Ascardia

((7)) Fractured

Edmond Ashbury sat alone in the Ashbury Manor; the study in which he occupied was completely dark, save for the eerie glow the fireplace cast. He was contemplating the little life he had left, should he wage war against Nightingale, in the hopes of possibly becoming its king? And what point would that prove, with the amount of magic he would have to use; he'd be dead by the end of the war. He could feel his soul crumbling; with every spell, every second of every day; Edmond was ceasing to exist.

A knock on the door was quickly followed by the entrance of his beloved sister. She no longer wore the servants garb of burlap dresses and aprons, now she wore gowns of satin and velvet, and silk. Her skin no longer was drawn tightly against her bones, she looked healthy.

"Lucy, all is well I hope?" Edmond asked weakly; it wasn't that he didn't care; it was that he didn't have the strength to care.

"Edmond, are you well?" Lucille didn't have a last name; a curse brought on by being a scurry maid's daughter, and the late Duke's illegitimate daughter. Edmond wished to give her the Ashbury name; but it wasn't his to give...not really. She had more  claim to it more than he did; being blood and that she hadn't committed patricide; but all the same if the former Duke didn't want to stake claim to Lucille whilst alive; what place was it for him to give it to her now that he was dead?

"No, I am not well. I'm nearing the end. Have you decided on a surname for yourself?"

"I want nothing to do with the Ashbury name. So, I do believe my name should correlate with where I'm from. So, for here on, my name is Lucille Rebecca Stonehearst."

"Very well Lady Stonehearst."

Lucy couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips, to her eyes. Hearing her title, now complete with her newly given surname; was surreal. She only wished, that Edmond hadn't turned so dark, that now the only escape was ceasing to exist in the planes of the Afterlife. He wouldn't exist at all, he would not be alive, nor dead, he simply would cease to well...live.

***

Nightingale was in a state of panic. Not only did war bloom on the horizon like the Royal Roses, but their beloved king had fallen ill. No one knew the cause; and the Queen hadn't been seen since her beloved husband had fallen. The mighty Nightingale himself was sick and his daughter, the even mightier Onyx Rose was beside herself with grief.

The people hadn't forgotten the man she had brought to the kingdom, the man destined to be their new king once the Princess and he married. They didn't trust the Man of Shadows. The Mercenary from the Forbidden Forest. The exiled Duke of Ashbury. Of course, the villagers not trusting Enoch Ashbury didn't deter him from visiting the village everyday, whether it be a top his great chestnut mare; Matilda or by foot. He made it a point of stopping and talking to each stall that sold goods, to each shop, and to each passing villager.

The village children adored him; and the women; married and single alike fawned after him. The men respected his Mercenary status, and admired his place among the status quo. He insisted that everyone, no matter how poor, call him by his self given name of Nox.

Visiting the village wasn't just a ploy to gain their trust, it was a tool for Nox to help ease the feeling of loneliness and despair that he felt whenever he entered the once happy castle. However rare it was to see Nox smile; a sighting of the Royal women of Nightingale was even more rare.

On gloomy days, with the dark clouds threatening rain, and an onslaught of thunder and lightning, Nox had no choice but to remain indoors. It was on this day that he finally saw his beloved princess. She wore all black; a usual occurrence; but normally her all black attire consisted of leather pants and boots, and a tightly fitted corset like leather top. Today, it was a full length lacy satin ball gown, it fit tightly at her waist, where it tapered off, and bloomed like a rose around her legs. The top was her usual corset, the laces in the back a bright red, her hair normally pulled back in a braid so tight, it lifted her eyes into slants....was down so it flowed down her back in beautiful obsidian waves. He wished to call out to her, but she looked like she could be easily startled.