24 Deadly sacrifices.

My duchess, Sebastian called after her, his heart was in turmoil. He prayed slowly in his head to avoid being caught. He can't risk it. So many things could go wrong.

Hello, she said staring at him with great intent and a wiry look on her face.

And for a moment he thought she would scream but she didn't. He said a low thank you to no one in particular.

Who are you?

I am Sebastian, a royal servant from the palace of milerus.

You came with them? She asked, puzzled.

Yes, I did.

But my lady please can you keep your voice down, I wouldn't want the others to hear me?

Why is that? Is something wrong? She asked.

No, I mean, yes. He said feigning to be apprehensive. He wanted her to believe him at all cost. He must not take amy chance. This might be his opportunity to

...

What is it? She caught his thoughts off.

He glanced left and right to see if someone was coming. Her eyes stayed on him like a hawk trying to take its prey.

He came closer to her, his breaths heavy.

My lady, I am a friend of Natalie. She escaped the palace with the prince and...

He looked back again like he was afraid of someone jumping out of the darkness and hurting him.

She did? Lily frowned.

Yes, my lady, it was terrible. The king accused her if treason and the prince had to take her with him.

They are in great danger.

He said, hoping he sounded convincing enough. He was in luck, she didn't know about his part in all this.

Emm, what should I do?

Good, he expected that question from her and he was glad he didn't have to persist.

I was thinking if you know his whereabout, so you can tell me, I have a lot of information to tell them.

I don't. I don't know where he is.

What? He said hoping he didn't say that aloud. What does this woman think he is, after all his acting and dramatic effects. That was the only thing she could say.

He looked at her and noticed the hesitation in face, surely she knew something.

How could he get it from her. No, he wasn't going to let this slide. He needed more acts, something to scare her.

My lady, you don't know how serious this is, even more for my dear friend, Natalie.

Poor girl, she had been through a lot.

He said holding his hands to his face, his voice as if in severe pains.

He didn't know he could act until now, funny when you could do many things you thought you couldn't when the need arises. This time he was playing dramatist.

Lily stared in horror, she was taking her feet's in the ground as if bitten by an insect.

It was as if she was being eaten alive. She had promised not to ever tell a soul about this, even if she was threatened.

But now, she was confused. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know this man.

What if she makes a mistake.

Her family was killed, she had suffered a lot, I just want to help. She had been kind to me and I really want to help. I can't see her die... He continued to blab knowing fully well that lily was going to bend.

She looked like she was being stung by a sharp needle.

If you are not going to tell me then that is fine, I know I tried my best for her. He said.

Little tears dropping from his eyes. That was his best act so far. He didn't know he could pretend to cry until now.

He cleaned his tears with his hands and attempted to leave her.

Like magic, she called him back.

I know where they are?

What? I mean you said you didn't, I thought.

...

Forget that, I am confused. I donr know if I can trust you.

You sure can, he said smiling in his head. His hard work had paid off.

Tell me all you know, so I can tell them.

Wow! He exclaimed. So this lady thinks he his a fool. What a smart move. But hard luck for her, he was not stupid.

You can't go there, that will be suspicious. He told her.

The warriors will be here for some time, for all there know the prince and natalie are hiding here.

But if you leave, they will suspect something. And you can't send a messenger, that will also be dangerous. You can't trust messengers on this kind of things. They could easily spill. And they will be in great danger.

You are right, I didn't think of that.

Oh hell, what do I do.

Tell me where they are and I promise I will deliver all the messages to them.

I can't do that...

I don't even know you.

I won't pester you my lady but I must tell you. If you love the prince dearly you must do this.

Their lives are in danger, you know with what I have heard this past few days I think the king do not mind killing his own son, He said with his eyes wide open.

She gasped.

That did it, he had successfully terrorised her. And she couldn't hold it anymore.

She began to spill like a river over flowing its banks.

... .... .... ..... ..... ...... ....... ..... .....

It was late evening. Nothing much had happened. They had expected the king troops but no one came.

As a matter if fact, the day was as quiet and peaceful as a grave yard.

Gerald has gone out, looking for supplies and also information.

Natalie stayed in the house all day, she wasn't allowed to go out so as Williams.

It wasn't logical, they could be identified by someone soon if they did.

Williams spent much of his afternoon at the back of the house constructing a bed even when Natalie told him not to. He was pretty stubborn. Just like her, once he set his mind to do something nothing would deter him. When he was done, he came inside and lay down on the bed.

He must be tired.

Soon he dosed off, she watched him, amused. He looked so calm, so at peace. He was literally perfect.

Why would the king sought to kill his son if he was...

Then she noticied two pairs of eyes staring at her.

She looked at him, he was awake.

That didn't take long...

Your breaths woke me up, he said sitting up on the bed and raising his legs up with his hands on it.

He looked like a child, maybe he was really a child. She thought. A child who was made to grow up first.

What! She said confused, was her breaths that loud?

Joking, you look so serous, he said smiling.

I have told you before that you are bad at telling jokes. She said.

I will keep trying till I am good at it.

Who am I to stop you, she said now smiling.

Actually, I woke up because I had a nightmare.

Oh.

Is not that bad because I forced myself to wake up, I wanted to stop seeing her.

He said now serious. The smile vanishing quickly like how it came.

Seeing who?

The goddess of deaths, he said.

Another joke right.

Not really, she is actually the goddess of death to me.

I saw my mother.

Oh, I don't know what to say, is it that bad. I mean I see my sister sometimes.

It is, trust me. Not a pretty sight. Considering how she died.

How she died? Natalie asked confused. Ofcourse she knew how his mother died but she knew he was taking about another thing. Surely he didn't know his father had done it.

No many people talk about it so I am not surprised you didn't know. She killed herself, Natalie.

Suicide? Was that what the king told him.

That was pretty gruesome.

Yes natalie, I didn't really understood what it was as a lad then, I thought it was a prank and she was soon going to come back but as I grew up I realized my mother intentionally decided to leave me.

She could feel the anger in his unspoken words, the words he kept in his heart not wanting to spill it. The words that tortures him everyday. The words he didn't want to remember.

He didn't say it but she knew hr blames and hates his mother for it. And for a moment she felt like telling him the truth about his mother. That she was as innocent as him. But she held herself, not now.

Do you hate her for it? She asked.

I do not know, sometimes, I do, sometimes I do not. All I know is that, things would have been different if she was here.

Of course, Natalie thought, things would have been very different. maybe he wouldn't even be here....

She chose to die, that must have been really difficult, what if she had no option.

Option? Do you think there is anything good in taking your own life? didn't she think of me. I grew up without a mother. I feel like was kind of selfish.

Maybe you are judging her without knowing what really happened. Natalie said and she meant it, it was true. He didn't know what actually happened.

I don't know, maybe. He said thinking about the possibility of what she was saying.

I am not blaming you or anything, I mean she is dead and she can't come and tell us what really happened, Natalie said.

That made him smile a little and it calmed her heart.

I saw my sister about to die right there she knew she would. She knew she couldn't fight them all, she knew how much she was risking her life but she just wanted to save me. And if you ask me I don't think that is selfish at all.

I think that is the most courageous thing someone had ever done for me.

To die for me.

As she spoke, it felt like she was speaking into his soul. She sounded so real, so true, so perfect.

And suddenly , he wanted to kiss her.

.