IV. The Impact of Her

~ Thirteen ~

The world around me came to a screeching halt.

Stunned, my ears rang as it barred itself from hearing anything else. My page continued on but his voice was muffled. My mind raced with questions as my heartbeat picked up its pace after it stopped for a second.

Massacred??

My men, massacred?!

How could this have happened?! Why would someone kill innocent people?! And if they were killed, what happened to everyone in the bakery?!

What happened to Grandpa Ben?!

"Your Highness," my page raised his voice, which finally brought me back to reality. His hold on me tightened further as he asked, "What must we do?!"

I grabbed hold of his arms and asked, "Where are the guards??"

"Those who survived brought the fallen back home. I sent them to the guards' keep to avoid commotion from the other servants," my page replied.

I bolted to the door and rushed to the keep. I was followed closely by Gonzalo, my page, and the two guards who stood by my door.

~*~*~*~

As I barged into the guards' keep, I was met with silence.

Everyone looked at me with mixed emotions.

Mourning.

Anger.

And fear.

I slowly made my way through the crowd of guards. And in the middle of the room, there lay three of the guards that I sent to protect the bakery. Multiple stab wounds covered their entire bodies. One even had his throat cut open.

The survivors were being healed on the side. Bruises marred their faces and deep cuts wounded their arms.

I stood beside the captain as we watched the other guards cover the dead with a white blanket. And even if the others tried to hide it, some silently sniffled as they wept over their loss of good comrades.

Our guards treated each other like brothers. In everything that they did, they would always think of their fellow comrades, especially if they were called to action. I could only imagine the pain and heartbreak that they experienced.

"This is all my fault," I uttered. "I am deeply sorry for your loss, captain."

The captain remained silent for a few seconds before he sniffled. I turned to him, only to find that he prevented his tears from completely falling.

"Captain?" I reached out my hand as I held onto his shoulder.

"You don't have to apologise, Your Highness," the captain said as he wiped his nose. He continued, "I know that my men died to protect people; people that are important to you. As bad as this may sound... but I am proud of them."

The captain cleared his throat and added, "They didn't step away from their oath. They died an honourable death."

"Still, I offer my condolences," I replied as I lightly squeezed his shoulder. "If I didn't make that decision, they would still be here."

The captain sniffled once more as he nodded. "As their captain, I shouldn't be too heartbroken over this. But they aren't just my soldiers. They are my family," he answered with a forced smile. I continued, "I looked out for them. I always considered their every need before making a decision. And it breaks my heart... to see them... lifeless..."

And with that, the captain finally succumbed to his grief and wept.

I turned to face me and embraced him. I allowed him to cry on my shirt. I never wanted anyone to die because of cause. But whoever did this clearly didn't care about them.