The White Republic

Chapter II

Proposals

The High House of Von Kian lived on giant property long ago built by Eleonora's oldest ancestors.

Up north, by the mountains, the walls of the castle were made of the impenetrable blocks of stone, the gates of iron forged with the hottest flames. The lawns surrounding the house were so long that the archers, up on their watch towers, had time to drink a whole mug of coffee before shooting whoever dared to run across the fields with the intent of breaking in.

Inside, there were endless rooms where the Von Kian children had all sorts of classes. The kitchen had its own farm and garden, also inside the property. The horses were trained to go up to the borders, but never to cross to the outside. The cars were fixed in the garage. All the servants of Von Kian lived at the house — no one left, no one came in.

Castle Kian was a mansion built with the intent of being a fortress. The family never had to leave, thus everything they needed was within the iron fence. For Nora's parents, the Lord and Lady of Von Kian, this meant safety and protection.

But for her, it was a beautiful prison, which for all means, it's still a prison.

Nora sat on a long couch by her bedroom window, watching as the sun setted behind the white mountains. Once, at twilight, the sky used to be pink and orange and baby blue. But now, it was perpetually grey, a consequence of war residues and the smokes of fires. Still, Nora watched the sunset, remembering what it looked like when she was a kid and all she knew was good and innocent.

The memories of the past night were still fresh in her mind. Isk, the boy, the man. She wondered if the boy was still resting on that mattress or if he had been put to work again already. She didn't know the boy, of course, she hadn't even asked his name. It was one of her rules: no names. Still, the fate of one boy in the middle of thousands weightend on her. Because it wasn't the fate of just one boy, was it?

It was in those moments of reflection, where she sat by the window while the dogs played below her window, on the field, that she was forced to face her other reality.

After all, she wasn't Nora, the girl who cured people who had no one else to go to. She was Lady Eleonora, of House Von Kian.

She was meant to take her mother's role when the time came, but she was never meant to rule. She could worry about the villages, the people, the war, but she couldn't have a proper political or economical opinion because her real duty, and all she had been born to do, was to marry in a couple years. She could pursue an education in whatever field she felt suited, but at the end of the day, the only job she was authorized to have was to take care of a house she didn't own and the kids she was obliged to have.

She could dream, she could want and desire, but she could never fulfill and conquer. Expect when she dressed in the commoner clothes she borrowed and then bribed the family driver.

She glanced over at her wardrobe. The costume sat there, in the dark, with the expectation of being picked up again. Nora hadn't gotten any letter that day, though. Usually, Miss Litz, the daughter of the driver and Nora's personal maid, whom Nora had also bribed, would bring her the secret papers around sunset. But that day, the more Nora waited, the quieter the house got.

A part of her heart felt empty, it would be the first night in a long time where she didn't have anything to do. But her brain, almost never logically incorrect, knew that, maybe, it was for the better. After all, she couldn't afford another strange encounter.

Her bag was hidden in the depth of her closet, like the clothes. The sealed envelope remained unopened inside. She had picked it up the night before when she at last made it back to her bedroom, but quickly gave up on the idea. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her, and above all, used against her. Still, her heart skipped a bit when she remembered its existence.