Another Letter

We spotted the black-capes marching from about 5 miles away, and I urged the couple to come to my lands for protection. Jonnah and Wendy decided to agree and leave their farm, in exchange for their family’s safety.

“You know, there’s more farmers that would appreciate your help. Do you have land for some of my other friends and family?”

“Of course, Wendy. If you want to, we can visit them as quickly as possible and ask them to come along with us.”

During our escape, we visited over 50 residences in the farming holds along our route. Each house contained families with at least 12 family members. Soon, we had our own little army marching to my realm. The farmers had little time, so they packed all they could in a sack and carried them on their backs. Children and elders sat in some of our wagons for their safety. Thankfully, it made the journey much faster. We were able to keep a 5 mile distance away from the black-capes.

As we marched along the “Great Big Road”, as the farmers called my improved road between Lythan and the Capital, hundreds of what looked like my patrol corps soldiers marched towards us. Understandably, the farmers were deeply worried and began to panic. I had Jonnah and Wendy help me reassure them that they were my soldiers.

Suddenly, horsemen from the patrol corps came flying from the sides of the road. They surrounded the entire refugee group and they pointed hand cannons and spears towards the group.

“Halt, men. Your lord speaks to you!” I dismounted and limped towards one of the horsemen.

“Men! It is the Count! Stop the trap maneuver!”

The horseman took his helmet off. It was General Phylx.

“My dear Sire, we have been searching for you. We had heard the news of the capital, and we made haste only a week ago. Where are Lady Laila and Little Sire? They are safe in one of the wagons, I assume?”

I could not contain my sadness. I fell to the ground, sobbing and attacking the ground. Phylx dismounted and stopped me from hurting my hands. Jonnah and Wendy did the same for me. I had never seen my patrolmen shed a single tear before, but we all shared a moment of solemn despair.

We all had lost something for this broken kingdom. I promised myself that no other sacrifices would ever be necessary for our loved ones.

***

The meadow that my son frolicked around. The same one that Laila and I celebrated our marriage years ago. It had become a safe haven for the Capital farmers and their families. This meadow that housed hundreds of cheering commonfolk now housed hundreds of starving children, broken farmers, and injured guards from the Marxus trade posts along the highway. More commonfolk from other counties had fled and found the meadow by the staggering amounts of rationed tents and smog from the hundreds of fireplaces. The effects of this new war were relentless. Words and tales of black-caped soldiers destroying stone keeps and walls, and killing innocent commonfolk for sport were frequently shared among the refugees. Most commonfolk were not aware of the new weapons of war we nobles invented for ourselves. By we, I meant I. I invented those weapons.

I had not been inside the keep since the refugees first made their settlement. I felt guilt for having a clean, noble place to live in while hundreds were in dirty camps. Regardless, I had a duty to check my chambers for any new letters. I was hopeful that any new information regarding the realm’s status would arrive at my desk safely.

Instead, there was a different letter. It was found under some furniture of mine, suggesting that it was dropped by the bird that carried it haphazardly. There was no sign of the bird either, which meant that the bird was possibly injured during its flight. Something felt oddly familiar about this letter. It was dated less than a week after I left for the capital. This sensation that I perhaps hid within the deep confines in my mind was creeping back up to the surface.

“My Dear Love from beyond the stars,

I am writing to you after so long. I do not know if you are alive anymore, but I must try at least once more. I suspected that you joined the Arkan War and perished, but the Goddess of the Heart could not let you go from me. As I said before, I know that you are of nobility, and due to this, if you are still alive, you are in great danger.

The Duke of Palantus, Gregus Palantus, has secretly pushed to claim the throne under the guise of the Imperial Crest. There will be another civil war, but this one will be the bloodiest that Regalius will ever see. There will be a destruction of everything we know. My people are not at ease, but we have a plan.

If I were caught with this letter, then I would be found and executed. But it is a risk I am willing to take to at least save you with this information, if you are still alive.

I plead to you, flee the country at once. I have known that the Mezerai are kind to exiles and refugees. After this war ends, I will find out who you are, come find you, and finally hold you. I want to keep you safe for the rest of time.

By the gods, I hope you are alive and well.

Your Beloved”

What was it when I first read this letter? Was it anxiety? Was it excitement? Was it rage? However much she explained her situation, it did not make her identity much clearer at all. How did she know about the invasion plans before it happened? How did she know that the Duke was the traitor? Was that even true?

To know this information, she must be close to the people who attacked the capital. During the attack, I could not account for the King, the Prince and the Duke. I assumed that the King and the Prince had been captured and killed. The Duke, however, had every motive to begin this war. His uncle’s father, King Maxus I, had performed a witch hunt against Princess Stephania van Irata’s mother, the Secret Daughter, to either destroy or capture the Imperial Crest for himself. It was said that after Maxus I died, the kingdom continued to hunt for the crest after the birth of Stephania, probably due to the Duke’s uncle's doing. The Duke might have exercised his own claim to the throne while taking advantage of the chaos of the kingdom, and had also waged war against the Princess to claim the Imperial Crest for himself. Meanwhile the Princess was trying to claim the throne herself.

Many details were unclear, but I had no doubt that the kingdom had become battlegrounds for two usurping armies. In any case, Princess Stephania was my enemy. If this mysterious lover of mine had intimate access to this high level intelligence, then she must have been working for the Duke, or the Princess, which makes her my enemy as well. After all, their claimant war had killed my family.

None of this mattered anymore, though. This noble squabble had nothing to do with me, my people, and their commonfolk. I promised to stay away from this, and I have always delivered my promise.