Falling of the Stars

Chapter 8 - Rowena

Lifeless green eyes stared at me, glossed over with the shadow of Death lingering in their depths. His mouth was still parted, his face contorted, with the beginning of an anguished cry. A mirror to the feminine head with whitish-blond hair that was draped around her severed neck.

Their blood was pooling under my fingers and beginning to soak into the edges of my snow white wedding dress, following a pattern of lace before soaking through to the thick fabric underneath.

I couldn't look away from my parents' faces, even as the cathedral was filled with screaming and crying and grunts as heads were removed from bodies one by one.

I was going to puke.

I couldn't even react as slightly cold, rough hands grabbed my face, a body of orange and blue and white and silver sliding in the blood to kneel before me.

Prince Phillip.

King Phillip.

My husband.

He was in front of me.

His hazel eyes scanned my face, wide with shock as if he were processing the scene unfolding all around us too, but calm. He was being calm for the both of us as he tucked strands of hair behind my ears to keep my attention on him.

"Rowena, we have to go. Now. We have to go..." He whispered urgently, as if it were a chant.

His hands slid from my face and down me, where he gripped my forearms and hauled me up beside him. He deftly pulled the ceremonial wedding sword from his belt, unused yet, and it whistled with intention. His other hand was firm and had a solid grip on me as he took my hand in his, as if he'd never let go.

And then he ran with me in tow, and I felt some of his closest guards press in around us, moving people and masked figures out of our way. Clearing a path towards the cathedral doors, which consisted of the thickest fighting. The thickest of bloodshed. The world passed in slow motion as my gaze found their mirror once more. One last moment.

And then I was pulled through the fog and the muffled sounds around me like a tether snapped. Everything rushed to me in clarity.

I blinked through my shock, and took deep, even breaths to control my rising panic. I picked up as much of my skirts as I could with my free hand, and took steadier steps to keep up with Phillip as he hauled me through the crowd. I felt blood splatter against me as more bodies were decapitated left and right of us.

He glanced at me only for a second, surprise on his face as he saw me control my emotions. Like my father had taught me. I wasn't a soldier, but I was once training like a warrior would.

I could breathe, and I was alive.

I had to keep it that way.

We burst through the cathedral doors, at least two of Phillip's men's basically bum rushing through the congregated bodies and they all toppled through the ancient doors.

Phillip didn't even miss a beat as he bounded over limbs, and I did the same just a second behind him. And so we ran down the stone path back towards the castle, where I could see from the frenzied commotion, they were already on alert.

My gaze flitted around as the people, my people, had been waiting outside for us. Waited to greet their new king and queen. Many saw the sight through the open doorway and began running and screaming, and the others stood frozen as we ran by.

"The kingdom of Eldoria is under attack! Korotia has deceived us! Your previous rulers have been slain, but your new king and queen will smite them where they stand! Run and protect yourselves! I, will protect you!" Phillip bellowed, his voice crisp and clear and cut through much of the panicked crowd like a slice of his sword.

The people heard him, and they all moved into action to run down the pathway towards town. We weaved and bobbed through them, the remaining guards pressed in tight to form a barrier around us.

It didn't take long to reach the side castle gates, where guards stood on the top of the battlements with trained crossbows. They let us pass with ease, but were halted immediately once we were inside the safety of the castle walls as one of the captains approached us.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, his eyes taking in our blood soaked clothes, but taking extra care to linger on my face and my wedding dress that dripped with scarlet.

Phillip briefly and concisely relayed the events, and gently pulled me forward.

"I came to make sure my bride, our queen, was safe. I need someone to take responsibility for getting her to our rooms. I require a squad to immediately take action with me while there is still a massacre going on out there. We need to act fast, and I need us to try to capture a few of those traitors. I need at least one prisoner to interrogate. Now." He snapped, and intensely gave me a look that conveyed that his command was final.

I knew how I looked, and I didn't think I could fight even if I wanted to. Not when I'd have to see the dead again. Not in a constricting, massive wedding dress I so desperately wanted to rip off of me. I was functioning solely off of adrenaline and I could feel myself starting to shake as the weight of my grief and emotions were starting to pound through.

I only gave a small nod of understanding as he moved into action, on a mission. First day as king of a country that wasn't his until that moment, and he was ready to defend it with his life, and the words he spoke to those outside... it wouldn't go unnoticed. By anyone. By me.

A squire stepped from the ranks, clearly having been given his task already. He was a young boy, with a mop of honeyed blond hair on his eyes and freckles smattered across his cheeks and nose and around his gray eyes. He couldn't have been more than fifteen and his cheeks were tinged with pink as he spoke.

"M'lady, I am Lukas. I'll be your escort to your rooms although I believe we'll be accompanied by a few guards who will stay stationed outside until we're safe again."

I nodded my understanding as he started leading the way to my new rooms. I couldn't even go back to what was my bedroom, which was a safe haven for me. I hated the thought of it.

As I followed, I didn't look back once. But I felt Phillip's eyes on me all the way back into the castle before I heard commands being barked and the sound of squads of booted feet marching out the gate once more.

He was off to battle people, and I was off to face an internal one with myself as the crushing silence began to set in.