The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 19

"But their success was not from the men who fought in these battles. The women played a large role in crafting the weaponry and machines of war. However, the men treated the women as slaves and took all the credit. They abused their women and did not appreciate their dedication."

"So, the women decided to do something about it. After years of suffrage, they were able to join up and create their own army. Together they fought against their own husbands and brothers. They fought for freedom and for privilege. The men knew nothing of their ways of fine craftsmanship and so they were no match for the women's battle creations. The women barely had to lift a sword and fight. Instead, they relied on their machines from afar."

"After they won the war, they gained the rights to their own area of land within Bellum. Then they named their kingdom Bacciballum. The direct definition of bacciballum means "women," but it is also slang for what men often referred to them as "bits of stuff." This is why these independent women decided to call their own territory Bacciballum, to further spite the men who oppressed them."

Maria waited for Elysia to finish before asking, "If Bacciballum is comprised of only females, how do they continue growing their population?"

This question used to throw Elysia off, but now she had learned enough of Bacciballum's history to know the answer. "In order to maintain their population, they take in any and all female orphans from other kingdoms. Babes who don't have parents, girls whose family can either not afford to keep or do not want them. Their kingdom gratefully takes these girls in and raises them. They even donate money to these orphanages each time they adopt."

Maria nodded her head in approval. "Very good. Since you seem to already have a good knowledge on both Bacciballum and Impetus, we might as well move on to something else. How is your calligraphy coming along?"

"I love the practice," Elysia admitted honestly. Though the princess hated her lessons with Maria, she did rather enjoy practicing calligraphy. She had been writing since she was little and her penmanship was beautiful. Often when she was confined to the castle she would spend hours simply writing, loving the way she could work a quill.

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After dinner and after washing up, Elysia finally decided to announce she was going to bed. She watched as her guardian stayed guard outside her room while she went in. As she closed the doors she kept her eye on Shade the whole time. He looked no different than every other time she glanced at him.

Elysia hurried over to one of her dressers and opened the drawer. She wanted to prepare herself for when she would be attempting her escape later that night. From the drawer she pulled out a very long, thick rope. She had acquired such a thing a few years ago from the stables. The princess knew it would come in handy one day.

Quietly, she set the long and heavy rope by the edge of her bedroom window. Then she walked over to her bed and got in, fully aware she would not actually be sleeping. Instead, she spent the time further finalizing her plans. She wanted to know exactly what town she was headed to and what pathways she should take to get there.

After three agonizing hours, it was finally time to go. Slowly she lifted the covers off from her body and spun her legs out to touch the floor. Very quietly she stood up and tiptoed to the window.

In one of her older bedrooms she used to have a balcony, but her father had determined her too much of a troublemaker to keep such a room. He made her switch to this room so that she would be "safer."

Elysia had opened her windows several times before and so she knew that the left one squeaked terribly when opened. With that thought in mind, she carefully opened the window on the right. The cool night breeze met her skin and sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine. She couldn't wait to get out there and finally be on her own.