Chapter 56: The burning fire known as Life [part 2]

//Leanne's Circumstance. //

My Kingdom was a rich country.

There is no denying this fact.

Supplied with riches of many things from trader's be it land or sea.

Along with maintained roads that are well protected by peacekeepers known as the soldiers of my kingdom. Well-armed and trained they were meant to keep the country safe from invaders of the kingdom under the leadership of my father's trusted aides.

And yet...

How did it end like this!?

The weapons known as crossbows which were distributed properly to all four dukes to protect the borders are now baring its fangs against us.

Not only capable of firing at large distance's they are also strong enough to penetrate armor and shields that even knights and mages alike would fear to face an army carrying such tools of war.

Armor imbued with magic capable of resisting such weapons is probably the only object that can stop such tools. But even such objects were rarely made by crafter's as such materials and work were far too expensive to create enmass that only the bristle knights were wearing tools to protect not only their king but in special operations to deal with the shadows lurking in my home or during times of war.

It was practically the only reason we survived such an encounter.

But even with such protective gear it carried flaws.

It still managed to pierce the armor of my father's men through the gaps in their armor.

I suppose even if the armor itself was blessed by magic.

There will always be gaps in them where they are vulnerable.

But still...

This betrayal was something...

Even I did not expect to happen.

My mother once told me:
"Keep that child at your side,
She will be your shield."

It's only been three days after she disappeared.
And things had already gotten out of hand.
Now I knew why she said those words.

Estel...
Has been keeping the darkness looming in this city away from us.

Away from me, all this time.
Her very presence alone...
[Princess of the demon-kingdom.]

Was already a powerful tool into deterring the noble faction from acting against us.
If only I watched over her carefully.
I could have brought her with me and this shouldn't have happened.

Simply because...
A single armor of her knights should be enough to inflict extreme terror to those dared to threaten her life.

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Biting her own lips til blood spilled from her frustration in their current situation.

As Leanne fled with her brother clinging unto her shoulders they moved forward until they finally met a troublesome flowing stream, the dark sky made it difficult to discern whether it was deep or not.

They fled for an hour or so, her feet ached as she threw away her luxurious high heels away as trudge onwards, barefooted she walked with him on her side while he bled...

Leanne herself did not wish to risk going into such a stream due to her brother's injuries.

But then flames and crying voices are heard at the distance behind them, their pursuers are not letting them escape so easily. She turns to the side of the stream and walked forward in an attempt to avoid confrontation.

She had hoped the darkening yellow sky would hide their trail.

Hoping to find a road or route of escape.

Leanne could feel the blood on her brother as blood pour's with every step, her brother knowing the dire situation he then said to her.

"Leanne... you should just..."

She then made a swift reply.

"I refuse." Her desperation was clearly shown on her face.
While gazing at him she then said with every step...

*Thud*

"Haa...
I refuse to let father's death be in vain..."

*Thud*

"Haa...
I refuse to abandon my brother who shielded me."

Leanne herself is slowly reaching her limits as they began to slow...
Her face had tear's and wracked with pain enduring and neither complaining nor faultering.

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Her brother who saw this then spoke in his mind.

[You have really grown.
Since when did this young girl who appeared so fragile grow so strong?
Did my parents and I underestimate her too much?

He smiled a bit as he saw it.

But, I'm glad...
My father and mother were worried about her all this time.
Including myself, that I tried to even push her off the crown in order to keep her safe.

But it appears...
It's all unnecessary wasn't it?]

He wished to convey his thoughts to her, but the bolt stuck to his shoulder is affected his breathing. The numbness had faded and it was now crippling him with extreme pain.

Giving her a grim look and a wide smile, he could not help but feel proud of her at this moment.
[I can't die now...
Not yet, give me more time.] he said.

While pushing his legs forward keeping his balance and flow of movement.
________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to her training with Tyr (Estel's esteemed grandfather) she was able to last for so long.
Normally she would have collapsed from the long distance that they have wandered in.

Wolves had begun to howl and the danger of the forest begins to grow grim as there was also a mob of enemy rebels behind them.

However, with exhaustion and darkness looming in, she soon tripped on a rock.
Being wary of her brother's injury she managed to retain balance by repositioning her feet while catching her brother's imbalance.

A small recollection she had learned by facing the undead monsters during her training.

But that small moment pressured her brother's wound as he coughed a bit of blood.
Laying him down on the ground out of concern, she then noticed the distant fire and shouting voices behind them along with barking dogs.

The sound of barking from their side could only mean.

[They are now using hounds to track us...]
Her face paled at the thought as their situation grows dire even further...

"Ugh...
Just...
Leave me." her brother said to her with a weak voice giving her a pale expression.

As she soon bit her lips then said.
"As if I could do such a thing!?"

 He then replied in anger.
"Don't be stupid.
Our father's death will be in vain if neither of us escapes."

But as he said those words a voice then echoed from the shadows in front of them.

"How unfortunate...
I was too late."

He soon revealed himself in the dark with a small fire on his fingertips.
The sibling's eyes turned to him but Leanne gave him a scowl and immediately fired a bolt of lightning towards him.

The lightning made a swift cracking noise as it rushed towards him, but he calmly and elegantly moved his body and hand and redirected it towards the stream.

The butler replied with a frown.
"My...
As expected of her highness.

You swiftly noticed." he then soon gave the two a wicked smile.

To Leanne's mind, it was way too suspicious...
He arrived in the darkness of their moment of need in the middle of the forest where they fled.
The only reason that could possibly happen, would be...
[He was present during the attack and followed us.]

Her brother then asked.

"Sebastian...
What is going on here?" he asked him

The man continued to smile as he said.

"Young Master,

Do you recall that day?
You told me to inspect the new servant which Leanne had taken in her hand."

Leanne then glanced at her brother with concern then glanced back at the butler as she stood.
With her hand crackling with lightning she was preparing herself as he steps closer toward them.

Wary of Leanne he soon stopped then said.

"On the day you found that silver hair etched in dark color, it gave me quite a surprise.
You once told me in the book's of the Order of Light,
foretell's the old legends of the silver race which carried such features.

You believed their race is amongst the demon-kin.

At first, I was skeptical.
It was believed their race had gone extinct and news had already spread even among their kind.

I also thought it was simply a young girl's hair with a unique color.

But when I tried to burn it with fire to remove your unsightly behavior.
I swiftly noticed that the hair refused to burn as if it was resistant to it.

It took a whole two minites to even burn a piece of it which surprised me to no end.

In the book of the order, it is said that the hair, bone, and scales were neither affected by time and possessed extreme resistance to the elements their bones eternally rest even in their death that they were considered relics.

Which gave me a sensed urgency to find the young lass.

But...
To no avail, I failed to find her...

But you soon gave me the order to investigate the new servant which Leanne had brought with her...

I found it bothersome...
Until..."

Leanne then bit her lips, realizing what he was about to say, replied to him.
"You TRAITOROUS, BASTARD!" she shouted.

"You were the one who reported Estel's existence to the order of light.
And orchestrated our kidnapping weren't you!?"

The butler then smiled and replied with a burst of sinister laughter.
"A-ha-ha-ha-ha...

Indeed...

As expected of the Princess.

The young master would have been placed as the next crown prince had things succeeded.
And I would have captured the religious order's greatest asset at the same time.
While gaining a profit by selling you to one of the foreign nobles and securing the order's of light control over this country by having him continue to support our cause."

Lance paled upon hearing it while Leanne was showing fury as she threw another bolt.
But he simply deflected it again and redirected it towards the stream.

She fired a third time only to kneel from the backlash and he simply redirected it once more...

As it made a splash in the flowing waters of the stream.

"It is pointless...
Had you shown such abilities sooner,
I would have been placed at your side to teach you.

But... let me introduce myself, Sebastian is merely an Alias.

My true name is Cardigan Olfried a spy of the order."

As he said his name.
His hand crackles with thunder, as he too carried an element which Leanne herself possessed.
It was a moment she noticed the difference in their ability and knowledge.

"You are nothing more than a novice.

A child playing with fire.
I can only garner a guess that you only recently discovered your ability.
For a novice to last this long is commendable at least.

As expected of the daughter of the lightning sorceress."

The man said as he then soon walked towards the siblings once more.

"You have potential.

But...

Potential is nothing more than potential until fully harnessed.
You still have a purpose for our cause.
Because you will make great bait for that girl.

No, I meant Beast is a better term for her now...

So we still need you alive...

Not to mention the fact that your still a young maiden,
who can still be used as a tool in usurping the throne."

As Leanne heard his words her face disfigured with both disgust and anger.
She once again fired a bolt with all she had...

But she soon learned that she had reached her limit as the spark she released was not enough to even harm him as the spark playfully moved around him using a single finger as it fades in the air.

"And that...
Should leave you completely defenseless."

Aware of Leanne who could no longer produce magic, he continued to step forward.

With every step forward the situation grew hopeless.
The two siblings felt hopelessness as soldiers soon reached behind him with hounds ready to chase.

Leanne who remained on the ground beginning to cough out blood.
She gazed at the spy of her kingdom with deep hatred in her eyes while smirking above her.

It was then at this moment...

Multiple bolts of the many colors soon came from the opposite side of the stream...
Striking his torso and catching fire, the butler swiftly removed his outer clothing and dropped it to the ground as he soon ducked to only realize the rebel soldiers behind him were now under attack.

A cry was heard across the stream.

The sound of charging magic weapons and bolts of magic sent towards them.
Soldiers soon fell into a panic as the fled toward the forest, while cross-bow men readied their weapons and counter-attacked at the opposite side of the stream.

The light was minimal as the orange sky simply shone lightly giving little vision from the distance.
But they soon heard the sound of horses, they wore the Insignia of Bristle on their armor.
With blade in hand they soon cut down soldiers as they rode in their horses.

The place then turned into a chaotic battle.
A sudden ambush had emerged in front of them.

The butler did not simply stand by as he soon shocked one of the soldiers off their horses as he reached for Leanne aware of their situation. Ignoring her brother who could barely lift a finger his pale skin already foretell his dire circumstances.

He then placed his hand on his lips and made a loud whistle as his horse then rode towards him.

During this time he then carried Leanne in his right shoulders.
While leaving her brother behind, Lance powerless could simply watch as things unfold.

But things soon change as a man in the darkness with a crossbow in hand readied a bolt aiming at his legs. In those few short seconds, a bolt from a crossbow came from his sides, knocking him down as Leanne fell with a large *thud* as she managed to shield her head with her arms.

He soon revealed himself the orchestrator of the attack on his men.

It was none other than Caillou.
The Queen's spymaster.

"I never imagined one of our personal servants would betray the crown so easily...
Are you even human after what our current leaders have accomplished!?"

With his bolt ready he aimed at his head with his right hand.
His eyes widen in shock not with the wound on his leg but with the man in front of him.

"As expected of our Queen.
Meticulous in her commands aware of the dangers around her.

But...
Such a shame...

The fact that you are here,
Only means that even,
She lacked proper knowledge of the grand scheme that is about to happen.

Your kingdom will inevitably fall under the emblem of our order."

Caillou's expression soon grimaces as he was about to fire.
He heard the sound of metal flying in air from his side, making a short glance.

Distraction dawns to him as it was already too late!
Another enemy was there who had already thrown an ax towards him.

*Blsch!* the sound of flesh and metal connecting.

Striking his torso as Leanne and her brother watched as the last hope they had were suddenly crushed. He fell to the ground with his back a with the ax deeply carved in his chest with blood spilling out from his mouth.

In his last moment, the crossbow in his hand fired.
As he struck Cardigan's stomach instead.

[Blast it!] he cried in his thoughts.

His aim was his heart but his limb lost all strength.

As he fell to the ground lifeless.
Caillou was undoubtedly dead at that moment.
[Forgive me.
Your majesty.] as his life ebbed away from his body.

The man who threw that weapon soon revealed himself to them.

...

...

...

Large armor and a helmet that spells dread to those who face his large stature.
Leanne knew him, a spine chilling terror came back to haunt her.

It was none other than the Iron bull.

"To have my client suddenly die isn't something profitable," he said.

Cardigan replied to him as he groaned on the floor while spitting blood.
"Good work.
At least this time we successfully-"

As he turned his eyes toward Leanne, she was crawling away towards the stream in hopes of escaping her situation or perhaps a way to ruin their plot by throwing herself to the river.

But she was already too weak at that moment the Ironbull soon walked towards her and pulled the clothes on her back carrying her with one hand.

"We meet again lassie."  he cheerfully said.
As he opened his visor showing only his cold dark eyes.

Her eyes were bloodshot with tears, terror, and anguish.
She was in a terrible mess as dirt and blood stainted her clothes.

________________________________________________________________________________
Time passed by as the battle ended.
Leanne was soon moved towards the opposite side of the stream where they made camp.

Lance was left on the ground in the middle of that battle with no one to tend to him.
His fate was not as fortunate as Leanne's.

As his blood soon turned cold from the regret and sorrow in his eyes.
Leanne who caught a glance of him from afar as she was taken away.

She could only moan in anguish as she watches her brother's eyes had lost life in his eyes.

『Why did this happen?』

『After my brother protected me.』

『Now... that I know that he was never my enemy.』

『Yet I felt like I did nothing and just watch him die like that...』

『We competed and hated one another.』

『Yet at the end of that moment.』

『Everything simply burned away.』

 

On that day, I was chained and imprisoned.

『Is all hope lost?』I wondered.

『As I soon slept under the cold ground with my foot chained by a metal ball.』

『AS IF I COULD SLEEP LIKE THIS!』

While gritting my teeth, powerless to what had just happened.
What kind of sick worthless princess am I?
But no matter how much I pulled these chains.

I was full of anger, resentment, regret, and thirst for vengeance that I yearned to have.

[Estel...
If you were here right now?
What would you do?]

I wondered these words, yet none could come to my mind.
Under the cruel darkness of this cage,
I could only smack my head on this metal bar as anguish consumed my heart.

『If only I had power.』I prayed yet none would come.

But...
Such a thing does not exist.
As these fools celebrates their victory in their wicked cruelty towards my family.

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