The Abduction: Part III

It was an unprecedented move to have the Anlar Fleet of Soleil’s Western Armada to round the coast of the empire and enter the gulf.  The official reason was that they were requested to assist with the sudden influx of pirates and raiders along the coast after the largest raider organization fell and left a power vacuum.

If someone were to ask Sebastian, he’d say it was revenge.  The O’Tuagh March was furious that someone had not only kidnapped, but nearly starved to death, an infant that carried their blood.

There was an almost obsessive determination to clean out all remnants of pirates, raiders, and their inland networks and numerous marches were involved in the purge.

But that was all in the back of Sebastian’s mind.  He didn’t care.  His focus was on his malnourished, silent baby sister.

Auntie Lucia and her fiancé had temporarily moved to Presidio, as Maurizo was working on a medicated diet for Marquess Guevera in order to help nourish her body.  Sebastian’s mother had not been able to rest or eat well during the period of time Victoria was missing and as a result, her body had weakened.

Marquess Guevera was angry at herself for being so negligent.  She could barely feed her baby because she hadn’t been more reasonable.  She should’ve paid attention to her health so that when they got Victoria back, she would have suitable nourishment.

Then again, no one knew the state they would get Victoria back in.  She was a fraction of her former weight and it was haunting to look at her.

When they returned to Presidio, Kasen had run to the carriage, eager to see Victoria.  When he looked into their mother’s arms and saw the painfully malnourished infant, Kasen had turned pale and couldn’t seem to stop crying.  He kept asking what happened and how could someone do such a thing to a baby.

Kasen would lift his hand and move it just over Victoria’s sunken cheeks, as if remembering the plump pink ones he used to love to poke.

Sebastian had been quiet the entire journey back.  His mind lingered elsewhere, on to that barren field in the desert.  Those raiders were monsters and if his father didn’t physically hold him back, he would’ve joined their knights and rampaged through the raiders’ ranks himself.

At the fortress, Victoria’s nursery was moved to the west wing.  Her cradle was put in the same room as their parents’.  There were more knights on duty than before and an entire staff of doctors and nurses were there to monitor Victoria’s health.  Master Ramos set up crystals along Victoria’s cradle to help support her as she recovered.

Victoria never left the room.

Sebastian visited her multiple times a day, every day.  He developed a habit of slathering his calloused hands with a cream in an effort to soften them.  Just before he walked into the room to visit Victoria, he had done so.  He approached her cradle, giving a small nod to Nanny Rey crocheting near the window as he did.

Every time he neared, he was filled with anxiety and a small part of him expected to look in and find her gone once more.  He held his breath and peered over the side of the cradle.

She was asleep.

Two weeks after returning home, she was still so thin.  Everyone was doing their best to try to bring her back to a normal weight, but the doctors said it would be a gradual process.  No matter what, it still broke Sebastian’s heart to see her as she was.  How his sister must’ve suffered.

He took a deep breath and shut his eyes.  “It won’t happen again.”  He wasn’t sure if he was promising himself or Victoria.  He opened his eyes and looked down at her.  He lowered his hand and touched her little one with his finger.  She didn’t try to grab on to him and his heart sank.

Sebastian swallowed hard.  He reached into his pocket and took out the broken head of a pink crystal lion.  He placed it on the table beside her cradle.

“Big brother is going to go practice sword right now and then I have crystal class with Master Ramos,” he said out loud.  “I’ll come visit you after, but the lion will keep you company while I’m gone, okay?”

He listened for the familiar gurgles, but his sister didn’t respond.  His chest tightened once more.  He drew his lips inward and turned around.  His eyes narrowed as he looked down at his calloused hands.  If he was a better swordsman, he could protect his sister.  He made a deal with the gods to become the best and he got his sister in return.

But he needed to do more.

Thirteen Years Later....

The room was still dark, but thin slivers of light could be seen coming through the gaps between the curtains.  A heavy, musky smell permeated the room and he made a mental note to bathe as soon as he got home to remove the scent from his body.

The bed creaked.  Sebastian crawled over a naked body and got to the edge of the bed.

“Are you leaving already?” a raspy, low voice said behind him.

His bare feet hit the wooden floor and in the dark, he tried to find his discarded clothes around the room.

“I spent too much time out as is,” Sebastian said as he reached down, completely at ease in his own nudity as he picked up a pair of pants and weighed it in his hands.  He shook his head.  The quality wasn’t up to par.  It wasn’t his.  He tossed the pants to the side and continued to search.

“What’s so important that you need to go home so soon?” This time a woman’s voice spoke out from the bed.  “What’s more important than lazing around with us?” The man beside her chuckled as well.

Sebastian cracked a small grin.  He picked up another pair of pants and confirmed it was his before putting it on.  “I have a prior engagement and it’s very important,” he said in a smooth voice.  “You should be glad I even stopped over for the night.”

The woman snorted.  “You only came to get information from us.”

Sebastian found his shirt and put his arms through.  He looked towards the bed as he pulled it on and began to button it.  “Oh, is that what they’re calling it now?” He shot them a wink.  “Then, I look forward to the next time we get together to get some ‘information’.”

The two people on the bed sighed, exasperated.  “You’re not even going to tell us what’s so important that you have to leave?” the other man asked.

“Something very classified.” Sebastian buckled his belt.  He crossed the room to the window and pulled open the curtains.  The mid-morning sun filled the room and the two on the bed squinted and turned their heads away.  Sebastian looked back at them; his face now serious.  “Remember to keep an eye on any new trading networks that are coming from the northeast.  Let me know if there is anything suspicious.  With the persistent raids in the east, there is concern of infiltration through our trade routes.”

Both the man and woman on the bed bowed their heads.  “Yes, my lord.”

He headed out the door, but could still hear the woman sigh, tired, while the man rightly deduced, “he’s going home to see his sister, isn’t he?”

“Lady Victoria is the center of Lord Sebastian’s world.  No one is more important than his sister.”

“It’s no wonder he’s still single.”

The corner of Sebastian’s lips curled up.  It didn’t matter if he wasn’t married at his age.  He didn’t feel the need to.  As for an heir, he could always name one of Kasen or Victoria’s children.  If none of them had children, there were still Auntie Lucia’s twins.

He reached the ground floor of the inn, which acted as a tavern for its guests.  At that time of day, the small tavern was fairly empty.  He saw the aide who had accompanied him the night before still seated at the table where he left him.  Sebastian winced.  He hadn’t planned on spending the night.

His poor aide must’ve stayed up all night.  I need to give him a bonus. As Sebastian contemplated what was a suitable amount, he noticed that someone was speaking, almost frantically, to his aide.  He narrowed his eyes and frowned.

“What’s going on?” He reached the table and the young man who was almost yelling at his aide whirled around.

Sebastian recognized him as one of the messengers from the fortress.  His face was pale and almost terrified.  “My lord, Lady Victoria had an accident!”

The words made his stomach drop.  He yelled for his horse, but his aide was already rushing to the door to fetch it.  Sebastian didn’t bother to wait for his aide or the messenger.  As soon as his horse appeared, he jumped on and galloped towards the fortress.  He was reckless as he cut through the streets, his eyes flickering to the old, stone building at the top of the hill.

It was a miracle no one was hurt in his panicked race.

He burst into the courtyard.  His horse didn’t come to a full stop before he jumped off and ran inside.

“Where’s Victoria?” he shouted as soon as he entered.  Someone, he wasn’t sure who, reported that she had been taken to her room.

He nearly slipped as he ran up the stairs.  He could hear his mother crying as he neared the open door of his sister’s room.  Sebastian ran inside to find his family standing around Victoria’s bed along with the family doctor.  His heartbeat seemed to pound in his ears as he slowly stepped inside and approached the bed.

Victoria was pale with a bandage wrapped around her head.  If not for the even rising of her chest with each breath, he would’ve assumed the worst.

His eyes crinkled up as he reached out and grabbed one of the bed poles.  “What happened to her?”

Kasen’s voice had a slight tremble.  “She wanted to ride the horse.”

Sebastian grit his teeth and shut his eyes tight.  “The horse isn’t ready to be ridden yet.  It’s still being trained.”

“Yes, but you know how Victoria is,” Kasen said, his hands clenching at his sides.  “She wanted to ride it to show off to those nobles at the party.  It went as well as you’d think it would.  The horse was nervous and bucked; Victoria was thrown off and hit her head.”

“Considering the circumstances, it’s a miracle that Lady Victoria has no other injury other than trauma to the head,” the doctor told them.  “No broken limbs, no displaced vertebrae.  She wasn’t trampled, which is always a risk.  Even her head wound could be much worse.”

This was a relief to hear, but it only alleviated part of the family’s worries.

“How long will it take for her to wake up?” Marquis Guevera asked as he held his wife in his arms to try to comfort her.

The doctor took a deep breath.  He looked at Victoria and was silent for a moment.  “That, I’m not sure.  It could be a few hours.  It could be a few days....”  He released a low breath and looked at the family with uncertainty.  “You should also be prepared in case she wakes with memory loss.”

“Memory loss?” Their mother nearly screamed before she covered her mouth and shut her eyes tight.

“It is possible that she will have amnesia, but it is likely temporary if she does.  I wouldn’t worry about any permanent issues, yet.  There will also be some disorientation when she wakes.  At the moment, it’s best to try to keep her body stable.  Aurora stone will be good to supplement her energy as she rests.”

Marquis Guevera looked towards his son.  “Sebastian.”

“I’ll get some right now,” he said as he turned around.  He walked out of the room and slowly came to a stop in the hall.  He shut his eyes and lifted his hand, slamming a fist against the stone.  He never should have gotten her that horse.

He knew his sister’s personality.  He knew she was impatient.  Yet, he still went ahead and showed her the horse before it could be ridden.

Frowning, he went to his room and pulled open several drawers of a cabinet.  He grabbed several smooth, flat pieces of aurora stone and silently charged each one.  As he was about to close the last drawer, he caught sight of an opaque white stone with black and gray streaks.

It was a thumb-sized, raw chunk.  There was little energy left in it, so he charged it as well.  Carrying the crystals, he returned to Victoria’s room.  Kasen had him place the crystals in specific places around her room, near the bed, where they wouldn’t be disturbed.  When he was done, Sebastian stood over his sister and tightened his hand around the white howlite.

He placed it above her head, near the wooden headboard.

“Wake up soon,” he told her softly.

There was nothing the family could do except wait and watch.  The family doctor stayed in a room across the hall and there were always two maids waiting near the door of Victoria’s room.

Sebastian could only take out his excess energy in the training courtyard.  Kasen was upset with him for buying the wretched horse and bringing it home when it wasn’t fit to ride.  No one was as angry at him as himself.

The wooden sword snapped in half and he looked at the piece still in his hands before throwing it distastefully on to the ground.  Sweat was dripping down the side of his head and he lifted his arm to wipe it out of his eyes.

“My lord, perhaps you should take a break,” one of the knights said with caution.

Sebastian took a deep breath, looked over and nodded.  He knew they were only worried.  “I’ll leave this to you,” he said, motioning to the broken training sword.  He turned around and headed back into the fortress.

Before he went to check on Victoria, he planned to at least clean himself up.  As he walked through the old stone corridors, he passed the partially open door to the altar room.  He casually glanced inside and saw the figure of his mother on the kneeling pad, head bowed and hands clasped together.

Sebastian could count the number of times he’s been in the altar room to pray on one hand since Victoria’s abduction.  He hesitated.  It was rare that he took this route to get to his room.  He didn’t plan on going inside, but perhaps it was time for another bargain.

He quietly pushed open the door and walked inside.  He knelt down beside his mother and brought his hands together.

Please let my sister wake up. I swear to protect her no matter what.  I beg you, just let my sister wake up.

This time, he didn’t specify the price he was willing to pay, only promising to protect his sister so this would never happen again.

Perhaps that was good enough for the gods.

The next day, the frantic yelling of one of the maids outside of Victoria’s room filled the fortress.  He looked up from his work in the study as his aide rushed in and told him that his sister woke up.

Sebastian dropped his pen and rushed upstairs.  The door to Victoria’s room was open and he could hear people yelling inside.  He ran into the room and found the maids trying to calm his sister as she rolled on the bed, kicking her legs, and grabbing her head.  Her mouth was open and she seemed to be trying to scream, but nothing was coming out.  Her eyes were shut and her face twisted with pain.

As she rolled from side to side, his mother was crying out for them to be gentle and not to hurt her.

“Someone grab her legs!  Lord Kasen, Lord Sebastian!  Her arms!  We’re going to have to sedate her before she hurts herself!” The doctor’s voice cut through Sebastian’s horrified stupor and he rushed forward.  On the other side of the bed, Kasen had grabbed onto one of Victoria’s arms, pulling it away from her head with some effort.

Sebastian jumped on the bed to get to Victoria’s other side and forcefully pulled her arm to the side and pinned it to the bed to keep her steady.  In her unrestrained thrashing, she was much stronger than she appeared and he and Kasen were barely able to keep her down.

The doctor measured out some liquid in a small cup and seemed to ready himself before sweeping forward and grabbing hold of Victoria’s chin.  He moved quickly to pour the contents of the cup into her mouth.

The four maids holding her legs, Sebastian, and Kasen all continued to hold her until the medicine took effect.  Her kicking and flailing slowed and became weaker.  Sebastian watched as the light in his sister’s crying eyes began to dim and she stopped moving.

When they released her, everyone watched to see if she would suddenly wake and continue, but the medicine had its intended effect and Victoria seemed to fall asleep.  The doctor let out a low breath and wiped his forehead.

“What happened.”  His father wasn’t so much asking, but demanding.

The doctor shook his head.  “I don’t know...when she woke, she was already crying and rolling around.  It could be that the head injury is painful and the sudden amount of pain got to her.  The medicine had some powder to lessen the pain, but I’ll prescribe her some painkillers.”

“Do you know if she has amnesia?” Sebastian asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his sister pitifully.  The doctor shook his head.

Sebastian closed his eyes tight.

“In the chance that she wakes up again, someone should be here,” he said in a low voice.

“We can take turns.” Kasen agreed at once.  “If she wakes and sees a familiar face, it may be comforting and lessen her panic.”

The family seemed to come to a consensus.  They moved in a desk between the bed and the window so that they could do their work while waiting for Victoria to wake up.  Before she did, she had a fever and would roll around and twitch in her sleep.

Every time he caught her doing so, Sebastian would stop what he was doing to see if she’d wake.  He’d almost gotten used to it by the second night when she began to speak in her sleep.

He slowly lowered his pen onto the table and stood up.  He walked to her bedside and knelt down to hear what she was saying.

“...are you?  I can’t...forever.” Victoria’s breathy whispers were broken and almost inaudible.  “...want to...home....”

He narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to stroke back her sweat-dampened hair.  “You are home.  Don’t worry...you’re home.”

Her head shook from side to side.  She trembled and her brows knit together.  “Where are you?  Come back....”

A small click was heard and Sebastian looked up, towards the door.  Kasen walked in with some folders in his hands.  It was about time for him and Sebastian to switch.  He opened his mouth to remind his brother, when Sebastian made a silent sign for him to be quiet.  He then waved him forward, to come closer to the bed.

Kasen tilted his head to the side and placed his things on a small table against the wall before coming closer.  He rounded the bed and stood beside Sebastian.

“...not mine.  Come back....” Victoria whispered.  The two brothers looked at each other with alarm.  “I need to go....”

Kasen knelt down beside Sebastian.  He looked at their sister with concern and leaned forward.  “Where do you need to go?” he asked quietly.

“Home.”

Sebastian and Kasen looked at each other once more.  Kasen looked uncertain.  “Maybe she has amnesia, like the doctor said.”

“But why would she be asking about going home?” Sebastian asked, more to himself than to Kasen.  His fingers curled into the edge of the bed.  “She is home.”

“Calm down,” Kasen told him.  “I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for this.”

“I want to go home....”  This time, the quiet cry was more like a plea.

Kasen’s eyes began to redden.  He swallowed hard.  “You are home.  This is your home.”

He repeated it a few more times and the tension in her brow began to ease.  “Home....”

After a few minutes of silence, it seemed that she had fallen back asleep.  Sebastian let his shoulders sink as he leaned over the bed and buried his head in his arms.

“What if she doesn’t remember who we are?” he said in a choked voice.

“Then we have to remind her,” Kasen said.  His brother fell back against the chair by the desk, looking exhausted.  “If we have to re-teach her everything, then we re-teach her everything.  Remind her who we are and where she is.”

Sebastian lifted his head and looked at their sister, with a bandage still wrapped around her head and her hair tangled.  “I don’t think she’s going to be the same.”

Kasen was quiet for a moment.  “I just want her to wake up.”  His voice was strained.

Sebastian nodded and reached forward.  He grasped her small hand and squeezed it.  He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

“As long as she wakes up, we can deal with what comes.  As long as she’s safe,” Sebastian said.  “I don’t care about anything else.”

Several Months Later....

There was a quiet knock on the door and he tilted his head towards it.  “Sebby?” a voice seemed to whisper from the other side. “Sebby, are you awake?”

The corners of his lips curled up.  He opened his eyes and looked around the room that was much smaller than his own at the fortress.  He sat up and shivered a bit.  The fireplace had long gone out.  He should’ve tried to bring some carnelian, but it was a hassle to carry heavy crystals.

“Sebby?”

“I’m awake,” he said as his blanket fell to his bare waist.

“I’m making breakfast before you drop me off at Lycée.  You have to get up,” Tori said from the hall.

“I’ll be downstairs soon,” Sebastian said as he slid his legs over the side of the bed.  “I want breakfast burritos!”

He heard his sister’s melodic laugh and smiled, feeling his heart calm knowing she was perfectly fine.  “All right.  I’ll get started on those.”

He heard her footsteps vanish down the hall and he went to put on that day’s clothes.  His mind still lingered on his memory of the night he heard Victoria crying about going home.  She never mentioned such a thing again and both he and Kasen blamed it on her partial amnesia and disorientation after waking up with a head injury.

But every now and then, the brothers would look at each other, silently noting the differences with their sister after she woke up.

Her interests changed, as did her abilities.  Did she really think they believed she picked up swordsmanship by watching them?  Her technical abilities were concise and her speed only came from motions repeated over and over.

There was also her sudden willingness to learn, but they’d decided it was because she had woken up confused with gaps in her memory.

She was much less affectionate and childish.  She held none of her former arrogance and stubbornness.  She used to always ask them for things, and now she hesitated to ask for help when it was clear she needed it.

There were times over the summer when they wondered if their sister had become someone else completely, but then she’d look at them with a big smile and those familiar bright eyes, and any doubts they had would vanish.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much another person, but part of their sister that they didn’t know.  A personality change was quite possible.  They could only imagine what went through her head after nearly dying.

Or, it was the price of the gods to make his sister how she was now. The two brothers came to a silent consensus not to question the change.

It wasn’t as if Victoria rejected them or their family.  In a way, she was closer to them than before.  She was just less the unruly sister that depended on them for everything and more the conscientious sibling that seemed to want to make them happy.

It wasn’t a bad thing, though he would love his sister even if the entire empire turned against her.

He walked downstairs and saw Tori standing by the kitchen island, pressing tortillas for his breakfast burrito.  She looked up as he entered.  “How many do you want?”

“As many as you can make.  I need to eat as much as possible, as I won’t have any for a while.”

Tori wrinkled her nose.  “I can make extra and you can save a few for later, but don’t eat too much, or you’ll get a stomachache.”

“It’s fine.  I have a crystal for that.”

He took her place pressing tortillas on the interesting little device she had someone at the fortress cobble together for her.  He glanced over his shoulder and watched as Tori cracked some eggs into a bowl.  A warm smile filled his face.  

To him and their family, she’d always been a very loving and warm child.  He was relieved that now the rest of the world was given a chance to know the sister they loved.

He looked back at the tortilla press and reached for a ball of dough.  Don’t worry, your big brother will always protect you.

“If we have extra, I’m going to make some for my friends.  Ilyana might skip breakfast when we’re moving back into the dorms,” Tori said as she began to fry the eggs.  She furrowed her brows.  “Do you think I should call Piers and see if he wants one?”

Sebastian chuckled.  Your big brother will always protect you.  He looked at his sister and smiled intently.  “No.”