Reborn Financier-Chapter 25: War and Despair

"So it was you, Lord Ravenswood," Queen Charlotte said, surprised. The same Lord Ravenswood who was her brother, the same one who grew up together with her from a tender age, the same brother she not only shared a birthday with but also her age, her twin brother, Lord Ravenswood, otherwise known as Nicolas Ravenswood, the brother-in-law to the king of the Everwood kingdom, and the twin brother of the queen.

Charlotte, seeing her brother as the mastermind behind the abduction of her beloved twin brother, whom she loved so much, was immediately overcome with despair. The emotions she had held back from the beginning, in order to make the kids less frightened and more secure in her arms, began to break loose.

Tears fell from her eyes, and all she could muster to say was "why." Why did he kidnap them? Why was he in the midst of these people, and why did he seem to be the mastermind? Why? Why? Why? So many questions went through Queen Charlotte’s head, with no one to respond.

The kids, who were shaken by fear from the get-go, were surprised to see their mom losing her cool, and their uncle, who had always treated them well in the past, being the cause of their tears now.

"Uncle, you know I love you, right? And you’re my favorite in the whole world. Why not just let me and my family go? You can keep this boy here instead," Elizabeth said, pointing towards the corner where Kaidën sat.

What Elizabeth said might have been selfish to others, but not to her. The only family she ever knew was her mom, dad, uncle, and brother. No one else. Now, having a cousin who wasn’t nice to her, and a cousin who, even though she was older than him, treated her like a baby, she didn’t care about the safety of Kaidën, but only about her own, her brother’s, and her mom’s.

Every other person’s well-being was irrelevant.

"No, no, my little niece. You can’t be like this. Mom won’t be happy, would she? Just stay here with Mom and the rest for the meantime. I promise I won’t hurt you," Lord Ravenswood responded in a sweet and calming tone. It was clear that he loved his niece.

"Nicolas, why? Why did you do this?" Queen Charlotte said, still in despair, but was still able to muster some courage to know what actually happened.

"Hahahaha, why did I do it? Why did I do it..." Lord Ravenswood responded, laughing insanely. "...Maybe I did it for the fun of it. Maybe I did it because I was bored. Who knows? But one thing I’m for sure of is that the Everwood kingdom is coming to an end soon." Lord Ravenswood said before turning his back and leaving through the pathway he came.

"Everwood kingdom is coming to an end soon? Nicolas, Nicolas, let me out. If anything happens to my husband and kids, I would never forgive you. I would hunt you down, Nicolas, you fucker. Let me out now," Charlotte said, pulling the barricade of the cell continuously in anger.

****

Back at the royal castle, peace was far from present, as mighty news that might shake the entire continent arrived before the king.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! We have news from the Horsen Empire. They are declaring war on the Everwood kingdom and have immediately begun to attack the borders," a guard came running in with a scroll, which seemed to have recently been delivered.

"A declaration of war by the Horsen Empire? What’s happening? Why is this happening? Immediately order the knights to close the borders to the Horsen Empire. The kingdom is entering a state of emergency," King Edward calmly issued his commands, even when faced with the most powerful empire on the continent.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! The Aurora kingdom, Isha kingdom, and the Arin kingdom are attacking from every side, Your Majesty. All three have sent a declaration of war notice and are attacking the borders," another guard rushed in, carrying bad news, with fear in his eyes.

"Do not fear, my people. Immediately contact the magic tower for support and gather the Salamander unit and transport them to the borders using the magic gates immediately. Also, contact every noble available in the land. They must be present within today and tomorrow," Edward said. He carried the aura of a true king, even if adversaries arose from every corner. He still remained cool.

"Edward, all this is happening almost together. This doesn’t seem like a coincidence, in any way. It seems as though the three kingdoms have aligned themselves with the Horsen Empire, and they are probably even responsible for the queen and kids’ disappearance," Sofia said. It was obvious that what she said was only the truth, because it was too spontaneous to be a coincidence.

"Okay then, even after taking my wife and kids away from me, if they want a war, I would give them a war," King Edward said, his eyes filled with anger. "...Contact the Iron Fist Empire; I’m pretty sure they won’t want to miss out on an opportunity to strike their worst enemy."

The king’s face was set in determination, and his voice was firm. He was ready to take on the challenge and protect his kingdom and his family at all costs. The kingdom that had stood for many generations was not going to end in his reign, at the very least.

As the king and Sofia continued to discuss the situation, the guards were sent to prepare the kingdom’s defenses. The magic tower was contacted, and the Salamander unit was mobilized, and the Horsen Empire’s archenemy, the Iron Fist Empire, was also contacted.

The kingdom was preparing for war, a war they hadn’t seen in decades. They had enjoyed a reign of peace continuously for years, but now it was time for war. No time to play anymore, the peaceful days were over, and a new era had begun. King Edward, the head of the Everwood kingdom, was determined to lead his people to victory, even against all odds.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned home, Queen Charlotte was still trying to come to terms with her brother’s betrayal, still shaken by the truth. She was filled with anger and sadness, but she was also determined to find a way to escape and rescue her family. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She dried her tears, jumping into action to find any reasonable means to escape. Not long after an intense search, she discovered a small crack in one of the walls surrounding them. It was falling apart, and this was to be expected since it was an old home, and it was even abandoned.

The hole was tight and small, fitting only one person, the smallest of them all, Kaidën. The princess called out to Kaidën, instructing him on the task to be taken. She instructed him to first escape from there and go to any location he could reach, as long as it was far from there.

She made sure he felt good, guaranteeing him that they would be fine. Even though Elizabeth was against it completely and would have rather just run by herself, she was unable to fit into the small hole. Even if she wasn’t in support, she couldn’t do anything.

Kaidën went along with the plan, escaping first before running towards freedom. "No worries, David, Elizabeth; Kaidën would escape and tell your dad where we are, and he would bring the entire Salamander unit to our rescue..." Queen Charlotte said to the kids, easing the pressure they had.

"And by then, Nicolas, you will pay for what you’ve done," Queen Charlotte said to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. As she spoke, she heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside her cell.

The door creaked open, and a guard entered. "The boss has ordered me to move you upstairs," the guard said, his voice cold and impersonal.

Queen Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat as she realized what this could mean. She hoped he didn’t realize the missing Kaidën. She stood up, her eyes fixed on the guard, and nodded. She was ready to face whatever lay ahead, as long as it meant she could find a way to rescue her family and bring her brother to justice.

The queen and kids were taken upstairs without the guards noticing the disappearance of Kaidën. At the room upstairs was Lord Ravenswood, seated at the far end, close to the windows. It was an office room, so he was sitting on the chair.

"Wait, where is the last one?" Lord Ravenswood asked the guard who brought them into the room. "Which last one? This was all that was in the cell..." A knife pierced the forehead of the guard who was talking, falling face-first to the floor, to his death.

"Find that kid; he must not escape," Lord Ravenswood said, sending an alert to everyone present.

To be continued...