The War on Their New Home

[Soleil]

"Credula vitam spes fovet et melius cras fore semper dicit"
Credulous hope supports our life, and always says that tomorrow will be better.

. A r a l o r e  . had grown so quiet as the Autumn season crept its way onto the Isle. The leaves changed quickly from green to the various fall colors. The ocean waters had lost its warmth as did the temperature or the air. It wouldn't be long before they would see their first winter on the Isle. A bad feeling had come over Alexandria, though she could not seem to pinpoint the cause of the worry that settled in the pit of her stomach. Things had been too quiet and it upset her slightly, for she felt she was beginning to lose touch with her people. She had walked the streets but had not seen too many people wandering about. She wondered if her people were leaving the isle, or if everyone was just too busy to come around.


. O n e . evening, as the sun set, Alexandria sat down at her desk to begin writing a newsletter to her people. A fall festival would be planned, along with a masquerade ball were on her list of upcoming events for Aralore. She hoped her plans would make up for the time she had been kept up in the castle with little interaction with her citizens. Then, as she was writing, she heard some yelling from out the window. Though she thought nothing of it, thinking it was an argument between some of the guards. The arguing had eventually stopped but there was a loud crash that startled Alexandria. She quickly stood and moved towards the window. Though the sight she saw convinced her that something wasn't right. Several of her guards were down on the ground, wounded and laying in their own blood. The castle doors had been broken down. 


. S c r e a m i n g . She heard her servants screaming down the stairs of the castle. The castle was under attack, she could gather that much. It would be dangerous for her to go down and see what was happening, but she did not want her people murdered if there was a way for her to prevent it. "Where is the queen!?" She heard the voice of a man scream loudly. She knew that they were here for her now. Alexandria panicked, trying to think of how to get out of this. She needed to warn the rest within the castle. She first ran to her brother's room but could not find him. The commander of the Knights was the next person she would go to, but just before she reached the wing, she was cut off by a small group of men. She quickly stopped and studied their faces as each one grinned. "Your majesty. . . Come with us." She took a few steps back, only to bump into a rather large man who grabbed her arm. The men laughed, in total, there were ten around her now, but she knew there had to be more around still looking for her. Two men held onto her arms and began dragging her down the hallway. She screamed and yelled as they moved with her until a hand clamped over her mouth and a man leaned forward and spoke harshly against her ear. "No one can hear you, queen. You think your people care about you? They would be here saving you if you did. Your people would not have given away the location of your little Isle here..." Her people gave away the location of the Isle? Who? The man held his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming anymore.
It wasn't long before they dragged her out of the castle and moved towards the shore towards a ship with a black sail. Though as they got closer, she could make out the symbol on the sail as the symbol that represented the Order of Saelis. She began to panic and scream beneath the man's hand. She struggled hard, trying to break free from the grasp of the men holding her.
But it was no use, the men held onto her tighter and they dragged her into the ship.
Everything had happened so quickly, and it did not take long before the ship sailed away from the shore, and she was ripped away from Aralore. They threw below deck, locking her away in darkness. 


. W h a t . Alexandria did not know, and what those who had captured her did not know, was that one of her citizens, Eoin, the commander of the rangers division, had snuck on board without being seen. He had made a vow to protect his queen and did not intend on breaking his promise. For many hours he waited until the ship would dock and he could capture her and run to freedom. However, fate was not on their sides. The men captured Eoin and both he and Alexandria were taken to the dungeons of Saelis. Though as they arrived, Eoin used all his strength to break free from the guards, fighting them until he was able to take Alexandria and run with her into the forests and into hiding. 


. F o r . days, the two waited for a moment where they could run for the shores and steal a boat to make their escape. They had gone unfound and felt they had a chance to possibly get away. When the time finally came, they raced into the ocean and took a boat that was left by a traveler, rowing towards a ship they believed could help them get back to Aralore. But as they got close to the ship, they saw Lord Aramis above on the decks, smiling that they had fallen for his trick. Eoin and Alexandria dove into the waters, desperate with another attempt to escape. They would stay hidden under water and swim to the shore and hide again until they could travel away from Saelis by foot this time, to another land. But once again, fate was not on their sides. After a long struggle, the two were captured again and locked within the dungeons of Saelis, with no way to escape this time.


. T h e . rest of the night was cloaked in silence. Alexandria did not know what to think or do. There was no escaping. With Eoin and her attempted escape, she had no doubts that Saelis would be heavily guarded, making it near impossible to even try escaping again.
She didn't sleep. All night she listened to the sound of water drops falling and landing into a puddle on the stone ground. She was cold and her wet clothing from their attempted escape, had slowly dried but left her shivering. Eoin had tried all he could to save her and get her back to Aralore, but both were left with nothing to do but wait. She wasn't afraid anymore except for the fate of Aralore without her there. Her brother, Orin was all she kept thinking about. She hoped he would be alright and would take care of Aralore for her. What would become of all of this? Was this really the end of it all?


. E o i n . and Alexandria spent the rest of the night talking in hushed whispers until things fell silent again. She spoke of all her worries and her thoughts and he listened, understanding every word. If sleep could be had, it was limited and given in only minutes at a time. Alexandria dreaded the morning.
And it came all too soon. The bright sun shined in through the windows up high, spilling over her face and waking her up from the small nap she had fallen into. The warmth made her forget where she was until her eyes opened and she saw her reminder of where she was. Eoin, too, had fallen asleep, but before she could wake him, the doors to the dungeons were slammed open and a group of men poured in. They grabbed onto her arms and pulled her out, the others held Eoin back from trying to stop them. They brought her out into the sunlight, the guards holding so tightly to her arms that bruises could begin to form. No one spoke a word to her, she did not know what was about to happen, but dreaded for the worst. Her muscles ached and walking was almost a struggle, but she knew better than to falter or complain. She was taken to an open area surrounded by many different people who were cheering and laughing. They tied her up to a post before the guards let go of her and remained nearby. Alexandria watched the crowds, wondering what was about to happen. She saw eyes upon her from the crowds, they grinned and cheered louder. Would her execution come now? The thoughts raced through her mind until she heard the sounds of horses racing towards the area and wheels of a cart being pulled. She watched them approach. Inside the cart she noticed a few faces. Her eyes widened. It was not what she was expecting.


". C i t i z e n s . of Saelis!" A familiar loud voice caught her attention and when she looked, she saw no other than the Lord Aramis, standing on top of a platform as he addressed the crowd. "Welcome today, to such an important. . . spectacle, if you wish to call it such. As all of you know our enemies are here and under our control. Aralore. We have successfully captured the queen!" He pointed at Alexandria and the people cheered loudly. "And we are here today to give her a little welcome home gift. As you all know by now, she has betrayed us all by leaving and abandoning the Order. She refused to marry into the Order and ran away. We do not take very kindly to this and after months we were able to find her again so that she can suffer the consequences of her actions. Aralore will be ours as it always was meant to be ours! This time, we will no longer have an Eveleigh standing in our bloody way!"
The crowd cheered loudly and Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria before speaking again. "Your majesty. . . In case you were wondering how we found you in your little island, let me bring your curiosity to an end." He turned and motioned to one of the guards beside him to bring up one of the prisoners. Soon enough, a man was thrown up onto the platform, and Alexandria recognized the man to be one that had stayed behind in Aralore when they all left to find their new home. He was once part of the military. He appeared to have been severely beaten. He had deep wounds all along his body, dark and large bruises. She did not doubt that they had tortured him for an answer. She frowned, looking the man right in the eyes. He looked to her in a way that showed he was sorry for being the cause of this.
"This man is an enemy to Saelis for defending Aralore. But he is favored for giving in and telling us all we needed to know. This is why we free him today. He is free to go." The guards let him go and the man cried out loudly, pleading with the men around him.
"Long live the Queen of Aralore, Queen Alexandria! I do not deserve to live for what I have done! Please let her go, take my life instead!"
Lord Aramis laughed out loudly and shook his head. "Now why would we want you to die when we have what we need right there?" He pointed to Alexandria and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't disagree with you deserving to live. You've betrayed your Queen and her people. Let us rid of your misery." He motioned to the guards, and the guard shot an arrow towards the man, shooting him right in the chest. The man cried out loudly before he fell to the ground. Alexandria cried out and struggled against the ropes that held her down. The guards picked the man up. He was still alive and struggling with pain. They brought him up to kneel in front of everyone and a larger guard moved over and swung his sword, knocking his head right off to roll to the ground. Alexandria yelled out again, her hands began shaking and she started to cry. These people were inhuman. The crowd cheered on.
Lord Aramis shouted over the crowd. "Now, if you will all turn your attention over here again." He pointed and showed the cart filled with the other prisoners, the guards were guiding them down and leading them towards the platform. Lord Aramis paced before the prisoners and stopped in front of one of them. He lifted the man's face and showed it to the crowd. "This one was the most stubborn in helping us out with giving away any information. He claims he never knew the Queen."
Alexandria squinted her eyes to get a look at the man. She knew him all too well. It was William, their former military commander, whom she presumed to have been killed already. Her eyes widened with fear and confusion, though now she knew the letter of his death had been false. Perhaps a warning she should have looked into more.
"But look at his eyes now as he looks at her, knowing exactly who she is."
Alexandria watched him, her face filled with sorrow and she shook her head, crying silently to herself. William had dedicated himself so much to Aralore that he had agreed to marry her and become King to help her in protecting the kingdom. He did not deserve what was happening to him.
"And look at how she looks and cries for him. This man was her lover. This is why she had run from Aralore, in hopes to marry her own and outside of the Saelis Order! I was told this by another prisoner who knew of this secret. Let us put him to death!"
The crowd cheered loudly again and the guards began setting up some sort of contraption by tying him up with ropes. "But first, let's get this confession out of him." He nodded to the guards to begin and the ropes were pulled tightly, putting a lot of pressure on his limbs. He did not even yell or scream, but the expression upon his face was one that wore pain. Alexandria cried again, shaking her head. She cried out. "Please don't do this! None of them deserve this!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stood, shaking with fear and sorrow.
The guards loosened the ropes and William fell to the ground again. They forced him to his knees. "Speak." William shook his head, coughing and trying to regain enough of his strength to speak before he denied, once again that he ever knew the Queen. They dragged him back up onto his feet and tied him up against a post. A guard with a knife moved forward and slashed it right up his stomach. He yelled out in pain and they paused, waiting for his confession. He still denied. The man dragged the knife into his chest and started to attempt at digging his heart out. William cried out in pain and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "Please, stop! William, just admit it!" She sobbed quietly and stood there, eyes widened as she hoped he had heard her. The people watched her and then glanced to Aramis. He motioned to the guards to stop and let William attempt to confess once again. He did not. They began again and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "What you accuse him of is true! We were engaged and he was to be King of Aralore. Please let him go!"
William looked up and over at her and shook his head. Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria before he motioned to the guards to stop and finish him off quickly. The large guard moved over and quickly swung his sword, lopping off his head. William's body fell over collapsing to the ground as his head rolled and stopped at Lord Aramis' feet. He bent down and picked it up by the hair and showed it to the crowd. "The head of a liar!" He threw the head right towards Alexandria, and it fell right in front of her. She screamed and turned her face away, trying not to look. Her eyes watered as tears poured out of her eyes. She could not even cover her face with her hands because they had tied them up behind her back.
The head remained in front of her, on the ground, as Lord Aramis and the guards executed three more of her citizens from the old Kingdom. She was forced to watch all of them. Every time she looked away, a guard would be behind her, holding her face up to watch. When they were done, Lord Aramis cried out. "I think that is enough blood for one day. Soon you shall see royal blood spilled and the man that tried to help her in escaping! And then we invade this new Isle of Araloreians and take what is rightfully ours!"
The crowd cheered again before they all scattered and went on with their daily lives. The guards untied Alexandria and dragged her back to the dungeons, throwing her back in with Eoin. She said nothing, and stayed seated upon the cold stone floor and cried, her hands continued to shake from all that she had seen.


. A f t e r . telling Eoin all that she had witnessed, he became both furious and determined in getting her out. He had been searching through the dungeons and found both a hiding spot for her to hide in to buy some extra time in making the guards believe that she had gotten away. He had dug a hold out and left her, promising her he would be back with help to get her out. Eoin managed to escape Saelis, finding his way back to Aralore, somewhat relieving the citizens that their queen was still alive, but perhaps would not be for long. A small group left again with Eoin, willing and dedicated to risk their lives for the queen in order to save her and bring her back home.


. L o r d . Aramis had spoken of her execution coming the next morning after the other executions. But five mornings passed by after that, until finally, the doors of the dungeon was opened again and a group of guards poured in. They moved so fast, that Alexandria could not even get a word out to the healer that had risked her own life to try and save hers. They lifted Alexandria and dragged her out of the dungeons and outside into the dark early morning.
It was the first time seeing the outdoors since she was brought out to watch the executions of the former Aralore citizens. She was cold, but willed herself not to shiver. Alexandria would not appear weak to any of them. This was it, she knew. They had brought her out now to execute her. As they led her, Alexandria did not say a word. She remained silent and walked steadily, despite how weak her legs felt and how scared she was. Her mind wandered to so many things.. She wondered what had happened to Eoin and if he was able to make it back to Aralore She wondered if her people were on their way to save her or if they had, were they found and killed? She worried about all of it. She worried about Aralore and if they would survive without her. If Orin would survive without her. She was scared for all of them. 


. I n . the distance, Alexandria saw flames of torches and suddenly heard the roar of voices spill into her ears. As they moved closer, the cheering started and the people cursed at her and spit at her as she was pulled through them. She couldn't help but wonder what was said about her to make them hate her so much. Finally, she heard that familiar loud voice spill through the crowd.
"Silence everyone!" The crowd's roaring slowly faded just as Alexandria was brought in front of them. She saw Lord Aramis. He stood up upon the platform and she was taken up next to him. The guards held her arms and kept her still from moving, forcing her to face the crowd. Lord Aramis held up his arms, his smile wide.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Saelis. The time has come. This woman has been kept in Saelis for far too long... Longer than we could ever wanted. She has been nothing but a traitor. Let me explain." He took a step forward and looked to Alexandria, a mocking, sarcastic frown showed upon his lips before he laughed at her and looked back to the crowd. "So many years ago, the King and Queen of Aralore were executed for the reason that they betrayed the Order of Saelis. They found something that was dear to us all. But instead of giving it up, they hid it and refused to tell anyone of its place. Not too many people know it exist. The only way to get it then, was to take over Aralore and tear it apart, looking for it. We bargained with them. Tried to reason with them, threaten war. But the King would not have it. We were nice. But then he threatened to leave the Order of Saelis. To pull Aralore from it, breaking the treaty agreement that was signed by his father years before that. So we took action. But we failed in ridding the heir of Aralore. The princess was stolen and taken away. Our guards saw them but were unable to find them until years later. We did everything we could to prevent her from returning to Aralore to take over what was left behind. For years we searched the kingdom for what we needed, but could not find it. Rightfully, we were not to touch the land because it still belonged to the princess Alexandria. Our next plan was to bring her back, force her into a marriage, and slowly take over Aralore in this way. Surely a kingdom led by a woman would fail, anyway. And it did. She refused to marry, ran away and took her people to a new land. Again, finally breaking the treaty agreement that her grandfather had made with us. This entitles war and sentencing to death. This woman is no queen. she was raised by commoners. She does not know how to run a kingdom. Aralore has failed by her hands! Her people did not stop us from taking her. Her people are not here trying to fight for her. They do not care. Once she is dead, we will take over Aralore and make it the kingdom it should have been long ago."

Alexandria stood there, her eyes remained focused on the crowd, her chin up as she took the verbal beating Aramis was giving to her. She did not let her head or eyes fall. She remained strong, her features upon her face remaining straight and emotionless to not give him the satisfaction that he was hurting her.
"I say it's about time to end the Eveleigh heir and take over Aralore!" The people cheered loudly and Lord Aramis nodded to the guards and they quickly pulled Alexandria again, taking her off the platform and towards an area where there was a post surrounded by a circle of large stones. Her eyes widened only slightly. The images were like the dream she had a while back, at the old Kingdom.
The crowd began to chant: "BURN HER!"
The guards brought her to the post, and pulled her arms behind it, tying her up tightly against the post. Ropes were wrapped around her body to the post and finally, her feet were tied up. They poured oil around her and stood back. Lord Aramis spoke out. "Let her burn!" The guard motioned over to one of the other guards for his torch and the guard handed it to him. Slowly, the flame was lowered into the starting point of the oil trail, only about ten feet from where she was tied.
Alexandria's fingers curled shut into fists and she closed her eyes tightly, whispering a prayer to herself. She felt her heart race within her chest and her breath became captured from her. She knew the pain fire caused, and it frightened her, dreading the moment that one single flame would touch her skin. When her eyes opened, the guard touched the torch's flame to the ground, igniting the path of oil that led towards her. She struggled against the ropes, in her last attempt to break free, but they were too tight on her. Panicking, the flames slowly began to move towards her.


. T h e . rescue crew of Aralore had arrived in the dungeons too late. Alexandria had been taken before their arrival. Eoin panicked that his promise was broken and he had failed at protecting her. But he would not stop until he saw with his own eyes that there was no hope left. Eoin had filled with a rage that no other had seen before. He, along with the others, found their way to the crowds, only to find Alexandria about to be taken by the flames. She was growing faint from the smoke and had given up on her struggles to break free. Eoin acted as quick as he could, aiming an arrow to the post, and setting it free. The arrow had perfectly aimed, hitting at the ropes and cutting her hands free. When she felt the ropes on her hands loosen, she forced herself to keep her strength up, just enough to loosen the rest of the ropes and pull away from the fire just in time, her leg being the only thing that had suffered a burn.
Eoin and the others fought hard, and had managed to escape the lands, not one person from the crew dying, though Eoin had become severely wounded from a poison-tipped sword that had struck him. The ship they had come in was kept hidden, awaiting their return before setting sail back to Aralore. 


. W i t h . the return of the rescue crew, along with their queen, the citizens of Aralore rejoiced with relief. The autumn season was coming to an end and winter was drawing in. Alexandria wasted no time in beginning preparation for war. She knew Saelis would come to them again, with a war that would be damaging and devastating. The war had already begun. But now, it was just a matter of waiting for the next battle against Aralore. 

* * *

. T h e. sight of the ships sailing closer to the shores of Aralore was a terrifying vision. Slowly, they haunted the seas with thoughts of brutal battles that were to come. For so long the people of Aralore had prepared and trained for this, but now, as it seemed to be approaching, it was difficult to believe.
The alarms were sounded across the isle, and the people were woken from their sleep. "The war is here!" Shouts filled the air and the silent night turned to life with cries of fear and worry. Families parted as the soldiers went off to meet with the military line-ups and the citizens scrambled to the castle where the Queen had ordered them to find shelter in during the war.

. A l e x a n d r i a. had dreaded this moment in her every waking moment and in her worst nightmares. And now, there was no stopping it. She felt helpless now. It was all up to her military and how they handled the war. But what would become of the island and all of what everyone had worked and striven for? The size of Saelis was great, and she had no doubt that they would bring Aralore crashing down with great damage, whether they won the war or not. And the people she had grown to love--what of them? There were so many questions, so many fears. She could not stand by and watch her kingdom fall. Not like this. There had to be something she could do to help, even if it meant she would fight in the war herself.

. S t r a t e g y. would need to be used in order to defeat the large armies of Saelis. They outnumbered Aralore greatly and could easily take them down if Aralore's military was not smart. Months of planning had gone into this and the military's divisions were ready. First actions relied on how the Navy held back the enemy. If they could keep Saelis off land, there would be a greater chance of Aralore's victory. But the number of ships were overwhelming and the Navy could only hold up so much before their own ships were destroyed in the battle off at sea. The enemy's first round of ships were destroyed before Saelis would send in their next fleet.
It was up to the other divisions to keep the enemy away from the castle. Night had turned to a day that was filled with blood, sweat and tears. The battles seemed never ending but Aralore was winning, destroying the troops that touched ground, leaving the island stained with red and littered with corpses. Aralore fell quiet again, but the victory was too soon to begin celebration for.

. O n c e. word got back to Lord Aramis that the first of his troops were destroyed, he became angered, not aware of the actual strength Aralore had. A plan would need to be thought up. A very clever plan.
White flags were raised as his ship sailed to the port of Aralore. Saelis was surrendering? It left the island with huge confusion.
Aramis demanded to speak with the queen in private, entering her castle quietly on agreement that he take none of his military in with him.
An agreement. The war would come to an end if Alexandria would agree to marry him and bring Aralore's alliance back into the Order of Saelis.
How could she agree to such an offer? It was for that very reason that this war was taking place--to allow Aralore its freedom from the tyranny and greed that Aramis and Saelis bestowed. It was simple. The answer was no.
But as he tried to attack the Queen, Eoin had struck at him, sending the Lord to the floor of the study, dead. The war was over.

. O r. so they believed. When Lord Aramis' body was returned to the ship, it wasn't long before his heir, Aramis' cousin took over command and ordered full attack on Aralore. The remaining ships of Saelis' large fleet sailed towards the isle, showing Aralore that the war was no where close to being over and the death of their leader would not stop them.
They would not be able to hold them back this time. There was far too many of them, and Aralore's navy had mostly sunken into the bloody sea.

. I t. was over. Aralore would die. The ships had docked and the armies spilled over the deck, fighting the raging sea's current to step foot on land. The archers fought long and hard with keeping them back. The rangers raided those that tried sneaking onto the isle. The cavalry and the infantry worked together in fighting the men down. But the numbers were far too great this time.

. W h e n. all hope seemed to fall, from out in the distance what appeared to be a large fleet began to set sail towards Aralore again. But the sails were not the black color of Saelis'. They were bright and red and seemed to shine brighter against the hot sunlight. Tresteria. They had sent more of their troops and gathered up more of those surrounding islands that had heard of the war going on.
The ships snuck in and came up from behind Saelis' armies, fighting long and hard, assisting Aralore. Once again, this bought Aralore's armies some time in strategy and planning to get rid of the enemy as best they could. They were smarter than their much larger opponents.
Holes were dug and covered all around the isle, holes deep enough to trap the enemy. They were taunted towards them and many had fallen, becoming injured and unable to get out. This had greatly brought down Saelis' numbers and what was left of them had fled back to the ships.

. D a y s. had gone by and Aralore was filled with the sounds of screaming. Those in the traps were alive, injured, hungry and agitated. But the battles had stopped. Now it was just a question of what to do with the trapped soldiers. Many considered burying them alive, burning them; killing them. But the queen had demanded against this. She did not want the bodies of their enemy buried within their grounds. Aralore had enough casualties of their own to bury now.

. S o. it had been ordered that the soldiers would be released from the traps, brought back to their ships, and sent back to Saelis. A generous offer of life given to the men who tried to take away the lives of her people. So many days were spent dragging the men from the holes and escorting them back to their ships. The war was finally over. But Aralore was left in horrible ruins, making it barely livable for the Queen and her people.