Lost Ones - A False King

Chapter 1 - The Princess of Rilgohin

'My family lived in Treewich, a small village near the border of Londe. Treewich is surrounded by vast fields, some extending into the interior, while others transition into dense forests marking the edge of our land. Deep within these forests, however, lays an uninhabited area stretching between our land, Londe, and that of our enemy, Rilgohin - the sun-scorched swamps. I remember the parched earth and the shimmering air over the swampy lands from when I was a little boy. But I haven't been here for many years, as the swamps have been under our enemy's control for quite some time.

The Rilgohiners are dissenters from Londe who disagreed with the prevailing principles and structures there. Consequently, they left Londe and founded their own land with values opposed to ours. Initially, the High Council, the highest authority in the world with its seat of government in Londeeyeof, the capital of Londe, paid little attention to these rebels. However, as more and more people left Londe to settle in Rilgohin, the High Council could no longer remain passive, as there was growing fear that the renegades might build their own military force to overthrow the High Council.

This led to a conflict between the two countries, which reached its climax when Rilgohin occupied the swamps, which had been untouched for decades and were considered neutral and sacred ground. In Treewich, the tension was constantly palpable, and the fear of possible raids by our enemies at night or before dawn was ever-present. It was astonishing when we reached the village. It seemed as if time had stood still in the village, only I had changed. Was it similar around the sun-scorched swamps?

The glaring sunshine, piercing through leaves and branches and revealing the mists around us, gave the place a mystical quality. Moving in the restricted visibility, soft ground, and damp surroundings was not easy. The oppressive silence made our own breathing and even the falling of a leaf seem unusually loud. It was not the silence of our enemies that troubled me, but our own. No one wanted to speak it out loud, but we all thought the same. It was in the air and in our gut feeling. With every step deeper into the swamps, we looked around more often, our heartbeats accelerated and our hands became increasingly sweaty. The deeper we ventured into the swamps, the closer we came to our death. And yet, far from any common sense, we continued to advance into their territory. What chance did we have against the Rilgohiners or these 'superhumans,' as they were called by many in these times? Those who were so named were known to us only as the four lords and rulers of Rilgohin - the Lords of House Wynfre.

But what made them so special? Was it the fact that their country, despite being the smallest of the four countries involved in the war, waged war against the other three countries at the same time and managed to win? Was that why we were here in these swamps? To drive them back? We were a small group. No more than two dozen men. Our general, Akasha, succumbed to his illness a few weeks ago. As a replacement, the High Council assigned us two new generals who brought us here but have yet to speak a word to us... until...

It rustled in the treetops and in the bushes around us...

Voices began to whisper... And then... An ambush!'

"Lina... Lina...", a deep female voice calls. "Aren't you awake yet? Please open the door! Lina!?"

Three women stand at the door. Two of them are dressed in black with white aprons and caps. They knock hastily on the door and call for Lina.

"Where is Cecie?" asks the youngest of them, snappishly, given the time pressure they are under. "She'll surely be here any moment," replies the third woman, nervously pacing and wringing her hands. This woman is neither dressed like a maid nor like a woman from a middle-class family. Her apricot-colored, form-fitting, floor-length silk dress flatters her appearance. Her red hair is hidden under a large sunhat, which draws attention to her small, upturned nose and narrow lips. Around her neck is a ruby-red necklace with a pendant of small diamonds shaped like a castle turret. A white, light glove covers the skin of her right arm, while a dark stocking wraps around her right leg. This is Lina's mother - Joane Elmhart - Queen of Rilgohin and the wife of the current king and ruler - Edmur Elmhart.