Vivian Conners awoke to the cacophony of chaos downstairs. A cold dread settled in her stomach as she gently nudged her husband, Edgar, who was lost in a deep slumber.
"How many times have I warned you not to disturb my sleep, you idiot?" Edgar growled, his voice thick with irritation.
Vivian hung her head, already bracing for his wrath. She knew better than to argue. Edgar's temper was a tempest, and she had learned to navigate it, however unpleasant.
The commotion downstairs grew louder, a mix of shouts, screams, and the shattering of glass. Edgar's face paled, and he sprang from the bed, his eyes wide with fear.
He grabbed his sword and crept towards the door, listening silently to the commotion.Vivian's heart pounded in her chest. She had never seen Edgar so afraid. This was a man who had always prided himself on his courage, his ability to face any challenge. But now, he looked like a frightened child, clinging to his weapon for protection.
"What's going on?" Vivian asked, her voice trembling.Edgar turned to her, his dark eyes and expression a mix of anger and fear.
"I don't know," he muttered, his voice barely audible. He ran his hands through his salt and pepper hair that had thinned from years of stress.
She instantly knew he was lying. He had a habit of running his hand through his hair after a lie, but she knew better than to point that out. Maybe his years of debt had finally caught up with him, and now the loan sharks were coming to collect payment.
Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized he stalked back towards her until she felt his hand latch onto her hair and drag her from the bed. She gasped in surprise, but this behavior from him was not out of the ordinary. Still, she couldn't stop her reflex of reaching for the hand that had a tight hold on her red tendrils.
Tears sprang from her eyes as the shock of being dragged to the floor wore off. He pulled her from the dark bedroom to the light of the door. She begged and pleaded for him to let go, but that only served to make him angrier. He pulled her to her feet by her hair and glared into her tearful green eyes.
"If you fucking think I'm going to go down there and sacrifice myself for you, you've lost your fucking mind."After reaching and opening the door, he continued. "After all, this is your fault anyways… maybe if I just hand you over, they'll spare my life."
'Huh?' She had no clue what was happening or how she'd started this. She was always the obedient wife… silently standing behind him with her head down as she was told. She hardly complained, even after they fell on hard times due to him losing his position as a knight that was second in command in the royal knights. He dipped into gambling and then drowned in debt. Even then she stayed by his side, the man who wrote those love letters to her still had to be in there somewhere.
He dragged her out to the hallway, where the noise was the loudest. Swords clashed, and people screamed. The sounds of terror and agony froze her body. She couldn't put up a fight anymore; she'd never win against him anyway. Edgar was always judge, jury, and executioner. Whatever he said always goes. To fight with him would only prolong the inevitable. Her tears stopped. There's no use in crying… her hopes to escape this tragedy were pointless.
Edgar stopped at the top of the stairs. Her eyes took in the tragedy at the manor. Edgar released her, but something kept her rooted to where she stood. Fear. Dread. Horror. Pools of blood and bodies littered the hallway.
Looking up from the bodies, she saw the royal knights he previously belonged to. The most prominent man leading the charge was the great Maximus himself, the commander of the royal army.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs with a massacre at his feet. His dark purple eyes first widened in shock when he looked at the top of the stairs, then hardened when they focused in on Edgar.
Maximus stood tall; his muscular frame was much more significant than Edgar's. His light complexion was in complete contrast to his dark features. 'So this is the capital's hero? He looks ruthless.' Looking at him, she felt as if wire had constricted her throat.
Maximus cleaned the blood from his sword and removed his Milanese plate armor as he began slowly ascending the staircase. He looked like a predator slowly approaching its prey.
"You have no armor, and now neither do I… we can fight fair and settle this, or you could simply return what is mine."
Edgar laughed darkly and dug his nails into Vivian's arm so hard that it bled. "I was thinking about it... but you know what? I just remembered how much I despise that arrogant look in your eyes, you wretched bastard."
Maximus scowled. "I can't believe I've blindly trusted you all these years. You're not leaving here alive."
The men standing behind Maximus bellowed their approval. To them, the captain's anger must have been warranted.
Edgar took in the scene before him. His men slaughtered lay in pools of their blood. He smirked. "Seems like no one is."
Everything happened in slow motion. Maximus raised his sword to Edgar as he reached the final step. Edgar raised his sword as well, but instead of pointing it at Maximus, he slid it across Vivian's throat.
The darkness that consumed her was almost instant.Her body fell to the floor, and a heavy feeling overtook her. 'At least Edgar has shown me this last act of mercy… instead of being tortured by these knights, he has given me a quick death. Maybe this is as much as love can offer….'She had fallen in love with the man he was when he wrote those anonymous letters in the past, and she foolishly clung to that love no matter the terrors he put her through.
Vivian faintly heard what sounded like swords clashing and a yell of anger before that faded to nothing.A faint light glowed in the darkness surrounding her… the light asked her a simple question. Before her consciousness completely faded… she replied yes.