Faustina continued to cry as she watched her home disappear from the far distance. The horses were galloping across the fields, back to somewhere beyond the mountain-forest. She overheard the soldiers talking. They were planning to take her to a carriage connecting to the main road back to the castle.Holding her breath, Faustina plunged into the ground and stumbled harshly upon the gra.s.s. The horses halted afterwards and the soldiers were alarmed. She gathered all strength left inside her and ran as fast as she could back to where her master is. Her chance was slim. She was alone, weak and injured. Outwitting those soldiers will be walking through a thread"s breadth.
But Faustina knew the mountain-forest more than anybody else. The ways where paths are too narrow for horses or men to even cross. She went south, thanking her pet.i.te body which helped in concealing her presence from sight as she let herself be engulfed through the branches of the trees.
The rain poured harshly and the road she was taking became so muddy. Her ribs hurt and she thinks she may have broken a bone or two. Everything drove her to agonizing corners, but what was driving Faustina to walk was the force from her heart. The driving force which screamed the name of her master.
The scream of a lonely girl just wanting to be with her mother.
Faustina knew she was too far from the cabin. There was nothing to light her path, so stumbling several times to the mud was another obstacle. The moonlight was no longer there, only grey clouds who cried from her master"s death.
Faustina wanted to run. She could hear the soldiers getting nearer. She did not want anything to do with them. She wanted to be with Eula—she knew from the moment they took her away—that she cannot stay still and simply leave everything to men she doesn"t even know. Even if he is the king.
It took her a moment to realize she was getting nearer to the cabin after several minutes of running. Hope rose from her chest like a spark of fire. She tried to walk faster, a bit rapid than before, even if the pain escalated; increasing like a pang of poison in her veins at every second. She was wet from the rain and ragged from the mud.
"Halt!"
She refused to listen to the nearing soldiers. She knew they would reach her. She have to run faster—
Just a distance away—
Faustina"s legs found the cabin.
But to her confusion, there was nothing but silence. The rain which poured heavily is now mellowing like a calm before the storm. But contrary to its tranquil state, the home Faustina has is in a silent chaos.
Soldier"s corpses are scattered over the ground, burnt to crisp. Some still twitched and mumbled deafening cries. Faustina stared in fear as her legs trembled to the ground. Amidst the corpses, there stood the king. His eyes were downright blue, looking down with emotion so unreadable. He stood with his two Knights, severely injured.
He collapsed to the ground and panted.
"My King!" Says the man with the rust-colored hair.
"Pay no attention to me," the King replies, holding his sword for support. He buried it to the ground as he knelt and took a deep breath. He coughed numerous times and blood trickled at the side of his mouth.
Faustina stared at the king. A memory of Eula flashed before her eyes as Alexander continued to cough blood. Soldiers finally came and held Faustina to her place, making her stay still. Some soldiers came to aid the knights.
"The nightmare is worsening." Says the other knight, his face identical to the other. "Brother, the medicine?"
The other knight handed a small flask containing a translucent liquid, giving it to the king. Faustina saw how he drank the liquid and how it glistened, summoning a small magic circle around the king"s skin.
The king"s body looked like it was carved with magic circles. His body was marked with too much patterns of incantations, like a tattoo which pierced too much of his skin.
All of Faustina"s thoughts vanished as Alexander stood up and walked towards her. She clenched her jaw and remained vigilant.
"Fair maiden of the mountains."
"Where is Eula?" She asked, as tears flowed from her chestnut eyes. "W-where is my master?"
The soldiers remained silent, while the two knights stared in sympathy as Faustina spoke.
"Where is my master?" She asks, almost shouting. "Where is that Jonathan?! W-what happened to Eula?"
"Jonathan, the High Warlock of the Seven Seas. A tremendously powerful magician ever existed. A criminal; not just an arbitrary one. The most desired by the Court. His presence was last seen by only my great grandfather."
"His appearance today is least expected. I apologize, my Fair Maiden." Alexander says calmly, as he knelt down and bowed completely to Faustina. "I am sorry. We did not seize him sooner. We failed to come to your aid."
"W-where"s..."
"Jonathan escaped." Says the High Knight, "along with your master"s body."
"No... why would he..."
"We do not understand his purpose ourselves." Says the king.
"T-then why are you here?" Asks Faustina. "Why did you come here?! Why?" She wanted to stop herself from spouting things that come from anger because she was standing before the king; however, she knew how hard it was the moment she felt the unadulterated rage and sorrow as she remembered her master. She can"t help but blame the man in front of her.
She kept on pulling a.s.sumptions for her questions. Questions why a Warlock would want to resurrect an insignificant witch. She wanted to a.s.sume that this was just a dilemma where she and Eula were just caught in the middle. She wanted to think that maybe it is all the King"s fault—that they just happened to be caught in a spider"s web.
"We came with a completely different purpose," says the knight, "a purpose that your master knows herself."
Faustina blinked in surprise. "My master knows... of?"
"We wanted to acquire your a.s.sistance, Faustina of the Heilen blood." Says the other, "to use your prowess to do a very crucial task your master a.s.signed to you."
Faustina stared in bemus.e.m.e.nt as she remembered flashbacks of Eula"s last words.
"If you see the trader... run..." Eula says, her voice was getting smaller, "if you see the king..."
She parted her lips in astonishment as the knight spoke the words her master said at her final breath.
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"...form a contract. Form a contract to sustain King Alexander"s life."