Love And War

Hello dear readers.

Year 1845

Dark thick smoke rose to the sky turning it dark and awful. The Wailing of children and the sobbing of girls were even louder.

Reeve Kingdom. The once great and strong vampire kingdom was brought down in one night by the scary opposing kingdom, Devontae.

The beautiful road was now dyed with red and black blood from the innocent vampires that were slaughtered during the war.

The once peaceful Kingdom yesterday was now a ruin of today as bodies of men and women were gathered and heaped at the center of the kingdom to be burnt.

Despite every single woman or man being dead, a particular woman sneaked a girl into a quiet room when she heard the voices of men.

The voices belonged to the warriors of Devontae who were merciless and heartless.

"Shh... Keep calm, we'll leave here safely okay?" The woman encouraged the girl who nodded in response.

Her face was filled with dried tear stains and her dark hair now looked like a nest for birds.

Hailey opened the door slightly and peeped for any sign of threat or any warriors still lurking around but there was none as the voice of the men were now gone.

She went back to the young girl who looked eighteen and lifted her from the ground. "It's clear, it's now time to escape or we would be dead in a few hours," she whispered and opened the door wider for both of them.

Both females were shoeless as they hurried out through the back door that led into the forest path.

When Hailey felt they were far from reach, they started running to only god know where. The only similar thought in their mind was to escape before it would be their head.

The ground was filled with roots and stumps which made it inconvenient for the young girl to run. Hailey bit her lips in pain as she managed to find a less difficult path.

Still running, Hailey would look behind them from time to time for any threat.

They might've gone far in the forest when the young girl tripped over a stone and fell flat face ground.

"Aurelia! Are you alright?" She asked while breathing heavily before lifting the girl up.

Hot tears poured out of her eyes one more time and Hailey felt a stab in her chest. She was Aurelia's caretaker right from when she was a child.

Seeing her hurt and crying also pained her as they had shared good times together.

Hailey helped Aurelia lean against a tree in her sitting position. She raised Aurelia's leg and saw a deep cut in between her toes.

"This is going to hurt," she muttered before tearing the hem of her dress with her hands and teeth.

"I can't keep on Hailey, I'm scared," Aurelia said dryly as she coughed.

"No. We can keep on, we're going to escape from this place. Your parents were brutally killed by those warriors, not to talk of you." Hailey tried to convince the princess.

"My toes hurt badly, I can't run quickly and might delay you. The warrior must've found out of the opened back door and would soon come after us," Aurelia said and bit her lips as Hailey tightened the piece of cloth on her injured toe.

"If they come after us, I swear I would protect you with my life," the woman replied and rubbed the young girls' head.

"Nothing is going to happen to both of us," remarked Aurelia as the thought of losing the last person in her life almost made her faint.

"Let's go." She said to her handmaid and stood up with the support of the tree. "I'll be strong," whispered Aurelia when she saw Hailey calculating eyes on her.

Instead of running, they resigned to walking because of Aurelia's injury so it would not open wider.

Far from the two women was a small entourage of warriors. Their red eyes were signaling hunger and thirst as they stood behind their king.

The Devontae king sat majestically on the pure white stallone as he watched the women head towards him and his crowd unknown to them.

Aurelia stopped limping to catch her breath, her head leaning on Hailey's shoulder as the latter wasn't a tall person.

"We are almost near the next village. I told you we would make it," Hailey smiled at the girl. Her red eyes and wrinkles appeared even clearly.

Aurelia could see the joy in the woman's eyes and she nodded her head. This time, she trusted her handmaid in escaping the claws of the Devontaes.

Hailey removed the large leaf covering their view to the other side of the Kingdom. A boundary like place where she knew some people.

All their hopes shattered when they saw the entourage of warriors. Most especially, the Devontae King.

The moment the princess came into view, the warriors suddenly surrounded them while some were on top of their horses.

"It seemed some twos had the guts to escape my wrath. Let's see who they are," the king said with his intimidating abysmal eyes.

"Aurelia...So good to see Reeve's hidden treasure," he said and smiled. A smile that didn't show any genuine kindness but mockery.

"Please, let us go. You won't get anything from us," Hailey pleaded with the heartless king as she felt Aurelia tensed up.

"Kill them!" The king replied and turned away while his horse walked slowly away. After a small walk, he paused.

The kingsman who was ordered to kill both ladies raised his bow with two arrows on the string.

After waiting for a long time, he still couldn't kill the woman. Especially the princess.

Cassius squinted his eyes and galloped towards the archer. He grabbed the bow and fired the arrow at the woman.

Aurelia felt the world turn giddy as the arrow sank into Hailey's head and neck. "Ha..iley... Hailey," she whispered and grabbed the motionless woman in her small arms.

"Hailey! No! No...No, you can't leave me," Aurelia sniffed and tried to hold herself together believing Hailey would answer her.

After some time, Aurelia fell into a daze. She lost Hailey, she lost the last person in her life. A friend was gone right before her eyes.

"No, you can't die like this Hailey, you promised to take me away from here....

Why...why did you leave so early!" Her quiet sobs then turned into a loud wail.

The entourage circled around them before leaving in various directions except the king and the kingsman.

Aurelia's small hand grabbed the arrow on Hailey's head and pulled it out while wailing loudly. "I'll avenge you... You!" She sobbed and looked at the heartless man on the white horse with hatred in her eyes.

"I'm going to kill you!" She said and stood up from the ground with the arrow in her hand.

Aurelia's aim was to pierce the arrow into his neck but she never knew how to climb a horse.

Of course the king knew that. Aurelia was never taught anything by her parents. She went closer to him, gripping the arrow tightly.

A sudden pain on her cheek made her wince in pain. Another pain on her back and she fell flat on the ground.

Cassius chuckled and stretched out the whip. He threw it on the ground and jumped down from his horse. It was then Aurelia who was crying like a child noticed his height.

"Come with me or you die, it's left for you to decide.... for the sake of your handmaid's wish." Cassius said and squatted beside her.

Aurelia shook her head. He was trying to make her follow him. She knew it... then she took a look at Hailey who was laying motionless and cold on the ground.

Cassius stretched out his arms for her to take and for a good minute, his kingsman thought if his king had a mood swing.

Aurelia slapped his hand away and returned back to Hailey who was on the ground. "I won't be the last of the Reeve descendants alive, I would rather die than follow you." She said and held Hailey tight.

Cassius stood up and walked to his stallone before climbing on it. His red eyes staring deep at the girl, "so be it." He replied and stormed away with his horse.

The kingsman who was left with Aurelia was petrified enough today. This was his first time replacing his brother who was ill. He couldn't kill an innocent girl just because he was ordered by his king.

"I won't kill you though, but you will be sold as a slave. The king won't see you again," he said.

"Thank you." Aurelia replied.

"I would help give her a proper burial," he said, referring to Hailey.

"I'm going to kill your king for destroying my family. Maybe it's not now, but it can't be ever."

"That's a matter between the two of you, as for now, you need to join other survivors." He said and patted the space behind him.

Aurelia gulped an invisible lump on her throat as she saw the horse as another war.

Aurelia felt awful when she saw her people being carried as captives to Devontae. She hasn't seen the cruel king but she could tell he might've gone back to his kingdom or maybe he's watching from afar like how he caught up to her and Hailey.

She felt her heart tighten at the remembrance of Hailey and how she was killed. Hailey was the only person in her life after her parents were cruelly killed. In fact, she sacrificed her life so the Devontae king wouldn't kill her the way he did to her parents.

Everyone's eyes were on the girl who was riding atop the horse with the kingsman who was known as Aldophus. One of the kingsman brothers.

No one knew her as the Reeves princess except a few people and she disliked one of those people.

"Hey! Who are you and why are you up there instead of walking with us?" A girl who seemed the same age as Aurelia asked.

Aldophus didn't reply to the question as it was directed to Aurelia.

Aurelia remained quiet as she quietly watched the girl with her eagle sharp eyes that were as clear as water.

The girl squinted her eyes at Aurelia and whispered to another girl near her. They both looked up at Aurelia and giggled like children.

"Who's she? I haven't seen her before." The girl replied to her friend.

From afar stood the Devontae King. Vampire's hearing abilities were broad and extraordinary and of course he could clearly hear what the girls were saying to the princess.

For a vampire who has lived longer than many of the pureblooded vampires, his ability was great.

"Evil! They killed our parents and families, they cruelly killed the King and Queen before our eyes yet she had the gut to move along with them." Another girl scoffed at her.

Their faces were having traces of dry tear stains. Aurelia felt pity for them including herself because once they got to Devontae, they would be sold as slaves.

Ever Since she was a child, her parents had forbidden her from leaving the palace with or without their consent.

Most times, she would catch a glimpse of the town only when they were traveling to other places.

A thought suddenly popped into her head. She had never heard her parents discuss the Devontae Kingdom nor its inhabitants. Aurelia didn't know why but she was still wondering what led to the massacre war from the Devontaes.

Reeves was a vampire kingdom with a vast number of humans among the seven. As for Devontae, it was a land of the vampires and few humans who were living there at their own risk. Aurelia had read books that told tales of this beautiful mysterious kingdom.

Many myths and legends were also tied to it including the never dying King.

Reeves forbids every mythical creature from entering their kingdom, so was what Aurelia knew.

"We're leaving now. You would be sold to willing buyers when we get to Devontae but your path must never cross the King's. Always put that in mind." Aldophus said to the timid girl.

Aurelia nodded her head and tried to hold her body firm from falling after the horse started moving among the que.

Cassius frowned when he saw Aldophus leading the captives out of their homes while the princess was atop his horse. For what he had seen and understood about Adolphus, he was kind and soft hearted unlike his brother.

"Fool." King Cassis whispered to himself and turned his horse around as they galloped away.

The long queue of Reeves survivors kept moving slowly and quietly. It was a shameless thing for inhabitants to be carried as captives away from their land .

Aurelia remained quiet and sad as the horse moved amongst the people. Her people. The sun was now fading away as evening fast approached. Throughout the day, she hasn't tasted any food nor a drop of water.

"Let's camp here for tonight!" A royal guard ahead shouted and everyone stopped moving. Aurelia took a look around the place as it was filled with trees. It was in the woods. She smiled and tried to get down from the horse but her eyes turned giddy. An old feeling that was hard for her to forget.

Aldophus who went to meet the royal guards was returning back to the princess when he saw her sobbing quietly.

"Ahem... You should get down to eat something." He said politely.

"Hel...help me get down from this horse, please." She begged. Climbing a horse was not only a phobia to her, there was an unforgettable bitter memory surrounding it, a mystery to only her.

"Alright." Aldophus replied. Aurelia was brought down from the horse and joined the crowd. Aldophus smiled as he watched the girl walk into the crowd. She was the most calm person to become a princess.

"Adolphus! His Highness requests your presence behind the boulder." A guard said and left in a hurry.

Aldophus turned stiff hearing the King's request to see him. Quickly he hurried to the direction and just crossed the sloppy part of the boulder when he saw the King standing there. His dark red eyes were intimidating and fierce.

"I... I'm here." He stammered. Cassius would surely punish him for disobeying his orders.

Cassius lifts his shoulder high and proud and gazes lazily at the meek vampire who didn't heed to his command.

"Perhaps, I should order your brother to do me the favor of punishment or I should do it myself." He replied with a stoic expression and looked away from the crestfallen vampire.

"It wasn't right to kill an innocent human, so I just made her join the slaves." Aldophus replied. His palm had turned sweaty and clammy because of the King's intimidating dark aura.

When he had come to Devontae with his brother, Aldophus was extremely scared of this unforgiving king. But then, he also came to know and learn that not every innocent person can be guiltless forever.

Cassius crossed his arms above his chest and gaze at the scared but witful man. "Are you lecturing me or what? It's better to die a Princess than to live as a slave."

"Then you should do it yourself. I...I can't." Aldophus said with shaky breath. He felt extremely small and petrified before his King.

Cassius smiled smugly, revealing his sharp protruding fangs. "Good."

Before Aldophus could fathom why Cassius replied to him with a simple and short answer, the King had already disappeared from where he was standing a few seconds ago.

Aurelia sat quietly close to the bonfire to keep herself warm from the bitter cold. Her mind kept drifting back to the horrific death of her parents. , she couldn't recognize them at all.

She gathered the small dirty brown quilt given to her by one of the guards from falling off her body and leaned upon her knees with her hand supporting her chin.

The atmosphere was dull and less vibrant as the survivors were either mourning their loss or thinking about their future in Devontae.

Aurelia noticed the crowd turn quiet suddenly, making her stretch her head to see what was happening ahead. Lifting her head, her eyes met the dark red eyes of the King.

Without prior notice, Aurelia quietly left where she was sitting and sneaked far into the woods. Goosebumps rose in her skin as she recalled the King's fiery eyes that were mixed with the burning flame from the bonfire.

Aurelia was suddenly hauled from behind and slammed against a tree with force. "Do you think you can run away from me?"

Her vision faded for a brief moment before returning back to its normal state. A dry cough left her mouth as she gasped for air.

Seeing the Princess in a pained state, it made the Devontae King full of joy. "Little girl, don't play games with me because I would get you in a matter of seconds." He said proudly while gazing into her emotionless eyes.

Aldophus had just reached the bonfire when he saw Cassius push the Princess on the ground. He wanted to stop his King but could not.

He did not know why the King hated the Reeves alot and those who knew refused to tell him. Including his brother who was the king's right hand man.

Aurelia sobbed quietly as her palms on the ground tightened while gathering a handful of sands. The pain on her knees, toes and some parts of her body from the fall was aching badly because of the push.

"Get me a rope." Cassius commanded another warrior because he knew Adolphus Would hesitate to obey him.

After the rope was bought, the warrior tied it on Aurelia's wrist and was given the Adolphus.

"Pull her. Or your head." Cassius threatened him. A threat that Cassius would carry out without hesitating.

Aldophus nodded quickly and took the rope end from the warrior. "Everyone, we are moving right now!" Aldophus said loudly and the survivors who were watching the show quickly scampered to join the queue.

The captives didn't want to be a scapegoat just like Aurelia so they quickly rushed to gather themselves together and started moving in a single line.

For people to be forced away from their kingdom was a disgraceful act and this was the case of the Reeves.

The atmosphere was dull and heavy as everyone was in their own thoughts. Either they were still mourning their loss or they were thinking about their future in Devontae. It made a great hard impact on the captives.

Aurelia was the most bitter one. As a Princess, she had never experienced such a life and her parents never taught her the hard way. They didn't teach her about Kingdoms and wars as the little she knew was what she read from books.

All through her life with her parents, they never had time for her and we're always busy each time Aurelia asks about them.

The captives were allowed to camp close to the riverbank. While some of them were drinking water and others washing up, Aurelia sat on a small rock a bit far from the river bank still reminiscing about her parents' death.

, she couldn't recognize them after they were killed and that broke her heart so much. The air around her was gloomy and sad.

"Hey! Have some." A boy who seemed eight years old said while handing her a pouch which contained water.

"I don't need it, thank you." She replied and forced a smile so as the boy to not feel dejected.

"You need to have some water or you might die before we get to Devontae, don't you know?" The boy asked and forced the pouch into her hand. "Drink."

"Alright, I'll take a sip." Aurelia replied and took a few sips and then gave it to the boy.

"It's not enough. Drink more....This might be the last water we would drink on this journey. So drink a lot so I can refill the pouch." said the boy.

Aurelia was amazed at his smartness and sharp tongue. "Okay." She said and drank the water till it was filled up.

"I'm full. Thank you." She replied and wiped her lips with her hand. "Now off you go..." She added.

The boy's eyes suddenly turned wet and glistening before raising his finger to her. "You're driving me away after drinking the water I offered you."

Curling her fingers into a fist, Aurelia grabbed the boy by his shoulder and said, "Little boy, what do you want? I don't have money or anything."

"I don't need your money, I just want to follow you.... Please."

Aurelia was taken aback by his statement and he was also causing a scene with her. "Why do you want to follow me?" She asked to see him hesitate a little.

"Because you're always at the back. I can't walk with the crowd." He replied and stared at her with hopes.

"What if I say no?" She asked.

"I'll still follow you because I can't walk as fast as the crowd but you have the opportunity to walk slowly." He said and looked ahead.

"Okay." She agreed.

The boy nodded his head eagerly, "thank you. I should go and fill this pouch with water." He added and ran off before Aurelia could respond.

Aurelia smiled and looked to her side. Her smile turned wider when she saw Aldophus walking towards her with a thick material in his hand.

"How are you?" He asked and handed her the blanket.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Aurelia answered and took the blanket.

Aldophus stared at the girl who was staring at the ground for sometime before taking a good look at her. Her black hair was filled with dried twigs and rough while her face and dress was covered with dried mud.

He still couldn't fathom why Cassius couldn't kill the girl despite wanting to do so. "I saw you curling like a ball last night so I asked one of the guards to lend me a blanket. It would kill the cold." He said to see her lift her head.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." She said politely and smiled.

Aldophus was stunned for sometime before clearing his throat. "I would be over there if you need anything."

"Okay." Aurelia replied.

After Aldophus left, the boy returned back with his pouch already filled with water and sat beside Aurelia.

***

"I know that face. You're not satisfied even after taking down the Reeves Kingdom, right?" A lady with brown wavy hair asked. One could easily tell with her dressing and aura that she was a woman of affluence.

Cassius was standing at a large balcony overseeing the towns and villages.

She's Roxanne, the King's advisor.

After Roxanne's father who had been the royal advisor to the Devontae royal family passed away, his daughter took over from where he stopped.

Cassius didn't mind the fact that she was a woman because he found her advice more useful than her fathers.

Many ladies were jealous of Roxanne for that while some were still eyeing the position because they saw it as a ticket to become closer to the King.

Cassius was a single ruler without a Queen and many ladies knew that Roxanne being the King's advisor, they wouldn't get any chance of becoming noticed by him.

"Nothing's changed. Aurelius was supposed to die by my hands but I was a little late." He said and grabbed the edges of the balcony.

Roxanne smiled and crossed her hands above her chest. "There's a remnant from the Reeves family isn't it?"

Cassius was taken aback by the sudden question."How did you know about that?" It was as if someone had just discovered his most secret treasure.

"What? Are you surprised? Information is the key. Just do the justice by killing her yourself."

He then turned to face her before exhaling sharply.

"A ruler must be feared by many no matter what, including Kings and Queens as long as you live by a decision."

Cassius smiled and flicked her forehead, "you would do well as a Queen, do you know that?" He asked.

Roxanne laughed softly and started trailing her fingers in his skin. "Sadly, I wasn't born a Princess." She said and kissed him.

***

The captives were two villages away from Devontae where they would be sold to the establishment. A center for slaves.

Many of the captives have tightened their belts for what is to come when they get to Devontae. Especially the girls. Many were scared of being sucked dry by those monstrous creatures while those who were vampires were ready to face reality.

"Do you know that when we get to Devontae, we would be sold as slaves?" Aurelia asked the boy who goes by the name Carl.

"Yes. Who are slaves and why are they called slaves?" He asked. For a boy of his age, he was more sensible about his surroundings, making Aurelia wonder how old he really was.

"Slaves are people who are used or exploited by others such as masters and mistresses." She explained slowly.

"I don't want that. My parents in Reeves were rich before the war, I can't be a slave right? I'm too little right?"

Aurelia smiled unceasingly because of Carl and his curious questions. "Of course, how can a handsome boy like you become a slave? You won't become one okay."

"Okay." He replied and happily jogged beside her as they were behind the crowd while Aldophus was behind them.

Aurelia turned to look behind her and saw Aldophus smiling at her. She kept walking with Carl when an idea suddenly popped into her head.

Carl isn't just a smart boy, he will become an intelligent boy when he grows up and Aurelia already found the perfect person for him.

"How old are you Carl?" She asked with a soft smile on her face. It would be good to know his age. Right?

Carl hesitated a lot this time and refused to say a word. Instead he asked for a negotiation. You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine beside you're the eldest." He mouthed and stared at her hopefully.

"I'm Sixteen, turning seventeen in three months." Aurelia said proudly.

"Still so little." Carl murmured to himself.

"Did you say something?" She asked.

"No. I'm eight years old." He said and patted his chest.

While both of you were engrossed in their thoughts, Aldophus' horse suddenly galloped towards the crowd of captives.

"We would soon arrive at Devontae, all of you must coordinate yourselves because you all are now slaves. You would be sold to the establishment tomorrow. Is that clear?" He shouted so the whole crowd could hear him.

Though they responded to him, their hearts were heavy.

"Aurelia, do you hear him? He said all of us are slaves... And me too?" Carl became restless.

"No. You're not a slave okay? You're Carl not a slave." Aurelia tried to calm him down. You can never be a slave.