As a new queen rises to power, the kings of Caeleste grow unrest. The Inlustris in their sights, they send an assassin to Antonella Feulune's palace, and the war is declared.
Inexperienced and filled with grief, Antonella sends off her fiancé on a t...
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I cried out as debris flew through the sky. Screams filled my ears as people tried to run to safety. Aircrafts kept whizzing about, dropping explosives like it was confetti. The ground shook as more land was destroyed.
I ran into the war zone.
"Ella, no!" Adonis called out.
Tears streaming down my face, I dodged concrete, tubes, pieces of burning furniture, and unrecognizable debris. I ran through the trees in hopes of finding cover. Through my trek, I saw my soldiers making their way to the border. They didn't notice me as I turned the other way; they were more focused on the attack in motion.
Bursting out from the forest onto the main road, I fell to my knees seeing my kingdom blown up to bits. I sobbed, grabbing a fistful of soil and threw it upward in a stupid effort to show defiance against the other kingdoms.
"Ella, you need to get up," Marisole whispered in my ear.
"It's destroyed," I sobbed. "They destroyed it."
Smoke and dust became one trailing up into the sky. The bright blue I was used to seeing was no longer there, it was replaced by a dull gray. I couldn't even recognize the kingdom in front of me, if it could even be called that.
"Your palace is still standing," she whispered, even quieter now. "Get up."
I didn't even try to fight her as she hoisted me back up. My head buzzed as more explosives were dropped. I covered my ears at the loud boom's. They were never ending.
"Your people, Ella," Marisole continued.
Blinking back tears, I remembered when it all started. The declaration of war. The uncertainty in front of me. The fears and anxiety that laced all my servants.
"Remember that a good queen does everything for her people, her living people."
I hiccuped and stared at the direction of my palace. My bottom lip trembled.
Remembering Theodora was like a slap to the face. I was so focused on gathering intel, I forgot I had other duties as queen. I had no idea how my people were dealing with the declaration of war. Inferos, I didn't even know how my servants were dealing with it, and they were at the nucleus of it. They were in the same building as the Inlustris.
The war was here. I couldn't turn back time and re-do it all over again. I knew the dirty tricks these kings did to fight this war, so I knew I had to fight back. I just hoped that I could save my people from horrible death.
"Ella, why are we here?" Adonis asked. The rest of the Bleeders, except Marisole, shared the same sentiment.
I stared at them with bloodshot eyes before running towards my palace. I heard them follow me. They yelled at me to get back, but they still continued forward. I ignored their words and jumped over fallen domums and raedas, getting closer to my goal.
