Aetherian(Part 1): A War Begins

Belle

 Ser Conrad stood guard at the door to Belle's solar, where she was with Melody. They both heard marching outside the door for hours, and Melody refused to take her hand off her lightsword. Belle could sense her paranoia.

"Why do you think father had one of his Knights take us here?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Melody. "It's probably the safest place for us in the entire city."

"You can probably calm down," Belle suggested.

"I thought a lady should have a Knight to protect her," Melody reminded.

"There is one," said Belle. "Ser Conrad."

"He won't stand a chance against an Elite," Melody argued. Suddenly, there was a gunshot outside the door, and then a thud. The door to Belle's chamber flew open, and Melody ignited her lightsword when a Lysander Elite Knight walked in with a squad of soldiers in dark outfits, all armed with assault rifles.

"You're coming with us, girls," the Elite growled. "The King has ordered it." The soldiers began to move closer to them, and they stepped backward. Suddenly, the Elite Knight fell, with Prince Roderick standing above him with the spike of his halberd bloodied. The five soldiers pointed their rifles at him, but they were shaking with dread.

"Leave them alone," Roderick growled.

"King Vorian has ordered us to..."

"I don't care!" Roderick snapped. "I won't let you or him hurt these girls."

"We're only doing what our King has ordered," one of the soldiers said.

"If you touch either of them, I'll kill you all, understand?" Roderick threatened.

"Forgive us, Prince Roderick," the same soldier begged. Belle screamed as he fired a round at Roderick, but the plasma bolt didn't scratch his armor. The Prince then impaled the soldier on the spike of his halberd, then pulled it out of his body and made a swing at the other four, hitting three of them in the head with the blade. Before he could attack the last one, the fourth soldier threw Melody down, and grabbed Belle by the arm, forcing her in front of him, with a pistol to her head.

"Let my sister go!" Melody screamed.

"Both of you drop your weapons!" the Lysander soldier ordered. Melody then flashed a blue light around herself and stabbed the soldier through the back of the head with her blue lightsword as she appeared behind him.

"Thank you," Belle shuddered. "Roderick, what's going on?"

"You two need to get out of here," said Roderick. "Vorian tried to get your father to swear his fealty to him, and he refused. He's locked in the dungeons."

"What!?" Melody screamed.

"Ser Brett has agreed to help me get you out of the city, but we don't have much time," said Roderick, but Belle could sense deceit in his words. He was hiding something.

"Come on," Roderick said, turning to the door, but Melody warped in front of him before he could leave the solar. "What are you doing, we need to hurry."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Melody argued. "You're hiding something."

"What, I'm hiding nothing," said Roderick.

"Roderick?" Belle pleaded. "Please." There was guilt in Roderick, now. He couldn't lie to Belle, and he had done something he regrets.

"What did you do, Roderick?" Melody demanded. Roderick couldn't hide it from them any longer.

"When your father went before Vorian, I stood with my brother," said Roderick. "A fight broke out, and I had to apprehend Commander Vestarr."

"You betrayed him?" Belle gasped.

"I had no choice," said Roderick. Melody quickly ignited her lightsword out of anger and took a swing at him. Roderick blocked her attack with the shaft of his halberd, then Melody swung at him again. Her glowing blade bounced off his armor when he raised his arm. She had tears running from her eyes as she attacked again and again, but none of her swings even scratched Prince Roderick.

"Melody, stop!" Belle shouted.

"Why!?" Melody sobbed.

"Just let me get you both out of here before my brother gets to you," Roderick begged. "Come on." Roderick led them down the corridors of the Ivory Tower and ran into Ser Brett Coyle.

"This way, Captain, my lady," he said, pressing on a tile in the wall. The brick sank into the wall, and then a doorway opened, into a dark stairway.

"It leads to the sanctuary," Brett promised. "From there, go to the docks, look for a ship called the Northern Warmonger. It'll take you as far as Falcon's Reach. It's a rather long walk to Snowfall from there, but you should manage. The mountain clansmen are more generous than you would think."

"What about our father?" Melody asked.

"There's nothing that can be done for him, Melody," said Roderick. "I'm sorry. Just return to Snowfall and your brother, and stay as far east as you can."

"So, this is goodbye?" Belle asked. She understood that Roderick was only protecting his brother when he attacked Commander Vestarr, and only acted out of loyalty like every Knight should. She forgave him for what he did. Belle took his face in her hands and kissed him.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

"Go," said Roderick, turning to the three Lysander Elites down the corridor. "We'll see each other again."

"Belle, come on," Melody urged, grabbing Belle's arm, and pulling her into the stairway. They could both hear gunshots and the clashing of blades as they went further down, as the secret door behind them closed.