Cost of the Crown (UNREVISED VERSION)

Porsche

"Are you kidding me?!" Maria dodged the attack. "When I just woke up, you decided to greet me good morning with a refreshing fist to the face."

"Oh sorry, sleeping beauty, I must have woken you up." Cassandra took the sword off the armor stand as she walked towards Maria.

"Technically, Elise did. She told me that she finished the job and would take my sanity from time to time." Maria slowly walked further.

"Oh, the queen of the Orient... I never knew she'd be so nice." Cassandra gritted her teeth as she ran towards Maria. "She's going to kill you slowly, so let me be nice for once and cut that torture by killing you right now."

"Come on, if we're talking about torture, try being in my shoes then tell me that having a heart is easy." Maria stood there as she waited for Cassandra to attack.

"Oh honey, at least two couples became your parents and your brother made your life a bed of roses," Cassandra told Maria as she swung the sword towards her opponent who was doing her best to dodge. "Thank Queen Victorina that your family did not detonate your existence and exile you to a place you did not wish to be at a young age. They also did not drive you insane or worse, make you jump off the castle tower because you can't handle the stress of being the firstborn."

"Look, I'm really sorry about your past but why in the name of King Eduard would you want to destroy my kingdom!? A kingdom that is miles away from yours?!" Maria yelled as she ran away.

"Because your ancestors started it all!" Cassandra ran after Maria.

"My ancestors?! You're the descendant of King Eduard and I'm the successor of Queen Victorina, why should we fight?" Maria stopped abruptly. "All I ask is for you to stop claiming my crown."

"Why fight? I guess you are half the bookworm that your brother was." Cassandra hyperventilated.

Maria took metal debris from a house near them as Cassandra gained her stamina back. Though still tired from both being manipulated and straining her body, she stays calm and collected as she goes for the defense on Cassandra's every attack.

"Could you stop?! You heard what the council said." Maria yelled.

"Elise. You do know why I want to do this... Right?"

"What?" Maria stood tall and off-guard.

Cassandra hit Maria's metal debris then it was sent flying. She tripped Maria then pinned her onto the ground with her foot then she was about to thrust the sword into Maria's heart when she held the blade with two hands just to stop Cassandra from impaling her.

As the two women were in the middle of the plaza, Eric just entered the walls because of the loud crash he heard earlier. When he saw both Maria and Cassandra, one was already near to killing the other and it scared him.

Blood dripped onto Maria's purple dress. She felt as if her hands were being sliced off, it was a scary scene but it was least of her worries.

Eric stealthily got nearer to the two, making sure he doesn't make any noise. He wielded his sword then Cassandra turned around to defend herself but her reflex was to slow, she got impaled in the heart. Eric realized what he just did then he left the sword impaled into her sister as he hugged her. He cried for he didn't mean for it to go that way, he acted on impulse but Cassandra only smiled in his brother's arms.

"Don't ever be like me... Promise me that... Baby brother..." Cassandra smiled. Her last breath, her last words were still for his brother's welfare.

She closed her eyes knowing she will never open them again. Her memories were played back to her for the last time and it showed how much she loved her brother. Taking care of him since he was born and even though exiled, she did not let her parents corrupt him as they did to her. She saw life's true colours at such a young age and Eric knows better than to blame her for their parent's mistakes of manipulating her to be like them.

"Good night sister... I love you too..." Eric whispered to his dead sister's ear.

Maria saw the two get along for the last time, though sadly being on the brink of death. She looked at her hands as her sight becomes foggy. She was happy to see them like that and she too was tired. She closed her eyes then lost her consciousness.

Eric grieved for both though he knew that Maria was alive. Beyond the castle walls, Clara was again with Hans, taking care of the citizens.

"Did you not hear the explosion from the inside of the walls?!" Hans asked Clara.

"I did... But I was told by both to not interfere." Clara responded.

"You do know that one of them is going to die, right?!" Hans yelled.

"Don't be so loud... Yes, but I am betting on the chance that my queen will win." Clara whispered.

"That fifty percent chance?!" Hans asked.

"Yes..." Clara smiled. "Go inside the walls then tell me that I'm right."

Hans put down everything he was holding then ran towards the walls. He didn't know what to feel, was he supposed to be happy that she might be alive or frustrated to know that he wasn't there to save her, grieving because both Eric and Maria might be dead or anger for Cassandra might have killed both though the possibility of her killing Eric was infinitesimal.

While watching Hans run, Clara smiled to the heavens saying, "Victorina... I can go with you now... I can be with you in peace. Of course, King Eduard would be there too but I just want to see you."

Inside the castle walls, Eric was still crying. He laid his sister onto the ground before he cleaned Maria's wounds. He tore his sleeve to serve as a bandage for Maria's hands, legs, and arms. She was heavily wounded and it was not surprising. After stopping the bleeding, he told his sister, "I'll be back... I'll bury you in your home..."

He then carried Maria's unconscious body to the castle which was quite far from the plaza where they fought. He only wished for Clara's abilities at that very moment. There was no animal or human inside the walls, it was deserted which was quite understandable since Clara knew that this would happen.

"You've grown stronger... I'm proud of you... Paris..." A familiar voice whispered into Maria's ear.

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Author's note:

Hi! This is the first part of the ending of this book. I am happy that a lot of you really had the patience to read my book even though I have been updating at a speed slower than a tortoise.

More of the message in the Author's note after the last chapter

Luv ya!