Chapter 11: A Divine Joke!

Lucia pulled herself up in a hurry. She could feel the heat rising to her face.

"How are feeling, your Majesty?", She turned her face away from Keitel.

Keitel brought a hand to his face. Why did it feel awkward? They were both knights, both men. So why was Luca blushing like one of the sisters? Why was his own chest beating so hard?

Keitel still felt disorientated. There was one thing he knew for sure. And that was Luca had saved his life.

"Luca", he said regaining his composure, "you saved my life".

"I just did my duty", Lucia responded. She chastised herself. Despite her new young body, she was not a young woman. She was a knight who had gone through wars. Why was she acting like a silly schoolgirl? She adjusted her posture and met the Prince's eyes firmly.

"Duty?", Keitel replied. His voice seemed to trail off into his own thoughts. Yes, that was all it was. Duty and mutual respect. Somehow, he felt disappointed. Another silence settled between them.

"I should go scout the area", Lucia said finally. She began to get up when Keitel grabbed her hand.

"Yes, you did your duty. But, you still saved my life. Thank you, Luca", Keitel remarked earnestly. He felt there was more he could say but his mind told him to stop there. There was an impenetrable distance between them. He didn't know what it was but he could feel it. It was more than just curiosity. He wanted to know Luca. Even so, he was a Prince. He was used to pushing down his own interests. He released Luca's hand.

Lucia peeled up from the cold earth. She could still feel the Prince's warm touch. She took off to the river bed and splashed her face in the icy water. Seeing her own face reflected back to her, she could hardly recognize herself. Who was this person? Yes, she was young again. But everything felt different than the first time. To have friends and warmth in her life, didn't feel real. Was this all just a dream? Maybe she was still dead.

The notice quickly left her mind when she caught sight of the hungry belly of an Ogre. It turned its grotesque head toward her and let out a roar. She reached for her sword as it plunged across the river towards her.

Her mana still had not returned. She wasn't strong enough to hold it off this time. Its putrid, green fist hurled towards her. She blocked with her sword but was sent flying through the trees. As her back hit the tree with a thud, she fell to the ground.

The Ogre made its way toward her. Lucia couldn't move. This was the end. She let her eyes close and sank back. She had been blessed with another chance. Had she wasted it again?

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The next thing Lucia knew, she was back in base camp. She stared up at the ceiling of the medical tent. She felt piercing pain across her chest.

"Oh, don't move just yet", a sweet voice came. She peeled her eyes down on the face of one of the sisters. Despite her hair being pulled back in a plait, Lucia vaguely recognized her. The little blonde curls peeking out from the plait seemed familiar.

"You probably don't remember me", Lucy smiled with an embarrassed blush.

Lucia tried to speak but the words came out as a whisper.

"Lucy?"

"Oh you do remember me!", Lucy clasped her hands together giddily.

"What happened?", Lucia groaned.

"Well, the Sword Saint sent a party looking for you too when you didn't return", Lucy explained.

"The Prince?" Lucia spluttered with more force than intended.

"He's fine. He's resting now. The squadron arrived just as the Ogre attacked. The Sword Saint sent for more reinforcements. They should be arriving soon", Lucy chirped.

"How long was I out", Lucia asked in a daze. She felt weak.

"A day", Lucy answered. Her expression changed for a moment before quickly recovering. She lay a hand on Lucia's arm. Lucia blinked down, still not fully aware of her body. Her fingers shakily felt beneath the sheets. She swallowed hard.

"Do...Do they know?", Lucia shifted uneasily.

"No, I didn't say anything yet", Lucy averted her gaze.

"Wait! Please just listen to me" Lucia cried trying to rise. Lucy rose to her feet and braced Lucia.

"Try to keep calm. Nothing is going to happen right now. Try to rest and recover. I'll tell the guards not to let anyone inside", Lucy reassured. Lucy collected her things and made her way out of the tent. She glanced back waywardly.

Lucia fell back in agony. Her eyes welled with tears. She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fist. She had come this far. She wasn't ready to give in.

The healers came and went throughout the day. Word came that Captain Albaric had arrived with troops. The forest was gradually being cleared. By nightfall, Lucia felt well enough to stand. She put her armor back on and made her way out of the medical tent. From the distance, she could see the men sat around the fire-eating.

Before they had set off, Lucia had memorized a map of the woods. This would be her only chance to see what was going on. She slid out the back of the camp and trailed off into the night. She held her chest in one hand and her sword in the other. She had to see it. She had to see what led to her death. Dragging herself deeper into the forest with only the moonlight to guide her, she headed towards Veldeer.

The hours passed. Lucia worried that she had lost her way. She had to stop for breath on several occasions. Finally, a clearing emerged. She followed the opening into the shallow twilight. Sunlight began to defuse over the horizon.

Lucia heard voices in the distance. She cast her eye down on the barrow below. There it was. An oppressive grand door cast a long shadow over the valley. It sat upon the hill like a gravestone. It was the height of three men. An enormous and menacing door riddled with ancient carvings. A demon door.

Lucia fell to her knees. This explained everything. The reason why Ramelle had been sneaking over the borders. The rise in monster attacks. The reason why she was killed. Ramelle was trying to open the demon door. If the door opened, the Rotan Empire could be destroyed overnight.

"What are you doing, Luca?" An irritated voice demanded.

Lucia spun around and caught the eyes of Michael. He looked at her with a mixture of anger and sympathy.

"What are you doing here?" Lucia mumbled.

"What am I doing here?", Michael grabbed Lucia by the collar, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He screamed.

"When I heard you and the Prince were attacked, I didn't know what to think. We searched for you all night. You both looked like SHIT. I thought you were gonna die! They tell us we can't even see you", He continued, swelling with emotion.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you take off. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Lucia pried Michael's hand from her.

"Just calm down...", She implored.

"No, Luca! I can handle all the secrecy and you've clearly got things going on with you. And.. and...You're a private person or whatever. But this is too far! Look at yourself! What are you doing sneaking out in the middle of the night?"

"Michael", she answered in a low voice, "you don't understand. This is bigger than you and I. That IS a Demon Door. Do you know what this means?"

"I don't care what that is. Do you know what will happen if they find we broke rank to sneak out here? Whatever it is, they didn't want us to know about it. We have to go back RIGHT NOW", Michael began to pull Lucia away. She slapped his hand away and made her way down the slope towards the door. She needed to know when the door opened. Did it coincide with Ramelle crossing the border? She needed to see the inscriptions on the door.

She bolted up the barrow. All was quiet. She careered towards the door. Something was compelling her forward. She had to see it. She had to know.

She reached toward the door with a hand outstretched. A force repelled her back. It was a magical barrier all around the door. It illuminated as she touched it. The full force of the barrier activated and surrounded the door in blocks of light.

The guards swarmed the mound and surrounded her. She inhaled shakily.

"Drop your weapon", they instructed.

Lucia surrendered her weapon as they bound her hands. She pushed into a barred cart. She was to be sent back to the capital to answer for her actions.

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Lucia was shuttled out of the forest and back to the capital. She was thrown in a cell while they carried out their investigation. The Secretary of defence, Marshal was to carry out the investigation. He was another member of the court. He had been overseeing everything to do with the door.

He sat across from Lucia. An old wooden table filled the distance between them. He set his hands carefully on the table in front of him. He examined the boy carefully.

"What were you doing there?" He questioned.

"I took a night's stroll and got lost", Lucia lied. Marshall's eyes narrowed.

"You were already on a mission correct?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"Yes".

"Were you at any time told about the door?" Marshal enquired.

"No", Lucia answered flatly.

"You say you happened to come upon it. Yet, the base camp for your mission was at least an hour away".

"As I said, I was lost".

"The report says you had already been injured badly the day before. You must have really been desperate to take that walk", Marshal smirked. Lucia stared blankly ahead.

"This doesn't have to be difficult. Just tell me what you were really doing there", Marshal said sternly. Lucia averted her gaze.

"Fine", Marshal scowled, "Take him back to the cell".

They threw Lucia back into the bare cell. She knelt down beside the dirty hay. What a familiar feeling. She couldn't quite figure out what had driven her to go so far. She had chosen this path. She wanted to see it through to the end. She wanted revenge. It was almost as though she had to prove to herself. She had to go the extra mile. She had to know if it was worth it.

She admitted to herself that she had found something in this life that she wanted. Something she had never had before. Possibilities. Everything was in front of her and she wanted to take it. But at what cost? The thought of the kingdom of Ramelle taking everything from her again was a real possibility. What happened after she died? Did they unlock the door? Is that why she was brought back to life? Was it to prevent it?

Lucia racked her mind of all the possibilities. She didn't know how many hours had passed when she heard voices down the hall. From the distance, she heard a clunk and metal grating across the ground. Footsteps echoed along the hall. The guards stopped at Lucia's cell.

Lucia turned slowly. Keitel's cool eyes looked down on her.

'What a divine joke! The gods must have a sense of humor', Lucia thought to herself. Was this any different than the day she had died? She told herself things were different now. That she could choose her own path. Yet, there seemed to be forces pulling her towards her destiny against her will.

Keitel motioned to the guards. This was it...