamed of what he just said.


    He frowned. "I don''t blame you. In fact, I would have worried otherwise. Wain is indeed a brutal person, I only befriended him to get on the little good side inside him. The fact is, I never liked him"


    "But you are from the royal family!"


    He shook his head. "Barely...I may have my aunt as a relative, but that gave me only a title. Not much speciality over common people tho"


    "So, if you''re not from the palace. Where were you born, your majesty?"


    "A town southeast of the canterpool. Goes by the name Zenda"


    She nodded.


    She was enjoying every second. She felt herself at peace just talking to him.


    They talked more on the way. Chuckling and laughing, they didn''t notice it watching them over as they entered his space and growling in protest.


    They disembarked at a familiar spot that is well known to the prince. They walked some meters before Louis signaled to lay low.


    "Look, an elk. 15 meters far" his finger pointed at the grass-eating animal.


    "Think you can get it?" Louis said challenging


    "Wait, me?! I can''t! I mean I don''t know how to use a bow" Diana tried to flush herself out, excusing herself.


    "I will help," Louis said with a wink


    "May I?" he extended his hand again.


    She blinked. That signature kiss on the back of her hand was so romantic. She was eager for more.


    "Ok, here we go". He guided her hand around the bow''s wood as Louis began teaching her how to take the appropriate body position to aim with the and some other tips to begin the hunt with him.


    It was awkward teaching for any girl as the prince occasionally touched Diana several times to help alter her posture and aim but she never handed a single complaint.


    The pair of eyes kept watching the two keenly, closing in and waiting for the right moment to strike...


    "Now like I said. Breathe normally, aim for the head, close one eye and...wait, why is your chest glowing?". The boy retreated a bit during his exclamation.


    Diana blushed while looking at her body.


    The necklace came alive again.


    She got it out of her dress. It was pulsing with red glowing light. But why red? Why not black like the last time?


    "Wow, your necklace is glowing!" Louis was fascinated with the strange ruby.


    "How do you do that?!" He smiled with inquisitive energy.


    "I don-"


    The pair of eyes were watching the unknown light in silence.  Its owner was completely still on his four paws. But not completely camouflaged. The same telescopic eyes were reflective to the light of the necklace and Diana compromised them...


    "WOOOLF!"


    She shouted in panic.


    Louis never had the chance to react to Diana''s panic.


    When a huge brown wolf jumped with a groan from behind the boy, crushing him to the ground and shoving his hungry fangs into Louis''s right shoulder.


    The young prince screamed from the blood that came from his shoulder. He desperately tried to hit the wolf with the other healthy hand. Yet, Facing the skilled product of the wildlife, without a weapon and taken by surprise. He had absolutely no chance.


    The wolf shook Louis aggressively in an attempt to take his arm with it. During his attack, the wolf experienced a spiking pain right to the middle of his paw. The arrow that Diana fired was supposed to reach the wolf''s head not his leg. The wolf screamed in pain and Louis'' shoulder in a horrible condition with blood pouring from him like an opened faucet. While sniffing the strange object that punctured his flesh.


    The animal lifted his head with piercing yellow eyes, growled in hatred. Showing his teeth as a show of his superiority upon the terrified human ahead. He faced his attacker with his sharp sense of smell. Almost tasting the fright of the trembling girl. She was his new target. And guilty as it seemed. He clutched his bloody tusk that was filled with saliva.


    The beast took his stance. As the girl hurried in search for the beginner''s luck that fired the first arrow. Unlucky as she was. She had no time to reload the bow and shoot again.


    The wolf lung at her too. Knocking her on her back. This time it wanted the neck. Diana managed to hold his angry head between her hands in a way to prevent its teeth from reaching her throat. But it was like handling a pot filled with boiling water so close to her head. As the wolf''s fury escalated with his monstrous charge and its instinct to kill the girl, Diana began to lose her power and the wolf''s fangs were closing the distance.


    Suddenly Louis lunged at the wolf back with what seemed like a small dagger.


    He charged with a spearing cry, stabbing the wolf''s back relentlessly multiple fatal times causing it to moan with aching pain but the wolf was too strong to fall.


    It turned back on its main target, sinking his mouth in his body again. It was targeting the same arm with the same brutality. Unknowingly, it left space and time for Diana to act.


    Only to witness Louis''s heartbreaking shouts once more. The beast bashed his dagger away. He was about to lose his life.


    Till Diana remembered her own dagger! , she hid it since day one. She knew that a day like this would soon come. A day in which she must raise her blade in the face of aggression, to return to her young self who mastered the use of the blade a long time ago under the supervision of her father.


    Louis who was powerless and bleeding, was swinging in pain with no ability to fight anymore. Surrendered to his fate as a meal to the wolf. The limping beast threw him back in anguish, for his body to land at the bottom of a tree.


    It approached again to deliver the death bite to the bleeding boy with mouth-dropping water mixed with his blood. The taste of the blood in its mouth made it hungry for more.


    He was determined to end his suffering once and for all.


    The wolf charged with speed towards Louis to claim his tasty helpless prize.


    but surprisingly, it never reached the boy.


    The girl knocked the wolf during its charge on Louis which made the wolf fall on its right side with Diana above it. That done, Diana charged herself with all the power and rage she had. Using most of her physical ability that she thought she never possessed... All of her emotions from that day behind the house. Using all her survival instincts to survive this test of nature.


    She stabbed deep into the wolf''s neck, cutting whatever important vessels were in the way of her blade. That stab led to more moaning of the wolf. A sound that begged mercy when death was on the approach.


    Its wild instinct pushed it to struggle for its life as it shrieked in agony. Vigorously trying to shake off the girl who threw her entire weight in a desperate move to stop the bloody beast.


    The wolf moaned even more and the warm blood burst on Diana''s fixed hand. Till it gradually stopped moving as its eyes stopped twitching for the final time in its life, declaring the end of the bloodstained battle.


    She breathed hard with the wild dog carcass under her knees. His blood covered most of her hands. Her organized hair was a total mess. Her nerves were no longer in check. She stared with wide frightened eyes for some moments.


    The colour red was all over her limbs and dirt was over her clothes.


    Speaking of blood...


    Louis!


    She woke up from her trauma and rushed to the moaning boy. He was flat, barely keeping himself awake.


    "Oh god, oh god. Wh-what should I do?!" She panicked.


    "T...Th...The...ho...horse...g...get the h-horse!" He pushed the word of his injured body.


    "Got it!"


    She ran with full speed to the hoisted brown horse of Louis and brought him back.


    "Ok, let''s get you up...Louis...PRINCE LOUIS!"


    She stared with watered eyes at the passed-out prince.


    The thoughts began storming her exhausted mind. The possible consequences that might face her back at the palace. The number of tremendous accusations she will have to answer to. No one will believe that his death wasn''t her fault. The blood on her clothes will be used as proof of her imagined crime. She could face treachery charges and this time the queen will order the execution herself.


    On the other hand...


    She got a horse and there were no guards anywhere. It was the best chance to escape!


    She touched his cheeks, the tempreture of his body was escaping. If she ran away now, he surely won''t make it on his own.


    NO! I can''t leave him to die here, not after he gifted me those few but priceless moments of freedom. How can I deny his kindness with such selfish monstrosity?!


    She wrapped her arms around him and picked his heavy male body, with her tenacious female one. Landing him on horseback. But before she got on the horse herself, her gaze caught his bloodstained dagger away. She went and fetched it quickly, putting it back within Louis''s belt.


    She jumped over the horse and kicked hard. The animal screamed and sprinted forward. Good thing her father taught her how to handle one when she was 12.


    She began to cry. "Come on, Louis! Don''t you dare die on me now. Not after you gave me this pleasant dream. Don''t turn it into a nightmare...


    "Just wake up!"


    She rushed through the forest, not knowing which way out of it. She wasn''t paying any attention to the road when she entered the area. But she was travelling as fast as she could. She thought of Louis, if he died, nothing else would matter afterwards and she could wave goodbye to both her freedom and her head.


    "The forest is getting less thickening!" She gasped.


    Finally, she broke out of the woods straight towards the city gates.


    Dashing through the streets, she noticed something weird.


    No one recognized the prince! She expected the city to be turned upside down trying to save the boy. Instead, the only good people who helped were those who instructed her on the way to the Palace. If not for that, she was completely on her own.


    Her tearing eyes were blocking her view occasionally. She lost her way more than once. The canterpool was huge and she was petite compared to the gigantic capital.


    "Come on. Just a little longer, my prince". She said as the horse screamed forward.


    The horse was now completely exhausted from running without a single stop. The poor animal was still confused and could not understand why its rider had been so harsh on him, relentlessly kicking and sobbing.


    After what seemed like hours. She finally spotted the massive outer royal gate of the palace at the end of the street.


    Soldiers POV:


    "Hey psst! Isn''t that the maid of the queen? The one that went with the prince?


    He leaned more closer to the edge of the wall to check where his comrade pointed, narrowing his gaze to look closer at the speeding horse. "Ah, yes. Hold on, I thought she was to come by sunset? And why is she the one leading the- Oh lord!". They stared in horror, as they both bolted with the same conclusion.


    "OPEN THE GATES!!" He shouted. The soldiers told each other of the news and more than 10 soldiers ran to the gate. to open it as soon as possible, The plagued announcement signaled an emergency alarm that soon reached the Royal Thrones, leading the highest two figures in the palace to start running towards the front yard.


    "We...made it, my...dear". She can barely breathe in the middle of her panicking, as the horse dashed forward between the doors of the gate and his hooves retracting off the paved terrain that led straight towards the palace of Wain.


    Her eyes began to shut slowly. As her body surrendered, falling off the horseback. The last fragment of her conscious departed as her eyes took capture the final capture of seeing Wain and queen Anna running towards her.


    And everything went dark.

 Chapter 7 : Between the 4 walls

    Night came, and everything was calm once more.


    The crimson moon enlighted the earth, shining its snowy fabulous light through Diana''s room window.


    She moaned, slowly forcing her eyes open. Her familiar room roof was the first thing her eyes noticed.


    Recalled by the reminisce of that tragedy in the forest, She jumped off her back instantly, examing her surrounding. She was in her bed. Relaxed in her room. Her clothes were changed. She scrambled her fingers around her neck. The necklace was still there. Quiet as usual.


    That''s when she recalled what happened earlier. All the action. The blood on her hands. Louis. The wolf.


    The necklace which exploded with illumination to the surroundings just seconds before the 4-legs beast jump from his ambushing place.


    She quickly shoved off the cover and got up off the bed. She rushed outside her room. She needs to find out where and what happened to Louis.


    With that thought in mind, She scurried towards the door. Only to find two of her dearest friends at the door, another two maids of the queen.


    "Thanks, the lord!" One of them stood up and lunged at her with a hug.


    The other girl smiled with relief.


    "H-Hey, guys" Diana answered with a smile. Hugging back her friend.


    It was a good thing to have best friends and girls in the palace. Even if they were 10 years old ahead of you.


    The maid who hugged retracted. "What happened back there?! The palace was turned upside down, the queen was about to die of fear, and the poor prince...."


    "WHERE IS HE, WHERE IS THE PRINCE?" She jumped with intense curiosity.


    "Relax relax. He was taken to a nearby hospital. Whatever attacked both of you, made a horrible job of his arm but it didn''t kill him. Or so I believe, He was still breathing last I heard"


    On hearing that, she breathed with visible repose. She could now rest assured her mind that he was safe.


    The other began. More serious than her earlier friend. "Besides that, Why didn''t you leave him anyway, it was your chance to escape!"


    "I-I couldn''t. He is so..."


    "Handsome?" One of them narrowed her eyes teasing her. Diana knew that their intentions were up to no good.


    "Kind...he was so kind. I mean he would have given me a nice picnic if not for that wolf. One I dearly desired..." she murmured the last line with a shy smile.


    "You aaaareee bluuusshhing" one of them dilated her voice, teasing the girl.


    Am I ?!!


    Diana exclaimed silently to her herself.


    She touched her cheeks. And they had the temperature of the sun.


    This is getting embarrassing. Why am I not capable of hiding my emotions anymore?


    Ding Dong


    The bells banged. The queen was calling a maid to her side.


    "I will go, you should rest" The same maid who was teasing her, gave her another hug and left to answer her mistress.


    Thanks for the save, my queen. Diana breathed relief.


    "Diana"


    "Yes?"


    "Do you love that boy? Answer honestly, because you are terrible at lying" She confronted her with a direct question.


    Diana''s mouth opened slightly, taken back by the question.


    "I...I...can''t...help it" She scratched her arms in awkwardness. Blaming her emotions for it.


    The maid''s eyes widen in fear. "Well, I will be damned! So, you DO have a crush on Louis!"


    "Please, don''t tell anyone!"


    "Are you nuts!?"


    Diana chuckled. "Yeah, probably the most stupid request ever..."


    "What!? I can''t believe you are that naive! I am talking about the love thing!"


    Diana felt a bit insulted and she knew that the coming words won''t be swallowed well for her.


    "Diana, he is a prince! He can have any girl he wants whenever he wishes. Most of all, he had the same hunger for lust just like his befriended king and I didn''t spot the lights on the social miles between you two. Alas, this love is purposed to demise!"


    "I...I know, it''s just too warm to have those feelings even if it''s from one side..."


    "To be broken-hearted later?! No. I won''t let you do this to yourself!" She insisted.


    She put her hands on Diana''s shoulders.


    "Listen to me, Diana. I am older than you and I know what it feels like to be abandoned by boys like Louis. Take my advice. Dumb those false feelings. Unless he asked for you personally, you- just like me- a mere tool of enjoyment and bragging for those wretched aristocracies. There is no such thing as marriage here. You need to face that. Accept it"


    Diana was silent. The tears readied at the verge of her eyes. The unfair life of the palace made her feel its load upon her once more. Even her emotions. One of the natural human beings'' characteristics was so restricted that she was about to lose the meaning of her feminism.


    Her friend noticed the tears crowding her eyeballs. "Diana, please. I just don''t want you to-"


    "Not be heartbroken?! Then what do you think I am feeling now?!"


    She answered with tears falling over her former blushed cheeks. Engaging in silent weeping.


    "Diana..."


    Just before the maid could give her condolences for her rough speech, Diana turned around and slammed her room door behind her.


    The queen didn''t call for Diana for the rest of that day, and on the other side, Diana was never seen that night out of her room again.


    ....


    The next day comes with a different mood.


    A small slice of the sun breached the horizon with an upcoming day. The dawn was reaching its end.


    Diana''s sadness dissolved with time. But her emotions toward Louis pressed against her even more.


    She began her day with an unenthusiastic yawn, sitting over her bed with crappy hair and swollen eyes. She was crying all night. She remembered her father, her friends, and her ex-life. She never felt such misery before.


    For any viewer, this could be an overstating of pre-existing facts.


    But one thing was certain, that boy was so precious to Diana that she didn''t know how to think objectively anymore. Her emotions went berserk...


    ...Why can''t she love like any other girl in her age? Because she was pretty?! That was the second time her beauty stood against her happiness. It was unethical and uncomfortable to live in such conditions. And she didn''t have much of a space to choose from.


    She dressed up as usual. She did her hair as best as she could. In the process, she examined the necklace. The ruby which gave different colors at multiple points of time was silent at this moment.


    She stared at the mirror, frowning in despair. Empty of all those joyful moments that she felt that day before back in the woods. She headed towards the door to resume her uttered despicable life.


    But just before she caught the door''s handle by a second. Someone knocked on the door.


    That knock belongs to Lady Anna!


    The girl hurried to the door and it was indeed the queen.


    Diana bowed with alertness "M''lady! G-Good morning"


    The queen didn''t answer, instead, she allowed herself in without a word, sitting on Diana''s bed.


    Her face speaks for her that there was something wrong.


    Had my affection for Louis been unmasked!? Thoughts began to crawl over her, flushing anxiety to her heart.


    "Did something happen to the prince?". She asked her, trying to seek any valuable info.


    No response.


    "It''s the king, ha? He is furious with me, right?"


    "Nah, he was grateful as much" Anna spitted some words.


    Diana nodded. But she knew there was more to it. She kept staring at her queen to speak. She knew her majesty had something to say.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Anna sighed before speaking "I never felt so much danger around my family since my husband''s death and I had never been so grateful to a person just as I am now to you"


    She continued with a wide smile "I owe you for saving that boy, Darling"


    So that was all about it. She eased herself.


    "I did what my heart told me to do, my lady"


    "What about your mind?" Anna questioned.


    "What about it?"


    "You had a free horse and Louis had a pocket money that would have given you enough food for the journey to your home. The window was wide open for you to flee. What made you risk your liberation?"


    "Because it wasn''t right. For me to build my happiness on the sorrow of others". Diana spoke only half the truth. The sole truth that can only be accepted and spoken.


    Anna narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Well said"


    She came close and allowed her arm to wrap around Diana''s back. Hugging her. Their mother-daughter relationship permitted such kindness, Diana knew her quite well. Anna was not the type to feel any source of flinching or fear when she was around her.


    "Thank you. For defending my family once again"


    Diana closed her eyes, enjoying every bit of this hug. She never knew what''s meant to be cuddled between a loving mother''s arms. so It was so beautiful to observe such rare courtesy.


    She just wished she had been shown the same kindness the day before when her heart was broken beyond repair.


    Anna pulled herself out. Putting her hands on the girl''s cheeks. And right away, she noticed the girl''s swollen red eyes and her hot tempered cheeks


    "My, were you crying all night?!" The queen peered with sad sympathetic eyes.


    Diana wanted to escape the question. But as her friend said before. She was unlucky when it came to lying.


    "That''s... correct, my lady"


    "Why?! You saved the boy. I spent all yesterday with him and the doctors concluded that marks on his shoulder came from a wolf. A pretty feral one. You were a hero back there! You became the talk of the whole palace, even the king recognized you even more!


    "With all due respect, my queen. I don''t give a damn!"


    Anna blinked with confusion. Pulled back by the manner of talking, she knew Diana very well. She knew she wouldn''t cross her line unless she had enough of something or someone in the palace.


    "I...I...I am sorry. Excuse my mouth, your majesty. I have just been pissed about what fate decided for me. I really hoped for that hunting trip to continue. I was really enjoying it. I was so happy with the prince''s company -that for instance- I forgot what it meant to be a maid."


    Anna wrapped her right arm around Diana''s back and on her right arm. Pulling her closer to her.


    "I know what you have been through, darling. You already faced a lot. But let me tell you something, my girl. I understand that fate may seem...unchanging, but I know... no... I am sure...that there is a great power behind those small eyes of yours. So never despair, I''m always here to support you through it all"


    Diana peered through her friendly words. More than happy with the overflow of love that she was offering for a mere ordinary maid.


    Diana was not really special, not in any way recognizable, Every single good day that passed in the palace, her lady was the cause of it, starting with the first encounter with the king.


    She finally manage to hand a fair smile to Anna


    "I was waiting for that smile ages ago! Good , Because I have a surprise for you!"


    "What? I will face a crocodile this time?!"


    Anna laughed a bit.


    "No, this one you really gonna love it for certain" The queen paused a bit while Diana swallowed hard.


    "After some moments, I will declare a royal order that you may be granted One free request. Ask anything, and I will grant it for you!"


    Diana was nailed in her place. She blinked with excitement.


    "A-Anything?!"


    "Yep, just don''t get yourself hung up and ask for half of the kingdom" Anna chuckled.


    "I wouldn''t dare. I will find myself beheaded on my pillow the next day"


    Anna laughed. "Precisely" she answered.


    "Oh, and one more thing. Take today off. To ease your nerves a bit. You can visit the library or the garden to feel peace once again.


    "My lady, I...I...don''t what to say..."


    "You deserve more, my sweetheart. As a queen, I can give that much and more but as an Aunt I would never repay you for the fateful rescue you did yesterday"


    The girl rejoiced again. Feeling a passion streaming through her veins once more. "Thank you so much, my queen!" She said with much contentment.


    Diana rushed toward the door happily.


    But then she stopped in her tracks. Remembering something.


    She rotated her face to Anna again. "Um, if you don''t mind, may I request another thing aside from the awarded free one?"


    "Go on" Anna answered with a great heart.


    "C-Can I visit the prince?". Her question is mixed with hesitation.


    "No, you can''t. However, We can" Anna answered.


    Diana caught what Anna meant by that answer. There was an exception to the wrongful principle that Wain imposed. One Anna was sure loved to exploit.


    As their direct mistress. Anna can bring any of her girls out of the palace, with the pretext that she may need them anytime.


    The king wasn''t always pleased with that revolutionary decision, but for sheer luck and his worshipping love, he occasionally overlooked his own arrogant rules for the sake of her persuasive scheming personality.


    .


    2 hours later...


    The queen led the way from her Royal chariot towards the hospital and she noticed how happy Diana was all the way. Her smile hadn''t died since the private chat with Anna. That woman indeed was a mother to her.


    They reached a big luxurious building. Another one of the milestones of engineering and biology that the capital city held proudly


    Everyone in the building bowed while the queen marched through the hall.


    They climbed the staircase along with four guards toward his room on the second floor, which was guarded by two additional royal spearmen guards, personally chosen by the king himself.


    Philip was one of them.


    He peered with surprise as soon as they saw them coming. "MY LADY!" He gasped alerting the guard next to him and they both bowed.


    "Did the doctor tell you any further news?" Anna asked.


    "Same talking, your highness. His arm is in total disarray. There are fractures all over the upper part of his left shoulder. Alas, There is unbearable tissue damage. They said it would need at least 10 days to recover"


    Diana was left with wide eyes and a more powerful desire to enter the room.


    "I want to see him!" She pushed with her spontaneous reaction.


    The two guards looked at her and then at the queen.


    "Let her in. It''s only fair. She is the one who saved him"


    "Y-Yes. of course, my queen" Philip bowed and hastily opened the door of the room.


    "I advise discretion, my lady. He is still sleeping since then" the other soldier said.


    They entered the room as quietly as they could. The room itself was empty and huge in space. There wasn''t but the bed of Louis and a big window on his right side, serving as ventilation and a good view above the street.


    When Diana tried to enter the room, her queen stopped her with a warning hand.


    "Can you handle what you are about to see?" Anna asked. Knowing how emotional Diana''s character is when it comes to such scenarios.


    "Yes," she nodded confidently.


    She entered and saw his stable sleeping figure. She came closer to the injured boy...and it was a mess.


    She saw Louis laying on the bed with a crazy amount of bandages all over his injured shoulder soaked in dried blood. All his clothes were full of stained blood. His shirt turned into a large piece of rag that barely kept its original colour.


    Anna picked a couple of chairs to make the dazzled Diana sit.


    "At least, He looks better than when you brought him out of the forest" Anna whispered.


    Diana didn''t respond. She was too consumed by the sleeping boy''s face. Her heart bleeds at his pitchy sight.


    "His parents! Did you..." Diana gasped.


    "Yes, I sent news to his father. He should be here in a couple of days" Anna whispered back with a comforting smile.


    Diana nodded.


    The time passed. Louis''s eyes were still shut and resting on his back. Nothing major happened. Till the moment the queen excused herself to the toilet.


    It was him and her in common solitude. There were no eyes to condemn. No ears to listen to. Cornered between 4 walls, sheltered from the detestable reality outside.


    She looked back at the closed door of the room, knowing quite well that she had a very little time to make her bold move.


    She extended her hand toward his relaxed fingers, squeezing them gently as she cleared her throat.


    "I know, you won''t hear what am I about to say but that doesn''t deny how true those words are, Prince Louis"


    A small smile found her lips.


    "I-I was enjoying this picnic or hunt or whatever you want to call it. That ride with you. I hoped for it to prolong than that in the future. Maybe get a bit pushy to actually be your friend..." she sighed. Even during his long sleep, his facial details were elegant.


    Or I could have been your sweetheart lover, She dreamed.


    With that line ended, she stood up from her chair, uncovering her true endeavour.


    She drew near...


    Was her following action stemming out of her emotion or gratitude...She wasn''t quite sure and she couldn''t care less about it.


    Her eyes narrowed, while her tiny eyelashes flew when his quiet breaths slammed them. Her heart began to pip like a teapot on flame. It was overwhelmed with stainless passion.


    Just before her lips touch. She brushed her golden hair above her ear while she drew her lips nearer to his relaxed face.


    Smooch


    A kiss on the cheek.


    A mere physical gesture that she doubts he would recall when he wakes up.


    A thief she was, stealing some happiness between the 4 walls. A happiness that is not for her to owe. But not that she cared anymore. She had a conflict inside herself, one that her emotions always dominate.


    She had that delicious wish to become addicted to such feelings. Though, She knew that the heresy she sought would be punished by blind souls if it is revealed in the light.


    Why these moral beautiful feelings should be banned from existence!?  She may never know.


    "Thank you...for your kindness, my prince". She sighed in a mixed air of sadness and love, she was about to pull her hand away...


    When it happened.


    Louis''s hand contracted. caging her hand inside his own.


    Diana''s eye blinked, peering at her linked hand with him.


    "You''re most welcome"


    He said with a wide smile


    Tilting his head slowly towards her with his brown eyes slowly opening


    She was about to scream with joy. Louis just snapped out of his coma.


    "Oh god! You are awake!" She gasped with a spongy eye.


    She was about to shout for the doctors, willingly ready to spread the refreshing news.


    "Not a word please! I want to enjoy some peace here with you"


    She touched her mouth with her hand, marking her mistake."Um...yea! Right! Sorry" she smiled faintly.


    She returned to her seat, in silence. Smiling at his intended closed eyes. Enjoying her hand around his fingers.


    "You are good at using weapons...for a girl". He smirked joking, looking at her again with high eyes.


    "Says the one who was just saved by one of ''em". She raised an eyebrow.


    He chuckled. "Yea, you were amazing back there, Thanks for saving me again...Maid". he smiled. Not giving any concern for what he just said...


    This word...


    It''s meaning...


    It came out of him...


    Of all people...


    In this very instant, something crashed inside her. It was her perfect image of him. All that work of her imagination. All those mad irrational emotions she invested...


    The same 4 walls that were secretly holding her love together, became a source of suffocation.


    She viciously pulled her hand out of her place away from him.


    "Oh, sorry I forgot about your h-"


    "What. did.you.Just.call me?!" She said with a dark cloud over her eyebrows.


    "Um..." he blinked. He was baffled by the irrelevant question.


    "You called me a maid!!"


    "Yeah, So? It''s just a title, Diana" He waved his other healthy hand indifferently.


    "Just a title!? Some words are deadlier than poison, Prince! And I was foolish enough to think you were different than your friend on the throne"


    "But I didn''t mean it in that way!" He tried to defend himself.


    "Then what did you mean about it then, hmm?"


    "I...I..." he mumbled. He tied to examine for an exiting excuse but he didn''t find any justification.


    "That''s what I thought. Hear me, Prince Louis, I am not a maid nor slave. I am a girl, a human being with heart and mind who was abducted a year ago against her free will. I didn''t choose this life nor will I ever accept it. So, at least if you won''t set me free from this cruel way of life...then, at least. Don''t mock me with it"


    Tears began to gather in her eyeballs. However, this time she had full control of the argument.


    The prince noticed the tears despite her harsh straight words. He was stunned at first glance. Searching inside himself for a way to save the conversation.


    He frowned. "Please, Y-You misunderstood me, I didn''t know that a single word would hurt you that way...."


    "Good, now you know"


    She wiped up her tears in the most self-esteem state she had. Proud of herself. While she began throwing daggers from her eyes at him.


    "Now if you excuse me, I will tell your aunt that you woke up. If you don''t really mean what you said. Please, forget this discussion ever happened"


    She turned to leave. Ignoring all the pleas to hold on while she was closing the door of the room behind her from outside.


    "Diana, Why did you leave? Did something happen?" Anna asked when she met her in the hall.


    Try to keep it together now. Your emotions are yours and yours alone to control!


    "Yes yes! He woke up!" She stirred her mood with completely different masked gestures.


    "R-Really!" The queen jumped with happiness and dashed inside the room.


    Diana stood there as she saw Anna hugging the boy but also noticed how the boy sight still lingered upon her through his auntie''s shoulder. She gave him one last gesture full of loathing as she walked through the hall...


    ...She felt an emptiness inside. Her soul was broken and weak. Her mind scratched her with the memory of her friend warning her of this moment.


    She went to the bathroom. Trying to wash off her tears from the sink. Desperately trying to clean her muddy mentality. But no matter how much water she uses. Her eyes couldn''t stop tearing.


    She felt so foolish. So cheap. She wants a key. A way out of this prison. A light in that gloom. She needs...


    "A free request". She recalled

 Chapter 8: Royal confessions

    The visit ended and so did the day.


    The conversation between the prince and Diana had never left that hospital. The drama ended there leaving Louis dazzled and Diana changed.


    The holiday that her Majesty gifted her made the maiden discover more about herself. About her sensitive character. Was that because she was too attached to her father? but it''s been more than a year. Would the emotional link still tingle even with miles apart?


    No matter the answer, from that day on, she swore never to vow her emotions to any boy in the palace. As it marked her decision to become more mature. Her feelings will no longer thrill her away from the real world. She won''t get lost in her fantasy globe again. She will try to impose discipline on her life. Even if she was going to destroy a part of herself along the way.


    Taking all of this into consideration.


    She began her day as usual by changing her clothes to her usual maid clothes.


    No matter how many she tried, she never brought herself to accept this custom. She never had foreseen that the rest of her youth would be spent as a servant for the ruling class of this palace.


    She sighed, she couldn''t help herself accept this idea, not at this moment at least...


    She began her duty by bringing the one thing that her queen always orders every morning.


    Her cup of hot tea.


    "Tea is ready, my lady"


    "Thanks, hon, put it on the table please" she gestured. Looking up through her window overlooking her garden. Enjoying the breeze of early morning fresh air.


    Diana obeyed.


    "Finally some pleasant moments for this cursed family" Anna joked around.


    "May it always prolong" Diana wished with a fake smile.


    "I Wish so"  she smiled back. As she grabs the handle of the cup and the small plate below it.


    "So..." she began. "Any news about your reward?" Anna asked about the request.


    "In fact, I hold an answer" Diana decided.


    Anna paused with surprise. "Well, that was fast. Sure you don''t need more time to think about it? It''s a one-time offer you know, mind you"


    "I don''t need it, your highness. I am ready"


    "Alright, call it out and it shall be done for you," she said right before approaching the cup to her lips for the first sip.


    Diana paused for a second. She felt the words stuck in her throat. They were too heavy to let them out. She looked at her happy queen. The lovely woman. She will miss her.


    "I want to leave the palace and return to my Town"


    On hearing the previous words, the queen spat the hot tea in the air. Just the reaction that Diana had anticipated.


    She looked at Diana with wide-open eyes.


    "WHAT? WHY? Did the king insult you again?! I will talk to him if you-"


    "No, my queen. It''s not him" she interrupted.


    "It''s just that I missed my father so much and I hated this place the moment I put my leg in it, you asked me to ask a reasonable request, so here it is"


    The queen paused a bit.


    "Oh, you mean periodical visits. It would be hard of course, but I can try to ease that!"


    "No. Permanently, and I don''t want to come back" Diana rebated.


    "B-But that doesn''t make any sense! You were happy yesterday after I gave you that day off and I met your demand by allowing you to visit the bo-" she suddenly stopped. It popped to her.


    "Wait...Is Louis the reason why are you so pissed?"


    Suspicion began to arouse.


    Diana''s anger began to grow as she noticed that Anna was digging for the reason rather than fulfilling her promise.


    "Please just let me leave the palace," said Diana with a slightly angered tone. Bypassing the question. Deep down her interior. The sadness never faded. It just hibernated, and it woke up in the hospital.


    She never said anything about yesterday to anyone. She didn''t need to. Her face was doing the talking for her.


    The queen chuckled. "So it is him, ha? I will talk to him, that boy needs some behaving lessons when talking to my girls!"


    "Look like you are not giving me what you promise. All you are doing is asking questions and creating excuses, your majesty"


    That statement sparked Anna off and the queen''s voice tone began to Escalate.


    "Do you know what are you asking for!!? even if by a miracle I managed to convince the king to let you leave. You are living a luxurious life I bet the crown that I am wearing that you have never dreamed of and I treat you just the same as my two long-gone sons.


    WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN THAT?!" Anna shouted.


    "Well, let''s begin with my father who was about to die trying to make me escape the captain and his men. My friends. My village. My old free life...shall I continue?...and with all due respect. You are mistaken, my queen. I didn''t ask for that life. It was forced on me"


    After hearing her defence, the queen put a halt to her argument. There was no use to put the excess effort into stopping her request. Diana had a point.


    She gasped. Slowly putting the tea aside.


    Diana noticed and stood silent. Waiting for the judgment.


    "May I share a secret with you?" Anna asked.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "O-Of course". Diana''s hesitation was clear. She wasn''t that eager to know the answer. Royal secrets were never discussed around velvets and maids as it always led to disasters if they reached the public by mistake.


    "Do you have any idea, of all those girls beside you, on that very first day you came to the palace? Why did I choose you to be my subordinate?"


    Diana blinked."Because of me protecting my necklace, that''s what Your Highness told me"


    "That was a lie. The true reason was that I found what I was looking for, inside your soul"


    "M-ME?" she pointed at herself with disbelief. "I really don''t understand"


    "You. My dearest was a warrior. Your fire was too bright, that''s why Wain didn''t comprehend it. And in what we don''t comprehend, we tend to exterminate. That''s the real reason for shielding you from him because I wanted to learn how to have that fire of yours to light my rusty heart again. I wanted to know how you maintained such wits when you were facing death eye to eye"


    She paused for a bit. To take another sip from her slightly colder tea.


    "But I am not that special, my lady. I was just rude back then. You yourself admit that!"


    Anna put the cup down.


    "That is correct, and that''s why you missed your potential. The potential that I could use to lead my people to prosperity, away from my fiendish husband and his crimes"


    "Strange" Diana sighed. "If you hated him that much then why did you marry him in the first place?"


    "Because he was the only one left to support me when I was trembling between my untold pains. The common won''t take a vote for a weak queen, and they were right. He used this to his advantage. At that time I didn''t have the current strength to oppose him in any matter, even when it came to our marriage. Despite me being the sole person who had the rare ability to alter his decisions...


    After my own family''s demise, I lacked the will and the purpose, till the moment I saw you defending that necklace of yours...


    I asked myself if she, a simple villager, could stand her ground with her bold attitude against the mighty king of this land. Why am I - the queen of this same land- can''t do the same for myself and for my people?"


    "But you don''t need me for all of this. Couldn''t you find that potential yourself?"


    "Where? between these walls? It only brings memories of despair and agony. Do you know how many times I went to my room crying endlessly from my despicable unhappy life?


    Every time I glance at my husband''s picture I realize how lonely I have become. Even those other maids. They only carry the fear of punishment. They fear me and they don''t even try to hide it, despite I had never treated them the way Wain treated his girls.


    You. My loyal girl. Proved twice to be more than capable of helping me mend the cracks of my soul, healing my loneliness with your clumsiness. While protecting my family just the same"


    Diana blinked. She ran out of expressions to describe how she felt.


    "Will you still leave me when I am so desperate to have you?" Anna sighed with full honesty. Leaving it for Diana to decide her fate for herself for the first time in her life.


    With both options available.


    Diana began a conflict with herself.


    Would she stay with the queen, the one who saved her a year ago from hanging, and fight through her homesickness and unstable feelings for the rest of eternity? The title ''Maid of the queen'' was not an easily overlooked rank in the canterpool...


    ...Or rather she bashes all those past incidents away and travels back to her father and her village for good. She gets everything back, her father, her friends. However, in return for her wish, she will lose her queen, and she may actually hate her. She will lose all her love of hers and succumb back to becoming the nauseating washdisher she was, and back to the poverty and shitty but free life.


    "So what is your answer?" Anna stared, linking her fingers in waiting.


    "No..." Diana trailed with her voice


    "No what?" The queen demanded a decisive answer.


    "No...I would never leave you alone for that monster" Diana smiled widely. "I am staying" she finally said, defeated with tears grouping in her glimmered eyes.


    Anna''s eyes widened while a great pretty smile washed over her face.


    "Oh. My dear. Come here" Anna opened her arms receiving her beloved daughter in kindness between her arms, feeling empowered again as Anna wrapped her fingers around Diana''s cheeks, wiping them from tears.


    Anna chuckled. "And don''t worry! you still have your request. The offer is the same"


    Diana blinked. "Um...ok, well now you mentioned those visits..."


    "Then it shall be done! let''s-"


    Knock knock


    "Your majesty, the chariot is ready," said a royal guard from behind the door.


    Anna slammed her head.


    "My visit to my charity hospital! oh. How did I forget that!?" She blamed herself.


    "I can wait, Your Majesty" Diana smiled.


    "Don''t worry. I promise I will see through your request when I return, ok?"


    Diana nodded.


    With that promise of seeing her father again. Diana waved goodbye to Anna. She left towards the north for a long trip that would take 3 days.


    ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð¡ñ¡ð


    In the middle morning of the third day


    Diana''s excitement never reached such heights. After a long painful year of homesickness. She finally will see her father again!


    While at the same time maintaining her unbreakable bond with her beloved mother figure queen.


    Speaking of the queen. The palace went sombre in her absence. So by the royal code, all of her maids were transferred to Wain''s palace to keep them secure.


    The palace wasn''t special in anything. Though it was way more noisy than the queen''s place and ten times bigger.


    Fortunately, his owner rarely made any contact with Diana or any of her friends. They were only kept in custody till Anna returned and were used to serve the king in minor things. One of those minorities that Diana was assigned to was to clean one of the long hallways.


    She used that to enjoy some moments of silence during the assignment...


    ...Until a certain familiar black boot disturbed it. The owner of those boots was watching her for some time. Skeptical about approaching her. He kept thinking about how he should propose his display without making a clown out of himself in front of her.


    After some time he got enough courage to steadily approach the girl, stopping some feet in front of her.


    She kept mopping the floor while talking. "You should have stayed longer in the hospital. Your arm needs to rest more, sir"


    She didn''t give him a face.


    "I know..." Louis sighed. His arm was still engulfed with the same amount of bandages. But he seemed to be in better shape now.


    "Could you spare-"


    "No"


    "Oh come on! Give me a chance at least". He protested how she was neglecting him.


    "For what?! To insult me again!? I am maybe a maid but I do have some remaining dignity left"


    "And that''s what I admire the most" he smiled. In strange unexpected behaviour.


    "What?" She was pulled by a surprise.


    He came closer, leaning his back to the left wall, crossing his arm. "Do you know why am I here? Talking to you, Diana?"


    "Well, since you are flirting with me now. I would say you are trying to present an apology". She raised one of her eyebrows.


    "Flirt" he sadly grinned, "That action that I never know how to perfect", He said before continuing. "Look...back at the hospital, I lost my way with the words. That''s why I couldn''t disclose my real intention back then"


    "Which was?"


    "Your beauty..." His spontaneous reaction was natural but was irrelevant within her eyesight


    Her eyes went dull. "Ha Ha, very funny. I see your ways with me, trying your gallant strategy for me to forgive you. Ha?"


    "No, Diana. You are wrong. I am not joking around. Not with how I behaved that day towards you"


    She stared at him, noticing his sharp face and his hard-lined mouth. His features were not warm anymore.


    He was serious.


    She stopped mopping, to hear him out.


    "I am sorry, from the bottom of my heart for my irresponsible behaviour"


    She blinked coldly. "Whatever", her words came out like throwing a bone to a skinny dog as she continued mopping the floor.


    However, indifferent from the outside as she was, her inner self was pleased and was more than welcome to forget the past. Not because how his apology was sincere in itself but because he was thinking of her all those past days. Or he won''t be breaking his resting period just to stand in front of her now, proposing his goodwill.


    Louis''s eyes dropped a bit, seeing his apology hitting a frozen wall. Without any response from the other side. That said, he didn''t lose any of his resilience.


    On the other side, she was losing control once more, feeling the past pure emotions bumping through her heart again. Not noticing her small cheeks returning to their merry blushful state.


    He came one step closer. Extending his head to meet her gaze.


    "All my life I never had a friendship with a girl, I bet they all thought me an idiot with a noble title. They would go befriend strong boys with stronger bodies instead, a fervent gift that I lack. I am not an arrogant boy like you think. It''s just that I had never talked to a girl long enough to know how it''s way different from talking to my limited carefully picked friends of boys.


    What happened in that hospital was coming from the real me. A simple, clumsy boy who had wild feelings towards you"


    "A...A wild..." Diana''s eyes widened in astonishment that she was about to have a stroke.


    "You heard me, right". He smiled widely preparing to shoot the next oversized words of his...


    "I am in love with you, Diana"

 Chapter 9: Busted and out

    She gasped at his end of the speech. She didn''t see that coming. No way that was the same person she was talking to back at the hospital.


    She didn''t notice herself loosening the grip of the mop, slipping off her hand, and crashing on the cobble next to her as if she lost control over her limps.


    The impact of the mop to the ground, made her jump off her place, slapping her out of her stun. She tilted her eyes towards the downed mop, staring sheepishly, blinking, without taking any action to retrieve it.


    "Oh, allow me". Louis rushed to grab the mop, handing it to her. As she took it with a wavering hand. Meeting his smiling lips once again.


    She grabbed the mop tightly, or better put, she hugged it. She wanted help. NOW.


    That warm feeling came back and more passionate than ever. She no longer feels the difference between reality and a dream.


    "I-Is this a prank?" She said spontaneously. She was unsure what to say. She wasn''t even sure if she responded right.


    "No. Diana. It''s not. I am more honest with you now than ever. I do have a feeling towards you. I-I...ah...well, you see I am clumsy man. Not good with words. But I know this , that you deserve way better than this treatment. The way you spoke with me in that woods, made me realize how humble and beautiful your personality is...and for that, I will not ever regret the admission of my feelings"


    "M...My personality..." She felt uneasiness during her speaking. She couldn''t identify what she was feeling at that moment, she never experienced such lawless psychology because she missed that feeling. To be loved once more for being herself. Even if it''s not at the same level as her father''s natural love.


    She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, making her face look like a tomato.


    In response, he took one last step forward, making his taller body closer to her short one.


    "Diana" he pleaded fairly, gazing down at her astonished face while going for her right hand, squeezing it gently between his fingers. He bowed on one knee like the gentleman he is. Causing Diana''s eyes core to expand in a stupor.


    Not trying anything sketching. He asked straight ahead. "Would you accept my Love?"


    If only the answer was as smooth as the question


    She blinked. She knew that she had to make a hearty call. But she felt conflicted. She knew she needed time to think. Why didn''t her father advise her about this matter?! Or maybe her long passed mother could have helped right now, she had that moment one day before, right? Some adult experience won''t exactly harm her now.


    She had to think of the consequences of her next words very well.


    "But why would I?!"  Her voice echoed inside. She felt empowered by herself to do whatever she wanted. Her father is not here to consult so pretty much it''s her judgment that would make a difference.


    But again, that''s the same confidence that led her to the past troublesome scenarios with the king...


    On the other way around, she wanted happiness. The prince was describing her state as well as his. So What was stopping her?


    Finally, she closed her eyes.


    No more hiding feelings and No more overreacting drama.


    She looked straight into his eyes with her light pretty smile. She left the mop on the wall to focus on him more. She harshly pushed the answer through her tightened dry throat. Words which was long waited to come out.


    She kneeled on both of her knees, making her eyes at the same level as his. "If only you accept me first, an unpretentious girl who possesses nothing special. I was a simple washdisher in my town. And when I entered this palace I became the humble maid that served your aunt. So I am not getting any rich in the future and pretty much I got nobody with the same prestige as you as well..."


    She straightened her posture with confidence. "Would you still love me with those terms? A girl that never loved a boy so much as you?". Her cheeks burned as her heart shrieked in anticipation of his answer.


    A beaming smile was drawn on the prince''s face, "I would be honoured"


    She fixed her gaze up, lost in the details of his young face that were sunk in the broad smile of acceptance, while her hand slipped behind his head. She felt a bit embarrassed by the flooding emotions that she could no longer hide.


    Smiling to each other, with their spirits mixing in harmony, united in a full circle of bashing emotions.


    They stood up together, and glimpsed at each other''s eyes, forgetting where they were. Imagine the world around them dissolving, allowing their hearts to blend into one, while their heads shifted nearer and nearer, with their nose picking at each other, opening the doors of their souls for glee to invade them.


    He whispered. "Then how about we drop the nicknames for good, Hm?". He smiled more


    She chuckles playfully. "Agreed"


    They felt their breaths interwind. She didn''t mind his hand gradually touching her upper back. Slightly pulling her towards him while their noses continued cuddling toward each other.


    They were so close to achieving the equilibrium and having their first kiss...


    To the extent, that they didn''t know who was watching from the shadows.


    There was a pair of eyes trespassing behind a corner. The owner of those evil eyes clenched his fist in denial. He refused to believe what he was viewing. It was against all the rules he appointed. Breaking all his assertive principles. He couldn''t uphold that fornication- as the way he was seeing it...


    ...and he decided to interfere.


    "How Dare You!"


    He shouted.


    The new couple''s perfect world shattered into millions of fragments, instead, they were consumed by the presence of the third hostile party.


    Diana''s heart dropped to her toes, her eyes widened in disarray. She knew that it felt so good for fate to leave her be.


    Louis''s reaction was different. He was fast. He hopped with his cat reflexes to the front, using himself as a shield. Trying to protect Diana from the upcoming wraith as the trespasser came to the territory of light. Declaring the beginning of the long painful chapter in Diana''s life.


    It was King Wain who caught them.


    He stepped towards them, with his devilish face feature. Accompanied by two royal spear guards.


    "So that was your plan all along, ha?!! Tricking royal blood to fall in love with you, then use it as your way out, right!? YOU''RE ONE PATHETIC GARBAGE!" He shouted at Diana.


    "Hey, Stop insulting her!" Louis began, standing his ground. "This is my life and my choice!! So You better deliver some respect to her, sir!"


    Wain raised an eyebrow. "Are you an idiot, kid!? Of all the women in the kingdom, you chose A MAID?! What happened to your dignity?! Haven''t you thought about what people would say, is that how you lose your father''s honour, to be used in some feminish scheme !?"


    "My Dignity?!" Louis blows air from his nose.


    "Oh, spare me the fucking lecture!  My dignity didn''t save me when poison was a mere sip away from reaching my intestine, which was made by YOUR servants in YOUR party! and it sure didn''t strike down a four-leg beast double her size and she didn''t run away, seeking freedom for herself when she had every single reason to" he yelled.


    "This girl here saved my life not once but twice. Choosing me over the freedom that guesses who stole it, that''s right. YOU!"


    Diana was shivering the whole conversation. She never witnessed someone rebellious and brave enough to shout with rightness in the face of Wain before. She could''ve been punished for such an act in the past. But for a prince, even by the title, Louis managed to put a halt to the angry turbulent man.


    Though, She felt hopeless and powerless. She wanted to defend herself by herself. But who is she bluffing?! She couldn''t bring herself to defy Wain. Not again. She sure doesn''t have half the confidence that Louis had.


    Her looks at Louis who was still arguing- were filled with blushing that filled her face, and her lips quivered. She was trying to hold back her smile. If this isn''t a true love then at least she got herself a gritty valiant friend.


    Wain frowned. "You really think that I am the reason for all of this?! Wake up, prince! This is all but a reference to how the palace became in danger after this muggle girl put her foot inside!


    ...and I thought you had a better taste, boy". He shook his head like he cared.


    He moved his head around Louis towards Diana. "Should have trusted my guts and hanged you when I had the chance. Oh well..." he taunts.


    "It''s never too late..." he creepily smiled.


    He bumped his finger. Subsequently, the two royal guards changed their position, pushing the tip of their spears toward them.


    "What, you are going to kill her now!? instead of awarding her for her unconditional loyalty!". Louis stood his ground.


    Wain pointed his finger to himself. "I am the only one who decides who''s worthy to be called loyal!"


    He motioned for his guards to capture her.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Louis...!" She cried. Grabbing his back.


    "I won''t let them take you!" Louis said. Shielding his precious jewel with his arm. He considered using his dagger but he still hoped for diplomacy.


    They retreated backwards, trying to put some distance from the steadily advancing spears.


    "Diana!" A voice shouted behind her and it wasn''t a friend in particular.


    "Ph-Philip!" She eyed with a heavy gulp.


    The royal guard came with 3 other guards, trapping the couple between two different groups of soldiers.


    "No..." she cried even more."I don''t want to die, Louis" She dug her head into his clothes.


    "I assure you, that is not gonna happen!" He comforted her with great unrealistic confidence


    Philip''s blue eyes shone toward the king.  "With all due respect, sir. May I have a word with the maid?" He asked Wain.


    "Do whatever you want! but I want this shit out of my palace!" the king shouted.


    Philip nodded, he asked his comrades to stand down and they did.


    "Diana, listen to me very carefully. There is no exit from this hall but to the prison..."


    The girl felt the blow of the word like a slap of a hammer.


    "The Only person that will go to prison is you! Just wait till the news reaches the queen !" Louis shouted. Putting himself between her and Philip


    "Precisely, my prince," Philip said, following it by an unexpected act.


    He winked.


    Louis clutched what Philip meant.


    He looked at Diana''s crying eyes. "He is right"


    "But you said..."


    "I know what I said, but let''s face it. We can''t withstand that smug face on our own, not until my aunt comes back. Only then we will have true ground to face him on"


    She stared at him, speechless, with her tears falling and her morale flattened.


    He touched her cheeks with his one hand, whipping all those tiny drops off her face, and pulling her to his body, hugging her. Resting his head over hers.


    He whispered. "Let him think he won. for now. It won''t last. Trust me, I will get you through this, my love. You hear me, I will not leave you alone, I promise"


    She took some time to react, it was a huge trust test. But it may delay Wain''s judgment till Anna returns. After all, she is a maiden of Lady Anna, and Wain''s influences strictly end at his mistress domain. They all know he must tread carefully if he doesn''t wish for a direct collision with his wife.


    She wrapped her arms around his body. Squeezing each other a bit.


    "I-I-I know, just be careful Louis..." she sighed.


    He demonstrated fearlessness in the face of adversity and succeeded. She realized it would be unwise not to trust him now.


    "Ok, that''s enough. I will handle this myself!" Wain rushed from between his men, towards the couple.


    Grabbing and Pulling Diana''s blond hair. Snatching her from Louis''s arms. With gasps from everyone, those who saw cruelty in itsmost forthright form.


    She screamed with tears of pain, causing Louis to enrage and to try and lung at the king.


    The royal guards barely caught him before using his dagger and he violently resist their robust use of weight over him, disarming him from his weapon.


    When He found there was no use of his banzai charge, he impended Wain with curses with his highest voice, knowing very well how empty those yells were on Wain.


    "Hey, get off him! The prince has an injury, you pigs!" Philip shouted at the men, pulling them away from him.


    "You ok, my prince?"


    Louis clenched his teeth, blowing fumes, he looked up to see Philip''s extended hand.


    He accepted it, regaining his foot quickly. "THAT SON OF-argh!"


    He flinched, catching his injured arm. He felt pain crawling under the bandages.


    He looked carefully at the hand that touched the bandages, and there were stains of blood on his fingers. He was bleeding.


    "Now Look what you have done to yourself" Philip waved his hand, with blame.


    "That bastard, I can''t let him get away with this, what does he think himself?!"


    "The king. A sad fact we all have to accept sooner or later, my prince. You said it yourself. There isn''t much to do against his arrogance. Our chance now lies within our lady Anna''s influence"


    On the night of the next day :


    It was cold. There were echoes of water hitting the unpolished bricks, driving whoever heard it to lose his sanity.


    The light was dim, the torches in the area were few and the moon was washed with clouds. The food was good as poop. That''s if she actually managed to taste whatever she was eating.


    She couldn''t feel safe with the two big tail vermins roaming around like watchkeepers. Their squeaks prevented her from sleeping sometimes.


    Yet, She was grateful that she was alone in her cell, which was the only good thing she experienced. She wasn''t that person who would go along with the criminals anyway.


    "At the very least, I had the rare enjoyment of watching you two fight on that dead cockroach the day before..."


    She talked to the two rats roaming in her place as if they would report back, unbelievably satisfied with that stomach-puking entertainment sight.


    "Well, it''s getting late. Might as well kill my time before that perv comes for my hair again"


    She frowned. She would be grateful if she had a mirror to help her do her hair again. Like how her father does.


    Now she had all the time to think of it. Back at Endora, Her father advised her over and over again to cut her hair short. Too bad she didn''t listen, despite thinking how it was pretty to watch it swing in front of the mirror.


    Suddenly she heard a voice. No, it was some kind of...Whispers.


    Attention swallowed her. She hopped out of her place with focus. It was coming from outside.


    Maybe the guards are talking. If I am lucky I Might as well know what would  become of me


    She hopped off the bed, along the freezingbrick-stoned surface of the cell, towards the cell door. She leaned her ears on the steel door and it was true. There was talking outside.


    Unfortunately for her, the iron door was too thick, it prevented Diana''s lousy curiosity from catching any understandable word.


    However, she recognized three different tones. Three people were talking. Which was strange in a way.


    Mostly, and by default, one or two guards would be plenty to guard a teenage defenceless maid. They had already taken her blade away. So...Who is the third person? Could it be my lady Anna?!


    She still had some seeds of hope that Louis had found a way to get her out. His promise that was full of loving-kindness was the thing that kept her attached together. Holding her from drowning in her own despair.


    However, no matter how she lowered her loud breaths and focused on listening, she didn''t get away with a single clear word.


    She frowned in disappointment, taking her failure with her to her sleeping spot


    "This is pointless. There is no guarantee that my queen will come to save me. Hell, maybe she would agree with Wain. I didn''t consider her opinion when I said yes to the prince. knowing what affairs hiding between me and my Louis may lead her to switch her attitude toward me"


    Crash


    She heeded suddenly


    "Wait...Something just struck the floor just now...from its sound, it seemed it was something heavy"


    Bam


    Another one? what is going on outside?


    Click


    She stood up. Alerted and afraid.


    Someone just inserted the key into the lock and rotated it. That keys can only be held by the guards, which meant it was time to know. Whether Queen Anna succeeded in busting her out, or...else.


    The rusty Iron door opened with a noisy squeak and the bright light emerged from behind the figure that opened the door. Blinding Diana''s eyes for some seconds. Her eyes shifted away naturally from the dazzling. They were adjusted to darkness for far too long.


    So she needed a moment before uncovering the person''s details ahead.


    He looped the keys in circles around his fingers, leaning against the wall and smiling with his humorous cunning smile


    "No matter my mother told everyone that I am a really bad boy"


    Diana''s mouth was shaped into a surprised smile.


    "Louis!"


    She ran towards him, hugging the boy. The memories of the two past horrible days she spent in that shithole, were erased on his sight.


    She gave him a tight hug, ignoring his arm of him that was screaming for breathing.


    He touched her cheeks to warm them up a bit. They were as harsh as rough ice.


    "Told you I won''t leave you. C''mon let''s get you out"


    He stuck her weak body by his clean arm to his body, rubbing her arm gently, inducing the safety again.


    However, one step out of the door, and she discovered what happened to the guards.


    She saw the two on the ground, unconscious with two broken jugs with a lot of expensive wine spilled on the floor.


    "Wait!" She pulled herself away in horror.


    "Did you just kill those two!!?" She pointed at the fallen guards.


    "No, just a sleeping potion in some wine. Now we must hustle, we must leave the canterpool tonight!"


    "Wait what! H-Hold on, I don''t understand. Didn''t my queen..."


    "Failed...we failed. Wain is still delusional by his own ''principles''. Even for my aunt. She used every persuasive trick in her sleeve, she even pressed on by trying to charm him. But he saw through her acting and clung more to his relegation. He said it was for the ''greater good''


    My aunt did not give up and a fight broke out between them"


    "So we are fugitives now?!"


    "Isn''t that better than dead" he stated a fact. Regardless of how it impacted Diana.


    He grabbed the girl''s hand and squeezed it gently.


    "Look, I know it''s hard to take in. But believe me, no matter what happens to you, I won''t let you face it alone"


    She blinked and nodded with a grateful smile. She looked at the guards with sympathy. They were going to tolerate troubles because of her. They don''t deserve this. No one does. She hadn''t ignored that the good guards allowed her to keep the necklace out of goodwill. Is this how she repays them? They don''t deserve this. No one does.


    Suddenly, the ruby necklace unleashed beams of dark lights everywhere. It shone in black.


    "This is bad," said Louis pointing to the necklace.


    Confirming this, the couple sensed footsteps closing on their position.


    "Follow me," said Louis bursting to a run. The girl and the boy ran to the first room that intercepted their way and blocked the door with a box from inside.


    "That should buy us some time"


    They turned around to examine their surroundings.


    The room was very big and had a lot of items, most of them once belonged to the long gone criminals that were previously imprisoned. One of those items was Diana''s dagger. She found it on the spot.


    "Hey, I think I have found my dagger," said Diana with great joy while examining it.


    "and I have found our way out," said Louis pointing to an open window 3 meters high above his head.


    "How about we take the stairs instead?" Diana said, refusing to share the same opinion of Louis.


    He opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted...


    "SOUND THE ALARM, THE MAID HAD ESCAPED!" said a shouting man outside.


    "Great, they found out about the sleeping guards earlier than expected, we don''t have much time now," said Louis nervously.


    "Lend me a hand, I have an idea" Louis said


    The boy and girl jumped into action; it took some minutes before they made a mountain of boxes stashed they can organize to reach the window.


    Louis climbed up, deciding to take the first look at the window view.


    What he saw, made him think twice about how he will explain that to Diana.


    Louis turned his gaze to Diana. "I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"


    Diana stared with an eyebrow.


    Louis was awkwardly put. "The good news first then...The window is overviewing a narrow lane that leads to the main street which is full of markets and crowds of people, once we reach there our escape at this point will be much easier and we will disappear within the crowds"


    "And let me guess the bad news, we are very high?"


    "Yep, Do you have a rope by chance?"


    "I mean, we can search the room for one in all those stuff"


    "We don''t have time," he said, trying not to panic. Till his eyes caught something...


    "I have a dangerous option, come take a look"


    Diana climbed until she reached the window, and it was true. She saw the terrible view through the window that was 20 meters high above the ground.


    Diana wasn''t exactly surprised, she knew she climbed up many stairs to her cell. So it was expected to see such a sight, yet the height was so high that it dazzled her mind for a second.


    "We could jump on that" Louis pointed towards a dark brown tent with a lonely female merchant trying to sell any of her goods.


    The tent was just beneath their nose. From their point of view, It was a brown dot on the sidewalk.


    "What! No way in hell we are going-"


    Click...


    "Someone blocked the door of the storage room. They are here! Break that door this instance!!"


    The sound of the Alerting guards sent the creeps under their skins. Soon after, the door began to receive hulking knocks and bangs.


    "If you want to say hi, be my guest. Or trust me to flush us out of this"


    "You mad!? This is suicide! What if we missed the jump?!" said Diana nervously


    "You already know the answer to that, and let''s face it. If those men tore down that door, we will still be Dead, but only in the ugliest and more humiliated way"


    Diana''s heart''s sound could be heard, echoing in her eardrums. She never tolerated the sight of high places, not to mention jumping from them.


    "Just hold my hands, that should make sure we fall in the same way down," Louis said, unsurely about his own advice.


    The boy extended his hands and Diana took it. Ready to make the risky leap.


    She wished if the banging on the door would halt for a minute just enough to organize her screaming thoughts.


    She stared at the long way below. She had to face her fears. Her father always warned her about the day when she wouldn''t have the comfort of evading her worries as usual rather than facing them.


    That day had come.


    She gasped, feeling her breathing quickened. All the air around her thickened and it became unbearable.


    Her final thought was if they failed or one of them hesitated to jump, They would pay their lives as a cost for their wrong decision and they wouldn''t live long enough to regret it.


    The door broke open. For the guards to see the last moment of the couple as they leapt downward...


    ...vanishing to the unknown...

 Chapter 10: A Farewell

    Like meteorites. Under the mercy of gravity and a nitch of faith. They cut through the space downward causing the air to fill their mouth and pinching their eyelashes. Seeing the land coming closer, she closed her eyes and sighed in fear. Even if she was to die, she didn''t want to see it coming.


    For a part of the second, They felt the silky cover of the vast tent ramming their bodies like two spears charging at a leather armour. They crashed causing a complete annihilation of the composure of the tent under their own weights.


    All the goods and clothes fell on the streets and in front of the merchant who had a wide opened jaws that were covered by her hands. Seeing all her handmade work licking the flat road just like that.


    People were given a good fright at the moment of collision, causing some to panic and others followed through the curiosity, thus a crowd gathered around the tent.


    The couple was traumatized by the impact. Both of them moaned badly, but Louis endured more of the huge unimaginable pain that struck the prince in his arm. It was a bad move.


    Yet, The truth of feeling the pain and enduring it , pointed out that the plan had worked.


    They made it out alive.


    The female merchant tried to gather her fallen mouth and stood there shocked at the viewed impact and destruction. Ignoring the pain of the fall and the looks on the people''s faces, they pressed on over their dizziness and burst into another run to the main street. Louis had that urge to return back and request forgiveness from the merchant. But he scratched the idea quickly off his mind.


    "Wait, the people. Won''t the locals recognize you!?" Diana halted him for a second as she recalled who she was truly running with.


    "Don''t worry about it. Only a handful know my relativity to the royal family. I am not that public figure anyway" he answered in his exhausted voice


    They dived between the crowds, pushing left and right through the forest of the people walking by. They could hear the guards cutting beside them, yet without noticing them. They were running at every corner, asking about the girl everywhere, trying to spot her face from the swarm of buyers and sellers in that large-scale market. It was a maze for the guards and a good cover for the couple.


    Luckily, their consumed legs managed to get them far enough to a back alley, giving them some rare moments for their lungs to take a rest.


    "I think we lost them. What now?" Diana halted. Still breathing fast from all that running. She wanted to know where all her depleting breaths would lead in the end.


    "There is a caravan leaving from the capital to a far town, that is our way of the capital" answered the prince.


    After running for more time between the crowds evading stray guards at every corner, and withstanding the tremendous amount of exhaustion and tiredness. They finally reached the caravan behind the old alley.


    Basically, the caravan was consisting of 2 Flat cargo carts with 2 horses each and 4 men guarding them with keen eyes. Those men who were waiting in patience spotted the couple running in a hurry and they approached as to welcome them.


    "Jeez, you too. Take a breath or you gonna choke yourself "One of the merchants stood forward giving the two some water. They both dived the liquid into their systems. The water was so sweet in their mouth as It cooled their burning bodies a bit.


    They gasped a deep breath after the refreshing drink. "Glad you got the message, men. What is the situation?" Louis began.


    "We are ready, my prince, awaiting your command," said one of the men excitedly.


    From the way they were talking, Diana noticed that they were mere merchants, and they were not from the residents of the capital either. Their clothes and figures simply describe them. They had that funny accent of farmers with tough skins and solid faces. They weren''t any special in any way, just some folks from a farmland nearby.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "On the cart, hurry!" Said another. They instructed Diana and Louis to stay still and not resist...


    ...Soon enough, Diana saw what she shouldn''t be resisting. She saw it as a large pile at the corner. Her eyes sparked with the past. And within the past...There was...


    "More hay, of course, It had to be hay". She smirked with tired low eyes.


    "Beggers are not choosers, Hon". He said while jumping beside her on the same cart.


    With them in a sleeping body state, the faithful men buried them below the yellow fodder.


    The hay was crazy sturdy and had a huge weight over her chest unlike how the eye judged from the first sight. She questioned in herself whether that was the hay or the horse that was on top of her.


    Once everything was settled , the two carts began to move, fast but calm, so it didn''t raise suspicions.


    Time was limitless in those natural coffins. The journey was unbearable as the hay began to harden their breathing, and it began to uncontrollably enter their clothes. Pinching them, making them feel uncomfortable in the cargo, her lungs were about to be crushed under the collective mash over her chest. All of this while staring at the complete pitch-blackness.


    Some time passed. No one knew exactly how much. But it was enough for Diana''s body to begin to panic due to low oxygen. Despite how Louis tried to calm her down. Her body had enough of being buried alive and to make it even worse, the reference to the past had been fully refreshed.


    So in a spontaneous reaction, she made a sudden move and managed to push most of the pile of hay above her and Louis to the ground


    Both of them gasped and coughed. They could breathe fresh air again.


    They flicked their eyes at their surrounding. Diana''s hand stood in front of her eyes. Shielding her from the relaxing light of the full moon guarding the clouds and the sky full of stars again.


    She looked around to see that they were still moving. They were on a road of flat terrain. There were no buildings and no people. There was only the quietness and peace of nature.


    "W-We made it," she said, struggling to believe what she had been through.


    Louis spits a straw out of his mouth. "Yeah, well let us not try this again" he chuckles.


    "Quite the rush, ha Lads?" One of the drivers said.


    Diana smiled


    "Yea, Thanks to you good men, we owe you our lives"


    He poked his strange smile back. "No problem, young lad. But if you feel yourself in debt, you probably should deliver it to our lady. It appears that our queen does have a reserved room in her heart for you"


    She stiffened back when she heard the name. She looked at Louis with query. "Q-queen Ana? Wait, weren''t you the one who brought the men?"


    "Nah, it was my aunt. The whole plan was her design. Though that jump was an improvised action of mine"


    She glimpsed.


    "Louis, Does she..."


    "Yes, she knows. I told her everything about us" he said with a planked face while staring at her.


    "And her reaction?" Diana asked.


    The boy blinked. He put his hand in his shirt and pulled a rolled paper, handing it to her.


    "What''s that?" She pointed.


    "Your answer" he stated.


    She stared at the rolled paper, noticing the royal seal on it. It was a message for her.


    She shared a sceptical look with Louis. Only to meet a serious face and lost depressed eyes. His face changed upon the subject of the queen.


    "You ok?" She sensed his sadness.


    "Just read it, and you will understand"


    She looked at the sealed letter before her finger got a hold of the solid reddish wax.


    Tick


    She broke the blood-coloured seal into halves, still gazing momentarily at him before her eyes began flickering while reading.


    ~~


    My dear, this is your mother-in-law.


    Please, before I begin I want you to know that I am not mad at you. Not even in the slightest, I should have predicted such chemistry after the day you went on with that visit.


    I say this because my nephew here told me how he confessed his love to you. I was surprised at first. But I would never hope for a better bride to him than you, my loyal girl.


    Please forgive my handwriting. I have a bad habit of not controlling myself at farewell moments.


    For you, my devoted servant was my light that dug through that darkness that succumbed to me for many years, since my two sons and husband''s tragedy.


    My men here will escort you and your future husband to a town called Zenda. Where from there you should get back to your Town and stay low for a couple of months.


    In the end, I wished you would forgive me, for I couldn''t protect you from that lunatic on the throne. If I could see you now, I would hug you goodbye in person. But given the circumstances, you will have to do with my blessings for now.


    I love you and miss you already.


    Yours, Queen Ana


    ~~~


    She closed the letter. She was taken aback by what she read. She didn''t feel herself hugging the paper.


    Then something snapped in her brain.


    "Wait, she called herself mother-in-law, does that mean...!?" she looked at Louis, seeking a reaction to confirm her curious suspicions...


    But Louis didn''t meet her gaze, he just kept his head fixed on his foot. It was the first time he ignored her when she spoke to him.


    "Louis, there is something you aren''t telling me, are you?," she asked with good intentions, not knowing what was laying deep under his petrified reaction.


    "I think it''s time..." He fixed his posture while a line of strong wind messed with his hair..."...to answer your question...For how I got this dagger..."


    He pulled his dagger out of its sheath as it reflected moonlight right back at him, making his dangerous eyes glimmer within as he mustered all the courage he had in him while preparing himself to speak...

 Chapter 11: Unleashed

    Louis speaks


    "5 years ago. Give or take, I don''t quite remember when it did happen but I am sure it was before Wain reached the kingship.


    My family and I were living on the outskirts of a town. A huge one goes by the name Zenda.


    On one normal day, I went to a tavern with a friend. Trying to kill time with some fun away from my strict military father.


    It was morning. People filled the streets as usual. There were smiles and joy everywhere. Despite how my town can be depressing for new visitors because of how poor some parts may appear. But it was my home, and I accepted it as it is.


    All was fine. Then suddenly during our chit-chat, a shouting man rushed through the doors of the Tavern, shouting that the town was under attack.


    Fear struck the attendees in their cores and naturally, they dispersed out of the tavern, and I assumed they went to their homes to check on their families.


    By instinct, I did the same. I rushed off my chair, accidentally smashing my drink to the floor, as I ran towards the Batwing doors.


    I can''t describe it to you. What was the sight that I saw out there. The Town was on fire, with flames that reached the clouds. People were running everywhere as the town center bells erupted in alarm. Helplessly shouting for people to endure a long catastrophic day.


    It was chaos.


    From the info, I managed to get from one of the protectors. I concluded that we were under attack by a large army of bandits who wanted our town''s demise.


    I didn''t know what to do but follow the horde and return home and hope I didn''t lose any of my family to those wretched invaders.


    I ran into streets of blood. Corpses everywhere. It was a war that broke out turning my hometown into an open arena between the bandits and whoever was left of the protector''s garrison.


    I was about to lose my mind about how brutal humans can get, maybe way more than animals. It maybe because I was always shielded behind a life of aristocracy in my aunt''s castle that I never saw the other grisly nature of human beings.


    I could hear the screams of the people crystal clear as they tried purposely to escape their entrapped houses and burn alive in their own homes, where those poor people''s flesh dissolved from above their bones, and the details of their bodies diminished within the yellow sparking flames.


    I saw women crying in bitterness, hugging the corpses of their beloved slaughtered husbands. Stray children everywhere, those who might have been turned into orphans or just waiting for death while walking the bloody endless streets half naked with torn clothes and weeping cheeks.


    The slamming of the melee weapons rang threatening. Telling me where the angel of death was lurking. Alarming me of where the battle was going on between the bandits and the garrison. But random as it is, It was every man and family for themselves where every house was like a castle under attack and the families were its defenders.


    Witnessing and absorbing all of this, hammering down on me. I ran Like a little fox in his torched forest. I was paranoid, that I looked off my back multiple times to see if I was followed.


    I wanted to close my eyes and wake up from this nightmare. I tend to imagine myself on the floor awakening from this mad dream as a result of overdosing myself with alcohol by mistake.


    Despite my self-denial. My brain refused to collapse for a reason. I didn''t know that my mind could endure such... fury...till I was forced to halt by the horrific sight of what I saw.


    I tried to hold my tears while I was breathing fast as I saw most of my neighbors flat on the street, already turned into motionless dead bodies on the dirt. Bleeding in the open sight or already cooked alive inside their wooden homes.


    I held my breath from the scent of the burned flesh and spilt blood. So to scan them for my parents.


    And let me tell you, my love. How I had wished that I was wrong that time of all times, which luckily for me. I was. There wasn''t any sight of my parents among the dead. That very fact filled me with some hope to resume my run.


    After about 10 minutes, I finally reached my house, only to be greeted with 3 dead bodies of strange people just outside my house garden and to see my father, who was and still is a captain in the royal army with his armour wrestling a tall man, sword to a sword.


    I spotted my mother, shielding my sweet innocent sister "Emilia" with her arms from the anarchy outside.


    My father was too consumed in the battle to notice me. I couldn''t blame him though. It was his life on the line so I thought it wasn''t a good idea to distract him with my useless presence.


    On the contrary, when my mom spotted me drawing near, her eyes jumped open. She ran out of the house and closed the door with my sister inside, in spite of her shouts to not leave her alone.


    During her rush, she screamed, "Behind you!"


    And I didn''t even have the time to look behind and I instantly dodged to my right. Call it instinct, or third eye but I was sure I sensed someone''s foul breath tickling the back of my neck. Maybe that''s how the human body reacts to danger. Does it detect the slightest change in the environment when there is threat is so close? Perhaps...


    I felt a cold air sweeping fast near my neck, later on, I realized that that was made by a fully forged sword which was this close to cleaving my head of my body.


    I looked behind to see a man with strange clothes looking down at me with black eyes full of hatred. I was so frightened that my body turned deaf to every command of my brain to flee.


    A kick to my belly did the trick and my body returned from the trauma. but I didn''t feel myself till I was on the ground twisting over my stomach with a moan.


    I looked up as he crept closer to me. I didn''t have anything to defend myself with. I just tried to crawl away, feeling his dooming steps towards me, still staring at his scum face with horror.


    He raised his death tool up high with a chicky smile and landed the blade...


    I gasped knowing what awaited me.


    But nothing happened, all I heard was a bang of iron parts slamming...


    ...I looked through my defending arms to see her, high up like a mountain.


    My mother figure bloomed through my wide eyes, standing tall, with her salvaged sword.


    She deflected the sword with a swing of her own. I had never seen a woman use a blade with this efficiency, lunging at a man twice her build and probably triple her aggression. Yet still managed to push him back somehow.


    She screamed at me to get to the house and to lock myself with my sis inside.


    I looked at her eyes and I saw how warm and glimmering her eyes were. I..I...It gave me a piece of warmth and safety, but it also gave me power.


    A power that I do not possess. To be a man and to be responsible. She was talking to the son not the prince within me. I was supposed to obey her.


    I jumped out of my place and forced my legs to dash towards the house with the fixed goal of reaching the door but the tip of my eyes got a fraction of my father''s situation.


    The bandit was on top of him, facing my father''s chest. Two inches deeper with that pointy blade, and he would surely be the killer of my dad.


    I was fully aware of my mother''s orders to me. But I..I..I...couldn''t just leave my dad to be stabbed in his thorax. You can say I was selfish or an idiot or both. But the truth is, that I just loved my parents. I couldn''t let that thug kill the leader of this family, turning my mother into a widow.


    That''s when I took the folly judgment of breaking my mother''s order.


    I tend to imagine if I just went to the house without hesitation just like how my mother would expect me to do. To hug my little Emilia till the storm passes. Without trying to be a dumbass hero.


    Maybe then, the future could have been less gloomy.


    I stopped at my place, stunned by how the two men were wrestling. My father''s chest was about to welcome the blade. I knew that his arm muscles wouldn''t last long despite his powerful muscle mass body.


    I looked around in a hurry, trying to find anything to help him with..."


    "That''s when you found the dagger..." Diana said


    "It was lying there, hidden from all except for my eyes, resting beside one body of a dead bandit. It was small and It suited me. My fingers touched its soft silky brown hilt, and I imagined myself becoming the knight hero with shining armor that would make his parents proud. As if I held the secret of courage and fortitude within my hands. Never mind that I had never laid a hand on a chicken, let alone killing a bandit.


    I turned around towards my father. Raising my blade with nothing but my good intentions and some pre-good feelings of what would father think of me, saving him at his last breath with just a blade as tall as a kitchen knife.


    I charged.


    "Did you save him?". Diana asked with an excited look.


    "Saved him!? I tripped over and fell within the first steps of my charge!This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I embarrassed myself in front of everyone. The only thing that was hurt was my pride and my face.


    And to make it worse, the third bandit joined the scene.


    He saw me on the ground, like a stray sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Helpless and clumsy. I looked around for my parents to seek help but they were both busy as they were.


    I mentally cursed and swore. I was alone against a man holding a massive curved sword.


    My breaths began to crack. I jumped off my feet, picking up my small weapon with restless hands.


    I forced the expression of a roughened soldier on my face; to hide my true character. The true coward self who was that close to beg for his life. However, at the back of my head. I know there was no help coming and I was about to die. I only had the choice of how it will end. Die fighting or die while my back to the enemy...


    I took another uncalculated manoeuvre and Instead of running to the safety of my house. I charged at the man with another humiliating battle cry.


    He didn''t use his sword on me tho. He toyed with me, and taunted me. I swung while he just kept laughing at my miserable embarrassing attempts. Like a spider playing with his wimpy prey.


    He dodged all of my attacks with his slim body. He sadistically smiled as he enjoyed the tears in my eyes with every failing blow.


    And when he got bored, he tossed me away, using my momentum against me. My face skidded on the flat road, sending pain and blood all over my mouth and skin. I felt the warm fluid exiting my swollen lips.


    I thought that was it. I raised my eyes to his face. He was happy about what he was about to do. As I saw my life ready to be robbed from me. My biggest concern was not how my parents would feel losing me. I was more selfish, as seemingly. I was simply worried that my death would be as painful as my injury...


    Slow and excruciating.


    Then she came...


    My true pride.


    Her.


    She threw a rock as big as a grown man''s fist. It slammed the man''s ear knocking his balance out for a second.


    I gazed with full eyes, as my mother''s sword came to life, charging with the power of a bear and swift as a guillotine.


    She rammed her sword into his. While I was there, lying on the ground, stuned behind her protective body. I looked to where her past foe was. But all I saw was another fresh corpse. I...I couldn''t understand it. How did she kill that man and now wrestle another one as same as hard, Just to protect a fool like me?! The skill that...that...". Louis halted.


    "Louis..." Diana sighed.


    He began to drip tears on his lap. Diana knew that those tears were not normal ones, those which can not be stopped so easily.


    "Hey" she softened her voice as smoothly as she could, she wrapped her arms around his hair and back. Allowing his heavy weighted mourning face to dive into her chest. She didn''t mind his loud cries banging between her lungs.


    She felt a responsibility that wasn''t given to her and she accepted it by her own will.


    "Whatever were you about to say, just say it. Plain or Biased. I don''t care. I will fully listen to it, to the very end. But let that memory consume you no more, my dear"


    She rested her head over him just like how her father would do when she was young. She rubbed his back with her comforting hand, Her hug to Louis was all about ensuring to deliver one direct message.


    Louis couldn''t speak and went crying for a couple of minutes before he ran out of water. Flooding her dress with tears and silencing his heart content between her arms.


    "Better?" She asked, seeing him back away from her crossed arms


    "A...A bit, yeah. Sorry about your dress". his voice cracked a bit, feeling ashamed of himself.


    "Nah, I didn''t like the colour anyway" she chuckled in a playing tone.


    They exchanged a faint smile for a moment while they held hands gently. Diving into the details of her angelic comforting chocolate-brown eyes and her small kissable lips, his mind began to conflict sensations of passion with sorrow.


    "If I just met you earlier..." he sighed.


    "And I am here now. We have time"


    He nodded firmly. Gaining some untouchable support to continue...


    "My mother told me. No, she scolded me for not obeying her directives. Normally, she would pinch my ear and shove me inside the house by force. But with the matter at hand. She ran over her saying again.


    Get to the house


    But I didn''t listen. My stupidity reached its highest level.


    Instead, I did the most reckless thing a child can do.


    I tried to help.


    Again.


    I grabbed that dagger pretending to head to my house. But my true intentions were soon blown away. When I circled around and charged at the man from behind.


    He barely dodged me. Despite how I was that close to actually helping for a change. All I succeeded in was putting the bandit under the pressure of fighting a kid and his mother as a team.


    But I overlooked an important fact during my attack. I didn''t comprehend that by my careless behavior I just compromised my mother''s weakest spot to her enemy.


    Me.


    Realizing that crucial frailty, he immediately abused it. He pushed her exhausted body away with brute force knocking her flat under a tree.


    Then he swung at me and guess what. The sword scratched a big scar over my left shoulder flesh..."


    At that moment, Louis uncovered a part of his clothes, where the injury was still painted perfectly on his shoulder down to his left breast. Diana put her hands on her mouth, unable to express her shock at how the scar was immense and stretched across his body.


    "The sword got to me, giving my mother the scream that declared the beginning of the end


    As I fell to the ground crying like the spoiled brat I am. He noticed my weakness and tough situation and he took it upon himself to finish what he started.


    At that time, I began to reap the results of my own failure and just accepted death rather than resisting it.


    But death never touched me.


    My mother intervened. For the last time in that battle.


    She charged at the man and he sensed her coming. He turned around to deflect the deadly blow of her sword.


    I noticed that the man had burned some sweat. But my mother reached beyond her limits far ago from where the original battle had started. After all, I forced a second opponent into her.


    He overwhelmed her, pushing her back...


    That''s. . .


    (Louis eyed Diana with red eyes and quivering lips, warning of what was coming next )


    She tripped. My...My mom tripped over my fallen body on the floor and fell...


    ...and the...the...the sword...it followed her.


    I...I swear I still picture the sword sinking between her ribs. I still remember that gasp that pierced my ear and heart. She turned her face to me, and a tear fell from her left eye. That drop of water silently condemned me.


    Why didn''t you just run away, as I said?


    And he...HE WAS JUST... SMILING!


    That sight. It broke something inside me. A chain. That bound me. The true resemblances of madness and insanity. A thing that my mother''s presence and kindness kept it hibernating all these past years.


    It goes by several meanings...A pressure. A Revenge. A Monstrosity. I don''t know the title but on that day, I experienced the feelings.


    I lost control over my body and my sanity


    I screamed loudly. Very loud that the man''s attention was drawn to me.


    He was about to pull his blade, to try to shut me up with it. Yet, another two hands grabbed his own fingers over his sword''s hilt, towards her body.


    My mother...


    She did one last favour for me. She immobilized him. I knew that the poor woman endured a gigantic pain in her chest. Yet, somehow she gave me something even in her presumed last moment, even when she was dying.


    A window.


    I looked at my dagger. It talked to me. Ravaging and corrupting me inside. Sweetly, turning me into a monster.


    The bandit futilely resisted my mother''s grip as he saw me raising with my dagger in my hands. I enjoyed the panicking look in his eyes while his hands were handicapped to his victim.


    He saw it in my black eye cores.


    His end. He saw his own twisted soul reflecting and unwinding over me.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    And I jabbed him...right in the middle of his neck...


    I felt his thick blood pouring out of his throat like a fountain...


    He wanted to scream but no words came out, only more blood was spit out...


    It was a phenomenal sight. A sadistic need fulfilled joyfully!


    I pulled and pierced it again in his chest...


    His failed shouts became a melody to my ears. It just unleashed the devil within me...


    I sensed his heart shriek under the tip of my blade...


    I pulled then did it again...and again...and again...and again...


    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,...


    I lost count of the stabs... as long as he was in pain, I didn''t give a shit.


    I didn''t stop...


    I didn''t want it to stop!


    I enjoyed his suffering and I want to prolong it forever!


    Even after he fell down by my blade, the hurricane of madness within me pushed me beyond the borders of common sense and logic. His body had already surrendered decades ago but I wasn''t sated...I never intended to be...


    My arms complained from exhaustion but even as it was. I DIDN''T STOP STABBING..."


    "Louis!"


    Diana shouted


    While he was ignited with his thoughts of his revenge achieved, his attention was suddenly drawn towards Diana, who appeared to be frightened. He quickly regained his senses and looked at her with concern.


    "S-Sorry, You told me to spill it out and so I did. I murdered that man. Diana. I kept stabbings  over 50 times till my clothes color changed.  The only one who managed to stop me was my father. He rushed and stopped me with his arms, hugging me back to my sanity.


    And he survived the encounter on his own.


    My mother was alright about what she said, he didn''t need my help. And even if he did, I pushed even more anarchy to our family over the main problem and caused my mother to be stabbed"


    He looked at Diana with strong eyes " Now. Can you still love me after knowing what I can unleash just to protect those whom I love?"


    He confronted her. Testing her metal. Slightly shy of the way he was asking her and afraid of what the answer may uncover.


    "Yes"


    "Yes, what?"


    "Yes, I would still love you my kind prince, the same person that I am sure he accepted me when he first saw me. I won''t judge you based on an accident in the past, my dear. I accept you with all of your cons. It is one of the basic principles of love, right?  If your mother was with us, wouldn''t she agree?


    He stared while she hugged him again. Resting her chin over his shoulder. Sticking her body to his. Warming his heart with her breaths that tickled his ears.


    "Thank you for listening,". He smiled widely. Circling his arms around her, he felt himself succumbing back to peace, back to his normal self. The angered demon of the past that possessed him retreated slowly as it faded away in thin air.


    "And Louis...


    "Yea?"


    "It wasn''t your fault, just forgive the past, I am sure you didn''t mean what happened to your ma"


    "You mean my mother? Oh, don''t worry. She survived"


    "Wait, What!" She rejoiced. "But you said, she was stabbed between her ribs!"


    "Correct, I share your amazement. My father had the same reaction. It was a miracle that I didn''t deserve. After the battle, doctors predicted that she lost one of her lungs, but she outlived that day by several years"


    "Then why all of this mourning?!"


    "Simple, When my aunt wrote this letter, I read it before you did then I closed properly afterward. I realized she tried to be the mother that my father failed to replace. I miss her, Diana. Mother passed away a year ago in her bed. They said it was a sudden death at night. I didn''t want her to leave me with my strict harsh father, I hadn''t had the chance to kiss her goodbye at least"


    A tear fell from his eye as she swept it quickly off his face


    "The fact was, she was just happy that I was okay. She never talked about what I did nor she ever blamed me for anything that happened on that day. She just kept producing her own unconditional love as she normally did.


    Nothing of which my father presented to me in real life actually. That''s one of the many reasons why I take every opportunity to visit my aunt to escape my father''s rough disciplined life. I know he wanted to make a man out of me but he totally forgot that I also need someone to give me what my mother would give, which is...."


    "Pure Love". She ended his talk. "Is that why you shared that memory with me because I resembled her?"


    "Quite right, darling". He nodded with a caring smile. "I shared my story with you. Because I saw part of her passed soul reflecting on you. When you took away that poison from the verge of my lips and when you killed that monster in the forest. I sensed my mother in you with her same energy and emotion. Don''t get me wrong, I still adore your soul. but I just wanted to point out how you two are similar. Both of you love me"


    She smiled. Shy as she was. She felt so precious to her young man, to trust her with that bulking secret.


    "And Zenda?" she exclaimed about how the town''s fate was sealed.


    "Well, we may have passed this nightmare together without a single tragedy in our house. But the town took the full punch.


    After the unimaginable fight that took place, half of the population was eradicated. Most of the town was destroyed. However, not a single bandit lived to tell the story. Only we. The survivors witnessed that struggle to the end.


    Good thing we had a family member in high places. Because when my aunt knew about the attack. The former king sent a whole battalion to guard the town area, and ensure it was rebuilt stronger and powerfully than before. " he sighed finishing his past story


    "May their soul rest in peace, my Louis" she ended with a sad smile.

 Chapter 12: A Pioneer brother

    Time passed on their way to Zenda as the two cargo proceeded onwards, according to the road of the journey just as the same as they planned.


    The road, however, had to continue through open fields of crops of wheat, in a teasing unpaved way in the middle of vast farmlands surrounding both sides


    The head of the men raised his hand, ordering a full stop to the convoy. Scanning ahead.


    "Hey, why did we stop?!" Louis complained.


    "I sense danger, my young sire. This territory belongs to the Pioneers"


    "What!". Louis''s hair went straight up, he took the warning seriously.


    "Slow down, dear". then she faced the man. "Sir, could you elaborate more on who those pioneers folks are?". Diana was interested to know more.


    The man began.


    "The pioneers are a widespread gang made of poor strong men, along with their families supporting their back, that opposes the central leadership domain of Wain and all the rich below his hand. We believe that the pioneers are who began a class struggle against all the Patricians in the kingdom. They think the rich are responsible for the poverty and corruption in the country, by using their money as a weapon.


    They deemed their very name because they believed they were among the first who could proudly spark the fire of the revolution against the king, leading the angry people to a genociding riot that favours the poor and impends justice over the interest of the top masses. Or that''s what they try to convince the people with.


    "Ok, what does that have to do with us?"


    "They are criminals, miss. Don''t be fooled by their fancy idealistic goals. They kill and assault convoys on any road they control especially those who show a semblance of wealth. In other words, they just need to spot my young prince here, and all of us will be one with the dead"


    Louis swallowed hard.


    "Alright, let''s find another path then!" She suggested the obvious solution.


    "Negative". Another man responded. "Our lady strictly told us to stick to this very road, because that''s where the king patrols will be least threatening. If we turned around now, we would risk ourselves getting caught by his majesty''s men"


    "Very well, we are completely fucked then" Louis protested, overwhelmed by the sophisticated situation.


    "Wait, I have an idea," she said while disembarking.


    "H...Hey, wha...What are you doing!!? and why are you gathering mud?!"


    "A prince is known for his elegant clothes, correct?"


    He felt uneasiness from her look. "Uhm...no, not entirely...why?"


    ______________________________________


    Two hidden Pioneers watching from up the hill Pov:


    "What in the name of the world is that girl doing to that boy?" A man said watching over the convoy


    "Seems she is sticking mud to his clothes, and he is disgusted by it. The youth these days are difficult to understand". Another person by his side responded.


    "I don''t know why but I have that gut feeling they are up for something. Maybe they know we are watching?"


    "Oh, yeah? So what? They don''t seem dangerous in any way and by their looks, they look like deranged common folks passing by"


    "yeah, ma...Hold on, Take a Look again at that blonde girl!" he pointed


    "What? She is cute. is that your point?"


    "No! Her neck, man! That necklace!".He specifically pointed


    Following his friend targeting his index finger, he focused his own eyeballs on the small glassy shape of the ruby around the pretty girl''s short neck.


    "Yes, Yes, I see it. Wait. Are you joking with me, right now?! you want us to ambush 6 decent people for a small necklace around a child''s neck, we may be ruthless but don''t you think that''s a bit extreme?!"


    His friend narrowed his eyes, feeling the words picking at him, trying to awaken an already dead feeling inside.


    "Do I have to remind you that your family slept without food last night? and you spent the whole night mad about it! Where were their affection hearts back then, ha?!"


    One of them dropped his eyes with a sad sigh. "Y-You don''t have to wake up the old dogs, man..."


    "Then stop being soft yourself and follow me, let us report back to the boss!"


    "Report what?" A third male voice caved in, from behind.


    "AH!". Both flicked, as their soul was shaken by the unintentional scare.


    "Alfred, I mean boss, for the love of your wife, man. Who crawls on people like this?!"


    "Hmm. How about a pioneer leader whose men were about to shit their pants a moment ago?"


    The two looked at each other as the embarrassment within the crossed words spiked them. The Second one, however, the one who was scolding his comrade earlier stepped forward with a bowing head. "Sorry, boss. we were to come to you to report the passage of those two carts"


    The leader raised his sight to the horizon, far from the well-hidden spot on the hill to the left of the road, examining the open narrow road between the vast yellow farmlands of wheat. He noticed the two carts with some individuals over them but failed to notice any good in their sight.


    "And?" he trailed, hoping for further catching elaboration.


    "That necklace". One of them pointed out. "It would be worth a fortune!"


    "A fortune for one, Barely. I won''t risk our cover for one piece of jewellery. It won''t be enough for one day''s meal for each of the men. Keep watching. Bolder, report when you have a bigger prize ahead"


    Bolder, the man who expected a better response, was taken aback by the answer. He looked back at his gangmate with a surprising gesture.


    "Told you so"


    "Just shut up your trap, will ya!"


    The leader of the gang shook his head at how immature his men were. Joking around like infants and engaging in their irresponsible quibble-talking.


    He fixed his gaze on the road again, ignoring his men for a while. He scanned the two carts with curious eyes as he noticed how afraid their passengers were.


    He took the pleasure of seeing them steadily crossing his line of sight without noticing him.


    They were a strange bunch but it became even stranger by the time his eye got hold of that girl. For some reason was she was the overly interested person in the whole group...


    That girl...


    She seemed familiar in a way, even with these maiden''s clothes...


    Her face that was laughing at that moment joking around with that dirty boy, reminded him of an outraged long gone passed man in his mind...


    Her golden stray hair glimpses with the help of the light of the moon. which gave her untold beauty...


    That necklace around her neck...


    "Oh god..." his eyes widened, his brain jumped with alertness, and his mind flooded him with all the snapshots of her.


    He realized her identity.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    (Back to the general POV)


    The convoy was on the move again. But running at a slower speed and investing more vigilance of their surroundings.


    "Diana, this is ridiculous. You messed up my uniform!". Louis complained about the thick soil on his clothes.


    "I know. You can fetch some fresh clothes when we reach Zenda. But I can''t buy you another life if you lose your own"


    "And do you think that this visual trick will stop some thugs from attacking us?!"


    "Nope, it will make us less...desirable"


    "Less desirable?! Sniff sniff Holy cow! , I don''t think that''s mud you covered me with!!!"


    She burst into an adorable calm laugh, with her cheeks burning red and her angelic soul triggering the prince to chuckle at his awful figure himself.


    "See, haha, it is already in effect". She looked back with a funny smirk at her boy, who just kept smiling at Diana despite how he looked like a hobo rather than Royalty.


    "Contact!" One of the escorting men shouted, Like a flash of lightning sparking in a clear sky. He forced the convoy to a full stop and induced full attention to their front. Their fears had come true as they saw three large figures descending from the hill with their mounted horses jogging towards them.


    Their riders were dressed in simple clothes and their weapons lay visibly in wait around their loins, waiting for just one mistake to be used.


    The leader of the convoy began talking.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "We...We don''t seek trouble, good pioneers. we are just trav-"


    "Ah Shut up. Old stinky man, your voice is giving me a headache already". One of the three interrupted with a heavy broken language, while the other two had fixed eyes on Diana.


    "A bit clunky road to use, don''t you agree, blonde fella" his eyes hopped towards Diana.


    "Do you know those guys!?" Louis asked.


    She shook her head, with worrying eyes.


    "Oh, but the Boss knows you very well". His voice came like the sound of a serial killer.


    He continued. "How about this? We make a deal. We take the girl so you can move on. Easy like that. Resist and we will water the field with your blood and will still take the girl alive"


    The group was taken aback by the threat. Diana looked with the edge of her eyes as Louis hand''s reached for his dagger.


    "Oh, yeah?! You and what army?" Louis responded with no idea what reaction those few clich¨¦d words would cause.


    The three pioneers exchanged looks and burst into screaming laughs, mocking the prince.


    Louis blinked. "Wow, I didn''t know I was a natural comedian, finally someone discovered me" he smiled, and his lips went up, turning the seriousness of the atmosphere into a funny nudge and joking contest.


    Suddenly a tall sharp object slowly marched between Diana and Louis in the back cart.


    Leading Diana to gasp in shock while a huge blade slowly separates between them and takes an arm''s shape of the letter V around Louis''s neck, with breaths of another person pricked over Louis''s skin.


    "If I were you I would tone it down, alright?". A very deep and hollow voice groaned from Louis''s back.


    "Ahem, My bad". Louis''s hands went up with all of his sarcastic talks fading instantly. He saw that a fight was not an option so he pulled his finger off his dagger and lifted his hands up in surrender. Reconsidering his behaviour, he tilted his head to look at his ambushing opposing side.


    "Eyes front, both of you". The pioneer warned of making a face reveal for the two of them


    Diana obeyed, just the same time as she heard a noise rising to her left. Diana looked to her side to see them flushing out of the fields. Like scarecrows made for humans.


    They all took advantage of the murky darkness that hid them from the moonlight, their huge numbers terrorized the group and their skinny figures that came like ghosts of the dead gave a revolting sense of danger surrounding them in all directions.


    She tried to keep calm despite the intense environment, engaging in a talk with the Pioneer behind her.


    "W...Why, Why are you doing this? Don''t you want justice? Is that how you pursue it? by causing more harm?!" She demanded an explanation while avoiding the gaze of the pioneer just as how he told her.


    No responses were given.


    "How about you take me instead?" Louis suggested.


    "Louis!" Diana breathed out. Taken back by his sudden irrational talk.


    "Oh, and what significant importance would a dirty small youth like you would serve us? And most importantly why are you willing to sacrifice yourself for this specific girl?"


    "Because the king personally is after me, Sir. I am a prince, my name''s Louis, who besides my exchange love to my girl here, I am from royal blood which logically means that I am worth way more than her, given the right kidnappers..."


    The pioneer paused for a while. "Is that right, are you in love with that boy?" The pioneer talked to Diana.


    Before delivering an answer, She looked at the multiple men watching the whole scene. Talking about all these private matters in the open public, to some road intercepting thugs, made Diana''s lips quiver with shyness, feeling so many piercing eyes watching her. She wanted badly to just punch Louis for this unnecessary talk.


    "So?"


    She pushed the words of her dry throat. "Y-Yes, sir. We are in love and we are on the run from the king. We were going to Zenda. A town not far from here; to seek shelter"


    He listened without giving a reaction and just turned to the prince again.


    "And what verify me that you weren''t kidnapping this child with the help of those men?". His talk was full of dangerous but straight charges


    Louis''s eyes narrowed. "Hold on, Is that why you attacked us?". The prince jumped to a quick conclusion.


    "That''s not an answer, Boy". The sword was tightened around Louis''s neck even more, giving the feeling of the sharp edge of the sword very close to cutting the artery of his neck.


    "Alright, Alright. Here...". His hand dived into his pocket and brought the letter from Queen Ana up in the air.


    The leader gestures to another pioneer to come and take it from Louis''s hands. For him to immediately notice the Broken royal seal.


    "Read it". The leader ordered his man.


    Moments passed, as the lower-rank pioneer silently read the content of the paper with his eyes.


    "Boss, He is speaking the truth. Those two are co-"


    "What!!" The leader shouted. "Damn it, Diana! You have a disgusting flavour when it comes to men". The man frowned and shook his head in disappointment as he backed the sword away from Louis''s neck, oddly breaking him free.


    The couple''s ears listened to the same thing and had the same reaction as they looked at each other in stunning disbelief.


    Diana heeded in alarm, slightly leaning her head a bit to the left, but still avoiding eye contact. "Do...Do you know me, sir?"


    "More than anyone here" he smiled.


    The girl''s heart bumped hard. She didn''t expect anyone familiar with this region far away from the palace. She rotated her body slowly, as she swallowed hard, hoping to see a friendly face at best.


    Her eyes punched the darkness, to see the man''s details in the mirror of the moonlight...


    ...and she recognized him at once.


    "N...No...No, you...That''s impossible" she stuttered as all her fears were quickly replaced by a shock, beholding a tall strong man, with only one right arm holding a sword as the size of his body but thinner. His face is full of scars and bruises, with his short brown hair and small beard, and his black void eyes. Along with massive terrifying features and body


    He instils the sword tip into the ground, leaving it stuck to the soil, freeing his arm from the blade for a moment.


    "Hey, my niece". He smiled.


    "U...Uncle Alfred!".She realized that the Pioneer was none other than Alfred. The man was her father''s younger brother who was presumed dead 10 years ago.


    She couldn''t control the tears engulfing her eyes and emotions washing over her as she lunged at the pioneer with both arms, hugging him tightly while crying out audibly.


    "I missed you too". Alfred smiled with a sigh. As he wrapped his arm around his precious girl''s hair.


    The surrounding pioneers had a mixed feeling of happiness and contentment. In a flashback, He already told them who she was before starting the attack. It was supposed to be a rescue operation.


    The men of the convey couldn''t help but feel safety and security returning again. The danger was gone and their enemies turned to be distant allies.


    Louis, however, had a wide open mouth while gazing at Alfred and Diana.


    "Wait, Your uncle is a Pioneer ?!"


    "Is that a problem to you, charming boy?". Alfred raised his head a bit from Diana''s shoulder, lifting a creepy but sharp eyebrow at the Prince in hand.


    "Uhm, Well. Given the fact that you were about to slit my throat earlier..."


    "and let you use that knife lined within your shirt on my men? Not a chance"


    "I was trying to protect her from...". Louis hesitated to continue this talk, It was both pointless and useless. "Nevermind". Louis stated, there was no need to talk now.


    "Actually, I do. This is a very dangerous road, I am not leaving your small convey to march on this dangerous road alone. I am coming along"


    The past word inspired something within Diana, that made her step back from her uncle''s caged hug.


    "You...You are coming with us?"


    "yep, Good thing I was leading this group of men or you would be in irredeemable trouble. I can''t risk leaving you two dorks travelling in the middle of the night through the pioneer''s territory without protection. NO OFFENSE MEN". He shouted the last line.


    "None was taken. We could use every pair of hands".One of them responded.


    Blindly.


    The fact he had one, not a pair spiked the pioneer a bit, but he showed no hard feelings about it. He wasn''t the type who would easily feel sorry for himself. A character trait that Diana knew quite well about her formidable uncle.


    "You will have to do with one for now". He chuckled with fun while showing his healthy arm to the men.


    The girl nodded and smiled at her new family member, who appeared out of nowhere and at the right moment. His appearance was like water in the middle of the desert not only it gave her hope that she may return home and see her father again but she also has a piece of wonderful news to bring for her father. She couldn''t wait to reach Endora and watch her father''s reaction to it.


    The pioneers were dispersed and Alfred appointed another temporary leader until he returns.


    Not liking the idea of him joining the journey, Louis was kind of jealous of the sudden concern for Diana with her Pioneer uncle. He couldn''t bring himself to trust the one-arm man, not after showing a rather dreadful first impression and being this close to murdering him next to Diana.


    Nonetheless, he was delighted with Diana''s peace of mind whenever she was beside Alfred. His love for her prevents his ego from selfishly intervening between the two, so he just gives them their space.


    During the journey


    "Uncle", she said while resting her ear on his high shoulder. "Now that I have you back. Can you tell me why did you disappear when I was 8 years old? We found your sword next to the carcass of a dead bear and we assumed the worst. What did really happen?" Diana exclaimed. still gradually consuming the thought that her uncle is safe and sound.


    "Wow chill with that investigative attitude. I want to know more about you instead".He twisted her question to another inquiry of his own.


    Diana Blinked and adjusted her posture. She doubted he would believe her anyway, so consequently, she narrated everything from Chapter One till now.


    "So you are wanted by the king himself, hehe. Stand in the line. Well...my story is less adventurous than yours. You see, your father and I had a very wealthy mother until..."


    "...She died of a heart attack, yes, my father told me". Diana sadly completed his sentence.


    "But your father didn''t tell you what happened afterwards. After our unanticipated mother''s death, we discovered that our ma didn''t leave a will or any document to declare how should her wealth heritage be distributed between the two of us. So according to the law declared by your mad tyrannical king, the older brother has the right to take the bigger cut. (2:1 cut)


    I refused to accept that...


    So your father and I fought many times on it,'' till one fateful night, I packed everything and all of my money and left the house leaving a note for your father. Its bottom line is to consider me dead until he decides to share the cut 50-50 and told him where I was going just in case his conscience was still respiring.


    However, I later discovered that your father never gave a shit about me anyway as that was our last communication between us"


    Alfred explained what happened, but of course, biased by his own point of view. One can notice easily the anger and sadness in his voice while he speaks


    Diana, on the other hand, had a lot to say. But not before receiving an answer to another important question on her sleeve...


    "A-And your arm?" asked Diana. Unsure if she really wants to know the answer to her question.


    "When I began my travel, I intended to cross the border, to a nearby Town through a road in a forest. But for how nature is treacherous, and how lonely I were. I was ambushed by a wild beast on my way...a big black bear to be precise"


    I didn''t notice his eyes spotting me in the woods and then the next thing I saw was, a big fur ball the size of 10 men charging at me on its four legs. Even though I don''t remember the battle accurately, I, however, didn''t face a challenging battle similar to this ever again.


    "I remember his claw drawing scars on my face and his saliva-filled fangs digging holes in my left arm. That said, I eventually managed to stab it in its abdomen and put an end to its life.


    Unfortunately, my body was too weak to carry my heavy sword, and I left it at the same spot where the battle occurred, beside the corpse of the bear. Maybe that''s why the people of your village assumed that the bear killed me, excuse me but I didn''t care about that back then.


    I bandaged my arm with scraps of my torn shirt as I pressed beyond my physically destroyed body and my shaking legs.


    Till I finally reached the destinated Town. Where I had collapsed at its gates.


    The healer who barely saved me told me that my arm was gravely injured and infected to be healed or bandaged and it had to be amputated as a small price to continue living.


    All of this happened because of your greedy father"


    Now he mentioned it again, Diana was triggered by what he was saying about her Dad for a while now.


    This man had to be stopped.


    "Listen to me very carefully Uncle Alfred, my father cried for days and even weeks for your disappearance. He didn''t believe that you died because they never found a corpse...


    ...How you could even think about your brother like that? He probably would give all his share just to figure out where have you gone..." said Diana in a harsh tone, her way of speaking was so aggressive that she had forgotten that she no longer was talking in a polite manner to her 40-year-old uncle.


    Her happy features were long gone and her eyes were blinking with distrust, that man now isn''t the same person she knew back then. He changed and not for the best.


    He smirked. "Not surprised that you are defending him, I would have worried otherwise. Yet I don''t believe you. I am taking you back to that town then we are done. I am returning to my people and you can tell your father that I am still breathing. But also don''t forget to tell him that from where I am looking at it. He is dead to me"


    Despite Alfred''s hurting talk and his harsh words that were like nails coming from his mouth. He was amazingly calm with an astonishing ability to shake the core of his foe without him putting any effort into it.


    Feeling her blood boiling because of her uncle''s unjustifiable acts, she opened her lips to speak.


    ". . . . . . . ."


    But nothing came out. Her dropped head showed disappointment and sadness.


    It''s not that she didn''t know the right words. It was the unfortunate past that converted her words into a big knife slicing at an already closed wound filled with infection of hatred and sewed badly by the movement of time and lack of justice.


    With consideration that she can not open such a wound without making it bleed more, she let the tense atmosphere disperse with her silence, surrendering to the fact that her uncle will always have a grudge against her father because of the curse that her grandma had left behind.


    Money. The source of all evils.


    The journey continued peacefully without further incident until they reached Zenda...

 Chapter 13: Friend of the law

    As they drew near the Town, the couple and Alfred disembarked, they could see the mighty 30 feet wall of Zenda standing tall on their left side.


    The men of the queen had accomplished their orders and turned around to return to the canterpool. Happy that they didn''t lose their heads during their successful escorting mission.


    The couple with Alfred continued on foot for a while, stretching their arms and leg now and then. They could feel the chilling stray wind of midnight twigging at them, encouraging them to stick to each other to protect themselves from the cold air.


    The tiredness and exhaustion had begun taking effect on Diana and Louis. Their exchanged yawns were signals for them to hurry up inside the town. That''s when it came to Diana.


    "Say, speaking of Zenda. How did the bandits overcome these high walls?" She asked with her intelligent face looking at Louis.


    "They didn''t. These walls weren''t there to protect us when that jinxed day came. It was exactly the opposite. After the battle ended, the former king knew about the incident and he acted willingly to build these walls, and that''s why the citizens of Zenda always remembered him with gratitude and good mention whenever his name pops up in a subject"


    "Wow, see uncle, not all the_"


    "Hold on" He cut her off with his arm. "Do you know those two?" He said while pointing at two soldiers guarding the gate.


    Louis''s eyes narrowed. He gazed as he saw the symbolic armor of the soldier.


    Alfred motioned for them to stay low as he noticed the soldiers closely "I think the three of us know who that iron suit belongs to, right?". Alfred put down his premise.


    The couple nodded while Louis cursed his luck. Wain was looking for them inside Zenda.


    "Come on, you rigid king. Can''t you just let it go and move on!". Louis complained, clutching his lips.


    "We need to leave you two before we are spotted," said Alfred


    "No way, my father and my sister are there and I''m afraid that soldiers will interrogate them to get to us. My father is a tough man, but my innocent little sister won''t stand 5 minutes in their seamy hands"


    "Well, I don''t care a niche about that! I don''t know what did you get yourself into, prince. But you won''t involve my niece further in this!"


    He turned towards Diana. "Grab yourself, we are heading towards Endora, NOW"


    "Then go alone". She grabbed Louis''s hand tightly, violating her uncle''s order. "I didn''t ask for your help nor your custody, Uncle. Because, unlike your attitude towards my father, my love for my Louis is true, I won''t let go of the man who risked everything for me..."


    "Diana..." Louis trailed.


    "No, I won''t..." she insisted with a torn voice.


    "Honey, you are crushing my hand"


    "I.., Oh sorry". she let go


    The pioneer blinked multiple times with a straight line mouth at the two, waiting for this farce to stop.


    "Listen, sir." Louis cleared his throat picking a step forward toward Alfred, putting his taller body in front of Diana, neglecting the surprised look on her face while his gaze headed up towards the pioneer.


    "What Diana was trying to say is that we already chose this path the moment we admitted our love to each other in the palace. But now, with my family entangled in this mess, I can not just ditch them in the dark like that..."


    He continued. "I understand you are worried about us (or rather her only...he thought) but I can take care of my future wife just the same as you"


    Louis knew he was slightly exaggerating in his speech. He may be cunning and have good hunting skills but in hand-to-hand combat, his physical body score is so close to null. But Diana''s trust in him was already deeply planted to question him.


    The pioneer was silent. Alfred heard every word with a patient and good listening ear. He saw a strange bond forming between the two, Collaborating to take him out. Like if he was the black sheep or a plague that possessed danger.


    "Alright".He pointed his index towards Louis''s chest as each word came banging hard. As he approached the prince eye to eye.


    His pulverizing posture was cold as a winter, his expressions were hard enough to make you piss yourself out of fear, telling you that the pioneer coming words shouldn''t be taken lightly


    "I will go with your stunt, boy. But mark my word, if your ''wife'' got killed there and you fail to protect her and level up to your bold talk. I will personally slit your throat and throw your corpse at the doorsteps of your family''s house, Do I make myself clear?!".


    Diana''s heart skipped multiple beats. Her eyes extended to the maximum. She was speechless at her uncle''s undeniable cruelty. He just like that threw a death threat in the air like it was a joke. Was there a rock instead of a heart in that man''s chest?! She couldn''t tell.


    "Fair enough" Louis nodded. He was taken by the harsh talk that he bowed his head to the ground. "I won''t be able to live with the guilt anyway..."


    "Good," he nodded with a grin, "Now that you know what''s waiting for you, how do you suggest to do to bypass those two crows?"


    "Follow me," He said bluntly as he bypassed Alfred without further elaboration.


    Holding no other alternative and with dull rolled eyes coming from her uncle, the two followed.


    They walked along the mighty tall walls for several minutes while Louis picked up the speed, making him a bit ahead of the group.


    For most of the walk, she avoided Alfred''s gaze. She became disgusted by his presence and felt sorry for her father to care for such a hard-headed brother.


    She was troubled by his company at this moment as the only thing that prevented her uncle from killing Louis like any other rich person he met in his criminal path, was the fact that she still breathes.


    "Found it!". Louis yelled in accomplishment as he approached a large hole in the ground, covered by numerous small trees to hide it from eyesight.


    He began explaining as he uncovered the spot by removing all of the long branches on top of it. "This is a tunnel passage that goes under the town, the citizens had built it back in the days as a last resort to save the people if the town was lost or surrounded. We can sneak through there...However, it''s pitch black down there, So___" His voice trailed.


    "We will manage," Diana said absolutely, not waiting for her uncle''s opinion to be heard. Louis nodded back, and he descended the tunnel with the help of the small ladder built into there.


    It was a short trip underground but it wasn''t that pleasant. The tunnel was narrow, and Diana- more than once- shoved away the six leg bugs that wanted to stick to her for whatever reason.


    They could feel all the insects down there watching them with great curiosity at who was invading their underpass home, but they also touched something alleviating. The rough wooden bases that supported the tunnel from collapsing blindly guided them through the darkness. It was relatively easy to some extent to follow the wooden path in a linear line, till they spotted a faint light coming from a hatch in the ceiling up ahead.


    "We made it" Louis whispered. He peaked outside as the calm umbrella of the moon flash, blinded him for a moment. His head roamed the surroundings and it didn''t take long to stuff down the seriousness of the situation.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Like an uncontrollable infestation of rats, there were a lot of boots swarming the Town in large numbers to the extent that there was a pair at the end of every street.


    "Hey, Talk to us. What do you see up there?!" Alfred asked while alerting Louis with a pat.


    "Not good, they are everywhere on the roads, and they probably are heading to my house as we speak"


    "Ok, and what do suggest?" Alfred said in a way that is more discouraging than the problem itself, pushing Louis to just surrender and turn around to safety.


    Diana noticed.


    "How about you help for a change, ha?". She attacked Alfred.


    He extended his sole arm in denial of his childish acts. "What did I do now!?"


    "I do have an idea" Louis began. "Zenda is a large town full of slums and it is easy to lose yourself in it if you are a stranger. Luckily, I know the town like the back of my head. but beware, those fellas outside had already realized that by now So take absolute discretion and follow my lead". He warned.


    He carefully led the group out of the tunnel, through small alleys, on rooftops, and behind the back of every soldier stationed within the walls of Zenda.


    Diana was beatific about how the lowest and ghastliest part of the town protected them from the wolves patrolling its fancy streets.


    Alfred, on the other hand, was feeling humiliated, being led by a young couple against his wish on a path that CERTAINLY leads to a trap. The idea of him slapping Diana back to reality -even if he used force-crossed his mind for a moment.


    They climbed over one of the houses where from their position Louis pointed at his house.


    With Perfect timing to see five male guards approaching the front of the house. Four men on horses and one on foot leaving his horse behind. The one on foot by the look of his armor and helmet was the captain and leader of the soldiers all over the Zenda.


    The leader walked hastily toward the door, and he began banging at the door fiercely with his right fist.


    BAM BAM BAM


    "Open it up Liam, I want to speak with you!"


    The name "Liam" rang a bell inside Diana''s head but she was convincing herself that is no way he was the same person, coincidence could happen, right?


    People began to group around the house where the action is happening sharing murmurs and whispers with each other. Some even betrayed by their curiosity crossed the line by getting closer to the house but they were kicked back by the aggressive soldiers surrounding their captain.


    The door opened with a squeak and a man in his 40s came out of his house. He was wearing a white-brownish shirt and had this black silky hair that reached the back of his neck. His tall familiar figure caused Diana to feel a knot in her stomach.


    "Please don''t tell me that this man is your father!" Diana said pointing to the man who opened the door.


    "Yes, he is. Why? Have you both made acquittance before? " Louis exclaimed


    The answer shocked Diana as her notion about the man became regrettably right.


    "That man is the same captain that captured me from my Town, Louis"


    Louis: WHAT!


    Alfred: WHAT!


    Liam''s dismay was visible to all, seeing his fellow comrade along with more than 100 swordsmen in his hometown, with that captain''s despicable gaze at him as if he was looking at the rotten body of an animal and he had those sharp eyebrows staring at him with envy and evil look.


    "Saxon? W-What on earth is going on_"


    "Where is your son!?" The leader interrupted with a harsh straight voice ignoring Liam''s amazement.


    "Why? Did something happen to my son?!" Liam asked.


    "Oh, yes. Typical you! Playing dumb as always!!"


    Before he responded to the mocking. Liam''s face met the knuckles of a strong fist, headed straight to the middle of his face, stimulating blood to flow outside his nose.


    He grabbed his face in pain, feeling his aching nose not in its right place anymore. "What the f_" He tried to speak through his broken altered voice, only for him to meet a sword pointed towards him.


    "Search the house". Captain Saxon ordered. And with his commandment delivered, the soldiers clawed themselves upon the house like thieves over a safe.


    At this moment, Louis was triggered. He couldn''t control himself anymore as his body naturally jumped off from its place to go after the other captain''s head.


    However, Alfred was faster. He was watching his reaction moments ago and he expected that to happen. He jumped over him and nailed him into his place, twisting his arm behind his back while his face was slammed into the ground, making a suspicious bang.


    Diana gasped with both hands on her mouth.


    Alfred approached Louis''s ears. "Don''t be stupid kid, He knows you are watching. Attack now and we will lose our advantage"


    "He is going to kill my family!" Louis said, grinding and crooked.


    "And what makes you think he wouldn''t do the same to you, ha?"


    "AAAAAAAAAHHH". A scream of a small female breached the air and soon after a 10-year-old girl, with black short blonde hair, and dressed in a pink dress was tossed out in the street.


    "Only her, sir. He is not here" Said one of the 4 men who came out of the house with no success.


    Louis''s eyes widen as he recognizes the girl as Emilia, his smaller sister. Her sight made his heart drop leading him to try viciously to break off Alfred''s chaining grasp, but his body was still brutally under the submission of a God-like arm.


    "D-Dad!" She screamed as she ran toward Liam for support. But the captain''s soldiers intercepted her, as her arms stretched in the air for her father, screaming with blue colour tearing eyes.


    Liam tried to go for her, but he was put down by the same sword.


    "Easy captain" Saxon began. "We don''t want us to kill your daughter by mistake, hm? Now, Let''s begin this again, where is Prince Louis?"


    "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW, DAMN IT!!!" Liam shouted.


    "OK, you brought this on yourself". He nodded to 4 soldiers at his right side, as a sign to confirm another order.


    The soldiers charged toward the frightened girl and pinned her down on her belly with her hands behind her back. She screamed for help but none of the people watching the whole thing was willing to open their mouths in objection or try to stop what was happening


    "WH... What are you doing?!" Liam yelled, seeing his child surrounded by 5 Humongous soldiers (The captain is included)


    Saxon walked around while he spoke. "Well, you see. I am a man of principle. The law prohibited any person from killing or physically harming any soldier working for his majesty. But It didn''t specify anything about blackmailing, Did it?"


    "JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT WITH MY SON!!" He shouted.


    "What do you mean by ''what do you with your son'' Haven''t you heard about the bounty on your son''s head!?"


    Liam''s brain lagged. He always thought that none of these publications would ever touch his military noble bloodline for many generations to come and that only the lowest of the lowest of criminals could get himself a price over his head.


    "... What...How..." He Stuttered. "Saxon, there must be a mistake!"


    "Here then". The hostile captain threw a rolled paper that was in his horse pocket, on the ground in front of Liam. "Fetch your eyes and Read loud"


    Liam looked with skepticism at the paper before he caught it to read it.


    "W... Wanted for Conspiracy on the crown. Louis Liam Feverflood. D-Dead for 500 coins... Alive f-for 1000 golden coin". His eyes stared with astonishment and slightly open mouth at the wine-color royal seal printed over the paper.


    There was no Mistake.


    "Happy?! Now, for the last time captain, Where is your-"


    "The Northern Forest, He occasionally camps there for hunting. That''s all I know..." He grabbed the paper and threw it back to Saxon.


    The paper hit Saxon''s chest as Liam stood up tall like a mountain. Right at this point something just snapped inside the bleeding captain. He revealed a dark and monstrous side of himself. The side that struck fear by its mighty and heavy presence neglecting the fact he was outmatched by 100 to 1.


    Liam''s eyes were blazing waves of anger that inflamed so bright that they would engulf all who dared to watch his inhuman figure steam up to action and with his dangerous appearance that effortlessly equals a thousand soldiers combined, he could crush whoever beholds before him.


    "Woah, What a shitty father are you". Saxon smirked. Not affected by the massive presence of Liam as He exerts the same level of power himself.


    Liam''s lips spread into one of his teasing smiles. "How about you listen to me for a change, shall we? As you know, the law does give a captain or any of his majesty''s men a privilege against any suppressor, So Like you said he cannot be harmed ''Physically'' even when committing crimes in the face of humanity. But you missed the presence of another law, Hotshot, which didn''t explain in detail how a captain or any military supervisor should react to such dangers. And So and by other words..."


    Liam threw one of his perfect fists directly at Saxon''s lower jaw, causing his head to be baldy stunned inside his Iron helmet and to be forced a couple of feet back.


    "I can kill you right here, right now, and none shall stop me from it!". Liam ended his talk as he snatched a sword hidden behind the door, pointing it at the oppressor with a threatening fury.


    "Captain!" The men surrounding Emilia all in one gasped with open mouths. Shocked about how they lost the dominating charge of the situation this fast.


    "DO I HEAR OBJECTION, YOU DIRTY RATS!" Liam''s spear-like face turned toward the soldiers and they showed immediate reaction as they backed away from Emilia with hands raised in the air admitting a rather Rabid defeat while shaking their heads in a ''No'' gesture. Whatever was going on between those two, No one wanted to be part of it.


    Freed once more, Emilia ran towards her father, seeking refuge within his tensed arms. Liam hugged while his mind was somewhere else, fixed on the enemy at hand.


    Saxon grabbed his jaws with a smirk on his face, trying to cover up his injured dignity. "Heh, You haven''t changed at all, Liam. Still, the same smart-ass person who takes the law as a best friend even in the toughest circumstances..."


    "And you are still a bull who thinks by your futile muscles rather than your brain, you unprofessional good for nothing"


    Saxon narrowed his gaze as he stood to his feet approaching Liam, step by step. "Funny. This bull you mock has the Law favoring him. And let me promise you that when I find your golden boy, I will make sure I get those 500 coins for myself"


    He grinned a threatening half-smile look at Liam.


    "Come on, We have what we came here for". He threw his orders to his men, without looking at them. Instead. He kept his homed eyeballs fixed on Liam till the end while turning around and rallying the troops away.


    The soldiers were gathered as they marched outside the gates. For the citizens of Zenda to finally breathe relief after they saw the enemy returning the peace it stole a while ago.


    Eventually, the captain and his men left Zenda and were never seen there again. As the trio came out of hiding to comfort the Friend of the law face to face.

 Chapter 14: The Captain

    "People are dispersing. Time to move" Alfred said while freeing Louis of his caging hands.


    It was very late at night. People yawned as they went back to their homes. Sharing whispers and gossip about the outlaw that once lived among them. Not every night their peaceful town gets a visit by the king''s soldiers.


    The streets were emptied from people. They have seen enough action for tonight.


    Diana put her hands on his shoulder, her lips drew in a faint smile. "Louis...". Her voice trailed without an end.


    "You''re feeling sorry for me already, ha?". Louis said in a hidden resentment tone, avoiding her gaze as he shoved away the dirt that stuck to his royal clothes. While twisting his arm left and right to shake off the pain that Alfred intentionally caused to his limbs.


    "Actually, I am more pissed at your father right now. Just thought if you--"


    "Cared about him?" He grinned with a sound mocking laugh "Not even in a blue moon! My father is a military man who values his code over his sole son. Hell, Diana. He didn''t even visit me back at the hospital. Said he was on an urgent mission and that he could not leave his post. What more proof do you need?"


    He turned to look at Diana in the eyes and then pointed at his house.


    "See that house? Since my mother''s death, he turned it into a boot camp. I maybe am a prince in people''s eyes but in reality, my life is sure as hell a soldier! He is torturing me daily with that perfect disciplinary life of his that I began envying my sister for being a girl"


    Diana blinked. "Is that why you come to visit your aunt frequently? To ease up?"


    "More like to escape before I lose my mind...and my father"


    Alfred sighed and stepped forward to talk. "Listen, kid, People don''t choose their parents, however, you do have the choice to decide how your life would move on with your pa. Go talk to him. Most of the town had already gone asleep in their homes. It''s late anyway, no one will notice"


    Louis stared with a frustrated face. He didn''t like the last part of the advice, especially when it comes from a person like Alfred. A man with a strong and harsh personality just the same as his father.


    "How about I go with you. Two is better than one, right?". Diana approached him.


    "R-Right...". He Stuttered a bit as he examined her sea-color eyes and her mini-sized lips that spread into a faint beautiful smile that shows honesty in her proposal. He resisted his urging desire to hug her and talk to her freely like they did back in the woods. Not with her crow-shaped uncle standing next to her.


    "What did you just say?!". Alfred objected to Diana''s talk. "Didn''t you just say that this man had captured you a year ago!"


    "I did". But Louis got this bounty because of our love. Moreover, he saved my life. So, it''s only right for me to hand it back..."


    "Wh-What...Humph...Why do I even bother arguing...Fine, do what you like. I will try to find a free room in this big town. When you two finish, come join me to prepare our next move" Alfred said as he descended back to the ground floor safely and the couple soon followed after a while.


    Louis got down first then he extended his arm to receive her body before landing on the ground.


    "Want to me do the knocking?". She suggested while their arms still combined


    "I am pretty sure that is not a good idea. Let me bear this curse instead...".


    And Louis was right. Because now and on second thought of it. Liam was about to murder another man who shared almost the same rank as he did. If that''s how he treated his fellow brother-in-arms. What would be his reaction when he sees her out of the palace?


    She nodded with an anxious head.


    They marched together towards the house. She tilted her head in both directions to make double sure that the streets were empty of people, like two flies floating in a nest of sleeping spiders.


    Knock knock


    Louis banged his fists two times on his door''s house.


    They could hear the footsteps coming from inside the building towards the door. It caused Diana''s heart to pick up the pace. She realized that her trial to help could backfire at any moment.


    She looked at Louis to see if he shared the same irrational feelings that she has. But all she saw was a silent angry face.


    It was plain for the blind what was beneath those stubborn features. She saw pain and sadness. She could hear his loud distress call for help and support. His past is like a parasite. It feeds on him. Torturing him. Anointing him. And the recent incident that happened in front of their living eyes moments ago was the cherry on top of the cake.


    "My dear, I know you are angry. But be careful of your temper. This is your father after all"


    "I know. I know. That''s what my mother used to say". He ended with a smirk and half-raised lips.


    Just before she talked more, the door was opened, and the same man came out. The only difference is that this time there was a sword in his right hand.


    "L-LOUIS, Son. Is that you!!?". Liam''s eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened slightly.


    "Well. To answer your question. I am Louis. However, your son is still camping in the northern forest, and his father just snitched him away. Tell me if I am wrong, Captain?". Louis crossed his arms.


    Louis stared at his father, waiting for an answer to his teasing and rude opening answer. He expected embarrassment but all he found was that Liam''s concentration was displaced toward Diana instead.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Your face...you look familiar." his eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    Diana''s eyes blinked when she figured out that she was the one being talked to instead of Louis. The boy noticed how his father''s focus shifted towards the sceptical Diana instead of responding to Louis''s indictment.


    Louis''s mood changed. "Does the word "Endora" ring any bell?". He said with objecting and challenging crossed arms.


    The captain''s lifeless character returned. Not revealing any reaction to the question. The effect of seeing his son just vanished in thin air. it was replaced by a very cold face, unblinking void eyes and a staggering presence with stiff behaviour.


    He stepped to one side of the door, opening a path inside the house. "Get inside, before you are spotted". He said without making eye contact.


    Louis stared at him for a couple of seconds with a narrowing eyebrow. Liam still had that sword in his hand. And from his recent knowledge, Louis feared that he would use it on Diana.


    "He is right, Louis. Let''s talk inside"


    They stepped inside. Louis didn''t leave his intimidated eyes from the stable sword. He didn''t fully trust his father.


    The familiar house of Louis welcomed them with a warm temperature that made their tired body relax and their nerves cool up. The house wasn''t that special in general, but it was prettier than her house in Endora, that''s for sure.


    "Brother!". A well-known childish voice ran towards Louis from one of the rooms. Emilia''s pure spirit aroused again inside her small pre-mature body. Her tears stopped at the sight of Louis as She trotted straight to her big brother''s incubative arms.


    "Brother, those bad people were looking for you. But I didn''t talk!". Her silly voice was mixed with clumsiness and delightful sighs.


    "Yes, my dear. You are very loyal and caring as always unlike some people who only seek Honor and obedience above all".


    Taking the chance that his sister is not looking at his face. He shot his father a blaming stare, which contained harsh admonition.


    Liam was triggered for the last time.


    "Obedience, ha? You speak if you know what that word means!"


    "Well, I at least know how to not sell my family just to satisfy my unbelievable idealistic character!"


    Diana''s eyes widened."Louis! not in front of the girl!"


    "My chara- Are you listening to yourself? You have a bounty on your head!". He waves his hand in anger.


    Louis smirked. "You can thank your bloody king for that. I never laid a hand on the crown and I would never hurt Wain even if I could. Your ''Lawful king'' was just jealous that I loved a simple girl who worked in my aunt''s palace and when I objected, he ordered her to hang...


    And now that you mentioned it. I want to introduce you to my future wife". He opened his hand for Diana, Introducing her at the most unpleasant time, putting Diana in a tight spot while teasing his father regardless of its effect and consequences.


    "What...Are you shiting me now?! How did you even escape the palace anyway!". His angry face turned towards Diana.


    She looked him in the eyes and his shocking military presence began to overwhelm her. From his way of talking, he already recognized her.


    "Tell him". Louis supported her.


    She took a deep breath before she began. It was her turn to protect that unseen bond between her and her lover. "OK, captain. There is no easy way to say this, so please postpone your judgment after you hear me to the end"


    She took a deep breath before gathering all the strength she had to explain herself without being crushed by the man''s intriguing personality.


    "I first saw Louis at one of the parties where I prevented a tragedy from happening. And soon we developed feelings towards each other. That''s when King Wain caught us while Louis was officially admitting his love to me so he foully accused me of a crime that I do not know then he threw me in jail. Then..."


    Liam completed her wording. "Anna busted you out and smuggled you out in two carts of hay"


    The couple''s eyebrows flicked up, especially Louis''s.


    "Hold on, How did you know that, exactly?". Diana said.


    Liam blinked and stood up. He then went to one of the bedrooms. After a minute he came out with a rolled paper.


    A paper with the same familiar broken royal seal. "Here," he handed Diana the paper. "that''s your answer"


    Diana took it and slowly opened it widely for Louis to read.


    While the content was being read, the dilemma slowly began to uncloud for the two fugitives.


    "You knew we were coming!". Diana concluded.


    "Not exactly, I didn''t believe Ana when I first read this letter. It is not like a thing my son would do. But briefly, after I received this rolled paper, I found this fucker that I punched earlier asking for my son. I realized I had to improvise, just like how your father- The protector- did back at Endora"


    Suddenly a big smile was drawn upon Diana''s face. "That means..."


    "I am angry at you two. No, I am furious. I still don''t quite believe that unrealistic coincidence that got you two hooked up in the first place. However, unlike you two dorks. I used my brain instead of depending on some weak emotional principles


    That said I am not cruel to snitch my son to some lunatics swinging with swords. Just because a mad governor said so"


    Diana turned to Louis to see his reaction. She saw his head bowing in silence. All the livid and irritated emotions that pressed him, had soon vaporized. As he embraces the truth...


    ...that His father still adores him.


    "Sorry, for...um...that wrong assault...from my side". Louis gathered what was left of his dignity to meet Liam''s eyes again with puppy eyes craving for undeserved forgiveness.


    In this instance, the vibe of the environment dramatically changed.


    Liam''s cold and horrific behaviour was replaced by calmness and gentleness. His eyes expressed love again. and If you examined him more closely, you would see a very small hidden smile.


    "Son, just... Find a way out of this, okay? If those soldiers came back. The whole town may pay a grave price for concealing you within its walls. And you know I respect my duty to the very end and if Wain ordered me to look for you personally, I won''t be able to help then. For the sake of your sister, end this madness before it reaches us as well"


    Louis nodded with understanding. He knew what his father meant when he mentioned Emilia.


    "I know, that''s why we just wanted to stay at Zenda for tonight. We will leave at dawn". Diana said.


    "And then go where?". Liam asked.


    "Well, our best bet would be Endora. My hometown". Diana suggested. "I need to explain to my father about all this mess I went through and to tell him that I will...ahem...get married". Her cheeks flowered upon bringing it up.


    "At this young age? Ana told me that you saved that boy''s sorry butt twice. But a marriage is a serious business, You sure you want this inconsiderate brat to be your future husband?"


    Before she spits any answer, Louis sparked again.


    "I am still here, you know and you didn''t visit that brat of yours at the hospital anyway". Louis crossed his arms.


    "That''s because my superior was firm about leaving my position. Can''t say I was sad about his excessive discipline but I needed his written permission to leave and that nut-head refused to give it to me. So, I violated my code and ordered one of my men to go secretly to check on you but he returned to me with the good news that you left the hospital in Sustainable shape, or so the doctors told him"


    "Well, I won''t say It was Sustainable myself". He looked for some moments at his heavily bandaged and recuperating arm that was supported up to his chest level.


    Louis couldn''t balance his eyes with Liam''s gaze again, not with all his claims being proven defenceless and his pride was low to nothing.


    Liam noticed and he didn''t press over him. He may be rough at some points but he knew what his son was going through.


    "So?". He looked at Diana. Referring to his former question.


    "Yes, sir. I do. I would be honoured to be your son''s future pride". She answered straight forward.


    "Well, I don''t approve of this marriage at all. But your boyfriend won''t care anyway about what I say, So...Good for you...I guess"


    The couple smiled at each other. They didn''t expect the scenario of their journey would end up with this Heart to Heart talk along the way.


    For Diana, it was a good shot to further know her father-in-law and present the marriage topic overall. For Louis, a massive misunderstanding was corrected and Who knows? Maybe such incidents were meant to fix the relationship between the captain and the prince.


    "Alright, with that one thing out of the way, I will go make you two something to eat. You probably are starving by now". And that was the line before he went to the kitchen.


    From that point, The night went swiftly. The couple received a hearty meal and a good night''s sleep...Louis with his family, and Diana with her uncle at a nearby inn.

 Chapter 15: Bad omen

    The next morning... When the first spark of light appeared in the sky.


    "Diana...Diana, wake up. That''s enough for a night''s rest" Alfred kept poking her out of her dormant rest.


    "W..wha...u... uncle...". Her eyes twitched with blurred vision while the words came out mixed with the saliva pouring awkwardly from her mouth. And her golden hair was turned into a chaotic forest.


    "Come on, we need to move"


    "WAAAH (she yawned) just give me another hour...ZZzzz"


    "NOW!". His voice was louder than any alarm clock and sharper than any order he gave.


    She tilted her head to give him a sad cat look. She has never been closer to begging for more sleep like now. But with the matter at hand, She forced herself to sit on the bed. Wiping both her eyes and mouth and trying to bring her lost and dizzy brain back to life.


    When the memories of the day before soon hooked up, she was grateful for her uncle''s presence to wake her up. The sooner they wake up before the sun rises, the quicker they leave the town before raising another unwanted attention.


    Louis, on the other hand, happened to have the same bad morning scenario.


    Liam, pushed by his fatherhood love, woke up his son out of the delicious comfort of sleep and briefly got him ready for the journey.


    He didn''t taste the sweetness of sleeping like how his son did. Thoughts haunted him all night that he may not see his son again once he leaves through his house''s door.


    But again, those perfect clear words of himself remained. Those of how the town could face dark times because of his son and his newly introduced girlfriend''s presence were something to consider within the equation or even worse, the monetary value of the bounty could make any person among the town''s citizens hunt him down. Especially the settlers of the poor''s districts.


    He couldn''t bear that long night.


    He made a small breakfast for his son who was this close to passing out of exhaustion.


    His sister helped arrange a bag full of clothes with 2 of her brother''s heavy clothes in case the weather turned amok. She packed his things with a depressed sigh. She didn''t have much time to spend with her brother. She can''t help wishing him to stay more with her.


    In addition to the clothes, she gave him the cloak of his mother so that her soul could guide him where he wished. And also, to cover most of his face.


    He was given a big ration of food. A refuelling of pocket money....and some last wisdom words...


    "Son" his tone implied disciplined briefing but behind his voice, there was empathy and grief.


    "Frankly, I don''t know what to say more than we discussed last night. Just...be a man. You will be mostly on your own when you meet that protector. Be proud but at the same gentle. Stand tall and speak without concerns or low head when you meet him."


    "Relax, old man. I am a charming type. I have my way around people, remember?"


    Liam sunk his embarrassed face in his hand. "The only thing I will remember is when the man gets chocked by your clown figure attitude"


    Louis chuckled. "Then pray that I don''t get killed before I get to meet him"


    That sarcastic conversation was the last contact between the father and son. Louis never saw his father again after that day...for a while.


    The boy went through the door to the quiet streets like a floating ghost. He took one last back look at his family. Seeing him depart must have been hard on them. Waving him goodbye as if he was a foreign visitor or a beggar.


    He hit the road using the help of the slim light of dawn to enlighten the way, looking left and right for any person around. Afraid. Like the criminal Wain made him to be.


    The pioneer and his daughter reached the agreed spot just as planned, they were waiting at the opening of the same underground tunnel, waiting for Prince Louis to show up.


    Why the tunnel again? Because the gates were too risky with all those night shift guards watching all from above the walls and guarding the door out.


    The prince approached Diana and greeted his girl with a warm and lasting hug, her presence was all that he needed at this moment.


    "Missed you too, sweety". She said as her mouth involuntarily draws into a beautiful smile on her face. Cuddling at the boy without minding her uncle''s sighting to her.


    "You do realize that you have a lot of explaining to do when you meet her father, right?". Alfred came near the hugging couple.


    "He knows, uncle. You cleared that out for the thousandth time! Now can you please stop ruining every small moment I could spare with him!?"


    "I''m sorry, was I?" His dismissive tone hurt the girl.


    His bearded chin faced Louis. "I am not blaming you, boy, If I were you, I would have done the same. Enjoying it while it lasted. Knowing Richard. You won''t get anything from him, especially his daughter". Alfred said while passing beside the couple and descending to the tunnel without waiting for a response to his straightforward rude attitude.


    Louis swallowed hard. Thinking it over. If he, by any chance, was accepted by Richard to be his son-in-law. He will be forced to find a creative way to deal with Alfred. Permanently.


    "Hey, don''t listen to that old crook. You will do fine. You intimated a king to your side once. What is the difficulty of talking to my father?"


    "Maybe. Maybe you are right. Maybe your uncle is just jealous"


    "Uncle? Nah, he is not that type"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The sound of the man came up from the tunnel. "What is taking you two so long?"


    Louis rolled his eyes but still kept his sarcastic smile. "Aaaand...he began shouting again. Let''s go before his voice awakens whole of Zenda"


    Diana laughed a bit before she followed Louis down the path with her uncle to the other side of the tunnel. The group eventually broke free from the town territory using the same way they entered through. And within half an hour they were hitting the road far from Zenda.


    That''s when Louis noticed something disturbing about Diana.


    Her clothes got the colour of sand and the stench of hay.


    He knows that she hasn''t changed her dirty clothes since she was imprisoned. Her dressing contained a mix of all components of dirt and small particles of hay which by all means was sure to make her feel far from comfortable.


    She was either shy to ask for some new clothes from Liam or was too tired to notice it in the first place.


    So on the way, He stopped her sideways as he lent her one of his spare cosy winter shirts. It was slightly oversized but the feeling of warm, clean clothes on her chilled and small body gave her some refreshment.


    Along the path, Alfred explained that according to the road they were willing to follow. It was two long days and a half walking to Endora as Alfred estimated.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    As the first couple of days slipped by, the third day seemed to speedily draw quickly.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "There is a storm coming, we need to reach my home quickly," said Diana, watching Dark clouds in the sky gathering like one herd of black sheep


    The two men followed her look at the dark space above them, to find that nature was about to roar in the form of a storm, and travelling won''t be easy afterwards.


    And to add to this. Another quite unexpected event happened. The amulets, one coming from Diana and the other seemed to be that of Alfred, shone with an immersive blinding rays of the unkown light.


    The group halted in horror. It was an engulfing yellow light. A light so warm to the eyes like a peaceful candle but at the same time furious as if it was coming from the middle of a volcano.


    Both jewels emitted the same catching light around their wary owner''s neck.


    "Those amulets again!" said Louis, taking a couple of steps back, he had quite the knowledge of what these necklaces were capable of.


    "Uncle..." her heart skipped a beat. Since a moment ago, she forgot she had that thing around her neck. Now it shines. Why?!


    "Easy now, marvellous little thing" Alfred treated the amulet as if it was a child crying for milk and Alfred was its father.


    "Don''t worry. it is just nervous about the weather... You see, the colour of the sun is fading in the sky. And It takes it as a sign"


    "A sign of what exactly?". Louis''s past experience had already surfaced in his facial expression.


    "Bad omen". His happy face wasn''t matching with the seriousness of what he was saying. "...But It''s not always right, See. There is-"


    "How can you be so happy about it, Are you aware of what happened last time these stones shone!?". Diana interrupted with full frightened eyes. "Let me remind you then. Last time this amulet produced light, we were attacked by a vicious wolf soon after. And Louis was about to lose his arm for it!"


    "That''s because it didn''t sense the wolf until he got within its range. You see. Our jewel has that strange power to interact with the wind and souls around". He said while starting to move again, encouraging the couple to follow his lead and ignoring the distraction of the jewels.


    "So Is it a living being then?". Louis was curious to learn more.


    "No, they are but a raw energy trapped in a jewel, This energy senses the surroundings and tells us when we should move on, be cautious or simply just turn around if it''s not worth the risk. In lesser words, it senses the change in the wind when it gets within its range"


    "And the colours?". Louis asked more.


    "It is variable. We do not always know what it refers to".


    "Hmm," Louis nodded. He was intrigued by such uncommon artifacts that possessed such unlimited oracle powers. He was so deeply interested in the new knowledge that he didn''t notice Diana walking closer than usual by his side.


    He looked at her and evidently saw how the talk about necklaces brought nervousness to her peaceful figure.


    "Afraid?". He asked her.


    "Yes". She answers bluntly.


    "So Am I". He circled his healthy arm around her body. "Maybe it''s the storm that the amulets are warning us about. Once we reach Endora, we will be safe"


    "And you are really buying that story?"


    "Well, till something worse shows up. It won''t hurt to be optimistic, right? And besides. There is- sniff sniff - Oh! By the love of the queen, what is that smell!". He said while covering his nose with his arm


    "I smell it too". Alfred was alerted to the ugly scent, but not having the same strong reaction as the couple. Maybe because he was used to it."That''s the smell of rotting. Maybe of an animal, it could be a dead deer neab-"


    "No...No it''s not an animal". Her eyes widened while stopping at her track. Now she realizes it. They were half a mile or less from the town. And she noticed that the more they got closer. The smell gets more control of the air...


    ...And that was the last straw for Diana.


    "Diana, Wait !!". The prince shouted at his girl who -out of nowhere- ran forward, bypassing him and Alfred.


    "WHERE THE HELL YOU THINK YOU''RE GOING!!". Alfred shouted at her as well. But neither he nor Louis was able to stop her. And the two soon raced after her.


    She was way faster than the two of ''em combined. Her gazelle speed was imperative in a concerning way.


    She wasn''t running from the upcoming crisis, she was running towards it and at full speed. Nothing was concerning her like the safety of her father. Her friends. Her town and her home.


    The blood streamed through all over her body like crazy, causing her blood pressure to punch up high in those proceeding nerving minutes. She kept running ahead of the group, trying to keep her wild mind from producing those horrible thoughts.


    The decaying smell was getting stronger by the distance until it was clear where its source was...


    "It is coming from behind that hill". she called to herself. The hill that directly overlooked the town of Endora.


    The hill wasn''t steep, but she needed to hurry with pursuers behind her.


    "DIANA RICHARD ONAKRAN, YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANCE!". Alfred shouted even more with his ordering theme. Looking at her from the base of the hill.


    But for her, No mortal will stop her from reaching the peak. She invested every drop of sweat. Every bit of energy she had, until Her hand caught the last edge to pull herself up. As she looked up...


    ...only to witness a sight that can only be described in horror bedtime stories


    <figure>


    </figure>


    Speechless, her breath began to be much much faster.


    Her mind is trying to comprehend what she is seeing, While an uncontrollable invasion of questions infects her sanity.


    Is this a hallucination? Or just a bad dream?


    The nefarious fact is that it was neither of them.


    The necklace... that''s why it was shining...the yellow colour...


    No, this is not true...it shouldn''t be true!


    This is just a bad dream, she will wake at any second to find herself still in the same bed in Zenda shivering from a nightmare that only exists in her mind but has no access to the living world.


    But who is she bluffing? She is right to think of it as a nightmare. The only difference is that this particular dream had reached the realistic realm...


    She can still feel the heat pinching her eyeballs and still seeing the glowing flames that were feeding on what was left of the strong wooden houses.


    The smell of the rotten flesh was from the tremendous number of living beings who were helplessly slaughtered and were left for the vultures to clean their motionless bodies from the area.


    All of those inputs crushed what was left of her morality while her brain was getting closer to the end of a cliff that watched over a large pit of madness. Either that or it must find a supernatural way to absorb what she was viewing.


    That Endora was burned to the ground. Vanquished like its citizens, whose corpses were served hot in the open as a large open meal to every carnivorous bird and animal of the wild.


    Her home no longer exists.


    The poor girl didn''t endure the black truth, her body collapsed on the ground, and she passed out...

 Chapter 16: Aftermath

    Her consciousness was dormant. Nothing was real to her. The reality turned into a sick joke with no end to it. Fate was mocking her faulty decisions from the very start. Playing with her like a toy in a dollhouse. Leaving only the sour memories of the once-called...


    Her friends.


    Her Town.


    Her Queen...And most of all...


    Her Dad


    "Come on, dear. Don''t do this to me. Don''t leave me with that pioneer. COME ON! Wake up!" Louis shook her body in an attempt to break her from that coma.


    But she wasn''t responding. The shock was too powerful to process and very dark to find condolences to it.


    He spent half an hour with her. Seeing his soulmate like this led him to feel the shady side of loneliness. So lost in his path. His journey could have ended right there, with her not opening her eyes once again.


    Why they should embrace whatever fate throw at them? What did she do to deserve such mad punishment, to witness her beloved people vanquished and unburied? To see them left perished for a reason that they shall never know?


    There wasn''t any answer.


    Yet...


    Among that endless sheets of this abyss. One ray of light emerged. A small. Pitful cries for hope that only the faithful and the closest could hear.


    It was the necklace...


    She shone with white faint ray, barely noticeable to Louis but its effect was highly needed though the madness she fell into.


    Death noticed from the depth. A glowing hand grabbing the sinking girl, snatching the Death''s prey right in front of his wicked eyes back to the realm of the non-dead. With nefarious breaths full of disappointment coming from Death, he retreated away empty handed once again.


    Slowly and weakly. She opened her cloudy eyes. They had the color of roses, flooding like waterfalls.


    "Louis...", she said faintly.


    "I am here! I am right here!". He rejoiced, he couldn''t hide his sighed reliefs.


    He kneeled his head towards her. Half of her body was on the ground and the other half was rested, slightly placed safely over Louis''s arms.


    For instance, she thought that her town only burned in the fictional world of dreams and at any moment, she will wake up. Surrounded by all who she cared for. Afraid for her, yes. But alive.


    However, Fate had already dropped his blow. And after some seconds. The dagger of truth struck again at her.


    She exploded.


    The boy brought her close to his chest. It was his turn to take her into safety just like when she did the same thing days ago. So that only he could find a way to ease her torment.


    Her hot tears came down her cheeks along with her trembling body that was hugged by Louis''s arms.


    That hug wasn''t a solution. It was just a trial of consolation.


    "I lost him, Louis. I lost him again! All was in vain. Why couldn''t I see it from the start?! Wain put the bounty on your head, specifically. Because he had already destroyed me!!!"


    He hugged her with his arms. Making her wary chest rest over his flat broad body. Gently shifting her head towards his shoulder.


    "Shh... don''t talk. You haven''t lost me. I am still here. Rest now. All the past whatsoever doesn''t matter. Thank goodness your head didn''t crack after that fall"


    She cried even more. Filled with pain as it is. It was the best path for her to take. For her mind was so fragile, she had to build herself and alleviate the pressure through tears.


    Then, from above Louis''s shoulder she spotted her uncle moving to the hugging couple.


    "I have mixed news...". He approached with that line bluntly. He had inhuman coldness in his way of talking. He didn''t seem to be grieving enough or maybe he ran out of tears. She couldn''t figure him out.


    "The bad news is, Not a single living being is still out there. Just..." Alfred stopped just before he said the next word.


    "...Bodies". She weakly said it for him.


    "And her father?" Louis asked. And something inside him condemned him immediately for his rush talk.


    "That''s the good news"


    The girl jumped with alertness. "What do you mean!!?" Her soul flicked while her eye widened more than usual.


    "Richard. I didn''t find him. Alive or...otherwise. I spent over an hour checking almost everybody I find. He is nowhere to be found in Endora"


    The girl stared at the unlikely news.


    "Wait". Louis began. "There could be a chance that he was able to escape then!"


    "Precisely, and not alone either. See, when I examined the town closely, Most of the people were dead. But there was a minority who are mysteriously missing. Including my brother, the chief of the town, and some other protectors I knew"


    "THEN HE SURVIVED!". Diana shouted with excitement


    "Likely. Still. Can''t say you are right either. There is no evidence for his survivability anywhere. Nothing at all"


    She gasped with slight disappointment. But a probability is better than void grief.


    "That''s promising". Louis gasped with satisfaction. "But what now?". He asked.


    "We get the hell out of this cursed land and leave this country for good"


    "Do you have a place in mind?" Said Louis. Unsure if his father would approve of such a daring and wild decision.


    "My town ''Tagia''. The town where I live in"


    "Is it far?"


    "Yes, but it''s safe. For you and her"


    He approached the girl with a spark of care in his eyes. "Listen, my dear, I am here for you. And I promise I shall not stop looking for your father, but now you need a new home. Same goes for you, youthful prince"


    "Uncle. I..."


    "Just think about it for a while. But please hurry. The dark clouds above us will surely shower us after a bit". He said as he looked at the sky.


    The storm was nigh and their situation was critical. Her only hope was in her only family member remaining, who Sadly, was a thief and a bandit. But she really hoped that he may have the same loving heart as her father.


    "Where is that town of yours?" Louis asked.


    "3 days walking to the east. Across the border. We shall arrive on the 4th day" he stated.


    "But we are out of food rations that Zenda gave to us" Diana was worried.


    "Don''t panic, we will improvise. If I remember well, there''s a river not far from here, we could feast on fish tonight" Alfred said with a proud tone...


    "But...Uncle. My father could be around-"


    Alfred interrupted. "We need to leave! Those maniacs who committed this anarchy could still be around. Are you really willing to take another foolish decision on your own!?"


    She remained silent. She couldn''t stand the righteousness in his speaking. And even if she was willing to defy him, her spirit is too wounded to convince such a stubborn man to an alternative path.


    Louis, however, is prideful, and stubborn just the same. "Hey, easy on the girl. Understand!?". He barked back.


    "Then make up your mind already!". He looked at Diana, waiting for a response. Lacking any sign of compassion or love that Diana expected from him.


    "Fine. Just give me a moment"


    "Whatever, I will try to get some wood for the journey"


    He said before turning his back on them, muttering something under his breath that didn''t reach their ears.


    She watched her uncle descending towards the destroyed Town. He was going to salvage the wood from there.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Right after he left. She hugged Louis again. Happy that there was still someone who was compasionate enough right there by her side. Attentive and soft on her. Just exactly what she wanted at that moment.


    When Alfred returned. They made a campfire away from the range of the terrible smell. As she looked behind one last time. Knowing that her home was not the only thing that will change but a new life will be enforced on her.


    After 4 hours.


    The wind became furious, the lighting was terrifying in the sky which cause the clouds to provide the rain.


    As if what the group encountered so far wasn''t enough. Now they also had to face nature''s fury to its finest degree. At this weather along with this mighty storm. it became more and more difficult to proceed ahead.


    Till Louis saw a potential shelter through the claws of the fog.


    "Hey, I think I see a house over there, maybe we could ask its owner to shelter us for tonight," said Louis, pointing at it to the group. A glimpse of hope by which they can escape the fearful storm.


    The group heeded and moved steadily with arms wrapped around their faces shielding themselves from the powerful wind that attacked their eyes with dirt and cold. Their clothes were soaked from rainfall while their bodies were swayed from exhaustion and were about to collapse.


    Louis, with his undetained determination, took the head of the group and ran towards the door of the house.


    Upclose. The house was an ordinary one. It had a chimney and multiple windows. They could see a faint light behind the glass. So, someone was still there.


    BAAAAM !!


    Louis''s head retracted from a wall he couldn''t see. Making him stunned both physically and mentally.


    "What did I just bump into!?" He said in astonishment, grabbing his aching head. He didn''t see anything around the house but he knew he hit something because of the pain.


    Alfred drew near and saw that the raindrops were all bouncing off a big dome shielding the house.


    "This is bad, that''s a magic barrier, we are dealing with witchcraft," said Alfred surprisingly, taking a step back cautiously.


    WITCHES...Diana heard about them...


    A Common people who mastered magic art across years. Now most of them are outcasts and dangerous criminals as Diana was told.


    Stories tell they were once a kind people who were despised by the public and high-ranking people just for their sorcery and differences from normal humans who possessed no such gift. Unfortunately for Diana, she never saw or talked to one for real to judge them


    "OPEN UP PLEASE, WE NEED YOUR HELP!" Diana shouted while hitting the barrier with her own fists.


    "They won''t help us; we need to find another--"


    "Are you joking with me? There is nowhere else to go" Diana shouted to protested uncle.


    Suddenly, the whole barrier glowed brightly with different colors like a rainbow, and a door figure appeared through the barrier which was opened by a loud squeak.


    Alfred blinked multiple times in disbelief. He knew that witches do not trust outsiders. Why the residents of this very house should be different from the general stereotype?


    The group rushed to the only safe place from the storm under that dome barrier.


    Upon entering, it was obvious that the ground was dry, unlike the outside. It looked like the residents of the house took their precautions before the storm came.


    The group tried to take their breaths from all those drops hammering above their tired heads outside, when the door of the house was opened and the two figures came out.


    "Who are you people, and how did you find this place?" A man in his 30s with a thin sword impeded in his left side approached the group, accompanied by a woman roughly the same age. She had that beautiful but strange staff, where 3 green butterflies fly endlessly in circles around the top of it.


    Suddenly, feeling threatened, the man brought up his sword and his left hand began to form a fireball in his hand.


    The woman had a green cloak that hid most of her red hair and had threatening sharp flat lips.


    "Tell your bloody king that we just want to live in peace away from his twisted kingdom-". the woman stopped talking and gasped as she was struck by what she had noticed.


    The green necklace around Alfred''s neck.


    "An arc stone!" she stared with her wide green eyes


    The woman''s face changed from anger to fear, her breath began to race as if she was experiencing a nightmare. "Why you treacherous monsters! How did you get those neck-"


    "COULD YOU SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! AND GIVE US A CHANCE TO SPEAK!?" Alfred shouted at the couple with absolute confidence. The woman comedically stopped shouting and a shock was spread all over her face.


    After an awkward silence, Louis decided to step forward to speak.


    "Madam, Mister. I assure you both. we are very far from friendly with the king. On the most contrary, you see I have a bounty on my head from the king personally and we were running to another town...or that''s what we were trying to do since we got stuck in this crazy blizzard outside"


    Then Alfred continued "And that necklace I hold was given by my wife and...her name is Marigold".


    Diana was astonished, she didn''t know her uncle was married. A lot of time had passed indeed.


    The lady''s expression changed dramatically upon hearing the name. "Wait, you are Alfred! Oh my" she gasped. "Please accept our dearest apology. Marigold is my dearest friend, how is she by the way?!"


    "Well, if that''s how you treat her husband. Maybe my wife should choose some friends of better quality" Alfred said rudely.


    Diana thought about it. All it takes for the couple to say "No" is a mere movement of the tongue. And the next thing they will know, they will freeze their own corpses outside. They won''t survive an hour in that storm. They had no food or water left, and they were tired as a turtle chasing a rabbit.


    Despite the bad attitude, The woman didn''t make a reaction. But her husband did.


    "Hey! We said we are sorry. No need to be a Jerk or you could try your luck outside!"


    "William! We don''t treat our people like this" his wife scolded him.


    "I don''t trust them"


    "Every enemy of the king is a welcomed ally. Do not forget that. Besides Marigold already told me that Alfred had a wild temper when it came to meeting magicians like us"


    She faced the group again. "Please, consider yourself part of our family and make yourselves home"


    The group accepted and went inside the house. Where the generosity of the couple appeared with their delicious food and kind hearts.


    During her stay, Diana knew that the woman''s name was "Forestine" and her husband was named "William".


    From the talking with a couple. Diana knew from Lady Forestine that during the era of King Alfred, Wain''s older brother.


    The magic was cherished, learning magic and mastering supernatural skills and spells was truly an art of talent and beauty of all times.


    However, the next day his tyrant brother raped the throne. King Wain unleashed a barbaric order to exterminate any person who tried to use magic by any means. Where A lot of public massacres were permitted for those who dared to break the law of the serpentine king.


    Such a daring decision led to different reactions. Part of the witches and magicians made their run toward the forests, others fled from the kingdom to where the king''s influence couldn''t reach them, Far to the east.


    And there are the others, those who followed the footsteps of the pioneers. Spreading violence and destruction anywhere they see the Wolf''s symbol, the national flag of the martizian empire.


    That unlit beast figure held all the evil in a banner. So they sometimes would commit raids over the king''s stash using offensive actions by sabotaging and stealing any supplies coming to soldiers and even killing if they were needed to.


    "Wow, Dark times.." said Diana.


    "Oh, don''t worry. All of this is behind us now. Me and my precious William here found sanctuary in this house that we built together.


    Far from people, peaceful and quiet place. Growing own food and enjoying the untouched nature. That''s why we were terrified when we saw you. Rumours said the king was hunting for the magicians with more aggressiveness than ever. Add to that, There was a fire in a nearby town-"


    "HAVE YOU SEEN IT!?" Diana stood up instantly, while she was about to choke with the food in her mouth.


    "No, the town was way out of our sight. We just saw the smoke from afar. A big cloud that covered the entire sky for the whole day".


    The girl''s eyes dropped.


    "Wait, Don''t tell me you are..!". Forestine voice trailed off.


    A small, broken, and grieving nod was Diana''s answer.


    "God! What happened!?"


    " I...I really don''t know" Diana''s sadness slightly escalated. She shared Louis a look meaning she wanted to leave the table.


    And Louis heeded.


    "Madam, I don''t want to be rude. But Diana and I  think we should call it for a night"


    An embarrassed face was drawn on Forestine.


    "O...of course, my apology. Please hon, show the couple their room" she talked to William.


    The two were guided to a simple one-person fitting bed where they cuddled to each other until Diana''s eyes were shut down by sadness and exhaustion. Leaning her stiff body to sink between Louis''s arms.


    Alfred spied on them from a small opening in the door. He didn''t approve of such a sight. But what his complaining will accomplish when sorrow becomes the upper hand afterwards?


    He closed the door and left them alone.


    ************


    The reign of the sun took the throne of the heavens again declaring the beginning of another morning.


    Diana''s eyes opened and her stamina was mostly restored. However, when she looked beside her, Louis was already gone.


    She searched the house for him till she spotted him outside.


    "I didn''t know you like blueberries, young boy". Said Forestine with a smile


    "Always was. Always will be". He said happily, throwing an unwashed ball of blueberries inside his mouth.


    "Phew, you scared me," said Diana coming from behind the two.


    "Apologies my dear. I was just helping Miss Forestine here harvesting her crops. And boy you should try her blueberries!


    "Maybe another time, have you seen my uncle," she asked.


    Forestine began. "He went hunting nearby along with William, he said he would return at late morning"


    The girl was confused, wasn''t her uncle an arm short?!


    "But how-" she began. Implying the previous fact.


    "He said he would manage" answered Louis guessing what Diana was thinking about


    After another two hours, with the weather at its finest and the sun had already broken free from the monstrous and furious storm the day before. Two figures approached the house. The two men returned victorious. As she saw her uncle lifting a dead medium-sized deer on his back and getting it all the way to the house, walking side by side with William.


    It was intriguing that despite his lost limb, Alfred never lost his courage or his strength. The man could be mistaken for the bear he killed with that overpowered vitality.


    The group feasted on roasted meat along with some blueberries to add flavour. With all the group laughing and sharing stories during the feast, Diana felt she was at home once again. She felt the same spirit, the same laughs, and even the same topics sometimes.


    The few words of her father echoed inside her ears: "Home was never buildings and geographic terrains, it is the people to whom you entrust your heart with them"


    A small smile finally reached her lips and her soul started to mend again.


    Until...


    Suddenly Louis''s face began to change. He began to touch his injured very often. His facial features explained how he was in great pain. "My shoulder...something is wrong with my shoulder ... it''s...burning".Louis said in agony.


    "Easy there, let me check it" Forestine suggested ...She removed the old bandages, and she found out a terrifying sight.


    "Boy, your injured shoulder is infected to its core, you need a doctor or a healer immediately. Unless you want the amputation of your whole arm"


    Louis was shocked by her words.


    "Darn it. Should have stayed in the hospital for the rest of the week as the doctor told me" Louis said to himself secretly, regretting his bad decision to leave the hospital too early.


    "Can''t you heal me yourself?" said Louis. "you are a sorceress after all, can''t you find any relevant spell?"


    "I am sorry. I am not familiar with the healing techniques" she sadly justified "All I can do is to clean the injury with water and new bandages which would give you more time to seek help from a healer or a doctor nearby".


    Louis began to panic "How much time do I have before it is too late?" asked Louis afraid of knowing the answer.


    "can''t say for sure" answered Forestine.


    A gloomy cloud covered the group. Especially Diana.


    "Uncle, How much is left till we reach Tagia? ".


    "Half the way. Two-day max"


    She protested internally. She felt broken and helpless. If something happened to Louis...


    Alfred threw her with some words void of any comfort. "Hey don''t give me that look. Will ya? I promised we would reach our destination in time and we will. Now stop complaining and eat"


    All the surroundings noticed how his attitude was unusually graceless and abusive. But no one opened his mouth.


    Eventually, Louis''s arm was irrigated and dressed perfectly, as to his good luck, The couple had some spared clean bandages that they applied on his arm.


    The group thanked the couple for their generous hospitality and resumed the journey on the evening of the same day.


    The rest of the journey was relatively short but Louis''s shoulder didn''t stop screaming all the way to the Tagia...

 Chapter 17: A Freak of nature

    "Tagia...The mighty city that is relatively close to the borders. It''s really ironic when you think of it, Mister Alfred. How am I running from my country to the deadliest and most fearsome enemy of it. The martizian empire". Louis meditated on their status quo.


    "Just keep your pride and loyalty low out there. And If you asked me, which won''t happen. I would trade your clothes for simple ones" answered Alfred with a smirk on his face. as if he gloated about how things turned out for the prince.


    Alfred continued. "Believe me when I say this, prince. King Marcus the fair, knows how to treat his people with dignity better than that oger In the canterpool"


    "I heard there was an undetained and unrealistic distance in the behaviour of governance between the two kings. Maybe that''s why the two nations never reached an understanding and were always exchanging threats as the flag of war, more than once, was raised up high but it lacked that spark that should ignite it". Said Louis.


    "Correct, and for that we-... oh! Why do you look at that... We are here!" Alfred smiled.


    "Welcome to TAGIA!" said Alfred proudly, pointing to his home with his head. His voice- indeed was referring to a merry sight as their eyes made contact with its gigantic walls made of the finest stones. So big that Louis questioned if it was made by the hands of men or... something else...


    It was about 90 meters high or so. With garrison on the ready above and One sturdy gate in their way. Such awing architecture made Diana consider why her town never had one of those good-looking walls.


    The exhausted group felt some refreshment knowing that the Town''s gate was less than a mile away and that their long journey had almost reached its end.


    "So where is that doctor you said you had?" Diana questioned.


    "Only healers" Alfred responded. "Once we reach my house, we will fetch your boy one.


    "Just follow me," said the man with a boring tone.


    They reached the gate, and the guards halted them and checked for their weapons and identities. Diana''s heartbeat began to race; she didn''t know how the town citizens would react to seeing the prince of another country entering their front gates.


    Fortunately, the journey already erased any traces of wealth from him, plus Alfred''s face was well known to the guards, so they allowed all three of ''em to pass on his behalf.


    On their way to Alfred''s house:


    "Hey, what''s wrong, my dear?" said Diana with a soft voice while putting her slim hand on Louis''s back. She noticed how dull were his eyes.


    "Come on, Chins up! I assure you, we will find a way to fix your arm"


    "It''s is not my arm" he began "I am just worried about your safety"


    "Me, Why? I am safe as long as you are by my side" Diana chuckled. Clutching his healthy arm with her thin arms.


    "That''s what worries me, what if..."


    "Hey," she halted him. "You think too much, that you forgot we were sharing this burden together, remember? That means giving your brain some rest. We are safe here for now, Wain can''t reach us here, my dear" Diana comforted her beloved future husband with a tiny kiss on his cheek.


    Louis''s cheek burned red, it was the first time a girl''s lips touched his face. A dirty part of his brain even wanted to ask for more than a kiss. but deep inside...Every time he sees her smile and those black orbs of hers filled with all the love he wanted. Her presence alone by his side makes his heart melt away.


    "HEY lovebirds, we are here" Alfred shouted to the couple behind him, ruining the moment for both of them while pointing for his house.


    The house was really beautiful and had some planted trees around it. It was way better than her old oak house back in Endora, and even more lovely than any palace of a king. While the group was approaching the house, Diana noticed a pretty woman reading a book and sitting on a rocking chair with a bizarre big belly.


    She was Pregnant.


    This woman must be her uncle''s wife. Marigold.


    She had some kind of light blue scarf covering her neck while her blonde silky hair was distributed gently over her shoulders. She had small eyes, a petite nose, and a delightful face. She could strike prime 40s at most as by the looks of her healthy body, she was an admirable mature woman.


    "We are back, Goldy," said Alfred to the pregnant woman. It was almost rare to see him that happy to see someone else.


    When the woman heard her name ring around, a beautiful smile reached her calm mother''s face.


    She supported herself to get up from her rocking seat. Her future baby surely gave her a hard time with movement.


    She gently supported her belly from the bottom, as she approached her husband with welcoming features.


    "Thank goodness! what took you so long!" The woman said throwing her arms around her husband''s neck. "You took nearly a week!".


    "I missed you too, my goldy" he rested his head upon hers. It felt that the man truly found his soulmate a long time ago


    Despite Feeling happy for her uncle, Diana couldn''t help her investigative eyes realize something unique about her newly introduced family member.


    The woman was wearing a pair of gloves around her hands. It was winter alright so it wasn''t something uncommon for people to use. Yet, Only the rich have the luxury of wearing this type of smooth clothing.


    So she highly doubted that a woman like her, who knows of her husband''s wicked profession, had anything related to richness up close.


    And the style of clothes she was wearing...it made the gloves worn like an odd piece of clothing as if they were meant to conceal something...


    "From Earth to Diana, you there?" Louis joked around.


    "Wha.., oh sorry, did you say something?" She felt embarrassed giving the subject more credit than it deserved.


    Alfred approached the couple. "What are you two waiting for?! an invitation? hop in"


    After some hearty greetings, the woman went to the kitchen to make some delicious-looking plates for both of her permanent guests while Louis and Diana chatted for a bit...


    "Poor woman, It makes me question how on earth a beautiful person like her got stuck with your uncle" he whispered to Diana.


    "Louis! They might hear you " Diana poked the boy with a chuckle. but she can''t deny that Marigold must be a controversial lady to cope with Alfred''s temper. And those gloves...


    "I heard that, you smugly douchebag" Alfred talked to Louis. Boy, he was in a tight spot.


    "Aye! Not in front of the girl!". His eyes jumped concealing a great deal of embarrassment.


    Diana gave her boy one of those looks. Rising an eyebrow.


    "What?" He shrugged with jerky innocent hands.


    She looked at her uncle, rephrasing. "What my nosy partner here wanted to say is how you two met each other?"


    "Although that''s not what I heard fine, We had met at a bad time. A time when I was this close to meeting my creator. She...postponed such appointment"


    "Can you elaborate?" Diana''s eyes narrowed in excitement.


    "Oh no you won''t, bottom of the story she saved my skin once in the past, and from that day on out I never have loved a woman like her in my life again".


    Louis smiled, supporting his head with both hands, "Classical love story" he teased the man.


    "Oh Yeah, let''s see what yours will become too, big boy" Alfred teased back.


    Diana was happy for him.


    Too happy that she dug her own grave...


    "Is that related to why she wears those gloves?"


    The man didn''t see the question coming nor did Diana expect the result instantly bulleting back coming.


    On bringing up the subject. Alfred''s facial details changed faster than the wind. His high spirit became Rabid again. His smile escaped the house.


    He slammed the table hard with his hand, and the plates pumped from its surface. Then he pointed with his finger."DO NOT EVER BRING THAT SUBJECT AGAIN! "shouted the man.


    The girl was terrified and silent, she couldn''t respond.


    "Hey, hey easy big man. It''s just a question!".


    "NOT IN THIS HOUSE! You two better watch your mouth when talking about my wife!!"


    Marigold came as fast as she could from the kitchen when she heard the shouting.


    "Alfred, please. All the neighbourhood will hear you!! she was not the only one and probably won''t be the last curious one, you are blaming the wrong person!"


    "No, they need to maintain their lines!"


    Louis intervened. "What lines? The Girl was simply asking about a piece of clothing?! What line did she cross here?".


    "My lines! And if you two should stay here, you better watch how you behave around my woman, are my orders comprehended right?


    "Enough!"


    Marigold cut their yelling with a bang on the table


    The three looked at her with intimidated eyes. It''s one thing when men shout and it''s completely different when a woman starts yelling


    "Hon, How about you go take a nap and I will join you in a minute?".


    The pioneer seemed to be convinced. His upside-down behaviour quickly recovered. She was talking to him with charming quietness that the intensity of the conversation soon vanished almost completely.


    "Fine" he said with a rough scoff "I will be waiting for you". He mumbled while going upstairs to his room. The three saw him up until he left their eyesight.


    "I....I..am sorry.." said the girl with a low voice feeling ashamed from herself that she interfered with subjects that were clearly none of her concern.


    "No, my dear, the question was right to be asked. It is your uncle, He is an easily provoked man when it comes to my hands" Marigold chuckled and tried to make a smile on her faceYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Add to that he doesn''t keep his promises, I need to reach a healer before I lose my arm," Louis said and he was visibly crossed with Alfred''s way of behaving.


    "Right! I almost forgot to ask you, what happened to your arm?"


    "A wolf. A nasty big one. But My girl here saved me from it"


    "Jeez! Is that true!?" Her eyes jumped towards Diana in odd amazement


    "I mean the doctors made all the work, but__"


    "Way to go girl that makes two of us!"


    "Ha?". Diana didn''t understand.


    "Well, you see your uncle got attacked by even nastier beast. A bear.


    He was so badly hurt that he barely reached the gate with his right arm barely clinging to his body. I saw him laying half-dead in the footstep of the gate of the Town. So I brought him to my home and saved his life...in cost for his arm that is"


    Louis''s eyes jumped in excitement. "Hold on a minute. then you are the healer that he was talking about! Will you please help me?" Louis begged. The pain was overwhelming him by the passing minute.


    "Why, sure dear!" she said in an exceedingly kind way.


    Suddenly, and without any coming warning, the woman wearied off her gloves; to reveal that secret of hers . . . A secret that will confirm Diana''s suspicious, that this woman''s gloves were put on for a reason. . .


    Her hands were literally made of Gold. A pure tainted hands made of expensive gold! It was too real that light was reflected brightly from its surface.


    "May I?" She politely asked for his hand.


    Louis blinked, questioning his sanity for but a moment, before handing himself to her.


    She noticed how his eyes had a combination of fright and excitement at the same time as his normal skin touched her freezing cold hands.


    She closed her eyes to begin mediation and then . . . Her chanting rose.


    O, STRONG WIND OF THE NORTH


    LIGHT OF THE BRIGHT MOON


    PEACE OF NATURE EARTH


    SCORCH OF BLAZNIG FIRE AND NOON


    Marigold hands began to omit an increasingly green light that spread through the room, penetrating the physical objects. Moreover, it was so beautiful like the northern lights in the sky but warm like a small kindred fireplace.


    O, DARKNESS OF THE BOTTOM CAVES


    TIDES OF WATER, SEA, AND WAVES


    POWERFUL IRON AND STURDY SAME


    RELIEVE THIS BOY FROM HIS PAIN


    The lights suddenly surrounded the boy for a minute blinding him entirely. It felt like he was at the core of the sun but very comfy like if his soul became lighter than the feathers.


    And just in a part of a second. Everything vanished into thin air just like the way it appeared, leaving both the boy and girl in an unspeakable state.


    "Hey, I feel much better!" said Louis happily. When the boy wore off the bandages, he found out that his shoulder was clean like crystal, and the infection had completely disappeared.


    Louis faced Marigold again with a curious look. "How is your hand so like the gold, if I may ask ?"


    "...and why are you so shy about them?" Diana continued "Why would anyone be ashamed of such beautiful hands with even amazing healing powers?!"


    The woman remained silent and offered a sad smile.


    "Hon! You don''t have to answer that!". Said Alfred who was watching the scene from the upper floor.


    "It''s ok, my pioneer. It''s not that good a story anyway, so might as well have an audience today{"


    They smiled as they sat put, attentively awaiting another story of the past...


    In Marigold''s own words


    "When I was younger than now, a strange creature visited our land, we never saw it or heard about it before and we most certainly didn''t have a clue of the wave of destruction and misery that accompanied its arrival.


    That creature was dead silent like a corpse, and to our cursed luck, he had the ability to climb walls and still not reveal his location during hunting. In other words, you can''t see or feel it until it is literally above your own dead body.


    It attacked and killed a person every night, and never he left a trace behind so we could track him to his nest, the only thing he left behind in his crime was the unidentifiable skeletons of his victims and a trail of fog that covered its retreat.


    No one managed to fully see it and lived to describe It. So by the nature of the repetitive and vicious attacks, we feared for our lives and chaos invaded the city and traders began to stop visiting Tagia one by one.


    When on one fateful night, the monster abandoned his caution. One of the citizens saw a large figure on 4 feet fleeing to the forest nearby.


    "Ok, Why didn''t you put traps to hunt him down" Louis suggested.


    "We tried, but each time it never fell for it, it was a very cunning creature that somehow knew that trap was meant to capture it. He always manage to steal the food without activating the trap, mocking us with his mischievous ways.


    And so our chief finally requested the bravest and most skilled fighters of men and women to hunt for that killer. Those bold enough to throw their lives in an attempt to bring that beast to its demise.


    One of those brave warriors was me


    We entered the forest one morning, and you have no idea what was the speed our heart was racing at.


    We were moving as quietly as we could and you could barely hear our feet touch the ground. How you should kill a death bringer who you don''t know anything about except it has 4 feet ?!


    We were blindly approaching the territory of an assassin and it was just a matter of time before we became its prey...


    Then I saw a fainting glowing blue light lurking in shadows, in the dark, staring at my soul!


    When I saw those eyes I didn''t even have time to scream. All the water in my mouth evaporated. My legs were fastened like a tree to the very earth.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    That''s when the creature attacked like a spear.


    It rushed beside me towards a woman behind me. But he surpassed her and lunged at swordsman next to her.


    The woman survived but the man... the creature got his head and ran towards nearby bushes.


    One Dead at an instance.


    At that moment I realized that we just lost one of the crew before we even had the chance to have a look at the beast.


    The creature was very fast and was covered by shadows, dodging all our fired arrows, but it must die or it will seek revenge!


    We could barely aim at it before he disappeared.


    The time slowed... and suddenly the beast emerged and attacked me...I managed somehow to dodge the creature''s paws. They were so close to popping out of my eyes.


    I fell to the ground with a gasp, trying to man up my fingers on my crossbow. When I went to aim for it, I only saw a trail of fog swimming in the air.


    The creature was a master at disappearing and appearing from and into nowhere right in the open.


    Then it appeared again when he lunged at a man from behind, breaking his neck in less than three seconds.


    Another one is dead.


    We were shouting and sharing fast orders to cope with the fast runner we were facing. However, in the chaos, we were trapped. The beast charged. But this time it was targeting me again.


    I sensed the direction of the wind and accordingly aimed a bolt at that intersecting direction


    ...and fired.


    A hit!


    The bolt punched through his left back thigh leading to crippling his movement for mere two seconds.


    Too bad for us we would need the same amount of time to reload our crossbows. Subsequently, the beast didn''t wait


    He bashed right beside me, knocking me out me down hard on the ground but it didn''t stop to finish me as it was busy murdering another woman by taking her head off with one blow of his paws!


    That gave me some time to pick up my weapon (crossbow), However, those eyes looked at me again and the creature was already charging me.


    And that''s when a bolt went through its frontal paw making him roll massive towards me. I rolled quickly along with my crossbow to avoid the path of collision with the falling creature.


    I wasn''t surprised to see the creature that was still fighting with two bolts clinging from his fur. What was shocking was that we were about 12, and now we are 5.


    And to make it worse...the beast retaliated from the bolt shooter with a large paw that stunned my comrade''s chest and flew its body to impact a nearby tree killing him instantly.


    Again, it turned around to face me, but not before two spearmen rushed toward the creature,


    However, suddenly. The creature roared with a stunning sound that pierced the wind and hearts.


    Afterwards, a blue light beam came up from his eyes. And I saw as both the men''s flesh dissolved of their bones. They both screamed till they totally turned into pure skeletons...


    I was the last one alive. or that I was thinking... I tried to fire another bolt before the creature charged again but to my luck, I didn''t have time to recharge the crossbow so I picked up my sword.


    But the creature disappeared from my sight, I took the chance and rearmed the crossbow with another pointy bolt. During the reload, I kept twisting my head in every direction in a paranoid manner.


    I could hear him but couldn''t see where his paw landed. But I know he was circling around me because of his high-volume breathes. He was laughing at me for my insufficient mortality and his breaking-through superiority


    Then it appeared again behind me, to try charging again. But it made a fatal mistake it stepped on a tree branch during his rush...


    At that moment I turned around quickly to face the creature one last time and I clicked the trigger.


    And nothing happened.


    That''s right. The crossbow malfunctioned. My last resort for saving my life got broken in time of the dearest need. My heart skipped multiple rounds. I stared at my horrible luck with tearing eyes. I didn''t need to look front to sense him coming for me.


    "I was about to be finished if not for that spear"


    An impossible but ultimately accurate throw was all that it took to save my life. When A spear flew towards the creature right above my shoulder by inches.


    I heard the creature''s skull crack as the spear broke to his head just between his blue paranormal eyes. It slammed to the ground and his corpse rolled around until it rested at my feet.


    I was motionless for some time, my heart was about to stop. Every muscle in my body was strained. I turned to see the thrower of that spear was still like me in total shock, have we finally forced that beast to hell?


    I didn''t buy it and waited for it to rise again at any moment, to claim my neck for real, to cheat death one more, to finalize my life''s last chapter.


    But it didn''t move another step.


    Looking at him from this close angle, I felt intimated by its sight. It was filled with bolts and bruises and that spear that perfectly got him to the ground clinging to his dead brain.


    I looked back to see my last standing sister-in-arms. The one who killed the beast and the one who saved my life. Her name was Kira, She___"


    "Sorry for interrupting, but what does that battle have to do with your hands ?" Louis protested


    "Patience young man, the agony didn''t end here- at least not to me" she sighed with sadness before moving on.


    "Kira. The captain that led us to this crusade in the first place and if I am going to be EXTRA honest, she''s not the type of woman you would admire her beauty.


    Her final courageous decision pretty much saved my sorry life. Our victory finally arrived but we paid so much blood that it lost its moral meaning.


    Two of us were still alive, shocked and shaking from all those corpses scattered around us.


    When I finally gathered myself. I Analysed the beast with keen but careful eyes.


    It was a tiger but without teeth or fangs and had a strange blue fur covering all of its unhuman-built body. Add to that size of his claws that was double the size of a knife and probably more sharpened than any sword. It was totally covered in mist, that''s why I never spotted it in public.


    After we had had some rest, we were supposed to carry the corpse to our people in Tagia as a sign of its defeat. So that the people may finally rule the night again without fear of death coming in the shape of a mythical cat.


    Foolish of me to consider all of this when my nightmare was about to begin.


    When I tried to pull the spear--which was stuck perfectly between his lifeless blue eyes. The blood came out of his head like a fountain, and of course, it touched my hands...


    I will never forget the feeling of that day...


    I felt a pain I never felt before...my hand was shaking viciously. My blood was boiling in my fingers. It may seem unrealistic but I sensed my arm bones melting and reshaping at the same time.


    I kept screaming loudly but no one answered except for my helpless captain who was panicking and didn''t have any idea how to help me.


    That''s the last thing I remembered before I lost my sanity and consciousness as well..."


    Marigold poured some water into a cup as the fluid moistened the inside of her dried throat before continuing.


    "I regained my awareness at the town''s hospital. By then, my hands had already been completely turned to gold. Doctors and healers alike couldn''t help to cure my hand but comforted me that my hand only has the appearance of gold and that it is not harmful in any way to others or to myself.


    The tiger I faced on that day was truly a freak of nature as no one dared to touch its silent corpse after my people saw my hands. However, he made me take his place"


    That''s when Marigold''s tears finally broke free. "My people kept looking at me with fear and disgrace: some called me a witch while others were a little merciful and called me cursed".


    The woman put her head between her golden hands and continued despite her lament.


    I left my town as a soldier and returned as a freak.


    I lost most if not all of my closest friends. People began to avoid me in the streets. Men began to whisper how ugly and jinxed I was and for the cherry on the cake, the whispers reached my family.


    I thought they were going to shield me from the outer world. To help me endure and hug me when I felt alone. But all they were afraid of was how my curse could one day spread to them and infect them with the same damned life.


    So they built a house. This house just to stay away from them"


    ~ ~ ~


    The couple kept staring, without saying a word. They felt strange feeling invading them out of nowhere. They now feel every grieving memory that this house held for the past years. Unseen eyes condemn them for drifting behind their curiosity.


    The sad woman wiped up her tears..." I learned some magic afterwards to make myself useful as no one agreed to employ me at any work. One of those spells I learned included healing, I practised hard until one fateful night I met your uncle falt near the city gate. He was lucky that I was coming back from salvaging I am the one who healed him..." she was interrupted.


    "You mean saving my life," Alfred said. The man clearly heard the whole conversation and couldn''t endure watching his beloved woman.


    He went for a chair beside her, "Let those blind fools say what they like. They have the minds of oxen, that''s why they didn''t comprehend the definition of being unique". He smiled and she as well shared a smile as he squeezed her hand tightly


    "Looks like we are not the only ones who first met in bad times, ha?" said Louis with a low frown while exchanging a small side smile with Diana.


    "Wait, THE DINNER!". Marigold rushed to the kitchen to stop the food from burning.


    With Diana''s satisfied.


    The family had some food and they called it a night, but before they had gone to bed, she went to Alfred''s room to apologize. But as she crept close, a glimpse of the couple emerged to her.


    Marigold was between his arms while he patted her head gently with his hand. He seemed oblivious to Diana''s presence. And it was a good thing. She didn''t want to interfere with their twinkling moment of passion. A sight that motivated warmth between her breasts once again accompanied by the long-awaited sensation of hope...


    She wanted family, she got it.


    A new home? She is standing under its roof.


    A kind husband, Granted.


    Yet, one person is still missing...

 Chapter 18 : The Red Castle

    After a week of reaching Tagia and meeting with Marigold. Diana managed to find a decent job as a waitress in a nearby tavern.


    Louis, on the other hand, denied his royalty for the first time and joined the common people with their clothes and traditions, moreover he got himself a job as a blacksmith apprentice in a workshop on the other side of the Town.


    Everything was going on the right track for a change; it was the first time since Diana left the palace that she really felt safe and not in danger in the wild or under the king''s punishing and dictatorial hand


    ...till that one day, Alfred came back home with a nervous face.


    He opened the door and passed himself in without greetings. He just went for a chair at the head of the table and sat in strange silence.


    Marigold noticed the way he entered. She watched him from the kitchen. This wasn''t the first time he came home feeling the toll of the whole world crushing on his shoulder. He was an outlaw in another country after all, and his life wasn''t as easy as an aristocrat who spend his day, resting his lazy ass all the day long while others grind money for him, hoping for his continuous thirst for richness be finally sated one day.


    But Marigold always had a way to go with this pioneer. One of the many ways a man can be tamed. Yet, at the same moment happy with it.


    Food.


    "What''s wrong, my darling?" asked Marigold serving him some hot homemade food.


    Alfred''s eyeballs couldn''t resist and he dug in almost instantly.


    "Where''s Diana?" answered Alfred with a full mouth.


    "She should be here anytime now, her morning shift ends after about half an hour. Are there any news about your brother?"


    The man stopped chewing the food. He stared with a confused look at his wife. Behind his eyes. There was always his inner self screaming.


    How does she do that?


    To look through the man''s soul so easily and expose all his secrets. Maybe it is the food? Nevertheless, he didn''t say a word.


    Someone began knocking on the house''s front door.


    Marigold went to open the door. It was Louis, he returned from the blacksmith workshop he was working in.


    "Greetings, my dear. How was your day?"


    "Tiring. But what''s not in men''s life ?" He smiled.


    "Well. Eating is! Your plate will be ready in no time!" She said as she went to the kitchen to serve another plate"


    "Didn''t Diana come back, yet?" Louis questioned Alfred after some greetings.


    The man didn''t answer him. He was just focusing on his food, eating in complete silence.


    "Did something happen to her !?" Louis feared for her. Alfred''s lack of speech was intimating in a way.


    Marigold got out of the kitchen with another plate. "No, my dear. She is just late as always from that Traven, besides we are still in the early noon she will be here in no time"


    "Then it is about your brother, isn''t it?" Louis was curious, still no answer from the other side.


    Marigold began to worry; so she grabbed a chair next to her husband.


    "We can help you, we are your family Alfred. You can''t just carry every problem on your shoulders, learn to share the burden before you break beneath it"


    The man remained silent as he chewed his food without a reaction to his wife.


    Marigold was disappointed, her eyes dropped. She frowned and stood up ready to leave..


    Then she felt another hand bolted at her arm; contently begging her to sit...


    "He is in the Red Castle" Alfred finally said


    "OH GOSH.." Louis''s spoon slipped from his fingers as it bumped to the surface of the table. His ears were stunned by what just entered them.


    "OH MY..." Marigold eyes widened as well. The news made her basically crash on her chair once more.


    The Red Castle. Of all places. The place where the devil sleeps within its habitat''s twisted souls.


    Astonishment was visible on both the golden-handed woman and the banished prince, and for the cycle of misfortune to connect. They bolted when they heard knocking on the door.


    Louis swallowed hard "Alright, who is gonna tell her?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "No one. This is a secret till I say otherwise". Alfred commanded with his familiar leader voice.


    The three shared fearsome looks. They wished that that knocker won''t be what they were sure to be.


    As Louis twisted the door''s handle, he tried to hide his fright behind a smile.


    "Darn it, Diana. You are late!" Louis smiled and was met by another pretty but exhausted smile from the returning Diana.


    "Missed you too, hon". She greeted him with a hug.


    "You must be starving, I will prepare you a dish right away" smiled Marigold while heading to the kitchen.


    Everyone was playing their role except for the pioneer.


    "What''s with that face, uncle?". She said.


    "Just a little tired, dear. How about you? tell me about your day inst---"


    Suddenly another incident happened, as the man was interrupted by his necklace. Alfred''s necklace turned to red colour, shining in faint wine-like rays. Exposing his lies to the open.


    Alfred cursed trying to cover the necklace with his arm to hide its unholy brightness. But it was too late. Diana eye''s were all over in less than a second.


    "Why red?" She asked with narrowed eyebrows. What are you hiding!?"


    "Hide what exactly? Have you forgotten that I am a bandit. I kill for my living!"


    "Wrong answer. I have been living here for 5 weeks now. None of the times you have left to do your dir- *Ahem* unusual work did you come with that face or with a shining necklace!"


    He raised a challenging eyebrow. "You are overlooking something. This necklace shines with red rays. Red refers to blood. Do you see any of it around you?!"


    She stared at him. Trying to figure him out. She wasn''t buying any of his non-existent excuses.


    "When my necklace shone red in that forest. I thought of everything except for that wolf. Uncle, if it''s about my father. I will never forgive your secrecy!"


    He remained silent but the necklace spoke higher than any words.


    "Do you know about the red castle?". Louis suddenly asked her out of nowhere without revealing the intention behind the question.


    Diana looked with an exclaiming look. "Never heard of it, should I ?" Diana said pointing her eyes towards Alfred. She cornered him tight, just the same moment when Marigold approached the table with a plate full of delicate stew.


    The three people (Louis, Marigold, and Alfred) began to exchange a hesitant look around each other as if they were about to wake a sleeping lion.


    "Fine, I have both pieces of news for you" Alfred declared


    "I knew it! Tell me then. Is it about my father?!". Said Diana standing with top-tensed nerves.


    Alfred frowned.


    Louis declared. "I, err...We think we have found your father...".


    After she heard the news, Diana kept staring at Louis with eyes wide as an owl and mouth wide open. She felt all her strength fleeting her body even her hungry stomach was no longer capable of receiving nutrients.


    "a....a....a...and t...the other one?" She stuttered with a broken voice. Not eager to know the answer to the question.


    "He was captured by the slavers of the Red castle" Alfred continued after a long sigh..."I heard two men during my travels talking about how the slavers captured about 40 people or so. Those who survived a huge fire in a town that lies towards the west...Exactly where your town was. They say 10 of them were protectors"


    "Wh...What...I...I don''t understand! You already checked the town when I fainted. YOU TOLD THAT EVERYONE BACK THERE WAS SLAIN!"


    "I did, and there was truly no one alive in that town. Even the houses were completely piles of burned wood" Alfred justified. "But I also told you there was no sight for your father in Endora"


    She bolted up as her fists banged on the table in anger."That''s hourseshit! WHERE IS THAT DAMNED CASTLE ?!". Her voice was so loud as she became more and more nervous and anxious.


    "Raising your voice won''t bring you an answer." Alfred confronted her. "The Red castle is far to the south about 5-6 days on foot or 3 days or so on a horse, located on the borders between both countries...King Wain allowed them to operate with slavery in his and King Marcus''s land if they promised to fulfil his terms...


    TAXES. They would pay a huge pile of money every year so the king wouldn''t kill them along with their castle. While King Marcus would love to knock every block of that shitty fortress, he is facing a political situation.


    The castle is too near to the border of Wain''s land, any aggression is considered an act of war.


    As for the residents of the Castle. They are Top- tier criminals that capture, abduct even torture  people only to sell them on the black market somewhere else using their secret slave trading network.


    "SO HE IS ALIVE?!" the girl asked with much happiness.


    "I don''t know, Rumors say many slaves die in that castle because of bad treatment, we don''t even know if he is in the castle, to begin with, It''s just a hypothesis!" answered Alfred.


    "And if he is alive there, you need to find a way to get him out !" Diana argued.


    The three looked at her with questionable mentality.


    "Wait, me!?" Alfred smirked. "ho ho, on no I won''t. I promised to find him for you, not to risk my neck for him!" answered Alfred with absolute coldness.


    Diana stared with tears gathering in her eyes "HE IS YOUR LONE BROTHER!" shouted Diana.


    "My lone brother is a scoundrel! He refused to give me my righteous share of our mother''s fortune and because of him I lost my arm to a bloody bear!"


    "You lost your arm because you are a weakling and a bloody coward who just ran away so as not to face your own sorry trouble!"


    In this fury response, the one-arm man slammed the girl with his hand during his outrage.


    The blonde girl was traumatized and exploded with tears. Louis rushed to hug the girl and protect her from that lunatic. While Marigold stood between Louis and Diana and her angry husband trying to prevent a family crime.


    "WANT TO SAVE THAT FUCKER, FINE! MIGHT AS WELL GO BECOME A SLAVE FOR THE REST OF YOUR PITTIFUL LIFE IN THE PROCESS!"  Alfred shouted.


    "Alfred, what''s gone into you!". Mairgold panicked


    "She did! Ever since I saw you on that wheat field. I keep seeing that maggot face every day in my dreams! Now, you little girl, heed my upcoming words...I sheltered you and protected you for that long. And I provided you with a new home with new life and identities. But if your insolent mouth spoke again such words! I will---"


    Louis intervened. "... not do anything, or you gonna face my blade instead!". Louis said the same second his fingers reached for the hilt of the blade.


    "Do it, boy. I dare you!"


    "ENOUGH!!!". Marigold shouted.


    They looked at her with attention. "Please, just leave the poor girl alone...". She stammered.


    Silence....only Diana''s sobs were interrupting it. She thought that when it comes to life and death issues her uncle would forget the past for the sake of the future, but it turns out that the news just added wood to the long-buried flammable hatred that hibernated deep within her uncle.


    Marigold sat with both hands on her head... "Son, Take her to her room; let her have some rest, this will be a very long day," said Marigold to Louis in a sad yet soft voice.


    Louis nodded and headed to her room with Diana in his arms. But not before throwing some assassin looks at Alfred.


    Alfred''s amulet finally returned to its original colour but Diana transformed into another girl after that day. A more feral one...

 Chapter 19: The Departure

    Some days passed, and after what her uncle had done, Diana was certain that No one would save her father except her.


    But she is not talking about the old her, the innocent her or the clumsy and reckless her.


    She was talking about the girl who stood up to a giant wolf and stabbed it to death. She is talking about the courageous girl who prevented certain assassination served in a cup of wine.


    This very same Diana will also save her Father even if she dies in the attempt, after all, her father was already certain that his daughter vanished in the king''s palace, So there won''t be much to lose anyway.


    ...And so.


    She had the idea that she was going to secretly storm the castle. Alone. During the night without anyone knowing her plan.


    However, at this moment the problem arose, does she actually have a plan in her possession?


    More days passed and Diana somehow managed to store some coins under loose brick behind the house.


    She wanted to rent a small horse and a map of the region so she won''t get lost on that fateful day when her rescue journey to the castle begins..


    After some more time, she managed to craft a bow and since she had already been taught the basics by Louis before. It was easier to learn the skill of hunting faster than expected. She also decided to buy some ammunition (bolts or arrows) to practice by hunting birds or smaller animals, and after each day of practice, she hid both the bow and arrows in a known bush before going home late.


    Luckily, she always had that excuse that she worked for late time in the tavern to provide more money. But only half the money was provided to the house and the remaining was to fuel the scheme.


    Although, Marigold noticed the shortage of money, she never snitched. She knew her young girl was up to something. But what harm could reach a teenage girl in this calm town?


    Now... a whole month passed and the plan was completely polished


    She had already bought the small horse on the same day of departure and tied it at the edge of the woods with some food and water for it. All that was left to do was to wait for the cover of the night to support her escape...


    On the day of the escape. For the family, It was like any other normal day, but for Diana, it was a different day, she calculated everything and how she would survive in the wild for many days till she reached the Red Castle. Now it is just a matter of waiting until all house habitant sleeps then she will sneak out.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    It was quiet that night. Both the heart and mind of the girl were on high alert during her sneaking out of the house.


    She quickly wrapped her golden hair into a bun. Wearing her uniform and her signature dagger with her. As she descended to the lower floor, she moved slowly; not to wake anyone. The silence was her own ally at this point. Even her own loud breaths could bust her out.


    If she is caught, no excuse will help her and she already put a lot of effort into this journey that it would be a total waste if not it is not seen through.


    The tiptoeing of her boot finally delivered her to the door.


    *Click*


    The lock behind the door soon fell in front of her swiftness. She reached for the handle...


    "Can I come with you?" Said a familiar voice behind Diana.


    The girl was just standing there and cursing heavily. She planned everything: food, tools and transport except the most vital one thing above all!


    She forgot her Louis. How could she forget such a vital detail?!


    "No. This is my mission and my burden alone"


    "It''s not a burden, it is a Deathwish. Think about it for a minute. I hate that proud idiot and I would deny admitting it. But what if your uncle is right? What if he wasn''t there in the first place?" said Louis with a serious face


    "And if he was? I will not sit back in the house of a foolish and greedy man and let my father be sold as a slave! I must try!"


    "Then take me with you! I can ease your journey"


    "Absolutely no. I already made arrangements for a one-room journey. I won''t be long gone"


    "And if they asked about you?"


    "Don''t think about it for long. I doubt he will care anyway"


    "Diana..."


    "I will be fine, Louis. Just because I am a girl doesn''t mean I am weak"


    "Ok, just...um...at least...uh"


    She sensed what was going on and she smiled at his naivety. She walked towards him. Grabbing his shirt with her fist. Her awkward shortness became a history by that point. She lifted her heels so that her lips could reach his face.


    It wasn''t long before his arms began moving, surrounding her waist while his hands rested gently on her back, pushing the warmth of her body to a tall figure.


    She touched his face with her own right hand. Her soft fingers marched keenly on his shaved childish cheek. Ignoring that heatful breathing of him messing up her tightly dressed hair.


    Their eyes are closed as both reach the peak of their emotions. When lips purely collided in the shape of a kiss


    After a minute of a lifetime. They backed away. Exchanging emotional waves through their eyes. Their souls were meditating in peace, dancing in a playground full of appeasement...


    "Can I have another one?"


    "Wha... Louis. Behave!". She slapped his chest with a sneaky faint hit but with a beautiful quiet chuckle.


    In his eyes. She had never become quite prettier as now. He wanted more...more of these feelings...more of her kindness...more of that Love rollercoaster thing or whatever couple people call. He wanted her.


    "Louis, I really need to go". She gently pushed his hands off her back. Backing away to carry on with her plan.


    "Miss you already, My Princess". He smiled.


    She stopped at her track. Looking at him with a surprised look. The sweetness of these few words engulfed her whole, leaving her to no room to speak anymore.


    She opened the door and rushed outside, trying to hide her glimmering and smiling lips away from his piercing but most affable loyalty stature.


    Hang in there, father. I am coming for you

 Chapter 20 : The Tyrannies of Ontoga

    <u>Diana''s Arc</u>


    It was both beautiful and terrifying how the woods were so peaceful in the night. The path paved to the castle that Diana planned to cross was through a forest where the road was lined between two walls of trees from both sides.


    Accordingly, she planned to have a stop at a small village called Ontoga. She wanted to spend her last spare money to resupply with some food for both her and the horse. she estimated that the journey -if it passed safely without incident, would take roughly a day and a half day to the castle. She guessed that she could reach at noon of the next day when she would plan the next move.


    The quietness was still dominant in the forest. The forest habitants were sleeping and Diana was the intruder in their territory. Nothing was making any sound except for the legs of the horse that was walking peacefully and steadily, carrying the tired Diana over it.


    "WOOOT-WOOOT" a new creepy voice entered Diana''s ears.


    "Great, at least I have a company of an owl" said the girl to entertain herself through the quiet boring road.


    At dawn, and after a long time in the forest, she finally reached Ontoga or what was left of it...


    When the girl entered the Town, she found out that the people there were in great poverty, the former small town was transformed into numerous simple huts and some half-destroyed houses that people somehow managed to live inside it. The rest of the houses in the Town was just a pile of stones and broken wood.


    The people themselves were thin and you could see their bones lining under their skin. Half of the population was homeless, they were sleeping on the streets on cold days. When she asked the locals, she found out out another dark secret about the inhabitants (slavers) of the Red Castle.


    This Town was always originally bullied by the commander of the castle and his men; Every week or so, some of those "tyrannies" -that''s what the locals called them- come alongside with a big cargo pulled by two Dark black horses to collect a big tribute so they don''t capture the men or cause even more darker fate to the women and their children.


    When she inquired more about why the men of the Town were not resisting this bullying, she found out an even more dark and twisted past.


    A year ago, the 5 protectors of the Town along with their 10 men for each protector DID stand with bravery to 10 of the "tyrannies" who came to the Town with threats and demands to collect a newly introduced tribute immediately back then in exchange for fake titles like protection and safety. Either that or the Town face the fury of the castle.


    Both sides began to throw words and curses at each other. When the diplomacy talks didn''t reach anywhere, their weapons were properly introduced....


    The result of the fierce contest was 2 injured men from Ontoga and the death of all of the 10 soldiers of the castle. The Town after that victorious day faced horrible consequences the day after.


    The next day, the castle sent all of its soldiers to the Town. this time they came to fulfil their threats; they stormed Ontoga and killed anyone who dared to resist them. All of the protectors were captured but not before they witnessed their own men killed in front of them. The fate of the chef of Ontoga was even more terrifying.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    He was forced to witness his 10-year-old daughter dying after being raped by three strong men till she fell lifelessly at the foot of the third one.


    The agony continued, The mourning women were either raped in front of their families or forced to be called widows for the rest of their coming miserable life, whatever the tyrannies decide.


    Finally, the Town surrendered and the soldiers left destruction and desperation behind as an example to all cities around...


    Do not cross the Red Castle.


    The girl''s confidence dropped to the ground; now she could truly see who she was dealing with. Now, she sees what awaits her if she fails, her death will be mercy in comparison to the rest of the madness she might face.


    But no matter the cost. She was still going to rescue her father. One way or another. Only the approach was critical...


    The girl took her horse and equipment and left the town with some footsteps. She set up a small camp in front of the crumbled wooden gate where she rested under a tree to eat some ration of the remaining food before to taking a short nap...


    Suddenly, and during her nap under the tree''s shade. She felt the ground shaking beneath her head. Was that an unanticipated earthquake?!


    The girl was awakened by the sounds of some horses stomping on the ground carrying men dressed in armoured iron pieces from head to toe and guess what...


    They were escorting a cargo covered by thick piece of cloth and dragged by two dark horses.


    At the sight of them, Diana''s heart raced as she ran deeper to the forest where only she can still see them. There were about 20 of them including the 2 driving the cargo and the horses. Luckily, her fast reaction prevented the slavers from spotting her.


    The leader of the men entered or rather kicked through the wooden gate which fell under his armoured boot; showing no respect or privacy at all, Only brute force...


    While she was watching the intruders committing another of their daily crimes. It came to Diana, an easy way to the castle through the front gate!


    She wanted to somehow reach that covered cargo. She thought that no one would expect a girl to jump in it. She just needed to wait for the right moment.


    However, with that number of soldiers out there, it would be Deathwish as Louis previously quoted.


    Another thing. She didn''t trust the citizens; because after all this cargo contained a hard-earned tribute. So she didn''t know how they would react to her actions.


    She kept thinking and searching for an opportunity then she had another cunning idea.


    She thought of a large fire blocking the road that was big enough to force the guards to leave both their caution and the cargo behind.


    While the guards were busy putting down the fire, she could jump to the cargo.


    For that to happen. The soldiers must leave the Town first before the plan works and she didn''t have much time before the men finish collecting the tribute and move again.


    The girl ran by the horse to a suitable distance away from the Town deep in the forest. She needed the horse in case the plan failed so she gave him the last of the horse food she had to keep him content.


    The second step is implementation...


    She went back and forth from and into the forest collecting every wood she could carry no matter how big it was so it might be used to block the road.


    Now to light the decoy.


    The girl was trying to make a spark with flint and a small rock. A technique that was taught by her uncle during the journey towards Tagia.


    "At least you were useful somehow, Uncle" smirked Diana to herself.


    After a small spark ignited the wood, the girl managed to create a small fire. The last step was to wait for the fire to naturally spread through the wood, a process that could take longer than expected due to the absence of wind.


    Alternatively, she could take a more drastic measure by encouraging the fire to spread, manipulating the wood with her arms and adding more if necessary. However, being seen on that open road could pose one way trip to a place worse than the hell.


    Diana filled with adrenaline and utmost fear took her chances and kept adding fuel and spreading the fire until the flame level was equal to the height of a samll house.


    Satisfied by her hard work and results, the girl rushed back to the forest...


    Now...it was a waiting game.

 Chapter 21: Concealed

    <u>Diana''s arc</u>


    "Ugh, why do we just take them to the castle instead, I am getting tired from this journey every month"


    "Because no one will pay a coin for slim skeleton women or hungry children and what''s left of the men there can barely walk...wait, what''s that smoke?


    "Looks like someone is messing with us!"


    "Everyone pull your swords! We could be dealing with bandits here, keep your eyes on the woods". The leader of the group shouted while the men made a circle around the cart protecting their raped blood money.


    They knew that the tribute behind them was worth more than their dispensable breaths. If any one of them fell during a battle or was injured, it would be a less mouth to share with.


    There wasn''t honour among thieves here because simply put, they were far more ambitious than them.


    The girl''s eye was so focused on her prey. She noticed that the guards were on high alert so her window was very tight and it was still dangerous to move because there were still four guards near the cargo.


    She tried to stick to her plan and she didn''t expect that nature won''t approve of it.


    A drop hit her nose.....


    Then another one hit her head...


    One of the guards extended his hand in front of him, looking upwards, to the high greyish skies. He knew it was winter, but


    The girl was about to explode out of rage. She was so close to success or that''s what she hoped. She finally surrendered to the hard fact that her fire decoy had become useless.


    She frowned and admitted her defeat as she was trying to swallow the cumulative anger inside her. According to the plan, the girl should remain hidden until the foul victorious soldiers pass her destroyed decoy then she would follow them closely to the castle


    But nature didn''t finish her talking yet...


    "WOLVES!". One of the soldiers panicked, pointing to a pack of 6 wolves approaching from the left side of them.


    "They must have been drawn to the fire!  EVERYONE TO ARMS !" shouted the leader.


    <figure>


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    </figure>


    The girl was stunned by the sight of the wolves, her heart began to race. Maybe the forest is giving her another chance!


    But that one is deadly...


    The alpha of the pack closely approached and so the wolves did follow. The men watched the predators of the woods approaching. No one told them that they should expect a whole pack of angry and hungry beasts coming from the wild.


    The girl remained hidden watching as the 4 leg savages slowly approached the soldiers with groaning voices and mouths full of saliva and an appetite supported by the natural instinct of survival. The battle was inevitable.


    The alpha rushed to lead the attack. They saw the fur filled assassin got its fangs in the neck of the first trooper in the way. He kept shaking his prey viciously, tearing the flesh and spilling blood all around till a fresh lake of red liquid was created


    When the 19 other soldiers saw the blood fountain coming from the screaming soldier, they lost their courage and their organized lines. Their spirits were no longer able to face nature in its glorious awakening fury.


    After he ended his rampage on the soldier, the alpha raised his chin, revealing the interior of its mouth. Saliva draining form its mouth mixed with the blood of its motionless prey. His eyes met the sky and howled a staggering shout  to the heavens, while his two front paws were on top of his defeated opponent.


    It was like sounding the battle horn.


    The wolves charged all at once like fingers in one mighty fist as if the beasts were infected by something. They were ferals and ruthless. No human could dominate their power in the pack and certainly not a stick of steel will drive them back.


    And like a dinner bell, they clashed with the soldiers!


    In the middle of the chaos, the cargo''s horses screamed in fear and they made a run for it, towards the woods...


    Straight towards Diana...


    The girl rushed from her hidden place to intercept the frightened horses.


    When they saw her, they halted. With a strong voice, jumping at two feet.


    "Calm down, easy there, you are safe"


    The girl repeated; trying to calm the two horses. The fact that none of the two understood each other, but for some reason, the horses found safety in Diana''s words and calmed down after some whispering and some rubbing on their heads.


    After she stopped the wild horses, she thought for a moment. The battle took place about half a mile away from her hiding spot and from the shouting and howling, it was far from finished. This proved a perfect opportunity for Diana. However, there was a catch. The bow and rope will be left behind.


    Furthermore when she jumped inside. She was shocked at how small the cart was. So small that she had to bend her knees to fit in. Those elements were completely overlooked when the new plan came into effect.


    Knowing that the guards could come at any time, she quickly made sure that the cloth covering the cargo was organized just like how it was left and did not appear suspicious in any manner.


    It was dark and peaceful inside the cargo yet it wasn''t luxurious nor comfortable at any rate. She buried herself in the bed of round coins, barely breathing. The raindrops were still pouring on the cloth making a popping sound that irritated the girl''s nerves.


    Time passed and nothing happened. "Could the wolves have killed all the soldiers?". She thought. With silence dominating, the girl was about to take a peek risking everything because of her impatience, to see what was the outcome of the combat.


    "FOUND IT" echoed one of the soldiers through the forest. "They survived the wolves" She whispered to herself


    She heard footsteps coming and closing. Her heart was banging inside her chest; praying that the soldiers wouldn''t uncover the cloth to check the money.


    ...Although...that''s exactly what happened.

 Chapter 22: Welcome to the heart of slavery

    The girl did bury herself under the coins, seconds before one of the survivors came back to check his blood money.


    "Phew! The money''s cart is still here" shouted a soldier to another.


    "Jeez, Thanks the heaven," he said with relief. "Should we count it, uh... just to be sure?"


    The girl''s heart skipped a beat. she couldn''t move a muscle, breathe or get her dagger to defend herself.


    "...And risk my head for counting some coins. Me after you !"


    Diana felt relief.


    With the battle ended and the money is safe, The soldiers regrouped after the battle. Two of them took the role of driving the horses like usual. Without ever knowing of the additional hidden cargo they had to pull.


    The girl slowly emerged her face to see the cloth covering the cargo above her,  as she got up from beneath the sea of coins to get little fresh air entering her crushed lungs.


    "You have a way in, now what is next?" the girl thought. She did not have an answer. All those days of planning, and practicing shooting with her bow were just to help her reach the castle not telling her a word about what she should do once she gets inside or how she would get her father out. If he was there...


    It was a suicide sneak attack. If she was caught, she would be lucky if those animals sold her as slaves and didn''t...


    "No, think positive! Turning back is not an option now, You must focus".


    "Ok, 90 men crowding in one castle must be overwhelming. As slavers, they must have servants of their own. A humble servant under their eyes could be a good way to slip in" the girl guessed.


    "I must also put in mind how I should act if I was spotted as an intruder, I need an escape route"


    Unfortunately, when the cargo arrived and the new plan was made (the one that is in effect now). She abandoned all of her tools (that included the bow) along with her horse in the forest. All she had left is her faithful dagger.


    " I need to improvise there. What else should I do..." the girl kept daydreaming and planning every possible way to and out of the castle, adding consequences to each scenario regardless of how foolish it could be.


    Suddenly the girl noticed how the cargo wheels were hitting different landscapes, she wasn''t moving on the forest road anymore. The wheels were moving on stone terrains.


    She was closing on the castle.


    The girl''s heart echoed inside her chest. She could hear more men outside, about 20 not including the guards who were returning. She must find a way to leave the cargo.


    the cargo stopped


    and the girl waited patiently


    then she heard a loud voice of moving chains, the sound kept getting louder until it stopped with a big crack ... a crack of a steel gate. The cargo was entering the castle at this very moment. Diana who was on maximum high alert dared to take a peek at her surroundings from underneath the cloth.


    She didn''t see much of the castle but she noticed how the walls were fortified by bowmen and anti-siege weapons like large crossbows and numerous ballistics behind the wall to counter anyone who dared to enter the mighty Red Castle. The girl backed away, she thought how lucky she was to have found this cargo on that day or she would have dealt with all those guards.


    During her stay in the cargo, she heard a soldier shouting at a woman by her name.


    She thought, "Strange, I thought that only male soldiers used this castle," the girl noticed. She was ready to make her next move once a window present itself.


    Eventually, the cargo reached her final stop. where the horses were unhooked and some men took the cargo to a room. She heard a key unlocking a locked door. before they proceed with her inside, they put the cargo down, then She heard the same footsteps leaving, and the door once again was locked as Silence began to spread inside the room afterwards


    Diana slowly but carefully removed the cloth so as to scan her surroundings.


    She was alone in a room full of golden coins and every expensive thing she couldn''t ever imagine. "This must be the treasury room, I need to leave before they return to count the money"


    When the girl sneaked to look through the keyhole, she found two men guarding her room.


    "No way out," Diana thought "I need to move". She scanned the room and found a window.


    Carefully, the girl looked through it and found a small edge that could be used to reach a window to an adjacent room.


    Despite resisting looking down, she did look down out of nature to find deadly height straight to the castle-stoned ground. The girl swallowed hard; there was no other way.


    "What''s with those mad decisions I am making these days, Damn it! " the girl cursed.


    She slowly began to find a place for her left foot then her right one on the edge.


    But suddenly the girl felt dizzy and was about to lose consciousness. The distance below was justifiably horrific.


    Luckily the dizziness didn''t last long. It took her a few seconds to recover, however, her heart didn''t stop racing from right on.


    "Okay, easy now. One step at a time" the girl tried to assure herself. Slowly she moved along the edge towards the other side with her back against the castle''s cold stones and with her leg''s nerves shaking inside. She took every step with utmost carefulness.


    Suddenly, two figures showed up under her nose. They were marching towards the gate. Talking and laughing.


    One eye looks up,  and she can kiss her plan goodbye. But because it was almost midnight, the darkness hid her from their eyes.


    She looked to her left side towards the other window. She was about to reach halfway distance when suddenly apart from the edge as small as little stone fell straight into the abyss below making a loud echo.


    Her eyes widened in fear and swallowed hard. DEFINITELY someone heard that. She closed her eyes for a moment "Don''t think about it, don''t think about it ". The girl tried to move on. And with each trembling step to the side. She was one closer foot to safety.


    Barely keeping herself from crying like small children, trying to recall every gathered lesson she learned and every drop of courage she had, trying to prove to herself, that she was no longer the baby girl that would wait for her charming prince to save her, like in the fairytales. Why don''t they talk about the girl who stormed the famous Red castle and freed the nation of this obnoxious fortress, All by herself?


    Those daydreams were the only strings that helped her to carry on. However, She knew that they were mirages. A part of her imagination, Not real at the moment and as all daydreams in the mortal world. They all had one common enemy.


    Reality.


    A strong wind suddenly attacked the girl. Overcoming her balance and swaying her like a coconut on a pine tree. while the cold winds stung her skin through her the tiny gaps in her clothes.


    The girl burst out.


    Her tears began to fall. She was on the verge of being consumed by her despair. She wished if Louis was here to comfort her or her father was here to give her a hand. or even seek the advice of the queen whom she loved the most.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The wind continued to bite the weak and shaking body of the blonde girl. The broken Diana closed her eyes to give a waterfall of tears. She raised her chin to the sky and whispered, out of breath...


    "What should I do, Mother?!"


    She knew that no answer would come from the other side, but she couldn''t resist it. She needed help, her legs refused to move any further, and her arms were totally paralyzed. Her heart was unable to continue out of fear. Her brain entered a state of paranoia. Her nose and eyes couldn''t stop flowing.


    Till something strange happened...


    <figure>


    </figure>


    That light was special, it was bright but calm. Distracting yet encouraging. An illumination that engulfed her body putting her furious being in a peaceful state. Her eyes finally opened as she felt a strange power flowing through her veins.


    Whatever her uncle said about the necklace before, he widely missed the bigger point. It was never just raw energy that reacted to the surroundings. It was a companion. A silent pet made in the shape of an amulet, Whoever made this amulet must have been a good person in heart.


    Through the thick tears covering her swollen eyes. The girl recovered a very little part of her courage. So small that it barely helped her see the target which was 3 feet away.


    "Ok, One jump that''s what it all takes. Now pull yourself together. Ok, here we go" She positioned herself a bit closer to the window making her 1-2 feet nearer to the safety.


    "Here goes everything....one...two... three......Hah!". Her legs leapt off the edge


    *****


    Quietness...


    She opened her eyes. She was inside the room with the window on the other side. She looked around and saw no one. That horrible and deadly edge was behind her. Her legs collapsed on the room''s floor as she leaned her back to the wall behind her. She couldn''t help but close her eyes and take a rest from those weak moments she had.


    Her heart was still bounding with a silent yet powerful pace even when she was aware that she was not in danger anymore. "I Did it," the girl said taking a great and well-deserved breath.  She wiped the tears that distorted her beautiful sad face with her sleeve, feeling yet another victory over the Red Castle.


    Costly but owned.


    "Thank you, little fella. I needed that". She hugged the necklace to her breasts, feeling no longer alone in her quest.


    At the end of that line of hers. The orange lights steadily retreated to the amulet once more and disappeared.


    While providing her body and mind some time to recover. She noticed her surroundings carefully. It was dark but thanks to the moonlight that window permit she was able to glimpse what''s inside. She was inside a dressing room. On her right were two large closets, and on her left was a big dirty mirror.


    Her curiosity got over herself and she opened one of the closets. And She found out what confirmed her theory...


    ...Old uniformed clothes were organized and folded, it was inappropriate by all means to be dressed by a girl. It was too exposing and had a rough surface.


    "Those could be for the servants, couldn''t they?". Before she had time to examine more, she heard footsteps approaching the room.


    The girl tensioned and rushed inside the crowded closet. Breathing heavingly. she heard someone open the door and enter the room. Hiding her fright, Diana put both hands on her mouth and just waited for the person to leave...


    Small that she knows that her high hopes of secrecy in this castle will be crushed soon enough.


    She couldn''t go anywhere else and the closet barely kept her hidden. She kept waiting hoping that the person leave quietly,


    But the person didn''t leave. Instead, its shadow suddenly crawled behind the closet-stripped girl''s door and appeared in front of Diana''s terrified eyes. She barely holds her internal scream.


    She was about to be caught.


    Diana realized the inevitable was about to happen, she drew her dagger, deciding that whoever was on the other side must be dealt with right now, or the next thing she would know, the whole castle would know there was an intruder.


    Her heart began to bump with blood and adrenaline. She could feel the nerves of the hand holding the dagger twitching. Her eyes were on full alert. Memories of how she hid in that hay cart flashed through her mind. How she was in the same scenario. Hidden, with her dagger. Waiting for the right moment...


    The closet door was opened but the person behind the door didn''t expect to be charged backwards and threatened to the wall with a dagger so close to her throat and a clean hand on her mouth.


    "One shout and I will slit your throat, Do you hear M_". Diana''s eyes widened as the surprise cut the threatening speech while slowly backing away from the person.


    "OH. My. Lord!" The other girl gasped with full-grown eyes."Diana !"


    Diana''s dagger unwillingly slipped from her hand to the ground, backing away on the recognition of the familiar person she just attacked.


    "M-MARIA!" Diana revealed with a stunning voice mixed with happiness


    The two girls rushed to hug each other, exchanging crying voices.


    Maria was the dearest friend that Diana had back at Endora. She was always a supportive sister and possibly Diana''s only best friend left alive.


    Once a chubby girl descendant from a good and rich family, Maria is now perfectly slim, her white face is covered with dirt and there''s an odd red colour on her left cheek. And one could easily realize how she was treated by just looking at her dirty, wet clothes.


    The girls kept hugging each other for some time, exchanging much-needed support.


    "I thought the king took you to his palace, how did you escape?"


    "That''s a long story,"


    "Then let me hear it then"


    "Not now! Tell me, are there others left of Endora, like you!?"


    Maria''s smile vanished.


    "Only a handful of us remained. Endora is gone, hon"


    "I know" Diana nodded with a sad expression. "Tell me, Is my father...


    "Alive. He Survived-"


    "REALLY!?"


    "Shhh, How about we invite the soldier to the room instead?!" Maria teased.


    "Just tell me how is he! Does he still think of me? Does he eat well?! Who does the cooking for him in this fortress? Does he sleep sufficiently_"


    "Chill the heck down, will ya?" She turned to the closet as it took one of the uniforms. Here. Wear this and for Richard''s sake don''t spook yourself out there."


    Diana stared with confusion. Her cheeks reddened at the sight of clothes. They were too exposing.


    As the girl changed her clothes, she was immediately stunned by how half of her chest was nude, the lower part of her body was screaming for ungrateful attention."God, how can a girl be comfortable in these rags!"


    "They Don''t. Welcome to the heart of slavery. Where death is your only escape from this building"


    "You are not helping."


    "And you are wasting time. Hurry!". Maria said she went for the door to guard it.


    The clothes fit Diana flawlessly like if she was a worker in a brothel. Not to mention how it was rough and itchy on the skin. It made her question herself if they treat the women here like this. How are the men doing?!


    "You finished?".


    Diana nodded positively. She knew that once Maria opened the door, her actions would be watched. So for that, She safely hid the dagger and the necklace. There was no space for mistakes.


    "Good, now for your face"


    "Wait, what -hey!".Diana rallied her hand to try to stop Maria from smearing a considerable amount of dirt across her face with a swift hand motion. The indignity of being covered in filth was an affront to the daughter of the protector, yet certain compromises were necessary for her acceptance within the castle''s walls.


    The two girls left the room. None noticed the new blonde servant. "Tell me, Where is my father held in this castle?" Diana insisted with a whisper while walking with Maria.


    "The prisoners are located on the second floor but it is forbidden to meet any of them unless it is time for food. Our filthy job is to cook and serve the prisoners, so they can be in the best shape whenever they are ready to be sold later on"


    "Is my father among them?"


    "He was captured along with the other protectors, but I didn''t see him for a while now."


    Diana tried not to think of the worst, so she wouldn''t upset her spirit any further. She needs what''s left of it to continue on.


    "You will need to wait for the eating time to see your father".


    Diana responded with a sad nod. The two girls marched to the kitchen where the servants were cooking an abnormal number of meals but none of them had the right to even taste those meals or else...


    As time passed Diana learned how to cook those meals, the years of experience cooking at her own house back at Endora became a great help today.


    After the servants finished, they went to serve food. That''s when the moment that Diana waited for more than a year had finally came now...


    The female servants spread to the hall serving food left and right to the hungry men, while Diana''s tray full of food was balanced perfectly between arms, her eyes were just darting in every corner searching for her father''s sharp face.


    She scanned 20...30...40...50 Face. None. He wasn''t among them.


    With too many miserable faces that don''t match with her father''s description, She began to lose hope again. She checked the hall all over twice, but she didn''t find him. with despair and sadness on her face and anger spreading through her veins, she noticed the guards looking at her suspiciously; she was the only one who didn''t serve her tray.


    Knowing that what she feared become true, she realized she had failed her father and now she will pay for her dead quest. The tears were on the verge of her eyes as she was serving the food a table of prisoners. While the girl was performing her work. A hand bolted and grasped her hand. She flinched looking at the man.


    Another familiar face...


    "Protector Sebastian!". The girl gasped.


    "Shh, act normal" The protector began, retreating his limb back. Now that he mentions it. She had been acting suspiciously since her foot entered the castle.


    "How on earth did you get here, I thought the king''s men caught you?!". He said while Diana was serving the plate to him avoiding his gaze.


    "I escaped with someone''s help, is my father here, sir?"


    "Your father..." he smirked with a faint side smile "I pity him, he was devastated after you were captured, he kept crying every night repeatedly chattering that it was his fault. He changed, Diana, and not for the good side"


    "But I am here now, I can bring the old Richard again! Just please tell me he is still in the castle!!".


    "Hey you, get your dirty ass moving!". One of the soldiers barked at Diana.


    "Y-Yes, sir!". Her trailed voice indicated that her enthusiasm could easily crushed if she didn''t stop exaggerating her mission


    The protector answered quietly but urgently. "He is not in the prisoner cells, he is in the underground dungeon beneath the castle. He was imprisoned there alone for sparking trouble, that was his punishment." With that said, Diana, as an imaginable sense of hope invaded her, was never so closer to to get to him like now.


    "You shouldn''t have come, no one gets out of here free person. Only slaves". He added.


    "We will see about that" Diana answered with a smile and a wink before she left the table

 Chapter 23 : False Promise

    Later that night when all servants returned to their quarters.


    Diana entered the quarter to find that the ''beds'' were just light white sheets on the ground which barely protected against the cold stoned floor.


    Maria offers gladly to share her place with much-obliged pleasure. As expected from her, she was sharing even the slightest comfort with Diana. She was always the best friend indeed when in need.


    Having Maria in this dark time greatly boosted her morale. As her closest friend, Maria always had found the shining side in the darkest and most horrible times and places. She had a clean spirit just like Diana.


    The day slowly came to an end and Everyone went to sleep except Diana, who was lost in her thoughts. "How would I reach his cell?" Diana kept looking for a solution.


    While her mind was demanding an answer, suddenly a tall shadow crept in front of her.


    A tall woman with an angry face.


    "Why are you here?!" The woman asked with a firm voice clutching Diana''s mind from her fictional world.


    Diana met the silky-haired woman with a confused look. "Ummm... I am sorry, are you talking to me?" she pointed to herself.


    "DO I LOOK A FOOL TO YOU!" she yelled, waking everyone in the quarter.


    Diana''s confusion intensified and didn''t find an answer.


    "I know you are not one of us, I know every girl here and you are new" she continued with confidence and a sly smile.


    When the awakened Maria saw what happened, she tried to intervene


    "She was captured today, calm down-"


    "Mind your own business, will ya?" she said with great hostility. She then faced Diana again. "Last time little girl, why are you here?"


    "I was captured by the same men that captured you, believing me or not is up to you" Diana fiercely stood her ground.


    The woman burst into laughter. "You just proved to me you are not one of us, I never mentioned that I was captured. Because I wasn''t. You just proved my suspicious true"


    Diana paused. "Who is this woman and how did she recognize me as an outsider?!" She thought.


    "You didn''t answer me, Fine with me, it won''t change anything as long you keep your small hands away from trouble" she ended with a smirk and left to her place.


    Everyone exchanged questioning looks with each other yet none dared to defy the woman.


    Diana was boiling inside. "Who was that mad woman that just passed ?" She asked angrily.


    Maria whispered "Gunnora...she is the oldest servant here, some say that she has an affair with the commander, others say that he loves her"


    Diana gasped "So that''s why she is talking with great confidence"


    "Yes, but Beware, no one dares to cross her. She knows every servant by name so she could have already known that you are an outsider at first glance"


    On hearing that, Diana took another look at Gunnora, who already was resting on her clean sheet. She was the oldest woman alright, judged by appearance, Diana gave her mid-30s.


    She had Diana notice how clean she was. All servants without exception wore dirty and had improper clothes while her clothes were oddly clean. Also, most of the girls were in miserable shape. However, for Gunnora. By looking at her physical form, it was obvious that she was in good shape and healthy all the time.


    "Guess, I won''t be surprised if she has special treatment as well, right?" Diana presumed.


    "Oh please, Don''t get me started, she once bragged that he would marry her, and then no woman shall be greater than her in that castle. She even told us that sometimes they spent time together and-"


    "I think I got your point" Diana interrupted her, she had enough hatred for Gunnora already. It wouldn''t make her feel better to add even more.


    Then she had an idea!


    "Wait! Does the commander have a master key by any chance?" Diana asked eagerly.


    "Forget about it, even if he had one, Gunnora will never have a motive to betray him. Even if she did, the guards are 5 times our numbers, fully equipped and we are barely 2 dozen weak and young frightened girls"


    "Now now! Where are your high spirits, my friend!"


    Maria smirked. "Staying here for over a month, makes you think differently, bestie"


    Diana didn''t fall for her friend''s negative speech. She just needed to persuade the woman and somehow plant hope in the long-gone desperate hearts of those broken girls to break free from that castle.


    The next day morning


    Diana began subconsciously to understand the routine of the day, how many guards were in each room, and the paths should they take when they had the ultimate chance of escape.


    After the prisoners ate, the servants went back to their quarters to have their small meal.


    Gunnora was in a corner using a clean spoon to eat her luxurious food. The same food that had a scent that made even already stated person hungry again, while the lower servants ate a special lower quality food that was made for them. It was so special that some of them ate it mixed with the tears falling from their crying eyes.


    Diana was determined to somehow persuade Gunnora. she approached the woman with shaking steps, and she cleared her throat "Could I...."


    "NO"


    "But I didn''t say anything yet! "


    "I don''t care"


    Due to Gunnora ''s cold-hearted behaviour, Diana changed her tactics.


    "It''s about the commander"


    On hearing the word "commander", the woman was intrigued. "What about him?" She asked with an amazing intimidating look.


    "Listen to me, I have a plan to get us out of here. But I need your help"


    The woman smirked and slightly laughed "You are one goofy girl, are you? who told you I want to leave?"


    The girl was not exactly amazed. The bowl that gunnora was eating from alone made Diana''s mouth water, making her enviously wonder what other privileges she had.


    "Sit down, Little bastard. I need to tell you something" Gunnora said.


    "When I was younger, my father married another woman after the death of my mother, after a couple of weeks of this tragedy, that woman kicked me from the house, my mother''s house!


    Afterwards, I spent weeks lost in the streets, I didn''t have a job, and people didn''t accept me at any work, and my body wasn''t exactly attractive to work in brothels"


    "That''s when you met the commander..." Diana realized.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    She nodded. "During the attack on Ontoga, one of the guards attacked me and was about to strap me of my virginity. That when''s the commander came. He shooed his underling and offered me his hand.


    He took me to the castle, fed me, and treated me as the princess of this castle. I saw with him better days than that with my father and that woman who called herself a stepmother.


    One of those days, he told me that he loves me and one day we will rule this castle together! "


    Diana was irritated, "This castle was built over the blood of innocent men and women, your commander is issuing death sentences whatever he wants! How could you even find him attractive after he killed over 50 men of your country and his soldiers raped their women!"


    Gunnora seemed indifferent to what Diana said. "I really don''t care, people are monsters inside, let them have some of their violence". She said while stuffing a large bite of the superfluity food she was eating.


    While Diana was trying to persuade the woman, she discovered how her past harsh life affected her. So, she softly bated Gunnora''s shoulder, Diana then began to soften her voice as well.


    "Not all people are monsters, just because your father had no heart and your stepmother was a cruel woman, that doesn''t mean that those non-guilty people deserve to be harmed, they include good men and merciful mothers and daughters, one of those people are my father, he is imprisoned in the dungeon below alone and shattered in this castle. Help me please"


    "I won''t help you start a rebellion, child," She said while throwing her arms away from her. "I lived here 5 years and I won''t let you destroy my home and my future husband because of your father, I am not going to bite the hand that took me from the streets, fed me, and gave me a home"


    "This hand is also responsible for causing orphanage to many children and death to many good men and women" Diana replied.


    "OK. Sorry. I still don''t give a shit"


    She failed...Diana was so frustrated by the woman''s tiring words that she gave up trying to conciliate the woman.


    "Maybe your father and his wife were cruel people, but you are by far much worse for supporting a deceiving, savage person!". Diana left with a disgusting gesture spreading on her face.


    Currently certain that Gunnora won''t help her, Diana needs another way to unlock the steel door of the servant''s bedroom. She kept looking towards the door and the keyhole with interesting and questioning looks but she didn''t see how she would get a key for the door.


    "Wait, who needs a key?!" She exclaimed to herself. The blacksmith station could help her make a simple lockpick.


    For that to happen, she needs to persuade the prisoners working there that there is a chance to break free from the slavery of the castle and give them hope that they could return to their families again.


    She needs to spread hope and gossip between prisoners and servants that if they worked together they could escape, while her dream of freeing her father could be reality. She told Maria about her motives and then asked her to spread the word between the girls, but Gunnora needed to be kept in the dark about this matter.


    For some servants, it was a blunt idea, for others, it was the only hope they could cling to and It was high time that the prisoners knew it too.


    The Evening Comes


    While Diana was in the kitchen preparing the food during her night shift, she thought about how she would break it to Sebastian and the other men, and whether he would approve of the idea in the first place.


    The girls moved from the kitchen to serve the depressed men, they didn''t want food, they wanted freedom, they wanted to hug their family members again, they wanted their destroyed and abandoned homes back, but most of all they wanted sweet revenge on those tyrannies! That was the chord that Diana would push.


    Diana''s eyes were fixed on protector Sebastian''s table, he was sitting with 3 strong-built men, and no one she knew was among them. While she was serving the food on the table, she began to speak. "I have the plan to get us out of here"


    The words had an instantaneous effect on the faces of the men except for Sebastian who was colder than usual. "How? This fortress is immune to such things, besides there is nothing I would return for". He paused. "My wife and my two girls are dead (his voice broke) I couldn''t even bury them !"


    "Then How about you retribute for them so their soul could finally rest?!" Diana encouraged him. The protector faced Diana with sad looks, Yet, you can plainly see just beneath his griefing eyes, a scorching volcano raging inside with revenge and intent of murder.


    "Fine, what do you need?"


    "A lockpick"


    "No can do, I am not a professional"


    "But I can!" said one of the 3 men at the same table. Apparently, the men around were sharing more enthusiasm for the idea over the protector.


    The man''s eyes filled with hope began to speak "I was locksmither before they captured me, I know how any lock is designed thus, knowing how the corresponding key or lockpick end shape is. but I do not know about making iron and steel"


    Before Diana could speak...another one interfered.


    "Well, that''s butter cake for me lad !" another man began proudly. "I spent 18 years in blacksmithing back at my place, I know every little spec about it, just give me the drawing and leave its accomplishment to me"


    Diana couldn''t believe how fate collected those oddly cooperative prisoners on one table.


    Different personalities...


    Different methods...


    Different villages...


    One Goal...


    "Enough talk for today. Let us spread the news, and DO NOT make a move until we meet again". Sebastian talked and the men nodded with satisfaction.


    She left the men with their small tasks, as gears operating in the process of seeking salvation. Soon one of the prisoners will rise to the leadership, leading the men to the light of freedom after days of darkness and misery.


    Now it was Diana''s turn.


    Regardless of all the prisoners and servants that were hyped for the E-day. Diana knew deep down that Gunnora wouldn''t help them. On the contrary, she could snitch everything to the commander, if she just heard the word ''escape'' roaming at the quarters again. So in order for the plan to move on, the possible traitor had to be done with. The method, however, would be challenging to come up with...


    By the next day, all the captured people in the castle knew the plan. The lockpick was finished after a week during the resting hour of the guards. The servants managed to notice the design of the castle, how many guards and their shift schedule.


    After eating her disgusting dinner, Diana returned to her quarter along with her loyal friend Maria. Once they entered, Diana noticed something not usual. All of the servants were more energetic than usual, they were chatting loudly, and their sad faces were almost gone...except for one woman.


    "Look there, do you see her" Maria questioned her friend. Diana didn''t take long to see who her friend was referring to.


    Gunnora was sitting in the corner but today, unlike the her normal proud self, her head was centred between her bent knees, her face drowned between her arms.


    "What happened to her" Diana was curious.


    "No one wished nor care to ask her, but whispers say that that the girls heard her crying"


    On hearing this, something inside Diana wanted her to go conceal her. It is not like anyone here would ''give a shit'' about her. She was already loathed and for known reasons.


    She hesitated to speak to her, their first meeting wasn''t exactly gorgeous and she was probably still hostile. But she can''t help it, she was always a sensitive person.


    When her father cried once she was his pillar to support him, her hug meant all the world to him and she knew that her father would do the same for her. The same went for a good old queen she met...


    Back to Thinking about Gunnora who her father abandoned, she pitied her. Maybe the lack of father''s love affected her personality so much that she couldn''t see what was right anymore. However, that does not explain her malevolence to innocents who don''t know her and never wounded her in any way.


    "Hey, where are you going?"


    Diana ignored her friend, approaching the so-called sad woman. "Are you ok?"


    She said with a loving voice as possible trying to forget her first impression about her. "Coming to gloat, bitch?" Gunnora said with a sobbing voice without raising her head to face Diana.


    "How I would gloat over you for something I don''t know, I am not your adversary , you can trust me"


    "Trust is for the fools and weak" Her sobs were heard clearly.


    "Well said! That''s the very reason why they need trust the most"


    The crying young woman paused for minutes, thinking through Diana''s words of condolences. But her head kept buried between her legs.


    "W-While all of you were in the kitchen, he invited me to his room, we chatted, drank and he even kissed me. It wasn''t our first kiss, he promised to marry me in time, till then I didn''t mind his hands over my body a couple of times. I guessed that''s how he wanted to express his feelings. But today he wanted way more than just a touch or a simple flirt.


    He wanted to ravish me.


    I politely refused his offer. I didn''t think he would be so persistent in my answer, so I just backed away, and then... he punched me" The woman''s cry were auditable, letting her emotions take control.


    She continued afterwards "He was drunk, and his appearance was more similar to an ape than a human. He picked me by my neck, and threw me to his bed and...and ...and...no matter how much I screamed...he didn''t...stop" Gunnora''s voice trembled, that''s when Diana hushed her softly and gently patted her shoulder knowing that the next part was the ugliest one to hear.


    Out of the blue, the woman raised her face to meet the blonde girl, And Diana''s eyes widened at the sight. Gunnora''s left eye was completely purple and swollen, and the internal eye was half-closed and a few inches outside its place, there were scratches over her neck and small dried blood clot over the tip of her mouth.


    It was a full scale assault


    Diana was just speechless and stunned. Though her mind was urging to bark " I TOLD YOU SO!" all the time. Despite that, she refused to condemn the hurt woman.


    "Everyone here hates me, I don''t blame them. If my parents rejected me why should anyone be any different? He was the only one who took care of me for 5 years, he never showed that other face of his. I am lost" she cried with sorrow all over her face.


    Unable to do anything else, Diana hugged the woman, letting her head rest on her left shoulder. Gunnora was confused and alarmed by the hug. Strangely, she accepted it with much pleasure as if she was begging for it.


    "You know that hugging won''t return the past, right?" Gunnora mocked.


    "But it will heal the present, it worked once with another affectionate lady"


    Both of them smiled. As the spirit of sadness slowly drifted away from Gunnora.


    "Have you figured out a route to escape, yet?" Gunnora asked out of nowhere. "I heard some prisoners talking, do you really have a plan?" She continued.


    "Not quite, have you changed your mind?" Diana asked eagerly. The woman hesitated at first but eventually nodded solidly.


    "I will try to steal the key..."


    "No no! It is too risky now, especially if he treats you badly, we need to gain his trust again for the sake of the plan to work, try to win him over, if he LOVES your body as you said, he will return to take more of it.  And then We shall make our move...I know I am asking the most disgusting bid...but fear not for freedom is near..."

 Chapter 24 : The E-Day

    The plan entered her final part. While in the kitchen, Diana made a little piece of dough and then gave it to Gunnora. It was her role to print the shape of the key on the piece of dough so the men in the blacksmith station could make an identical copy of it.


    After some persuasion from Diana to Gunnora to try to gain the demonic commander again. Gunnora had to get help with the shape of the key but not before blinding the commander with both wine and flirting.


    After 2 days, protector Sebastian managed to give Maria the forged key during lunchtime who subsequently gave it to Diana, to hide it in a secret pocket in her clothes later on.


    While the servants would use the forged key, the men would use the forged lockpick.


    However, there was a problem. An inspection point just before the prison cell, made for men only, was just the first problem in escaping the castle.


    Diana knew that and tried to address the problem with Sebastian. But He assured her that he had a plan to avoid being caught. He never told her what it was though.


    While the girls were escorted to their dirty room, Diana heard shouting and guards running toward the inspection point. Their escorting guards themselves ran towards the same place to examine the commotion.


    The curious girls took a peek at what was happening, they saw two prisoners fighting and exchanging punches. The guards were busy with the enraged men, and so was Diana until she caught a glimpse of Sebastian winking with his left eye at her.


    "A diversion, smart" she whispered to herself


    After the fight, the two men were taken into custody at the lower dungeon, with a promise of freedom very soon. Sebastian along with its important tool passed through the point safely.


    Later that night


    E-day


    Servants quarter


    The nervous 21 servants including Diana and Gunnora regrouped in a circle around each other to discuss the strategy one last time. Diana cleared her throat:


    "Alright, this is the day we demand freedom from these dogs! so here is how it will go." She took a deep breath before continuing.


    "I will ask the only guard in front of our steel door to escort me to the toilets (which were at the end of the same floor). While I am out there with the guard, open the door and regroup at the prisoner''s quarter on the floor above. They should have taken care of the guards for you..."


    "What about you?" Gunnora interrupted her.


    "I will take care of that guard for you"


    "No way. Let me do this! They trust me more. And I dare say that he could take a peek" Gunnora winked with a mischievous smile


    "With all due respect, your mind is as dirty as your plan. You have to reconsider your approach from this point on. Remember You are the oldest and you must lead from now on"


    She shook her head in denial. "Isn''t this your plan, what if you failed?"


    "Let me alone carry this burden"


    The girls exchanged looks, silently but they knew that someone must take a risk in this part of the plan.


    "Anyway, as I was saying find the prisoners and stick to them all the time they will tell you what they will do after that" she finished


    The crowd dispersed...


    Hearts pounding like the marching of an army...


    Fear is among them. Hope is more dominant than ever. It was them or their kidnappers.


    And so according to plan, Diana approached the steel door to call for the guard. She was about to call him when Maria''s hand touched her back. "we can manage, but please take care of yourself, ", Maria ended with an encouraging warm hug.


    While Diana was returning the hug, she eyed the other girls'' faces who looked at her with high gratitude, their lives were in debt to hers.


    Diana turned around to face the steel door "Hey, call of nature".


    The guard blew air from his mouth.


    "Why don''t they give this dirty work to someone else" he mumbled under his breath. The grouchy guard escorted her to the toilets and waited outside for her to finish, the same thing every day.


    She wasn''t surprised when the unbearable smell rushed to the girl''s nose as usual, giving her the feeling of puking. She was disgusted, barely resisting the feeling to focus on her mission.


    The toilet room was just a hallway with 3 corresponding doors on the right. each door held a garderobe (a pit used as a toilet in castles during the medieval era) behind each door.


    The girl looked behind her at the man. His back was facing her, as planned. She opened one of the doors and closed it again without entering, deceiving the man. Her motive was simple.


    Kill the guard...


    She slowly got her dagger to her right hand while scanning the man. His head was her most valuable target. however, the man was taller, and more equipped and his male body was stronger and accustomed to killing people more often while Diana merely scratched a man''s armour in the past and she was shaking afterwards. But now she had a goal and justice to serve. She changed from back then...


    She unhurriedly approached the man with her dagger in hand pointed towards her target. The tension was plaguing her body, her legs merely produced sound while moving, and she was breathing slowly, slower than her lungs could bear.


    She knew that and so her silent dance started. She used the tip of her legs, sneaking her way towards the intended stealth kill. She was careful not to make any sound as her foot touched the dirty ponds of water all over the area.


    She bolted at the man. Although her Approach was as quiet as a night, the last part was like a predator attack.


    Boisterous


    The man parried the dagger easily. He caught the attacking girl''s hand holding the dagger and twisted it painfully to drop her own weapon, and finally, he kicked her belly with his armoured knee.


    The girl dropped to the dirty ground, clutching her hurt stomach and moaning from pain.


    "Why, you little sneaky" the man laughed before delivering a boot to her face, causing blood to fly from the poor injured girl''s lips.


    "I wonder how did you got that little knife of yours. Meh, oh well. Guess it won''t change the outcome"


    Diana couldn''t support herself anymore. She just surrendered to the agonizing pain all around her body, and her dagger has been kicked backwards out of the toilet''s room. She can''t scream unless she wants to attract more guards who would certainly investigate.


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    "Any last words, before I torment your cat face," the man said with a sarcastic tone as he brought his sword from its place ready to stab the girl to death.


    Instinctively, the girl tried to crawl on her stomach away from the walls of the room, far from her future killer. While her hair to the wall, her swollen face bears heavy signs of fear, eyes filled with untalkable sadness.


    She remembered her father. Poor man. She really hoped to bring him back from his despair abyss or at least see him one last time, before she left the world of the living. The tears began to group on her cheeks. Failing to ignore the hulking figure of the mocking man in front of her, she closed her eyes accepting her death without much struggle...


    "DIANA!"...


    that voice...


    She opened her eyes, to see protector Sebastian''s arms around the guard''s head. He must have ambushed him from behind. The guard was swinging his deadly sword in an attempt to hit the former protector.


    "Get out of here now!". He shouted


    The traumatized girl was still reeling, her brain was still accommodating that she was given a second chance to live. She ran to the door of the room, but not before meeting a swing of the same sword. She dodged it by a length of a hair. Literally. The sword brushed her hair cutting some hair scraps.


    After escaping the deadly swing, the girl''s eye met her small dagger again outside in the hallway. Without hesitation, she took it and turned around to take part in the battle. The guard took some steps back and slammed the back of Sebastian to the edge of one of the three doors, breaking his enemy''s grab around his neck.


    The protector''s back was hurt but the battle continued as the guard with a roar turned around and swung his sword toward Sebastian''s head. The sword only met the wooden door smashing the wood pieces everywhere.


    "AAAAAAAHHHH!"


    The man screamed something entered his left thigh from behind. He fell on one knee and weakly swung his sword again at Diana. She jumped back to evade it, So as not to get her stomach another wound. Sebastian took advantage of the diversion. He jumped on the guard from the back knocking him over to the ground, slamming his cheek to the floor while he overwhelmed the guard with a knee to it back. He pulled the bloody dagger from the damaged leg. But before he delivered a stab, the guard gave him a staggering elbow punch and rolled himself over. The guard was now over Sebastian with both men grabbing the dagger pointed towards Sebastian''s lungs.


    The protector''s hand began to shake as it desperately resists the blade from sinking into his ribs. The anxious girl was standing in fear, her mouth shaking from confusion, not knowing what to do until she saw it on the ground...


    She rushed to pick it up, it was so heavy that she hardly found a way to raise it using fill powered 2 hands, seeing the men fighting each other, not giving her any attention, she made her move. She came closer dragging it, the guard finally noticed it in her small hands with terror and panic in his evil eyes.


    "He left his sword behind!"


    The girl roared like an eagle on its prey. She swung the sword towards his head digging the air between, like a lightning bolt. She missed his head but not his neck. The blood exploded from the slit throat of the man that he left the dagger to stop the deadly bleeding with his hands, as he falls on his back choking on his own blood. It wasn''t too long before the man had a slow painful death.


    She was breathing heavily, sweat all over her face, exhaustion taking its toll on her body and mind, and her stomach still hurt. But most of all she was not shaking.


    She was strangely happy and never felt a drop of regret that she just committed a murder. ending a human life. she changed ...only for the sake of her father. The man who raised her as the angel of mercy and beauty didn''t know that his only daughter had become an Angel of death and blood.


    How would he feel about her now? Would he be happy that his daughter was brave or would he be disgusted and frightened of how his blonde daughter changed to become nothing less than a killer? What would his face express if he was watching her right now with a sword soaked with someone else blood?


    "Woah, I could see the old Richard in you, girl" chuckled Sebastian while he was still lying on the ground, recovering from the battle. the girl laughed softly with a forced smile. "well, come on, tell that to him personally" she offered him her hand. the man refused and stood on his own.


    The two left towards the second floor and just like planned, the prisoners broke free using the lockpick and disposed of the guards without a problem. the servants were there too, a bit scared but alive. On seeing her, Maria rushed to hug the girl again. "What does that monster have done to your face?!"


    "it doesn''t matter now, he is dead," she said coldly. "go with the men, I still need to save my father"


    "I am not leaving you, girl, and don''t try to argue with that"


    "and so am I, I still want to check the old man" said Sebastian supporting and sarcastic about it. Diana smiled thanking both of them. "maybe one of the men knew where the lower dungeon was" Sebastian suggested. they asked the prisoners one by one but no clue. the girl didn''t lose hope; sooner or later the castle would fall and she would have all the time to search for him afterwards. if they survived first...


    "all right we need to get to the weaponry, it''s on the 4th floor, but we have an issue. Half of the slavers are sleeping in the adjacent quarter and the weaponry itself is probably guarded with spearmen, if we tried to force our way with numbers, we will risk awaking their whole army, facing them all without weapons would be pure suicide. even if we tried to face them with the weapons, most of us are unable to grab a weapon properly, any ideas, girls?" exclaimed Sebastian.


    "how about you wear those?" gunnora pointed towards the armour that the guards were, unlike the guard that diana attacked back there the two guarding the prisoners were fully armoured from head to toe, with a Helmet that could only show the eyes, not the whole head of its wearer.


    "told you she would come in handy" diana said happily. with that said Sebastian told two other skilled, and former protectors about the new plan. the men nodded, took both the armour and the swords with their pods from the two dead guards, and wore them on themselves. nearly unrecognizable, the men went to achieve their quest.


    <u>The guard''s POV</u>:


    "Hey boys, late shift ?"


    "yea, it''s our turn now, go pick some rest"


    "Alright, we gonna put our armour inside then"


    (the two guards went inside the weaponry then after some time they came out without their armour or weapons)


    "Good night"


    "yea, but not for you" The two men slashed the guards with their swords, stabbing them without mercy, making this night their last. Afterwards, They dragged their still bodies inside the weaponry before returning back to the team.


    <u>Back to Diana Pov:</u>


    "Nice job men" Sebastian gave them a boost and signalled for the people to move. The prisoners rushed to the weaponry, picking every weapon and armour they saw, and so some brave servants including Gunnora, got ready for the worst.


    "Hey, where are you all going, aren''t we leaving, the gate is downstairs," asked diana when she saw the prisoners going straight to the guard''s quarter.


    "Then what next? even if we escaped they could capture us again and again. those butchers are sleeping after they burnt your village and killed and raped many of our women. no one knows how many they will murder or abduct tomorrow. besides none of us will leave until we get our justified revenge for our dead."


    She couldn''t speak a single word. She already promised him revenge for his family, she gave him a purpose for redemption. She couldn''t take it from him now. The only thing she could hope was that he would survive his fury long enough to bury what was left of his family''s ashes.


    "There is an infirmary at the end of the hall" he pointed, "Go fix your face until we finish them" She opened her mouth to say something but she didn''t find the words so she left. She opened the door of the infirmary to reveal a room which has two closets full of medicines and a single bed. She opened one of the 2-window glass closets to face tens of unknown medications with creepy colours. The girl backed a few steps away. She needed some alcohol at least. a bottle which she doesn''t know its shape and which one of all those chemicals.


    so the girl just washed her face with some water from a sink in the same room and was going to leave empty-handed. But before she left, she saw an interesting drawing on the wall. "Looks like it''s a drawing of the castle, let''s see here" She studied the diagram keenly, "I FOUND IT!" She said loudly to herself. She couldn''t believe that she actually found the lower dungeon place. "It should be under the western tower of the castle, out at the castle parade". Satisfying with what she found. Smiling and proud of herself, she eagerly wanted to deliver the good news to Sebastian.


    When she opened the door of the infirmary, she found out that the prisoners were gone from the hall and the guard''s quarter''s door was opened by a small margin.


    Afraid and shaking, the girl took some trembling steps to the door. but when she came closer to the door, she noticed a stream of blood running under the door touching her leg. She was alerted to the warm fluid immediately. Terrified and careful she heard some whispering from the other side. sounds of many people and some strange voices come back and forth. very slowly the girl took a peak...


    and regret it...


    "that''s the last one of them"


    "last one in this room, not in the castle, come on we still have..."


    The man pointed surprisingly at the girl behind the door, cutting the conversation between him and the protector Sebastian. When Sebastian turned around, his odd calmness escaped him at once as he hasted straight towards the girl.


    But it was too late. Her mind had already consumed a horrific sight...


    Blood, everywhere...


    corpses...


    dead on their beds...


    slit throats...


    Their lifeless eyes staring upwards...


    Their mouth is unbelievably open...


    Silently, screaming for help...


    She slowly stepped back, her energy escaped her body, and her mind stopped working due to the shock. As the poor girl crashes to the ground. The last thing she saw was Sebastian running towards her before passing out...

 Chapter 25: To the eye of the storm

    Diana opened her eyes to see herself in the dearest place of them all.


    Endora.


    The sights of its simple houses, her friendly neighbours, the dirty streets, and children playing with happy spirits, All of those streaming emotions flushed through Diana''s eyes.


    While she was sightseeing her home with a wide smile and happy heart. A hand patted her shoulder.


    She turned around, eyes widened to find the kind and warm face of her father smiling at her with his blue orbs focusing on her. A flux of tears flooded her face. She didn''t think twice about her reaction. She rushed to hug him with a shocked face. But the truth soon turned to a mirage and her father''s image vanished before her arms got hold of him.


    Suddenly the air changed. As she witnesses a horde of knights charging towards Endora. However, by taking another look at the riders. She saw skulls engulfed with flames on lifeless bodies. She saw horses bringing destruction by just stamping on the ground. Horsemen made of wicked fire and hideous smiles on their vague faces, empty of all flesh and blood. Sprinting with swords that were made to reap and devour everything and everyone onwards.


    They charged with a sweeping strike turning the surroundings into ashes. Her fellow citizens one by one- turned into skeletons as they were brutally killed by those demonic warriors.


    With that monstrosity approaching, Diana kept shouting for the unaware people to flee. Unlike the logic that she expected, all she got in return was some simple smiles with happy waves.


    No panic and No running. No escaping for their lives and no anarchy made. Just smiles and pure love. It''s like they knew what was coming and they had already made their peace with it.


    It was no use.


    She was a ghost who witnessed the same view of Endora''s demise over and over again. Like an eternal punishment. She witnessed the scenario all over again as the fire greedily ate the town and its citizens as a whole, as the flames and smoke inflated till they easily touched the bottom of the sky.


    She fell to her knees. Her tears were vaporizing from the fire that kept sparking yellow and bright. Her brain demanded an answer but instead, it was given a grounding past...


    She looked to the ground with closed eyes and raging fists. "Why..." She cried. "Why didn''t I just die with them?"


    "Why did the people I love the most must undergo such doom?!"


    "Why should they suffer while the sentence of death solely belonged to me!?"


    She sobbed.


    -----


    "And leave so easily?!"


    That voice...


    She raised her face quickly to see her father in front of her. Right in the middle of the flames. Untouched. But this time his face was serious.


    The girl just kept staring, didn''t know what she should believe anymore. Nothing made any sense from that point onwards.


    The protector approached till he reached for his daughter. He kneeled gradually and hugged the girl tightly to his body.


    Unlike the other illusions moments ago. This hug was real. She felt his cooling hands marching over her heated body. Giving her an odd sense of relaxation and relief.


    She closed her eyes once more. Trying to Remember the feeling of being locked within her father''s arms again. It was so comforting. His hand brushed over her yellow blond hair giving her love chills through her golden color head.


    "Open up your eyes, and look at them...". He said quietly.


    As much as she was afraid to see who was "them". Diana blankly obeyed.


    Her eyes opened unhurriedly to reveal a majestic sight


    Her friends and all the people she cared about were standing there smiling at her. All the servants and men of the Red Castle were there...


    Gunnora, Maria, Sebastian,... all of them were there gazing at her with calm and welcoming faces.


    Richard slowly backed off Diana''s arms to face her dilemma face.


    "I am waiting for you, do not dare to turn around"


    Those last words of his changed the surroundings. The world began to glimmer strongly and everything turned to white space.


    ~~~~~~~~


    The sleeping girl sighed as she opened her eyes to meet the cracking ceiling of the infirmary, breaking away from the chains of her illusionary nightmare.


    "Oh, Thank goodness!" The voice of Sebastian emerged beside her. "I told you to stay outside till we finish, wasn''t I clear enough?!!". Sebastian scolded with a groan and angry tone.


    The tired girl rolled over her head to the right to see Sebastian on a chair. she ignored the useless considerable complaints from the anxious man, her heart was already filled with mixed sentiments.


    "Those men...W-Why I felt sorry for them?" She asked with sad eyes, memorizing what happened earlier that caused her to pass out in the first place.


    She looked at Sebastian with questioning puppy eyes and a broken soul.


    "I know about their crimes, I saw their cruelty many times during my stay here, the several lives they destroyed back at Ontoga. And on a personal level, they captured my dad. Imagine how many surrounding towns met the same fate, and how many people died unjustified?? So why do I feel sympathy for them?". She asked.


    The man frowned.


    "Because you are just a teen girl, you are not trained to see corpses everywhere you go. . .But we... the protectors do. Everyday. You could say we befriend death half the time in our job and we may even cause it to protect the weakest of our citizens.


    So when we meet such people, we don''t think of them as humans, we think of them as monsters but wearing human skin. When you see them through their masks, It makes slaying them more like a service to the universe rather than a crime"


    She blinked. Taking in all those harsh words that are filled with a horrible reality.


    She forced herself up to a sitting posture on the bed, using some help from Sebastian


    "Listen, I know what you have been through and I am not your father so you are not forced to heed my advice but if Richard was in my shoes. He would have wanted for you to not lose your innocence even if the whole surrounding went berserk"


    She nodded with a small smile.


    That would be her father alright. The man who would sacrifice it all so his daughter wouldn''t be traumatized by how the world has already become...


    Monstrous.


    Despite how the past events already seized her innocence away, the talk about her father calmed her a bit as she recalled the last fragments of that dream as well.


    Sebastian met her with a smile."Alright, enough with the chit-chat, we are still not out of the castle yet". He said as he stood up to leave with Diana.


    They left the infirmary and descended to the ground floor. Walking down the stairs with her protector. A question popped up in Diana''s head.


    "What happened to the commander?" She asked the man.


    "We didn''t find him in his room. So he could be---"


    "SEBASTIAN!" A shouting and sweating man came running from the lower floor. "We have a crisis on our hands!"


    "What is it?" He answered with recognizable tension to the hard-breathing man.


    "It began when two of the girls wanted to go to the toilets. So we sent two men as an escort to the toilet room with ''em just in case.


    There, and to the men''s surprise. They found 2 guards investigating the dead body on the floor (the one that Diana killed). When they saw them, both parties immediately engaged, battling each other, we managed to kill one of them but the other one managed to escape to the castle parade.


    They know about the escape now, and they will be waiting for us!"


    The protector grinded his teeth, cursed heavily, and delivered a side punch to the stone wall on his right. Diana herself took a step back waiting for the man''s anger to pass.


    "Fuckers! I told you to hide that body an hour ago". He blew air from his nose, while covering his face in anger. "Looks like we have to spill more blood to gain our freedom" Sebastian declared. He faced the frightened man with a hard face."Gather every man and woman at the internal gate. They need to hear me before the battle"


    (the gate of the main building of the castle, not the external gate linked to the walls of the castle)


    On their way to the meeting. Diana told him about the lower dungeon''s location.


    When they arrived at the gate, they saw everyone arguing, and shouting a common sentence aloud...


    "We are doomed"


    The men were blaming the one man who let the guard escape and they were about to kill him for his stupidity. On the other hand, The female servants were just afraid and the youngest of them began crying as chaos and panic scattered faster than the wind. Suspicious began to rise if there was a traitor among them.


    "CALM DOWN PEOPLE!" Sebastian shouted, his voice echoing through the walls of the castle rooms influencing the frightening crowd and controlling them.


    "We sacrificed a lot to get to this moment, we killed most of ''em while they were snoring in their beds, So their remaining forces shouldn''t be a trouble to us".


    He turned around to Gunnora.


    "You, get charge of the girls and lead them out while we fight their retaliated forces, if we failed to follow you, Run to the nearest Town (which was Ontoga) and seek shelter". Then he pointed his thumb backwards. "Take what you can carry from the treasury room, those are your well-earned money after all"


    Gunnora nodded firmly, gathering the servants around her and rallying them together.


    Diana took a step forward, with a courageous voice, as she spoke loud.


    "I want to fight too and I won''t take a ''No'' for an answer"


    Sebastian sighed seriously. "I don''t mind, but your life is your responsibility, I can''t protect you out there"


    "Protect me?! I just saved your life a while ago!"


    "I saved yours first, Blondy," he said while drawing his sword. He moved away side by side with the small army of prisoners under his command.


    With hatred as their weapons and hope as their shields. They all marched towards the gate. Sebastian with all the men at the front line while the female servants behind them under the leadership of Gunnora.


    This is it, They all witnessed the front door shut ahead and no one really knew what lurked behind it.


    Sebastian kicked the gate powerfully with his right leg, making the two-sided door spring open


    Once he opened a way, the same leg that busted the door open met 2 shot bolts, piercing his leg to the other side of it, breaking the man to the ground with massive pain. As the leader falls to the ground, all the men gasped with a step backwards.


    A warm welcome as it was expected. but they didn''t expect to be so quick and... large. Naive as they may be. They raised their head to meet a giant man talking with an old mountain voice.


    "You are really dumb"


    The surprised men faced a tall man with a heavily armored suit. With back brushed silky black spider hair running all the way to his shoulders.


    He was carrying two large axes the size of 10 swords in each hand. Behind him were about 50 to 60 footmen. Half of the that number were carrying crossbows on the walls of the castle on the far side of the parade and the remaining troops were a mix of pikemen and a couple of calvaries.


    That must be the commander and what is left of his goons. Diana realized that they were facing an organized army with double the equipment and force, they had horses, and they had high grounds with numerous crossbows pointed toward them.


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    "I am a generous man, protector!" The commander sarcastically said raising his both arms to the air.


    "Return to your cells and I will forgive you all," he said happily then he pointed one of his Axes towards the injured Sebastian.


    "OR you can go on with your revolt, And I will gladly water my parade with your cheap blood". He threatened with his devilish eye.


    "Yep, congratulations. We are officially screwed" Maria said. The girls were watching with fearful looks and silent questioning gestures...


    ...until Gunnora took a step forward to lend the man some help. She bent his arm around her neck and got him up.


    When she got him up, two men came to aid him. For her to speak...


    "Do you really think after we killed all your sleeping men, we would let you leave this parade alive?" She gasped with cool calmness. "Then your stupidity is far bigger than your axes"


    The commander''s smile vanished. "Then that explains why we are short in numbers...Still, My sweet whore girl, even if you passed us, you are in the middle of the wild. if you didn''t die by my Axe, the wolves will tear you to shreds. he said with a mocking face. That''s if the hunger didn''t kill you first, of course.


    With a swift move, She drew a sword of Sebastian''s belt and pointed it towards the commander''s head. "Fear not!  I would take my chances with the wolves, but after I take your head with me!"


    After those words, Sebastian motioned to the men to advance with the organized defensive formation of a half-circle around the girls. Diana wasn''t among them. She was in the front row with the men.


    The commander smiled while closing his eyes, nodding left and right in denial. "Such a waste, y''all could have brought a fortune to us, Ah well...ARCHERS!". He raised his right hand in the air and a wide column of archers along the wall of the castle stretched their bows towards their helpless easy targets, just waiting for the order, so they could rain death upon their cornered preys.


    Scared and full of hopelessness, Maria sought shelter behind Diana''s back as if it would save her from the awaiting death. While some men took a defensive formation using their shields, others didn''t have the sheer strength of the protectors to raise these massive round steel shields in front of their heads for protection. The defensive circle had many weak points.


    The men were sweating like pigs. They just wanted this day to end. Even if it was their last. They kept waiting for a chance...for an opportunity...


    Then...


    And out of nowhere...


    Something occurred...


    A big flying sharp spear pierced one of the archer''s necks! The spear rested halfway through the soldier''s neck while sticking out of his throat, making a horrible view to watch.


    The other archers gasped in panic as they saw their dead comrade fall from the high wall of the castle onto the parade stone ground. His corpse slammed to the ground with the spear still stuck to his body at rest, however, in his death, the surrounding soldiers were stunned by the sight.


    "Sir!" one of the soldiers came reporting to the surprised commander. "We have intruders marching double-time towards the front gate. They are lightly armed and led by one-arm man!"


    "How many"


    "I-I don''t know about 30 or 40 of th-"


    The messenger didn''t finish his words before an arrow pierced his left eye. For the first second, he didn''t realise that he was no longer in control of his vision and there was a piercing projectile struck deep into his skull. His last vision was the gasps of his befriended soldiers as he fell to his death.


    What the rest didn''t expect was that that arrow was not a misleaded stray one and it wasn''t shot solely. The men raised their eyes to the sky above and saw that blood-freezing view.


    An enormous shower of loaded with flying spears and arrows descended from up high, coming from behind the wall, targeting them. Each arrow crashed and professionally sliced at the shocked victims below. That was not an attack, it was a wrath. A bashing and furious handmade storm.


    For the first time in their lives, they felt death mocking them, betraying them, spitting at their once grinning proud faces. He raised his hand to reap, harvesting many with each sweep. His unrealistic smile is carved on his inhuman face, delighted to elevate justice once more.


    A lot of random casualties soon joined the messenger''s demise accompanied by a few calvaries who died instantly as well, breaking their organized formation, and turning their shields towards the projectiles. But by doing so they exposed their backs to the opportunistic Gunnora. And she had that one window she longingly yearned for...


    "That''s our chance!" Gunnora faced Diana. "Run for the gates and open them for our welcomed allies in arms to join us in battle!"


    Diana nodded obediently.


    Then Gunnora faced the men "Do You want your revenge, then GO HAVE IT !!!"


    "CHAAAAAAAARGE!!!"


    The battlecry was all that the men needed. Their morales erupted like a volcano as their shouts spread through the ears of their enemies, planting fear in their black hearts. They ran like they never did before. Eyes filled with zealous revenge on sight. Their sprint was more like haste for decisive triumph!


    While the enemy''s mind was trifling between the two armies. They didn''t have time to reassign their lines and the brave prisoners of the Red Castle startled their enemy and clashed from behind.


    They broke through the first line of soldiers like a flood, overflowing them with shouting and warcries. The weapons clashed and shields collapsed causing a blizzard filled with smoke and blood...


    And the battle enraged!


    Their angry souls pushed their mortal bodies to their maximum limits. Slaughtering, killing, and obnoxiously murdering any of those who once thought they ruled this castle.


    During this anarchy. Diana''s mind was frozen for winks, it was from witnessing the horrors of this battle up close.


    To the eye of this storm, she had to reach... No mercy was embraced...Limbs went flying...Swords slashed and pikes stabbed...cries of pain and agony...Men without heads...Deformed corpses filled the footing...and the stench of blood overspread all over the parade. She was lucky that she was no warrior. Her dagger was a livestock for laughter against this aggression.


    She snapped out from amidst this chaos, enough to focus on her goal once more.


    Reaching whatever controlled that large steel gate and opening it, she said. Her eyes levelled up to see a distinguished tower built adjacent to the gate, with a massive steel chain linked to the iron mouth of the castle and the other end was coming from a hole in the building."A gate that big must be controlled by level in that tower," She thought between her almost cut breaths.


    The prisoners were fighting left and right. While the female servants were watching in astonishment the bravery of those men clashing and killing brutally as if the life inside the castle didn''t bother them at all. As their blood mixed with the blood of the enemy flooding the ground below. A battle where every good soldier is a deceased one.


    Back to Diana. her eyes were on the highest alert running through dead bodies, or bypassing wrestling men on the verge of death. Only with her faithful dagger in her hands. She was cautious not to get herself into a battle 1 on 1 with any of the slavers, especially with their leader.


    But before she knows it. A figure ran from the right side, slamming at her body with a power of 10 horses combined. She flew away from the impact, falling painfully on her back, and before she knew it. A big axe was on the way to split her skull.


    Our girl parried to the right and the axe hit the ground, giving a spark of the metal upon the stone. She got up quickly to see her attacker twice as tall. And triple body built.


    The commander.


    He rushed again at the girl with his two bloody axes. The girl gasped and spontaneously ran from him like a chicken from a butcher, never daring to face such a monster. She ran to the fighting mess again. flanking right and left to lose her pursuer. It was running from death in a maze of a fighting arena.


    Out of breath, she slowed down and looked behind her to see that he was still after her!


    She was sure that she had to face him one way or another. He maybe is more skilled and stronger than her but her body was smaller which means that she is way faster and can avoid his attacks more often.


    She stopped running and turned around to face the hulk opponent.


    The commander approached his small opponent carefully, breathing heavily from the chase.


    "Little woman, you are starting to annoy me with your presence, now shall we duel, or will you continue running?" He rolled both of his axes in each hand.


    The girl took her stance, unsure if her small dagger would do any damage against that tank figure she was willing to face.


    Then a soft hand touched her arm. Diana looked behind. She saw a woman. A leader. An attorney.


    It was Gunnora holding a longsword in the other hand.


    "Leave him to me, get that gate open," she said with narrowing eyes facing her enemy.


    Diana was surprised. Gunnora had clothes full of blood everywhere and judging by the confidence in her talking, that blood on her clothes wasn''t hers...


    "Go!" She commanded the girl to leave.


    As Diana ran towards her target, she tried to abandon the eagerness itching her to watch the battle between the two foes.


    Gunnora''s point of view:


    She held her sword which had the fresh blood of her dead enemies on it. Her grip tightens on the sword with her right hand as she eyes the man with an absolute abomination gesture.


    On the total opposite, Her foe was calm.


    "Sweetheart, why do you feel a grudge against me, is this how you repay me for taking you off the streets and giving you everything that your despicable father once prohibited you from? Is this how you reward me for my love?"


    "You dirty dog!  you took me from the street because you loved my...you loved my..." The words refused to leave her shaking lips while she was resisting the hot tears from leaving her eyes.


    "Your body, that''s what you wanted to say, right?  yes, I admit I loved your body more than anything in you. SO WHAT ?!"


    The woman was astonished. Was she that cheap to him? Where were his promises?


    He continued..."Isn''t that what a woman was created for? Wasn''t she made to provide pleasure to men, to raise children, to-"


    "SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP! None of your facts included the fact that I am a human, you sadistic fuck!"


    Gunnora heard enough and charged at the man with a fearsome cry.


    The sword clashed with crossed axes creating an unseen spark that only they can see.


    At first, The commander was so overwhelmed by the charge of the sword that he fell on one knee and was pushed slightly backward.


    Gunnora saw that and delivered a perfect knee kick right under his chin leading to the commander falling on his back with an injured mouth.


    She pressed her advantage and went on an aggressive offensive trying to put the man down once and for all. but her advantage didn''t last long enough for her to use it.


    The commander''s experience in battle soon catched up with him as he dodged most of her stabs or simply used his physical power to simply deflect the rest using his two axes.


    The commander quickly turned the table with a counter-offensive stronger than that of his foe.


    Swinging blows right and left with equally terrible single manpower in each arm.


    Gunnora was racing to avoid the high rate of blows coming towards her while she holds only one sword. She began to sweat hard, he was an extremely fast and talented fighter.


    Through her eyes, she couldn''t find any gap to flank him while her own flanks were wide open to his attacks.


    The battle continued, overwhelming the woman. It was inevitable and she knew it. This battle was not supposed to be won...


    And eventually...one of the axes found a way to Gunnora''s flesh. The right axe slashed a small shallow wound right above her right breast. It wasn''t that serious but it staggered her well.


    She lost most of her power and her body couldn''t catch up.


    The commander then delivered a heavy upright blow towards her to which she raised her weapon once again to deflect it. but this time there was a hidden change in tactics that Gunnora didn''t notice. while she was facing the heavy blow coming above her head. Another blow was coming from right under her eyes. She saw a glimpse of the second axe upercutting towards her. And she didn''t have time to react accordingly.


    The axe cut through her clothes and skin making a big wound starting from the right side of her stomach to the right shoulder flooding blood outside her body.


    The courageous woman shouted painfully before taking a brutal kick to her abdomen flying her backwards.


    Her head reverberated from the stone floor, nearly punching her brain out of her skull.


    Enduring massive pain in the upper half of her body. Her clothes were cut and were now completely soaked in blood.  She couldn''t do anything to save herself. All of her stamina was gone.


    She looked at the sky. Crows were circling around. If the battle wasn''t happening, she could have enjoyed the scenery of the full moon up in the sky.


    She was coughing blood. as she looked above her chest to see her foe coming steadily toward her. The girl stared with her eyes to the heavens, smiling. Her role was finished. She couldn''t have a normal happy life like any other woman. but she had at least a chance to choose her death to be as honourable as it could be.


    Closing her eyes slowly. She was too tired to keep them open. She prayed silently that her death wouldn''t be as painful as her injury. But the pain... it was too powerful to allow her to sleep. She couldn''t help herself but wait for her foe to be merciful enough to grant her that blessing.


    He bent on one knee as his axe hilt rested on the ground with a bang, while his shadow crept over her dying body, covering the reflected white light of the moon.


    "I think it is the time that I should ask for any last words, but we both agree you don''t have the energy to say them"


    "Yeh...oh...killing you would have been... a great bonus..."


    "Oh, don''t worry about the girl. She won''t survive "Biao". He is going to make a good practice out of..."


    "THE GATE! THE GATE IS OPENING!". A soldier''s scream stopped the fight for a moment


    And it happened. All eyes sighted the sturdy hulking gate rising up. Like a sword of executioner raised over the steady head of the criminals beneath...


    And what came from behind it...was a flying spear.


    It flew straight toward the commander. He saw it coming and grabbed it in mid-air. Surprised but unscathed.


    "Biao, what the Hell-"


    "Cough...Cough...Looks like my girl had beaten your lieutenant good". She mocked him with a smile full of blood staining her teeth


    "SILENCE!". He stood up. Axes in hands. But his eyes refused to believe what he was witnessing. He was losing everything he built in one day. He couldn''t comprehend what miscalculation he made.


    The one-arm man on a horse riding with a sword in his hand. He pierced through a group of soldiers with the power of his horse. And a second later, an army of calvaries crashed toward the numerous helpless foot soldiers. As they dispersed through the battlefield. Like a locust carried by the wind unleashed on green lands. They pierced through the last defences of the Red Castle.


    Every minute that passed from that moment onward was written in history. Those who died and were cast away by the slavers. Those who- by force- were tortured or slain. Those who were waiting for this night to come.


    Now they can proudly shout it to the high heavens...


    The Red Castle was dwindling


    "That shocking look on your face is beauty to my eyeballs. Sweetheart"


    "I SAID SILENCE, YOU BITCH!"


    His shout came with a kick to her stomach making the woman scream with tears.


    "Leave her alone!"


    A SHOUT SLAPPED HIS BACK


    He looked behind and saw the limping Sebastian with a sword in his hand. He was breathing hard. In addition to the soldiers, he had to fight earlier, his leg had a non-stop pulsing with excessive pain with every inch he pushed himself upon.


    "What. You want to be the hero of this battle, eh protector?". The commander said out of breath and out of ideas.


    Sebastian''s teeth sheathed hard. Tightening the grip of his sword. He saw the woman''s clothes all turned red, If he did this to a healthy person, then no way he was going to win over that herculean man with his damaged leg and also....


    Because the man creeping behind the commander will do the job for him.


    And it happened.


    The commander didn''t see the sword penetrating his kidney from behind until it popped out of his interior from the front.


    Sebastian kept watching with widened eyes. As his very long-missed former protector friend. Stuck his sword in the back of the tyranny. While his exemplary men were tearing apart the remaining soldiers.


    "WHERE IS THE GIRL?! ANSWER ME!". The one-arm man shouted at the commander with his hand twisting the sword further to his organs.


    "M...MY...My back". He stuttered with agony.


    "Oh, your back needs another pat?! Why didn''t you say so!"


    The same sword that cut through the flesh before, was extracted and pierced the man''s back again. This stab, however, hit the backbone.


    The man screamed.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WITH MY NIECE, YOU SON OF BITCH!". His torturer shouted even louder.


    But no response came back.


    "Are you Godamn deaf! Answer me!"


    "AlFRED!," Sebastian''s voice alarmed the protector..."He will answer no longer to you"


    "AND WHY THE HELL IS THAT!?"


    "Because he is already answering to his creator as we speak". His voice was more serious than ever.


    Alfred blinked. He pulled his blade away from his enemy for the last time.


    So that he can behold the commander of the Red Castle...the source of grieves for many families in Ontoga... The captor of countless girls and children...The destroyer of limitless futures of once good families...The deceiver who tricked Gunnora just to satisfy his erotic desires...


    He fell...


    And with his death...


    ~ The Great Fall of the Red Castle soon followed ~


    * * * * *


    "The...Tower"


    "What?". Alfred tilted his head to the bleeding Gunnora.


    He kneeled towards her, raising her head up a little from the ground. "What tower, what do you mean!?"


    "T... There...". She raised her arm pointing to the structure.


    Alfred followed her gaze and nodded. "Sebastian!"


    "I got her, go! ". He said as Alfred ran in the direction that he was instructed to go with only one prayer chanted by his exhausted mind...


    "Please, let her be alive. Please God!"


    "Diana!" He shouted as he entered but no one answered, Alas. The protector''s fear pumped higher and higher.


    The quietness inside the tower was the most contradicting to the mishmash outside. The building itself was all shed in darkness. There wasn''t a single flame to light the way and the air inside was suffocating. As if Alfred just entered another realm.


    At last, he reached the top floor. He spotted a doorway to his right at the end of the stairs. as he dashed through his way up and entered the room.


    And his eyes widened at the sight...


    <figure>


    </figure>

 CHAPTER 26 : The Sound of Freedom

    1 hour earlier


    "Find that lever" she kept encouraging herself forward. Every man and woman outside that tower depend solely on her next choices. To fail is to lose what''s left of her past. Of Endora.


    She finally reached the top of the stairs and on her right she saw her objective. That lever was right there...but there was something unreal.


    "Where are the guards?". She thought. Could it be that all of them are fighting the rebellion that they forgot to protect the front door of thier fortress?


    "Why do I even think about this, they need me down there!". She scolded herself and she mindlessly ran towards the lever. However,...


    She was not alone at that room and she learnt that the hard way.


    The tip of her eyes saw a large object fly towards her. It was too fast. She couldn''t have time to to identify that object properly. It was a tall but lethal tool on impact. Whoever threw it was- unlike Diana- patiently waiting.


    She felt the blade travel with the speed of light right ahead of her eye pupils and get stuck at the wall. It wasn''t how close the blade was about to pierce her head that surprised the girl, it was simply the power that the spear was throwing with. Its momentum was insanely out of this world.


    She was nailed in her place as she tilted her head to face her camping and dangerous foe.


    "Missed by that much," he said with unusual energy and with a creepy chuckle under his dark black eyes.


    The girl faced her attacker with fright. As he slowly emerged from the shadows, she immediately recognized the person beforehand. He was always by the commander''s side. To be more specific he was his second-in-command. He was the one who issued orders directly to both soldiers and prisoners every day.


    Prisoners knew him by "Lieutenant Biao"


    He wasn''t that different from his master. He had the same arrogant and offensive mouth. His inhuman actions which don''t include the word ''mercy'' speak for his character. Despite that, his age was young, more like in the mid-30s or so.


    "Looks like the old man began to get rusty for you to run past him without a scratch," he said. Fists on his hip. He was referring to the commander.


    The girl pulled the spear from the wall. When it got out, she immediately noticed how massively heavy it was.


    She barely took a stance with her 2-hands weapon facing the Lieutenant.


    "And what about you? You look energetic enough to face a little girl" Diana teased her opponent.


    "OH! You have no idea how much I missed the battleground away from this cursed castle. Too bad you won''t survive me to see the end of your scummy coup outside" He finished his word by drawing a big, curved sword with a strange hilt looking. Taking a position halt, preparing for the battle.


    With her long weapon along with her dagger. Diana was determined to finish her fight quickly before the main battle shifted in the favour of the wrong side.


    She scanned her target. Nothing special was about him, physically. He was young and thin. His light amour covers most of his body. Not strongly built as the commander. Yet, his skills were far from being tested.


    She narrowed her eyes, skeptical of how her small dagger would help vs that sword.


    Then a strategic idea came to her.


    She raised the spear and tried to throw it at him. The spear embarrassingly missed by far, landing away from the target . As her foe just stared with much amusement to the spear rolling to his right, trying his best to conceal his laughter.


    The girl smiled cunningly, she had him where she just wanted.


    "You should really work on your aimi- Arghhhhh !!" he was taken by surprise.


    A very nasty one. flying to the air. The dagger of Diana found his way straight to his shoulder. Half of the dagger was between the shoulder bones while the hilt was hanging outside causing massive pain through his whole right arm of his. The girl herself was taken back by how her plan beautifully pushed through. Literally.


    Such tactic was self learned by herself during the month of training at Tagia. It was time to harvest her hard work.


    The man was struck back with a painful gasp, cursing how he undervalued his foe. That''s when Diana rushed to grab the spear again.


    She grabbed it but before she tried to raise it from the ground. The Lieutenant stomped on the spear.


    "Out of the way!" She said angrily. Dashing her right shoulder to bump to his armoured body. Strangely, the power of her Dash was so powerful that she was about to knock the man down and he didn''t use his sword against her just yet.


    However, little she knows what the other side felt. The dagger was stuck in his shoulder, limiting his attacks with the sword. And to make it worse, that Brute dash twisted the dagger deeper in his shoulder. Making it more sophisticating to pull it out. her smart attack made his whole right arm utterly useless, thus. the sword can not possess a threat anymore.


    Diana raised the spear. And lunged at the man with questionable courage...


    But the weight of the spear took its toll once more on the girl''s short arms, and Diana missed by a screaming margin.


    The tide of the battle was all one-sided all the time. The girl was on the offensive with the looted spear while the lieutenant was injured in his arm, as the dagger was laying still between his joints making it drastically painful every time he moved his arm to try to use his own blade.


    Time worked against her. If the battle period extended for so long. The revolt fire outside will soon be extinguished.


    With the pressure of knowing that, Diana swung wide with the spear. yet, because the spear was too heavy for her to carry it, her swing was too slow that the man "Biao" halted the attack with his bare hand.


    He clutched the spear and delivered a hilt jab to the girl''s face. She felt it as if her face was slammed by a hammer.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She steadied herself while covering her injured face with her right hand. She looked at her hand feeling aching all over her face.


    Blood, he broke my nose! she realized with panic as she stared at the palm of her bloody hand. The man tried to extract the dagger, however, the consequences of doing that were unbearable. It would take surgery for it to come out safely from the spot.


    "You are getting slow, lieutenant. You don''t want your men to hear thier boss got slapped by a woman, ain''t you?"


    "Slow? Ha...Those bold words come from a girl who can''t get a hold of a simple spear! Allow me to show you how it is used!"


    Biao used his leg to lift the spear to his arms.


    Unlike Diana, his sweeps were too fast that the spear left a hurricane of wind upon every miss. That said, He was enduring his crying arm and was crossing to his maximum limits.


    On the other hand, her agile speed just bought her sometime to think of a new plan. Her dagger wasn''t in hand. So she needs to find another weapon...and fast


    She looked around and saw an opportunity right behind the man''s back.


    A torch. A stick which was burning to provide light.


    "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU''RE GOING, YOU LITTLE BRAT!?" he shouted. The girl turned a tail and ran towards the lever controlling the gate.


    The man ran after her. The girl was expecting that and so with a swift move, she twisted her ankle and ran to the opposite angle. Bypassing him. Seeking a new target. Striking the man''s with confusion about her unstudied moves.


    She ran and took it from its holder. The heat sourcing from the stick was about to catch with her hair. Happy with her new weapon she turned around to face Biao.


    The lieutenant charged with a cry. the spear tip...this time, Stabbed the girl right to the middle of her soft unarmoured belly.


    She was taken by the surprisingly fast attack that her brain went into chaos between enduring the pain and realizing that she had a spear in her belly.


    Time slows...she gasped heavily spitting blood. Her brain stopped working properly. Her vision began to blur as she gazed upon the sight of her precious blood streaming over the wooden spear.


    Terrorized. Her hold of the torch weakened and her fingers were barely in control over the flamed wooden stick in her hand


    Because of the shock, her brain began to relieve many dark thoughts, storming her mind. While the poor girl that once was cunningly playing with her enemy. Now, tears clouded her red eyes.


    "Is this really it..."


    "Is that my end of the line..."


    "Those men out there risking their lives to gain their freedom..."


    "But they were all counting on me...What should they do now after my death..."


    "How would they succumb again at their slavers feet, all because of my failure..."


    "They can''t return to this stone fortress... not after they had a great hope of breaking free at long last..."


    The time passes normally again.


    "A torch, Really?! And I thought I was facing a professional".He gasped. "What a disappointment you are"


    She couldn''t ignore the harsh words but couldn''t react to them either. She forced her tearing eyes towards his right sight of him. She wasn''t looking at Biao, her eyes were focusing on his right side for some reason. She was watching someone. A figure that was slowly approaching peacefully.


    In that era, There was a strange myth. An agreement between life and death, where they both harmonize allowing a small exchange between them. Life allows the person approaching death''s arms to see a very close but passed soul right next to him/her so they walk together with her/his soul to the afterlife realm.


    Biao smirked. "I won''t fall for your tricks twice, I look to my side and you attack me, No chance"


    However, That wasn''t the case here. There weren''t any funny tricks or cunning moves. Diana''s glanced at a real figure coming from a dark corner. Approaching with wandering step.


    The figure came closer to the light making Diana''s eyes widen a bit. It was a woman. She was dressed in a white dress. She was walking with bare feet. Her face was as clean as the snow and her smile was the same as coming from angels.


    "Mother..."


    She said so weakly and so quietly that the lieutenant didn''t comprehend what her lips were saying. The lieutenant thought she was hallucinating because of losing blood. But the real deal was that Diana was looking at the woman she wished to see all her life.


    The most person who was very near and yet so far. A relationship that she never understood.


    Wanda began to advance until she was right next to Biao. She was so beautiful with black hair made into a perfect bun with a beautiful blue eye fixed with so much love emitting from it.


    "I failed you...I..am....s-so sorry mum". She said with blood pouring out of her mouth.


    At this moment, the lieutenant heard the mourning girl talk. His victorious smile vanished. Something snapped inside him. The joy of victory disappeared all of a sudden.


    The woman kneeled while her face came closer. Her cheeks become so near to her daughter''s left cheek. While the woman''s lips murmured a few words in Diana''s ear...


    My sweet girl...you never failed to amaze even Death...


    Her eyes were like pearls. They were emitting serenity towards Diana''s melancholy heart...


    Your time hasn''t come yet, my Love...


    Live for me, my child...


    Those few words filled her with sentiment that was warm inside and mysterious within.


    She saw her mother''s smile on her elegant face just before she left as fast as she appeared.


    Suddenly the pain that once permeated across her veins became half as much as earlier. Back to her senses, she could feel the torch handle in her hand. A creepy smile comes to her face as her eyes meet the enemy sight once...


    "Sorry lieutenant, guess what! My time is postponed"


    The man didn''t understand what she meant by that. During the confusion that was spread all over his face. Diana swung the torch targeting the man''s eyes. Once the torch flames were slammed to his eyeballs. The man shouted insanely, covering his eyes with his hands, leaving the spear stuck to the girl''s stomach.


    Shouting like crazy, the man was as good as blind. His actions also affected his injured arm where the dagger was still there.


    The girl fell to the ground with the spear still linked to her body. Seeing what she had done to the man. She gathered her will along with a lot of determination. She grabbed the spear hilt and... after enduring unbelievable soreness, she successfully pushed the spear from her belly. But the escaped gasp that came out of her felt like a part of her soul stolen away from her.


    She coughed as blood splashed outside her stomach.


    She flinced as she barely held herself just enough to let her stand up. She was unbalanced and dizzy and fell again. So her hands seeked the spear and used as a support for her crumbling body.


    Now is my chance


    With shaking hands, Diana used the last bit of energy to carry that spear. Pointing it at her helpless and almost eyeless enemy.


    She shouted, charging at full speed despite the pain. And...


    A hit.


    And a decisive one too. The spearhead pierced the man''s chest, right towards the heart muscle. The man was first shocked by the blasting hit that retreated him backwards a few steps against the wall. Then and with serious agony on his face. He fell on his knees. He eyed the injured foe of his. With nothing to see but complete darkness as he was blinded by the fire attack earlier.


    His lips turned to a faint smile.


    "Didn''t see that one coming". Those were his last spoken words before falling on his side to be lost in the abyss of his death forever.


    The battle was over.


    Exhausted, she scanned the body for some moments before shifting her eyes to the lever. She went on, heading towards the lever with unbalanced steps.


    She was walking like a drunkard. Her stomach aches had returned with full power again. She was about to puke twice on her way, her blood spread all over the room and soaked all her clothes.


    Every step forward was an ultimate test of endurance and determination until she took the last decisive step.


    She forced her gaze upon the large lever fixed to the floor of the room. She grabbed it and  used what was left of her depleted stamina to switch it to the other side.


    She closed her eyes and listened...that was the sound of victory...that was the sound of numerous knights bashing through...that sound...was the sound of freedom.


    At that very moment, every organ in her weak body gave up one by one. She turned around and fell on her base. She dragged herself to one side of the room, staining the floor with more blood as she leaned her back to one side of the wall.


    She forced a smile on her tearing face. Proud of her accomplishment. She couldn''t help closing her eyes to pick some rest. She deserved it. After all, that battle was her ultimate victory over the castle, no matter the cost.


    If her father will enjoy his freedom at the expense of handing her life away, she will gladly comply. She closed her eyes, feeling strange relief that relaxed her body, as the girl''s brain gave up as well and collapsed altogether.

 Chapter 27: A Ghost of a man

    She grinned, slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyes blinked multiple times. As She slowly scanned the room with her eyes, she realized that someone  carried her to the infirmary again.


    While she was scanning the room. she titled her head to her right. Her eye widened.


    Everything became quite clear.


    She won''t ever forget the unexpected person with his head resting on his arm, sleeping next to her waist.


    A man who sleep after a victory when Death failed to collect his life.


    "Uncle Alfred ! " the girl was confused "How did...". then she paused herself. Her memory came back to her.


    She remembered that messenger who described the second allied army advancing from outside the castle. Before his demise , he mentioned that a one-arm man was leading the charge. Her uncle must have been the leader of those men.


    She looked with cute eyes as she touched his black hair head. patting it.


    Her thoughts spoke for her. Even after that firing discussion she had with him, he still came for her. Risking his own soul in the process but Alas, liberating the land from those scums for good. She smiled warmly with her small lips.


    Afterward, she checked her belly. It was perfectly bandaged, whoever found her did a great first aid procedure. Her nose was in Stable condition.


    The broken nose was still hurting her. Though, the pain is equal to null compared to her belly wound. As The bandages was soaked fully red. she wondered how she would eat now with that injured stomach.


    YET Another question was teasing her mind. what happened after she passed out? She couldn''t hear any battle voices outside, which meant that the battle was long over.


    "I need to know what happened"


    She tried to slowly squeeze herself to get up from that bed. but with a fresh wound deeply like this. A spiking pain was no surprise to Diana. But She had to endure. There wasn''t much choice anyway.


    Her shaking feet touched the ground floor. Barely supporting herself. She wanted to sneak away but the floor squeaked causing Diana to froze, she looked at her uncle figure behind her. He was still sleeping.


    She breathed relief and smiled. She took another tiptoe steps towards the door before she heard another voice.


    "You know, you really suck at sneaking," her awakened uncle said after, lifting his head over his head.


    The girl''s eyes squeezed in embarrassment. her mouth turns into a childish smile. Thinking about it. Not a single time she tried to Solely sneak out of a place and succeeded. Every time she was busted.


    "Guess I inherited the heavy foot of my father" she said sheepishly with a hand behind her head. Deep down she was afraid to turn around and meet her rescuer''s gaze.


    "Look at me," he said sharply as he stood up to face her. With her heart racing, She dared to turn around to meet her uncle''s face. She knew she had to listen to some serious talking especially since their last talk wasn''t exactly the ''familiar'' one. She still had the sensation of that slap on her face since that day marking her cheek.


    After his barbaric reaction. She can''t raise a speck of objection towards him. First because her face won''t endure another hit and second, she got to give him the credit for saving her...


    "What were you thinking when you decided to travel here?" His serious gaze returned.


    "Both of us know the answer, it''s your brother, at least one of us should think of him, don''t you agree?". She challenged once again.


    "So you infiltrated the most forbidden fortress existed on this earth and struck a rebellion where dozens of people died, just for the life of one man!"


    "Absolutely YES!" She shouted in a most confident voice before she continued...


    "I already killed not Once. TWICE. And I will do anything to get my father out of here!"


    Alfred blinked with silence. He saw the spear struck in that dead man chest. So he couldn''t accuse her of lying.


    "Is that really worth it. You were on verge of death!" Alfred spoke.


    "Yes, it is and you are wasting my time while he is still waiting for me!"


    "What on earth are you saying, No one is waiting for you here, Richard''s is not here!"


    "What...No, You are lying! They told me he was put in the lower dungeon cell, I just need to get there!" She turned around leaving the room.


    "I decended towards those cells. There were two prisoners there and  there was no sign of him"


    "Nonesense, I_"


    "WOULD YOU STOP SWEARING AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A CHANGE!". Alfred bursted out again.


    She stopped and looked at him, terrified of the truth that hided behind his high tone shout.


    He blowed air from his mouth. As he dug his hand to his pocket as a rolled folded paper emerged.


    "Read" he growled, extended his with the paper to her.


    She looked at the paper with questioning and nervous look. "What''s that?" She asked.


    "Read it" he repeated.


    She took some steps and took the paper from his hand. She opened it carefully as her mind was preparing for the worst.


    Her eyes walked with the sentences written, decoding it''s meaning to herself. And With each word she read, her eyes widen more and more.


    "No..."


    "After all of this..."


    "I was too late..."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I was already late before even I reach the castle, All this time, I was chasing a ghost of a man," she thought to herself.


    "Where did you find this paper?" She said. She was about to have a stroke..


    "After I found no lead to your dad in the lower dungeon, the men led me to the commander''s room. I found that paper during my search.


    The girl crashed to her knees. Giving her a stinging flow of pain all over her abdomen. She clutched her belly with both arms. While engaging in loud crying.


    The paper was a deed. A contract that shows that her father was already sold in an auction as a slave to a wealthy woman for 3500 gold coins. According to the date shown on this paper, it happened a day before Diana reached the castle.


    "V-Vivian, that''s the name of that woman" she stated. Then her eyes spotted the most important thing in the paper. "Shan!" Her eyes and mouth were wide open.


    Shan, also called "The holy city" was the large town next to her Town which was about a day or two far from Endora.


    "That''s our next stop," he said. pointing for the paper.


    The girl''s face fades and turned into a big question mark. "Wait, ''our'' ?"


    "Yea, I am coming with you. A''int no way I am leaving you to-". The man was cut off by the infirmary doors opened by a brute push. It was Sebastian...


    "Alfred, it''s..." The frightened man halted himself when he noticed that Diana recovered partially from her belly wound.


    "Diana, it''s Gunnora!"


    The group ran towards another room. There was Gunnora still holding to her life somehow. A pool of blood is covering the bed, she was resting on a bunk bed surrounded by 5 girls of different ages. When she saw the injury, Diana''s brain couldn''t take in how a human being would inflict such harm to a woman. or worse how anyone could still be a life after losing so much blood!


    "Diana..." she said so quietly. her voice was broken from the pain. She reached her hands to the air towards Diana.


    " I am right here," Diana said holding Gunnora''s hand to her checks. unwillingly she looked a the wounds.


    Dark bloody bandages were all over her body. "She was bleeding all night, We tried to seal the scars but we lack Equipment and a surgeon". One of the girls said.


    Accordingly, Gunnora''s face was so pale and tired. She noticed Diana''s staring at her bloody bandages.


    "Is it that bad, ha?"  she said with a chuckle.


    Diana turned around to Sebastian and Alfred with tension in her eyes. "She is still bleeding, is there no doctor among the prisoners to attend to her wounds?!" Diana shouted.


    One of the girls around the bed stepped forwards, "We searched among them all and found no person with the profession. We attended nursing school before we were captured, and we tried all night to stop the bleeding but without alcohol and strong medicine that only professional doctors have knowledge of. Her big wounds will just keep opening no matter how many times we bandage ''em. that''s of course if we neglected the internal bleeding, that needs a hurry surgery"


    The girl''s teeth clenched, angered with a crying look. "WHO DID THIS?!" she shouted.


    "The Former owner of the castle, the commander". Sebastian stated.


    "Diana..calm down". Gunnora began, coughing. "It really doesn''t matter anymore. I am happy that I was given this chance to leave like this. A person who led the charge of men to freedom with you at my side, little cheeky girl"


    She paused to grin her pain.


    "My life was already useless as it is and that hug of yours. It changed me. It mend something that broke long time ago"


    She looked at Diana''s eyes and continued. "For the rest of my miserable life, no one ever gave me love and care as you did. Not a single girl cared for me as much as you did and you didn''t even know me. All the other girls hated me when they knew I was his erotic puppet.  You, however. Just offered help. A thing that only fool would give to me at this time..."


    Diana''s eyes were fraught with sorrow and sadness. she squeezed her two hands on Gunnora''s hand. While she was masking a smile.


    Gunnora coughed again. This time blood came out from her mouth. "I know you should be going now. but I want a last favor from you and your uncle". She paused for a moment.


    Her tears were no longer in check as she nodded with haste. "Anything, you desire".


    "Please, promise me to take my body on your way back, and bury me beside my mother''s grave. at my hometown ontoga. That''s... if it''s ok?


    Diana nodded, her mouth was making lines, she knew previously that gunnora was once a citizen of Ontoga. Before she was taken here.


    "Of course" she nodded. She couldn''t prevent tears from marching down her strained eyeballs.


    Gunnora brushed Diana''s cheeks wiping her falling tears. "And if you wouldn''t mind. Could you please provide me with that warm hug of yours again one last time, I want to experience it again"


    Diana nodded delightfully.


    The girls helped the dying woman up to sitting position as Diana wrapped her arms around gunnora''s waist resting them on her back. while gunnora wrapped her own arms around the child''s face resting her head upon Diana''s head.


    She looked away to an empty space as she smiled . "Mother..." she whispered. gasping her final breath. then...


    Silence


    Her breathing sound stopped hitting Diana''s ears. her hands slipped away. She peacefully rested for the last time in her life, resting her head on the person she trusted the most.


    The 5 girls put their hands on their mouths in surprise, and some sobbed.


    Diana drew her lips closer to her ears as she wisphered. "May you find Peace wherever your soul go". Diana pressed on her sad self so not to cry out loud. Gently, she lowered gunnora''s body on the bed, resting her head on the pillow. It took her some small amount of courage to stick down the lifeless eyes out of respect. Her tears fell on the woman''s lifeless face. She knew gunnora for a small time but the friendship bond formed between them was undeniably strong to the very end.


    A hand touched Diana''s shoulder, her uncle behind her. "She was braver than the boldest of my men. She would have been a dauntless pioneer."


    "Uncle"


    "yeah?"


    "Get me out of this castle, uncle. I can''t stand this cursed place anymore"


    He nodded. both of them turned to leave the room. Giving space for the young nurses to washes Gunnora''s body before getting her ready for the final journey ahead.


    On her exit, The fellow girls that were previously imprisoned greeted her with heroic welcoming,


    The Blonde girl that saved 300 person while trying to save One man


    She spent some hours with the girls saying goodbye to each one before they leave for thier homes.


    After that, Sebastian came back with gunnora''s body which was wrapped in clean whitle blankets to preserve her body.


    "Your uncle is waiting outside, ready to leave?"


    "As I''ll ever be..."


    They reached the parade, she saw the remaining evidence of the chaos of bodies and blood spread all over the place. And there...far at one corner. Some men were digging holes outside the castle.


    Graves.


    Burying their comrades in arms. Their fellow prisoners and those who fell dead from that second army who came to save them, and......the soldiers.


    After a lot of arguing, the female servants somehow managed to convince the men to bury them as well as any human being should be.


    However, The commander''s corpse was burned in the middle of the parade. His head was fixed on a spear at the front of the gate. A signal for every citizen and land nearby.


    THE RED CASTLE HAS FALLEN


    "Aren''t your people coming back with us?" Diana asked her uncle as she was heading up to the carriage to leave. The same carriage that got her inside. In secret. Was departing in victor, in the public


    "They know the way back on their own" he assured her. "They all had people here as well you know, give them their time"


    What about Maria, I didn''t see her anywhere and she wasn''t with the girls. Where she has gone to?!" she thought sadly. She raised her eyesight to meet another face.


    "Maria !" She gasped. She was sitting on the ground waiting for her along with a carriage.


    Maria smiled letting her cheeks show again. They hugged silently, "I knew you would pull it through, girl," Maria said with motivational way.


    "I was there right by your side the whole time while you were sleeping. but your uncle told me to prepare the carriage and wait here, and let me tell how proud am I with you!". She said as they backed away a bit


    "Thanks, I guess" Diana smiled. But deep inside Diana, she felt emptiness, her whole journey to the Red Castle and days preparing for that journey. Only ended in getting a folded paper.


    "What''s the matter, and where''s mister Richard?" She said noticing that Diana came out alone.


    "Sold and Gunnora''s dead, Maria"


    "I see" Maria nodded. She knew long before anyone how Gunnora didn''t have much time left when she saw her injury during the battle. To that end, she wasn''t that close to Gunnora as much as Diana was.


    As both girls, got up on the carriage along with Gunnora"s body in the back. Her uncle and Sebastian took the front as they handled the reins of the two horses, pulling The carriage along the road.


    "Hey, you ok?" Maria noticed how her friend face staring to the non-existence.


    Diana answered with a simple nod, without giving a gaze. Maria blinked "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you are much braver than that Diana, now with that deed in your hand, you know exactly where to find him, right? Chin up woman!" she said.


    Diana eyed her with a faint but tired smile, finding a little condolence in her talk.


    She looked back to the castle, one grieving ending time...

 CHAPTER 28: The Hero of the dead

    "I see the gates. get ready. we are closing in," said Sebastian. They have spent a day hitting the road. The horses were jogging steadily under the ultimate dominating white light of the moon.


    Maria was sleeping, Alfred was talking with Sebastian. While Diana was busy thinking of a way to approach this woman...


    Vivian.


    How she would introduce herself to the woman? If her father was there... What would be his reaction after a whole year away from him? Would he still remember her face? Does he still love her as before? and the question which is more demanding than all the previous. Who is she? A rich woman. A princess? Maybe a woman who has an empire of her own founded upon the lashed back of slaves. Alots of possibilities but one thing  was sure. Vivian won''t let Richard without a hostile confrontation.


    Diana eyed gunnora''s stable body that was wrapped by white clothes like a worm resting safely inside her cocoon.


    She frowned a little, her head tilted to her uncle and Sebastian. "Do you think citizens of Ontoga knew about what happened in the castle?" she asked.


    "I doubt it" Alfred began, "But eventually, the news will spread all over the two kingdoms in a matter of a week or so. We don''t know how King Marcus or King Wain would speak about the incident. Remember, this castle had been a subject of dispute between the two kingdoms for a very long time, and with its fall, nothing would prevent the temper from escalating between the two lands. That''s why we should keep our heads low. it won''t be safe to just wander between towns and villages anymore"


    Diana nodded understanding but feeling nervous. How big is this world that she got herself into?


    The world of politics and Kingdoms...


    Now she could have drawn the attention of another king. She hoped that the coming days sway peacefully, till she reached the town ''Nale'' in the opposite kingdom. Her once called home country.


    The carriage marched towards the gate, still broken since the soldiers came last time. The despairing atmosphere still looming, sad faces everywhere. It was strange for a carriage to enter a village just like that, some even thought that the slavers came early than expected and panicked. But after the notice of the two girls and the body in the back, they realized that their guests were no slavers.


    The carriage stopped in the middle of the square of the town. Alfred confronted the people and inquired them about the tomb places.


    Strangely, They didn''t recognize the name of Gunnora and the citizens suddenly turned the man down with hostility. They refused for another body- not a citizen of the town- to be buried at their tombs. Even after Diana begged them to fulfill Gunnora''s last wish before death. Neither their hearts nor their mind wanted to believe them.


    The whole group exchanged looks. They were furious, now what? Should they bury her in the forest nearby instead? How would Gunnora feel that even after her death, her fellow people still rejected her?!


    She felt fury and outrageous emotions boiling within her blood. Diana couldn''t take it anymore, she was on the verge of outcrying at those despicable townfolks that they dare call themselves humans...till one particular figure showed himself...


    "Leave them be, they speak the truth" an old man advanced.


    "My elder!" Someone gasped before kneeling, and the other citizens soon followed his example, kneeling and lowering their heads.


    The group did the same.


    "Raise your Head, young warriors, and speak high," The elder said. Raising his own hand upwardly.


    Before Alfred could speak. Diana rushed ahead. "Old chieftain, we came to fulfill the last wish of a young woman who wanted to be buried next to her mother here, despite the citizen''s anger we request that you allow us to make her last wish come true"


    The man smiled, oddly. He walked steadily towards the body bypassing Diana.


    Something is wrong with that man. Diana thought.


    Sebastian noticed and stood in the man''s path.


    "I don''t care if you are an elder or a chief or even a king. I won''t let you see a woman''s dead body" Sebastian said firmly and decisively.


    Diana blinked. The tip of her eyes caught the attention of tension growing between the Citizens. Sharing whispers...


    This is going to get ugly soon.


    However, The reaction of the elder was quite controversial. The old man blinked at the sight of Sebastian challenging him. Intimated by his undeterred character.


    He looked at the body behind Sebastian. Emotions flowed through his body and tears gathered within his poor wrinkled eyes. He fell on Sebastian''s legs. Begging...


    "Please! Have mercy. Give me one last chance to see her!" He said with shouting vinegar cries. "I know I don''t deserve it, and she spent all her life despising me, but please let me see her one last time!"


    The crowd just gasped in complete disbelief at what their eyes were witnessing. How the only leading figure of their home is crying and begging, offering his precious dignity as an exchange...


    "D-Did you know her?" Asked Diana with a sympathetic voice.


    The old man was barely managed to be heard through his loud cry and sobs. "I am the fool who abandoned her! I am her father!"


    When Sebastian heard the sound of the word ''father'' echoing through his ear. He didn''t think about his next move, and his body lost control. His leg kicked the elder''s face like a ball, with blood splashing from his mouth. He landed on his back grabbing his bleeding mouth with his left hand, leading him to cry even more.


    "YOU, OLD SCUM. DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR DAUGHTER AT THAT CASTLE?!" YOU ARE RIGHT, YOU DON''T DESERVE TO BE CALLED A FATHER, AND CERTAINLY YOU DON''T DESERVE TO LIVE LONGER THAN YOU DO NOW!" Sebastian shouted at the man with flaming eyes. And the next thing Diana saw, was Sebastian drawing out his sword pointing his tip at the downed old man.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Alfred quickly jumped to action and caught Sebastian''s arms during his rampage. He could have killed the old guy, right here and right now. Without a speck of remorse.


    Maria woke up at that horrific sight, clutching her mouth in surprise.


    Diana was standing there watching, she didn''t know if she should join in beating the man or stop the furious protector from beating the man''s soul out of him.


    He sobbed more, crying Helplessly. He didn''t defend himself nor did he even care about it. He was just sitting there... crying...and bleeding.


    His tears touched Diana''s heart. She couldn''t stand away any longer and she paced towards the downed crying man.


    She patted her hand on the Father''s shoulder. He shifted his head to the right so as to not meet her gaze. "If you loved her that much, why did you kick her o_?"


    "I DIDN''T !" he shouted, mobbing some of his falling tears. "My wife..No, ex-wife that I married after my former wife died, was a monster. A woman who cannot be fitted to be a mother in all manners you can interpret!


    I married her because she was also the daughter of the former elder. However, She was far from pretty. A creature too harsh and gross to be even be considered a wife. Her father knew that, So In his last attempt, to get his daughter married before he died. He declared that the man who would marry her would be the next elder after him, and will be given half his fortune..."


    The elder paused for a moment, his mouth was still bleeding. His lips were swollen. So he gave them some rest from moving them again; to continue his story...


    "My ambition drove me away from the girl I spent my whole life raising her". He sobbed. "I married that woman. Afterwards, I noticed almost instantly how she treated my daughter with inferior behaviors.


    They both hated each other''s guts as far as I know it. I thought it was normal for my daughter to behave like this. To rejected her stepmother at first period. A stage she should pass before she accept her as a reality. I hoped that they would get along one day.


    For that, I talked to my Gunnora many times about it but she never planted a seed for love towards her step-mom ever. She always blamed me for her mother''s death. And now that she saw me marrying another, I...I confirmed her accusations towards me"


    He continued. "Still clinging to my false hope and as a responsible elder of Ontoga, I left for a far town about two weeks away for a diplomatic problem. I trusted that woman with my girl but when I returned..."


    "...She was already gone " Diana finished his words, with a frown. Concluding what happened next.


    He nodded sadly. He ran out of tears, but the old man was still shattered.


    "The Citizens told me about what happened, how the Town was attacked by those slavers for the first time at that point. That''s when their leader took my daughter into their custody. But I also knew one last piece of information...


    "That before the attack...that WHORE tossed my girl out of her house!"


    "I didn''t believe the citizens, and I searched..."


    "Every house..."


    "Every orphanage..."


    "I-I even looked at the brothels..."


    I kept searching the streets for 3 days and nights. That''s when I was certain that...that ...I have lost my daughter forever....and was told afterwards that that strange man took her away with him."


    Suddenly the elder''s tone got darkened and spoke out seriously once again.


    "I made that woman pay! I killed her with my own hands. I choked her to death, I Burned her body and tossed her ashes outside the town like a pile of shit. I did what I did so she is not buried. Why should I give mercy to a semi-animal who didn''t show it anyway?!!!"


    After confessing his revenge, he managed to calm down a bit, and the sad tone returned, raising his head to meet Sebastian with puppy eyes.


    "Are you that man?" The elder asked Sebastian. Whose anger was long gone, replaced by regrets about his cruel actions.


    "No, that man was the commander of the Red Castle," Sebastian said quietly. He took her to his castle as...a prisoner". He hid the truth. He knew that that the elder''s soul won''t withstand another blow that his daughter was someone''s else favorite toy.


    The elder nodded. "Forgive me then, I thought you were him, That explains how she was never found by me in any nearby town or forest". He turned around to face Diana.


    He held her hands. Kneeling. The girl blushed...


    "Tell me how was her last moments, my child," He asked her. "Did she hate me to the end? Or did she get the slightest mercy to forgive me?"


    She stared at him. Trying to recall the past.


    The revolt, the battle, the sacrifices, and the deed.


    She finally talked: "She died a hero... A hero of the dead! A hero for all those people who died under the commander''s domaining killing hand. Her action avenged them and inspired the living to seek glory in an epic battle that she led by herself. She castes fear to the heart of the enemy, as she led men to freedom" She gasped proudly.


    The elder''s eyes widen. So every citizen in the square. "Does that mean..." Someone said with questionable thought.


    Diana looked at her uncle, giving him the signal.


    The Pioneer nodded and went for the cart again, grabbing a circle-shaped object wrapped in a Bloody sheet.


    "You never told me what''s that?". Maria asked with a heavy gulp seeing the foreign object soaked in red swinging in Alfred''s hands.


    "You really don''t want to know". He said before joining the group once more.


    He took some steps before throwing what was inside the sheets. It retracted from the ground as it rolled down in front of all eyes.


    The head of the commander


    Women gasped in shock, men''s eyes widened in confusion, and children cried at this forbidding sight.


    Alfred began. "Hear me, All, That is the man who killed and blackened that town''s heart for some many years. I say let his head rot! So may the souls of those who died by his hands torture him for eternity!"


    "Rejoice! for Ontoga is free again!"


    Upon seeing this announcement, the citizens shouted in joy and cried happy cheers. The woman shrieked and hugged their children.


    Men cheered and tears of joy filled the streets. No more humiliation, No more living in fear. No more poverty and despair.


    In the middle of those celebrations, the Elder smiled weakly. He no longer has to pay tributes for those tyrannies. The Citizens can now sleep peacefully again


    He, however, must live in eternal condemnation of himself. To lament for the daughter he lost.


    "What were her last words?" He raised his head towards Diana.


    "Her last wish was her mother. The good one." She looked at Sebastian. She saw tears gathering in his eyes again. He probably remembered his own long-passed family members.


    "Please..." the old elder walked on his knees, bowing again at Sebastian''s feet. "One last look"


    The man couldn''t help but move aside opening a way for the old man.


    The elder''s walked till he reached the body. His hands shook as he slowly uncovered the blanket to reveal his daughter''s face only while she was eternally sleeping. He sat staring at her closed eyes. Speaking and pleading inside...


    "Forgive me, my dear. I know you hear me now. I know I am a truly wicked one. Who worshipped his dreams more than caring for you. I know you hated me for the last moment of your precious life. But I assure you, I loved you to the very end. I just want you to forgive me, for not being the father you desired by your side"


    When he finished, he brushed her cheeks with his right hand. She was cold and still. But he somehow was sure that she heard all his telepathic talking, He kissed her forehead. He took his time. Feeling his heart crying with bitterness. He would have loved for his daughter to just wake up, even for just an hour, and tell him that she had forgiven him.


    The group backed away. They allowed him to spend half the day with her. Talking to her as if she was alive.


    While the man was grieving, the celebrations everywhere couldn''t be hidden anymore. People were dancing and singing. Happiness finally found its way to this cursed misery filled place.


    During those celebrations, Alfred went into a inn and rented two rooms. One for the girls and one for him and Sebastian for 2 nights. He was planning to buy some food for the travelling road ahead just in case.


    The day ended with a victory.


    And the next day arrived.


    Happiness flooded the Town even more when the captives -protectors and servants- came back. Families ran crying toward their loved ones returning to their homes. Girls found their parents waiting for them. And That wasn''t all. A carriage that was carrying an immersed amount of gold money approached the city. Their hard-working money that has been used by those tyrannies for so many months now was returned to where it truly belonged...


    Gunnora was buried, the night before. Right next to her mother just like how she asked. Leaving reputation and happiness. Her legacy lived on in the hearts of grateful Citizens as THE HERO OF THE DEAD.


    ~~~~~


    End of Diana''s Arc

 Chapter 29: A Light of a Mother

    Diana looked back one last time at Ontoga while smiling. Happy with what she helped to accomplish. She moved on to Tagia, leaving past grief to focus on planning for the future.


    The trip passed smoothly and quietly. Some talking here and there but most of the time they were enjoying the quietness of nature while they were passing through the forest.


    In the early evening, they arrived at the gates of the Town of Taiga. They split up. Sebastian took Maria and the carriage, returning to what''s left of Diana''s Town; to rebuild it with the protectors who are now free to take plenty of gold from the treasury back at the castle, which was more than enough to reconstruct the town.


    After a tight hug from Maria. They left Diana in the custody of her uncle again, with a promise that the next time she would go back to her home. Her father would be her companion. That is. If she actually managed to save him.


    As the journey through the streets of Tagia was nearing its final stop, a conversation started when Alfred looked at Diana with a query, speaking a piece of his mind.


    "Does it still hurt?". He asked without introductions and without meeting her gaze


    "My face or my stomach?". She trickily backfired.


    "Your face". He said coldly.


    "Yes"


    "You still have that grudge, ha? You still see me as a coward"


    "No, but I don''t see any resemblance to say you are my uncle either"


    His head flicked back in amazement. "I just saved your life two days ago!"


    "It doesn''t change the fact that you hit me in front of everyone. Hell, YOU are the last part of my family known alive and you are treating me like a whore! "


    "That''s because I am not soft like your protector. I am the bad version of him"


    "Fine, be as you like". She sped up forward to avoid his company.


    "Oh, come on. Now I am ignored because I speak the truth!?". He raised his voice a bit to reach her.


    She stopped in her tracks. "What bloody truth?! your excuses for the absence of humanity are absolute garbage! You hit me to protect your ego from the ONLY truth. Ask and Miss Marigold would approve"


    "She already did. She didn''t stop punching my eardrums with protests after that foxy prince told us everything. She is the reason why we are having this debate"


    She narrowed her eyes and hid the build-up of rage from the ongoing useless dialogue.


    "Pioneer, what the hell do you want with me?!". She stated


    "To make things right"


    "How? Are you going back in time to bring my father back? or would you return to fix your irredeemable mistake!?"


    He remained silent despite the high level of sass.


    "What, the cat got your tongue?". She locked her arms, challenging him.


    Without responding to her trash-talking. He knelt on one knee while exposing the left side of his face. "Give it your best shot"


    Her eyes flicked with awkwardness, slowly breaking her arm''s stance..."You are joking, right?"


    "Why would you th...AW!".


    "Serves you right, mate". She said while shaking off the impact power left in her hand.


    The slap came swift and loud on his face. People in the street saw what happened. Some had their mouth open from the controversial request that has been answered quite brutally.


    "What the hell was your father feeding you!?". He held his hot red face with his arm.


    The girl burst into a cute loud laugh that broke the tension around faster than expected.


    "Damn..". he massaged his face in an attempt to knock out the intended pain. He looked at her and saw those strawberry dinky cheeks still giggling.


    "I missed that laugh. You remind me of Wanda". He smiled. Few as they were, the words took away her momentary happiness and instead left her with a sense of stun.


    "Y-You knew my ma?"


    "She was one of the kindest and most faithful women I have ever made an acquaintance with". A slight smirk came out from him. "She hit me the first time we met. She was right to do so, I was a drunk fool at that age. When I wanted revenge at her, your father and I were at each other throats. I knew later how immature I was. Despite how I always tried to prove her wrong. She was always a woman of principles, and she never yielded to change me"


    Diana smiled. Hardly, stopping her lips from quivering, unspoken awe rising from her grieving heart that made all of her anger dwindle as water spilt on the grass.


    "Even after you hit me now. I can see her within you. You carry her legacy"


    Does he mean the blade? She thought


    "It''s not that". He added, knowing what she was thinking about.


    "It''s. right. Here". His index finger touched the surface of the amulet. And there, at this instance, A realization struck Diana that made her eyes snap open of astonishment, of how she didn''t think of this possibility.


    "The amulet belonged to my mother!"


    "Wait, Richard didn''t tell you?"


    "N-No, the first time I saw this amulet was when the captain captured me. My pa passed it unseen to my pocket before I was taken"


    "Cheeky". Alfred smirked shaking his head. "Richard, you one hell son of ma, I should have seen that one coming"


    She hugged the amulet with all of her might. Tears falling without stopping. Her soul was longing for her mother''s embrace. Yet, she never expected the light of Wanda to be always beside her. Whispering wisdom and guidance when necessary. Warning of dangers, especially of those which run on four legs or simply encouraging her when she becomes too close to falling off certain ledges.


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    "You OK?". Alfred said.


    "Yeah". I just wanted to meet her.


    "I see. Well, are you still mad at me?"


    When she faced him again to answer, she saw his arm inviting her to a hug.


    Something had changed in that man. It could be her relentless enthusiasm at that battle or the corpse of Biao changed his perspective about her. Or maybe his love to his sister-in law pushed him to do the right thing towards her daughter. Either way. Alfred seems to have a little tiny microscopic part where he is actually a nice person. She knew he wasn''t like Richard, yet part of her mother kindness still lurk somewhere deep under the many layers of vulgarity that Alfred had.


    That part is what made her forgive him for the misdeed he made. And, of course, that revengeful slap did its work.


    She walked right under his arm as his fingers dived into her blonde hair. The rest of his arm circled her back like a wing of a hawk upon his child.


    "Thanks for coming for me, Uncle". She smiled behind his back


    "Yeah, whatever".


    Her uncle patted her shoulder comforting her from whatever horrible sights she saw back at the castle. Despite her grudge, her uncle seemed to be still by her side.


    "MY Dagger!". Her brain jumped out of nowhere.


    "Where is my dagger!?" she gasped frighteningly, hopping away from the hug.


    "What dagger?!" he asked.


    Her eyes widened in shock. She grabbed her head and panic began to sink in."No No No No! That''s the only thing left from my fa.."


    And before she can go on with her paranoia, Alfred chuckled with a sly laugh. He cunningly revealed the dagger from a hiding spot in his clothes.


    She snatched it with an angry face. "Not funny!" she said, relieved the dagger was still in place, but mad at her uncle''s childish tricks.


    "You need to stop this..."


    "Stop what?" she asked. confused. Her eyes sharpened.


    "This. to give such importance to mere objects, just because they were linked to your father. Those objects won''t bring him back. You will"


    "But such ''objects'' gave me valuable assistance. Just the same as the amulet..." she said in defense.


    "Nonsense. These are mere methods. You are the one using it for your assistance. It wasn''t made to be loved, it was made to slay. This dagger is just a tool to steal a human soul, not the other way around. Think with me, If I throw this dagger into a lake. Will this stop you from reaching your Dad?!" He questioned.


    She paused, thinking through. Although he might be right, the sentimental bond between her and the dagger had never reached a peak until recently.


    The same dagger was used to kill a full-grown wolf to save Louis, and the same blade assisted her in killing the lieutenant. That''s the "Tool" that her father gave her when she was 16 years old solely for self-protection has become her most loyal and lethal weapon.


    "You are right" she admitted with a frown. "I just miss him"


    "Patience" he blankly said. "We will get to him, with the castle deserted, the communication net of slavery is no longer in operation.  It''s a matter of time before We free him from that woman, just have patience"


    Inside herself she wasn''t intending to gain this virtue, instead, she fixed her mind on how to reach this town and to free her father from that witch.


    They began strolling again to the house when a strange gathering ahead was noticed.


    "Let me guess, another street fight?" She asked.


    "Could be. This town citizens never rest an eye"


    However, the more she walks. The closer she got to the large crowd, the more they appeared to be gathered around a certain house, that house...


    "Oh No..." her eyes widen.


    The targeted house was her uncle''s house.


    Something must have happened.


    "Mari..." her uncle whispered before sprinting towards his house.


    The two ran accompanied by their frightful thoughts. She was faster than her uncle. Younger and more energetic despite her wound. She rushed between the crowds. Dashing through people, opening a way to the house. Yet, there was something off...


    The people there were throwing congratulations to the girl for an unknown reason.


    "Could it be...?" she thought. She kept squeezing through people until she reached the house front. Where the crowd was watching the presumed important event. She continued squeezing herself forward till she finally came to the clear...


    She stopped. Eyes widened in surprise. A wide smile was drawn upon the face. She felt the unbelievable happiness instantly.


    Soon enough. Alfred catches up with Diana through the same gathering towards the house. For him, to see the same view.


    But the feeling inside him was far far more than Diana''s. He stared, then walked slowly. Trying to keep his tears away from unmasking that he was a soft man inside.


    His wife came to his eyesight. "Glad you made it, my dears" Marigold smiled. Eyes tighten with a pleasant gasp.


    And she wasn''t alone...someone was between her arms...


    She was sitting on a chair. Holding a beautiful little child. The baby Yawned, with closed eyes. Her stomach was no longer big as everything came to Diana all at once.


    Her cousin has arrived.


    Diana chuckled happily, her smile turned to a low laugh, putting her two hands on her mouth. She was always sentimental when it came to children. Especially if the child is one of the family.


    The man approached his wife and his newborn child. Unlike what people expected from him, he collapsed on his knees and began crying.


    Marigold, when she saw what happened she jumped with a gasp from the chair to hug her husband with one hand while the other was holding the petite child.


    "My dear, what''s wrong?!" She asked warmly, batting his back.


    "I...I...I am sorry, I should have been by your side, I was waiting for this day for a long time, to witness this moment, F...Forgive me"


    "My sweetheart" she began warmly. Backed off to sweep his tears with her golden hand. Her brown eyes provide condolence and relief feelings. "I am not mad at you, quite the opposite, I am proud of you!" She looked at Diana. Smiling. "You brought her back safely as you promised me, my champ" She stared at his sad eyes. Her cute smile still portrays her exhausted face.


    Struck by the soft words, he hugged her to his body, infecting him with a smile.


    Diana kept watching. Tears slowly slid along her cheeks.


    "So that''s how it feels to give a new birth in the family!", she whispered to herself


    Does that mean that her father had the same joy when she came to this world? She stared at them even more. Can she have that opportunity too? To feel the same joy they experience now when the right time comes for her turn?


    She swiped that hot tear that escaped her eyes. Her imagination ran back to the past. She was once in the place of this baby. But her father was holding her alone. Her mother never saw her and she don''t have any drawing of her. Only the faint and unrefined descriptions of her father remained of her.


    I hope you are proud of me, mama. She squeezed the amulet with her left hand


    "Hey, enough, make way!" A very familiar voice entered Diana''s ears. Cutting the same squeezing path she took.


    "Come on, people! Nothing epic here. Haven''t you seen a woman give birth before? Big deal! Shoo shoo everyone go about your business, go!"


    The people are dispersed in all directions. Some of them were slightly annoyed to leave and others were talking about what happened earlier...


    How they saw a boy came shouting through the streets, requesting urgently for a doctor. Because of his loud voice, he broke the dull routine day of the citizens of Tagia. Half of the town knew that Marigold was giving birth.


    The owner of the voice finally came to eyesight.


    Louis.


    He was holding a warm bottle of milk tightly.


    "Diana!" He gasped with wide happy eyes. She smiled with a slight blush. He couldn''t believe his eyes. His beloved girl is standing in front of him. Beautifully smiling. She made it back with bandages. Yet, she still lives to tell her story.


    He put the bottle down. And hugged her tightly. One arm on her back and the other brushing her messy blonde hair with his hand. "Thank goodness, you ok. my sweet love" he frowned. Still hugging her. Softly and repeatedly marching his hand on her back. He knew how to treat his girl as a princess. The princess that he wishes to share the rest of his life with.


    "I told you not to worry" she gasped. Feeling comfortably at ease between his arms. The same happy smile on her face. Slowly drifting towards the relaxed and safe sensation. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Pulling his body more into hers.


    Both of them had closed their eyes to enjoy the precious moments they spent together. The moments that they both missed during the crusade on the Red Castle.


    Knowing Louis. Diana knew she had to be the one to back off because if she waited for Louis. He will probably sleep standing and snore during the hug.


    They back off. Staring at each other. Diana''s arms slowly became resting on Louis''s chest. As she raised her eyes to meet his. He held her chin with his hand, she knew what he was willing to do. yet she was lost in his eyes. He didn''t stop her when her lips came closer to his...


    "Oh no no no, both of you get a bloody room already," Alfred said boldly. He pointed upstairs to the bedroom.


    Diana couldn''t hide the wine-colored blushes flowering on her cheeks while her eyes widened surprisingly at her uncle''s audacity.


    Again.


    While the oblivious Louis backed from his uncompleted attempt to kiss and confusingly looked at Alfred. Then to Diana.


    "I don''t get it, we already have a room upstairs, haven''t we?!" he said.


    Diana slammed her forehead in total embarrassment.

 Chapter 30: Their call to War

    5 days later...


    Peace returned to Diana''s life once again. her belly wound was halfway to full recovery. Now she knows what to do next. She needs to reach the town ''Shan'' before any other bad scenarios take place for her father.


    On bigger scope. The news spread like water in a sponge. Everyone was talking about the fall of the mighty Red Castle and the revolt that happened there.


    Happiness engulfed both people''s kingdoms. Merchants were grateful that the road passing by the castle was safe and secure from dangers once more and an open route between the two countries was once again established. However, One particular figure heard the rumors. The royal palace stated that the news reached King Marcus''s ears.


    Despite his pleasure, He couldn''t figure out the part of Alfred''s men breaching the castle. Alfred made sure none of his men or the former prisoners say a word about what happened on that glorious day.


    According to the rumors, the king only knew about the the coup inside the castle walls but never had that piece of info about the identity of the small army that Alfred brought, and the storm that he brought with ''em.


    Until that certain day finally arrived...


    "Hey, you are pretty good at it," Diana said surprisingly while Louis was brushing her blonde silky hair. His fingers held her yellow hair strings while slowly moving the brush over it.


    "I used to brush my sister''s hair a lot so brushing your hair isn''t that hard" he explained happily while brushing her hair softly. Fixing and organizing her messy interwind blonde hair with his hand and the brush.


    While Diana was sitting smiling, waiting for him to finish. She remembered her father. It was his job to brush her hair every while and then. It felt nice that Louis reminded her of that good memory.


    "aaand Done," Louis said loudly. But before he let her off the hook. He moved her blonde hair aside and side-kissed her neck.


    "Stop, that tickles!" She chuckled and laughed. She wiggled, internally begging him to stop.


    He did stop but after receiving a quick cheek kiss. She smiled at him, lost in the details of his eyes. They both slowly approached each other for a pure lip kiss.


    When a strange loud voice disturbed the air...


    Louis halted and shifted his head to where he presumed the voice coming from "Couldn''t this man shout at any time but now?" He protested.


    She backed away from her prince to check that sound. "Maybe it is important we should try checking it out" she said. Louis frowned sadly. Another moment between them was ruined by a third party.


    Great.


    They both left their room and that man was still shouting unrecognizable phrases. He was declaring something in the street next to the house. The couple descended the stairs steadily. They saw Marigold looking through the window with her child between her arms.


    "What''s that all about, ma''am?" Louis asked.


    "He is shouting about an urgent meeting to all the citizens of Tagia, immediately "


    "Where''s my uncle?"


    Marigold looked at Diana. Tiredness was all over her face. The weight of the motherhood responsibilities sure was exhausting.


    "I don''t know he said he would buy some fruit but didn''t return yet," she said. jiggling her child who was about to cry. and hushing him with her soft mother''s voice.


    "Should we go to that meeting?" Diana exclaimed.


    "Won''t you wait for Alfred to return?" Louis asked with crossed arms.


    "He must have heard the declaration by now, and waiting for us at the great hall," Marigold answered.


    Marigold was nervous. Most of those meetings were always about the most catastrophic events. The existential decision was legislated there and harsh precautions made to keep citizens secure were first imposed in this hall.


    The three went through the door. No sun came to greet them. The sky was grey. Only wind blowing and messing with Diana''s brushed hair. They walked the streets steadily. People on the right and left walk the same path. Sharing the same question.


    "What is going on ?"


    While entering inside the hall, they spotted Alfred on one of the chairs. He was waving for them to join him. They found seats next to him, as they shared a concerned look among each other. The same look that everyone had under that huge dome of a building.


    "What is happening?" Marigold asked gently, yet her tone was full of fear.


    "I don''t really know, I heard the man shouting in the street so I came. But between you and me, I spotted a Royal messenger outside talking to the chief of the Town. Whatever is happening, the king is involved"


    Diana nodded, she began to sweat and become more and more nervous as the time passed. Could the king knew about her uncle and what had truly happened at the Red Castle? Is the king searching for them now?


    "Attention please, hear me out" The chief stepped forward pulling Diana from her worried thoughts. "There is an important news we should hear, so pay attention. The Royal messenger shall speak!" He ended his talk loudly and stepped back a few steps.


    Another man stepped forward. She saw a handsome and elegant man dressed in royal clothes. Diana was always seeing a lot of them coming back and forth to and out of the palace during her year of captivity.


    The man stood with a high chest. He was carrying a long rolled paper.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He silently broke the seal around the rolled paper. As the content of the message hit his black eyes, He cleared his throat and began to speak in a loud voice:


    MY DEAR CITIZENS,


    "Your king is speaking, It had occurred to me that our lives would be safer and sound with that monstrous place gone, Also widely called ''The Red Castle''. Our children and merchants can wander freely once again without fear of their lives being captured.


    Yet, our happiness was interrupted by grave news. This morning, Our neighbour, King Wain, had forged a mighty army that he used today to breach the Eastern borders of our lands. In other words, my Beloved people. We are at war!"


    The audience gasped and was shocked. Speechless. Eyes widen everywhere. Some of them looked at each other in disbelief. Everyone expected anything but for their home facing an invasion from another country.


    As for Diana, her heart sank deeper than she could have ever imagine, she knew that there would be consequences for her actions. However, a full-scale war was the last thing on her mind!


    When she looked at the reaction of her partner. She found Louis strangely unshaken. She looked at him with amazement, waiting to see him affected by the same unusual news.


    But by looking at his gentle Royal figure seated. While the audience was in a state of dismay, he was just sad, head down but calm. Maybe he knew it was coming?


    The skittish citizens began to argue with each other loudly making talking noises. The chief calmed them down, under the pretext, that the messenger didn''t finish yet.


    The Unsettled people calmed down a bit to hear the royal messenger again, secretly planning for the worse to come. As the messenger continued reading:


    "So for that, we shall close all the eastern borders within 2 days. After the second night today, any non-military person who would be seen near the border shall be considered a traitor and killed without interrogation or trials. I hereby announce This emergency law is in effect from tomorrow night. Stay safe. We will get through this.


    Signed, King Marcus.


    The citizen was dismissed, after lecturing them about the precautions they should take if the invasion army has ever reached their town.


    The letter left Diana shocked for quite a time. She was walking the streets by the others. But her mind was full as it is...


    Sad...


    Tired...


    Lost...


    Thinking about her dreams of uniting with her father facing yet another big wall in the form of the emergency law and war. The journey to the borders from Tagia will surely take more than 2 days, how she would reach Shan now?!


    Everyone returned to their business with heavy hearts. While the group was walking to the house, Louis''s arm was found resting on Diana''s shoulder.


    "I know what are you thinking about, and whatever you decide, I am with you to the very end" He smiled.


    She faced him to respond for her to sightsee a pair of brown calm eyes with his cute faint smile. she was already feeling slightly better that a trusted person shared her mind.


    "Thanks my love, but that is my father and my quest I-" she was interpreted.


    "Diana, Have you forgotten that my love for you is the main reason for the crusade on Endora," he said blankly.


    Diana''s eyes widened a bit and she crossed his path to halt him in his tracks. "Nonsense!" she said angrily. "What makes you think like that!?" she asked.


    "Think about it. You were leaving the palace anyway. My aunt told me about your request. She accused me that I might have to do with it and scolded me agressively for it" he recalled.


    Diana''s eyes dropped, not of shame of her decision. but from what angle did it reach Louis. It was true that she was mad at him once, about silly things like society levels. Yet, After all these times together, she became more mature and knew how to evaluate the person in front of her more closely through his actions, not through his social power.


    "I am sorry, but you have to understand that I requested this as an opportunity to regain my father and my Town. And Louis, I was a little childish at that time...I am not blaming you__"


    "No! you did the right thing! I am the one who was so selfish to express my love to you that I didn''t care how my aristocratic family would look at you afterwards. I should have been more discreet, more responsible!". Louis began to lose his calmness and began to shake during his talk. He closed his eyes to avoid Diana''s gaze.


    "Now because of my actions, the king harmed you to hurt me. I am highly sure he was the one who burned your Town. He was the one who sent those barbaric slaver attacks by his own order. So to make you reconsider your love. He wanted you to hate me. To leave me. to blame me. so I would be broken and can be easily hunted and captured. I never imagined so much danger coming from just expressing my feelings to you and more importantly causing so much pain for you and your people"


    Louis''s eyes were once cool and unwary. Now they were providing guilt and shame. He continued nonetheless...


    "If your father died, I will never forgive myself. if anything bad happened to you, I...I don''t know how I will continue living."


    He stopped talking. His eyes were still closed. Trying to hide behind the darkness of his presumed fear of being blamed.


    Diana''s hand brushed through Louis''s cheeks. He opened his eyes to see the same smiling girl, spreading her hand on his face. "I am not blaming you...". She said softly


    Her voice softened while stepping forward closing the distance to the extent that their faces were too close. her hand rested on his chest.


    "How would I blame the boy that I sleep between his arms every night, that I handed him my heart so long ago! The same boy who broke me out of prison knowing very well the consequences of what may come next. You think you are selfish, yet you abandoned your family by your own free will, to save me from certain death. so how is that selfishness?!"


    With those words settling in his ears, Louis clutched her arms and was more serious than before. "Then let me come with you, to be by your side again till death breaks us apart"


    "Speaking of death, the bounty..."


    Louis rolled his eyes. "We are at war Diana! Who thinks of bounties in these circumstances?! besides, it has been more than a month, people could have forgotten about it anyway"


    She looked at him. Happy with how supportive he was. She smiled while the wind moved through her golden colour hair as She frowned, "Of course". She exchanged an approval nod with him.


    "Then we need to hurry!" He said while taking her to the house. Grabbing her soft hand tightly. "Oh and please tell me you have a feasible plan?"


    "Not this time, we just need to be quick as much as we can. Once we succeed in bypassing through the borders safely, we can think about how to reach Shan."


    She nodded, and both jogged to the house as they raced the time.


    <u>Inside the house</u>


    "You sure about that? Once you are through the border, I can''t help you" Alfred warned the travelling couple.


    "Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing, are you...?"


    "Coming? And leave that little sneaky lady alone?" He said while playing with the small arms of his sleeping daughter. "No, not with this war around anyway. I won''t argue about how idiotic you two are heading to your home with the current stakes at hand. But just please don''t get yourself killed. I won''t be there to get you out"


    Marigold eyed how Diana was afraid. Another journey to the unknown was awaiting.


    "I will make both of you some food to take with you" Marigold declared as she headed toward the kitchen.


    The sun seems to be still disappearing behind the greyish clouds. The sky had a depressing view, which goes with the public nervousness. A gloomy enviroment that matches the deadly mission that Diana was commited to do, pushed by her father''s love and supported by Louis''s blazing emotions.


    The couple once more hit the road. For Diana, it was time to head home. For Louis, a lot of questionable decisions will be made whether he anticipated or not.


    They said goodbye to Alfred''s family as they passed through the gate of Taiga.


    Louis couldn''t help himself feeling full responsibility for her now. She was too important to face this journey alone, not with the pain in her stomach still reminding her of that past fateful battle. It was his duty to protect her. He promised Alfred that.


    She looked at him with an interested look, "Do you think that this war was already planned for?"


    "Why of course. Wain was already eager to put his hands on this land so long ago, that he just needed a spark. A reason to start the war. So in front of the public, he should appear as the hero that protects his country from danger...


    The Red Castle was His last straw. As for both monarchs, it was their call to war"

 Chapter 31: The Fall of Nale

    Somewhere in the middle of the night at an outskirt of a forest near the borders.


    The duo was still walking towards the end of the country. Along the road, they didn''t see a single town up ahead. Only houses now and then. They had been walking for about 6 hours straight now. They were lost in time and didn''t know whether they would reach the borders early before the lockdown or they were marching to the closed borders.


    "Can we...stop...for some...time?" said Louis out of breath and energy, leaning on his knee


    "No!" she shouted. "We need to keep moving forward" and just before she finished, her feet surrendered under the pressure of exhaustion, fell on her knees with a gasp.


    Louis stared at her with a compassionate smile despite his internal objection to how Diana was pushing herself up.


    He kneeled beside her, resting his hand over her back. "My dear, I know your dreams, but I also know your capability as well. You need to rest, your body can''t take much more!"


    She looked at his brown eyes. They speak the truth. The very truth she tried to deny for some time.


    She sighed.  "Fine, but just because I am hungry" she chuckled. He caught her and got her up as they went for a dead fallen tree on the side of the road.


    They let their backs rest to it. Their feet were aching and swollen. They spent the last of their energy bringing some small wooden sticks, to start their small campfire.


    Louis opened the map he bought. Pointing at the details of the paper." If we continue through this way with the same speed we will reach the borders shortly". Satisfied with the progress they made. They dug into the small meal they had from Tagia. Pleasantly, eating while engaging in pep talks, they were enjoying each other company despite all.


    However, under the pressure of pushing themselves to the limit, both of them sunk into a deep sleep. They couldn''t open their eyes anymore from fatigue. As Diana cuddled between his arms. Enjoying the warmth of his body facing her freezing body, Shielding herself from the chilly air of the night as they both travel to the dreaming realm.


    (We leave our heroes sleeping and take a hop to another action elsewhere near the border, those events happened one day behind the main POV)


    "HOLD THE LINE, DON''T LET THEM BREAK THE FORMATION!" Shouted the commander of the battalions guarding the borders against his tower on the front.


    The lines of the two armies clashed. The battlefield was a live hurricane spitting bodies, blood, and shouts. Chaos was the dominating element in this haze. No one knew if his life would be spared today or would be stolen at the hands of the enemy blade.


    The soldiers slashed each other with swords and whatever tool they could kill with. The amount of bodies stocking the river was so enormous that the water no longer kept its pure tasteless figure.


    The situation was like this: 50,000 of Wain''s finest men attacked the western border''s garrison of 20,000 men. They knew that a battle was lurking on the horizon, yet none ever imagined how that battle would be so horrific and deadly.


    The battle began when an all-out attack was upon the garrison which was fortified in a town called "Nale". The town was already fortified by a weak tall wooden wall and a natural border drawn by a shallow river between the two kingdoms.


    The town encirclement was the beginning of the long hardship of defending the town and the border from falling. The defence was holding at first, But the numerical advantage had begun to firmly pin the men down.


    The General leading the invading forces was labelled a "Blood drinker".


    No one knew his real name and if so, it was forbidden to address him by it. He was ruthless scum of human beings when it comes to war. He was a very skilled tactician. He never takes prisoners, except women and only good-looking ones. He didn''t lose a single battle due to his high strategy planning and sly intuition.


    "They are breaking, keep pushing them!" The invading soldiers realized that they were advancing and gaining ground. They had a great morality while some men on the other side were abandoning their posts, fleeing for their lives. The line of defence was rapidly breaking up, and the commander of the defence battalions was already encircled.


    The situation was dire and the defeat was nigh. For This Town, There wasn''t any dawn after tonight.


    (Back to our sleeping heroes)


    Feeling comfortable somehow, Louis was enjoying his nap along with Diana.


    He was resting his head on hers, wrapping his hands around her waist.


    However, a small thing managed to hop and slowly climb his nose. Its eyes kept blinking at the snoring boy. The strange sound kept rising from the creature.


    Feeling uneasy, Louis was shooing the air, for whatever insect wanted to land on his nose could leave him in peace. When the irritating sensation went on. He opened his eyes to find an innocent frog on his nose staring at him.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    He jumped out of fright. He unintentionally slams the frog into the air, causing it to land away.


    After recovering from the fright, he looked at the little creature hop away to its business after roiling the prince''s sleep.


    He caught his forehead in his hand. Angry and dizzy, he yawned. He scanned his surroundings with half-closed sleepy eyes. Diana was still sleeping. The poor girl was so tired that even a scream next to her ears failed to wake her up. Except for that, not a major change had happened around them.


    He drew near her, and brushed her blonde hair aside, with a smile. She had the most innocent face especially when her eyes were closed.


    During his looking, his stomach came loud. Hunger began to sting him again. They already finished the food they carried. The last portion they had.


    One of them must leave the other to hunt or both will eventually starve.


    He looked around, examining. The road they were walking through it, went between long trees, so high that the moon barely reached beyond the leaves of the mountain-size forest.


    The idea of leaving a beautiful young girl sleeping in the wild was unfamiliar to Louis.


    He couldn''t know whether he should wake her up to move on to seek a town that provides food at the nearest spot or should guard her until she woke up on her own, risking losing precious time accompanied by his growing hunger.


    He frowned. No choice was good enough. He knew how tired she was and there was no logical way to keep going without a fair sleep. He sits in his place. He allowed his eyes to look at Diana again. He imagined her waking up without anything to eat. He loved her and didn''t want her to suffer more than she already lived through...


    Her abduction from her Town...


    Sentenced to death for loving him...


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Endora''s anarchy...


    The Red Castle...


    He couldn''t let her take more suffering. At least not alone again. He was committed by himself to helping her somehow. So, he took his decision...


    He looked around for any vegetables or fruits hanging on the trees nearby, but all the trees were too tall to climb and most of them were only green.


    On the ground, There was only grass. The only thing out there was some suspicious mushrooms, their appearance does not quite attract the eye nor the appetite.


    Trying to not lose hope, he opened the map to search for any landmark he could use to gain food.


    One small drawing in particular caught his eye.


    A river.


    A stream goes through the middle of the forest going to a nearby large lake. A good way to surprise the girl is with some hearty food and water. He grabbed his dagger, still sharp. He slowly brushed her cheek with the back of his other hand.


    With a heavy heart, he kissed Diana''s soft cheeks before his figure vanished into the forest.


    (In the town of Nale)


    A woman was staring with wide watered eyes, while the soldiers slowly slit her husband''s throat. He coughed his blood till his death. Then 3 soldiers raped her afterwards.


    This was just a small example of what happened to the mass population. Every house had a dead man and one or two raped females from his family.


    Small Children were ordered to line up and watch mass murders in the streets. They were kept alive; to live with that trauma all their lives.


    The streets were full of corpses and the rotting smell was another torment they had to live with,  not to mention the numerous deaths between some small girls'' ranks due to the random sexual assaults.


    The news began to spread across the town with every crow that descended upon the blood field. Each bird eating at a corpse was a personification of the catastrophic reality.


    The whole garrison was slaughtered, except for some who fled the battle earlier. The commander of the defence battalions was severely injured during the final decisive hours, however. No one witnessed his corpse anywhere.


    Nale was destroyed, it held no strategic significance to the invading army and was too small to commodate such a great army anyway but the moral blow they inflicted was more satisfying than any physical or military goal met.


    The general (blood drinker) ordered the men to relax and wait for their next target, as they await new orders from high command.


    (Louis pov)


    After 2 hours of being lost and dizzy in the forest. Only hearing the cracking sound of small roots breaking under his careful feet. His ear spotted faint water-splashing sounds.


    "I must be close, finally!" He encouraged himself


    His happiness increased, even more, when he found it minutes later. The stream was very rough, and fast. The sight of the glimmering water under the moon raised Louis''s spirit.


    He ran to the water in a hurry.  Pinning for some fresh water, he lay on his belly as he felt the water paving through his dried throat. The water was so refreshing that Louis could take a bath there. But pushing that allurement away from his head. He turned to look for any small animal to hunt. Yet, The forest was so quiet.


    Too quiet...


    It was also too dark to see any fish in the water or animals inland. He frowned sadly. It was much easier back in the palace.


    Suddenly a nearby bush shook. Louis''s response was immediate, he drew his dagger and was prepared.


    "Please, don''t let it be another wolf" he murmured. He kept waiting in a defensive stance as a tall figure came from the dark and approached the boy.


    Louis''s eyes widened in fear. Whatever is it is 2 times his tall.


    However when the figure came under the moon-safe light, it turned out to be a high-ranking soldier, his breast armor was all red. He was too pale. Blood was everywhere on his skin. And it appeared as if he was dragging his sword with him.


    Nonetheless, Louis maintained his stance. Despite the man being in bad shape to put up a fight and very close to death, Louis didn''t trust anyone, especially soldiers of this land.


    The soldier out of nowhere collapsed on the ground. Louis kept staring unbelieving at first.


    However, by the looks of him, that man needed a huge desired help.


    Louis, abandoning his caution, approached him and kneeled to check on him.


    "You ok, sir? What happened to you?" He


    "N..N..Nale, Nale has fallen"


    Louis panicked. The town was one day far from where they camped. "That means that...". He stuttered as the horrendous feeling of reality sink in.


    "E-End my suffering, please kid," the man said crying and coughing.


    Louis was just staring at the man. shocked. He was astonished by the request.


    He nodded in refusal. "Absolutely no! Come on, let me just get this off you," Louis said trying to get the heavy armor off the man''s chest.


    The man resisted strangely.


    "NO, SAVE YOURSELF! THEY ARE COMING AFTER ME!"


    "Who are they?". Before he got an answer, another voice broke the air.


    "I see blood trails, he is close !" an unknown shout came echoing nearby. There was a far faint yellow light wandering the woods. Whoever was there, they weren''t coming for a cup of tea.


    "I told you to leave me be! Those are scouts. If they saw you with me, they will kill you too"


    "Don''t worry, if I was ever caught I would be too valuable to be killed, now, let''s get this off" Slowly, Louis got the armour of him with a gasp of effort. Revealing a massive big scar along his whole chest and stomach.


    Louis didn''t have any bandages so he ripped the man''s clothes off and dipped them in the river then he used the bandages for the half-naked man''s injuries. Trying to clean what he can before moving on.


    "Can you walk?"


    "Yes," he said out of power.


    "Good, pick your sword, we need to hide"


    Tired and feeling pain. The man got up and slowly left the spot,  supported by the presumed hunter as Louis carefully limped with him behind some thick bushes, using the night as a cover while they waited for the real hunters to pass by.


    They didn''t wait long for the pursuers to come. Two lightly armoured horsemen came with one-handed swords on each of their pelts and a torch with one of them. they were on high alert, looking left and right.


    They moved slowly while engaged in talking.


    "Strange, looks like he got rid of his armour"


    "I lost the tracks of him as well" He must have washed his blood off in the river, but he can''t survive for long without treatment, he is either hiding or already had fallen nearby. nevertheless, we need his head for our general.


    "Should we split, it would be easier to find him?"


    "Are you mad !? that''s a commander of the garrison, not an ordinary soldier! Even if he is injured he won''t hesitate to put us down in these dark woods. Come on, let''s keep moving, eyes front"


    Their horses came loud, as they sprint past the hiding spot, with the yellow flames fading away with them.


    After making sure they weren''t coming back, Louis checked on the man. He was in terrible shape, covered in dirt, and that dirt reached his wounds. He was shivering; sweating and had the face of an old man corpse in his 90s.


    "Come on, let''s get you out of here...". he helped the man up to the river. After a bath to clean his injuries and giving the high-ranking man some water for his dry throat, they moved towards Louis''s camp.


    An hour passed...


    It was still dark. hopefully, the dim light of moon in the sky was barely enough for Louis to find his self-made gravings on the trees to know the way back.


    Both were silent, they moved quietly so as not to disturb the habitats of the woods. The man - whom Louis knew his rank accidentally from the scouts- was groaning from pain all the way.


    On the other hand, Louis was worried, he left his girl alone without food or water, out in the wild. Who would make such an irrational act?!


    Now with this road out of the country cut, and an invasion creeping forward. Diana could be mistakenly captured as a war spoil. Even if she woke up, she would be shocked that Louis left her alone. He even took the map with him to find the river, so if anything happened she would be also lost in a forest of another country.


    The thoughts kept pinching Louis forcing him to blame himself for his risky decision.


    "Hey"


    Louis faced the limping man in response to his words.


    "What''s your name, little fella?


    "Louis, you?"


    "My men address me by Commander Joseph"


    Louis nodded. The name was beautiful, that''s why it didn''t fit to be side by side with the word commander, so Louis thought.


    "how many?"


    "20,000 good souls"


    "Wow, that''s a lot to lead"


    "No, young man that''s how many I left behind" he stopped in his tracks, and his face turned blacker. The subject clearly came with its hidden heavy burden.


    Louis''s eyes narrowed questioning.


    "How was it ?"


    "DOES IT MATTER!?" The commander of the battalion shouted, his cry spread through the darkness of the forest.


    He looked to another side of Louis''s face. "You don''t know how it feels to be out there. All those who put their most valuable trust in you. I can''t just scratch the sincerity of my defeat. I don''t know what to say to my superiors, That I lost all of my men under my command to their doom?! Because of me, a whole town had fallen under the invasion,  and my enemy had an open door straight to the heart of my land.


    Louis felt sorry for the man, he couldn''t speak a word of condolences because simply put, no words would ever heal such pain. Not at that moment at least.


    Louis''s actions of himself leaving Diana behind kept flashing. He cursed, and regret. Every minute passing while she is alone puts her in danger.


    "Listen, let''s just get you to my camp. Then we could figure something up.


    Joseph nodded, still feeling pain and guilt.


    After some time, Louis spotted an opening in the tall trees. An exit from the forest at last.


    He looked at himself. He is wet and tired. All he managed to get was some fresh water from the river and a limping man on his left side.


    At least now we would be more careful around the border, or even better turn back to Tagia. he thought to himself. He just had to think about how to break that piece of info to Diana.


    "Hello, my dear. Sorry for the inconvenience, but now you are on the wrong side of a war that your mad king waged" he secretly Joked with a sad chuckle. It was as if her problems were never-ending.


    "I see a fire nearby, is that your camp?"


    Louis looked forward to seeing a good-lit campfire far ahead and that is where it flashed back to Louis.


    His eyes narrowed, he remembered very well that he left the campfire with minimum flames. How did that bonfire reach that bright ?!


    He drew near. Fear stroke him. His breaths raced. He sprinted straight ahead, leaving the man unanswered and unattended.


    His legs finally reached the camp with gasping breaths...


    But Diana wasn''t there...

 Chapter 32: Taken

    <u>Louis''s arc</u>


    You left her.


    And they found her.


    She begged for your return.


    And You weren''t there for her.


    She called you.


    But you didn''t answer her.


    She trusted you.


    And you betrayed her.


    She loved you.


    And you abandoned her.


    That was Louis''s conscience screaming. His mind began to shatter. Fate has said his word. Consequences must be yielded.


    "No No No No No No No No!" He shouted like a lunatic. The world began to roll around him. The fact kept striking on without mercy. He put his hands on his head, trying to find a solution.


    The limping Joseph looked with confusion, not knowing who was Diana to Louis.


    He searched the area for any trace of Diana. But the truth became even more painful when he found out her dagger was a little far from the camp. It was all covered with blood. He kneeled to examine it. The dagger blade was reddish to its end. The prince concluded that The dagger sliced or stabbed someone.


    "She fought her attacker..." he murmured quietly.


    Joseph limping on his words caught with him. "Calm down, she could be around here somewhere answering the call of nature at some bushes nearby"


    "Oh, Really?!" Louis answered with a chuckle, "Then why is her dagger right here, 50 feet away from the camp, all covered in blood!? Do you think I am that stupid? The scouts that were after you must have found her and captured her. You led them to us, YOU BLOODY MORON!"


    Louis shouted. He walked back to the camp. His fingers sunk between his hair. He took the bloody blade with him. He wasn''t thinking straight anymore.


    "They took her. I shouldn''t have left her. I knew that would happen. FUCK !"


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    He kicked the campfire with his right leg, sending sparks hugging the tensioned air.


    "Hey, take a breath. Boy. We can__"


    "WE?! Who''s we?!" Louis''s eyes widen with crystal-shape.


    "If not because of you, I would have returned early to save my love from those animals! But NO!  I had to save your sorry coward body. I should have left you to rot there" Louis shouted, pointed a finger, and blamed himself for the good deed he had done.


    His breathing was very fast, and so was his heartbeat. He shook his head in denial. He was out of energy and morale. So he just sat there on the grass. His forehead rested and fixed between his knees while his face sank between his arms. His feeling take over him. Anxiety was eating him inside.


    Alone and defeated.


    Joseph blinked, he approached the boy, supporting himself with his half-blooded sword.


    "One, I didn''t ask for your help. You are the person who offered your kindness. Two, you can stay here. keep whining all night like pregnant women until they return for you as well, or you could follow me to my 2nd line camp, so we-I mean You-can find a way to retrieve her"


    A sparkle of hope lighted in Louis''s eyes. He raised his head to meet the man''s sharp face.


    "Wait, I thought that the whole battalion was slaughtered at Nale?!".


    Joseph laughed. "You don''t know anything about war. Do you, Young prince?"


    Louis''s eyes widen. He stood slowly while maintaining eye contact. "Y-You know me?! H..How?!!"


    "My father was a rich merchant who used to make piles of profit by selling wine to the Royal family. I was by his side sometimes, trying to help him when his age got him down.


    That''s when I recognized your face, that was 6 months ago at a time of peace. When the war came, I was recalled back to arms once more."


    Louis''s eyes narrowed. "Then Why didn''t you capture me, you could have used me as a bargaining chip to help your people!"


    "And Why I would betray my savior from death?  I am not a Thankless person, your highness. Besides I wasn''t in good shape to do that anyway"


    Louis remained silent. Bowing his head to the ground. Ashamed of himself.


    Joseph continued on...


    "They don''t kill young girls, they keep them for...Later.  I am sure your girl is safe, somewhere at "Nale"


    Louis raised both his eyebrows. He -as a former prince- had a gruesome knowledge of how the women of war were treated.


    While his eyes were lost in those dark thoughts, an extended hand met his eyes. His eyes rose to meet the commander''s military posture.


    "Come on, we have a long ride ahead," Joseph said. Louis stared for a while.


    It wasn''t easy to accept his hand. Especially after the toxic blaming, he was throwing earlier. So he got up without help. Regaining his confidence.


    "Just help me find her and we will get through the border together on our own, consider it the return of debt of saving your life, Commander Joseph"


    He may be in need of help, yet Louis didn''t ignore the fact that this man would be buried in the forest, Headless and powerless if not for him.


    Joseph raised his eyebrows.


    "Do I smell a deal, Young prince?". His smile sends a bit of mischievous vibe.


    "As I said, consider it a return of favor," Louis said coldly. His voice still had a random temper. "Here is a map of the region if that would help" Louis gave him his map with a doubtful gaze.


    Joseph took the map. Exchanging looks while he was unfolding it. On a closer look, his index finger stomped a certain point of the paper. "There. About Two miles". Jospeh realized that his 2nd camp was at the east of their current positon, closer than he thought.


    "Ok, kid. You help me back to my camp and I will smuggle you and your girl out of the country, is that good enough for you?"


    "Fine"

 Chapter 33 : A Lone Wolf

    "So..." Louis cleared his throat. "You didn''t answer me. If the whole battalion was defeated, then who we should meet at the 2nd camp?"


    "The reserves, my battalion concluded 10,000 men as a backseat to cover our back and to reinforce us when in need, but the invaders attacked us with tremendous speed and encircled us. The messenger I sent had probably been intercepted somewhere in this forest, cutting our communication with the back" Joseph answered.


    The walk to the camp was peaceful to a point until it came to Louis and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.


    "Wait, what if your men recognized me?" Louis realized.


    "Nah, don''t worry. We have a more important issue at hand right now than your identity, young prince. The men''s morale is deteriorating. They probably think I am dead as we speak, If I don''t reach that camp in time, another defeat will take place and they will flee in front of our common enemy". Joseph said. Worried about the current situation of war he tried to figure out how to press on over his wounds.


    After a lot of walking while bitting the pain, The two found themselves climbing a low steep hogback.


    "This is it, the camp should be on the other side"


    Each one with his personal goal in mind started climbing. Joseph however was still groaning in pain. He began to feel dizzy with every step to the top. At a point, his leg slid, and was about to have another injury if not for Louis who supported him.


    "You, ok?"


    "No, I think my wounds are open again. W-We need to hurry"


    The two pressed on and it felt like forever reaching that summit with a stop every 10 minutes due to Joseph''s deteriorating condition. On the other hand, the closer Louis reached the top, the more human noises met his ears.


    After so much struggle, Louis reached the top and then turned around to help Joseph up.


    "Boy, phew. we made it!". He said when he looked forward


    Louis turned around to try to see what Joseph was looking at.


    "My Oh My..."


    The sight of thousands of tents and massive gatherings of soldiers was everywhere. Across hundreds of feet of smooth terrain. Men were shouting, horsemen were running around. Louis had never seen that amount of soldiers in one place before.


    "Good job, kid," Joseph said with a sigh of small relief. "Now Stick to my side and leave the speaking to me," Joseph addressed Louis before moving to descend down the hill and approaching the camp, tired and out of energy.


    At first sight of the soldiers to their commander. They couldn''t believe their eyes, as some ran to aid their commander, while others kept watching trying to make sure if this was some kind of a trap from the enemy.


    More than fifty soldiers rushed to support the man from both sides. While the whole camp was busy with their leader, None noticed Louis at first glance. "THE COMMANDER IS ALIVE! Call for a medic at once!" One of the soldiers shouted as the men comforted their commander that he was safe once again.


    Louis took some steps to follow the group when a sword was drawn an inch away from his face. "Hey, you. Where the hell do you think you''re going?" Said a man in shiny armour. Suspicious look on his face


    Louis was stopped in his tracks. He knew they wouldn''t let a citizen in or otherwise, they would doubt him for being a spy.


    "Let him in, he is the one who saved me in that forest, he made that banda- Arghh!". He said before he collapsed from pain, unconscious.


    "Don''t worry, my lord. We got you" The soldiers quickly carried him away. With tremendous concern from all the camp. The loyal guards escorted him to his tent, where numerous doctors were already waiting there.


    Time passed... the tension was everywhere. the soldiers gathered at the square, speaking to Louis. Telling them how he met him, unintentionally. While they awaited the fateful statement of the doctors.


    "Those invaders! They were hunting us in that forest! There must be a way to stop them from setting their foot on our lands!"


    "They will pay for each one they killed!"


    Louis watched as the raging men exchanged threats and promises with each other. The news of returning Joseph safely began to spread. Every single man of the 10,000 was praying that they wouldn''t have to dig a grave for him that night.


    However...


    Louis''s mind couldn''t help himself thinking over and over again about how he left his adorable girl just like that. Her pretty facial expressions are stuck in his head. Pinching him. His eyes dropped to the ground. Life became unbearable without her.


    When she gave him that kiss...


    Those feelings...


    The promise of never leaving her side...


    "Dammit, what have I done ?!" He closed his eyes, punished by the feeling of shameful disgrace and regret.


    During his thinking. A beautiful young lady got out of the tent. She Had a childish face and mesmerizing eyes. Along with a Slim body. She was either in her mid-20s or in the rise of 30s.


    She went out of the tent. Looking around. A bunch of high-ranking soldiers with Louis rushed to the woman, to talk to her about the situation


    She appeared more like a princess than a doctor, with that light blue cloak that goes with her eyes. She had her golden hair rolled in an arranged haircut. With a blue stone that had the shape of rhombus wrapped around her head in an out of ordinary fashion.


    "How is he?" Said Louis forwarding the soldiers to her.


    The lady shifted her bright eyes to Louis, her face was tensed that she could snap at him any moment.


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    "Are you Louis, the hunter?" She said with narrowing eyes. Completely ignoring what the prince just asked.


    "I...Yes, That''s me. How is__!"


    The next thing Louis knew, the little lady rushed and hugged him tightly.


    "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Young hunter" She said squeezing the boy between her arms. The men looked surprised as did the boy. Yet they took it with a grateful smile, as far as they heard that hunter did actually save Joseph. He deserved some credit.


    The boy''s cheeks burned red, like really red, and was kept in amazement for a while. Kinda embarrassed by how many eyes are watching him right now, maybe envying him too. He didn''t see the events to be turned out this way. He didn''t know how he should act.


    "Wow wow wow! , slow down madam! I can''t be seen like this. I have my own girl, you know" Louis tried to regain himself from the lady''s arms, gently separating himself from hers.


    Although it was tempting to leave such a hug from such an attractive woman, but Louis deep down was loyal to only one girl. The girl he desired the most.


    "Oh! I am sorry. I am so sorry. Please forgive overstepping out of my boundaries" She lowered her head a little in apology. "I am just too happy that you saved him," she said with a wide faint smile. Her soft voice speaks of great gratitude.


    "Too much gratitude," Louis thought.


    "You''re...welcome. I guess. How is he by the way?"


    Her expression changed from happiness to seriousness.


    She cleared her throat. "Bad, the wound which I assumed came from a longsword luckily didn''t breach his heart or his lungs. On the other hand, his stomach wall was slashed. If you did come one hour later..." Aroura''s eyes began to collect tears she quickly regained herself so as not to shed them. The men gave her a seat to soften things a bit on her "I don''t know if I- ahem- we could handle his death. You must have heard of what happened in Nale. It was a carnage beyond the description"


    Louis eyed her with a dilemma of his own. He was too late that was sure. But now what?


    "Sorry, I am sort of an emotional person myself" She excused herself with a chuckle.


    "Well, he should be ready to fight soon, right?" One of the soldiers suggested.


    "Are you boys out of your brain juice or something?! Did you just hear what I just said!?" HE NEEDS REST, at least 3 days in bed before he can carry his sword again. not to mention leading an army of thousands behind him!"


    The men and Louis stood there with astonishment. Three days...


    Louis screamed within himself. "MY DARLING COULD BE IN DANGER IN THE HANDS OF THOSE RUTHLESS MEN  AND I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER THREE FUCK''N DAYS!"


    "I gave him some herbs, that should give him some good night sleeping," She said looking at the tent.


    Louis nodded in understanding, Despite of his blood boiling inside. He couldn''t think of any way to set things in motion again. He wondered. Three whole days were more than enough for Diana to face the madness of being a war trophy. He could lose Diana forever during this period.


    "Fine, at least he is breathing, heard that people! That bastard lives" Louis yelled. The men all over the camp cheered, for their desperate hopes and prayers were finally accepted, except for him. His prayers will be left unanswered for quite some time.


    She clapped her hand "Ok, Everyone it''s getting late. Get to your tents now, we can sleep at last!" With that said, the crowd dispersed. Leaving behind only grateful smiles and some kind words for Louis. The hunter that saved the commander.


    "As for you, Hunter. How about I gave you appropriate hospitality, in my tent" She winked.


    Louis''s eyebrows jumped.


    She chuckled "Don''t worry you silly, my brother is there too" She knew what Louis was thinking about.


    "It''s quite an attractive offer. But as a matter of fact, I just want to talk to Joseph about ...a personal matter, it''s urgent. Mademoiselle__"


    "Aroura, name''s Aurora. And no. He is too fragile right now, dear. He really needs to rest. And so are you. As a matter of fact, I don''t think leaving right now is a good idea, given the current situation"


    "Fine" he gasped. The annoyance in his voice was visible.


    but if Aurora''s offer stood, he wouldn''t sleep on hard grass tonight...


    "As you wish, Miss Aurora, please lead the way".


    After that first impression, Louis was introduced to her younger brother who was 15 years old boy who had rough orange hair and apparently was also a good cook.


    The two made a hearty meal for the hungry prince, Which to their surprise, Louis dived into the plate they made as if he had never seen food before.


    Her cheekbone flowered as she witnessed him diving into his plate, eating like a vulgar gorilla.


    Louis knew how he was eating right now violated the royal etiquette way of eating back at the palace. Now, he is eating just to sate his hunger, nothing less and nothing more. He doesn''t have to be a hypocrite anymore and obey foolish rules just to keep the image of the royal family clean from the piercing eyes of the envying public.


    No more.


    Despite that, he felt the embarrassment of being watched by Aurora''s eyes. How he inappropriately was eating, not respecting that he is not his country anymore, maybe that''s why she is so tolerant.


    He smiled sheepishly. Mouth filled right and left, his facial expression was a disaster.


    After swallowing the concerning amount of food, he tried to break the goofy moment with a conversation.


    "Pardon me, I...really loved your recipe"


    "Glad you adored it, You deserve even more". She smiled, She was a very cute and generous person which made Louis question how a clean soul like her got herself a role in this war.


    "So, um... About that blue stone wrapped around your head?"


    "Oh, that? That''s just the symbol of my family. The blue rhombus"


    Louis''s eyebrow narrowed. "Wait. I heard about this family. Hold on. You are a descendant of  magican''s heritage!"


    "Aha, my parents were experts in magic, I wish they taught me some more before their death." Aroura lost some of her happy face when the subject came. Louis swallowed hard what was in his mouth.


    "But enough about me, Tell me about you, young hunter . Would care to explain why you are helping the enemy of your homeland!?" She said quietly, and the atmosphere picked up the tension of the question. Yet, her features were calm.


    The moment the question hit his eardrums, Louis freezed, the good night dinner turned into an interrogation. "The commander told you already, ha?". The food became suddenly unbearable in his mouth, and he swallowed it with a big glup.


    "No, your accent got you. I am not a native of this land, but your martizian tongue can be still be noticed even if you tried to hide it"


    "That means_"


    "A fugitive, my parents escaped through the borders 5 years ago. Best decision they ever made, if you asked me. I feared that one of the men noticed your language, so I brought you to my tent"


    "I..see". Louis eased up a bit seeing that he is not the only stranger in this land.


    "So? Why the help?". She pressed on the question.


    "Well, it began when I saw one beautiful maid...". He told her everything. Excluding the part of the Red Castle.


    Aroura blinked in admiration but still clung to another question. "What about your people, do you not care about them, I mean more will die after you gladly rescued my...I mean...our commanding general ?". Her tone began to stutter out of the blue, yet still keeping her wits.


    "I can''t help them, King wain always uses mandatory recruiting for poor farmers to fuel his war under the command of monsters in the shape of generals. Believe me, My heart bleeds for them but there is nothing I can personally do..."


    She stared at him for a while. Her eyes were caring and understanding, considering it all...She smiled at last. Her cheeks were full of blood.


    "You have a good heart, Louis. Forgive me, for being serious with you now. But a war is a war. I can''t help it when I see so many souls around falling to the grasp of the abyss and I can''t save them all. That''s why I wanted to make sure you have not any ill intention to any of the sleeping men outside " Her sweet character returned. "...I really hope you find her safe and sound"


    He smiled back. "Thanks, Miss Aurora". Despite him being off the hook. He couldn''t shake off the fright he got. Two people now know who he really is in the camp. But that didn''t stop his sworn enemy from handing him a feast inside the heart of a war camp and nonetheless treated with rather an off sense of hospitality, like a normal habitat of the same land as if the war had never flared. But now. He is just another lone wolf outcasted by his tribe.


    After some other side talks, The night ended with an assumed good sleep for both of them. Yet. For the defeated (reserve) army of the Gartizian empire. It was a grieving day for the thousands of souls who died at Nale and other towns along the long borders, Burning inside to avenge them.


    Great courage lacking power and numbers. An inspiring raging spirit lacks consistent motivation and tactics. They couldn''t do anything now. Still, the whole camp was put at ease, knowing their commander was still clinging to life somehow.


    *******

 Chapter 34: A General in Disarray

    The first light of the day comes steadily as The sun barely appears from behind the horizon. The camp was quiet, torches still lit with some few guards on watches. It was peaceful and chilly, you can hear the breezy wind sounds, bashing the tents from outside.


    All that while the sleepy Louis slowly brushes the entrance of Aurora''s tent away. scratching his eyes while yawning. He didn''t sleep well last night. He never slept in a tent before, nor did he hope to ever again.


    He bent his back to try to shake the pain from it. It wasn''t the perfect bed to sleep on inside.


    Looking around, he realized he woke up too early, he wasn''t familiar with the guards to begin a talk with them.


    So to waste some time, He thought of going for a walk around the camp. But The camp was massive. Thousands of tents were spread over beyond eyesight. Every tent was exactly the same as the other. He certainly will get lost around here easily.


    He sighed.


    "Life is not easy outside the palace, My father was right after all" Louis smirked to himself. Remembering the past.


    Scratching the negative memory. He tried to focus. He wanted to meet Joseph urgently, to know what would be his next move. So, he decided to wait for the sun to shine even more, leaving some space for Joseph to get some rest and for the rest of the camp to wake up.


    He turned around back to his tent when a voice shouted: "Hey little Hunter, want some beer?" A familiar guard''s voice echoed loudly to his right and got his attention of Louis.


    It was the same harsh guard from before, Who intercepted him with the sword earlier when he first arrived. He was inviting Louis for a drink around the campfire.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be sleeping at this hour?" Said Louis while approaching the man. Happy that he found some company to spend time with.


    "Yea well, (*snort*) it is my shift. Besides we should be ready for the enemy...


    Heh, though I doubt they will go anywhere. Bet you, they''re warming themselves with the remains of the burning houses in that town while we speak. Everyone in their country would Speak of their ''heroic'' actions and glorious feats" he ended by throwing a piece of wood to the fire


    "Well, that''s another good reason why you should chop some of their heads off your land, right?"


    The man chuckled in return "Yea Whatever, here you go" he handed the boy a wooden mug full of some yellowish drink.


    Both raised their mugs towards each other for a cheer. But once Louis''s tongue touched the drink. He immediately spitted it away. "What is this?! , it looks like and tastes like a donkey''s piss!" He stared at the cup with a disgusted face. His stomach refused to let the liquid reach it by any means.


    The man cracked into a sound laugh. "Because that''s for real men, little boy. Top quality is for the lazy ass Aristocratics" he chuckled.


    Louis smiled back.


    Although Louis was slightly offended and didn''t agree, yet, the man looked like he would use a laugh. However, the soldier was too consumed in the conversation to notice the figure approaching him from behind.


    "Speaking of the devil" Louis''s eyes widen recognizing Joseph moving quietly towards them.


    The soldier looked back, he freaked out as soon as his eye recognize the general.


    "SIR!" He shouted, Stomping his boot to the ground and hands above his head. Hurriedly to give his military salute.


    "Get your ass back to your post, soldier!" Joseph said with a shocking strong appearance. The soldier left with a lowered head without saying a word, taking a last glance at Louis before fetching his spear and leaving.


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    Eyeing the ashamed soldier moving away, Joseph faced Louis with a tiring look.


    "You should stay away from those men, or..."


    "Or what?! Commander, with all due respect, your men need motivation, not discipline now. That soldier that you just scolded was speaking of how our common enemy is enjoying their victory above the misery of the Nale''s citizens"


    Joseph breathed and took a seat, "I can not change the reality, boy. The men need to accept that"


    "So you will just sit here crying on the spilled milk?" Louis teased.


    "Hey, watch your tongue, prince! I am not in the mood to be lectured on how to control my men" he narrowed his eyes.


    Louis just stared at the commander with a disappointed look on his face while Joseph took a long sip from the "Donkey''s piss" drink.


    Louis thought of what he said. Thinking through it. Joseph was a good military general but he was a bad leader for his men. The worst part is that he doesn''t see that. So Louis perceived.


    "How is she?" Joseph said blankly.


    "Who? Lady Aroura?"


    "Don''t play dumb with me, kid. I know you slept in her tent" raising his eyebrows.


    "Right, She was too worried about you, she even thanked me with a hug. She was too-"


    Joseph spitted the beer at the campfire causing the fire to flicker randomly with sparks. "SHE DID WHAT?!" He shouted with full-widen eyes.


    "What, you jealous or something?" Louis raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes and giving a provocative look.


    "Jealous of what? Are you out of your mind, little man? I can''t think of any woman right now while my men are dying out there!"


    "But...I...I... Thought..." Louis mumbled, realizing how awkward moment he put himself in. "I-I am sorry, I thought you exchanged her love for you"


    "Wait? Her love for me? how were so you sure?" Joseph asked. Clearly Intrigued by the subject.


    "Well, her behaviour was too ''EMOTIONAL'' for a doctor''s reaction to her patient and whenever I start talking about you, I notice some stuttering. Maybe I am wrong, yet I think that that woman has a special place for you inside her heart"


    ......


    Silence spread.


    Joseph didn''t respond, instead, he kept staring at the campfire. While Louis watched him, waiting for his answer.


    Moments passed...


    The two kept staring at the campfire.


    The commander shifted his head to meet Louis''s eyes again. "Can you keep the secret?"


    "SO YOU DO LOVE HER AFT-!" Louis said excitedly. Neglecting how his voice sound jumped up.


    "Hsshh !" He put his hand on Louis''s mouth." I don''t even need an answer after that shout!" Joseph said very quietly.


    The prince blinked multiple times, then slowly lifted Joseph''s hands. "Sorry, my bad. I always get excited with love stories" he smiled.


    "That is the problem, You just don''t understand. Son!" he said, pushing himself up on his foot and walking a few steps around Louis. "We are at war, I am leading men to face death each time they go to a battle, I can not leave my emotions unchecked or my men will no longer trust me to lead them"


    Louis narrowed his eyes in amazement. "What?! But that doesn''t make sense. Why should you be different just because you are a high-ranking general?  And your men? Those men are the same and the most ones that would be happy for you!


    Be brave and just tell her that you love her already"


    "Are you hearing yourself?! My men suffered a defeat two days ago and I was in charge of that battle. Do you know how it turned out?!


    A BUTCHERING FIELD! My land is under attack, son and you want me to go after my subjective sentiments?!"


    "That proves my point then, you are a bad leader"


    "What did you just say?" Joseph''s expression changed while tightening his grip.


    "You heard me, a good leader knows how to balance his life with his responsibilities and also accept defeat along the way, however, he doesn''t allow it to bring him down from getting up to his feet again. While you- good sir- are just afraid of another failure and consequences"


    "That''s because I am gambling with other''s people lives! Good men! When you see their graves in mass gatherings. All those boys that put high heads to you...


    And you just fail them, just like that, such defeats you can''t just shake off


    You are right, I am afraid of failures and risks, and that''s why I never take a step forward without taking into consideration how it would impact my men eventually, they are the ones that will for pay my flops"


    Louis shook his head slightly, putting his finger on his own eye edges. pausing for a moment before starting again. "That is the problem! Don''t you see?! You are thinking objectively most of the time, just like warlords do. This is not a war, commander! This is emotions.


    You don''t expect everything to work out every time. There is no good choice or wrong one here. No death is involved, only emotions! Embrace that and stop thinking like commanders for once. Think like a lover!


    "What if she refused me?"


    "I highly doubt it. You say this because you haven''t experienced such tasty feelings before. I did."


    Joseph blinked at Louis. He took a sit again and stared for a while at the fire camp. Hands intertwined. Thinking through. Judging his approaches.


    "I have an idea, How about you talk to her in private? So even if she turned you down. You would be the only one to bear the burden and let not her answer affect you" Louis suggested.


    Joseph sighed, striking an eye to Louis "Fine, how does this go?"


    "Goddammit, Joseph! you are the one busted in this looping love hole, not me! Think of something!"


    "Hmm, you know what? I think you are right. Maybe I needed advice from young youth after all. I will propose to her tonight" he smiled happily.


    "Great!" Louis nodded with a great smile as well. Delighted they reached an agreement.

 Chapter 35 : Shadows in the woods

    "So do you have a plan or not?" Said Louis, referring to ''Nale'', the occupied city near the borders.


    "We didn''t receive any order yet from high command, Son. Despite sending a group of scouts to them telling them about the earlier battle results". He frowned. "As much as I admire your enthusiasm, We need to wait, Louis. We need more men"


    Louis''s eyes dropped. Every minute passing could put Diana''s life in danger.


    "But what if they attacked us again?"


    "Unlikely, this camp is well hidden, and to be double sure I had already appointed 10 watching patrols just in case.


    Come on, let''s wake those lazy ladies up". Ending his argument with Louis. Joseph stood up to begin his day.


    The rest of the day was all about Joseph trying to study the region very well, noticing every way in and out. Every scenario was possible, observing the men''s morale and lastly trying strategies with his tactician.


    Louis on the other hand spent half of his day with Aurora to gain some of her knowledge of the medical herbs and their appropriate usage while the other half of the day he spent training with some soldiers, increasing his bond with them as well as his fighting skills.


    Until the night came...


    "RED FLAG! Orders from the royal palace!" A shout burst as two horsemen carrying red flags were spotted entering the camp. The whole camp was surprised and eager for the new orders.


    Joseph, the injured commander. Got out of his tent to welcome the two messengers, tempted by what they carried with them.


    The messengers saluted and delivered the rolled message as ordered. They also had to wait for his reply.


    He unrolled the paper, marching his eyes upon the written speech.


    He kept reading in silence, revealing nothing to his loyal men or to Louis, until he finished reading...with a smile.


    "Cheer up, boys! Another 10,000 men are on their way to reinforce us!" He shouted with a spirit.


    In reply, The whole camp filled with courage and high morale, cheered raising their weapons in the air.


    "Alright, Listen up!" he yelled in command.


    "Our allied army would reach us after 2 days of travel, which gives us a good time to prepare our counterattack strategy. So, rest up and eat well cause we are going back to that hell again!


    Another powerful long cheer echoed, with supported fists in the air.


    Despite being from another land, Louis felt so much patriotism coming from those men. They were prepared to defend their homeland even if the stakes were too high. He wished if his people had the same level of loyalty to their country and their king.


    He wished that in better days, the two nations could prosper together.


    However, something was itching him, the feeling that he is helping his enemy to face his own people, was this the right thing to do? He always Imagine the condemning looks of his father to him


    Another big sacrifice he bore for Diana for sure.


    ...


    The day ended, and everyone called it a night except for Louis, he wanted to help more.


    He took permission to join the soldiers as a nightguard to watch while others slept. Not knowing what awaited him this very night, he was lent a medium-sized sword which he knew how to use from before and a light breastplate matching his size.


    ....


    The night began with a bright crimson moon stuck on the sky above, slowly singing a silent lullaby for all under its calming light to sleep well, and forget the war for a period.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Hours passed and nothing of interest happened, only crackles of the fire camp sound. it was too peaceful. Darkness soon takes its effect on the prince. He began to yawn, feeling a bit sleepy.


    Suddenly Louis''s eyes caught something. A shadow of two human figures moving out of the camp along the tree line. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was imagining things. but the two figures were still there, sneaking away.


    "Spies!" his mind screamed, his heart sunk, and he considered sounding the alarm. Although in that case the enemy will be spooked and long gone by then.


    Afraid but confident, he left his post and followed those shadows. Taking small steps, moving from tree to tree. Trying to be far enough away from the enemy so they don''t hear his armour tingle in this quietness but closely keeping up with the shadows without compromising himself.


    The shadows halted in a clear area, absent of any surrounding trees, and so did Louis stop to observe.


    The light of the moon provided a dim light to help recognise the identity of the two figures. And on further examination. He saw Commander Joseph and Aurora.


    "So what important thing did you want me for, sir?"


    "I-I want to admit something to you"


    "You said that before, is everything alright? You look nervous, Is the wound still a problem?" she said with a concerned face.


    "No, No, It''s...um..." he frowned, Hand on his head, Lost in words.


    She narrowed her eyes "Are you trying to seduce me?"


    "WHAT?! NO! OF COURSE NOT!"


    She jiggled playfully, her chuckles came like that of a dancing flower. "I was messing with you, Joseph. You look strained from war, you need a good woman to help make you laugh a little" she ended with a wink.


    He smiled widely, "Well said, I need a woman indeed... a woman to call her my pride...and my wife". He eyed her ."...a woman Like you,"


    The smile on her face vanished slowly.


    "Wha-" she said with red cheeks, looking at him, nailed in her place by her shock.


    He pulled his sword from its sheath and slowly descended on one knee. Sword''s tip bowing to the ground, while supporting its holder.


    The right hand slowly reaches for her slightly trembling hand, squeezing her a bit.


    Her eyes began to widen, realizing what he was doing and what was that walk was all about.


    Lost in the details of her blushing face he smiled while handing his proposal


    "Mrs Aroura, Would you honour me to be my beloved wife?"


    He forced himself out of character in the process.


    The weight of those few but gorgeous words rammed both Louis and Aurora alike with the same reaction.


    She pulled her hands fast. putting her both hands on her mouth. "Sir, I...I didn''t know...you ..."


    He stood up, interrupting...


    "I was and still am in love with you, Aroura. To my soldier you are a good healer, to me you are my guardian. A soul I wish to live what''s left of my remaining life with"


    "Please...stop it. You are making me blush" she said calmly and shyly. Trying unsuccessfully to hide her wide smile.


    "Alright, I will stop" he said understanding, "Take much time you need to think it through" he said in a mature tone.


    After he ended his talking, he walked some solid steps to her, until he was right in front of her short body. She raised her small eyes to reach his loving gaze.


    His head slowly approached hers, slightly squeezing her shoulders, while his lips met her forehead with a long passionate kiss.


    She gasped air from her tiny lips as she felt the heat of the moment flow through all of her veins, warming her heart and messing her emotions up.


    He put his finger gently under her chin leveling her eyes to meet his loving orbs. "Remember that even if you refused, you will still be the honest and merciful healer that I always adore". He said calmly with a smile.


    He retreated away a few steps back before turning to leave.


    "Wait!" She said with a mellifluous voice, her hands reached for his arm, holding his limb tightly.


    He turned around to meet her messed-up face expression.


    She began with exaggerated happiness. "Joseph, I-I don''t need time to think about my response...". Her eyes glimmered as she stepped closer to him.


    "I''m already in love with you, you silly bastard!". She laughed a bit as her eyes shyly were intimidated by his calm figure. She didn''t even realise she had the courage to say such magical and core-touching words


    "I know. You are too obvious to hide it from me, that''s what makes me love you even more"


    "I am not that obvious, big guy". She said while her eyes escaped his gaze as her small cheeks bumped with redness.


    "Doesn''t matter. I still want you" his voice was filled with emotions but was also domaining with his military presence.


    She looked at him with those blue eyes that reflected the moonlight, fingers clutching her cloak, feeling her chest drowning in a soft sensation of devotion. She couldn''t resist answering anymore...


    "Yes". She answered


    With a strong nod, a chuckle escaped her childish lips.


    The effect of the answer was immediate. The man''s eyes widened and rushed the woman with a hug, raising her up above the ground.


    She was taken by surprise. But soon their happiness was mixed together with the moment, Imagining everything around them helping their bond sail to the vast endless horizons.


    The trees were dancing at the breeze of the night, and the grass below was containing their magical contact, while a nosy pair of eyes were watching behind a bush in amazement.


    He put her down, still his arms around her waist. Exchanging admiration gestures and smiles...


    At the backstage, Louis watched happily as he noticed the two of them having their first kiss with the full bright moon behind him,


    "Well, Well. Commander. You sure do not disappoint" he sighed... "Lucky you"


    Louis stared for a couple more minutes then slowly he drifted away back to his guarding post, giving the couple some space together and hoping that no one noticed that he just left his post for a sight of two shadows in the woods.


    *******

 Chapter 36: One man squad

    The day after...


    The Sunset comes with its familiar orange rays upon the horizon, breaking the intensity of the hot sun temperature, Bringing the winds of change with it.


    Followed by a sheering welcome.


    The second army with spirits stronger than a thousand walls, marched proudly to the camp. With their iron boots shaking the ground below their feet. They stomp the earth with their disciplined march and their Sharp killing eyes, Thirsty for blood and War.


    The reserve army looked up to them, as their salvation. A force by which they will crush their enemy and librate their lands or at least will give them a chance


    The situation was levelled again, with 20,000 men total, formed by combined arms of calvaries, archers and footsoldiers.


    Another battle awaits...


    .....


    While Louis was having lunch with the promised future bride Aurora. Exchanging smiles and hearty meals. A strange-looking shouting man came running to the camp. "Sir, sir!"


    He screamed, having difficulty breathing from running. His clothes tell that he is no military person. He was a civilian or...a spy.


    "Commander, we have a situation at Nale!" He continued shouting.


    Joseph on the other side, was busy with his tacticians discussing the last steps of his battle approach on a map put on a table. When he saw the man, his eyes jumped with attention.


    "Hey, hey Take a breath, Walice," he said halting him


    "The enemy...the blood drinker...his army...I heard them. They will move on Tagia, tomorrow at Dawn!!"


    "Hold on, you told me yesterday that they won''t make a move until the next week. What changed?"


    "Their supplies came faster than we anticipated sir, they managed to harass the nearby farms and small villages, and I overheard some soldiers saying that logistics support would come to aid them sooner than we expected"


    Joseph took the words with absolute calmness while his men swallowed hard, Nevertheless, they trusted their superior commander to act properly, and so did Louis and Aurora as they looked up to him, seeking guidance for their next move.


    Silence struck for a while. Joseph bowed his head slightly on a table, staring with focus, his eyes shifting nervously at the map. His fingers are hitting the table in sequence. Thousands of eyes were watching him, waiting for his call.


    One order and over 30,000 souls will follow his lead.


    "That settles it, then," Joseph said with a strange smile, facing his men.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    "TONIGHT, WE LIBERATE NALE !"


    He shouted. Raising his fist.


    That shout had a profound effect on the soldiers, it brought out their courage and determination, and they couldn''t hide it anymore. Fists flew high with an incredible wave of shouts among the 30,000 men, breaching the heavens. The outcries were so powerful that Louis''s ears couldn''t handle them, and he used his hands to protect his eardrums from popping out. But that couldn''t prevent his proud smile. It turns out that the men trusted Joseph with their lives, even if they were forced to march with him to hell itself.


    ...


    The whole day was full of tension. The officers were gathering the men everywhere, putting them in their planned formation. Channelling orders down the lines.


    During that, Louis reached for Joseph at the command tent. The biggest and largest tent in the whole camp. It was like a portable castle in the wild.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Sorry, fellow hunter. No entry allowed unless requested personally" said one of the guards, stopping Louis at his tracks.


    Louis was disappointed. Each person in the camp had a role. Either a tactician, a fighter or a doctor. Only he. The turncoat. Didn''t have a certain duty to perform. He wanted to participate in the battle. Any role just to give him a chance to enter the city.


    "Let him in, boys" Joseph yelled from inside the tent.


    The guards opened a path for the happy Louis to enter.


    "Sir". He saluted.


    "Right on time, son, come on in". Joseph said. Still looking at a bunch of maps.


    "Allow me to participate, I can help Lady Aurora if you want", he said, knowing very well that his qualifications do not match the task at hand.


    A big smile was drawn on Jospeh''s face.


    "From now on, You will address her as a madam. My madam" he smiled


    Louis''s eyes jumped with fake reaction."So she accepted your offer?!"


    "Yep, turns out, we were made for each other at the end"


    "Congratulations!" He chuckled with hesitated joy, "but as far I would love to tell you ''I told you so'', we are running out of it-"


    "Yeah, I know" he paused. He looked into Louis''s eyes with strange-looking eyes.


    "You will go with ''The Backstabbers''. A group of volunteered skilled civilian fighters put in independent squads, Their role is to infiltrate and quickly camouflage themselves among the enemy back lines during the main attack and free the hostages, before the core units arrive.


    Once that is done, those independent squads should retreat immediately before the army reaches thier position at the town. Any question?"


    "No, sir. Just appoint me to my squad, and I am ready" he said pretending a confident vibe.


    "I admire your enthusiasm, young prince. But my decision is final, you won''t go with any squad"


    Louis stared confused. Silently requesting more briefing.


    "Listen very carefully, kid," said Joseph with a leading breath, "You will be assigned as one man squad, in other words, you are on your own. Once the horns of battle cry loud. You and others will infiltrate the houses for which they keep the women. Free any women you meet in your way until you find your girl.


    Once you unite with her. You must find a way to cross the border during the fog of war. The river of Baria should have some boats where the enemy used to cross. Use one of them to leave this land. Mind you again. You are on your own, understood?"


    "SOo I am not welcome in the camp anymore?" said Louis with dropped eyes.


    "We don''t know if there will be ''a camp'' after tonight''s clash, as far as this goes we could all perish on the battlefield tonight. It might be a one-way trip, son"


    Louis took the harsh truthful words with a gulp and simply nodded.


    "You scared, ha, kid?"


    "Of course, I am! I wasn''t a born soldier, Commander. I am a prince! I am used to hearty dinners. Beautiful women. And hypocritical friends. It is not easy to cast all those away. And just rush and kill people as if they were a harmful swarm of locusts.


    I didn''t go to war before. I don''t know how this should go, the last time I killed a human soul. I had a traumatic dream for years. " said Louis with a heavy breath. "I want to save my girl but not by killing my own people"


    Joseph looked at him, with a calm face, at the lost-minded prince.


    "Hey," said Joseph, taking a knee. "You taught me how to be a lover and how to fight for and pursue the woman that beholds the key of my heart, let me tell you something or two about being a soldier"


    Louis heeded.


    "A soldier means a person who can fight. Not Necessary to spill blood. Some Fight for their reputation. Folks Fight for their honour and some for physical winnings like land and wealth. However, not all fight with swords and steel. There are those who fight with words and intelligence.


    You are a prince that once belonged to the confronting land. You know how they think and that''s how you will fight. Harness that to your advantage.


    From the way I look at things here, the fact that you fought all those hardships and are still willing to fight more for your girl. Makes you a better soldier than those men outside


    You don''t need to kill. Find an opportunity, and use your mind. Only kill when you need to kill. This is war, nothing is prohibited"


    Louis smiled. Happy with the encouraging, guiding and kind words.


    "Ready for war, Hunter?" he stood up, his helmet by his left hand and his iron gauntlet fist extended for a fist pump. Louis raised his hand to go for the pump when someone shoved the tent doors with force.


    Aurora.


    "Tell me you are not stupid enough to go to this wicked town while you are still injured!" she protested.


    "I have no choice, I will have to endure. my love" he said defending.


    "wha- this is ridiculous! Louis, beat some sense to this man!" she pointed her finger towards Joseph.


    Louis raised his eyebrows. Thinking about he got himself into.


    Oh hell no, I am not going further into this relationship mender profession. My hands are full as it is. Solve your own goddamn problems, Lady.


    Joseph took some steps towards his woman, placing his hands on her arms, and narrowing his eyes. "If I know you very well, honey. I would say it''s not an injury that paranoy you, it''s the war itself. You think that I won''t come back, don''t you?" he said with a foxy smile.


    "I...y-you can''t blame me for it, Joseph!" she tried to avoid his eyes.


    Smiling, he held her small chin with one hand slowly shifting her head towards him to meet his brown eyes again.


    "I am not, all I ask is to trust me. This is not my first battle and I promise you it won''t be the last. Just have faith in me and my men as you always did in the past"


    She looked at him with watery eyes. Before receiving a tight comforting hug.


    "I will stick you to these words!" She hugged him back. Tears flowed from her eyes.


    He chuckled and smiled back. At least he has a purpose to come back now.


    Feeling heavy weighting with his presence, Louis took some steps backwards to slip away.


    "...and Louis" Joseph''s voice trailed.


    "After this shitshow of war end. You are most welcomed to visit"


    Louis smiled proudly and shoved the tent door away. Thanking the circumstances that led him to become acquainted with those past two.

 Chapter 37: A Prince inside a furnance

    "Looks like it''s you and me again, buddy," said Louis, staring at his small dagger.


    The dagger that once helped him deal with the past, now ~ once again ~ is helping him regain what''s lost.


    He was on a high cliff. Resting on one knee. Alone again. That cliff served as a watchtower. He could see the lights of the town of Nale from afar.


    He was afraid and breathing heavily. Nothing prepared him for what was coming next. Except the few encouraging words of Joseph, and that plant...


    "When in injury, chew it then spit the juice on the spot" Louis recalled what Aurora said. When she handed him a white flowering plant called ''Yarrow''.


    His eyes met the sky.


    A full white moon welcomed him with its bright shining light.  And a memory...


    On a night like this, he introduced himself to Diana. At the palace. When he knocked on her room''s door. That face that greeted could never be released from his memory. He couldn''t control the smile that sneaked on his nervous face everytime he sees her in his mind, he missed her.


    A horn voice cried on the horizon through the woods


    Then another horn followed it...


    Then another one afterward...


    This wasn''t a musical parade. It was better...


    It was an orchestra. A melody of an upcoming battle, where soon enough the notes will be mixed with the blood of mighty men fighting to the very end of their breathing, with hearts marching together like organized war drums slowly building the momentum.


    It was also the signal for all the backstabbers everywhere to begin their operation. For Louis, It was time to act.


    The battle for Nale was on doors.


    ***************************


    Louis jumped anxiously, descending back to the forest. The darkness greeted him down the hill, smoke already was choking his lungs. Tall trees passed to his sides tall enough to shield the disturbed sky above. His running to his destination should have led him to a crippling path to the east right behind Nale to blend in with the backstabbers.


    Sweating waterfalls. He didn''t cease moving. Nothing would stop him, not even his unprepared body.


    But He did stop to a worrying sight.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    A huge yellow colour stained the sky far ahead. The town structure itself was anonymous from the flames and smoke everywhere. If that''s the sight from above how does it feel to be inside this furnace?


    His eyes widened as soon as he saw the source of that corruption. He looked up and saw a large volley of yellowish dots piercing the sky, above his head. Flying towards the town. Those were hundreds of fire arrows seeking their target.


    He narrowed his eyes, that''s where his girl is right now. He needs to get her out. Taking a deep breath. He began sprinting again towards the town.


    ....


    He kept running. He didn''t know for how long he was or would be running. But the more he runs, the more the forest got less thicker....and chaotic unholy sounds got louder. He was closing on the town.


    "An opening, at last !" he gasped to himself, seeing an exit from the forest. He ran with courage as the noise became clearer and clearer, till he finally broke free from the forest. And a glowing light pushed into his eyes.


    He found himself too close to a huge number of men smashing and slashing at each other. His allies had a blue banner of an eagle blue flag while the enemy and his homeland army had the banner of the mighty red wolf.


    He saw swords bashing toward each other while the torched houses were lighting the skies with their glowing flames and sparks. The smell of burned furniture and blood filled the air, giving a sense of gawking.


    As the truth slowly began to crystallize...


    Louis just reached the frontline. But he never knew that, he was too consumed by the shock of the bloody battle he indirectly put himself in. He didn''t know where to head, and fate didn''t give him the time to think about it either...


    Heyaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!


    A raging soldier suddenly charged him with a full sharp spear. Louis''s eyes scaled to their utmost limits, yet his body refused to move and his legs were fastened to the ground. His mind needed more of the expired time to act.


    But with no use.


    Out of nowhere, more soldiers came from the woods. Friendlies. and in large numbers.


    One of ''em. Jumped and stabbed his sword between the raging soldier''s ribs. Halting his charge and putting him down in his spot.


    "You alright, mate," he said with worried eyes.


    "Y..y..yes, I am ok," said Louis, still trembling a bit.


    "Then, Welcome to the war, boy" The friendly soldier smirked sarcastically and moved away with his squad.


    Refreshed from that scare he had. He scanned his surroundings. There was no other way except forward or risking flanking through alleyways, and hoping for the best. Either way, he had to reach the town hall. The place whereas true to the intel that was given, they kept most of the hostages there as It was said to be the main stronghold of the enemy.


    "If this is the war, then I don''t like it" he chuckled and moved on.


    He flanked through the first alley on his left.


    No enemy was sighted.


    "As expected it''s dead quiet here," he thought with relief. "The battle is only occurring in the main streets, but moving through those is inevitable" he cursed.


    The sound of metal clanking outside the alley sent shivers through Louis''s spine. The sky was no longer recognizable from the smoke. The battlefield turned out to be a smaller version of hell on Earth.


    "Come on, Loius. Stop bitching. Damn it!"


    And so, he rushed to exit the alley. But knowing what awaited him outside, he took a hiding behind a wall edge to scan an opening. While he was there, an obnoxious smell attacked his nose.


    "Arghh...What the hell is that smell coming from". His nose protested. But after self-aware of his surroundings, he noticed a dumpster where there was an army of flies fighting viciously for a spot on that box made of wood.


    His eyes followed his nose and...the sight he saw...His eyes widened in magnified horror, his face sharpened as he gazed slowly toward that dumpster. The origin of the smell was coming from there.


    The more he pays attention, the more the dumpster reveals what''s inside.


    He backed slowly to the wall behind him, His stares widened, and his lips were shaking. His legs of his were no longer able to carry his body. Blood escaped his face. His stomach couldn''t handle the sight, and he puked all of his belly''s content


    The dumpster was filled with the motionless bodies of headless men


    He heard about the brutality and how enraged some people would get in times of war, but to see it with his own eyes is just another form of torment


    The prince began to boil from inside, No one deserved this fate, not even the enemy. If they did this to the strong men of the town, then the weakling girls...


    "Hang on, my love. I am coming!"


    He pressed over his dizziness and natural weakness and dashed outside the alley to another main street. Flanking left and right between the brutal clashing soldiers.


    There were lots of bodies, but it was anonymous who was winning. Despite that, Louis notices that the deeper he goes, the more powerful and fiercely the soldiers fight.


    "They must be protecting something, I am getting close to it"


    However, The maze of the streets began to take its toll on the prince. At some points, he misinterpreted some streets for another, and the battle outside wasn''t getting any colder.


    "Shit, this will take forever" he cursed, out of breath and out of options. He looked amidst the battling men for another alley to retreat to.


    After a lot of running, he found a small and narrow alley to rest. There he noticed an important thing. The fighters outside had their backs towards Louis at all times. Not a single one fought him (except that man earlier). They were busy with their opponent''s foes.


    "What if I backstabbed them, I am a one-man squad after all, unarmoured and respectively short to be hostile, no one would mistake me for a soldier during this chaos", he muttered to himself. The idea was risky. But it was his better chance.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    He no longer can proceed onward without shading blood. He can''t move on unless he is willing to fight.


    While his dagger was eager to taste blood once more. He peeked around the corner. Trying to notice weak points through the engagements but everything was too random. He couldn''t focus through all this blood, shouts, and death. But he managed to spot one unaware soldier and charged him.


    Despite his fear, he stabbed the soldier perfectly through his back thigh, owing the fair time for the friendly to behead his enemy.


    Louis was shaking, seeing the head of the man rolling away from his dead body and a fountain of blood splashing from where were supposed to be.


    Something inside him was flabbergasted. He looked at the blood that stained his hand with shaking eyes. The touching of the blood awakened the twisted past of that horrendous day. The memory that he wanted to escape for most of his life and always was roaming at the back of his mind, waiting patiently for the right spark to ignite.


    The prince was blinded by his surroundings. All the emotions rushed him like a horde of one. As If the battle itself wasn''t enough intense. Another enemy emerged within him.


    Himself.


    "WATCH OUT !!". The unknown shout pulled him out of his shock...


    He turned around to see a sword coming to stab him. This time however he dodged it by a finger length as the blade nearly took his eyes away.


    He didn''t have time to think before another blow was coming towards him.


    The hostile soldier was ruthless and fast but he didn''t have an eye on his back and a friendly blow punched through his back, killing the man on the spot.


    The friendly soldier looked at the corpse with a disgusted face and then spit on it.


    On a closer look, the friendly was a captain. A leader of a squad of 100 men. He knew him from the days he spent at the camp.


    He turned to Louis with a furious face. "What the fuck are you doing here, hunter!?" He paused waiting for an answer.


    But no answer was heard from the prince. He was still recovering from the


    trauma, internally struggling not to cry and risk being embarrassed in the middle of such a brave battle.


    "If you want to die, then you are free to do so AFTER freeing those poor souls from that hellhole! But If you don''t want to get yourself killed then you need to deal with your conscience first!"


    Louis stared at the sharp-headed man with a nod, feeling disgraced about his weakness but feeling handless to make a change.


    The Allied soldier frowned. Trying to calm down.


    "Since you can''t spill blood alright, then start running. Head towards the roofs of the houses. (He gestured) Find a vantage point. Then Find your way out from there, we will find a way to breach their defences on our own"


    "The roofs! How did I miss that ?!" He was surprised how he missed such vital detail. Every house in this land had a way or another to its roof


    "Yes, Sir!" Louis gasped delightfully. Washing himself from his fall and began moving.


    He infiltrated the first house on the left. Its front door was broken and was abandoned.  It wasn''t that tall but it had to do. He found stone stairs leading to the top. He ran to the roof and found a speechless sight.


    It was terrifying how many people were fighting hand to hand on the streets, everything was on fire. Blazes full of heat were flying upward. The sky turned to the whiskey colour from the flames.


    Of all this chaos, one far figure caught Louis''s attention. He narrowed his eyes. His main objective lies ahead on the far distance of the horizon. It was the target that all this madness was for it. The command center of the enemy...


    <figure>


    </figure>


    The Townhall


    The stronghold of the city. If this building fell, the town would be liberated and this bloodshed would stop. Joseph believed that it held all the women hostages. One of these poor souls had to be Diana.


    The building was about a mile away in the heart of the city. Louis frowned out of fatigue and stress. He stooped over his knees, eyes fixed on his prize that was so far to reach. He looked down and saw the same hellish path on the street that separated him and the building.


    Then something sparked in his head. "Wait, the roofs! That''s it !"


    His eyes noticed a different path. The roofs of the houses were adjacent to each other, providing the safest and fastest passage away from the anarchy below.


    He carefully jumped his first hop, so as not to fall dead below. He reached it the other side, and so on from one building to another, with amazing speed. He ran freely, not bound by any fear of violence. The Only obstacle that met him, was the unbearable fire that caught part of some houses. But that didn''t slow him, he managed, cunningly to fly over the danger and towards his goal.


    He kept jumping onwards, trying to withstand the winds full of dirt and sparks that spiked his face. Not to mention the Death''s smell everywhere.


    He dared to imagine himself to be the hero of this battle. Even if it is for a time.


    After about half an hour of diving throughout Nale. He jumped on a certain roof. He raised his eye to check his progress and to his surprise, he was literally a street away from the building. Close enough to see the guards everywhere around. Idle and are not fighting anyone but on high alert.


    Seeing It up close, he saw how huge the structure was, its dome was made of stone. The flags of Louis''s nation fluttered proudly on its roof, stating clearly who this town belonged to. Given the tall of it. Louis guessed there were at least two floors inside it, not counting the guards inside, of course.


    Looking below, he saw two dozen calvary in front of the main front door and numerous archers on the roof of the structure. All were waiting to strike any intruder down. Louis was watching keenly, and carefully behind his cover.


    A certain knight, however. was running back with his horse towards the building. Right at the same time when the front door of the building opened and a man stepped out. Louis noticed from that man''s military clothes that this person very much controlled more power than all of the other soldiers


    The Knight bowed to his superior.


    "Sir, we had news that the hostile enemy just breached our secondary defences, we are losing men everywhere!"


    The opposing man showed no sign of reaction, except a cold face.


    "Get down"


    "Excu..."


    "GET DOWN OFF YOUR FUCK''IN HOURSE !!" The man exploded, pulling the attention of every guard and archer around.


    The knight obeyed, with a trembled nod.


    The man approached the knight, talking normally as if nothing happened half a minute ago.


    "Now, Tell me. who''s fault was that?"


    "O-our false intelligence, sir. But be assured we-". The other man raised his hands up to interrupt him, Halting his assurance.


    "And who''s responsible for gathering that intel?"


    The knight paused. The fear was all over his face. A small picture in his mind materialized of how the next moment will unfold.


    "M...M...Me. s-sir" he said shaking.


    "Aaaaah, Right," he said with a wide gasp. While a strange smile crept across his face.


    Suddenly the archers on the roof took the position, aiming with their longbows at the dismounted knight as the high-ranked man raised his hand in a gesture to stand by.


    The knight fell to his knees, grabbing the man''s feet. Begging to be spared, throwing his dignity as a price to be saved. "Please sir, I have a family!"


    "Really?! you have a family?! Is that all you can offer me? I killed most of the men of this town. They all had families. Why is your family any different?!"


    No answer was provided. Only eyes filled with horror and shameful regret.


    "That''s what I expected", and with that line, the threatening man banged his fingers.


    Louis witnessed as the poor knight was showered by at least 50 arrows, penetrating his flesh and armour. Killing him brutally by his own allies in a hostile land.


    Louis''s surprise was underrating the fear that struck him deeply by the scene of the murder, concluding that this man who just practised a war crime just now...


    ....was the blood drinker himself.


    The mastermind criminal turned around, with his cold expression. Not giving any importance to the man''s corpse at his feet. Because for him, he was like any other Enemy he faced and crushed.


    "Dispose of The Body, along with those Pussy girls inside. I don''t want to leave anything for them" He shouted, commanding the archers to go commit a Mass Murder inside.


    He was going to kill The hostages.


    Louis''s heart jumped. He couldn''t get inside without getting exposed. The town hall was more like a fortress. It needs at least 100 men to storm it if they are skilled enough to avoid the rain of bolts that will shower them before they even start using their blades.


    Suddenly, and while Louis was thinking. A loud horn voice cried out loud.


    This time, however. the sound was too clear and very close. It was coming from a corner nearby, inside the town. Judging by the reaction of the men in front of him. It wasn''t expected to be friendly to them.


    *BAM*


    An arrow flew piercing the air, reaching his target. The first target fell from his horse. Unaware of his coming death. Striking terror among the surrounding knights as they all saw their fellow horseman dead next to his horsefeet.


    Then...


    Everything broke out quickly...


    A horde of arrows followed. Killing knights left and right. Steering confusion and terror through their ranks.


    The archers above the town hall. Took their position aiming at...they didn''t know... they didn''t know where to aim. They didn''t know who they were facing. The arrows were coming out of nowhere. That''s when the first archer fell with an arrow struck in his eye and the rest began to follow him onward to their death.


    The blood drinker panicked, it was too dark and nothing was clear. His men were falling like corn plants. Some arrows were even targeting him. But they ended up inches from his feet, and the lucky commander retreated inside the building. Locking the door behind him.


    Louis was afraid to come out, not to get caught in the crossfire. However, it was his golden chance to get inside. Witnessing half the vanguard of horsemen dead and archer''s attention busy away. He descended down from his hidden spot.


    He sprinted straight across the square to the building. Totally exposed and unprotected anymore, He pressed on his stressed legs, Not looking left or right, only to the front door.


    "One of them is going to the door, stop him!" A sharp-eyed archer shouted, spotting Louis, almost immediately.


    Although he knew the risk, he didn''t stop. Some archers began to load to shoot arrows but they themselves -as well as their brothers in arms- fell under the power of their sneaky enemy arrows.


    Louis''s heart raced to pump blood to his short legs. While trying to bypass the corpses of the men falling around him.


    He pushed himself forward to find himself up to two knights rushing at him. Louis stopped with fright and wide eyes. Hasting to pull out his dagger. But the second his sight left his enemies to look for his dagger. The two knights were shot and their lifeless bodies refracted from the ground as their corpses fell from their unmanned horses.


    That was the last of them.


    The sound of shouting men stopped. Looking around, Louis noticed that no man was still standing. Only some stray free horses without humans above.


    The carnage ended.


    He swallowed hard after scanning around, he didn''t see anyone around but himself. But he was sure whoever assaulted those knights and archers, was still around and they were watching him.


    Terrified, he ran to the door but was stopped by a woman''s voice coming from the right side.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t get inside alone" a mysterious woman''s voice trailed off out of the shadows.


    Louis stopped. Obeying the female voice from touching the door. He slowly turned around facing his speaker, giving himself some time to take a closer look at the woman.


    To his surprise, Louis''s eyes brightly widened While a victorious smile was carved on his face.


    The Backstabbers!


    They came out of the shadows with fearsome eyes and a vast number from their hideout.  They were the ones who launched their successful attack, killing the whole units guarding the command centre, leaving only death in their awakened fury.


    "I thought you guys would never come," said Louis. Trying to shake out his past unnecessary fear.


    "Ha! So you thought wrong, hunter lad!" the woman bragged with a happy smirk "Commander, told us about your girl and your visual description. You sure are one lucky bastard that you didn''t get shot with your solo reckless mission! Next time come join the professionals!"


    She was right, their accuracy in shooting and ambushing was unbelievably good. While their guerilla tactics were perfectly applied by the book. It was hard to believe that those men and women were not entitled to the army and they were only a group of mercenary special forces.


    She along with her fellow gang approached the boy, still on high alert for any retaliating enemy.


    "He is probably Behind those doors, seeking shelter behind his few bodyguards. You won''t stand a chance if you face them alone. So you better get to the hostage till we finish" she said confidently, knowing what awaited them inside.


    "Ok, then. On your mark" Louis said spontaneously, shaking with readiness with his loyal dagger on his side, taking his stance to charge with ''em.


    "Hole up, boy. You won''t go through this door. Your entrance is up there" she gestured with her head upwards.


    Following her gaze. He knew what she meant.


    "Oh,"


    She was referring to a balcony about 7 meters up high...


    The question popped to Louis, but he didn''t need to ask it. Two men in the group grouped together and linked their hands while bowing slightly. They would give him a lift-up.


    "Ready when you are," one of them said.


    Louis nodded with hesitation. Slightly Questioning their technique. Everything was set, It was high time for the prince to bust his princess out of this execrable fortress

 Chapter 38: Shock and awe

    "Hey, hey. Do you hear that? something is happening outside!" A girl whispered.


    "Yes, I hear it too. Could it be our so-called salvation army?" Another female responded with high hopes.


    "Everything is possible in this despicable town, might as well another kingdom would want another piece of our land!"


    "Wowow, you two shut it, I hear footsteps on the balcony!" A third female whispered roughly. All pair of eyes stared carefully at the doors of the balcony, stepping backwards in fear, gathering around themselves, and taking shelter behind each other. While they witnessed a shadow of a person crawling under the door.


    The balcony door was opened slowly with a squeaking voice. A short-young man stepped in, carrying a long rope, and equipped with a sword and two daggers.


    "Glad I am not late," he said, with a sense of internal relief.


    The girls stood up with mindfulness, trembling. They looked afraid, with tired eyes and dirty clothes.


    "a..and w-who you might b-be?" Said a very little girl, about 10 years old.


    "Your transportation out of here, The king already sent reinforcement and General Joseph is librating your town as we speak" he comforted them


    At the end of his speech, a loud bang echoed downstairs.


    The Backstabbers broke through the main door, unleashing their fury on the garrison, killing the last of the retreating enemy maggots across the halls of the building. The shouts of the battle downstairs reached the defenceless hostage''s ears, filling them with uneasiness.


    "So what are we waiting for? Let''s get going!" a 19-year-old girl took the lead.


    Louis directed the girls as they took a queue and descended towards the ground by the rope fastened to the balcony, one by one they safely reached the ground where two men were awaiting them to drive them to safety.


    There were at least 10 girls there, a small number to what he expected to find and to add it up Diana wasn''t among those poor souls.


    "Is this all of you?" Louis asked the 19-year-old girl.


    "Of course, not! We were hundreds before they split us out! I heard they had distributed us across the captains as Spoils. But the larger quality portion was sent here as a property to their bloody general. That said, there was this special girl"


    Louis''s eyes narrowed as the hostage continued carefully: "We heard him speaking to one of his captains about how capturing her was a great win for them and bragged about how their king would be happy to put his hands on this girl to him, not that I care of cou-"


    "WHERE IS SHE!!! WHERE IS THAT SPECIAL GIRL !" he grabbed her arms tightly, shaking her with wide eyes.


    The girl exchanged a vague expression with Louis. "Hold on, Why you ca-...oh God" (she finally realized it) "He probably took her to his room downstairs but wait-"


    The girl extended her arm to warn her mysterious reckless saviour from something. But he ignored her and swiftly ran out of the room.


    Out of the room, there was another battlefield. The Backstabbers were fighting the bodyguards. There were men and women battling sword to sword, and corpses everywhere.


    He was amazed at the quickwork of the Backstabbers yet he didn''t want to interfere with the battle in any way.


    Find Diana now. That was his goal. So He found his way around the fighting soldiers to the ground floor below, opening every room he could find.


    In the process, he freed a countless number of hostages, yet Diana was still missing.


    With every girl busted out, the morality of the enemy was dwelling. They were losing control over the situation while they fell under the Backstabber''s tremendous force.


    Louis kept searching, continuously feeding himself the hope he would see his girl out of this mess


    He reached the last room, an ordinary one, isolated from most of the building. he tried to thrash the door as usual. However, this door did not respond to his charge.


    It was locked.


    Definitely, That was the room.


    He tried once more to charge the door, but no use. He kicked it madly, but it refused to budge.


    "That does it then !" He had enough. He pulled the sword from his back and raised it up high.


    With a power he didn''t know he owned. He smashed the wood with his landed sword, wiping the wood off the door.


    A blow...


    And another...


    The door began to surrender under this crazy crusade, and with one additional kick, a big hole the size of a sheep was made and Louis entered the room.


    He found it empty, with a big open window and a rope strangled around a wooden desk and trailed outside the window.


    The boy ran to the window to see through it. Only to see that the Wiesel blood drinker was making his escape through the fastened rope. He already reached the ground, heading for a cloth-covered carriage, driven by a pair of grey muscular horses.


    Louis noticed a very slight movement of something, like a worm in the shadows under the cloth.


    The blood drinker was escaping with Diana!


    Realizing that the prince panicked as soon as he saw the horses cry loud at the hit of its Rider''s whips, for the carriage to hit the road away through the roads of Nale.


    Louis''s breath rose up, as he ran back turning towards the front of the building to get one of these stray horses that once belonged to the dead knights.


    Although his legs began to weaken he didn''t allow himself to loiter behind that man that was running away. Not with all those crimes and certainly not with Diana.


    As The last bodyguard fell. The town hall finally fell. The backstabber rejoiced with high shouts and shimmering swords with their victory, a mighty blow to their invaders.


    Louis, on the other hand, passed through them and got outside. He jumped on the back of the first horse he met and throttle onward to the pursuit.


    (Meanwhile, as our prince was pursuing the blood drinker, Another pursuit was taking place not far to the west of the town)


    Like a broom, he cleaned the town street by street, and house by house.  It may seem straightforward madness how Joseph''s men were largely outnumbered, but the fast and absolute tactics of their commander in encircling the town, in addition to the network of spies he planted, was only about demonstrating a genuine military mentality.


    With his spearhead calvary, expertly led by his own hand, and his loyal sword firmly grasped, he launched a fierce breach. Those who dared to challenge him were swiftly struck down by his sword, while those who attempted to flee met the thunderous hooves of his powerful cavalry.


    On another scale, the citizens of Nale were inspired by that courageous initiative, and they had enough of their enemy atrocities, and waged a massive rebellion. Every capable person who could hold a weapon contested between each other to achieve more kills, trying to help their patriotic army to liberate their contested home.


    The whole town turned out to be a living hell of fire and bloodshed to Wain''s nation, sowing what they planted...


    ...and they sow Doom.


    Joseph''s charge appeared to be non-stoppable. The enemy who dared to halt such momentum would be wiped out as a dead corpse under their revengeful blades.


    However, In order to fully encircle the town, He headed towards the shallow river of Baria, the geographical border cutting between the two kingdoms. He wanted to cut down the only retreat way to the borders and out of the country.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Trapping the blood drinker and what''s left of his army in that pocket.


    That river is where the blood drinker was heading...


    (Returning to Louis)


    The hyped prince kicked the horse hard, starting a hot pursuit after the blood drinker. From his position, he could clearly see a captive writhing in sack of cloth, inside the top speeding carriage.


    Racing time across the wind. He pressed on even more, making the horse scream while he kicked his belly even more granting him speed over his enemy, closing the gap between them.


    Getting close, he decided to make a leap, he was determined to make a dangerous jump on the carriage, to try to slit the general throat.


    Then, he caught something with the tips of his eye to his left.


    Like thunder in their charge, their armoured horses came out of the streets in their organized triangle-piercing division, They were shaking the ground under their massive numbers, breathing heavy air, charging on the heart of a single prideful man. Armed with their swords and fearsome sparkling eyes. Joseph''s Elite cavalry has arrived at the scene!


    Joseph and Louis spotted each other in the same instance, leading Joseph''s face to jump with surprise. So did the terrified blood drinker, struck by the fact of his desperate situation, he began to panic.


    He hit his horses even more, looking forward to crossing the river, trying to avoid the encirclement.


    "Their general is fleeing, that man is the blood drinker!!" Louis echoed with warnings and Joseph heard it...


    Joseph nodded and directed himself and his best men right towards the blood drinker''s carriage, cutting his way.


    The horses screamed as their bridle was pulled back, halting them and altering his course to the east. The blood drinker''s fear escalated quickly. Seeing the river path closing. He tried to retreat to a stray road away from the town.


    But he didn''t look out for Louis''s charge behind him.


    The prince hopped to his foot, bending on his knees, and taking a stance on his horse''s back, while his horse ran in a clashing course towards the hostile commander''s right side.


    With complete disregard for reason and logic, the prince firmly grasped both daggers and fearlessly launched himself from his horse''s saddle, soaring over the blood drinker.


    Accompanied by a pair of Murderous eyes, he barged the man of his fleeing slave carriage seat. Knocking him off to the ground.


    The moving carriage horses and Louis''s horse found themselves helpless and leaderless, in a collision course with each other.


    The lacking animals were slammed into each other, causing the carriage to dangerously tilt to the opposite side, on its left wooden wheels, throwing the captive inside on one side of the carriage.


    The horses in their last effort to regain their balance fell while the carriage flipped and crashed to the ground, cutting a swath before finally halting.


    The captive inside took a massive beating from all this chaos and was awed by pain, yet she couldn''t do anything except crooking inside the sack made of cloth, desperately trying to find a way out.


    During the impact, Louis stabbed the man''s right arm with one of the two daggers, and it was left hanging in the flesh.


    They both fell to the ground and rolled above each other.


    The rolling ended with Louis on his back under the bloodied man''s full force.


    Angry with his enemy, the despicable leader pulled the dagger from his arm with a click of his tongue, raising it up high as a weapon on his former user.


    The prince began to struggle, and the commander weighed the hand holding the dagger. He was surprised at how his valiant plan turned up on him. His hands which were trying to stop the dagger from sinking to his chest, shook viciously under the tireless power behind the dagger.


    On the opposite of his energetic enemy. Louis''s fatigue had reached its final limit. His body was by far weaker from all that running and nerve-wracking battle.


    His arm bones were burning, and while his rips were about to crack from the heavy weight of the man''s iron armour, his vision was blurring.


    The foul breath of the blood drinker was engulfing what was left of the clean air around Louis, making him wrestle even more to breathe.


    The other dagger flew away during the attack. The sword was attached to the sheath of his back.


    It was crystallised how this would end.


    Yet, it didn''t...


    A running hoove sound got closer and closer.


    Drawn by its Attention, the blood drinker lost his focus on the helpless Louis, to receive a sight of a big horse standing on his two back feet. The hooves slapped the man in his helmet. Shaking his brain core inside his skull and causing blood to pop up from his left eye.


    The man screamed from the unimaginable pain and lost his grasp around Louis.


    Barely rescued from death, Louis coughed. His lungs were free to gain fresh air again, while his dagger lay still beside him.


    "How about you face one like your size?!" Joseph shouted at his injured foe.


    "Like you?!" the blood drinker said with a smirk, barely supporting himself after losing his eye.


    "You wish, I will gladly give my sword a taste of your blood!" he mocked his opponent. Drawing his mighty shining sword from his hide.


    His red cape of him flew proudly in front of Louis as the prince eyed the two opponents.


    But he wasn''t here to watch the showdown, and he ran towards the fallen carriage. Panicking about her health, Louis hasted towards the Bag that held her captive, thinking the captive was his dearest Diana.


    (Joseph''s POV)


    His men whispered to each other. "He was eager to face him for a long time, since their first clash on the border. He swore to avenge his fallen men by himself...


    ...It became personal now" his men whispered.


    The friendly men moved on their horses, at the sidelines.


    Over 100 knights were watching, circling around the two generals, creating a huge non-escapable arena.


    The fallen blood drinker realized lately that he was surrounded by a circle of furious heavy horsemen who would soon witness his demise.


    Joseph''s horse marched proudly, stepping inside the arena while the clip-clopping sound of his horse strained his injured and surrounded enemy.


    "H-hey, how about you give me a weapon before we battle, It won''t be a good touch to kill an unarmed enemy, don''t you agree?!" He said with a cunning theme, yet clearly filled with fear.


    "Who said anything about a battle?" He chuckled. "I was just attracting attention, So when you fall and everyone sees your beheaded head swinging from my hand, your men won''t think twice about laying down their arms!"


    Ending his talk, Joseph got down from his horse, he approached the blood drinker with a dogmatic-shaped mouth, and tensioned sheared teeth.


    The blood drinker began to retreat slowly, while his head was continuing to exert sweat. Yet, somehow he was managing to keep his sardonic smile.


    "Oh, come on. I am a precious asset. It would be more practical if you kept me alive" he laughed, hiding his cowardness behind his ugly theatrical smile.


    He lost his balance, and fell on his back, still retreating on his hands till he reached the edge of the arena.


    Joseph walked towards him, till he was a foot away, directing his sword to the man''s throat.


    "REALLY! So You are bargaining with me now!? How about you beg for your life, dogswine, I would like you to test a niche of the feelings that you caused to the citizens of this town!"


    Louis''s ears stopped him in his tracks. What on earth is this rubbish he just heard !!


    He looked at Joseph, shocked. How can this man who is mocking his enemy and encouraging him to abandon his dignity in exchange for his life, be the same man who was once honourable and romantic back at the camp, what happened to him...


    Despite his wandering, his father had already provided him with the answer to those questions years ago, an answer of one word...


    ...WAR.


    If the money is the mother of all evil. Then a war is her wicked husband. It changes people, twisting the human soul, crushing every principle and law, raising nations above others through it, and cherishing the evil inside them. Putting it simply, No one enters the war and stays the same afterwards...


    Suddenly, the blood drinker smiled under his nose. As an insane laughter came out of his pitful figure.


    If it isn''t for his military costume. One could mistake him for deranged ciminal, Despite how his hysterical laugh and his past cruel action confirm.


    The uneasy glances exchanged between Joseph''s companions were that of a concern and mockery. It appeared that the man had either lost his mind or was intentionally trying to come across as crazy.


    "Me...I...would beg to you?! IN YOUR BLOODY DREAMS!"


    With that said, suddenly the blood drinker got up a dagger from his sleeve, trying to take Joseph by a surprise attack.


    No one saw it coming, except Joseph.


    With a great reflex, Joseph parried the dagger jab. Which led the blood drinker to hit the air, stumbling and then falling with great embarrassment.


    "JUST STAY STILL, SMUG FACE!", irritated by his failed attempt and numerous eyes viewing it. He swung with his dagger bluntly. A swing that was too easy to evade...


    At some point, Joseph even played with his enemy, noticing how the blood drinker...the master tactician of battles...never knew how to hold a dagger properly.


    ...until at a point, Joseph took the most decisive action in this battle. This was a move by which he shows us how can a man''s heart solidify, dried from any sense of ethics, harnessing his dark intentions reincarnated in a path of vengeance and Vedanta.


    His sword swiped throught the air fast...


    For the last time of that day...


    Fulfilling his words...


    The hardy swords slashed to the flesh of his foe, cutting through...


    ...and just like that.


    The blood drinker lost his right arm.


    The man screamed and fell to his knees, bending on himself like a crying baby. Not comprehending that his amputated limb lay meters away from his body. He held what was left of his bleeding shoulder with a broken soul and mind. A scenario that Joseph fought so hard to see.


    Yet...


    ...that wasn''t enough for his enemy... Joseph wanted his head.


    He advanced again, one last time, Raising his blood-soaked sword over his head and over the completely surrendered and crying general, to implement his final black judgment.


    "I...I...I...surrender, pl...please s..s.sp...spare M...me" he begged throughout his completed humiliation.


    But the begging fell on deaf ears.


    "Time to meet your creator"


    And the sword fell...


    <u>Storyline 1</u>: The sword fell decisively, cleaving the blood drinker''s head of its normal place. His lifeless head began to roll, while his body fell for the last time in his military career and his life.


    Cruel as it may seem and despite some astonishment of his men, Joseph finally took his long-awaited revenge, cutting the head of the snake.


    He was right. Once the army saw the head raised in the sky, all men dropped their arms and surrendered. Soon after...Nale was finally free.


    <u>Storyline 2:</u>


    "STOP!" Louis shouted in alarm.


    The sword stopped falling too close to the freezing man.


    "What!" Joseph looked at Louis nervously, "I think I was clear about your leaving, wasn''t I!?"


    "And let you commit a war crime! What on earth is the matter of you, you are humiliating your enemy then you make him disabled, you are not the same man I know in that forest!"


    "So I should leave that fucker live because of some ideal principles!? This man committed a mass murder!"


    "Then be better than him! The info inside his brain is better with his head intact, and in all ways, he can be martially courted at any time. Justice has other ways rather than this inhumanity!"


    Joseph stared at Louis occasionally before looking back at the disabled man with a blank face.


    He pointed his sword edge toward the blood drinker''s bowed head.


    "Your words for your life, if you tried to outsmart me or my men, I will cut both of your legs next time, am I clear general?"


    The blood drinker nodded weakly, surrendering his fate and the town to its victor

 Chapter 39: United as One

    Louis speaks


    I ran to her...I had to convince myself to stop over enjoying over my triumph. I felt that she could be no longer in the town... and what lay in the bag was another girl...maybe it wasn''t a human...maybe I was just too desperate to save her that I began to imagine things...


    That hideous endless possibilities roamed over me like stalking crows waiting for me to snap at any second.


    I could still hear the battle still boiling at the edge of the town, but I knew it was a matter of time before it came to a decisive halt.


    I ran to the bag, and untying that knot was the most nervous thing I had to do with those trembling fingers.


    The instant I got her out. She slapped me. She clawed at me like a Tigress. She hit me multiple times, screaming illegible words and crying with agony that I had never experienced since my mother''s death.


    I deserved more than a slap. She was merciful to me. She kept shouting and throwing hands all over me, as if I were the kidnapper.


    I surrounded her maniacally hysterical reaction with my tired arms, as I slowly managed to calm her down. Till she finally realised she was no longer in danger. And after many pleas for her to stop, she ceased her assault.


    She gradually held her gaze to mine, right in the eyes. And I will never forget those drained orbs looking at me with those strange emotions...


    Betrayal


    Happiness


    Sadness


    Exhaustion


    I didn''t know what to say. She kept crying. I hugged her to contain her. Yet, I couldn''t get a hold of myself.


    The guilt of what I had done had struck again. Powerful as ever. I eyed her. She couldn''t say a word. She was too weak. Her lips were petrified. Her skin was full of dirt and she was so astonishingly cold.


    And her clothes...


    I looked at her clothes, All torn and in miserable condition. My mind feared for her body. And I had my doubts.


    Did they touch her...Was it painful...Did she suffer?! That girl at the town hall said that she was too valuable for them...for the blood drinker...Did that man...


    I pressed my tongue before speaking. "Did any of them..." I couldn''t finish it. It was even cruel for me to ask her such a barbaric question now. But my fears took hold of me.


    She nodded negatively.


    My flames of revenge succumbed. Not fully, But still. I had to control myself. For her. For the sake of her remaining pure soul, I felt some of it in her weak arms holding at my shirt. She was still clinging to me.


    WHY! I screamed at myself


    I wanted her to punish me. To slap me again. To say that she hates me. To leave me and go to someone else. One that can appreciate her more and truly adore her and most of all, never leave her side...


    "L-Louis..." I heard her weak whispers.


    "I am here..." I tried to embrace myself for whatever was coming out of her tired lips.


    "W-Wa...Water". her eyes were half closed and full of dried tears.


    "Water?" My stupid brain stopped thinking. "Water?! Right, you need water!"


    I looked around and spotted a group of soldiers marching beside me, and I excused them for a borrowed bottle. One of those good men then gave me his half-full bottle. It was better than nothing.


    "Here" I took the bottleneck and drew it near her mouth. I supported her lower lip with my finger so that every drop counted. As the liquid slowly flew through her throat, nurturing her deteriorating body.


    She drank it all in one breath.


    "Hold on, I am going to get you more".


    "NO!"


    She screamed, With a full eyes


    "DON''T LEAVE ME AGAIN...Please!"


    Her distress call fractured my heart to their core. I couldn''t hold my tears any longer and the next moment, she was between my arms as I squeezed her body to mine.


    "No one is going to take you from me! Not Wain, Not the Red Castle, and not even this fuck''n war. You are my girl and mine alone!"


    I didn''t see her face, but I presumed she forgave me. Yet, out the blue, her clutching arms lost their energy and her body became heavier than before, when I looked at her eyes, they were already shut.


    "Hon..Diana, DIANA. No NO NO NO NO NO, Stay with me! Diana! Medic!! HEEEEEELP!"


    I cried; her awareness disappeared. And I began panicking...I was losing her.


    I felt so helpless. This wasn''t my land nor my people. The threat of her uncle at Zenda supported my paranoia even more.


    She was all I had left.


    Lucky for me. My shouts reached Joseph. When I told him what happened he directed me to the nearest medic camp and lent me one of his men''s horses.


    I carried her in my arms lifted her up to the animal and kicked onwards. I felt a lot of memories harassing me at that time


    However one, in particular, stood out.


    That day when she saved me from that wolf.  Guards told me she ran on my horse with me on its back through the maze like forest till she finally escorted me to safety. She must have felt what I feel now...


    My thoughts stopped storming once my eyes saw a large red cross tent with a lot of people around coming close to my view.


    "That must be it!". I declared what was supposed to be a thriving triumph


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I disembarked off my horse and carried her around. She was still breathing, yet barely, I had to hurry.


    I entered the tent. The familiar scent of blood and witnessing all colours of medicines told me it was the right place to be.


    It was much bigger from the inside and full of patients and nurses everywhere. There were at least 30 beds over there and I needed only one vacancy. I ran checking every bed but there weren''t any empty ones. They were all taken.


    "Hang on a little longer dear, I will get you through this!" I gave her a quick kiss on her cheek While I was lying to her. There was no help anywhere. All nurses and doctors were busy with the men who were either yelling from pain or -like my Diana- at the footstep of death.


    Despite how much I pleaded. None paid me any attention...


    Except for. ONE. FAITHFUL. LADY.


    "Louis!". She yelled as she left her patient in the hand of another of her colleague and hurried towards me. When I tilted my head to the source of the voice, her blue cloak soon caught my eye.


    "Aurora! For the love of god, save her!"


    She looked at me and then over my Diana. And let me tell you, her presence alone was more than enough to ease me down at least till my girl gets up.


    "Follow me, quick," she said while leaving the tent. I followed her outside. She was leading me to another tent about a half-kilometre away to the north.


    "Tell me, did you examine her?"


    "No, but she told me no one touched her"


    "Good, I will examine her just to be double sure" she answered.


    My fears kept looming around, diminishing my morality. My legs were burning inside and my brain was barely able to function from all the events of this never-ending day. Nevertheless, I had to keep going.


    "And dear..." her voice trailed.


    "Y-Yes..."


    "Have you seen him there, is he ok?". She was asking about Joseph.


    "More than ok, I saw him deal with the blood drinker once and for all. It''s a matter of time before he calls for you to celebrate his victory with him in the liberated city"


    She stopped and smiled as she blew some air with relief "Thank goodness"


    "Aurora!"


    "Oh, right. Sorry. This way". She led me to Another huge tent that was filled with injured soldiers as well. However, this tent was filled up to a point, and I spotted several empty beds...


    "Here" she pointed for me to a bed on our left. So I lowered her body on it.


    "L o u i s" Diana whispered


    "No no! She is dying. Do something!"


    "Ok, that''s it. you need to leave. Now! I will try to do my best"


    "Aurora, Please..."


    She put her hands on my shoulder. "I won''t allow her to die".


    "A-Alright," I shakenly said as I left Diana''s body in her good hands.


    I exited the tent, limping left and right, crying like babies. I no longer felt my princeship within me. All I cared for was that she just keep breathing and won''t leave me like this...


    Shattered and alone.


    My legs collapsed beside the tent from the outside. As my already heavy head fell slightly on the external body of the tent. Taking it as a pillow.


    I looked at the carpet of stars lined perfectly at the sky above me.


    "Hit me with any punishment you may find suitable. But please don''t take her away from me..."


    Those were the last thing I remembered I said, before I closed my eyes and fell asleep on the spot...


    ~~~~~~


    My consciousness slowly returned. As my eyes blink. I looked around. It was morning. I yawned. I was so tired that I slept where I fell. And when I examined my body, I found a blanket over me.


    Speaking of sleeping, I had to check on my girl. Now that I am well-rested and able.


    I jumped out of my place and entered the tent.


    "They are all sleeping!" I gasped to myself.


    It was true that all the doctors and nurses were face down next to the sleeping patients. Poor souls were working all night trying to save as many lives as possible.


    I sneaked forward. There wasn''t a single person awake and Aurora wasn''t there either.


    My eyes roamed till I spotted the place of her bed. It was all surrounded by white sheets linked to iron stands.


    I carefully slide the sheets aside and then...I smiled...


    I saw her stable body. She was breathing normally. I drew closer to her face and examined her lips. They were in much better condition. I put my hands on her cheeks, and She was warm again.


    Whatever Aurora did, her results were fascinating. I kept looking at her, I wanted her to be awake already. I wanted to apologise.


    I held her small hands towards my face. "I...I don''t know if you are going to forgive me after you wake up. But I really am sorry for every moment of pain you endured because of me. I can''t promise you that the road ahead to be paved in gold but I promise one thing tha__"


    "Who on earth are you talking to?". Aurora crept from behind me. To be honest I already heared her footsteps coming, she was probably on its way to check on her.


    I looked behind and smiled at her and then pointed my head towards my sleeping beauty. "Her. I am trying to speak some of my heart out"


    "I see. Well, I knew what happened to her there. She woke up while you were sleeping"


    I turned around with wide eyes. "Wait, She woke up?!"


    "Yes, Who do you think put that blanket on you while you were sleeping outside?"


    I paused looking at my sleeping girl "That makes sense, T-Then how was she?"


    "No one layed hands on her. But her body was tortured by Acute starvation and unbelievable dehydration. It''s a miracle she survived"


    "Darn it, That blood-Pisser must have interrogated her to try to reach me. My Poor darling truly didn''t know where I was. She woke up in the middle of the forest and the next thing she saw, I was gone. Vanished. That was the truth. But I bet that thick head idiot didn''t believe her anyway. That bastard killed one of his men in front of my eyes, Imagine what he was doing with those girls"


    Aurora''s hands patted my back. "And there''s another thing. She didn''t stop looking for you and was worried all night about you. And to be clear, I didn''t notice one cell of hatred towards you. So if I were you, I would let go of what happened in that woods"


    I blinked. "Perhaps. Perhaps you are right". No, I was certain she was right about my exaggerated guilty feelings. Although, I would argue that this harsh feeling was the one that kept me pressing onward till I got her back.


    Suddenly, I spotted a wide smile on Aurora''s face. "Speaking of righteous. Look who''s up!"


    When I looked back, I saw those two cute childish eyes staring at me with great innocence.


    Diana was awake.


    I smiled as I hardly contained myself. My blackened heart bounced with coloured happiness once more. A lost part of my soul had returned to me. And like a shattered puzzle, she collected me together with just a gaze


    "Morning? my love" I smiled.


    She blinked and answered faint weak smile spread over her lips.


    "Ok, you two. I am going to attend to the rest of my patients, oh and Please don''t break up". She stood up, held the sheets and shoved them to the left.


    "This woman is amusing". My girl smirked.


    "Yeah, correct," I smiled, trying miserably to hide my anxiety about bringing up the subject.


    "Louis..." her eyes blinked and her face was serious. "She told me everything..."


    I was taken aback by the sentence. Trying to absorb what she was saying. "E-Everything...You mean..."


    "From the moment that frog hopped on your nose, till you got me here"


    Woah, that''s three chapters in one night


    "Diana, I...I don''t know what to say"


    "It''s ok. Not that we would have stood a chance against them. We could have been captured together. Either way, I would have been captured or maybe killed. They wanted you, not me. And for that my life was crucial"


    My eyes dropped. I knew she was trying to cool things off. But I had to admit it. Fate has saved me from a far worse incident.


    "I should have at least woken you up...". I protested.


    She brought herself to the sitting posture as her hands reached to me and touched my cheeks. "I know and I am not angry at you. Not anymore."


    "SOOOOooo, you are not going to slap me again?". I teased while I pressed her hand more to my face.


    "Oh, About that...Does it still hurt you?"


    "Not as much as your absence did, no". I smiled.


    She smiled at me with her sweet lips and lovely eyes.


    "Oh, I completely forgot!" I gasped as I turned around to fetch it from my clothes.


    "Here".


    "My dagger!" She snatched the blade and hugged it to her heart. Like a lost doll. Back then, when this nightmare began, I promised myself if I found her safely, I would deliver that blade back.


    "Thank you". She raised her eyes to me and smiled.  She reached her other hand to me. And my heart began racing. Her face got closer and closer, as her arms were locked around my neck.  While her blonde hair''s strings were scattered everywhere over me, tickling me.


    Our faces were 2 inches away. Our figures were so close to each other that we could mediate there for eternity and still won''t be enough.


    I missed those moments.


    The moment when her warm breaths began hitting my eyes. That sensation of loving her. To link our hearts together once more. To have her again between my arms. United as one.


    If that''s what I felt after leaving her for 4 days. I can only imagine her father''s reaction after almost a year and a half away from her.


    ~ End of Louis''s arc ~

 Chapter 40: Vivian

    Diana speaks


    We finally crossed the borders. And If by any chance, you are worried about my condition. I am completely fine. My body fully recovered; my mentality is still recuperating though. Lady Aurora did a great job fixing me.


    After the battle, General Joseph awarded my future husband a 100 golden coins for his effort in the war. He told me it was the normal salary for any Backstabber that took part in that battlefield. The man also walked with us an extra mile. And sent some men with us till we crossed safely to the other side, and that was the last time we saw Joseph and Aurora.


    For me, to think of my prince and how he went through whatever that battle was. Just to get to me, to set me free.


    Each time I look at his sad face. I see his head bowing to the ground. Like a defeated warrior despite his triumph. He didn''t speak about it. But I know he is still angry with himself. And that was it! I always felt safe around him no matter what, my love to him was never changed one bit from its place. I loved him even more when he came to save me, it proved to me what am I to him.


    "Hon, easy on the animal", I patted my fingers on his tensed back. We were on a horse that was moving full speed towards Endora. The fastest way towards home.


    "Oh, right" He pulled the reins, and the horse speed was lowered to jogging. We were traveling on a flat road in an open area.


    "You ok, you seem...Bothered."


    "About your father...". He tilted his head towards me.


    "My dad?". I looked at him with a queried face.


    "Yep. Your absence made me wonder what effect a year and a half must have had an on him. If I couldn''t handle 4 days. Then It made me marvel how he was holding up during all those months"


    "I just hope I am not too late to save him from his tormented self". I said, knowing my father very well.


    "I doubt it..."


    I narrowed my eyes at him. "What makes you say that?"


    Louis halted the horse, as his voice became more serious and grimmer.


    "A year and a half are a very long period, my love. That man could have...Changed. Didn''t you tell me you are the last one left of his family known alive to him? Try to understand, to comprehend what did he felt when the final part of the family got...ripped away from him"


    I couldn''t find a response to his words. My Louis got it right. A broken man is like a cracked Jar. It will keep leaking its content till there is nothing left and that''s when the soul begins the successions of its own self-destruction. If this process had already begun months ago, then...


    "Let''s just hurry". I said clicking my tongue.


    "Now look who''s Bothered now". He smiled with a Cheeky face.


    The horse yelled and we were on the run again. And after 2 Mornings and nights. We finally reached it in the late morning of the third day.


    *****


    Endora


    My home


    The city that suffered the most


    When we reached the town, I gasped at that sight and I was left speechless.


    From a far, I spotted them sleeping eternally under the numerous symbolic crosses.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    Massive tombstones everywhere, marking the tragedy that happened here 2 weeks ago.


    I felt the past haunting me again. The memories of the fire and destruction of my home were still delineated at the back of my exhausted mentality. The sensation of rot lingering in the soil beneath my feet.


    However, beyond the grave-stones. There was a promising sight.


    Those who survived that day managed to rebuild most of the town.


    I looked around with impressive eyes as most of the houses were in decent shape, and the people who returned did a great job rebuilding what was left.


    But...as I advanced forward. The people''s faces were identical to those of ghosts. No one had the ability to smile anymore. And honestly, I don''t blame them. Every house was still missing a daughter from the raid of the tradition or was still mourning those who died at that black day.


    I furtherly examined their faces. All of them were strangers. That meant that most of my friends were long gone except for Maria. My faithful sister that my mother didn''t provide.


    "Hey, How are you hanging back there?". My Louis talked to me.


    "Barely" I whispered.


    As we marched onward. My eyes bolted as a certain structure popped out of all the rest of the houses.


    I gasped. I couldn''t control myself anymore. I felt the air changing around me. It became a nice breeze that tickled my already messed hair. It felt like...


    "That''s your house...No?". My Louis stopped the horse right in front of what was left of the house.


    "Y...Y...Yes, Hold on. How did you guess that?!"


    "From your nails that punctured my back"


    "Oh! Sorry". I pulled my hands back. Clumsy me.


    He smiled at me then he looked back at the house.


    It was one with the ground. The only thing that remains was two half walls made of wood while all the content of the house became ashes.. All my parents'' heritage become as flat as the earth. Nothing survived


    I noticed the hands of Louis tightened. "Those imbeciles! They had already committed a mass massacre in this town. Why destroy the houses!?"


    A third breath comes to play as a man''s voice sneaked from behind us. "Because they wanted to ensure that our fall would be irredeemable".


    When I looked around, I saw Protector Sebastian, limping using some crunches. He looked in better shape than I last met, but I knew that deep down , he was still fighting his personal grief.


    "Welcome home, blonde fella". He spoke.


    I smiled faintly at him. "Thanks, Sebastian. It''s good to be home too."


    "And you are?" He looked at Louis.


    "Louis, pleased to meet you, sir". He bowed his head a bit.


    Sebastian blinked. "Oh, right. You are the son of that Captain."


    How...You and your snitching mouth, Uncle!


    "Correct, But I assure you, Mister. I will never harm Endora in any way. Not when I am about to marry one of her Divine and beauteous girls". He looked at me with one of his loving looks


    I...I... blushed. I hugged his back while my head rested on his right shoulder as a reward for his sweet talk but also to hide my reddened cheeks.


    Protector Sebastian put his hands on his hips, with a small side smile. "Well, I hate to be the one bearing the news but as you can see , your wedding nest is still in ashes. Those slavers kicked us back into the stone age. And you still need to talk up to her father...that is...if you actually managed to find the bastard"


    Louis grabbed the reins of the horse. "We will make do without the house, just appoint us to a nearby inn to rest for now and tomorrow we shall ride to Shan"


    "That''s said then. All you have to do now is to follow me closely," Sebastian said.


    We spend most of the day separated. While Louis was helping the men rebuild the lost houses at some points, I went to the market to pick what little food they can offer for us and the horse.


    When the night came, we rested together in our room at that inn. Exchanging stories and gossip.


    For him and me. The other was everything. If I was taken, he would fight the whole country just to reach me, If he fell, I would be more than happy to give him every ounce of my soul just to see him pleased. With that in mind, I cuddled warmly between his shielding arms that night. Taking his powerful heartbeat as a sleeping lullaby, and his heating breathes as a breeze preparing me for sleep.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    *********


    The next day


    My Louis packed up everything we needed. Including our two daggers, Just in case.


    We left Endora at dawn on horse. And according to Protector Sebastian. Shan or widely known as "The Holy city" was a Day far to the south.


    During the journey. My thoughts are ravaged every time I think of this Vivan Personage. How did she take advantage of a broken man to use him however she sees fit? Women are not that evil by nature so what''s up with that particular serpent?!


    "If that woman resisted, I swear. I will carve my name on her neck!"


    "She probably would be dead before you finish though". He looked at me sarcastically.


    I chuckled. "I won''t cut deep, Promise"


    "How about another promise? To be careful. Hon, we don''t know anything about this woman. She could be a boss of a notorious gang or another secret net of criminals that we don''t know about. There are a lot of possibilities we don''t fully acknowledge. Let''s gather more info before we act"


    "Right". I nodded, but just because I promised Louis something, doesn''t mean that I would abide to it. This woman is as good as dead if she tried to be a smart ass.


    On the morning of the next day, it appeared on the horizon. With its walls made of stone and guards all over them. There wasn''t any gate for this city because there were at least 20 other guards manning its entrance, not to mention those who survey from above the walls.


    "Louis, There are a lot of guards and you still had that bounty"


    "Not in this city. Violence here is forbidden. That''s why those guards are there to spot any fights and commotions and toss the troublemakers out, besides there is something heavenly about this city that you don''t know"


    "Oh?". I exclaimed


    "Shan is famous for its welcoming to all atoning sinners. My mom always told me about the rumors that stuck to people of the city. They work with smugglers to ensure the escape of picked criminals to the city. And after atonement, they are freed once more to join the society again. Yet, till this day no one knows how this process is done or who manages it. Even the dictator Wain doesn''t have any piece of idea of what''s happening behind the walls of this city...or so my mother used to tell me"


    I forced myself to believe my prince, I always heard about this city but I never really visited it, So I pretty much know nothing about it.


    As we drew close, One of the guards stopped us.


    "Morning couple". He bowed his head a bit with a smile.


    "Morning sir" Louis began.


    "Oh, right I forgot to tell you". Louis tilted his head to me. "They are taking our daggers," He said as he got his dagger out and handed it to the guard. I did the same afterward.


    "State your business. Please". The guard talked as he received both of the blades.


    Louis responded. "Visiting a relative, His name is Richard Onakran"


    The man nodded. "I see. A''right. Come in"


    I felt relief as we entered the city with a good start in our common quest.


    "So Where do we start looking?". Louis asked me.


    "The wealthy districts. If that woman can afford to buy salves then she must be rich"


    "Alright, that should be easy. Districts like these are the closest to the Cathedral"


    "C-Cathedral?! Here in Shan!"


    "Why of course! The city is centered around it, We will probably find Vivian lurking there". He said. Before the horse came alive again as we moved further toward the city center.


    Along the way, we tried asking right and left about that Vivian woman but we found no leads. However, when we drew closer to the center of the city. My eyes witnessed a beautiful and marvelous historical figure coming into our sight.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    It was massive, like super big. The back of my neck hurt when I tried viewing its summit.


    "Did the last king build that?!". I asked in awe.


    "No, this cathedral was built 100 years ago. A religious and kind king built it. Back when faith was strong enough to move mountains. This cathedral is his legacy"


    "Wow. How do you know all that?!". I inquired with excitement.


    "Gossips, some history books. And a lot of free time"


    "I have to tell my father that you are a historian, plus being prince then". I chuckled


    He chuckled back. "Let''s just hope he doesn''t kill me when he knows who my father is"


    As the horse kept moving. We had to first pass by a market about a mile from the cathedral where hordes of people were walking beside us.


    Our eyes kept roaming while looking at any wealthy figure walking around.


    "Any luck?". I asked Louis.


    "Nope. Still nothing. Lets try asking the merchants". He said as he stopped the horse in front of one of those stands.


    "Excuse me, madame". He addressed a woman in her mid-40s. "Do you know a woman that goes by the name (Vivian) around here?"


    "You mean Father Vivian?". Suddenly, A man on the opposite stand interfered in the conversation.


    I looked at Louis with a gesture that contained more questions than answers...


    "W-Who is that?" I asked.


    The woman responded, "What do you mean by ''who is that?'' He''s one of the seven fathers!"


    We both blinked sheepishly.


    "Sorry, we are not from the city". Louis smiled awkwardly.


    The man in the opposite stand began to speak again.


    "You don''t need to be from the city to know the 7 fathers. These are 7 of the most humble and good-hearted men this city has. They undergo a mass every day in the cathedral and __"


    Louis interrupted. "Where do we find this father, please?"


    The woman continued. "Head towards the cathedral, look for his room in the basement of the western wing"


    This man lives in a basement?! I thought.


    "Thank you!" I said as Louis punched the horse again as we headed towards the cathedral.


    "Ok, that''s one twist of events, Don''t you agree, my love?".


    "I am confused myself, why would a man of God enter a business with those slavers in the first place?!"


    "I think we will find out now". He said the same instant he pulled the reins of the horse again, making him halt in its place, while viewing the front door of the cathedral.


    "Go ahead, I will tie the horse and join you later"


    "Alright". I gave him a small cheek kiss before I disembarked from the horse.


    I entered the big building through the front door. And not only was it huge, but it was also so...peaceful. I felt the coloured glass windows shining an assuasive rays of light. I felt my soul so light in that comfortable area. And the quietness...it''s almost unbearable that my random breaths were disturbing such a holy place.


    "It''s so beautiful!" I said, sensing Louis''s footsteps coming from behind me.


    "His former majesty had good sense of art". He said as we allowed our eyes to feast upon this glorious church. While we advanced slowly between the empty chairs.


    "There, let''s ask this man". Louis pointed at a man all dressed in black and had a black round hat on his head. He had a small black beard and an ordinary body. He was holding a bible while reading in silence.


    We approached the man from his right side...


    When something Extraordinary happened


    No No No, why now!


    My necklace exploded with amazing lights. The color was...


    <figure>


    </figure>


    "That''s rainbow!" My Louis gasped in fear. And so, did I.


    Why A rainbow?! What does that suppose to mean? Had my amulet malfunctioned?! If not, what  would my mother would want to tell me?


    "It resembles Hope". The man said. The lights must have got his attention.


    "H-Hope?" I imitated his last word in confusion.


    I looked up as I realized the man was speaking to me, and strangely. He wasn''t surprised at all by the glowing majestic necklace around my neck. It could be that he saw one of those amulets before. That I will never know.


    "Yes, you see Noah, the messenger of God, saw this sight in the sky after the great flood. A mark that points to incoming peace after what was thought as never lasting storm."


    That priest...his voice...its tone was so soothing. It touched my heart. I looked at his eyes and saw only kindness and purity. And...to be honest, I didn''t know if it was the amulet doing or his influence, but I felt the same vibe that would come of my dearest father.


    "My lambs, who do you seek?". His lips shaped into a humble smile


    The same smile alone erased any sign of anger inside me. I stuttered. For a fleeting instance, I forgot what I was here for.


    "V-Vivian...Ahem...Father Vivian" Louis led the talk.


    "Oh, I see. Look no further, my child. You are talking to him now."


    My soul jumped in triumph. This is it. My father is linked to this man somehow. He was the one who bought my father out of the Red Castle. I finally found him!


    I tried my best not to panic. "F-Father. Please forgive me for interrupting your reading. I am looking for a man that goes by the name Richard Onakran. Does the name look familiar?".


    The man''s smile vanished the moment I mentioned my dad''s name. Definitely not a good sign.


    "Right, the protector. But what___"


    "WHERE IS HE!!?". I shouted with an open mouth and wider eyes as my voice dispersed throughout the halls of the cathedral.


    I didn''t realize that the Satan inside me was freed


    Louis noticed my vulgarity and soon grabbed my arm. "Diana...lower your voice, we are inside the house of God! ". He tried but my heart was already bumping at double its usual rate.


    Father Vivian, however, was calm like... exceedingly calm.


    "It''s not the question of ''''where''''. it''s a matter of ''how'', you are asking. But before I answer you, my child. First, tell me who would you be to him?"


    "His daughter". I said as I gripped my fist impatiently.


    "OH!" His eyes widen in happiness. "The one that was taken by the captain, I presume?"


    I flinched. "T...T... That''s correct!".


    "I see. Would you please forgive my heavy request for you to listen to me for 2 small minutes?". He said most modestly.


    "And why should I trust a person who made deals with slavers?! How many slaves have you bought, Ha? Tell me! How many broken souls did you and your twisted money buy!"


    "26"


    "What!". Both of us were taken by the number.


    "26 man. All free thanks to the good people of Shan"


    "Hold on, Father. Do you free them after the transaction?!". Louis asked.


    "Of course! No soul should ever be chained in any way, my lamb. It''s the good and kind people''s money that they willingly donated to the cathedral that was used to free those men...


    Once every last day of every month. One of the 7 fathers goes to the Red Castle and tries to release as many people as the small charity can break out. Richard was one of those desperate spirits that I happened to free...


    However, your father was an... exceptional case. For him freedom had no taste, that man''s soul was ruptured the day you left Endora. He didn''t stop thinking and talking about you all the time. Life was colorless to him. Nothing mattered.


    When I tried to ask him to leave, to get back to his town. He told me it was already in ruins and... He began crying hysterically, I... I couldn''t just leave him homeless like that. And for that, I granted him a job as my apprentice and shared my inappropriate house with him"


    By the time he finished, something had changed inside of me. I couldn''t hold my tears any longer. As my knees crashed on the ground and water dripped from my eyes.


    My sin was great. How did me dare to shout at this rare angelic figure when he saved so many people including my father?! If not for him, my father would have starved to death, sleeping in the most freezing and dust-filled streets, turning into a beggar who no longer owes anything, not even his family. He would have been washed away by so many toxic memories of me.


    My sobbing began.


    "I am begging you, please. Forgive me, father. For I don''t deserve your kindness and gratitude"


    Father Vivian jumped of his place, put his bible aside as he hurried towards me, using his hands to lift me up. "Now, why would you say such heresy?! Stand up, please. For you are not mistaken to start with!"


    I felt Louis''s arms hurry to wrap me in his protective body. "We Apologies, Father. She had gone through a lot. And ''a lot'' here is an underrated expression."


    "You mustn''t say that twice, son. I know it all."


    "There". He pointed at a door far to the right side of the cathedral.


    "He is taking care of the the garden as we speak. If you are really who you claim to be, then go return that Protector the reason he was living his life for!". He said suspensefully while still maintaining his cute smile.


    Louis smiled with a nod. "Thank you, Father... for everything"


    **************


    A\N: If you reached this point in the story then, I am deeply in gratitude to you. Dear reader. For You are one chapter short from the end...


    Yes, Chapter 41 will be the last chapter (within narration). Thank you from the core of my heart

 CHAPTER 41: Lost and Found

    Diana speaks


    I extended my hand to the door''s handle and circled it to the left. The lock clicked and the door was opened slowly.


    I crept with my eyes from behind the doors and...


    I SAW HIM


    His hulking back was facing me. He was kneeling in the middle of a beautiful garden cutting weed from some roses. A profession that doesn''t suit a soldier by all means.


    But that was him a''right. A strong body but with a child''s humanity within, filled with care and integrity.


    My heart was about to stop. I was about to pass out of joy.


    IT WAS REALLY HIM !


    The protector that loved me to the end, is a few feet away taking care of some flowers.


    After my abduction. My escape from the palace and the demise of my town. After meeting my uncle and venturing with my life at the Red Castle. After my second abduction and being rescued by the love of my life.


    So much happened, and they all tried to prepare me for this moment. The moment when I take back what was stolen from me.


    However. . . I didn''t expect that after all those events. . . I would take a step back instead. I felt consumed. I stormed an entire castle alone but I couldn''t approach my father to remember his long-lost daughter back.


    "Diana, what are you doing!? He is right there!". My Louis whispered from my back.


    "I can''t, Louis! I can''t face him!". I whispered back while sobbing.


    "Ok, Then I will!"


    "Wait, wha- Louis! What are you doing?!". I told him to stop but he just kept going towards my dad.


    "Excuse me, sir". Louis began.


    My father tilted his head a bit to the left. "This is a restricted area. If you seek a consultant, seek Father Vivian. He should help you find whatever you want". His voice tone was deeper than the depth of the ocean but threatening as a wild tempest.


    "I know. We already spoke with him". Louis responded.


    The protector''s hand stopped what they were doing.


    "Who''s we?". My father asked. And my body began to melt inside out despite how cold my pa talked.


    The next moment, I saw Louis approach me, grabbing my hand and pulling me in.


    I didn''t resist this time. I already lost the energy to pull myself back.


    "Turn around to know, my father-in-law"


    I looked at Louis with tearing eyeballs. Who on earth introduce himself like that?!


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Of course, the protector didn''t obey. He cuckeled jokingly at my Louis. "I think, you are looking for another man, Boy. I don''t have daughters available for marriage"


    "What! Oh, for God''s sake. Richard! I have your Diana right here next to me!"


    My father flinched when he heard my name. He threw the cutter of the weed away, breaking a jar nearby. He lost what was left of his patience and temper. Louis just hit a chord.


    "I don''t know how you know my daughter''s name. But that''s your Last warning Impostor. Leave or I will call the guards of the church!"


    That was it. Knowing my father and his aggression when he is angry. Louis may need another visit to mrs marigold once more.


    I had to kill that conversation before it escalated furthermore.


    "Louis, let me do this instead." I whispered.


    He responded with nodding smile...A purposeful one.


    Wait, was that a play to get me involved all along? I thought.


    But it doesn''t matter anymore. My dearest Protector was one foot away from me. I had to introduce myself like I was some hobo or a stranger.


    I inhaled one brave breath before opening my mouth...


    "DAD"


    He gasped.


    "No No, I am dreaming again! Damn it. Damn it all!"


    He clutched his head, shaking in agony as he refused to look at my face.


    "Dad, it''s me. Your blonde angel! Please, I am right here! look at me!"


    "No, you are not here. You are just another hallucination! I need to pray more!"


    "What?...Father..."


    "Shut it! I will never Yield!! YOU HEAR ME! NEVER!". He shouted like a hobo maniac


    He has completely lost it. Louis was right.  His past had devoured him to the core that he already lost his memory of mine! He thinks I am a ghost! He thinks I am dead!


    And then it came to me.


    The solution to this illness.


    A cure for that tormenting past.


    The one thing he gave me back then when we hugged on that day...


    That necklace.


    I get it now.


    He gave it to me for one much bigger reason. He knew he wouldn''t make it through this period with full sanity. He knew he would break eventually and succumbed towards his despair. Though he had that unrealistic hope that maybe, just maybe...One day...I might find my way back to him. To relieve him of this unbearable binding, and awaken the protector inside him.


    I wrapped my arm around my neck and wore it off.


    The moment of truth had come. Either he remembers me now or I become an orphan forever.


    I throw it right in front of his face. His head shifted towards it. His hand trembling fingers touched it as they got hold of the amulet. He drew it close to his eyes.


    And finally...he stood up...


    and he turned around...


    Slowly facing me...


    I couldn''t get a hold of my nerves anymore. There were so many tears that soaked my skin. My eyes contacted his widened wrinkled orbs. His facial features were the same. He didn''t change much, but I was terrified when I saw some white hair here and there.


    "FATHER..." I barely gasped the word through my shivering lips. My legs could not move, and my heart was about to explode.


    His rough hand reached to my face. Touching my cheeks, checking if I am real.


    "Diana"


    His cracking voice was filled with unlimited passion .


    The next second; The space among us vanished. The next blink I was between his arms. Crushing my face to his chest. I felt my small bones taking the full shock of the contact. I couldn''t react to any of this. it''s like my brain was no longer working. I was a passenger in my own body as I heard his loud cries echoing in the air.


    "I missed you, Papa!". I cried. The tears of mine were tears of joy. That was easy to see. But in reality, I felt a lot more than I could describe in mortal words.


    I have finally found him...The protector and the father...The one who gave up everything to protect what''s more important than anything...


    My soul recapped all who I met on this long and fierce journey.


    My prince, the love of my life. The one who I cherished the most, and the first witness of my existing triumph...My Queen, the second mother who took care of me. My uncle, The Pioneer that saved me at that castle. The General and his blue-cloaked lady. I couldn''t have thanked ''em all enough...


    "My angel..." Richard''s voice cracked while his hands combed my hair. "H-How..."


    "That sir" Louis began on a proud note.


    "IS ONE HELL OF A STORY "

 Epilogue

    In Alphabetic order


    Assassin (The hidden character): Remember when we mentioned that both the former king and his two twin sons were murdered? This man was the reason.


    Wain already promised to protect him from any coming harm. However...Never could he shield him from the wrath of his consciousness. Nights came to be nightmares, and his lust for women became tasteless. Constant suffering without a remedy. A punishment for the one who betrayed their trust.


    In a final act to gain peace, he went to the Royal palace of Queen Anna confessing everything that had anointed him for so many years. But by doing so he kindled the beginning of a new age. An era where Wain won''t be sitting on the throne.


    For his honesty, he wasn''t executed. For his crime, he was banished from the kingdom, never to return again...


    ~~~~


    Anna (The Queen): The women went mad. The murderer of her youngsters was standing right in front of her!


    A lot of emotions rushed. The guards were astonished when they heard the confession. But staggering as it may seem to her. She had the only proof to destroy Wain once and for all.


    After a couple of days, Queen Anna declared what crime Wain had committed to the masses. Afterward, a massive revolution erupted throughout the kingdom. People had enough of this outrageous king and Wain''s days on the throne were numbered.


    6 years after the revolution ended. Queen Anna passed away in peace after taking the throne from Wain by force. She passed the kingship to Louis, the far member of the Royal bloodline. During her rule, She dispersed Prosperity and justice across the land. While making peace with the Gartizian empire once more, putting an end to the war between the two countries.


    ~~~~


    Alfred (The pioneer): The brother of Richard who lived in Tagia, soon became a father. However, As a pioneer and a bandit. He saw his duty to fight Wain to the last breath. He contributed to the revolution where he led his troops to help the people over the king''s men. But by doing so, the revolution turned to anarchy and chaotic blood baths through the streets of the canterpool.


    And the kingdom succumbed to a civil war.


    *******************************


    Aurora (The Doctor Lady): After the war ended, she finally married Joseph and lived a peaceful life in a town far away from the border and war.


    *************


    Diana (The blonde angel, the maiden of the canterpool, and the first dagger):  After more than a year of fighting, travelling, and falling into unimaginable pain and distress every step of the way. The fugitive of the canterpool returned safely back to Endora with her father to build what was lost and to begin anew.


    After a few months and much convincing to Richard, she officially married Louis. Establishing the family she always dreamed of while her father was by her side once more.


    *******************


    Endora (The destroyed Town): After the massacre that happened by the Red Castle guards. It took the town several months to recover. Many bloodlines disappeared and only a Quarter of the population remained. Those who survived had to endure a life without their dead loved ones.


    However, Fate was more merciful than anyone thought.


    Because during the rebellion against the king, Queen Anna broke free all the girls who were imprisoned at the hands of the dark tradition. The girls of Endora soon returned to their homes safely joining their families once more and with that done. The tradition soon died on the page of history forever.


    ***********


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Gunnora ( The hero of the dead): The woman who led men to triumph had her wish fulfilled when she finally rested for the last time beside her mother''s body.


    Furthermore, The citizens of Ontoga made a great statue in her honour. The woman who saved an entire town will be forever recognized by future generations as the one who destroyed the legendary Red Castle.


    *************************


    Joseph (The general and lover): After several months of war and tremendous battles fought for his country. He declared his marriage to Aurora to his soldiers as he successfully balanced the life of military and love. All thanks to one Exiled prince and a good simple Lady.


    ***********************


    Liam (The Captain): During The rebellion, the captain was called to arms to defend the last lines protecting the Royal palace and the capital. However, the captain was already infuriated with what happened to his son and his daughter. He soon joined the rebellion with most of his soldiers at his command. The hierarchy of the military system in the kingdom soon crumbled and no soldier was loyal anymore.


    After Wain fell. The captain retired from his job and lived what was left of his life peacefully beside his daughter Emilia at Zenda.


    He never wore his armour ever again.


    *********************


    Louis (The exiled prince and the second Dagger): Love can be painful. To Louis that is. But it was worth it.


    The people soon forgot about the bounty. They were busy with the war and the Revolution.


    When Louis tried to propose to Diana, Richard was this close to strangling the boy to his death when he knew he was the son of Liam. But soon he calmed down after knowing what really happened at the palace from Diana.


    They married at the same cathedral where they found her father.


    After Anna''s passing away, and as the last known male and non-military member of the royal family. Louis was crowned as King Louis IX. And with a king on the throne... comes the queen by his side...


    ******************


    Marigold: (The Golden Hand Lady, Alfred''s wife): With her daughter beside her. She never felt alone again.


    When the people saw that her child was as pure and beautiful as she was. People over time began to accept Marigold''s hands as harmless as they really were. She named her child after Diana. The brave girl who visited her house months ago.


    ****************


    Richard (The protector): After getting his daughter back. The protector gasped in cries when he knew his brother was still alive.


    He travelled to Tagia and soon confronted his brother at his house''s doorstep.


    When the two brother''s eyes met, Richard cried in happiness as he hugged his long-lost brother between his arms. His heart bleed even more when he saw his brother had an arm short.


    Alfred, however, never shared the same amount of enthusiasm. but something inside him moved...Maybe guilt? Remorse? Or could be his surprise that Diana actually had succeded in her long journey quest?  No one knows.


    The protector apologized a thousand times for his Greed and asked for mutual forgiveness as well. But it was too late...Alfred no longer cared about his brother or the money anymore. He wasn''t exactly angry at him but that''s because he already erased him from his new life.


    They say time heals everything. But the bond between the two brothers would take more than time until it eventually fully healed.


    **************


    Vivan (The Father of the cathedral): The news of the fall of the Red Castle reached his ears. And soon the charity of the people was shifted to building Endora instead. He was also the one who blessed Diana and Louis''s marriage.


    *****************


    Wain (The dark king)


    Imagine everything you build lies in ruins. Your wife no longer loves you and plots to kill you. An answer for the crime you committed when you killed her children and husband. Your people hate you and everyone wants your head on a plate. All this while you are in the middle of a war with another major Neighbour kingdom.


    The pioneers had already taken over the capital. He could hear them in front of his Palace. Trying to break the front gate. Most of the royal guards were killed. Only one dozen remained bracing the door with their lives


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    </figure>


    One of those soldiers was Philip, the royal guard who had an acquaintance with Diana in the past.


    He was captured with the rest of the few lucky live royal soldiers at the hands of the pioneers. After the revolution ended, he was late released to serve the queen instead.


    Wain heard them breaking the front door and ransacking everything. No one will forgive him for his cruelty. No one will forget how many unnecessary deaths were on his hands. The poverty that ate his people to their bones and how many girls were taken to his palace in the name of his brainless tradition that was only motivated by lust and self-love. Not to mention the many souls that suffered under the Red Castle that were directly working for his sole orders.


    He smiled for the last time at his current fucked up situation as he swallowed his poisoned wine with his own hands.


    Ending both our story and a long painful reign of cruelty, hatred, and slavery.