by Edison G. S.
It was hard for the boys to see Marie as a figure of respect; she was nothing to them and only a few years older than Rolando. In addition, they were very affected by their mother’s kidnapping, which nobody had been able to get over, not even Andreas.
“Get out of my way,” Marie demanded while walking back to her room.
Aaron also left. Unlike his brother, he did not have the same vigor and availability for a fight.
“You should be more considerate of her pregnancy,” Andreas demanded. Rolando stood in silence until he managed to reply.
“I just suggested she might have a daughter instead of a son as she thinks. She is just scared it might be true and she might never give you a boy. Is that my fault?”
Andreas was unsure if his question was honest or pure sarcasm. “You will have to change your attitude. I expect you to be a man, not a boy any longer.”
“Father,” he said, but decided not to express his thoughts, “I apologize. I am going to bed now,” he respectfully told his father.
Later that night, Andreas went to his wife. Horrified, he found her sprawled on the floor.
“What happened?” he screamed while bending down to reach her.
Yvette
She felt a bittersweet sensation every time she remembered the day she was chosen as Sub-Commander of the Desert lands. She had been so blinded by the idea of power, but when Commander Winterton made the announcement she could not help but be delighted. In the academy, she always excelled. Most men laughed at her when she proclaimed she would beat them all and be the next Sub-Commander. Now they served as soldiers and she was their leader. The day of her announcement she knew Acacious was behind her new position as Sub-Commander. The Desert was in poverty long after the rebellion ended. Her eyes sparkled when she realized she could finally help her people. She did help them, but only the people on Caira. She favored everything for the city in which her parents still lived, but the other cities had not received any support from her.
The day of the announcement, the old couple had been the proudest parents; their seventeen-year old daughter was Sub-Commander. However, they were naïve; Yvette was great at battling and had leadership, but she was chosen for other things. Her role was not something she could be proud to hold.
The king ordered Commander Winterton to choose Yvette as Sub-Commander to make her his lover. She was a beauty with hair a dark shade of gold, onyx eyes, and smooth skin. She was just the type of woman he wanted to fulfill his needs.
She had daydreamed about her wedding night often when she was younger, a night in which she would give her body to a worthy man, probably a rich merchant, for the first time. The king asked her to live in Lera after starting her new role; she was fascinated by the idea of meeting the city along with the rich and charming merchants’ sons, but the king kept her close to him and her dreams faded.
She had given her body to him and lost her only chance to have a meaningful first experience with someone that loved her. But he also gave her the best gift of her life—Stefan. He was five and innocent of all faults. Nevertheless, he was the king’s bastard and would never receive love or recognition from his father.
She stared blindly through one of the highest windows of the castle of Excarta. People walked around in golden clothes and many wore pure golden belts and jewelry. She had been in the city for six years, thus the shiny metal was not fascinating any longer. She was tired of looking out the window, but the furniture in her room made her feel equally trapped. If she could only take her son and escape, life would be amazing. She wished she could be with him, but his twisted noble-born brother was playing with him, though he treated him more as a toy than a brother.
She was only twenty-three, but she would never have any more babies; she made sure to tell the doula to prevent her from having more children. The king repulsed her and she would not give another son to the man.
Her nights on his bed were not over yet, she was sure. Whenever he desired it, he requested her in his chambers and took her into his bed. The sensation of his sweaty hanging skin made her nauseous. Even now, she could feel his body on top of her as if he was still there. Every time he called her she just lay in bed waiting until it was over and he fell asleep.
She had countless opportunities to slit his throat open, but she would never escape alive and her son would probably suffer more. One time she came as close as putting a small steel blade in front of him, but she retreated. Over and over again she had to accept his persecution in silence, always wondering what. life would be like, if there was a life at all.
But not everything was dark in her life; she was so relieved her parents lived comfortably in Caira. It was safer than any other city in the Desert and they did not have to watch her suffering in Lera. She always made sure to send the bravest and best trained soldiers to protect the city. The soldiers in other territories had regular training; on the other hand, the training in Lera was much more rigorous and demanding. Many soldiers died in the process, but the ones that lived could protect the city like no one else. The king had enough soldiers, so he never complained when she sent men over to Caira. Even Commander Winterton respected her choices. Her affair with the king was no secret to anyone and she had earned a position of power.
Besides being able to choose her soldiers and having her son, she had what she craved—power.
Now the king had summoned her to meet with him, in his chambers—at the royal court. What twisted fantasy does he have this time? “Yes, your grace?” she addressed him as she was supposed to. Commander Winterton stood beside the king, appearing to know what the king was to discuss with Yvette.
“Yvette, I will need you to start a mission in the Frozen Land. Take this,” he said giving her a sheet of paper. She read cautiously.
“What do you need me to do your grace?” she asked as politely as she could, though she wished to address him by a more derogatory name.
“I will need you to go to the Frozen Land and carry out a plan I have long being considering.”
Yvette knew well what he was talking about and she disagreed. Commander Winterton stood there and looked at her as if agreeing the idea was barbarous.
“Your grace, with all due respect, I think you should reconsider your choice. It will bring darker times and we do not have enough strength to deal with another revolution,” the Commander stated.
“You are not here to advise me. Shall I remind you of your duty?” he reprimanded. Bruno and Stefan were playing nearby and lifted their gaze as the king spoke.
She stared at the prince. As always, Stefan followed him as if he were a puppy. Her heart jumped when Bruno pushed her boy to the ground and laughed stupidly. He should have friends his age, she thought. But she knew the prince had something wrong in his mind. He could not socialize with anybody besides Stefan and he just saw him as someone to hurt.
“Take as many ships as you need,” the king commanded, taking her out of her trance.
“Your grace, I…” hesitation filled her, “yes, your grace,” she finally agreed against her better judgment and left the room.
As she walked away, the king’s sister, Loraine, went to help Stefan stand up. Yvette felt so relieved, but still she wanted to cry. He was her son yet she could not even help him when he needed her. Princess Loraine was in her thirties, never married, and lonely, thus she looked upon Stefan as if he were her son. Yvette could breathe without a problem when Loraine was near the boy.
As he stood, Stefan stared at Yvette as if questioning why she was not strong enough to defend him and to stand up against the king, the prince, and everybody else. Unfortunately, he was too young to understand why she had to follow the king’s orders.
Before she left, she went to Stefan’s room to explain to him she would be leaving for a little while, but she would be back soon. She hoped the maids would take good care of him. The boy hugged her tightly and cried out, “Don’t leave me!”
She had to fight herself not to cry. “I would take you if
I could,” she said, her voice breaking. His small hands held her cheeks as tears spilled down his face.
“I love you,” he said as she held back her tears.
Tara
The room was especially cold. Today, she had not ruined the food, but the maids had blamed her for some rags that were supposed to be sewn. She was unfairly punished once again in the fetid, dark dungeon. From time to time she clapped her hands just to hear a sound. Many times she thought she was losing her mind, believing she heard her father telling her she would be okay, but she was not sure if she was dreaming or if she was awake..
She started coughing—again. Being in the dungeon so often she became sick, but she never died, even if at times she would rather be six feet under than on the stark, cold floor at the bottom of the castle. It seemed the king wanted her dead, but conversely he wanted her alive and suffering.
Tara, her father called. A white light appeared in front of her and she reached toward it. Tara, the voice called out again. This time, she opened her eyes and the dream was reality. Commander Winterton was calling her name through the door. The small window allowed her to see his eyes.
“Commander, why are you here so late?” she asked standing up.
“Get ready, you are leaving tonight,” his voice was full of fear and hope.
“What?” Her legs started shaking and her eyes widened, “What…what…you mean?” She shook her head; he would not play such an evil joke. She started crying as she realized he was serious. “Commander!” she forced herself to stay calm and stop the crying.
He took a key from his pocket and opened the cage door. She jumped outside quickly and did not look back. She had exited that hideous place so many times, but tonight it was different. She was leaving forever.
“Come with me,” he said as he covered her head with a dark veil hiding her golden hair. He ran in front of her pulling her by the hand. She let herself be carried away while her mind adjusted to the facts as they passed multiple hallways, empty of all guards and staff.
What is this place, she thought as she realized she had not been there before. The guards had carried her past every tunnel and every hall, but this one was different. The guards never took her through there. A hideous smell started filling her lungs.
“I recently discovered this hall is connected to the sea,” he explained to her.
As they approached the end of the underground hall, the rotten odor grew stronger. They stood at the end of the tunnel looking at the dark sky above. Brazen waters crashing against jagged rocks awaited below them .
“That ship over there,” he pointed towards a vessel not more than twenty feet away. “You need to get in there.”
“But I cannot swim.”
He seemed troubled trying to conceive a new idea. “We will take another way,” he said.
“Where is that ship going?”
“It is on a mission. The Sub-Commander of the Desert is taking it. There are hundreds of men going to fight, but there are also women in charge of the cooking and laundry. You will need to hide and do some chores, but you will have a better life than what you have here,” his eyes sparkled as he imagined what her life would be like from that point on.
They went back through the tunnel, but turned a corner with two armed guards patrolling. Commander Winterton pushed Tara back against the wall immediately.
“Commander, it is late. Are you guarding down here?”
“The king assigned me to matters I cannot discuss, but yes, I am guarding down here.”
“As you wish,” one of the guards said, and they walked away.
The Commander knew it was too risky to make mistakes. He could not let the men go alive, so the moment they turned, he took a knife from his belt and stabbed both men in the back, one by one. They collapsed dead on the ground both with their eyes wide open staring at the roof. He urged Tara to run with him as fast as she could to get away from the tunnel.
“Somebody will find them,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Do not worry, I will take care of that. Many men follow my orders rather than the king’s. They have loyalty toward me more than to the crown.”
She still seemed worried, so he stopped and faced her, “They will not let anything happen to me,” he smiled softly. His years were visible under the moonlight that filtered through the end of the tunnel from where they just came; he had seen many wars and battles. His white hair and wrinkles under his eyes were witness to all he had endured.
They traveled underground through the outside of the wall of Lera and entered a considerably small tunnel in which they had to walk with a bent back. When they reached the end, the ship would only be a few feet away. She would have to carefully walk around the rocks to get there because if she fell she would fall onto the pointy rocks that were embedded in the water. As they reached the end of the tunnel it was barred. The iron was too strong to break, but Commander Winterton did not intend to break the bars. Instead, he removed one bar that was unattached, leaving enough space for her to exit.
“You are lucky child. Destiny is on your side tonight,” he assured. “Go, they are boarding,” he said, “and keep your head covered.”
“And you? Come with me,” she demanded, “You will not be safe here. When they see I am gone, they will blame you.” She paused to gasp some air and stop herself from crying. “The king knows nobody besides you would care to let me escape. Not even your men would be able to defend you from the king.”
He looked down, “I cannot come with you. The king is out of control at times. I feel better keeping an eye on him. Besides, my family needs me.”
She understood and realized how trivial her request probably sounded. “How will you be safe? They will blame you for my escape. Take your family and flee,” she was growing desperate.
“They will not know you escaped.”
Her eyes observed cautiously. She knew the maid would open her door in the morning and she would see she was gone. It was impossible for her to leave unnoticed.
“They will think you are dead,” he finally admitted with sad eyes.
Still, she could not comprehend.
“A girl nearby just died; she was about your age and looks similar to you. I will put her corpse in your cell. She will have decomposed some by the time the king sees her and he will not notice the difference.”
“Commander, I….” she paused for a second and held back her tears, “since my father died, you…” She could not say what she felt. Instead, her tears came out boldly.
“I know,” he smiled as if trying to relieve her struggle. “Go on,” he moved his hand toward the ship.
She nodded and hugged him and then left without looking back. An unusual grin was drawn on her face—freedom was finally within reach. She looked at the majestic embarkation; there were two smaller ships to its right, also loading people. She walked shyly to the main ship although it appeared they all were on the same mission. She dared to look back and saw the gigantic wall that protected the city and the castle.
The one thing she knew was that she would be inside Excarta again in the future. I will kill the bastard, she thought. Chills ran up and down her spine as she imagined the moment she finally asked the demons to let her join their side. She knew that was the only way to get her well-deserved revenge.
* * *
She boarded the biggest ship and behaved as any other woman there. She followed them to the room where they slept. They did not seem to notice who she was; many had seen her in the city, but that night they did not seem to recognize her.
“That is my bed,” one of the women claimed when Tara approached an empty overused bed.
“I am sorry,” she said and walked away
“Wait, I have not seen you before. Are you new?” she asked
“Yes. I used to work in the castle’s kitchen.” She was in shock after hearing her own words. No matter how many times she dreamed of escaping, she never rehearsed anything, but the lies came naturally and she knew her
life depended on them.
“There is an empty one,” the woman motioned her hand toward an empty corner.
“Thank you,” Tara nodded and walked away. She realized the other women had some clothes carefully arranged on their beds. The others will notice she did not bring anything; she walked around grabbing a couple of articles of clothing while the women were either distracted in conversations or falling asleep.
She strolled back to her bed, a pile of hay, and lay down to sleep, but she was overcome with excitement. The unseen world would finally be revealed to her, but more importantly, she would finally be able to get her revenge.
Andreas
Marie had been in bed for a week, but the physician said she was already strong enough. She could keep up with her routine, but would need to avoid exaltation. The man recommended she move to the Forest, where things were always much calmer, yet she had not hesitated to stay next to her husband.
“I want you to stay calm from now on,” he said grabbing her hand. She was still in bed, but smiled and tried to sit, but he motioned her back.
“You are failing to notice something,” she said weakly.
He seemed confused, “What do you mean?”
“The boys are in danger here. Rolando could have been killed by the demons that night. And you told me a while ago their mother’s sister lives in Lera, the most protected city in The Land of The Men, correct?”
She did not need to say more. He already knew what she wanted. They are my children, he thought as he imagined sending them away. Her argument was valid; Rolando was growing bolder and bolder, but not wiser, and getting into trouble in the Frozen Land might mean his death. He was brave, but too rash. However, he did not feel she wanted them away for their own good, but rather because she did not want anyone to take the place she wanted for her unborn son.
“My love, I can not.”