Ashes of Revenge

Elizabeth’s hand twitched at her side. She was lying on the ground, weakly crying, but no tears were coming out. Her trembling hand slowly left her side and clawed at the ground until she was reaching for something.

Elizabeth’s eyes finally focused as she began to stare at her mum, whose dead eyes were staring back at her. She had died days ago, and the smell was more than unbearable. And what the rats had done. . . .

The sound of a door opening echoed throughout the room, and shortly after, she saw two pairs of feet enter into her view. The lock clicked, and the door to her cell opened. Hands grabbed her and began to lift her.

“P-Please,” Elizabeth weakly begged.

“It’s ok. We’re getting you out of here.” Elizabeth recognized the voice to be the Farian Captain. Throughout her time here, he had been the one decent guard, despite him being the one that would carry out the abuse. But, when he could, he would bring her extra food, and he had even spared her mum.

Elizabeth stopped struggling and fell against his strong frame, hoping that maybe this beating would get the job done.

“Richard, we have to go now.” Elizabeth recognized the voice of the person she was supposed to have married, Leroux, the Farian Prince.

Elizabeth’s body was lifted off the ground, and she was finally carried out of the cell that she had spent, what felt like, months in.

“Mum . . .” Elizabeth’s cracked lips said.

“We’ll move her later, but right now, we have to get you out,” Richard said as he held her closer to him. He truly hated that a kid had been tortured to this extent, and he hated he had allowed it to go this far.

Leroux looked over at Elizabeth’s weak body and felt sick to his stomach. Her skin was pale, she was nothing but skin and bone, and there was a certain dullness in her eyes that made it look like she was already dead. He couldn’t help but feel responsible for her suffering. They were supposed to be married, but because neither wanted to, she was in this state, and her ma was dead.

Elizabeth cringed as fresh air infiltrated her nose, burning it and her lungs. Though her vision was blurry, she could see they were still inside the Castle - the white marble floors glistening with dark blue gems scattered throughout it.

Richard and Leroux stopped.

“Captain, what are you doing with that prisoner?”

Elizabeth stared at the Farian King, causing strength to flow into her weakened muscles.

Before either could answer or stop her, she sprung out of Richard’s arms and shoved the King into the room he had come out of. Within a second, the iron lock was slammed into place.

Richard and Leroux tried to get into the room, but the door wouldn’t so much as budge.

“The balcony, go!” Leroux said.

Both of them ran away.

The Farian King stared at Elizabeth with a slight amount of shock and anger.

“I’m going to kill you,” Elizabeth barely managed to say. She pulled his sword out of the sheath that was hanging on a wall. The metal clinked against the ground, and she grunted due to the heaviness.

The King stepped towards her, and she swung the sword, barely. He jumped back; his grey wings, with gold lines throughout them, fully extended to help steady him. Before she could pathetically swing again, his fist slammed into her face. She fell on the ground and cried out in pain, the sword sliding across the floor.

Elizabeth began to crawl to the weapon, but a hand grabbed the back of her dress, and she was lifted off the ground. Her back slammed into a dresser. Before she could cry out in pain, his other hand latched onto her throat and cut off all her air. She frantically clawed and kicked at him.

In her sporadic fit, she hit a candle, and it toppled over onto the wood and under a banner. The flame grew abnormally fast and became unstoppable within a second.

The King threw his hands in front of his face to block the heat, sending Elizabeth crumbling to the ground.

Too weak to realize the fire was spreading, Elizabeth reached up to try and support herself. Her hand landed in the flame, and a crackling scream pierced the air. She tumbled to the floor again as she held her burning flesh, screaming and crying.

The King grabbed the sword and looked at her. Elizabeth looked up at him with glossed over eyes, knowing what was about to happen. He lunged at her, and Elizabeth shut her eyes, but nothing happened. When she opened them, she saw the King, frozen a few inches in front of her.

The King dropped his sword and looked around his room.

Almost everything was on fire, and just like that, he forgot about Elizabeth. Most of his possessions were nothing but ashes. His favorite picture of him and his wife was gone. Leroux’s stack of poorly drawn pictures from when he was young was gone. All the things that his family had given to him were gone.

The heat grew, and the King was forced to take a step back. His wings did their best to protect him, but the fire was too big. Looking at his burned possessions one last time, he ran towards the balcony, and with one flap of his wings flew out of the room.

Turning around, Elizabeth saw the fire inching closer to her. Her feet kicked against the ground, and she began to crawl to the balcony. The malnourishment had finally caught up to her, and she couldn’t even stand.

Only a few feet away, she saw Richard fly into view for a second before the fire ran across the ground and grew, blocking any way for her to get out or for Richard to get in.

Elizabeth screamed at the sudden realization that this was her fate. Her feet kicked against the ground more as she felt the heat increase against them. The only part of the room that wasn’t on fire was a small corner.

Finally, crawling to the corner, Elizabeth turned around and propped herself up.

The heat increased, and the flame grew closer, making her cry out in fear. Tears and snot were running down her face, and all she could do was watch the fire come closer. The heat increased so much that she was sure her skin would begin to melt.

Looking up, she saw a blurry black outline of what looked like a person.

The fire lunged and latched onto her body.

***

Leroux and Richard flew up to the destroyed room; the roof was gone, and everything was embers and ashes. Guards had managed to stop the fire before it spread to the rest of the Castle.

They landed on the debris ridden floor. “Do you think she got out?” Leroux asked.

“No,” Richard grimly stated, “she was in here.”

They both looked around, and Leroux spotted something shiny amongst the grey ash. Carefully walking to the item, he picked it up and saw it was his pa’s sword. The Shifter metal didn’t have so much as a blemish on it.

Leroux turned around and saw Richard looking down at the ground, his face pale. Slowly, he knelt and brushed aside a pile of ash. He breathed in a shaking breath - the smell singing his nose.

“Is that. . . ?” Leroux choked out. Richard only nodded. “Is she. . . ?”

Richard reached down and gently placed his hand on the burned flesh of her neck. He paused, not believing what he was feeling. He put his other hand on her wrist and felt the same thing.

“She’s alive,” Richard said.

Leroux dropped the sword and made his way over to them. He froze when he saw her body. His hand latched over his mouth and nose, trying to keep from smelling the flesh and from vomiting.

Slowly, her bloodshot eyes opened.

Richard moved more debris away from her.

Elizabeth looked up into the sky and saw a Farian raven. Its two long, flowing, sparkling black wings calmy flapped against the light blue sky; for some reason, she decided to focus on it. For the first time in her life, she realized what a beautiful bird a raven was. . . .

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she went limp.

Richard felt for a pulse again, and when he felt one, he relaxed.

“Get her medical attention. I’ll deal with my pa.”

Richard scooped her into his arms, his wings expanded, and flew into the sky.

Leroux grabbed the sword again and jumped off the balcony. He looked down and saw his pa with his ma, both looking up at the destroyed room. He landed on the ground and shoved the blade into the earth, capturing both their attentions.

“She’s alive.”

“Was she in there?” his ma asked. Her golden eyes flashed darker in concern while her dark brown skin gleamed in the light. A royal blue dress comfortably hugged her figure. The sleeves descended a few feet at her wrists, gold thread shining throughout it. A brown belt was knotted in the middle - pulling in her waist - and the remaining part hung to her knees.

The King looked to his wife, confusion washing over his features. There was no way she knew about Elizabeth being here?

“Yeah, she was in the fire,” Leroux responded.

She clasped a hand over her mouth in horror. She thought Elizabeth had made it out. Was safe. But, Elizabeth had been in the fire.

Richard walked up to the group and nodded once to Leroux, telling him Elizabeth was ok. He turned to his Queen and waited. Her eyes naturally trailed down to Richard’s cracked open knuckles, a sign he had tortured someone.

“Christine. . . ,” the King began, not sure what was happening between his wife, son, and Captain.

Christine raised her hand and snapped three times. Within seconds, Knights had grabbed the King - they had been informed of the plan and were willing to follow Leroux if that meant them not being pointlessly sent to their deaths.

Christine looked at her husband as her golden eyes turned darker, hating that she was doing this to her husband, a man that, despite all his flaws, she loved with every fiber in her body. However, she didn’t want to give herself any time to think about this and decide against it. She had been Queen long enough to know any pause could lead to weakness.

“What are you doing?! This is mutiny! Richard, your dad was the best Captain I ever had, don’t ruin his name!” He was saying anything he could think of. "Christine!"

“I refuse to allow my Kingdom to stoop to these lows and for people to suffer because of it.” They stared at each other’s eyes, but she refused to look away. “Please place Erik in a holding cell.”

The Knights dragged him away, kicking and screaming with Richard following.

She watched her husband for a few seconds before her son spoke, “She’s in the infirmary. . . .” He could see how much this action was destroying his ma on the inside. He, Christine, and Richard had devised the plan weeks ago, but following through with it seemed to be more difficult for them than anticipated.

Erik had just been arrested.

Leroux had just betrayed his pa.

Richard had betrayed his King.

Christine had betrayed her husband.

Sensing what the other was going through, they walked to the infirmary.

When they made it to the room, Christine glanced at Elizabeth and nearly crumbled to the ground. This poor child would be better off dead than in this situation. Ever so slowly, Christine made her way to Elizabeth, healers attending to her.

Elizabeth didn’t even so much as resemble the beautiful Princess her son was supposed to marry.

“I’m sorry this has happened to you, but you now have a safe home here.” She closed her eyes and had to turn away from the girl - knowing Elizabeth's ma had died.

Richard entered the room and extended his hand to the Queen; in it was the King’s crown and ring. Christine slowly took the crown as her other hand pulled Leroux’s crown off his head. Before he could question what she was doing, she placed the King’s crown on him.

Richard bowed as low as he could in the Farian bow.

Leroux looked at his ma, and she bowed too.

“I don’t understand. . . .” This had never been discussed! What was happening?!

Christine rose and placed the ring on one of his fingers. “I refuse to continue to do my husband’s dirty work, and if I were to re-wed, you would compete for the crown. I believe you will do what is right . . . my King.”

“I don’t know anything-”

“I’m sure Richard will help guide you.”

Richard rose. “It would be an honor, my King.”

Leroux remained silent for a second as he looked at his ma and Richard. “Are you sure, ma?” She smiled and nodded.

Silence fell between everyone.

“Ok,” he finally said.

Richard bowed once more, and Christine embraced Leroux in a warm but stern hug. “Everyone that opposes you has to die,” she said in his ear.

Leroux looked over at Elizabeth as he straightened out against his ma.

At that moment, he made a promise to her that as King, nothing like this would ever happen again.

***

Elizabeth’s eyes slowly opened, and she looked around. She was in a nice room, but she didn’t know where she was. Reaching up her hand, she saw it was bandaged - yellows and reds leaking through the fabric. Only then did she feel other bandages all over her. Slowly, pain entered her body, unlike when she had awoken in the ashes.

A faint noise made her turn her head to the side, and she saw a servant looking at her. He was big, in both length and width, and a red beard went down to the middle of his chest.

When the two made eye contact, his eyes widened, and she tried to move away.

“Plwease don’t move,” he begged, but she didn’t listen, desperate to get away from him. “Captain!” he yelled, “she’s owake.”

Within a second, Richard was in the room. He looked down at her, and she immediately tried to move away, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Thank you, Bram.” Bram bowed and exited the room, making her even more anxious. The last time they were in a similar situation, he had beaten her half to death.

Elizabeth’s breathing picked up, scared of what was going to happen to her. He had helped her escape, but that was before she had attempted to murder his King.

“Hey, look, I’m not going to hurt you.” Elizabeth stared at him, breathing heavily and whimpering in pain. “Would you like some water or food, Elizabeth?” Tears were in his eyes from her fearing that he would hurt her. He got down on his knees and extended his wings against the ground, putting himself in the most vulnerable position a Farian could be in. “Please. . . .” he begged in a whisper.

“Raven . . .” Elizabeth barely managed to choke out.

“What?”

She remembered the raven she had seen when she first awoke. It was so free and powerful. Something about it embedded itself in her brain: that bird was the first clear thing she had seen after fighting off death, and she wanted something to remember that moment.

“Raven . . .” she muttered again, “that’s my name.”

***

Raven sat on the slanted battlement on top of the Castle - which made it easier for Farians to run and leap off of. But right now, it was fine for a seat. This was the one time she liked the architecture of the Castle, which was on top of a mountain. The walls were the tallest of the five Castles.

Various bugs and birds lit up the dark blue sky with varying colors. Random trees pulsed every few seconds with light blue veins - the green grass sparkling due to the glow.

A cold breeze blew against her bandages, and goosebumps rose on her covered skin. Random bouts of pain came and went, and she found it was harder to feel smaller textures.

To help with the discomfort, she had begun to drink the sweet Farian Birra. It made her feel good, and for a moment, no matter how small, she would forget about the burns and the fact her body would forever be scarred.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Leroux sit down next to her. She noticed the elegant royal blue and gold doublet he had on - a long brown belt around his waist. His semi-loose black pants were tucked into his high boots, the rest being bunched up.

“Shouldn’t you be down there . . . attending your coronation party?” Raven asked, staring ahead.

Leroux cracked a smile. “Those parties are boring.”

“Aren’t you being rude?” she murmured.

“Everyone is drunk or trying to find a spare bedroom,” he jokingly said.

Raven hummed as a response.

“How are your wounds healing?”

She shrugged.

Leroux allowed his wings to fall behind him and onto the white marble.

“Why did you really come up here? I know you don’t want just to make small talk.” Raven finally turned and looked at him. For the first time, she realized how sunken his cheeks were; he had lost weight.

“I want to have a relationship with you.” Raven’s face began to shift into disbelief and anger. “Not a romantic one,” he added. “I have no intent with having any romantic relationship with you. Not after . . .” he cleared his throat.

“Then what relationship would you like?” Her face was stern.

“I want a friendship with you.”

Rave puffed out a painful sounding laugh in surprise. After processing his words, all emotions fell from her features. “Do you think that’s possible? Do you think we can be friends after what our fathers have done?” she genuinely asked.

Leroux leaned his head back and looked up at the night sky. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “I want to make it work. . . .”

“But that might not be possible,” Raven admitted. “I didn’t want to marry you because of your species.”

“I would be lying if I said that wasn’t the reason I didn’t want to marry you. . . . But I would still like to try. And if you say no, no hostility will fall upon you,” he quickly added.

Raven inhaled deeply. “Yeah. I don’t want our fathers to control us again.”

“Agreed.”

Raven extended her hand to him, and he stared at it. “Deal?” she asked.

A smile brushed against his face, and his hand gently fell into her bandaged one. “Deal.”

Their hands slipped from one another.

“To new beginnings,” Raven said.

Leroux mimicked the motion of toasting a glass of Birra. “To new beginnings.”

***

Raven, Christine, Leroux, and Richard all sat in Raven’s room.

Raven was wearing a hood and made sure that the right side of her face was covered. The bandages had only been removed a few days ago, so her skin was still raw and infected looking.

“Leroux and I have been talking,” Christine said, “and we would like to offer you a place in this Kingdom.”

“What would be my role in the Castle?”

“Ma and I agreed that you would make a great Queen.” Raven’s face shifted. “It’s not a marriage or anything of that sort. We would be partners and make decisions together.”

“What have I done to show that I would be a good Queen?”

“You were a Princess,” Christine said, “you’re familiar with the politics of the Kingdoms - I’ll teach you more. We know this won’t make up for anything that has happened to you, but we are trying to better this Kingdom. It’s been on a downward slope for a while now, and that has to change. Richard and I will help guide both of you when wanted.”

“I would be the face of the Kingdom while everyone else works from the inside. As of now, my people believe my pa died in the fire, and you died months ago. We will tell the Knights of the situation, so you will have power in the Castle-”

“How do you know I won’t sabotage the Kingdom?” Though no one had said it, Raven could tell another reason for her new position was due to the arranged marriage that never happened. The Farian crown was supposed to be hers. . . . The Mundus crown was supposed to be hers.

The room grew silent for a few seconds, and Raven thought she had received her answer.

“Because, Rae, you’re my friend, and we trust you.” Leroux smiled at her, using the nickname he had naturally started to say.

Raven’s lips parted. She couldn’t believe what they were doing. They were kind to her, a Mundus. Only two people had done so, her mum and Fernando, and one of them were dead while the other had turned his back on her.

Raven nodded.

Christine smiled before she removed her crown and held it out to Raven. Raven extended her damaged hand and gently pulled the crown away. Slowly placing it over her hood, she looked up and saw Richard bowing. Christine bowed too, and Leroux lowered his head.

Raven didn’t know how, but she knew Leroux and her were going to make a right out of a tremendous wrong.

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