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| V. Orphans |
—
The world was cruel. As Lord Nicholas galloped towards them on his large destrier stallion, Marion's father unsheathed his sword. For a small moment, Marion hoped that her father would be able to take down the man in combat– childish thoughts they were.
Nicholas' armor shimmered as rain slipped over it, sending shivers down Marion's spine. When he dismounted his horse, Marion knew who had the advantage– unfortunately it was not her father. He stood protectively near Lady De Rune, his hands shaking as he held up his steel blade.
"Hurry now, follow the river– it will lead you to Laurentius!" Béatrice commanded Amicia, who was close to tears.
Marion watched as the older woman slammed the door shut before Amicia could protest, the latter banged her fists and let out strained cries.
"Mother, no!" She wailed, her fists pounding on the door that separated her from her mother.
Marion grabbed Amicia's arm, gently pulling her away from the door. Amicia was unrelenting, she refused to stop her incessant pounding.
"Amicia we have to go–" Marion said sternly, but was cut off by a gruesome sight.
A blood covered sword pierced through the wooden door– the wooden door that Lady Béatrice was behind. Marion watched the scene with wide eyes, her grip on the brunette's bicep going slack. Béatrice De rune was dead, and Marion knew that her own father would soon follow.
The dark haired girl tightened her grip on Amicia once again, a glare etched itself onto her face. She pulled Amicia away from the door and took in a deep breath; she just needed to breathe. A familiar sting grew in her throat, and her breathing grew ragged.
"Amicia, run!" Marion commanded, letting go of her companion to push her forward.
There was no time to think, no time to breathe– just run. Marion's feet began to ache with the force she was using to push them onto the stone path; saliva pooled in her mouth, and her chest tightened. There was no time to think of these things, the Inquisition was already on their tails.
Hugo sat down in the dirt, unaware of the chaos erupting near him. The girls didn't have time to stop and explain what was happening, Amicia pulled Hugo to his feet and made him run alongside her. His little legs could barely keep up– Amicia was practically dragging him.
Being dragged was better than being dead. Marion let out a loud cough, the noise reverberating through the forest. Once it started, she knew it wouldn't stop– she could feel her knees try to buckle, and bile rise in her throat.
The ground began to shake underneath the children, causing Marion to stumble over her own feet. Her head collided with the stone pathway, her vision growing blurry before clearing up again. She was a wheezing mess, curled on the floor with blood flowing out of a small cut on her head. She felt weak, her limbs shook as she pulled herself off of the floor.
