The Revenant

Fall From Grace

SONJA

I was shaken awake by Clovius, who violently shook me by my shoulder.

"Princess. Princess Sonja! Please miss you must wake up!"

I was groggy as I sat up. "Clovius? What is-"

"You must come quick my lady. Your father has ordered your execution. We don't have much time before the guards arrive."

"What?"

"Please Miss,we don't have time!"

The doors to my bedroom burst open, the doors falling off slightly,torn from their hinges. Two guards entered,halberds in hand.

Clovius engaged both,his hands shifting,morphing into long claws. He ducked beneath one of the guards attacks,cleaving through his stomach,his intestines falling to the floor. Clovius bit into some of his intestines and tore off a few parts in his mouth while his stabbed his claws into the other guards armour, piercing through with ease and tearing through his flesh,slashing him to ribbons as he chew. He rose from the massacre, his eye's black, teeth razors.

His hands slowly returned to the way they were and he wiped his mouth with a napkin he fished out from his tailcoat.

"Clovius..."

"Miss. We must leave. Now."

I got out of bed as quickly as I could, still in my pajamas, as Clovius led me through the palace.

"Your father has gone mad with rage. Nova's inability to find Elena's killer has caused him to resort to this. The city is in chaos."

"Why...why were those men there to kill me?"

"Your father has always seen Elena as his destined heir. You're the spitting image of her. Nearly indistinguishable from your elder sister. He cannot stand to look at you without seeing his eldest. He wishes to dispose of you, and make a new child."

My heart plummeted in my chest. "So I'm nothing to my father..."

"You are something to Nova, Sonja. He sees you as his friend. That you are someone he cherishes and cares for,regardless of whether you are Elena's sister or not. Not only to Nova,but to me as well."

Clovius led me to the back of the palace,where a carriage awaited me. He opened the carriage doors, and I stepped inside. "Quickly,we don't have time. I've already taken the liberty of packing your goods and placing them in the back of the carriage.

"I've watched you grow from a young girl to a beautiful woman. I am proud to have been your servant princess."

"You're a Revenant..."

"That I am. Only the Commander knows, and now you. I have served this household for my entire twenty five years of undeath, and in all that time,I've spent a great amount of it watching and nurturing you and your sister. You are like a daughter to me Sonja. And you are destined for greatness. Find Rey, the Commanders brother, he leaves for a house Northeast of the city. You must find it."

"And what about you?"

"I will remain here,say that you were saved by The Commander, cause confusion,buy you time to make your full escape. Go. I will see you again someday princess."

Clovius shut the carriage doors and the horses reared, their hooves slapping against the ground with great strength.

I was racing away from the palace then, away from my old life. I was venturing into unknown territory now. I glanced one final time at Clovius through the opening in the carriage door.

It was sad.

My fathers steward, and my butler, was more of a father to me in the few brief moments we spent together than my actual father had been to me in his whole life.