Lucina's POV
The metal of the chains on my wrists rubbed and irritated my skin. My pale skin was a soft pink. I was uncomfortably held down in a carriage.
But, at least, I was alive and breathing.
It was three weeks after meeting Mother and figuring out Morgan and Alex sided with Plegia. I had replayed the events that happened over and over in my head. From Alex's mood changes to Mother's declaration that she had something in mind of what she would do to me.
But, the words that stuck out to me the most, "I banish her from our family. She doesn't want us, anyway. Why should we try and turn her? We should just kill her and get it over with," burned in my mind. Alex really was the person that had kill all those people. She didn't care who she killed. If they were a threat or someone who opposed her ideas, she would hurt or kill them. She would kill me without hesitation. If it weren't for Morgan, I would be with Naga.
They opposed the other one so much. My younger siblings were at each other throats and, obviously, had different ways of thinking now. But, I wish Alex would have just killed me; the waiting and anticipation is agony.
All I could do was wait and watch out the window. They limited my interaction with any human beings. The only people I saw were the servants who brought me food and Morgan. He came the first week and tried to convince me to join them and the Plegians. Every time I refused and said that I would never be welcomed. Morgan would just frown and slam the door. The final day he came, he said, "Fine! If you want to die an orphan, then do it! I don't care! I'm the one that left you behind in the first place!" That, again, made me think and wonder what would happen if I hadn't chosen this path.
Out my window, I stared my Ylisstol, hoping for a sign for an end to this harsh captivity. But, nothing happened. No one came to rescue me.
So, here I was, in a carriage, on my way to who knows where. 'I bet this is what Mother - no, Lady Robin - had in mind.' I watched the lush green hills of Ylisse turn into the deserts of Plegia.
The sun set right as we crossed the Plegian border. My captors decided that it was time to stop for night, and the two men watching me forced me out of the carriage. When I looked up, I saw that we were once again at the fort that we were at the night that changed our lives. Fort Vahullu.
I shook off my plain white dress, but it was stained brown when I was pushed out from the dirt. The men grabbed my arms and walked me inside. Everyone stared at me: the soldiers stationed at the fort and those who came with us, the servants, and, most importantly, Lady Robin, Alex, and Morgan. They all glared. I averted my gaze and sulked inside.
They lead me to a room with two beds and no windows. I sat down on one of the bed. I sighed as the door slammed shut.
An hour passed, but it seemed like eons because of the dread. There was an knock on the door. I relieved that someone had come, even if they were the enemy. I feared that I would go insane.
The door opened, and a servant walked in. But, there was something strange about the servant. She smiled at me. There was a familiar air around her. Her petite body and wavy brown hair was nostalgic. It took me a second to realize who she was.
"Lyra!" I whispered. Her face lit up at my realization. Lyra was a servant who worked in the castle. Though she was not high up, I saw her on a daily basis. She was in charge of cleaning my room. Over the twelve years of my life, she had become one of my closest friends.
"My lady! I'm glad you are unharmed. I was so worried when they took over Ylisstol." Her eyes were watery when she said. She was so joyful.
"But Lyra, why are you here? Why didn't you escape?"
"They came in through the kitchen where I was and captured everyone in there. They're forcing the servants to be slaves for them. It's rathe..." Just then, Lyra was cut of and pushed to the ground. Her face hit the tray of food she was holding. Her pretty face was soiled by food bits.
The man who pushed stood above her. In his hands were chains that held Brady. He grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. "How dare you socialize with the prisoner!" he yelled. Lyra whimpered. Brady and I looked on the scene with empathy. We were all prisoners and dogs to the Plegians. They didn't care about us. If I wasn't locked up, I would have been putting all my energy into regaining Ylisse.
"Especially since you are both Ylissean, we can't let this go unpunished. What if you were planning to break her out? I think a week without food will teach you a lesson."
"Please don't punish her," I begged. "I was the one who started to talk. It's my fault that she spoke. So if you should punish anyone, punish me." I looked down. It hurt that I was the one caused people close to be hurt.
If I was Exalt, no one that I love would be hurting. In fact, I would probably would have chose Plegia like my siblings.
"Ha!" he laughed. "You think you can just take away her guilt? If you truly think so, you have much to learn about the world." He, then, threw Lyra out the door and brought Brady in. "Here's your new roommate. Don't try to do anything you aren't supposed to." For some reason, I blushed. He slammed the door and left me with Brady.
We stared each other for a while. I didn't want to speak, not even to him. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. All hope had abandoned me. Brady was just someone I had hurt.
Then, I couldn't contain myself. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I closed my eyes, embarrassed that I had shown weakness. "It's okay." I felt a soft hand against my cheek, wiping away my tears. My eyes opened and I saw Brady with the same depression as mine. "I know you have been trying to hold your cries in. I could see it. You try to be strong, but in the end, your mask falls. At least, your mask is stronger than mine. I started crying the minute I heard my mother died, but you held your cries in when you found out that your family had betrayed you." At this, I started crying even harder. Brady made me feel comfortable. I felt like it was okay to cry. "I'm just glad you are getting a good cry. It becomes easier after that.
"The truth about the world is that everyone hides their true self. Only a select few throw away those masks and let the world see. Those masks are the lies we tell. With each one, the masks becomes harder to take off. I just that one day, everyone's masks will fall, and no one has to hurt from those masks."
"What about the people that have to wear masks?" I kind of yelled at him. "I can't just take it off! My people need to know that I'm strong, so they can have hope!"
"When there are no masks, those people have to wear them. It will be like Naga's palace, Heaven." My tears slowed down and I laid my head down on my pillow. I fell asleep to the faint sound of rain.
But, before I fell asleep, I swear I heard someone say, "I wish to change the world for you."
When I had awaken, I saw Morgan sitting in a chair, reading a book, Dragons of the Archanean Era. When he saw I was awake, he closed the book and stood up. He walked to my bed and looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Lucina," he spoke coldly, "I suggest that you collect your wits and get ready to travel again. Be happy that I let you sleep later than you supposed to." At that, he left. I stared blankly at the door, trying to figure out what the hell happened. 'Why wait for me to get up? And why wait in the room? Maybe he was trying to figure something out himself.'
I woke Brady up, who was not happy at all. I dragged him out of bed and forced him to stand. That morning I was feeling better. A good cry really was what I needed.
We were still in our clothes from yesterday, so there was no need to change. I brushed through my hair with my fingers, untangling it the best I could.
"Hey Brady," I said.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think they are going to do to us?"
"I don't know. We know we are heading into Plegia. Maybe they want a public execution. Maybe the Grimleal want a sacrifice."
"Both those options won't end well."
"But they're logical. Who's know if something else more devious is happening?"
"From the look on the Queen's faces when she said she had 'plans', I pretty sure that it won't be good thing."
"Are you not going to refer to your own ma as 'Mother'?"
"They banished me from the family. I don't think I have the right to call her that, anymore."
"Do you still think of Morgan and Alex as your siblings?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. Sometimes, that's all I can think of them as. But, when they threaten me or display hatred, they become my enemy. Most of the time, though, they are my enemies."
"Will you ever love like family, again?" I was taken back by this question, but I already knew the answer.
"No, never. Not like I used to."