Tina’s POV I was met with the silence of an empty house when I woke up. Usually, my children would have been awake and at my door, sometimes even in my room on my bed with me but today that did not happen. Confused, I walked down the stairs into the main quarters of the house to meet the maids' sober and pitiful faces. The morning sun was filtering into the room through the windows and was falling on the furniture which once was the sign of the happy family house. Today they looked unwelcomed and small. I scrubbed my face and blinked my eyes, still heavy from the night’s unrest, and dragged myself on the floor to the inner chambers of the house. Normally, the house would be filled with joyous sounds of children running around and the low voices of working women but today, things were different. What had happened? First, my kids were not in my room and now they weren't running around? There was no even sign of the man I called husband. I was trembling as I moved down the large marbl
I wandered around my bedroom, in the darkness only the candles were providing light. The quiet was stifling, a pressure that weighed on me like a physical presence Since then I had told everyone in the house that no one was to be admitted unless they had an appointment with me but I knew Philomena would not adhere to the instruction. She was my best friend and I told her many things, and I could not even imagine how could I get up and go to her now.I had to go out at night in an attempt to run away from the pain that ached me; however, this did not go as planned.Suddenly, there was noise from below, a disruption of the quietness of the house. The sound of raised voices and fast pacing rushed through the hall and became louder minute by minute. It was clear that it was Philomena whining her way through the chambermaids.My heart tightened with feelings of relief and regret all rolled into one and I immediately regretted saying anything at all. She was here, and I knew it meant I almo
Lucian's POVValeria my twin sister and I have been very close to each other throughout the years. One could say it's probably because we are twins and we share several interests. However, we had the passion for a single individual that none of us could forget – Tina. We are eleven years old and as much as we are not blood relatives with her, she has been the only mother figure we have ever had. Tina had no children of her own and we were simply products of our father's infidelity but she had taken us in. She didn't treat us like we were illegitimate children. Other than our family, no one else knew that secret. Everyone thought we were Tina's children and she taught us in the way one will teach noble children. Our father’s decision to take us away from her made us feel that we didn't know where to turn to for support.We were at the dining table as Valerie and I looked up at the expensive chandelier above us, its strange light adding to the discomfort in the room. The cutlery wrapped
"I hate this place, I want to leave," she sobbed, falling against my chest once I had successfully been able to hold onto her arm. I shut the room door behind us quietly and ruffled her hair. "It's okay," I murmured. "it'll be okay.""Nothing will be okay if I continue staying here," she sniffed. Valeria's words hung in the air like a thick fog. I looked at her, my heart pounding with fear but also with a desire to leave. This place has no substance. "Maybe we should actually leave," I said quietly.Valeria sat up, wiping her eyes. "What? That's crazy, Lucian. There's a war going on out there. It's not safe."I shook my head. "If our father was able to bring us here despite the war, we can find our way back. We just need to be smart about it. We’ve been training to be warriors since we were little. We can do this."Valeria hesitated, chewing her lip. "But how? Where would we even start?"Lowering my voice, I said. "We need to get enough food, steal a couple of horses from our father
Valeria and I stepped out with our horses away from the house, the stars twinkling overhead. We spoke no words but we were contented with the intermittent sounds produced by the horses’ shoes on the earth, and the whispering of the leaves every now and then. It was a glorious silver light that fell on the earth; the shadows were long and flickering.We came across a small stream and water was falling down the hillside through the night. The sound of the stream and the gurgling was a small comfort, a far cry from the life we once had. Looking at her, Valeria turned her head and I could see that her eyes were filled with moonlight.“Do you remember when we used to play by the stream near our home?” she asked softly.I smiled wryly. “Yes, we would spend the whole day there, trying to catch fish with bare hands. You know Tina used to get angry with us because we returned home all wet.”"I miss those days."After that time we kept on riding, the hours disappeared in front of our eyes as we
Before we could fully react the enemy soldiers were upon us. Both of them had wicked looks on their face with their weapons within reach. I looked at Valeria, her expression was stern, and she looked determined, her hand encircling the hilt of her sword.“Stay close,” I muttered, emphasizing the words and clenching my fists to fight the urge to hide around the corner from increasing heart rate.The first soldier came at me this time with his sword charging through the air. He attempted to strike me; but I deflected the sword with mine, the sound of the impact still resonating in my head. I managed to lash out with a quick punch to his ribs, remembering my lessons from martial arts. He fell back shouting, displaying a bleeding wound; another followed in succession with equal viciousness.Valeria was standing by my side, she was dancing gracefully and without any effort. She rolled sideways and to avoid the swing of the soldier, she plunged her weapon into his side. He fell with a groan
LucianValeria and I walked faster, our hearts pounding with anticipation as we neared the heart of Ghysem. The familiar sight of the area close to home filled us with a new form of hope. Ghysem was almost the same as we had left it, however, I could not deny how the streets were eerily deserted, save for the occasional patrol of Ghysem soldiers, their expressions grim and watchful. War had really done something different to Ghysem, however it did not seem half as bad as the history books we read when Ghysem had a civil war.As we approached one of the patrols, the soldiers eyed us suspiciously, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords. One of them stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he took in our disheveled appearance."Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he demanded. "Where are your parents?" I could tell he was apprehensive. He did not know whether we were the children of enemies or we belonged to Ghysem. A part of me wondered what they would do if I should say
TheoThe night was still, the moon providing a pale, otherworldly light for the massive stony structure of the palace belonging to King Ares. The darkness stretched long fingers across the walls, and for a moment it seemed as if the house itself was alive, warning of some evil that lurked within. Cyrus and I climbed the walls in the best way we could so that no sound could be heard from our feet as we glided up the walls. We tried to be unseen; like wraiths moving through the darkness. The faint voices of the guards in the distance echoed through the air and slowly dissipated into nothingness but the sound of our own breaths and the squeak of boots as they slid across the ground.As we approached the window of the king, I looked at Cyrus again, he had clenched his jaw and his eyes gleamed as if he was preparing for a battle. We were to perform at great speed and accuracy since the objective of the whole mission was at risk. I made sure to anchor the grappling hook to the ledge before