Chapter 102 - To Live

– Jane - PoV –

That night I fell ill for a week straight but slowly recovered, it was difficult to start a new life with new people, I lost of the nights where nightmares haunted me awake, 

"Jane…. Why did you leave us? Jane! Jane!

Jane!" My father was creeping with his torso and my brother reached out to me with his severed hand. I was afraid of sleep, little by little I adjusted there. Aunt Cassy and big sister Bisca treated me like their family, no more precious than my family.

'Aunt Cassy?' On a stormy night, I woken up with loud thunders, they reminded me of that explosion, I went inside aunt Cassy's bedroom, she usually went early and returned late so I never got any chance to talk much after coming here, 

"What happened to the little mistress?" She sat up and looked at us, that was probably the first time I saw her hair loose and she looked at us and sighed with her arms wide open,

"Oh lord are you okay? you'll be 10 this year, are you still afraid of thunder?" She smiled and covered me with her blanket and laid with me on her bed, the thunder roared again and snuggled to her, and a familiar feeling of warmth loosened me in assurance.

I dozed off without knowing and since that night whenever my sleep broke I crept inside her bed, and she snuggled me before I could nod off. It was the only time I felt I could be safe now.

We lived isolated from the town, only aunt Cassy was in touch with the outside, while sister Bisca stayed home with me, seasons changed and 5 years went by and our misery was worsening, aunt Cassy fell ill, but we were too late to realize it, she worked day and night to help us, in the end, she spent herself to point of no recovery.

One day a villager came running into the forest screaming and shouting, 

"Is there a girl named Bisca! Hello?" Sister Bisca told me to hide and went outside, I sat there in silence, and she returned, 

"Little lady, I need to visit the village a bit, I'll try to return as soon as I can, so please stay inside and eat before I am late." She packed her bag and went outside, even though she was smiling it was not the same as before, 

That night I was on my bed after that stale supper, I was anxiously rolling on my bed anxiously, it started raining, I peeked through the window, those raindrops reminded me of sister Bisca, I wasn't the only one in pain, it took me time to realize just how much she lost that day.

Then I heard a knock on the door, I jerked fear and took my wand, all these years I practiced every aspect of magic I could alone, I slowly opened the door and raindrops fell inside before the person, it was the sister Bisca, I picked her up and took her to the bed, her body was burning, I changed her clothes and sat beside her.

'Little lady is that you?' She peeked from her half-opened eyes,

'Sister Bisca are you okay? Where is aunt Cassy?' I rubbed her hands gently.

She flinched and sat up, she held my shoulder and hugged me tightly just the same as the day everything started.

Everything was ruined, everything was taken away from us, and sister Bisca broke into tears. I realized then I lost something precious to me again. I was shrieking and sobbing, we both held onto each other like we wouldn't be together the next morning.

The next day I opened my eyes and found sister Bisca in the kitchen, 

"Ah, little lady you woke up? Wash your face, I'll bring your breakfast to the table." She didn't show me her face, I washed up and sat on the table, we finished our breakfast, 

"Little- Lady Jane, two months later you'll turn 15, a proper lady by then, uncle would've held your coming of age ceremony." She smiled and she gave me a bag,

"It's for you my lady, open it."

I silently grabbed the bag and opened it. It had several gold Muras, enough to feed a family of four for 4-5 years.

'Where did you-' I looked at sister Bisca, 

"Mother gave me this, she wanted to give this to you when you turn 15, lady Jane, take it and I'll flee from here, you are already wise enough to put them in good use, this kingdom is not safe anymore, so I'll try to get out from here and-" 

'I understand!' I said and took the bag, I dashed into my room without looking at her face, 

Does she want to kick me out? Does she hate me because of Aunt Cassey…

Bad thoughts eroded my mind and night fell, sister Bisca came to knock on my door for dinner but I didn't open it.

I just sat there cursing my fate to become a leech on someone else, 

I waited for midnight and I decided that I will repay her for everything, I took a pen of paper and wrote, 

' Dear sister Bisca, 

I have no words to thank you for everything you did, neither I can repay you barely for what you and aunt Cassey have done for me.

This house isn't mine, I know you much you lived brother Harris and this was a place you decided to live if father went against your wishes, I can't take away this also from you, here reside your dreams and hopes, and I want you to stay here.

I will go now and start a new life outside, there is no need to worry about me, I have studied and grown up into a fine mage so I'll manage somehow.

Once I grow a fine mage I'll return to see you again, and also I want to find new happiness and cherish yourself from now on.

Thank you for everything and I love you,

Yours truly,

Jane.'

And I fled the cottage and left the bag muras with the letter, I ran and ran inside the forest and ended up in the town in the morning.

When I stepped into the town and a horrifying scene was in front of me, the town Lotinel which was once an attraction for its beauty was now nothing but debris and wrecks, the houses had torn and the roads had cracks and holes in every step.

The people who once danced happily were now hiding behind walls as if they were cursed to stay there. I saw an old man sitting close to a puddle of water and ran to him to find out what happened. 

"Thief! Thief! Son! Dear!" The old man started screaming and stones began to rain on me, a couple and an elderly woman came out with knives and sticks in their hands and two kids peeked from behind. I evaded them and dashed away from him.

'Wait grandpa! It's not what it looks like! I just want to know what happened here, that's all!.' I huffed,

"What happened here? Don't lie! Nobody in the kingdom is unaware of our condition! Yet they turned blind eye to us! He took away everything, our money, our food, our farm, our families. He didn't even spare the river and left us to starve and suffer till death!" The old man was crying and I felt many gazes staring at me, 

'Who are you talking-' I fell on my knees and looked at him, 

"That bastard Diesswrin-" 

'LOOKOUT!' an arrow pierce the old man's skull, and in a blink, his family was skewered with arrows, 

Few men on the horse were sprinting toward us.

"Mother! Father!" The kids screamed, 

"Don't come ou-"  the man raised his arm but a horse hoof crushed it, the children came out running, the men slid down and picked up the children, 

"Well, they will complete this month's quota! Bastard said he had no kids or wife when we came last time, where the fuck did he hid them?" He pulled the kids and threw them into a cage pulled by two horses behind them. The cage was filled with people of different races and ages, They were slaves!

The man suddenly looked at me, I was still asking in fear and tears poured out my eyes.

"Aren't you beautiful! Lord will praise me if take you to him, he did tell me he needs new maids."  He walked at me and crept away from him, 

'What are you-'  suddenly I lost my consciousness.

Shortly after I woke up, I recalled that the man hit me in the neck and I passed out. I looked around and saw myself in jail. I stayed there for a while and the woman came up to me with some food.

She was dressed as a maid but more elegantly, she slid the bread through the bars, 

"You are an aristocrat aren't you? Your hands are soft, and your mana is quite ripened for a peasant, it good thing they found you after getting the slaves or you would've gone with them, how about this our lord has many events to plan and we are looking for good staff, so how about it? Will you work for us?" She crouched and smiled at me, 

'For who?' I whispered, 

"For his grace, Duke Diesswrin."