All sexual contact in this story occurs between persons who are eighteen years old or older.
*****
For centuries the island nation of Adjani had been the world's commercial center, a position bolstered when it signed the Seal of Peace with its nearest neighboring nations of Bourjon, Casparah, and Sentia. Border skirmishes, raids on merchant vessels, and wars ceased, soon replaced by equitable trade and commerce. All four nations prospered, but Adjani benefited the most. After fifteen years of peace, conflict again arose and so began the War of the Broken Seal.
Boulders slammed into the fortified outer walls of Lahoyah, Adjani's, coastal, capital city, while an unrelenting shower of flaming earth fueled a raging blaze that eclipsed the blackened night sky. In Lahoyah's southern quarter, at the edge of the Cataleyan Sea, Bourjon's navy catapulted rotting swine and horses over the walls, pacifying the malnourished, diseased Adjanians with their single source of food: maggot-laden meat.
Adjani's king, Daius the Just, his heir, Prince Edwin, and their armies had been slaughtered a year earlier in battles in Adjani's southern provinces, leaving the capital Lahoyah and the entire country defenseless.
Months of raining terror had finally culminated in the collapse of Lahoyah's eastern walls. With swords drawn, Bourjon's armored legions dashed through the streets slicing through Adjanian flesh. Streams of blood quickly spilled over the pathways, bedrooms, and hideaways of the eastern sector. Fire roared in the west and plague felled the southern quarter.
The resonating echoes of steel penetrating skulls and the sound of thousands of horse hooves on the pathways warned those stupid enough to be outside to hide. Long, soul-ending screams told those indoors to hide, hide well.
Bourjon's mounted legions tore into Lahoyah's lusciously decadent north, breaching internal walls to reach Adjani's palace.
The surviving members of the Adjani royal family had been trapped in the capital during its siege, there Palace now left strategically defenseless. Under orders from the Queen consort, Queen Nelda, the Palace's royal guards had been posted to the city's outer walls to bolster its weakening fortifications and were also stationed throughout the city to preserve order amongst fearful citizens. All except one royal servant had been reallocated to help stave off disease and tend to defensive fortifications.
In the highest tower of the Royal Palace stood Rashiva, the last remaining royal servant, standing watch to give warning of a breach of Lahoyah's defenses. Upon seeing horses with blue Bourjanian banners, Rashiva's mind froze as she attempted to recall her directives. "They're coming. The wall is broken," she whispered, her body shaking. Her eyes widened when she saw the long rope attached to the giant bell high above her head.
Moments before Rashiva's discovery, Queen Nelda had huddled amongst her four children, all crying, except Princess Cwen, Nelda's twenty-four-year old daughter.
"Kella, I need to stay," Queen Nelda said, breaking the news to her second oldest daughter.
"You promised we'd all escape together," rebutted the fourteen-year-old Kella.
Queen Nelda patted Kella's weeping cheek comfortingly. "I need to distract the Bourjanians and give you time to escape. It's the only way you, your sisters, and brother will escape unnoticed and make it to your uncle's lands."
"You can't, we need you, Mother," challenged eleven-year-old Prince Alexander, the last remaining heir to the Adjani royal line.
Queen Nelda kneeled, looking Alexander eye to eye. Beatrix, the baby, began to wail uncontrollably and Cwen was quick in calming her while the Queen responded to Alexander, "You're not a prince anymore, Alexander. You are a king now, so I need you to be strong like your brother, wise like your father, and brave like your big sister, Cwen, and go through those halls without a tear in your eye." Queen Nelda wiped his tears away as Alexander nodded in silence.
Before Queen Nelda could say another word, Rashiva's warning bell rang out. Nelda grabbed Cwen's head, whispering in her ear fervently, "You remember where to find the tunnel exit and everything else I told you?"
"Yes," Cwen said, fighting the urge to express her fear as her mother's nails dug in her scalp.
"In case you can't escape, do you have the pearl? Do you remember how to find the wizard?"
"Mother, we'll get to Uncle Gaius. We don't need an emergency plan—"
"Don't question this! Do you remember, and do you have it?"
"Yes," Cwen confirmed, pulling out a gold necklace with a large pearl orb at its center.
"Hide it well... Go now!" Queen Nelda commanded, releasing Cwen's head. "I love you all," she said, straight-faced and determined as her children ran off to safety.
Minutes after her children fled, the blue-cloaked enemy poured into the extravagant throne room. Fearless Queen Nelda, with her regal rolls of gray hair, stood determined with a sword in hand, fruitlessly blocking the path to the golden throne.
A portly man adorned with a battle fastened crown and blood-stained armor, haughtily brandished a crimson-coated blade at the Queen. His knights pushed her by the shoulders downward, forcing her head nearer to the stained sword. "Kiss the tip of my blade. It's a simple kind gift of your husband and eldest son."
The Queen's face turned away from blade. "God will have his vengeance, Naimak!" the Queen shouted.
"Cover the witch's mouth," ordered Naimak, beads of sweat rolling down his round face. "Queen Nelda doesn't approve of my gift. I offer her one last moment with the essence of Daius, the Decapitated King, and Edwin, the Disemboweled Prince, and she squanders it with idle threats and fables. I choose who lives. I choose who dies... I—I am the one true God!
"Should I have brought the witch a better gift? Ah, yes, the head of Daius but alas, I already gifted it, and his body, to the cannibals of the black forest," Naimak said, raising his arms in jest to his loyal bodyguard knights. His guardian legion laughed lightly. "What say you, General Udolf, commander of all my legions?"
All eyes except Nelda's turned toward General Udolf. The general stood tall, his posture unencumbered amidst the burden of heavy medal. His flawlessly polished armor contrasted with his bloody blade. Sweat beaded down Udolf's forehead as his tongue flicked along his dry lips.
"You're too kind, sire," uttered Udolf. "The dead need not, such kind offerings, and that she is sure soon to be." He bowed to the Queen. "Queen Nelda deserves nothing but the longest blade."
"Udolf, you are right for once," said Naimak. "I am too kind. If you had displayed this kind of wisdom on the battlefield, this war could have been over when you promised me it would be. But no, I had to call in more ships. Forty thousand more men for a city full of women and children!" Naimak raised his blade swiftly, slapping Udolf down with the flat end of it. "You wasted my gold!"
Nelda started laughing. "Ha! You broke your seal and its peace. You've lost the protection of God, and the way you treat your men, ha! It's just a matter of time before they kill..."
Naimak's attention was diverted. Udolf stood, shaking off the embarrassing attack with a knowing grin.
"Silence, witch!" Naimak yelled, kicking Nelda.
"Ahh!" Nelda gasped, clutching her side. "You're going to burn in the depths of hell before morning, Naimak."
"Me? No, you'll burn if that's your pleasure." The conquering King again kicked the bound woman, then again and again until sweat covered his eyes.
Panting and pacing, King Naimak screamed at Nelda. "You arrogant, demonic witch of a whore, you will die like your weak husband." Naimak smirked wickedly as he stroked his bloodied beard. "I will kill every living thing on this island, starting with your four demon spawn. I will wipe this country from existence, leaving brimstone and bones. Anyone that whispers its name will answer to my sword. Oh, except for your gold, I want the gold," Naimak said with a yellow-toothed grin.
Nelda lay on the floor heaving in pain and gasping for air. She finally spoke. "I dreamed your death last night, Naimak... It was glorious. By the hand of God's chosen... you will die in this very throne room." She groaned and closed her eyes.
Naimak's face exploded in anger as he began to kick the resolute Queen. Naimak quickly grew angrier at her silent strength and thrust his sword through the Queen again and again. Queen Nelda wailed as blood streamed from all over down her gown.
"Your husband should have shared more of his riches, not just the scraps," Naimak said as he pulled his sword out and then stabbed Nelda again. "Did you dream that, witch?"
The king raised his long sword and plunged it through her neck. With one more rising of his arms, Queen Nelda's head fell in a pool of blood. Unseen, Udolf closed her eyelids and whispered a prayer.
"The witch said she liked fire. Burn her to ash. I don't want her bewitched spirit haunting me," Naimak yelled, dictating to Udolf.
*****
In another part of the palace, Cwen led her siblings toward safety. For years the Bourjanian positions had made an escape through the tunnel exits to the outside of the city walls impossible.
Cwen's soft palms held her baby sister Beatrix against her chest, as her young brother Alexander and sister Kella followed behind, dashing through the Palace halls. They fruitlessly pushed at the stone walls of the grand halls, looking for the tunnel entranceway, but alas it couldn't be found.
Queen Nelda's screams echoed through the darkening halls, from the other side of the Palace hitting the ears of her four fleeing children. A fresh stream of tears rolled forth from Princess Beatrix, the resilient, Cwen griped little Beatrix in her arms tighter, pressing Beatrix's head against her bosom in an attempt to safeguard her from the sounds of terror.
"I should have stayed with Mother," Alexander whispered, shaking in fright.
Cwen wiped Alexander's tears away and lifted his chin. "Mother made me promise to get to Uncle Gaius's lands in the West. I need you to keep your promise to her. Breathe in. Good, and now out. Be a brave king. Can you be brave?"
Alexander nodded and they continued their journey, looking for the hidden passageway they once had known very well.
"We're all going to be all right, as long as we stay together," Cwen said with certainty to her frightened siblings, calming them for the moment.
However, the hope of escape dimmed with the sounds of enemy knights stomping nearer and nearer. Louder and closer came the knights when suddenly Princess Kella spoke. "I found it Cwen!" Kella exclaimed excitedly, as she applied her palm to an average-looking stone. The wall parted to reveal the hidden passageway.
Behind the protection of the hidden door, Cwen looked at her siblings. "I promised Mother I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. You believe me, right?"
Alexander and Kella said "yes," as Beatrix nestled her head into Cwen's shoulder in a nodding motion.
