The Princess and I

Chapter VIII: The duel

Gun shots. The roaring sounds of cannon fire. Men shouting. Women crying, searching for their children. Houses are being plundered by people we once called friends. Everywhere there's blood, screaming, violence. I never thought I would live to see this day. And how agonizing it is indeed! My father cradles his three women in his strong arms and hushes our moans out of fear we're heard. My two brothers are looking at the sky, afraid of who may open those doors. The way they look they're just like the warfare gods of yore. Elias isn't even old enough to wear a gun; he's just fourteen. Nicholas on the contrary is the patriarch of his own family now, so I guess he must defend us as well as his wife and new born boy. I look at my nephew, who is -surprisingly- sleeping. We're all afraid for the moment he wakes up and feels our anxiety. We should make sure he's got something to eat to prevent him from crying. My sister-in-law Louisa is just wordlessly praying in unison with my mother.

Another blast and the ground shudders. Dust falls into our eyes. This one was much closer than the last. And indeed, suddenly I hear wood breaking close by, the sounds of statues being smashed to pieces, pieces of art being destroyed into oblivion, glass breaking and then flames of fire crackling. Footsteps are running and then there's perfect silence, except for the rustling sounds of the flames. Nicholas looks to his father too afraid to ask what we should do next. I don't know what causes his fears. I don't understand him. What is there to do really? We are here. The flames are upstairs. We're in our safe haven.

Not for long the raging fire upstairs reaches our shelter however. The heat is growing. Smoke clouds our sight and makes it difficult to breathe. My father puts his handkerchief over our mouths, so we won't breath in the toxin smoke. I hear him coughing and feel my own eyes water. He puts us down to the ground where the air is fresher. Still, I'm having difficulty breathing. I'm afraid we all will die in this dreadful place. Roasted like bread in an oven. I can't see anyone anymore. I hear a dull knock like somebody's falling down. I don't know who it is.

My eyes are burning, so I can't cry anymore. My throat feels thick and raspy. It closes down my trachea. Therefore, breathing gets really hard and it hurts like hell. I feel airless, which my father's body on top of me definitely makes it worse. My lungs are screaming for oxygen. I see stars in front of my eyes. And then the hatch to our shelter opens...

And Lord Harvey enters. He looks at us from the top of the stairs and I put out my hand in the hope he will rescue us. His eyes are dark though and have a madman's glance in them. 'Marry me,' he says threateningly. 'Or die.'

'Please, sir, I can't marry you, since my heart doesn't belong to you.'

'Then die.'

I try to stand up, but my strength already has left my body. I am suffocating and while Lord Harvey closes off the hatch once more, I hear him laugh menacingly.

∞

I wake up screaming and drenched in sweat. My whole body is trembling and it takes a while before I realise I'm once again in my bedroom and not in a cellar somewhere in France. I am not alone though, next to my bed Christina is waiting for me to wake up. She's still where I left her and that calms me down a bit. Her soft hands caressing my arm soothingly are the second thing that calms my poor nerves.

'I am sorry,' I say shakily. 'I had a bad dream.'

A sympathetic look crosses her eyes. 'No worry, love.'

I lay down in my pillows once again. 'You're still here,' I notice happily.

'So, I promised, didn't I?' She must have been sleeping in her chair with her head upon my blankets, because her hair is loose and all messy. She stretches out and asks: 'Can I get you something? Or someone?'