The Broken Sigil

Chapter 7: Frederic's Family

The White City soldiers ran towards the castle, ready to conquer it, the gates were wide open, the Celvin guards had no idea what was going on, how could they, nobody knew it was the biggest betrayal of all times, and Isidora had planned it all.

Nobody paid attention to the history books, not even Marcus himself. Nobody even paid attention to the stories that were being told around the world, it wasn’t like it was that important. She never was, she was always in the shadows popping in and out whenever it was needed, you’d think maybe she time travels, maybe she does. She was the one that saved Marcus and his mother when she had her soul sucked out of her by Echo. She was the one that gave the elixir to return Hugo back from the dead, she was the one that melted the snow so that Cedric and his army could have a safe passage away from the north, and lastly, she was the one that stole the book from Marcus to give it to Liza back in time. Everything she did led up to this moment, to this event, everything has been building up so that she may conquer Celvin. The impregnable castle wasn’t so impregnable now. If the world had just paid more attention wherever Isidora was mentioned, wherever the old witch showed up, none of this would have happened, and king Alfred wouldn’t have married the evilest witch of all times. She orchestrated everything back in time so that she could have Celvin in her hands, she never loved Alfred in fact she implanted memories into his head that they have been married for a while, their kids as well they had not one drop of noble blood, just some orphans she picked up from the streets and made them Prince and Princess through manipulation and mind-bending, through changing the timeline, and now… She traveled to the future and knew that Celvin will fall, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to witness it for herself, take it for herself.

     “Isidora! What is the meaning of this?” Lady Jacklyn had run out in the courtyard before the palace and barely catching her breath she was firing questions at Isidora. She on the other hand just gave Jacklyn a sinister smile and thrust the dagger into her stomach, she twisted it so that it would do more damage and make sure Jacklyn would die. She pulled out the dagger from her and pushed her to the ground.

     “Onward men! Take the castle!” she pointed the dagger toward the palace whilst giving the order as the drops of blood from the blade fell on the cobblestone. Soldiers led by Raoulin ran past her yelling and preparing their swords, rushing towards the Celvin guards, ready to end their lives no matter the cost.

     “What!?” Frederic jumped from the bed hearing the yells and screams, and the clanking of the swords from below, he ran towards the window, only to see burning houses and bodies bleeding on the square as the White City soldiers rushed inside the palace.

     “Frederic!” Isolde screamed hugging Aldus tightly, he could barely breathe.

     “Alfred’s men are everywhere…” he ran across the room and opened the wardrobe where his equipment was stored. He pulled out chainmail and a helmet and put them on as fast as he could. “We must leave!” he looked at his wife and a little son. But Isolde just remained frozen still hugging Aldus. “Woman listen to me!” he kneeled next to them and grabbed her by the shoulders shaking her so that she would snap out from the shock.

     “Okay… Okay…” she started hyperventilating as Frederic picked her up and the kid.

     “Stay behind me,” he slowly opened the door from their room and peeked outside making sure it was clear for them to move. “Come on,” he grabbed Isolde’s hand as she moved behind him and at the same time held little Aldus’s hand who followed behind them. “We must find my father and mother,” he looked at Isolde how just nodded at his decision as they kept moving down the hallway. 

     “As part of the dowry, this piece of land will go to Lord Lucius,” Alfred pointed at the map while Edmund sat and observed carefully, both of them knew that Katrina and Lucius had no idea that they would have to marry each other, or the fact of the matter was if they would even want to marry each other, but neither Alfred nor Edmund cared about what they would say or want, both of them focused in the planning and dividing the land as part of the dowry Alfred would have to offer, that they had no idea what the hell was going on outside. A loud thump sounded on the door startling both of them since their attention was elsewhere.

     “What is going on?” asked Edmund as they looked at each other. “Enter!” he yelled, but the thump sounded again, it seemed that they couldn’t open the door. Edmund stood up and walked toward the door thinking he could have locked but suddenly the door was flying towards his face, as it pushed him to the ground.

     “Edmund!” Alfred ran up to him and kneeled next to him giving him a helping hand. “You!” he looked at the soldiers and knew they were from the White City because of the uniform. “What is the meaning of this?” Alfred and Edmund stood up and starred at the soldier demanding answers. The soldier just looked at them angrily and ran up to Edmund stabbing him in the chest with the sword sticking out of his back.

     “No!!!” yelled Alfred as another soldier came from behind and stuck a spear in the back of his lower leg as he fell on his knees.

     Frederic and his family ran in the halls still looking for his parents, but he wasn’t going to find them anytime soon. They stopped in front of a beautifully carved out dark brown door, it was the king’s and queen’s chamber room. He looked at Isolde as she just nodded at him with tears in her eyes. He paced back a couple of steps and ran towards the door with all his strength. Splinters of the wood flew all across the room and fell on the red classic pattern carpet. He rushed inside the room but much to his disappointment and anger his parents weren’t there.

     “Frederic!” Isolde screamed as the White City soldiers grabbed her.

     “Isolde!” he yelled after her, instantly running out of the room, as soon as he passed the threshold between the room and the hall a sharp pain struck him in the head, it came from a blunt object as he fell to the ground and the blood started pouring on the floor, he looked up and saw a hidden soldier behind the wall that struck him with the hilt of the blade as soon as he stepped out of the door, his vision blurry all he could see was his son Aldus was being dragged by a soldier as the little kid cried out for his parents. Frederic then turned to the other side where two soldiers had Isolde pinned on the wall and lifted her legs up ready to r**e her.

     “Had enough little prince?” the soldier that struck him with the hilt hovered above him. “You…” the soldier lifted his foot and stepped on Frederic’s bleeding head as he tried to squish his head. “You will all bow down to Queen Isidora!” the soldier pressed even harder on his head as he started screaming from pain, as Isolde screamed to let her go.

     “Argh!!!” Frederic screamed his lungs out as in anger he found the strength to pull out the small knife he had in his boot and instantly stabbed the soldier on the leg. The soldier screamed and limped off giving Frederic the chance to stand up and regain his strength.

     “You bastard!” the soldier cursed at him, but Frederic gave no compassion nor hesitation when he swung the blade across the soldier’s chest killing him immediately. He then yanked the other soldier away from Isolde and stabbed him in the stomach as the other soldier moved away from Isolde and drove a dagger in his shoulder, piercing the chainmail and his clothes all the way to the bone. He screamed in agony and for a moment lost the balance in his legs but seeing the cries from his son and wife gave him the strength to get back up instantly and gain the upper hand on the other soldier who ran towards him and pushed him on the ground. Both of them fell on top of each other and remained there.

     “Frederic!” screamed Isolde seeing the blood flowing from beneath the two of them. “Frederic…” her eyes filled with tears he rushed to move the soldier that was on top of him, his eyes were closed and he did not move. “Frederic!” she cried as she shook him, all of a sudden he opened his eyes and gasped for air. “Frederic!” Isolde hugged him, and he hugged her back with one hand because he couldn’t move the other one with what a dagger sticking out of it and whatnot.

     “Aldus!” he jumped as Isolde immediately moved out of his way.

     “Save him!” Isolde looked at him with tears and blood on her face. Frederic immediately started chasing after the soldier that had grabbed his son, the soldier did not have an easy time since Aldus had protested and didn’t want to go with him of course. “Quiet down you little bastard!” the soldier yelled at him.

     “Let me go!” Aldus protested, and he had done it, the soldier got annoyed and struck him on the face so hard it knocked the kid out.

     “No!” Frederic yelled from the other side of the corridor, as the soldier looked at him and picked up the kid in his hands, and started running down the hall to get away from him. Frederic also started chasing after them but it wasn’t easy for both of them, the soldier having to carry extra weight apart from the weight of the armor and chainmail and now a little kid, and then Frederic could barely walk let alone run because of his wounds and his concussion to his head. He tripped on nothing else but himself and thumped on the ground, the soldier turned around as if to see that Frederic fell on the ground and that he has won this race and had gotten away from him. Frederic screamed on top of his lungs as he was standing up and at the same time, he pulled on the dagger that was stuck on his shoulder.