I once was a Duchess

10

Cold tears fall flow down my cheeks. As rain drops then mix with my tears. Falling down into the mud that continued to stain my dress.

I dropped down to my knees holding the small brooch in my hands as mud covered the small brooch. " How could this be?!" I whispered holding the brooch up to my heart.

Despair filled my eyes and clouded with tears I was unable to see. My hands trembled and my heart ached.

"He was only but a small child. What could have happened?" I thought to myself with the currents continuing to rage all I could think was the carriage fell into the river with the passenger of a young boy. 

I stood to my feet rushing closer to the river trying to see any sign of him. As a clear panic continued to grow in my heart and mind. And with a cracked and broken heart my voice began to deteriorate along with my mind.

Flash backs of the day of the Massacre came back as I looked down at my hands to see blood resting on my palms. All to look again and see a broach that is covered in mud, smudged into my hands and fingertips. 

My eyes blurred and my head pounded against the walls of my head. I began to lose my balance swaying from side to side, Stumbling on my own steps, tripping over my own feet. Grasping on whichever tree I could grasp onto just to regain some sense of balance that was quickly being taken from me.
I then collapsed onto the tree right in front of me grasping onto the trunk as tears continued to tread down my cheeks.

I slid down the tree still holding on reaching my hands out to the empty void which I had hoped was Atticus. All to grasp nothing. All while small wooden pieces would slither their way into my hands. 

I wanted to at least save one person, I didn't want any of my people to come to anymore harm. I wanted to save that precious boy. 

"Atticus!" I screamed to my heart's content screeching a long cord as I could slowly feel my head grow heavy. 
 Exhaustion  settled in and all I had suppressed quickly caught up to me and again threw me into the void. My body grew cold and my finger tips grew numb as the cold feeling spread throughout my body turning what was once warm into an ice cold feeling that consumed me in pain. 

My body went limp and I lost all feeling in my body, As a finally shock went through my heart and a ringing in my ear grew louder as my vision grew darker all to place me in darkness completely. While my body felt completely cold, I could feel my skin as hot as an iron stove.

My eyes turn completely black, I could feel my body go completely as my knees falter and finally come crashing down. I lost all my energy and strength to keep my body up.
I fell into the river, Being quickly pulled away by the current, swept up with no energy to lift a finger let alone open my eyes. 

I could feel the waters. Pass me by guiding me to an unknown place slowly drowning me in silence. The waters violently pushed me further and further past the tavern keeping perfectly afloat and then completely emerged under the water.
As the sound of bubbles continues to drown my ears. 

In the depths of darkness as my consciousness slips away and back to me I began to hear a voice. As voice distant but close calling me as the hellish nightmare of the massacre night began to replay in my mind like a broken lullaby haunting you with its intoxicating melody that horrified you, But brought you ever so close.

" Ralftila." The voice calls my name with a melody lingering behind it.

I could feel my thoughts rage on, As I stayed in this phase both awake and asleep. Both here and there. While my body is being pushed by the current under and over providing me air and taking it from me once again.

" What do you want? Why do you call my name?" I ask myself, Wallowing in the depths of my mind feeling the current tightly snug me into a straight stream. 

" I want you to live Ralftilia, You must live and return home."" The voice calmly tells me cooling my nerves down and consuming me into the deepest parts of myself. 
" I can't go home." 
 " Where you are, the home will always reside. Where you are the heart of Welz is."

Suddenly the current pushed me above the water, I gasp for air trying to peer open my eyes as best as I could mustering all of my strength from the wallowing depths of myself.

With my will only being strung strong for the happiness of my people. The happiness of all of Kingdom Welz, Even if they were stubborn. I had to find the truth, The true person who gashed these wounds so deeply into this Kingdom.

The Old capital Duhimel and the Massacre night, Along with the abandoned and neglected homes of those who have lived to tell tales my ears have yet to hear. All this history fading away rotting in distant forests and worn out abandoned pathways.
I need to live, To make my homeland see those warm days again.

I will live.
I need to live.
I must live.