The night had been unusually quiet and chilly, sending shivers down the spine of a young woman as she tossed and turned in her bed. Suddenly, a deep, urgent male voice echoed in her mind, calling, “Isabella, Isabella!” The sound of her name jolted her awake, and she found herself drenched in a cold sweat.

After slipping into her soft, silk nightgown, Isabella tentatively made her way to the balcony of her room. Gazing at the horizon, she saw a great storm brewing in the midnight blue sky over the Uzan mountains.

This was a regular occurrence during this time of year. It was well-known that this storm signalled the end of the stormy season as it did yearly, but tonight, it felt ominously different. An uneasiness was hanging in the air as if the world itself was undergoing a transformation that Isabella couldn’t quite comprehend. 

Despite her efforts, she couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom, and her attempts to sleep were futile. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Isabella decided to open the door to the balcony, allowing the cool, refreshing air to fill the room with the scent of pine tree sap and rain. In the past, moments like this would have brought her solace, settling her restless mind and putting it at ease, but that night, it seemed to have little effect.

Leaning on the balcony, with an exasperated sigh, she took in the softer shades of the night, the words that stirred her awake repeated in her once more. She became lost in thought until she saw a white horse dart into the nearby forest, causing her thoughts to shift. She remembered that this horse was the signal she had discussed with her closest companion.

“Talnír?” Isabella stated in a thoughtful undertone as she realised that the voice she heard had been her elven companion alerting her to his presence in the nearby forest. This was the moment for their carefully crafted plan to unfold. With determination, Isabella hurried back into her room from the balcony. Once there, she quickly made her way to her bedside table and opened the drawer, where she began to search for the small steel pen adorned with a sparkling quartz crystal at its tip.

Under her breath, Isabella activated a magical pen inscribed with pale cyan runes. As she started writing in the air, flaming letters appeared with each stroke. After finishing, she whispered another incantation, gradually causing the fiery words to vanish. She then went to her son’s crib, gently picked him up, and cautiously made her way through the castle, eyes scanning its shadowy corners with bated breath, hoping the one she fled from was not lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on her and her young babe.

By the time Isabella had made it halfway to the Library where her secret escape route was, the storm had started sieging the castle with its strong winds, heavy rain, and loud thunderous rumble. Her baby began to cry as the agitated storm released its fury. She calmed him down with a soft coo. After her baby settled down from Isabella’s soft, motherly voice, her eyes darted left and right anxiously before continuing to flee the castle.

Since her husband’s betrayal at the hands of their brother-in-arms, Raven, Isabella felt like she couldn’t trust anyone. The only people Isabella trusted now were Oran the Scholar and her elven companion, Talnír. The three of them were the only ones privy to the escape plan that was in place.

If Raven found her and her child, they would sneak out through the forest using Riftel horses. They were known as the world’s fastest horses, raised by the elves to travel long distances quickly. Isabella and her party were heading to a small town named Trudid, known for its thick fog, enormous mountains, and dense forest, located one hundred and twenty leagues away from her castle.

“Trying to run, Isabella, with offspring of yourself and Argon?” Isabella felt chills travel down her spine upon hearing this man’s voice. Her stomach sank as she realised that it was the last person she wanted to meet in her castle, and a deep-seated rage built up in her as she relived the memory of her husband’s dying cry. 

“Raven! I see the deceitful serpent blesses me with its presence!” Isabella stated, her voice filled with venom.

“My, how I missed your attitude, my dear Isabella. You’re not an easy one to find. I relished in the challenge of finding you, but now that I have, I can finish what I started. But I digress. This is not a courtesy call. I have come for you and Argon’s heir.” Raven smiled maliciously before continuing, “Hand over Argon’s son. Only one has to die tonight. After we have finished here, we will create a new legacy with you at my side as the mother of my heir!” Raven explained.

“You’re nothing but a traitor! My husband was twice the man you will ever be, and I’d rather die than carry your child!” Isabella was disgusted, becoming filled with horror at the terrifying idea of conceiving and giving birth to his children, which filled her with dread.

“Quite the mouth you have on you. Don’t worry, though; I’ll make you a deal. You behave like a good little wife and give birth to the next king bearing my blood. Then I’ll kill you, so you don’t have to live with the shame.”

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“I will never give birth to another monster like you, Raven!”

“Touchy, touchy. I will have to train you to be silent unless spoken to, and to begin your training, I think I’ll murder your child here and now, then force myself on you and turn you into a brood mother since you wish to be treated like a wench! Guards, seize her, or I’ll have you turned to ash!” Raven nonchalantly stated, maintaining his cocky demeanour.

When he gave the command, four guards appeared from around the corners of the giant bookshelves. “My lady, please come quietly; I do not wish to hurt you. I’m loyal to my king, but I still wish the best for you. Don’t make me do something I will come to regret,” the guard captain said respectfully.

“You’re a traitor, Heelion. Argon protected your family, saved you from death, and this is how you repay him… If you have any honour, kill the fake king and serve the true queen and prince!”

“My lady, I am sorry, but I have no choice… please forgive me!” he said, drawing his sword before approaching Isabella, accompanied by his other three soldiers with their blades drawn. Before the guards could take another step toward her, she bellowed, “Lê’tâ!” sending the soldiers and the captain of the guard soaring through the air, colliding with bookshelves and falling upon the cold, hard, marble-tiled ground as if they were thrown with inhuman strength.

While the guards clambered to their feet again, she ran past them to a bookshelf. She moved a specific book and then entered a secret tunnel. Once she passed the threshold of the bookshelf, she turned around and announced, “mânehteh!” while touching the entrance with her free hand. 

The entrance started to glow in a white light before fading away. She gave it a brief push to check if the spell worked, and as she did, it felt as solid as a brick wall. The spell had successfully sealed the door to the tunnel network. After pausing to recover some of the stamina she had expended from casting the spell, Isabella continued into the tunnel network, clutching her baby tightly.

She eventually came to the end of the tunnel, where she saw her Elven companion, the scholar, and three white horses. They immediately broke into the night, driving the horses as fast as possible.

The horses zipped past the trees, and Isabella and her companions continued to remain vigilant as they travelled, checking over their shoulder and watching for any sign that they were being followed. Talnír banked to the right as he noticed with his elven eyesight an arrow whistling toward him, and with incredible speed and agility, he swung his bow off his shoulder and notched an arrow within seconds. Then, shortly after, he loosed the arrow, and it wasn’t long till he heard the solid thud as it met with its victim. 

***

Isabella looked up through the clearing of the forest canopy and saw that the sun had been rising over the mountains. They had travelled until dawn and made it to the outskirts of Trudid, and they thought they could finally rest and recover from a hard ride. It wasn’t long before they heard the ominous sound of hunting bugles below in the distance. A new sense of urgency filled the trio, and they began to race the exhausted horses toward the small town.

She had assumed that Raven was why their pursuers’ horses didn’t tire and seemed to match the pace of a Riftel horse. Giving Talnír a look from over her shoulder, she signalled to her companion to run interference for her and Oran to make it to Trudid.

Talnír nodded in return, slowed to a stop, and told his horse to hide in the forest somewhere. Then, using his inhuman agility, he quickly jumped into a tree. From his perch upon the tree branch, he watched her dash into the dim morning light of the forest, continuing to travel to Trudid.

As they reached Trudid, she noticed a young couple tending to their sheep on the outskirts of the town. She swore as she realised that Raven had been likely tracking her magic. Her only choice to protect her child was to leave her newborn in their capable hands. When she knew what she had to do, she urged the mare to stop, then she dismounted the horse gracefully and sprinted toward the couple. The couple noticed the worn look on the young mother’s face and met her halfway.

“I don’t h-have much time… I need your h-help!” She pleaded with the humble farmers as she made it to the couple, gasping for air after riding so hard.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” the female farmer inquired, coming to her aid. Isabella guessed the woman was wondering what could have happened to force a mother to flee with her baby.

“I need you to take my baby and raise him. My husband was murdered, and now the man who killed him pursues me.”

“Surely you can hide here,” the female farmer offered, looking toward the forest briefly.

“No. He is tracking me, and he is incredibly dangerous. I cannot hide, and I cannot run anymore. Look after my baby, raise him well, and don’t tell him of me. It will be safer for you both and my dear Kosef. Take my sword; you may need it in the future, though I hope you won’t need to use it,” Isabella stated as she handed the female farmer her sword. After the woman took the sword, she continued, “If he finds you, you must send my son to Alkieth. Tell him to seek out Oran, the scholar. Oran will know what to do. Now hide inside, and I’ll lead them away. Stay safe.” She kissed her baby’s forehead as a tear rolled down her cheek, falling upon her baby’s dimpled cheeks.

She hated the thought of leaving her baby with strangers, but she felt like this was the only way he may live. So, as she pulled away from her baby’s new family, she turned toward her horse and solemnly mounted her. But before she set off to fight her last battle, she looked back to see the couple going inside, heeding her warning. Then she looked anxiously toward where Oran was watching. She smiled sorrowfully at Oran, hoping that it wouldn’t be on such grim terms when he met her son again.

Oran saw her glance, and with a sombre expression, he nodded knowingly before urging his horse to turn and continue making his way to Alkieth, where he would wait for Kosef to seek him out. However, he hoped he would never have to explain what happened on this fateful day to the young Kosef.