Cost of the Crown (UNREVISED VERSION)

Carnation

They both ran until they reached the top of the tower where they saw a woman sitting on a chair and her head on the table in front of her. She was holding a quill in her right hand and it was covered in blood.

"What in the name of Queen Victorina and King Eduard is this?" Eric asked.

"Well, I think the vines are more of our problem right now than a presumably dead body," Hans replied, stepping away from the vines that continued to creep closer to them.

They started throwing things at it until nothing was small enough to throw. Hans looked around then he saw a music box by the bed which he threw towards the vines. When the music box landed, it opened then a song was heard. It made the vines stop and the song felt familiar for Hans.

"It stopped..." Eric smiled.

"The music box made it stop..." Hans huffed. "I feel like I heard that melody before..."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

Hans slowly went closer to the vines then he took the music box. He examined it then he saw a moon carved below it.

"Moon?" Hans raised an eyebrow.

"The moon... The Orient's guardian... Lune." Eric took the music box as he shared. "In contrast to our sun... Solis... I wonder who would be allowed to have such a sacred symbol?"

"More or less a royal..." Hans said as he approached the woman on the chair.

"Was this King Cedric's tower?" Eric asked.

"Maybe so..." Hans slowly raised the woman's head with care, making sure to properly support her. When they both saw her face, they were shocked and their eyes were filled with dread. The dead woman resting on the table, holding a bloody quill was the woman they have been looking for.

"Is... That..." Eric froze. He dropped the music box again then he approached the woman before hugging the corpse. He cried as he hugged the dead woman while Hans took the letter from the table which was covered in blood.

"Eric... Her last words..." Hans looked down at the paper he held. "It talked about your sister's life... Your aunt was an incredible woman..."

"I know... I know... I know she is..." Eric cried louder. His grief was overwhelming him and he did not want to let go.

"She died trying to convince your sister to refrain from committing a mass massacre..." Hans frowned. "She was the one who initiated the evacuation..."

"Why did my sister have to kill you?" Eric sobbed.

"Eric... I think we need to take her to the room where everyone else is... It might be for the best..." Hans suggested.

"Sure..." Eric wiped his tears before carrying Cherie back to the room. When they arrive at the room, Maria was coughing out blood and it made Hans worry. He ran towards Maria then he held her in his arms.

Eric slowly put down Cherie on the footrest in front of the bed. "Are you okay?"

"We need Clara..." Hans desperately told Eric.

"How are we going to go out of the walls faster without any steed?" Eric asked.

"I know how..." Hans looked at Eric desperately then he took Maria. He ran across the halls and left the castle with Eric trailing behind him. He took a cart by the stables then he carefully put Maria down.

"A cart?" Eric asked.

"It's easier going around with this than carrying her," Hans informed. "There is no time to waste, Eric, we need to work with haste."