Two Of The Same Piece || Book 1 (The Beginning)

CHAPTER 37

It took everything in Irene's body to not vomit at any report arriving from Thinlin. Every report of Josephine's drunken rage that had her imprison Rave and Rachid. It caused an uproar. Even more so after a horse dragging Ib's dead body arrived. It had been two days without any news from Thinlin. The king had immediately sent for the crown prince and his Thinlinyte consort.

This was a declaration of war. They, not only held royal hostages, but they had also killed civilians. Irene had gone to Ravi's temple well before Taiskin arrived. She offered her prayers for her sister and Leo, who was like a brother to her.

Taiskin had arrived almost three hours after word spread. Irene had a feeling he got the news before anyone else, except for their father maybe. He knelt beside Irene, squeezing her hand as a form of greeting.

After hours of prayer, she finally made her way to the palace, Dona by her side. Prim had already arrived at the palace, a squadron of her elite fighters with her. "Irene!"

"Prim," Irene didn't have the energy to be excited anymore.

"I came as soon as the royal announcement was made." She gestured to her fighters. "They are only the first."

"Prim! Where is Chanyen?" Taiskin yelled, barely getting off his horse. Contyer wasn't even a step behind him.

"Still in Baikaenyohoi. He will gather the rest of our forces and bring them here. With supplies." She added.

"We are planning a full-scale assault. We'll need our best." Taiskin said before taking his leave.

"We have a meeting, soon. Let's go." Irene told Prim.

--

Cressida blankly stared at the golden mirror in her hand. Surely this was a nightmare. Rave and Leo were completely fine, and when Cressida woke up tomorrow, she would find both of her children alive and well.

Her hand shook violently. No, No. Her children were hostages. Her Rave was in a life-threatening situation. Her Rave could very well be gone. Cressida dropped the mirror in her hand and it shattered. She stared at the multitudes of her reflections. She had lost all her children, she couldn't lose Rave too.

"Your majesty?" Her chief lady-in-waiting knelt in front of her. "Milady, you need to be strong now. For Rave and Leo's sake. Please, your majesty. If the king sees you like this, he won't be able to take it."

"If anything happens to Rave, I will not be able to take it." Cressida bit her knuckles to keep from crying. "He got the news last night when he was in bed with me. Yet he told me nothing!"

"Your majesty, please-"

"He won't even see me! Call for him. Call for him right now or I swear I will break everything here.!" Cressida screamed.

"Cressida," Orisa quietly called out. "Please, Ida. Not now."

"They are my everything, Orisa." Cressida covered her face. "What will I do without her?"

Orisa shushed her. "Rave and Leo, they are strong children." Orisa patted her, "They will be fine."

"I want to see Lazarus." Cressida insisted.

Orisa sighed, "Go call for his majesty." She told her lady.

"Yes, your majesties."

--

"Thinlin has a master torturer, a Duativen man."

Irene's heart dropped at the thought of them being tortured, or worse. There were rumours, Josephine had Leo taken to her chambers directly. So he could pleasure Josephine. She couldn't imagine herself and her Raib, Dona, in a situation like this.