Too Late

Georg decided his best course of action was first to prevent Sylvia from interferring. Georg came up to her room and knocked twice on the door.

A sweet voice came from inside "Who is it?"

"It's me, Lady Sylvia, may I come in?"

Sylvia opened the door and said "Uncle Georg! Why aren't you with my father!"

Lady Sylvia was wearing her favorite sky blue dress and corset. She was 21 and beautiful, which surprised a lot of people when they used to make fun of how ugly Lord Alfreed is. She had a tall figure just like her father and she was quite athletic as she spent a lot of her time climbing the hills and mountains around Flint. Her blue eyes were bright and cheerful and her rosy cheeks didn't even need makeup. Her long blonde hair was exquisite, bound up in long curls with a blue ribbon that matched her dress. It was only her Father's reputation and relationship with one of the duke's that kept other nobles from taking her away and she was aware of it.

"He instructed me to come get you!"

"Good! I want to confront Count Agist directly with my father when the times comes, I'm sure we can work out an arrangement without any bloodshed!"

"A little late for that." Georg thought to himself, then he said, "I know milady, but your father fears Count Agist will take you for himself against your will. Your father wants me to hide you from him until a deal is reached."

"Why would he say that? He knows that I can take care of myself! Take me to him, I want to hear him tell me he wants me to hide."

Georg knew she might do this as she was quite willful and proud, "Lady Sylvia, your father is already on his way to meet Count Agist, he didn't tell you because he knew you would want to go with!"

"Well of course I would! My father is a good man and others can easily take advantage of him, he only truly trusts you and myself!"

"Then trust me that he wants to protect you no matter what!"

Sylvia bit her lip then said, "Fine, let me grab my hooded cloak first, I shall await my fathers return in the wine cellar."

"Good idea Lady Sylvia, let's hurry so I can get back to your father after!"

Sylvia threw on a brown hooded cloak to hide her face, hair, and dress then went down to the wine cellar under the manor through a padlocked door built-in to the floor of the kitchen. She put the padlock and key in her pocket and stepped into the cellar, it was cold, but at least it was fairly dry.

"Uncle Georg, I'll wait here and– " Sylvia never finished her sentence as she was interrupted by blow to the back of her head from a wooden hammer used to seal up wine casks normally.

__________

Sylvia doesn't know how long she was out for, but she felt a throbbing pain in her head. She found her hands and feet were bound as well as her mouth gagged and Georg was sitting across from her. He no longer felt like the same friendly Uncle that had helped raise her.

"Lady Sylvia, I see you are awake, I have captured your father and am holding him in the prison for treason, he wanted to surrender our territory to Count Agist! Now you have two choices, first choice, I kill both of you and request to be made Lord of this village just in name while Count Agist remains in power. Second choice, you marry me, your father goes free as an exile, and we can live here peacefully for the rest of our lives under Count Agist's rule as the Lord and Lady of Flint."

Sylvia glared at him menacingly while she tried to consider her options.

"Don't look at me like that, I had served your father for as long as you've been alive, he thought it was a joke when I asked him if it was ok for me to take your hand in marriage 3 years ago with your consent. I just want what I am due!"

Sylvia suddenly felt like puking thinking that she had called this man Uncle so many times. She wished her father was here, she wanted him to say his usual "Just do what you think is best" whenever she was unsure of something.

"I'll count to 5, nod if you'll marry me, shake your head or say nothing and I kill you both." Georg said as his patience began to wear thin.

Sylvia figured as long as both her and her father were alive, they could still do something. Sylvia nodded at Georg.

Georg clapped his hands once excitedly and said, "Excellent! Once Count Agist agrees, your father will be exiled and set free and then we shall be wed immediately just in case you change your mind!"

__________

"Dion, it's going to be dark soon, how much more time did Lord Alfreed say that he needs?" Count Agist asked.

"Not much longer, maybe a few more minutes?"

"Isn't that what you said last time?" Count Agist said while looking questioningly at Dion.

"...Maybe..."

Finally a single horse and rider could be seen coming from the village.

"Looks like we're finally getting somewhere." Count Agist said.

As the horse trotted up to the tiny encampment, the rider was allowed to pass and approach Count Agist after verifying he was only carrying a letter.

"Milord, Lord Alfreed wishes to negotiate directly with you about terms of our surrender, he does not wish for any violence." the messenger then took out a sealed letter and handed it to Dion who handed it to Count Agist.

Count Agist looked at the seal then opened it up and read the letter:

"Count Agist, I have led a sinful life, I can only atone with my own death, allow Georg to rule Flint in my stead and he will surrender and fully cooperate with you. My daughter, Sylvia, she is to marry Georg but I can understand if you wish to take her for yourself. I am too cowardly to tell you this in person. Forgive me, Lord Alfreed"

Count Agist stood up in shock, "Is this letter true?!?" he yelled at the messenger.

"Y-Yes milord! I am just a messenger of Lord Alfreed!"

"This sounds like a suicide letter, are you sure this is what was intended?"

"I do not know, I was merely instructed to deliver this by his advisor."

"Very well, return at once and tell your lord not to do anything rash, we shall talk this out immediately!"

"Yes milord!" the messenger bowed and then ran back to his horse and returned to the village.

"Thomas, get horses for you, your brother, and myself, we will need to head to town quickly! Dion, stay here and maintain order, if the village's knights approach you, retreat back to the manor if they are hostile."

Both Thomas and Dion agreed, Thomas went to fetch 3 horses for them.

"Nicholas, I respect your wisdom, and honestly sometimes wish some of that rubbed off onto your brother Thomas, that aside, read this letter. It doesn't... feel right..."

Nicholas took the letter from Count Agist and read it over. "Nothing really stands out, but I do agree that it doesn't feel right. If it were me, I would've made more concessions for my own daughter and then quietly left instead of killing myself where my own daughter might see my body."

"Well, glad you could explain at least what didn't feel right about it, I just thought it didn't feel right but couldn't explain why! We need to talk to Lord Alfreed now!"

Thomas came back with 3 horses, then Count Agist, Thomas, and Nicholas headed to Flint towards the Lord's manor.

Count Agist banged his fist on the door to the estate and middle-aged man opened the door and exclaimed, "Count Agist! You must come at once!"

"Are you Lord Alfreed?" Count Agist asked as the man pulled him towards a room.

"Nay, I am Georg, advisor and close friend of Lord Alfreed. After sending out his letter of surrender to you, he locked me out of the study and won't respond to anyone!"

Georg stopped in front of a large door and banged on it "Lord Alfreed! Count Agist is here, please come out!"

After waiting for a second and getting no reply, Count Agist cracked his knuckles then smashed his body into the door forcing it open.

"Milord, why did you crack your knuckles when you didn't even punch the door?" Thomas said slightly amused.

Count Agist ignored him and looked around the room, he smelled blood and he was worried he was too late.

Count Agist saw a body lying on its back in a pool of blood next to the desk and said solemnly, "We're too late..."