Trees whooshed past as the carriage moved on high speed. Lysandra placed her head on the inner body of the carriage as she stared at the passing green scenery. Knowing that she had gone far from Asta was a relief and she took her time to enjoy her trip. This was the first time she has ventured far from the castle and it wasn't for a good reason. Beside her, Albertina was fast asleep. Both of them have been through a lot for the past two days and it was a blessing they were finally far from their father.
They rode through towns and villages without stopping. On the other hand, Lysandra was awestruck by the different types of houses and shops she came across at different places. Some houses were built with chimneys, others were built without it but they still looked good. Mills, rice farms, flower beds, and also slums. That part made her sad.
When they rode into a quiet town, the carriage shook with great tremor and came to a sudden halt. She frowned and tucked her head out of the window.
Albertina jolted up from her sleep and pulled her hood backwards. "What was that?" She questioned with sleepy eyes but there was no response. Opening her eyes further, she saw Lysandra's head stuck out of the window.
"Lysandra!!" She screamed in fear. Her hands immediately reached for her sister.
Pulling her head back into the carriage, Lysandra threw an annoying glare at Albertina. "What was that for Tina? You scared the hell out of me," she remarked and touched her chest, trying to pacify her raging heart.
"I thought something happened to your head. Why did you stick it out of the window in the first place? Imagine the scare of seeing such imagery after waking up from an interrupted sleep," Albertina responded with the same tone Lysandra had used.
Her eyes were still groggy but she tried to force herself not to go back into the dreamless sleep.
Lysandra smirked and leaned in to pat her auburn hair. "You are such a doll, Tina," she said to her sister who was already sulking like a child.
The carriage door was pulled open and the coachman stared at them apologetically. "The carriage wheel broke down, my ladies. This town seems to be in poor development. Both of you can step out while I fix it," he said with a small bow.
"Alright sir. Tina," Lysandra replied and motioned for Albertina to step out of the carriage. A … sound made Lysandra look at her feet. "I didn't see that," she murmured as her right foot got stuck in mud.
Albertina chuckled at her sister's recklessness and outstretched her hand, "may I, your highness?" She teased. A small grin played on her lips as she waited for her sister to answer.
The former tried to stifle her laughter. She knew Albertina was getting back at her after their little shenanigan inside the carriage. Which was quite hilarious. She took Tina's hand. "Of course, your Grace," she played along.
"SPLASH"
"Not again!" She growled in frustration upon seeing her left foot stuck in mud.
Albertina burst out laughing. "It seems the mud is not happy with you," she jeered.
"My lady," the coachman called from where he was inspecting the broken carriage wheel.
She turned to look at him, "yes?"
"Behind you," he pointed out.
Albertina immediately turned back but she couldn't find anything.
Lysandra's chuckles instantly filled the air and this prompted Albertina to look at her feet. "No way! How did I step on a puddle of mud?" She wailed.
The coachman smiled and went back to his work.
"Alright, alright. Let us look for where to wash it off. I heard it could be very smelly after some time," Lysandra said as they made their way deep into the town.
Few people were walking up and down. It was already evening and the sky was turning pink and orange, as dusk fast approached.
"Albertina, do you feel anything? About this place?" Lysandra asked. The town was eerie as if few people lived here. At first, she had thought that the people were few because they were at the entrance of the town. But now that they have gone far, she knew something was off.
Both girls suddenly came to a stop as they came face to face with a huge man covered in golden armor and white tunic. The Asta crest was boldly engraved on the chest part.
"Everything is definitely wrong about this place," Albertina shook in terror as the king's guards appeared from different corners of the town, surrounding them.
Cyprian smirked at the girls who looked frightened to their bones. "No wonder I couldn't lay eyes on both of you earlier. You seem to blend well with commoners. How could I have missed that?" He said to the girls.
Albertina swiftly took her place at Lysandra's front. Blocking her from the king's guard. "Because your eagerness to catch the traitor blinded you, fool" she retorted.
The guards around immediately took a step towards the girls but Cyprian stopped them. "A smart mouth you have got there, princess. Perhaps they won't be so sharp when it's filled with my cock, bobbling down your throat," he remarked. Some of the king's guards laughed at this while Albertina felt her ears turn pink in embarrassment.
Now that the guards were distracted, Lysandra felt another piercing gaze from above her. She quickly scanned the houses and saw that most of the people were spying from their windows. A frown lined her face as she swiftly looked around. Then her eyes drifted upwards towards a two storey building and her heart froze.
"Cat's got your tongue princess? Well, why don't you stay out of this. I'm here to bring just one of you back to the King. Most especially the red haired girl. Don't worry dear, you won't be left out." Cyprian grinned evilly as lots of scenes played in his head. "Your father wants you dead, little traitor. So I and my men can enjoy you to our satisfaction before disposing of your body," he added.
Albertina felt her blood run cold at the guard's words. Fear. She could feel it crawling on her skin. "Ly–lysandra. What should we do? I don't want to go back to that evil place and neither do I want these men t-to treat me like a whore," she said to her sister.
Breaking her stare from the silver eyed man who was standing with a silver haired man beside him, Lysandra tried to calm her racing heart. "I don't know Albertina, we are surrounded." She whispered to her sister. Now, it was dark.
Lysandra couldn't comprehend what was happening. How did the guards catch up to them and how did they know they were going to stop at this town? The coachman. And who were the men above them? It was as if they were in a play while the men were the audience.
Lysandra then sidestepped her sister to come face to face with the head guard, Cyprian. She had always disliked him. "It seems you don't know your place after the bump and blue cheek isn't it, Cyprian?" She taunted him.
The man with silver eyes who was listening with keen ears raised an eyebrow at the girl's word.
Cyprian felt he just received a blow as he gritted his teeth. Seething with anger, he yelled. "Tie them up!"
Lysandra and Albertina immediately pressed their backs against each other. There was no way they could win against these men. For some reason, Lysandra's gaze fell on the man with silver eyes again. "How could someone's eyes be so bright despite the height distance?" She asked herself.
"Eyes? Who is that?" Albertina asked.
Lysandra's eyes widened when she heard Albertina's question. "Did I just say that aloud?" She asked. Her eyes were still holding the man's, probably pleading for help.
The men who went to get the ropes returned and walked towards the girls stealthily. Cyprian's grin widened even more as he watched the show before him.
"Sandra," Albertina breathed, "they are coming," she said with a shaky mouth.
Lysandra felt her chest tightened. They had come a long way from home and is this how they were going to end up? She thought to herself.
"Please don't harm me, I'm just a coachman. I don't know that they were princesses," Lysandra heard the coachman begging for his life as the men brought him before Cyprian. A dagger on his neck, ready to slit his throat.
"It wasn't the coachman," Lysandra murmured as it finally dawned on her. It was the man from the inn.
One of the king's guards grabbed Albertina and she screamed. "Shut up, trash," the man said loudly as he tried to force her hands together. Lysandra immediately threw her fist at the other man holding the rope.
"Both of you, tie up the red haired bastard," Cyprian ordered his men.
As the men marched towards Lysandra, she lost all hopes of escaping her father's wrath. She didn't want to marry the Eastern prince. Even though she was a princess who has responsibilities to shoulder for the good of her people, she also has the choice to marry a good man right?
When she stared at the figure again, silver eyes met amber eyes. Albertina's scream filled the air as they tied her both hands and legs. There was no one to save them yet she looked up to the man. Perhaps he could help them. "Please," she choked on her sob as the men grabbed her shoulder to bundle her up.
A muscle on his jaw ticked and then, he was gone from the spot he was standing.
The silver haired man sighed in exasperation. "What a pity," he said and felt the space beside him empty. "What?" He asked. When he looked outside through the floor to ceiling window, he frowned.
Cyprian felt everything was going just as he had planned after getting information from the innkeeper, when a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Wha–what was that?" A few seconds ago, no one was standing in his line of sight and the next thing, a man's back greeted him.
"Hey, who are you? Better leave before you get tangled up in matters that concern the king," he said proudly. Then the man turned. Cyprian felt his breath leave his lungs as he stared into silver eyes. He couldn't open his mouth and not talk about moving a muscle. What's happening to me? He asked himself. Then he saw himself falling to the ground, then black.
The king's guard had finally tied up the girls and were ready to march towards Asta when they saw Cyprian fall to the ground, unmoving. A man in all black was standing there as his body exuded a strange aura. When he turned, the next person in sight fell down, dead.
The grip on Lysandra's shoulder loosened as a thud brought her back to reality. Beside her were the guards who had tied her hands. Then, there was the man who she had spotted.
The king's guard upon noticing that the man was killing them one after the other without touching them, neither was he with a weapon, they began to hesitate.
"Attack!" One of them yelled as they rushed to attack the strange man. To everyone's awe, they fell down dead just like the others.
Lysandra's mouth was left agape as she stared at the scene before her in shock and relief at the same time. Albertina was white as a sheet from where she was sitting and so were the other men.
Before Lysandra knew what was happening, the remainder of the king's guard scattered around as they fled from there in fear. The man was a ghost.
"That was spectacular," the silver haired man cheered as he walked towards the dead men. Amusement dripped from his voice.
Lysandra, Albertina, the coachman and even the people who were hiding in their homes were left in complete mortification at what just happened.
Then the man turned to look at Lysandra with those eyes that were beautiful and brighter than anything she had seen. "Who are you?" She summoned up the courage to ask. Her throat immediately went dry after the question. Fear was ruling her body now.
The man gave her a lopsided grin which made him look more appealing as he walked towards her.
She couldn't move her feet. It was as if her legs were stuck to the ground and were too heavy to lift. Lysandra's breath rose in octaves as he came to stand in her front.
He could see the anxiety on her face yet she wasn't scared of him. She was scared of what he could do. His finger caressed her cheeks as he stared into her eyes. Strange. She was strange.
The man tilted his head in amusement as he pinched her face with one of his fingers.
"Ouch!" Lysandra rasped in confusion. She drew two steps back. "What was that for?" The man was strange indeed. To her surprise, he put the bloodied finger into his mouth and sucked on it.
Lysandra felt her breath leave her. Her ears turned hot at what he was doing as she watched him savour her blood on his finger. Yet, his face showed no emotions.
His raven black hair danced serenely to the breeze as he stared at her, and she didn't look away.
"See you soon, Lysandra," he whispered for only her to hear.
Before Lysandra or anyone could tell what was happening, he disappeared into thin air as if he wasn't there a few seconds ago. So was the silver haired man.
"Ghosts!" Someone screamed from one of the houses.