114 Navigation to freedom-Lutious's Backstory

A baby's cry could be heard in the midst of the heavy silence which fell over the land. Buildings which once stood tall were now reduced to ashes. Lands which glittered with the earth's fruits and jewels were blackened. The beautiful and expansively blue sky was now gray as the summer breeze was replaced with suffocating smoke. Bodies which once walked and laughed laid still on the ground. Instead of dust, crimson filled the ground creating a river of red which ran the length of the town.

A group of men which resembled beasts laughed as they swung their swords and fists. Reducing any who dared to disobey to ashes. Their black eyes shining red as they relished the smell of fear and the taste of blood. Flames surrounded them and licked everything in their way. One particular man with hair as bright as the sun chuckled. His handsome face was twisted as his lust for blood and power long took over his human-like senses. His tall yet lean body agile moved as he cut down who came in his way. The final words of those cut down were not prayers but screams. This man had made Hades's job in the Underworld busy lately. The man's large amber eyes glistened as he and his lackeys stopped in front of a particular abode. It was the only building which stood up still. The man then kicked open the door as a beautiful woman with shining black hair and ruby-red lips laid on the ground. Her violet eyes filled with defiance as she looked at the man.

The man smirked as he motioned for his men to leave. The beasts bowed and closed the wooden door behind them. The woman held a sword in her hand as she held a small child close to her. The child's brown hair shone as the child stirred from his slumber. The small child opened his large brown eyes and groggily said to the woman.

"Mommy, what's happening?"

The woman kissed the top of her child's head as she set him on the ground behind her. She then stood up and pointed her sword at the evil man who stood by the door. The man tilted his head as he leaned against the door.

"Is that child mine Isadora?"

The woman flinched as the man said her name lovingly. She scoffed as her defiant expression did not waver.

"He may be your son, but I am his mother. And as his mother I will never let him fall in the hands of a cheap traitor such as yourself Angus."

The beautiful woman's pristine white skin shone as Angus chuckled.

"Well, well. I didn't expect to fall in love with a woman from the village which I was supposed to raid after all. i thought that we would have more time together, but my father is quite the impatient man."

Isadora glared at a smiling Angus as she felt a small hand wrap itself around her ankle. She turned to look down at her small son with tears in his eyes.

"Mommy, who is this man?"

Isadora felt her heart clench as she sighed and said.

Angus chuckled as his amber eyes sparkled in the dim room.

"Oh, my dear Isadora, please don't use such words around our son. Let me take a look at him."

Angus stepped forward as Isadora crossed her sword to block him. Her beautiful features twisted into a snarl as she threateningly said.

"Take one more step towards my child and I swear to God, that I will cut that neck of yours."

Angus's eyes sparkled as he smiled and burst into laughter. He then raised his arms in a way of showing that he had surrendered.

"Oh, my dear, how cold and so not cute. I still cannot believe that a beautiful woman such as yourself had succumbed to being a knight. I've always loved your strength after all."

Angus then walked over and caressed Isadora's cheek. Her eyes widened as a slash filled the air. Angus chuckled as he held his bleeding cheek. Isadora flicked her sword so that crimson splashed on the wooden floor.

"Every word you say is disgusting as usual Angus. I have been lenient due to our past as lovers. One more step and I truly will take your heart and rip it out."

Lutious's muffled cries filled the room as he watched Angus laugh. Angus turned as a beastly look filled his eyes. He then swiftly clamped his hand over Isadora's thin neck. Her eyes widened as she was lifted like a rag doll. Lutious screamed.

"Mom!"

Isadora coughed as she tried to loosen Angus's vice grip. Angus smiled as he said.

"My dear I do love you, but your defiant behavior and sword-like tongue has gotten on my nerves. You and that little prick over there are the only ones left in this shabby village of yours. Why don't you mull over the fact that all of these innocent people have died due to your action of running away from me? Do you know how much trouble you've made me go through these past years to find you? My father, the great King has never approved of you, but I have still refused every concubine just to have you. But what do you do? You trample all over my feelings and run away to this shabby village. If that son of yours truly is mine, then I will take the both of you and care for you two. What do you think of us being a family my dear Isadora?"

Isadora's face reddened as Angus released her. She fell to the ground coughing. Lutious ran to her side as tears fell down his small cheeks.

"Mommy! You jerk what did you do to mommy?"

Lutious then picked up Isadora's sword and ran over to Angus. Angus chuckled as he kicked Lutious to the ground. Lutious coughed blood as his small head hit the ground hard. Isadora cried out as she held a dizzy Lutious in her arms.

"Well, well. That little runt truly is your son Isadora. To think that at his age he is able to hold your large sword. You have trained him well."

The ground rumbled as a dark aura emitted from Isadora. It vibrated as Isadora talked.

"You son of a bitch. What the fuck do you want? You have taken away my village, my friends, and my family. Why don't you just kill me already?"

Angus sighed as he scratched the back of his head and said.

"I've already told you what I want Isadora. Stop being so defiant and come with me back to the Imperial Castle as my wife. That son of ours will be a prince. Why are you so against this idea?"

Isadora glared at Angus as he flinched. She held Lutious's small body closer to her chest as she kissed his soft cheek. Lutious opened his eyes and looked at Isadora. He then smiled and brought up his small hands as he held Isadora's cheeks.

"Mommy, stop crying. Mommy is always beautiful when she smiles."

Isadora's tears continued to fall as she rubbed her cheek against Lutious's. She then whispered in his ear.

"My dear Lutious, do you remember all of the navigating information that mommy and Sir Andrews have taught you?"

Lutious nodded as he replied.

"Yes mommy! I even know how to get to the pier on my own now!"

Isadora chuckled through her tears as she said.

"Good boy. Mommy and you are going to play a small game. Sir Andrews and the other knights are playing as well. Are you willing to play with mommy?"

Lutious nodded as Isadora smiled and brushed away a stray hair of Lutious's from his face. She then caressed his cheek as tears continued to streak her blushed cheeks.

"My dear Lutious. The winner of the game is the one who can reach the pier first. If you beat mommy, then she will buy you that compass that you've always wanted. And if you lose you have to endure swordsmanship training with Sir Andrews. Do we have a deal?"

Lutious nodded as he jumped out of Isadora's arms.

"Yes mommy!"

His brown eyes sparkled as Isadora kissed his forehead. She then whispered in his ear.

"Your mommy will always love you. Promise me that you will make me and the Knights proud by finding the treasure of the Bermuda Triangle."

Lutious furrowed his small eyebrows as he hugged his mother.

"Mommy, why are you telling me this as if I won't see you guys anymore?"

Isadora's eyes closed as she sighed deeply and said.

"Mommy is just talking to herself my dear. Don't worry about it now go to the pier. And remember don't talk to strangers, and whatever you do don't look back."

Lutious nodded as Isadora crushed him in a hug. She then kissed both of his cheeks once more before standing. She glared at Angus as she led Lutious to the back door of the house. She then opened the door as it led to an open green field and a long path. Buildings and the sea loomed in the distance. Isadora sighed as she waved at a smiling Lutious who ran down the path. She then closed the door and turned to Angus.

Her violet eyes shined red as she picked up her fallen sword and faced a smirking Angus who unsheathed his sword.

"I will never be your wife you sick son of a bitch. I would rather die than lie down by your side at night and wake up to see that disgusting face of yours in the morning. If I do die here, and your men and you go anywhere near my son, I will come back from the depths of hell just to define nightmare for you."

Angus looked to the ground as his smile dropped for the first time. He sighed as he said.

"I can't believe that things have actually come to this between us Isadora. Have you ever felt even a small bit of love for me?"

Isadora smiled sadly as she said.

"I might have at one time, but now all I feel for you is the hatred and remorse of my dead brethren and knights. I do not regret the time that I have spent with you, but I do not relish it either."

Angus chuckled softly as he raised his sword and said.

"Contrary to your belief my love, I have never stopped loving you in these seven years of ours. And that son of ours seems like he is quite smart and intelligent."

Isadora chuckled as she stepped forward with her sword and said.

"He is. I am his mother after all. He dreams of being a navigator. For a little runt he has quite the head on his shoulders."

Angus nodded as he stepped forward with his sword as well.

"Well he will be quite the lady-killer as he grows up just like his father."

"Shut up Angus. I'm the pretty one of the two of us. You are nothing but a man with a tongue that speaks pleasurable words to women."

"Well my dear Isadora, if I remember well, in that night six years ago, you had quite enjoyed that tongue of mine."

Isadora's cheeks turned red as her and Angus's swords met with a CLANG. Their swords continued to hit over and over as they looked for openings. As the smoke cleared outside, the two of them continued to talk until night came.

As the moon shone, Isadora and Angus laid elbow to elbow on the wooden ground. Crimson seeped from their twin wounds on their abdomens. Their faces pale as they struggled to breathe. Their swords crossed on the ground. Angus shakily chuckled as he said.

"Do you remember the first day we met Isadora?"

Isadora nodded forcefully as she winced from her stomach wound.

"It was in your coming of age ceremony as the crown prince."

Angus chuckled and then wheezed as more crimson seeped from his stomach.

"You were so beautiful back then. Your black hair reminded me of a majestic horse. Despite all the women who flocked to my side you were in the corner eating."

"I remember thinking that you were quite the playboy and that you were casting some sort of spell on those women."

"Oh really? You were the only woman who had ever case a spell on me my dear Isadora."

"Oh, is that so? Well I will admit that you were the only man to capture my interest aside from being a subordinate."

"Oh, I am quite flattered my dear."

Angus laughed as Isadora chuckled. The moonlight seeped in through the cracks of the cabin home. It shone and kissed both Angus and Isadora's faces. The two of them smiled as Angus reached over and clasped Isadora's hand. She did not pull away.

Angus then said.

"My dear Isadora, I feel like my end is approaching quite quickly what about you?"

Isadora nodded as she said.

"Same here Angus."

"Do you think that if I wasn't the King's son, and you weren't the knight of the enemy kingdom we would have gotten married?"

Isadora chuckled and coughed as she stated.

"You son of a bitch. I would never marry a bastard like you. Who knows how many women you've slept with."?

Angus smiled as his lips parted.

"Was that jealousy my dear?"

"Don't flatter yourself Angus."

Angus laughed as Isadora and him closed their eyes. Angus then said.

"Isadora?"

"Yes Angus?"

"I'm sorry."

"That's kind of late for an apology don't you think?"

"It truly is my love. I wonder if our son is in safe hands right now. I wonder if he's still waiting for you at the pier."

Isadora smiled as she said.

"You don't have to worry. I'm friends with several knights from the Avalon Kingdom who are at the pier. They will care for him as I have stated that the only reason my son would go to the pier was if I were no longer alive. I have put him in the best place."

Angus smiled sadly as he squeezed Isadora's hand.

"I wonder if we will be together in the afterlife."

Several tears fell from Isadora's closed eyes as she said.

"I hope so."

Angus smiled as the two of them uttered their last breaths. The last image to come to their minds was that of them holding hands in an open grassland with Lutious running towards them with a box of treasure in his hands.

As their souls rose to the sky, Lutious stood by a large ship. Worry filled him as no one came to his side. Suddenly a group of knights came to him. A knight who was on the older side smiled as he took out his hand and said.

"You must be Lutious! My name is Wilhelm and these knuckleheads next to me are part of the Duke of Avalon's Crimson Knights brigade. Would you like to join us?"

Lutious smiled as something inside of him told him that mommy wasn't going to come back. He remembered the dream that he had of getting the treasure from the Bermuda Triangle. Lutious smiled and shook the old man's hand.

"Yes, I do. Please take care of me!"

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-P. S your dear little author has been procrastinating despite her finals coming up. Please tell her to stop procrastinating!