Head throbbing… tight ankles and wrists… a scratchy sensation against my skin. These were the first things that I feel. Ren... where is Ren?

I open my eyes to a large room, filled with lavish bed furnishings. Red, black, and gold curtains hung from the large open windows. A small breeze caused open of the pieces of fabric to brush against my arm, the tickle a welcome feeling compared to the unbreakable rope. I laid helpless on the ground my hands tided behind my back, my feet to match.

My heart ached as I realized Ren was nowhere to be seen, and my gut suspicion is that my captor was my Father-in-law. Scanning the room, I noticed an opportunity before me. A knife… I start to inch my sore body to a table nearby, a small knife left from a meal as a beacon of hope. Freedom was so close I could taste it. But before I could get far, I heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. There was no way that I could reach it in time, but I was desperate. Move faster body!

Every inch of me ached in pain and fear. If the King didn’t want to kill me on the battlefield, then he had something far worse in mind. I did not want my last moments on this earth to be tortured by him. I need to escape, somehow… although I would be lying to myself if I said that my chances of getting out of this were high. I had no idea where Esteve and Ren are or the outcome of the battle. I hope they are alright... Please be alive...

The sound of a wooden door slammed against the stone wall, as two pairs of footsteps vibrated on the floor.

“Sire please, we must-”

“No, I will never concede! NEVER!” King Thybaut’s shouts were undeniable, but the other male voice I did not recognize. I turned to the voices and saw the King making his way right for me. His angry footsteps bellowing through the room. Quickly he snatched the empty plate and silver wear. His skin red with fury.

“You think you could escape that easily?!” In a rage, he threw the plate across the room, the sound of smashing pieces to follow. “Get someone to clean up this mess!” He yelled at the other man.

“But your Grace, all of the servants... they are gone, y-you fired them all…”

“Because they are incompetent!” The King snapped “and so it seems are you! Get a broom this instant! Or I will have your head on a spike!”

“Yes, Sir.” The man was shaking in his boots as he bowed. His knees shaking at the King’s unhinged nature. Thybaut is unraveled… and the servant wants him to concede… the battle must not be going as he had planned. Yes!

My small spark of happiness was ignited by King Thybaut, leering his ugly head over my helpless restrained body. “You,” he said sternly.

He grabbed me by my shirt pulling me to his eye level. He looked tired, dark circles emanating from his red eyeballs. “You are the cause of all of this.” I swallowed hard as I could see the anger pulsing in his forehead vein.

Even if he had the upper hand with me, I knew he was losing. I need to stall, to give Esteve and Ren enough time to come for me. “How am I to blame?” I ask.

“You poisoned my son’s mind, you witch!” Spots of his saliva hit my face, each one almost burning my skin with his anger.

“You turned him against me! You turned all of them against me!” He released his hand, allowing gravity to push me to the ground.

“I did no such thing. You- you brought this upon yourself.” Sour to my words, the King thrust his foot to my torso. I let out a short cry as my body pushed back from the force. “Quiet! No more talking!” he snapped pacing around the room. His eyes set on a pitcher of wine, taking a nearby cup and pouring himself a glass. His hands were shaking slightly as the red liquid spilled from the sides of the glass. Tread carefully...

“What do you want with me?” I asked. I genuinely wanted the answer, but I knew that I needed to give my friends more time if they were going to rescue me.

“I want you to feel the pain that I feel… I want you to suffer a fate worse than death. Your family had it easy compared to the punishment you are about to endure.”

My throat was throbbing in fear. I had no doubt King Thybaut was capable of such torture, and I don’t wish to experience it.

“Father!” My heart skipped a beat as I heard Ren’s voice from across the room. “It is over now. Your men surrendered, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” His voice wavered as he looked at me with concern in his eyes. Sir Esteve was beside him, her armor dirty and worn from the battle, and placed on her head was her ever-iconic helmet, hiding her identity.

I watched the tension between them unfold as no words were spoken, just stares. Slowly I could hear King Thybaut’s breath grow heavy, panicked by their presence. Prideful he stood unwilling to accept our victory and resistant to let me, his only leverage go.

In the blink of an eye, his eyes darted to the steak knife amongst broken plate pieces on the floor. Turning his heel he hastened for the weapon. Esteve’s Knightly instincts kicked in, as she ran after him. Ren rushed to my side urgently attempting to break my rope bonds.

Before The King could reach the sharp object, Esteve pulled him by the shirt, throwing him to the ground. Taking her right hand, she unsheathed her long sword, piecing the king in place to ear he lay.

“Ahh!” he cried as dark red blood emerged from his left shoulder. “Stop this! I am your King!”

Twisting the sword in place, I could almost see the smile through Esteve’s iron. “Xosta has a new ruler now.” King Thybaut Turned to Ren as he pulled me to my feet, free from bondage. As I rubbed my wrists, I watched intently as this moment in history unfolded before my very eyes.

“Not Galleren.” She said. “Me.” In a dramatic fashion, Sir Esteve removed her helm, throwing it to the floor. Her long black waving hair cascading down her shoulders, as she did not break eye contact with the fallen King.

As he coughed, he began to laugh. “So it is true. Your Mother betrayed me…”

“No, you betrayed me and all the stillborn daughters that came before us. Have you no compassion? They were your flesh and blood!”

The King shook his head slowly. “There is no room for compassion in a great monarchy, and neither is a Queen without a King.”

Rage sparked in Sir Esteve’s eyes. Quickly she drew her sword out, then back into his clean shoulder. The King screamed in pain, but she did not flinch, her hand steady with justice. “Choose your words wisely, for they are about to be your last.”

King Thybaut’s tunic now soaked in crimson and began to bleed on the floor beneath him. “Xosta, like any Kingdom has been rooted in tradition. There is a reason no Queen has ruled on their own. The people of Xosta will never accept you without a King at your side…” He said gripping his new wound. I could see the light of his life flicker in his eyes, like a candle flame about to extinguish. “You will destroy this land, and you have destroyed this family from the night you came into this world.”

The dying King turned to his son, yearning for validation. “We were never a family Father, not since Mother died. All these years I watched you mistreat our people. Forcing them into servitude, begging for scraps on the streets, and evicting them from their homes due to the high taxes… but no more. Do you know how I know Esteve will make a great Queen? Because she loves this kingdom, she has lived among them, and know the struggles of the poor. She will lead the people with a true heart, and right every wrong that you have thrust upon them.”

“You don’t know anything boy! None of you do! The orcs are a far greater threat to our people than poverty. You have never seen them… I have faced them in battle before and they are unlike any creature you will encounter. They are strong and don’t sleep as we do, they never exhaust of energy, and they continue to populate in large numbers to sustain their armies. I did what I had to do for Xosta!”

Swiftly Esteve reached to her boot with her spare hand, pulling out a sharp knife. “Enough!” As she held the knife to his throat, he began to laugh. “Fool… you will fail. Mark my-”

I turned my head away as fast as I could. Just barely escaping the horrid sight in time. I buried my face into Ren’s arm waiting till it was safe to look again. When I heard the thud hit the ground, my husband placed his hand on my head. “It’s over,” he whispered. Those two sweet words sent tears of joy to my eyes. We won…

I opened my eyes to Ren’s loving gaze. “We did it, we did it!” I could control my emotions, all of my joy and hope burst out of my eyes. I held Ren tightly as I feared my body would break from happiness. He did not speak, just wrapped his arms around me. His embrace told me everything that I needed to know. Our future together stared here and now. I can return to Theora with Ren, start a family, and repair what was lost, including my little brother.

“We won this battle, but the war is far from over.” Esteve’s flat tone halted my happiness. She is right… the orcs are still a threat and can take away everything that we worked for. I looked at Ren with concern and found that there was not a sign of it in his expression.

“You are right, but today is a day of victory! We can begin our next battle preparations at a later time.”

Esteve looked away, her mind still clearly thinking of the fight to come. “I suppose we need to assess our resources… but we strat no later than tomorrow afternoon! There will be no slacking, you hear me?”

Ren smiled at his lecturing sister. “I would expect no less.”

The End

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