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Chapter 7

: The Royal Family

I've never heard such horrible words spoken since the time I was born.I'm sure that I'll never hear such filthy words again.Not since my brothers died in battle,not since my family died in battle,no one has ever talked about my dead brothers and sisters like that.The King's sons were killed at sea, a few years ago, a ship full of men was attacked during a storm that took us completely by surprise.We were lucky enough to survive and luckily enough managed to get to shore safely.I was only eight years old at the time, and I remember everything clearly: the screams, the sounds of fighting; the smell of blood mixed with seawater and the stench of death as the ships collided together with each other, sinking slowly into the water; the cries of women and children, begging desperately for someone, anyone to save them, as the waves crashed mercilessly into the shore; the feeling of terror and helplessness as I stood watching everything happen; and the fact that my father left us immediately after his eldest son had fallen to his death.All of it was clear to me: The war that destroyed us had begun.In that moment, I wished to die with the sailors.It wasn't until later that I learned about what happened to my family.I don' t think I'll ever forget the screams of despair, I felt so powerless.But when I came to my senses, I ran through the streets of our town to search everywhere for my family members and to beg whoever would listen for their lives.No one had seen them or heard them since then, until today.It all happened so fast that it seemed almost like a dream, a nightmare that I wouldn't be able to wake up from."I'm sorry, King Pedro, but we cannot allow any of our soldiers to cross the border, it would be a crime punishable by death."No! My brothers! Please, don't kill them!"I cried desperately, tears flowing freely down my cheeks.A man approached us and handed me some clothes.The man bowed deeply before leaving us."Don't worry, son, we won't kill any of your brothers,"a woman said as she pulled me close to her.The woman hugged me tightly, trying to comfort me, although I could feel tears pouring from her eyes as well."Please, stay safe,"the woman begged as she hugged me tighter,"and come home to us one day."The lady hugged me for a few more seconds before she finally released me.I wiped the tear stains off my cheeks before I went down the stairs with my parents and climbed into the carriage.We drove for about another ten minutes before arriving outside the royal family's castle.The carriages drew near the steps leading to the palace entrance.We alighted from the carriage and began walking slowly across the marble floor toward the entrance of the palace.The guards stationed at the door saluted and opened the huge doors so that we could enter.Once we entered, the guards closed the doors.The whole palace was covered in snow.I saw two men standing next to the massive double staircase, their faces hidden beneath black cloaks and white masks.They stood silently.I didn't know why they were here and yet I felt like something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out exactly what.I looked around frantically, searching for any sign of my older brothers and cousins."Are the boys here?"I asked urgently."No, Your Highness," the tall man said.I was so relieved that I could've cried tears of joy."Where are they? They shouldn't be here,"I argued angrily.The tall man pointed upwards, indicating towards the balcony above the great hall,"They aren't allowed to see you, Your Highness," he replied,"But they are very happy to have been reunited with their loved ones once more."At least they aren't being punished.I turned away from the man and looked up towards the balcony.I saw a pair of black boots sticking out from the railing.