The drawn drapes enveloped the room in darkness, but Lia could see nothing beyond the gossamer curtains that blocked everything outside the bed.

Not that she cared. In silence and darkness, she endured hunger as her only companion, which eventually faded. She couldn’t distinguish between day and night. She did not even know how many days had passed.

The arrival of war was all she knew. Whether they were winning or losing, no one would bother to tell her. She was nothing more than a queen in name.

Queen solely to make an heir.

The thought had been bitter in her heart. Yet, the sadness over that had long faded as well.

All she felt was emptiness as she lay there in bed.

The sound of the door opening had her gaze turning in that direction. She was not curious or even afraid as the sound of footsteps approached the bed. Someone yanked back the curtain to reveal a familiar face.

Lia had not seen him in four years, but she knew the man standing over her bed.

He stood tall with dark hair and eyes that bordered on golden. Calix, the Grand Duke of Batra and her onetime husband.

His eyes flicked over her body, and she knew what he saw.

A pale woman with sunken cheeks, dull eyes, and wrists that could easily break with the slightest bit of pressure.

“Are you here to execute me?” Lia questioned, her voice tired.

Those gold eyes widened for a moment, but he said nothing. He just moved towards her and pulled the blankets from over her body. She pushed with her hands to stop him, but she was not strong enough. Lia could only look away as he removed the layers of blankets over her. She heard Calix swear when saw what had become of her body.

A thin nightgown did little to hide her protruding ribs or her boney knees. Worse yet, was the sight of the scars on her legs. She felt a sudden shame as she remembered when the servants had broken her legs and cut the back of her heels. She had endured so much pain and suffering in her attempts to flee.

The shame transformed into surprise when Calix wrapped her in his thick cloak and lifted her into his embrace. He carried her like she was little more than a child. She turned her head as rapidly as she could to stare up into his face.

He said nothing to explain his actions, but she felt like he was not here to execute her. At least, not at that moment.

The metal of his armor was cold against her cheek, and she felt like his arms were too tight around her, but both brought a strange sort of comfort for the first time in years. Before now, she had no hope for anything beyond this room.

However, his coarse black cloak was far better than wasting away beneath gilded blankets.

Calix hastened from the room and through the empty hallways, carrying her the entire time. Soldiers fell in line behind him, but no one spoke as they moved.

It was then that Lia noticed that there was barely any hint of life in the place. No maids scurrying about. No guards standing on duty.

It was as if every Roam servant had abandoned the place and left only her behind.

Left her to starve to death in a cold and empty palace.

The few thoughts of them fled as she heard the front doors being opened. For once, she put her remaining strength into turning to look at what was before her.

Several dark armored soldiers stood nearby. Clearly, they were soldiers from Batra as they bore the familiar coat of arms that had once belonged to her. It was these men who had opened the doors ahead of her and Calix.

Lia’s attention remained on them for only a moment as she took in the sky outside.

This was the first time she had seen the sky in years. Tears formed in her eyes as she merely stared heavenward.

Calix had clearly noticed as his grip around her seemed to tighten, but he was still silent as they walked from the palace to reach a black carriage. Lia saw the markings of the Roam royal family emblazoned on the side and flinched.

“Only us will ride in it,” Calix spoke in a quiet but deep voice.

Lia feebly nodded in response.

A soldier stepped forward with outstretched arms as if he was about to take her from Calix’s arms, but she felt Calix shift away.

“I will carry her.”

The man merely nodded and stood back.

Calix said nothing as he climbed into the carriage with one arm while keeping the other firmly wrapped around her.

The inside of the carriage was like every other aspect of the Roam royal family. Opulent and overdone.

This must be one of the Queen Mother’s carriages.

The thought came to her mind, bringing a shiver as she considered how angry the Queen Mother would be. The shiver faded as soon as it came. She knew it did not matter anymore. If Calix and his soldiers had entered the palace, she doubted the Queen Mother was anywhere nearby.

Calix finally set her down on the cushioned seat before stepping out of the carriage.

Once more, she was alone, but she could hear the soldiers outside. She listened as a soldier gave a report to Calix.

“Practically abandoned.” The soldier spoke. “No nobility. Almost all servants are gone. Same with the guards. They also carted off anything valuable that was quick to be taken. Even took the horses and dogs.”

“Take whatever else. Raid the treasury and then burn this place to the ground.” Calix’s voice was no longer quiet. It had become the tone of a commander. Firm and not allowing dissent.

“Burn it?”

“Burn it.” Came the answer as the carriage door opened once more.

Lia’s eyes flicked over to see Calix standing there without his breastplate.

She had barely let out a breath before he had scooped her back up into his arms before sitting down. Her head found a resting place against his chest, and she could hear his heart beat in her ear. The sound gradually lulled her to sleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lia woke up to find herself in the carriage alone. She could feel the jostling of the carriage and knew that it was still traveling on the road.

Where is he taking me?

She wondered to herself. There were so many options for where they were going, but she could not think of a reason that would have Calix executing her somewhere else.

A hostage again?

The idea was funny, but she could not bring herself to laugh. Instead, she focused her energy on moving closer to the carriage window.

She slid her hand out of the cloak to pull away the curtain. Once more, she stared towards the sky. This time, she saw the night sky.

I used to dream of the stars.

The sound of something hitting the side of the carriage with a squishy splat sound shook her from her musing. Voices lifted in the dark, but she could only make out a few sentences.

“Damn Royalty!”

“Starved us!”

“Murderers!”

The door on the other side of the carriage squeaked open. The whole thing dipped to the side as someone climbed in behind her.

“Ignore them.” Calix’s voice rang in her ears before she was once more pulled into his arms.

Lia looked up at him. He wore a look of displeasure on his face, but it seemed to soften when he realized she was looking up at him.

“Are you hungry?”

Lia shook her head even though the motion made her suddenly dizzy.

“You haven’t eaten anything since we started traveling.” Calix said as his eyebrows furrowed into a frown.

“I’m fine.” Lia said quietly. She did not remember the last time she had eaten.

Calix exhaled before he leaned towards the door. A quick rap of his knuckles had a soldier open the door and glance in at them.

“Soup.”

The soldier disappeared into the night before quickly returning with a small bowl. Lia knew the smell must have been something decent, but it only made her feel nauseous. The soldier closed the door after handing the food over, leaving the pair alone in the carriage once more.

Calix settled her on his knee with one arm looped around her. He held that bowl of soup in that hand while he used his free hand to gather up a spoonful.

“Here.” Calix held the spoon towards her mouth.

Lia tried to recoil away, but she could not escape. That nausea-inducing smell coming closer to her.

“Really not hungry.” She managed as she exhorted her little energy to turn herself into his chest.

Even that motion felt like she had given it her all.

“Please.” He pleaded.

Lia looked up at him and saw the genuine concern in his eyes.

That numbness in her heart cracked at that look. No one had cared about her like this for some time.

She swallowed down her refusal and turned back to the spoon. Obediently, she opened her mouth for the soup. The taste was like any other simple soup. Perhaps it was potatoes, maybe there was meat; she really could not tell. She just knew that it had a taste and was mostly broth.

Lia’s stomach rolled the moment she swallowed. The soup rapidly came back up, along with everything else. She continued to dry heave even after her stomach was empty.

She never noticed that Calix had already summoned the doctor when she slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When she woke again, she found herself in a bed with coarse blankets. The room was old, the paint peeling on the walls and a threadbare rug on the floor that seemed to creep under the bed.

She felt dizzy and weak even as she listened to voices outside the door.

“-starved for too long.” The speaker was an unfamiliar voice, and she strained to listen. “Possibly poisoned as well.”

“You’re saying?” Calix’s voice was clear.

“I don’t think…” the first continued.

“Don’t think what?” He demanded.

“I don’t think she’s going to make it.”

“The trip to Batra?” Calix’s voice wavered.

“The night.” The other sounded defeated and almost sad.

Lia wondered who this stranger was, and why were they sad for her when even her own people had not cared what became of her.

“Is there nothing that-” Calix spoke, but his voice began to fade. She guessed that the pair had moved away from the door, but she could not see.

Lia felt a little strange as she thought about her encroaching death. She had thought that it would be at the hands of the Soce army. That they would execute her as the Queen of Roam now that they had taken the capital.

Now it seemed that the last four torturous years had caught up with her.

What a joke.

She had tried so many times to escape the palace. Even death had seemed out of her reach. Yet, here she was going to die as a hostage on the road to Soce.

There was little time for her to think about it all when Calix pushed open the door and stepped to her bedside. He looked strangely haggard, but he quickly wore a neutral expression as he pulled a chair over to sit by her.

“You’re awake.” His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the grief in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” Lia managed. The rough sound of her own voice shocked her.

“It’s alright, you can rest here.” Calix nodded before scooting the chair closer to her.

“I’m dying?” Lia asked, but she was quickly losing the energy to speak.

She watched as Calix’s throat bobbed.

“Aren’t I?”

“Don’t speak.” He said quickly before gently taking her hand in his. “It’ll be okay.”

Lia quirked an eyebrow at him. She wondered if he was saying that to her or to himself. Her eyes flicked down to her hand in his and she noted the difference. His tanned skin was healthy-looking, and scars marked his hand. Both were a sharp contrast to her skin, which was a mix of almost-paper-white and darker patches. There was no mistaking her poor health.

“Why?”

“Why?” Calix sounded almost confused. His gaze darkened, but he kept his voice level. “Whatever happened to you before now, it’s okay now. You can rest.”

Rest.

She wanted to laugh, but she found no energy to speak.

There was no energy for anything. Not even regret.

Looking at Calix, she knew she should have felt regret, perhaps even loss. Anything about the choice she had made those four years ago when she agreed to return to Roam. For all her life, she had only known kindness in Soce.

Only known it while living in his manor.

Lia continued to look at him and realized he felt the same way she did. There was regret in those furrowed eyebrows. Perhaps even loss in his eyes. Yet she had no words to answer. She just felt too weak. That this was her last moments.

Even breathing felt like it was the most difficult thing. Like her lungs were pushing against an unmovable weight. She could hear the sound her breathing made. As if it was the only sound in the room.

She felt her heartbeat struggle. Each thud against her ribs became harder than the last.

Calix’s hand tightened on hers. His grip became almost crushing, but she could not really feel it outside the pain in her chest. The edges of her sight became fuzzy and faded.

That pain began to spread outwards before her heart gave a few galloping beats. One erratic beat and then another, and then her heart stilled. Her sight darkened, but she still saw Calix move.

She saw him reach towards her on the bed before her vision turned black.

She felt him lift her into his arms as all the sensations left her limbs.

“I never should have let you leave.” The whispered words were the last thing she knew.

Then there was nothing.