Chapter 1
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Prologue
It was the middle of the night and there was a lot of noise.
It must be the unseasonal storm, Olivia thought as she sat up in bed, the windows rattling to their sills in the gusty wind, lightning flashes turning the room white for a moment.
'I can't be scared. I can't be afraid.... they’re all enduring this because of me. Because of me....'
She clenched her hands into fists until they were white and tried to calm her trembling.
The storm could be a good thing. Not even the Emperor's army could move in this storm. Lutgard Castle would weather the storm, and those who would die for her would live longer.
Still, Olivia flinched, as if each clap of thunder burned a hole in her heart, and then she curled into a ball and buried her head between her knees.
Tap.
Someone knocked on the door. Olivia answered in a weak voice.
"Come in."
It was Theodore, Count of Lutgard, who opened the door.
The smell of wet dirt and blood rushed in with him. His jet-black hair was soaked with water, and there was a hint of haggardness to his rugged good looks.
Her full, red lips were now pale and colorless, and Olivia asked, panicked.
"Has something happened?"
"Princess, get up and put on your shoes. Something comfortable, and quickly!"
He spoke firmly and quickly, roughly opening Olivia's closet.
Olivia didn't know what to do, but she did as he said. As she slid off the bed and slipped into her boots, which she had placed on one side of the room, Theodore rushed over and pulled a coat from the closet and put it on her.
He stuffed several heavy pockets into the coat and into the pockets of her skirt. The pockets seemed to contain money.
By this time, Olivia couldn't help but notice the situation, and she asked him, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"Will the castle fall?"
"It can hold out a little longer."
The words were a lie. Olivia knew it now.
It was absurd to stand against the Emperor's army with only the forces of Count Lutgard. Theodore had helped her, even though he knew they would be defeated from the start.
Only out of a sense of duty.
At the thought of it, Olivia felt tears well up in her eyes. If he hadn't taken her in, nothing would have happened to the Count of Lutgard. Theodor would have been a powerful man in the Empire, treated as befitting his position and power.
But now all that remains of Lutgard was this small castle. All four of Theodor's estates had been swept up in the call, and the people had been made subjects. Less than a third of the loyal army remained, and the knights had lost their will to fight.
And now they would lose their last castle.
Theodore tugged on her hand.
"Let's go."
Olivia followed him at a brisk pace. The enemy was already inside the outer walls, and the shouts and screams of battle could be heard not far away.
Theodore quickened his pace to a half-jog, forcing Olivia to run for breath, but he didn't look back at her or slow his steps.
"Where are we going?"
Olivia asked, thinking there was no way out now that the castle was already surrounded. Without answering, Theodore took her hand in his, holding the lantern in one hand and her hand in the other as they whirled down the stairs to the basement.
"Just hand me over to Ezekiel."
Even as she followed him, Olivia said pleadingly.
"It's okay, he's not going to kill me."
"Don't talk nonsense. You are the only thing that threatens Princess Loella's right to the throne."
"It's better than all of us dying."
"Even if we hand the Princess over, we'll all die anyway."
It was true. Ezekiel Schwaben, the man in control of the imperial army, was not one to let anyone who defied him go, especially not Theodore. He would kill him.
Theodore stopped and looked back at Olivia.
"Do you wish to live, Princess?"
Red lantern light shone in his black eyes. They seemed to burn with fire, or perhaps it was the shadows that made them look even darker.
Olivia shuddered. It was as if she were being reprimanded for trying to survive on her own.
"So be it."
But Theodore said, and tugged her hand again.
Before she knew it, they were down in the castle's cellar. Theodore set the lantern on the floor and pushed aside the furniture against one wall. He kicked a corner and the stone shifted, gaping open.
Theodore spoke quickly.
"It's a hole that leads to the sewers. It's a secret passage of sorts."
"Th, Theodore...."
"I think Lutgard has done his duty."
The words, to her, sounded terrible, as if he were saying, "You're the reason they're all going to die.”
He was right, if it weren't for her, Lutgard would not have died.
If he hadn't taken her in, if she hadn't told him who she was, if she had gone alone, Lutgard would still be standing.
Olivia let the tears she'd been holding back fall.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Don't cry."
Theodore said bluntly. Olivia knew it wasn't her time to cry. That she didn't deserve to cry.
But the tears wouldn't stop. Theodore gripped her shaking shoulders.
"I told you not to cry. I didn't say it was because of you," Theodore said in a commanding tone, as if she was a child. Olivia looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. Tears blurred her vision, making it hard to see his face.
"Go."
"Oh, if someone has to run away...."
"I can't run away. I'm the one responsible for Lutgard, not you."
Theodore said, forcing a key into her hand.
"Hide and live. Forget all about who you are, stay hidden and survive. Live as long as all those who died to save your life, if not longer."
"Theodore, Theo...!"
Grabbing her by the shoulders, Theodore planted a single, hot kiss on her lips.
Olivia was dazed. She didn't understand for a moment what was happening. But without hesitation, he pushed her into the hole.
She screamed and struggled, but she was no match for
Theodore's strength.
From behind, the stone slid in again, completely blocking the entrance. Olivia was left in pitch blackness.
"Theodore!"
She shouted and pounded on the stone, but her strength was not enough to move it. Theodore dragged the furniture back into place, and the sound of scraping and screeching on the floor sounded like thunder.
Soon the only sounds were her own breathing, hah, hah, hah, and the clatter of Theodore's steel greaves. Olivia stood there for a moment, shivering, crouching. Tears streamed down her face.
Lutgard was her home. It was her family.
The old Count of Lutgard had taken her in and raised her, and she had believed herself to be a Lutgard until she was told who she was.
So when she realized she could not escape this fate, Theodore was the first person she could think of to ask for help.
If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have done it. She shouldn't have.
He had told her that he was to blame, not her, but she was the one who had forced him into a responsibility he didn't want.
The tears wouldn't stop.
Soon she clutched the keys tightly and began to crawl through the narrow passage.
Not because Theodore had told her to survive. She had to get to 'there', to start everything over.
She didn’t know how long she crawled through the passageway, which had no light and was hard to breathe, until it began to stink and led to the sewers.
From there, she was able to stretch her back a bit. Olivia forgot about crying and moved along the sewers as fast as she could. Please, please, please, she thought, hoping she could save at least one person.
The sewer passage was long, like an eternity. Overhead, screams and thunder rumbled nonstop, and she couldn't tell if they were real or hallucinations.
Boom!
A thunderclap so loud that it made her flinch echoed through the passageway, followed by the sound of rain. Olivia hurriedly moved toward it.
Flash--!
In the darkness, a single flash of lightning bathed the entire sewer in yellow. The exit was closed.
She rushed forward and used the key Theodore had given her to unlock the sewer's iron cage door.
The end of the sewer connected to a stream a short distance from the castle. It must have been designed that way from the beginning, to be used as a secret passage.
She moved again and crawled out of the stream. The pouring rain soaked her as if it would wash away everything from the sewer filth to her tears.
Boom-!
The ground vibrated to the point of shaking. Olivia's eyes widened.
This wasn't thunder. It was the sound of gunpowder exploding.
Lutgard Castle was falling.
***
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Write a comment
Virginie (Thursday, 31 October 2024 20:57)
It is very promising, will support soon ;)