Grimgar of Love and betrayal

I'm scared. I'm scared to get the heart of my own mind. Every day, the words cross my mind. If I had done this. If I had done that, if I hadn't hesitated, but they never take a sincere form of regret, they're just an excuse that come to my mind and disappears. I'm scared to get the heart of my own mind. "Food's served"! I stared down at the odd looking meal, it was no different from yesterday, definitely leftovers from whatever goddamn kitchen they spawned it from. I glared at the guard who just ignored me as usual and went away. Lately, they haven't bothered guarding my little prison. I was really nothing more than just some helpless princess. “Princess! Yeah right! Alright, your highness, where's your tiara? The guards had no problem pointing that out the moment they locked me here 2 years ago. 2 years– I sighed, it had been two years already, huh? They say the more you try to forget, the more you'll remember. I wonder then I will ever be able to forget. I inhaled deeply, trapping the icy air within my mouth and released it all with a sharp exhale, desperately searching for hot air. I didn't need a trip to the icy balcony to know a storm was coming. I could feel it, I could hear it, the raging songs of the cold winds roaming around the room were louder than ever. "The dawn of snow". My voice vanished with the whispering wind. The balcony's doors flung open. With every second that passed, my chances of getting frostbitten worsened. Every year since that day, I'd sit on the floor wishing my horrid nights would be over. My nose tingled, I could feel a sneeze. Sadly, it was just a tingle, a very hot tingle. Curse my Malkavanian blood! From a hot tingle to a sharp pain that sent me squirming across the floor with my hands on my head as vague images flashed before my eyes. It hurt. I sat up shuddering as the cold intensified, dark grey stormy clouds filled the sky and the moon vanished once again beneath the clouds. The cold winter winds rushed in through the balcony, I could feel warmth in my anger. It ignited like a spark, then exploded into flames. It felt almost comforting, like the warmth I desperately needed. Gusts of icy particles collided against my skin, rapidly putting out the burning fire within, leaving me with an overwhelming vengeful spirit. REVENGE! Yes, revenge! I screamed my lungs out maniacally as dreaded memories stormed my mind, the bloodshed and m******e, losing my entire family and the anvil of responsibility as the last pure blood. In the inner depths of my mind the shadowy figure of a monster roamed. The monster who took everything from me. It hurt, I could still feel her going through my mind digging into the depths of my mind, torturing me with the worst day of my life. "Sibeth..." I muttered and plunged into the abyss. 1st of July, the dawn of snow, the beginning of winter falls. It was also the time of the year when the family gathered. It was meant to be an exciting and thrilling day outdoors, but the storm had arrived a tad early this year. At noon, blue skies turned into a grey tempest as the winds raged and a sea of snow washed over the Kingdom. We rarely got to leave the castle, but mother had ordered a priceless jewel made for her. She couldn't trust the maids or guards with the task of retrieving it, so she had pleaded with my reluctant father to let us go with a couple of guards to get it from town. Father couldn't hide his displeasure at his daughters leaving the castle grounds, but there really was nothing he could do to stop us. Once the storm had calmed a little, I hurried out with a guard to get the jewels my mother had ordered from the store. "Who in the fuckin' world celebrates the damn winter"! "Well we do". I answered as Oyster walked into the jewelry store. He wasn't from the Empire, but his reaction wouldn't be the first of his kind. I’d seen most foreigners have that surprised and puzzled look whenever they come into town. I knew a few of the bunch of suitors that showed up on my rare visits. "Oh, Morning Princess Elizabeth ". He said with a bow. I smiled. “Enjoying your stay at Malkavania"? “Yes, princess”. I met his cheerful smile and rosy cheeks. I smiled and looked away. Seemed like I had earned myself another suitor. I left before he could say another word and trotted towards the carriage. “All done, princess”? The coachman asked, I nodded in response, and he set off for the castle. "Tch! You should have that brown-haired weirdo executed". Gia said she was feeling grumpy as usual. “Mr. Oyster”? Matteo, my little brother, asked as he made for an itch on the left side of his bum. "Don't call him Mr., he doesn't deserve to be called that, he's a skinny runt". "Gia"! "It's not like he can hear me or anything". I frowned and she crossed her arms pouting. Gianna, my stepsister, was 14,only two years younger than me, ginger-colored hair, hazel brown eyes and tiny freckles that danced across her face. They were barely visible and were part of the cutest things about her, but amidst that cute face was a short-tempered girl with a sharp tongue and a restless beast for a heart. Matteo, on the other hand, was a gentle soul. He was turning four today but wasn't going to get much attention for it. The winter festivities were a lot more important for my father to worry about a little birthday. "Presenting the royal princess and prince of Malkavania, Princess Elizabeth Silva and Prince Matteo Silva". We alighted the carriage as soon as the Coachman had announced our arrival. Matteo, who had fallen asleep, was sprinting and giggling around the courtyard like an endless ball of energy playing tags with the maid who was trying to get him ready in time for tonight's grand ball. "Tch…one of these days I'm going to have a knife in the coachman's throat and force him to announce my presence". Gia snorted angrily. I chuckled. "Ignore them, it's just for a day, father's trying to make a good impression by enforcing the pure blood rule". "Then someone shouldn't have pulled his pants down"! "Gia"! I exclaimed, and hurried towards the safety of the castle. Once we were out of earshot of the guards and eavesdropping maids, we burst out laughing. "You ought not to say stuff like that around the guards"! I said, choking on a giggle. "And you ought to rebel a little". "Yeah, if I had your guts and that foul mouth of yours". Gia smiled with some pride. "What can I say, I’m unique"! She said and spun herself, the final gusts of autumn breeze blowing against her orange frilly dress. I smiled, it was beautiful, she was beautiful. Born into a world of power and lust, her smile was bound to fade. The House of Silva was known for its bounty of handsome men and beautiful ladies. My father had always seen women as nothing but assets, born to be perfect, cared for and bred. Trophy wives. That was the reason my older sister had been exiled. Sibeth Silva. Father hated her for her strength. She was tough and stronger than any male in the family. It bothered him and the best way he found to deal with it was to marry her off to a prince of one of the branch families of Edinburgh. It was punishment worse than torture for Sibeth. A week later, there was a scandal in the royal family. Sibeth had murdered the prince and his entire family and fled. I was thrilled but I dared not show it. Father had been a lot stricter ever since that day. As much as I hated being treated as a w***e for sale, I couldn't deny it was a lot better than lying on the streets. I was a princess. I had everything, more than I could ever ask for as long as I obeyed my father's rules. I hardly ever find myself in trouble. Gianna, on the other hand, hated Father's rules and never hesitated to show how much she did by breaking them at every opportunity that came by. Mother had her hands full dealing with Matteo and worrying about Gia sporadically, so it was up to me to keep her from getting into more trouble than we could both handle. Her tongue was her deadly, getting on Gianna's bad side meant getting ready to face a thousand curses, she'd mock and give silly nicknames to anyone who messed with her. That blasted mouth of hers was sure to get her head skewered some day. The evening seemed late. Gia was at her everyday war with the maids who helplessly begged her to get her dress on. Matteo, on the other hand, was carrying out his royal duties. He was the future king, even at a young age. Father hardly spared him time doing normal things a four-year-old would do. I sighed and got up to leave the room when Fabian, the oldest of my stepbrother's, kicked the doors of my room open and pushed Gia into the room. “Stay with Eliza, or you'll be f*****g dead by the end of the night”. He yelled furiously and shut the door behind him. Gianna got up to her feet pouting. “Stupid douchebag”! She yelled and began cursing and stomping. "f*****g bastard! Arghh! I hate them all"! “Gia”. I scolded. I didn't want her saying stuff like that whilst Tamacti was outside. He was aged, thin grey strands of hair, a chubby body and a deep but slightly faint voice. 50 was the best I could come close to guessing his age. He had been our bodyguard ever since we were kids and, unlike the other men, he was gentle and easy to approach. “But Elizabeth, I'm right, and you know it”. “I know, but you've still got to watch that tongue of yours”. I scolded. Her face shaped a puffy frown and I giggled . "Well, someone’s all dolled up"! Gianna said, quickly changing the topic. "Well, it's my season after all". I replied with a faint smile. Gianna scoffed. "You don't have to pretend your enjoying this around me"! I chuckled. "I know, I know". “Aren't you supposed to be downstairs flirting recklessly with Percy right about now”. “Reckless flirting, I beg to differ”. Gia raised her left brow and nudged me with a look that said –You know what I’m talking about! I laughed. “You both do a terrible job at hiding it, half the maids in the castle already know about it”. I was rosy red thinking about it. Giggling like I had been dosed with a dozen pints of sugary milk. My head sunk into the cozy depths of my pillows with a sheepish scream. I paused and looked back at her. “Does Father or Mother know about it”? “Mother surely does, but I doubt father does. Even if he did, he certainly wouldn't be bothered about it”. “The entire House of Silva has gathered tonight, so, of course, Percy is in the castle right now, but he will probably be there with Allucard”. “You mean your husband”. She corrected and I glared at her menacingly. “We aren't married yet”. “It's still cheating though”. She replied with a shrug. “I don't really have a choice”. It’s a battle between what I want and what I don't want”. "Father's selling you off to Allucard, isn't he"? "Yeah, by the start of spring. Perfect time for wedding bells, don't you think?". I said and put up a smile, I wasn't happy. I had always dreamed of marrying for love, even when I knew it was nothing but an inconceivable fantasy. “And you're okay with this”. Gia asked, but she already knew the answer to that. “I'll have to go through with the wedding”. I muffled with my head still buried between my pillows. There was silence, it almost felt serene, but Gia broke it. "Run--" . "Huh"? "Let's run away, run away from all of it. We have a choice, you know. There's a whole world out there. Let's leave this prison and live how we want to live"! Gia blurted out and I exploded with laughter. "Oi, I'm being serious"! Gia said and frowned, her face red with embarrassment. "I know, but Gia, there's a whole world out there we have no idea about. It's not like we read in books. Surviving out there would be almost impossible.I don't want Matteo to suffer either". "Okay, okay, I get it"! Gia snapped, her arms crossed and her face contorting into a puffy frown. My words seemed somewhat satisfactory, although she wouldn't stop pouting. I reached out to hug her, and she turned red and backed away. "Oi, get away from me"! "We're not kids anymore--arghh"! Her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment and I chuckled. Suddenly, the lights flickered and disappeared, leaving us in the dark. “Eliza, what happened to your lights”? “I don't know”. I replied, quite puzzled. A high-pitched scream echoed through the walls, then it was quiet again. I called out to Gia, who held my shivering hands, my skin was crawling with goosebumps and my heart racing a thousand miles as a pair of loud footsteps slowly made their way down the corridor. My muscles tensed as the footsteps stopped with a large thud and the door slowly creaked open... Tamacti came in panting. “My lady”. He said with a slight bow. “What's going on”? I asked, after a sigh of relief. We slowly moved towards him following the sound of his voice. Tamacti's voice was fainter than usual, you could hear the gaps in his breath, it was weak. “We're under attack”! He blurted out, and the lights flickered on again. Gia gasped at the dagger stuck between his ribs. I grimaced and hurled vomit all over my snowy white rug. “What do you mean we're under attack? What happened to you”? Gia asked “There's no time to explain, I've got to get you both out of the castle”. Gia helped me up and Tamacti guided us through the corridor. With his signal, we headed left towards Father's study room. There was a secret underground passage that led outside the castle. Following the passage would allow us to make it through the city until things settle down. I paused. “Matteo, what about Matteo? We have to go get him”! "Calm down princess, he's probably halfway through the passage, he left with Fabian”. Tamacti replied with an assuring but pain-filled smile. “Who is it"? “It was too dark to tell”. He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind us. “Elizabeth head to the study. Right underneath the table there's a button, you'll find a key, turn to the painting on the wall, you'll find the keyhole there. The entrance to the passage is right underneath the table”. “But..” “GO”! He yelled, Gia squeezed my hands, and we bolted down the corridors, leaving Tamacti as he pulled the dagger from his ribs and disappeared into the darkness. With Gia squeezing my hands tightly, we made it to the next corridor. There were no windows and the cold air had stopped and hadn't made it up to this point of the castle. I wasn’t so sure if that was such a good thing as I stared down the pitch black hallway. I relied on Gia’s instincts when I felt lost, she was always right, and she was absolutely positive the right corridor led to the dining room. Most of the family had gathered there for an evening dinner. It was probably where everyone stayed put as the lights went out, but it was quiet, too quiet. The lights of the corridor flickered on and off like fireflies till they managed to stay on for a couple of minutes longer. The double doors of father’s study came into view. They were flung open with a trail of light leaking into the corridors. “Finally”! I said and hurriedly dashed towards it excitedly with a rush of adrenaline that suddenly sent my heart pounding and head spinning as I glanced inside. “Eliza”. Gia called out, “Eliza”. “What's wrong? Why are you just standing there? It's like you've just seen a ghost”? Her eyes traced mine. It didn't take her long to figure out what had made me so pale, the corridors were filled with her screams, arousing my frozen nerves. . The room was a mess, a small body laid across the room, and it's severed head right in front of us. Matteo! I threw up outside the door as Gianna rushed over to Matteo's body. There was no mistake about it. Tamcti was wrong, they hadn't made it out. Fabian laid underneath the painting. Matteo had it better. Fabian's limbs were scattered all over the room, his chest was ripped open and blood gushed out as I tried to grab the silver key from his hands. “Geez, that silver-haired brat gave me a hard time, his blood didn't even taste nice and here I thought all Silva's have tasty blood”. We froze, paralyzed by fear. We hadn't heard the sound of footsteps, but someone was right behind us. A man with blonde hair stood in the doorway. He was a tall, chiseled chin with a pair of golden eyes that lit the dark. It didn't take long for Gia to figure out he was the one who killed Matteo. The silver-haired brat he went on about was no doubt Fabian. Gia was burning with mad rage. She snatched Fabian’s blade from his lifeless fists and swung at the neck of the blonde stranger. He effortlessly parried the blade with the back of his palms. “You killed Matteo, didn't you”! Gia yelled and lurched towards him. “Huh”? He seemed quite puzzled at first, moving his eyes searchingly around the room before fixing them on Gia. “You mean the little runt over there, his blood tasted awful. I never thought a kid could taste that bad”. He replied with a blank expression. My mind screamed run as the taste of bile rose to my mouth. I swallowed, the acid rising and burning the soft ends of my throat. “You’re annoying”. He said as his eyes fell on Gia with an insidious gaze. He shattered the blade in his fist and kicked her across the room. She flew back and hit her head against the wooden shelves. Her body dropped to the ground lifelessly. “Gia, Gia…wake up Gia”! Her breath was faint but she was still alive. I heaved a sigh of relief and shielded her in my arms. There was a sudden thud that distracted him for a moment as heavy armor crashed through the doorway and the sudden blissful sight of blueish armor dashed into the room. For a moment I swore, I felt every inch of me lit with hope that someone had come to save us and almost immediately my hopes turned into a pile of despair, when the man in blueish armor bowed towards the blonde stranger. He hadn’t come to save us! His armor looked Malkavanian, but the crest on his breastplate was different. A dark line of thorny vines that intertwined into a shield and bat-shaped wings on its sides. I'd seen it before among the books in the study. It suddenly hit me. A Transylvanian crest! I stared in horror at the being standing before me. This was no man but a goddamn vampire! “Lord Damian, her highness asks if your search is complete”. He rolled his head and sighed. His eyes slowly turned towards me and my nerves tensed, his golden eyes were like daggers, poking against my skin. “What's your name”? “Elizabeth... Elizabeth Silva.". I stuttered as he leaned closer, studying me with his gleaming eyes. “Really”? “Yes”. I replied. “Seems like my work here is done”. He said quite disappointed and smacked his lips. Sweat dripped from my brow as I watched him get up to leave. “Take the other one over there with you and send word to her highness we're coming”. I stared at Gia as the armored vampire slumped her over his shoulders, the upper half of her body dangling behind him, her face bruised and her lips torn. “Get up”. Damian ordered, and my heart skipped a beat. My hands trembled against my skin, deep down every part of me desperately wanted to believe this was all part of some horrible dream. “I'll wake up, and it'll all be over”. I whispered under my breath, Damian heard me and brought his lips to my ears. His voice was tender and soft with a chill that crawled beneath my skin, rattling my nerves. “This is reality”. Once we arrived at the throne room, Father's elite guards. The shadows had been butchered in large chunks and littered across the floor! My eyes met with my father, who knelt a few steps below his throne and before him was a familiar figure, slender and graceful. A pair of ocean blue eyes, silky silver hair and thin beautiful-shaped eyelids. A wicked smile spread across her face. Sibeth! “Hello sister”. She said with a wave as she carved my father's face right of his skull. I hurled another round of vomit and she smiled softly. “Still as weak as ever, huh”? “You're alive”! I exclaimed as I stared at a ghost. “Oh, don't go killing me off already”! “You did all this, why”? “Why-- did you have to go this far”! I asked, panting. I was weak from exhaustion and starting to feel light-headed. I looked up and met her gaze, what started as a slow chuckle exploded into mirthful laughter. She was awfully pleased with herself. “Revenge”? If all this was for revenge, why did you have to drag Matteo into it?' “He's a boy, Aria! She was the only one who called me by my middle name. "In a couple of years, he would have been sworn in and then what? He becomes like our father over here”. She held up what was meant to be my father's face and tossed it in the air.” He becomes just like the rest of them, while you are married off like a w***e to some filthy pig”. “He was just a kid, Sibeth, he wouldn't have". “Born by blood, bound by blood, you enter alive, you leave dead, consider his death as salvation from this cruel world”. “You're insane"! “The greatest insanity is the sanest thing that exists in this world”! She replied with a cold stare. A nervous chill crept up my spine, Gia's groans of pain filled my head, my gaze moved from Sibeth to Gia. I was terrified and angry, flashes of the dead bodies stormed my mind. “You're a seriously stupid i***t! The words came out slowly, Sibeth didn't hesitate to hit me as her fist collided with my guts. I could feel my ribs shatter as blood spluttered across the floor from my mouth. “Watch your tongue". Shhe said, and my knees gave in. I fell to the ground with tears trickling down my face. “What in the world happened to you”! Sibeth paused for a moment then turned towards me. Her ocean blue eyes were dyed into a deep shade of red. A thin smile spread across her cheeks and a terrifying pair of fangs flashed at me. There was a loud heavy thud and my heart pounded furiously in panic as my vision blurred, the lights vanished, and I was met by the cold dark. **** I woke up the next day with an aching head and the sound of mice kissing my feet. My sudden awakening startled them, sending them scramming into the darkness. Sibeth's terrifying eyes flashed through my brain as I tried hard not to think of last night backing away to the wall till I tripped against the chains around my feet. Sibeth's voice echoed in the darkness. "How's your first day in the dungeon, Aria"? She appeared from the shadows. "Enjoying your little rodent company"? I glared with anger-filled eyes. “Let me out of here”. “You're cute when you're angry”. “Let me out". “If I let you out, what would you do”? I answered her with an expected silence. "Elizabeth Aria Silva, the last Silva ". “The last'? 'What did you do to Gia"? I snapped furiously. “You mean the daughter of one of father's w***e's. She's alive for now, somewhere in the other cells. Getting quite comfy with her rodent guest a lot more than you are". I heaved a sigh of relief knowing Gia was still alive. "At least there are two of us". I muttered. Sibeth fixed her disgusted gaze on me. 'You really consider that w***e as one of the familia and as your sister”? She turned to leave, somewhat disappointed. "Tomorrow your precious sister will be sold to the merchants of Pensa. They're in dire need of new slaves”. My eyes widened in horror. ‘How could you do this to your own sister, your family?”. She shot me a terrifying gaze. Whatever gave me the guts to lash at her moments ago was gone. Once again, I found myself cowering in fear before her. "She's not my sister and they're not my family"! She snapped. I'd only realized she wasn't bluffing when she made me watch Gianna get bundled up into a carriage from the windows of the castle. Gia’s skin had turned pale, her bruises and injuries were all healed, but as tough as Gia was, a night in the dungeon took its toll on her. Her eyes met mine, and immediately she exploded with her usual energy and tried to make a run for it, but with blinding speed a guard shoved her and buried her face into the snow. As the carriage made its way along the snowy path, I hurriedly followed, window to window till they vanished beyond the gates into the stormy weather. I was now... Alone. Sibeth added my solitude to the list of things she made sure she reminded me of every time she woke up. I had been grounded at the castle my whole life, so being locked in my room seemed easy to put up with, but as the nights passed, she drove me mad. I had exhausted my energy, screaming my lungs out and vomiting after she'd spent hours telling me stories of everyone she killed and tortured. Every night before she left she'd make me relive that horrid night all over again, the most horrible day of my life. I'd witness every death like it was my own. It was torture. It was hell. Every night I'd stare at the long way down and back at the starry sky, hating myself. Thinking about Gianna and Matteo. I couldn't do anything to protect them. I was useless. I missed how things were. It wasn't perfect, but it was peaceful. The grandfather clock in the castle struck, and the church bells echoed in the distance. It was midnight and about time Sibeth woke up. Her morning routine always started with a round of excruciating mental torture of one victim. Me. Familiar footsteps marched up the corridor slowly approaching the room. She was here. The doors flung open, and I inhaled deeply ready to receive my undeserved punishment, but she didn't spare me a glance. “Take her to the merchant in Pensa”. She ordered and stormed out of the room furiously. She was certainly in a bad mood, but that meant I was free. Her words resonated through my brain. “Pensa”. I whispered. That's where she sold Gia. I was going to finally see Gia again. If I was heading to Pensa, I wanted to do that on my terms. Once all the guards had left the room, I took out a silver key from underneath my pillows. I hadn't dared to escape before. It was arguably the closest thing to suicide, but for some reason, seeing Sibeth furious gave me an outrageous burst of courage, or maybe it was the voices in my head guiding me to my certain doom. Either way, I really had nothing to lose.