A tragedy of a locked up person, who finally meets the one she loves. But never will be with him for the rest of her life.
Verjaniva is a country laid north with only one neighbour. Due to the devastating war between each other, Verjaniva is in a state of recovery. The country is being led by a magical rule. Industry is strictly minimalised and people are kept poor. The queen of Verjaniva has a daughter. Octavia has been locked up in the palaces for her entire life, and when her mother has gone to travel, she sees her chance. She escapes the palace to go investigate the world. But outside the castle walls, she gets into trouble. She is rescued by the person she will love untill her live ends, but how long will that last anyway?
As the sun's warm, majestic glow began to blanket the majestic horizons of Verjanvia, the high mountains, glittering with the shining morning dew. Engulfing the dull walls of the houses scattered across the city. And of course, eventually, the light crept over the city and onto the Grand chateau of the royal family.
The Princess opened her eyes gradually, as if she had awoken from an eternal dream. She got out of her bed in a stiff and almost unwilling manner knowing that her mother would only scold her harshly if she didn’t. After lightly brushing her airy light gray feathers, she stumbled downstairs through the gritty spiral staircase of the towering birdcage that her mother called her room. Having admired the vibrant flowerbeds in her garden through the glossy paned windows of the never-ending marble hallways of her palace, she got to the dining room. Still half asleep, she strolled into the room filled with glistening silver chandeliers, a grand marble table (lined with gold of course) and neatly set out cutlery. Taking a weary breath after what could almost be called a morning run that she just had she sat down, awaiting what her mother had to say for her.
'Well you took your time didn’t you young lady,' she spoke with a calm yet assaulting tone. 'Sorry mother it won’t happen again,' the princess murmured. She looked into the sculpture of her deceased father as she could never whole heartedly apologize to the woman that is her mother. 'Good grief, how can you expect me to wait 15 minutes for you.' she said in a disappointed tone. 'Anyways, as we have stayed in this palace for 3 months now, we’ll be heading due east as I have some important business with the jade family.' Ocativa had expected this. Her mother insists on moving from palace to palace every three months. She did this to stay aware of the current events of the kingdom. ‘Where are we heading this time?’ Ocatvia queried while admiring the fragrance of her tea. ‘We are going due east, for the reasons I sated before. This means we will be staying in the palace near the city of Stellansk.
Octavia’s beak fell to the floor. ‘Stellansk mom?’ she almost yelled at her. ‘That is the furthest city east we can go, it literally lays at the East Nordic ocean. Do you know how far away that is from here?’ ‘Yes, I’m aware.’ her mom responded. ‘It is around 4 days of traveling by automobile if we don't stop or take a break. And since the meeting is scheduled in 6 days, so if I were you, I’d start packing Octavia.' 'Now, I am not in the mood for you to object.' her mom continiued', so have your breakfast and go back to your room. I had some of our butlers put the bags outside your room so you should be grateful.'
Ocativia sighted. ‘How could she expect this to work? Four long days in a vehicle they called modern. That machine they called an automobile was less than walking in rags and inadequate footwear. It’s dreadful just to think about it’ She turned to her breakfast, and reluctantly finished it. Then she made her way back up to her room.
As she expected there were indeed 5 large suitcases waiting to be filled in her room. She walked straight past them towards the window. There she rested her elbows on the windowsill and looked outside. It was gorgeous. The sun shone brightly highlighting the beauty of the lush meadows outside her windows. She was going to miss this. She loved the west side of the country. The mountains that towered high over the forest made her feel safe. And now, she had to miss them. ‘Stellansk’ she thought. ‘The only bit of industry Verjaniva had to offer.’ The rest of the country was dependent on magic.
Magic was practically the crown jewel of Verjaniva. All the nobility had and used it. They used magic to cultivate the lands for exotic foods and to build houses for the thriving population and . The industrial city of Stellansk only existed due to the limitations of magic as cars and other mechanical trinkets can’t be made by magic. Explaining why it was its the east side of the country. To keep the magic and the industry as far separated as possible. She looked back at her still empty suitcases. She was already stressing about the jagged country roads that she would have to endure over the course of the trip, ‘Hopefully the driver won’t crash the car down a steep cliff this time.’ she thought.
She walked to her closet and searched through it. Eventually she found what she had been looking for. The winter section of their clothing collection. Even though the snow had already turned to dew here in the west, she knew very well that it most likely wouldn’t be in the east. She turned around with her hands full of clothing, ready to begin packing.
Octavia heard the trunk slam shut behind her, and the two taps on the chassis of the car. As the engine stuttered to start, she realized that this would mark the start of her endless trip. She closed her eyes, and thought about the destination. ‘“Stellansk”, the coldest and second largest city of Verjaniva. 'No,' she thought. 'I shouldn’t be thinking of it yet. I should enjoy the refreshing landscape that is still here now.' She looked behind her, through the dirty window. The mountains and palace became smaller and smaller as they waved the convoy of cars goodbye. She kept looking until they weren’t visible anymore. She turned around and sank back into her seat, submerging herself in her sea of thoughts. ‘This will be a long ride.’ she sighed as she began to doze off.
A bump in the road woke her up violently. Octavia lifted one of her heavy eyelid to take a peek outside. There, behind the glass window a white, cold landscape laid. In 4 days, the tundra had changed from unorderly patches of green here to there, to a fully white landscape. Her sleepiness was wiped by the shock of the cold air around her as she sat upright , and stretched her legs and arms as far as she could in the cramped car. She looked past the driver's seat through the large front window. Infront of her stood tall, gray buildings covered by the sooty snow loomed over the horizon surrounded by a layer of choking smog that refused to blow away no matter the wind.
The convoy drove past the large city, towards a little hill just outside of it. On top of the hill stood a small gray castle, waiting for its guests to arrive.
The large dark brown wooden gates of the castle slowly opened to welcome the royal convoy. They came to a rest right in front of the much smaller door of the palace itself. Immediately those doors swung openen, for a bunch of butlers to walk outside towards the convoy. Octavia stepped out of the car. ‘Finally I can stretch my legs properly again.’ she whispered to herself. Her mother followed afterwards. ‘Follow me.’ she said to Octavia. ‘I’ll show you your room since I doubt you are familiar with this palace.’
After a long walk through the hallways of the new palace, they finally arrived. Her mom grabbed a key, and opened the dusty door in front of them. The door revealed a room, which almost looked like a small house. It had a kitchen, food storage, bedroom, bathroom and many more accommodations you would see in a regular house.
‘Alright listen to me.’ her mom turned towards her, and looked her into her eyes. ‘As I have already told you, I have some stuff I have to do with the Jade family. This room is yours, you will be able to do anything here. You have books, a kitchen and much more so amuse yourself. And now, if you will excuse me I am going to give the personnel orders to sort this place out.’ Her mom closed the door, and locked it. Octavia heard her footsteps slowly fading away in the distance. Octavia’s eyes wandered around her new room. Her large suitcases were already waiting for her, and so were her smaller bags. ‘This is it then.’ she said to herself. She walked around, and noticed that her room was on the ground, and not in a tower. ‘Of course its on the ground stupid.’ she mumbled‘ If it was in a tower it wouldn’t be this spacious.
She turned her head towards the kitchen and walked through it. ‘This room really does have everything a person needs, it's like my mom wants me to stay here till I die.’ she thought sarcastically. She opened the storage room. Large sacks of potatoes, meat and other rare food products were kept fresh like they were stocked only a few minutes ago. Upon seeing this, the reality that nothing has changed began to set in. She never figured why her mother never let her out, she never thought that it was a just reason though. Was it necessary for her to keep her in a cage like this? Her mom always told her a princess should not be under the public eye till her coronation. But ever since she was little, she thought otherwise. ‘I am 24 now, not an immature kid. Mom probably has a reason to hide me.’ she said to herself. ‘But what for?’ She contemplated to herself for the thousandth time.
The lock on the door made a sound, and the dusty door opened with a creek. Her mother walked in. ‘I see you’ve already settled down.’ she said while looking down at Octavia’s empty suitcases. ‘Good.’ Her mother took a seat in one of the many chairs. ‘Alright, I came here to tell you the plans for the foreseeable future.’ she explained. ‘Tomorrow I’ll be at the castle of the Jade family on the other side of Stellansk, as you should know. I’ll be there for a week. After that is done, I will have other business to attend to elsewhere. In total, I will be gone for around a month.
Meanwhile, you stay here and be a good girl. As you might have seen, you have enough food for a year, and since you can cook I doubt the fact you will starve.’ she laughed at her own joke. ‘When I return, we will have another talk with each other.’ She stood up. ‘I will see you in a week then.’ she said while closing the door behind her and locking it.
Octavia made her way towards her bed. All of this was expectable, and yet, she wasn't prepared for it. She fell limp on her bed and laid there for a couple of minutes. Ideas and plans shooting through her head. ‘You know what?’ Octavia sat right up, and looked at her window. ‘When my mother is gone, I am going to risk it.’
She heard the muffled sound of an engine starting outside her house. She hurried to her window that overlooked the expansive front yard driveaway. She saw a convoy of 3 cars driving through the large wooden gates. She knew exactly what this meant. Her mother had left her and the palace alone for now. to do some business with the Jade family and elsewhere.
The Jade family was one of the largest families with the most political influence in Verjaniva. They have a firm grasp of control on the east side of the country. They assume control when the queen was not present. Octavia hated them. They were what she called: “lucky to be magical”. Without their magic, they would have been commoners like the rest of the poor people in Verjaniva. But the Jade family wasn't the only one. In the west the Azur family had the exact same. They also did anything they wanted and of course, they were lucky to be magical.
Octavia walked back to the kitchen and made herself a glass of water. She wanted to forget everything. And to drown herself in the darkness of her thoughts. Desperate to get her mind off the current situation, she thought about yesterday. ‘Should I go on with the plan?’ she wondered. It could go horribly wrong. She had never seen the outside world before on her own, so it is a risk. And being in the cold and harsh city of Stellansk is even riskier. ‘Tomorrow.’ she said to herself. For now, she had to entertain herself.
Since Octavia neither went to school or had a homeschool teacher the large bookcase in front of her was her most treasured object. On the many shelves stood countless books with a vast sea of knowledge that has yet to be chartered subjects that you could imagine. Octavia found reading relaxing as it helped her collect her thoughts. She had something to do, and she could learn more about her world with the restrictions and challenges forced upon her by her mother. Books about the history of Verjaniva she adored the most. Verjaniva’s history was a tragic one, with all the wars it had fought. The most interesting of all (for her at least), was the latest war which happened 4 years ago.
When she was 19, the war broke loose. Verjaniva’s territory stretched itself far beyond the mountain line but their forces were spread too thin. Its neighbor country “Ilva'' saw a chance, and declared war on Verjaniva. It was one of the bloodiest wars ever and resulted in Verjaniva’s defeat. The borders were redrawn and the mountain line laid vertical and went from coast to coast, became the border between the two nordic countries. She put her book about the war down and jumped into her bed. ‘Tomorrow will be more interesting than today. I just feel it.’ she said to herself before she fell asleep.
The next start of the day was rather dissimilar to all her other days that she had spent in this world. Breakfast, reading, lunch and more reading. Her standard routine of the day. Then, in the evening she remembered the promise she made to herself last night. She stood up and hurried towards her bedroom. She forced the doors of her closet open and went through her clothing. ‘A big and warm fur coat that's for sure.’ she mumbled while grabbing the warmest clothes she could find. She laid them all on her bed. ‘This will be good enough, now I can be sure I won’t meet a hypothermic end.’
She cooked herself a quick warm meal and sat down on the couch with the plate in her hands. She had been thinking for a long time about when she should sneak out. ‘You know what? Screw it.’ She put her plate down and marched towards her bedroom. There she dressed up in her warm clothes and looked at the clock. The old Grandfather clock chimed to signal 10 o’clock. ‘I’ve waited long enough.’ she spoke confidently to herself. ‘It will just be a trip in and out that's it. She slowly opened her window. Her mom always kept one of them open, so she at least had some fresh air. But now, it could be used for something else.
Once outside, she crouched towards the large wall surrounding the palace. The gray, uneven brickwork and sleeping guards made the job of sneaking out much easier. As silent as a cat she landed on the other side of the wall, finally breaking out from the cage that had imprisoned her for her whole life. Silently she walked towards the road, which would lead her straight to Stellansk. The walk was surprisingly fast, she noticed. In less than 10 minutes she was already standing in the outskirts of a large city. The large and soot filled prefabs stood in long adjacent rows next to each other, with an alleyway here and there. Her goal was to make it to the city center, explore around and then backtrack to the palace. Simple enough, right?
She walked around the corner and read the dark blue street name sign. ‘Heath lane’ it said in big white letters. Octavia slightly turned her head. And realized that she was being approached by 2 people. She started walking a little faster. She moved street after street until she was close to the center. She looked back again, but instead of two it was now four. They were still walking after her. She was being chased. She slowly swore under her breath and looked around. The buildings were even taller here than before and stood high over the street. She spotted an alleyway. ‘Come on Octavia, go there and shake them off.’ she thought. She hurried into the alleyway, passing the garbage cans and other stuff. But instead of a city center, she found a wall blocking her path with only a locked door for an escape. She looked back again. There, blocking the entrance stood the four guys. They were laughing.
‘Look here boys.’ One of them yelled. ‘A lost bird, a lost bird that never learned to fly.’ The rest laughed. Octavia stressed out. The alleyway she thought would lead her to the centrum, was a dead end instead. ‘What are you doing here missy?’ another one said. ‘Are you lost?’ ‘We would gladly bring you home, but you have to do something in return.’ The third laughed. ‘Yeye, she will give us our fun even without us doing anything.’ the biggest one smiled. ‘I got something shiny for you, you want it?’ Out of his pocket he pulled a knife, holding it in front of him. ‘Now.’ the third and tiniest of the four yelled. ‘You know what to do now, come with us.’
An ear bursting thud rang out that echoed throughout the alleyway. The bigger guy with the knife still in his hands dropped to the ground. ‘BANG’ sounded it again. The smaller one of the group looked behind him only to stare right through the skull of his friend's head. Octavia turned around. There, a bird around her size stood, with the smoking muzzle of a revolver in his hand. His dark gray feathers slowly shook in the breeze of the wind and his brown eyes focused on the remaining member of the group. The remaining two didn’t wait, and ran out the alleyway back on the street. The man placed his gun in the hidden holster of his jacket. Octavia, still frozen in shock, didn't respond. ‘Hey, there’s more where those four came from, grab my hand.’ His voice was calm, but filled with an assertive and confident energy. She grabbed his hand, and he hastily pulled her towards the end of the alleyway.
He fumbled in his pocket till he found what he needed. He stuck the key in the door and it swung open. They had entered a small dusty garage with a dark silhouette that Octavia recognized as a car. He quickly closed the door behind him and opened the car door. ‘Get in.’ he said. Octavia refused. ‘How can I trust someone who just shot another person in the head?’ she asked him nervously. ‘If I wanted to, I would have done something similar to you already. Now get inside.’ Octavia, still with a hesitant and shocked manner got in the car. The guy opened the garage door, and stepped in the car. He stepped down on the gas, screeching out the tiny garage in a hurry. Octavia looked behind her and saw the garage door shut automatically. ‘Now, what the name of hell is someone like you doing in this part of the city.’ he asked calmly. His voice reassured Octavia a bit. ‘I’m not from around here, I didn't know what would happen.’ she responded, carefully choosing her words.
They drove out of the city, towards some moors. After 10 minutes of driving, the automobile stopped infront of a wooden cabin. The guy stepped out of the car, and opened the door for her. ‘Thank you Sir?’ Octavia said anxiously. ‘My name is Blauw.’ The bird responded. ‘Sorry for introducing myself this late, my head was busy with other business.’ ‘Yeah I get that’ Octavia responded. ‘My name is Octavia, nice to meet you.’ They walked to the door. ‘Octavia right?’ Blauw said, while walking. ‘A beautiful name, if I say so myself, not many people have it, it is a word from a long dead tongue.’ He unlocked the door and opened it. ‘Welcome to my humble abode.’ he said and gestured her in.’ Octavia’s beak dropped in awe.
She stood in the lounge, which had a cozy, old fashioned style. Large bookcases that reached the ceiling filled the room, leather armchairs and a roaring coal fireplace. On one of the tables stood a record player, with what looked like a hundred records stored underneath it. On her left, a door led towards the bedroom hallway and or her right was the kitchen. ‘Make yourself at home.’ Blauw said while hanging his jacket on the wall. ‘It is the middle of the night, so I suggest you stay until daylight.’ He walked to the kitchen. ‘Uhm, if you don’t mind - can you make something for me to eat?’ Octavia tried not to stutter while asking. Blauw nodded. ‘Sure thing.’
Octavia walked past his bookcases. They contained even more books than she had in her room. ‘You have an amazing collection.’ she said to Blauw when he placed a plate down with some toast. ‘Thank you.’ he responded. ‘You can take some home with you tomorrow if you want.’ He sat down and grabbed the newspaper. ‘Are there any rooms I am not allowed in?’ Octavia asked with her beak filled full of toast. ‘You are free to go wherever you want besides the first room on the left in the bedroom hallway.’ a voice answered from behind the newspaper. ‘Octavia stood up and walked into the hallway, past the few rooms. She entered one but couldn't find the light switch. ‘Ah who cares anyways, I am too tired for this.’ she yawned. She laid in the bed on her back. All the anxiety melted from her mind due to the cozy atmosphere of the house. Her mind instead filled itself with thoughts which followed her to her sleep
The next morning she was woken by the sound of music, and the smell of breakfast. She sat up in her bed, and stretched. She needed that rest for the first time in her life (she had never had such a stressful day before). She stood up and dragged herself into the living room. ‘Finally awake?’ Blauw asked from the kitchen. ‘Its 11 am already, so you apparently needed your rest.’ ‘What you think, after all what happened yesterday.’ Octavia responded. Blauw laughed and pulled back a chair. ‘Here, have a seat. I am almost done.’ A still sleepy Octavia walked to the chair and thanked him before sitting down. While they were eating, she asked Blauw all kinds of questions. ‘You from here? What do you do to stay alive?’ and more of those. Blauw and his brother were apparently in charge of some small factories like the automobile one, he told her. And due to their influence and their money, they had the southern region of Stellansk in their control. They would know everything that happened there even before the police, essentially acting as peacekeepers as it was 'Good for the business,' as his brother explained. Yesterday's evenings, Blauw was inspecting one of his newly purchased warehouses to store automobiles. There he heard the voices who would lead him to Octavia.
‘I am going to get the automobile ready.’ Blauw said while he stood up. ‘Your family must be worried to death.’ Octavia thought differently about that. Her mom was away and wouldn't even care. And the butlers didn't even know she existed. 'Yes, that’d be great.’ she lied to him. ‘I will tell you where you can drop me off if that's ok with you?’ ‘Sure.’ Blauw smiled. ‘Be sure you put on your jacket, it's cold as hell.’
In the car, Octavia asked Blauw more questions. But this time it was about his past. How he had experienced the war 4 years ago to be exact. ‘It was horrible.’ Blauw told her. ‘Bodies, the unshakable scent of blood in the air with mud everywhere as the cherry on the cake. And as our shipping was held back by the enemy blockade, we had to loot the guns of friends and foes, not that we could tell anyways from how they looked. Those days were undeniably the worst I have ever lived through, I still wonder why I did to this day.” ‘So you served in the war?’ Octavia asked. ‘Yeah, I did.’ Blauw said with a reflective tone. ‘I was part of a small infantry division, but we didn't stand a chance. One by one we died, and out of the 18 soldiers, only 7 made it home.’ After the conversation about the war, the talking was mostly over. Only here and there they spoke a few words.
Blauw’s car stopped near one of the outside streets of Stellansk. ‘Thank you very much.’ Octavia said through the car window. ‘Would you mind picking me up some time here again?’ ‘Not a problem.’ Blauw responded. ‘It was a pleasure to have you stay, Madam.’ ‘Don’t call me Madam.’ Octavia said. ‘You know my name, so use it.’ Blauw grinned. ‘As you wish, Madam.’ Blauw reversed and drove away leaving Octavia behind. She had asked him to drop her off here. This was the border of the palace and the outskirts of Stellansk. She of course couldn't let him know who she was or that she lived in the palace. She started walking, until she finally reached the large walls of her home.
She sat down in her room, boots and jacket still on and her eyes closed. She thought about what happened in the past 2 days. The almost end of her life, Blauw taking care of her and that all happening in less than 24 hours. The sun was setting despite the time. She wondered. ‘Would he have found the small piece of paper she had left in his car?´ On the note was a time and a date, for when she would be waiting at the drop off point. She made up all kinds of ideas while cooking. It might have sounded weird, but yesterday was the worst and best day of her life. She settled down with her food and grabbed a book she had received from Blauw. ´The Grim Brothers´ was written with golden letters on the back. The book was filled with all kinds of tales she had never read before. They were mostly fairy tales, but who cares. After all, she was bored of the countless books about Verjaniva and it being the greatest country that ever existed.
The rest of the month went by in a flash. She met and stayed the night with Blauw as many times as she could. She had read many books about failed marriages or wrong couples, but she knew this for sure. Blauw, the brown eyed bird with the magical dark gray feathers was hers. It may as well have been love at first sight, she imagined that their feelings were mutual. They read books and danced together. All while the music from his record player was playing.
Blauw had never danced before, but despite that he was a fast learner and inherited the graceful movements of Octavia. Together, they danced till they had no records left and fell to the leather couch exhausted yet delighted. There they laughed and spoke to each other. Since Octavia has never spoken to anyone but her mother, she spoke awkwardly. However, her curiosity had overwhelmed her. She asked him all sorts of questions. And when he asked her how she didn't know the basic stuff, she replied with the excuse that she grew up in a gypsy family, never staying at one place at the time.
Their conversations helped fill Octavia’s curiosity ,but she had still one thing left to ask. ‘What do you think of the Royal House?’ she asked him. Blauw looked up from his coffee. ‘The Royal house huh?’ he smiled. ‘They are a bunch of weird and interesting people.’ ‘Why is that?’ Octavia asked. ‘Well, their magic is what keeps the country running. They control everything which is interesting and bizarre to think of.’ He took a sip of his coffee. ‘In my opinion,’ he continued. ‘The people should be made more useful. This whole country relies on the magic of the small percentage of ponies who live here. We need to renew our industry, open factories, produce goods and let everyone work.’ Octavia laughed. ‘You've got a point there.’ she said. ‘And what about the Royals, what is weird about them?’
‘The weird part, are their secrets.’ Blauw continued. ‘They hold more of those secrets than everyone in the entirety of Verjaniva.’ They laughed about the idea of the queen holding more secrets than anyone else. ‘And what about the princess? Any opinions?’ Octavia’s curiosity got the better of her. ‘The princess is one of those weird cases.’ Blauw took another sip of his coffee.’ After the king died, the queen became pregnant. The whole country saw this as a miracle, but when the princess got born, no one ever saw her. And till this day, no one knows what she looks like, or who she is.’ ‘Why do you think the queen is hiding her then?’ Octavia responded. ‘Well, there is an obvious answer for that, the queen did it with someone else.’ Blauw laughed. ‘The princess is not full of royal blood.’ Blauw stared in his coffee mug. You want me to refill your mug as well?
Octavia laid in bed that night, looking at the wooden ceiling of her room. So that's why she didn't look like her mom. She was a halfblood. Not magical, but like the people they called a waste or poor in the Royal class. Blauw came in with a glass of water and put it on the night desk. ‘If there is something going on tonight, wake me ok?’ Octavia nodded and sat right up. She pulled him towards her and kissed him. Her hands went through his dark gray feathers. Blauw carefully held her in his arms and laid her down in her bed ‘You have to be awake early tomorrow, right?’ Octavia sighted. The day after tomorrow her mom would be back, so if she went home tomorrow she had some time to prepare. ‘Yeah I do.’ she said with a defeated tone. ‘Alright, I will wake you up then. Goodnight Miss.’ he said in a calm and caring voice. ‘Goodnight brown eye.’ Octavia laughed before she switched the lights off.
After resting from the exhausting yet wonderful day. The sun broke through with falling from the soft white clouds. The morning fog hung low in the moors. ‘Wake up, Miss, it is time.’ She opened one of her eyes, and saw Blauw standing next to her bed. ‘5 more minutes. ‘ she yawned. ‘ And now get here you.’ She grabbed his arms and pulled him in her bed where she held him tight. ‘I don't want to go yet.’ she said while planting her face in his chest. ‘I know I know.’ Blauw answered. They laid for an hour like this, until Blauw stood up and carried her out of bed. ‘Come on sleepy head, it's time.’ He carried her in the car, and slowly drove her towards the point they had to say goodbye.
The car stopped. Blauw turned around, and looked into the shining purple eyes of Octavia. ‘Here.’ he said while giving her a necklace. ‘Its for good luck.’ A tear dropped from Octavia’s face when she took it from him. It had a small pocket watch, opened up with a picture of Blauw. She looked up, and saw that Blauw had his pocket watch out and opened. In the door of his watch, next to the clock sat a photo of her. They had made that picture outside in Blauw’s garden when she found a blood red rose between all the snow. She kissed him on his cheek and they stepped out of the automobile. They gave each other one last goodbye hug. ‘We will meet again.’ Blauw said while holding her. ‘I hope we will.’ Octavia whispered while keeping her tears in.
Loud footsteps echoed through the hallway, and came her way. Octavia raised her head to peek over the book she was reading but still focused on the door of her room. The heavy lock shook violently and the door opened. ‘Welcome back mom.’ Octavia said to the figure that stood in the door frame. Her mom came in and sat on the chair in front of Octavia. Octavia put her book next to her, and looked at her mom. ‘Thank you.’ she said. ‘I am sorry it took a month. I wish it had been shorter.’ Her mom stood up and walked through the window and looked outside. ‘Have you entertained yourself?’ she asked. ‘Uhm, yeah.’ Octavia responded. The books here are pretty interesting and I haven’t read any of them before.’ ‘Very good.’ Her mom walked back to the door. ‘Dinner will be served in one hour, make sure you are there.’ She gave Octavia a wink and, closed the door. ‘What the hell has happened to her in that month?’ Octavia wondered. ‘Normally she was never like this.’ She shook her head and laughed. Her mom probably did something without her knowing, otherwise she wouldn't be that nice. She tried to get her attention back on her book, but she couldn't. All the ideas and thoughts she had raced through her head. ‘Whatever.’ she said to herself. If her mom had done something, she would hear it at the dinner.
‘YOU WHAT?’ Octavia screamed. ‘I gave your hand to the head of the Jade family.’ her mom said calmly and coldly. ‘Tomorrow, you and I will drive to their castle, so we can prepare for the marriage. Oliver Jade is waiting patiently for you.’ Octavia couldn't believe her ears. She, the princess of Verjaniva, just got given away by her own mother. Tears ran down her cheek. ‘Why did you do this without me even knowing?’ she said through her tears. ‘I can do everything and anything I want.’ her mother answered. ‘Now, act like a princess and do as I say so. Oliver Jade is perfect person, he can do magic and is from the right family, and I am sure you’ll fall in love with him at first sight.’ Octavia stood up and ran to her room where she cried herself to sleep.
Two guards were needed to force Octavia outside. There, her mother, and a large white car were waiting. ‘Just one car madam?’ the driver asked the queen. ‘Yes, if we have more than one, it will bring us into the spotlight, and I don't want that.’ She turned around to see her daughter standing at the front door. ‘Get in love.’ her mom laughed. ‘We are going to have a beautiful trip through South-Stellansk towards the Jade Castle. The car began moving its way towards the city. They drove on the same route that she used to take to go to and from to Blauw’s cottage, a deep feeling of mockery ran throughout her. She wrapped her arms around her eyes and hid the tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt the dirt road change to stone as they were driving into the city. She opened her necklace and looked at the picture within. ‘We we’ll meet again.’ she whispered.
His office door slammed open. Blauw looked over his newspaper to his brother. His brother was standing in his doorway, catching his breath. ‘What's the matter Lewis?’ Blauw asked while looking at his brother. ‘Worker lane,’ Lewis said through his breaths. ‘Large explosion, we think it’s a terrorist attack.’ Blauw’s eyebrows went up. ‘What you mean terrorist attack?’ he asked. ‘A bloody car ignited in the middle of the road.’ Lewis answered. ‘The coppers don't know about it yet, should we go investigate now?’ Blauw nodded. It happened on the south side of Stellansk. ‘This is our part of town, so it's our business.’ ‘Let's move brother, my car is still at the front door.’
When they arrived it was total chaos. The police was nowhere to be seen, but it looked like the whole city was present. Some wanted to see what happened themselves and others were panicking. Blauw pulled out his revolver and shot several times into the air. ‘By order of the B.W. family, get the hell out of here. ¨ He and his brother pushed the large yelling crowd of people away and eventually stood next to the wreck. ‘You sure it was an explosive?’ Blauw asked. ‘The automobile hasn't gone up in flames or anything.’ ‘A frag bomb.’ his brother answered. ‘Those things we used in the war, with all the small metal parts that shoot everywhere.’ Blauw sighted. ‘Why are they still producing those bombs, the war’s over for god’s sake!’ ‘It's a expensive car brother.’ Lewis almost laughed. ‘I wonder which magical bastard has driven himself to death.’ ‘Well, we will never find out if we don't look.’ Blauw grinned. ‘Let's crack it open shall we?’
Blauw lit a cigarette while listening to his brother. Lewis tried to open the luxurious car door. ‘Bloody hell Blauw, I think we hit the jackpot.’ Lewis laughed while opening the car door. ‘What do you mean brother?’ Blauw peered into the car. No survivors. But his speech wasn’t silenced due to that tragedy, no. Next to the brown magical woman who he recognized as the queen, sat she. Her light grey lacked the usual entrancing shine. A tear rolled down from his eye onto the dust filled pacement. Lewis however was still smiling. ‘What are we going to do with it brother?’ he asked grinning. ‘Lewis?’ Blauw said calmly. ‘Yeah?’ his brother responded. ‘We will do nothing. Wait here until the cops arrive, they will know what to do. Lewis' grin faded. ‘Are you alright?’ he asked looking at Blauw. ‘Of course brother.’ Blauw sighted. ‘Now do as I told you. I will ask someone to pick you up after this is dealt with.
Blauw stepped out his car. The grass was wet under his feet while he walked past his hill cabin. He climbed on a hill, and looked up at the sky. The clear sky, filled with the countless stars that stared back with beady eyes. He fumbled trough his coat for the gun. Placed it against his head, and pulled the trigger. The cylinder rotated as the hammer clicked.
Nothing.
‘Are sure you alright?’ Lewis came into Blauws office and took a seat. ‘ For the past few days you’ve not been yourself.’ ‘What's the problem Lewis?’ Blauw asked him with a cold voice. ‘Well yeah.’ Lewis tried to sit upright.’ We’ve received a letter from the other side of the country.’ Blauw turned around and faced his brother. ‘Who sent it?’ he asked. ‘Well, the Azure family asks us if we will join their side.’ Blauw looked at his brother full of questions. 'Oh yeah, you haven't heard it yet because your radio ain’t on.’ Lewis put his head between his hands. ‘Now that the queen and her daughter are dead, the Azure family accuses the Jades of being the ones behind the killing. They just announced on the radios that they declare war on them. And they have sent a lot of people letters beforehand to join their side.’ ‘Hell's sake.’ Blauw stood over his desk. ‘How long ago was this announced, Lewis?’ He looked his brother dead in the eye.’ ‘Around ten minutes ago?’ Lewis tried his best not to stutter. ‘I didn't know how I’d tell you…’ ‘Have the Jades responded yet?’ Blauw continued quickly.’ ‘No, not yet I think. Why do you want to know?’ Lewis asked, confused. ‘That doesn't matter.’ Blauw stood up and put on his coat. ‘I want every truck or car we have refueled and ready in ten minutes.’ He walked to the door, but Lewis grabbed his shoulder. ‘I will fix that, but first I want to know why.’
‘You’ve gone mad!’ Lewis spoke. ‘How the hell do you suppose that's going to work?’ Blauw looked his brother dead in the eye. ‘Lewis, what kind of a country do we live in?’ he asked him. ‘The people are unemployed, no money, no food, no nothing. Four years ago, we fought a war for those magical bastards with false promises that everything would be better. And look around you now. We don't want to fight again under their rule or on their side. The people of Verjaniva are done, and this is our chance to put that magical scum in their place. If we succeed, and we manage to rob the Jade gun storage here, in Stellansk then we are set. It will mean that the Jades are out of business. Our last target will be the Azures.
Lewis looked at his brother. He knew where Blauw was going. It sounded ridiculous, but it also had a part of reality in it. ‘What can I do?’ he asked. Blauw smiled and grabbed the telephone from his desk. ‘Once you see me and the convoy of cars filled with weapons, driving into the factory, call this number. It belongs to our radio station in South-Stellansk. Ask them to contact all of the radios spread in Verjaniva. I will make my way to the station after I dropped everything off. This will give them enough time to make contact.’
The radios in Verjaniva screeched when they were connected with South-Stellansk radio station. After the creaking, a clear and calm voice came through. ‘People of Verjaniva.’It started.’As you all know, a civil war has begunbetween the Jade and Azure family. They’ve already sent drafting letters to all to join in their fight. They promised us glory, employment and money. The same false promises they made us four years ago. Do you want to see this bloodshed again? We must know that magic isn't the answer anymore. Where once, magic and several ponies used to plow the lands for food, a vehicle with technology can do it faster and more efficiently. We, people of Verjaniva are not depended on the magic of these royals. We have seen this with the invention of the cars, telephones and steamships. We must stand up, against the naive squabbling of the royals who think they are important. It is time that a new era starts, where the royals and higher ups know their place. Grab your weapons, and revolt. Let us, the hybrids and birds of Verjaniva be the third party in this war. Let us end this grim cycle once and for all!”
The following days were wild and went by quickly. The raid on the Jade arsenal storage was a success. More than ten thousand guns were captured and stolen. All of these were stored in the large car factories and storages which were owned by Blauw and Lewis. They called out to the people of Stellansk, to come to the main car building. There the people received guns to revolt and join Blauw’s side against the royals.
Blauw’s tactics and thinking had worked. The people were done and wanted a change. Normal citizens, richer landowners and soldiers joined Blauw’s side. They were done with the oppression brought about and wanted to remove the power of the magical people. They believed in a better Verjaniva, where new problems should be solved with new solutions.
The higher ups lost more and more of their support. People from across the country stood up and faced the tyranny of the monarchy directly by siding by joining Blauw’s revolution. Both Azure and Jade families were in distress. Their own soldiers had collectively deserted their posts, and some of them even attempted to kill the family members. The Jade family was in the worst situation. They lived right next to Stellansk, the place where it all had started. They had no military equipment left after the big robbery in their arsenal. Oliver Jade was angry. ‘How can a commoner bird such as Blauw be so influential? And to make it worse, his family left the palace out of fear. He, and a couple of his cousins were the only ones left to stand for the Jade family. Oliver didn't want to go. ‘Everything but a coward is what I am.’ is what he yelled to his mother. ‘I will remain here, until the I die trying to defend our rightful home!”
But for the Azures the situation had worsened as well. Their guns were not stolen, no, they had other issues. Their soldiers left by large numbers and revolted against them. The Azures didn't have enough loyal personnel to extinguish the rapidly spreading revolts. Province after province lost to the revolting forces not due to attacks but due to their very own soldiers switching sides. The Azures had plans to flee. Once the time was right, they would flee in the mountains to find shelter in Ilva, where the magical powerhouse still ruled the country.
‘Blauw, you've done it.’ Lewis ran into Blauws office. ‘What's the matter brother?’ Blauw stood up from his chair. ‘We got what we wanted.’ Lewis grabbed a chair and sat down. ‘Oliver Jade invited you to his castle to have a "conversation”.’ Blauw laughed. ‘And when does this Jade want to meet then?’ ‘Tomorrow.’ Lewis responded. ‘Tomorrow he wants to talk.’ ‘Alright then.’ Blauw turned around and stared out the window morosely. ‘We’ll make sure we’re prepared. He’s planning somthing, so we must be ready.’ Lewis nodded. ‘I’ll get some of the chaps to go with us, we’ll end this shady business one way or another.’
Blauw and Lewis stepped out of the car. Infront of them stood a mighty fortress. The gates were barricaded with sandbags, with sentries standing on their posts. One of Oliver’s cousins invited them in and they proceeded through the long hallways. The portraits of the Jades stared at them in a seemingly judging tone. When they entered the lounge area, Oliver was already waiting. ‘Hold your fire lads.’ Blauw had said before they had entered. ‘This fucker’s better off dead, but let’s see what he wants.’ They settled down at the large desk in front of Olly. ‘Jacko.’ Olly spoke. ‘Get everyone out of here. We must talk business.’ As both parties walked out of the hall, Lewis remained seated. Oliver raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘My brother and me are the same person. Everything I do or decide, does my brother too.’ Blauw answered to Olivers reaction. ‘Very well then.’ Oliver responded annoyed. ‘Let's talk about the main reason why we are here.’
Oliver Jade curled over his desk. ‘You and your men are going to join my side. You are going to walk outside, and you will tell them that they have new orders now.’ Lewis started laughing. ‘Or else what mister Jade?’ Blauw asked mockingly. Oliver grabbed a gun from his drawer and pointed it at Blauw. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘That you are the leader of this operation. I know that if you fall the rest of your insignificant sad movement will crumble. I know that they will join the strongest, which will be me. Blauw stood up. ‘If you are so confident just pull the trigger.’ he said calmly. ‘I don't care, you've already killed me.’ Blauw looked Oliver Jade in the eye. ‘Just remember that innocent blood will be shed. Innocent blood on your hands.’ he pointed at Oliver. ‘You’re right Blauw.’ Oliver's voice was filled with hatred. ‘Why should all those people die? The people, who are the flame for Verjaniva, when I can just finish off the fuel for that flame.'
A loud shot echoed through the lounge area. Lewis jumped out of his chair, with his gun pointed at Oliver. Blauw walked back, holding his left hand on his chest. Oliver laughed and looked at Lewis. ‘There goes your brother' he laughed. 'He shoudlve died in the war, but god decided to gave him four more years which he now has wasted.' Lewis jolted but his aim remained steady. ‘What are you going to do?’ Oliver smiled. ‘You’ve lost. Your movement is done. I’ve reclaimed my rightful throne. ‘He looked back at Blauw.
Another loud shot rang through the room. The doors of the hall swung opened and Blauw’s men rushed in but stopped dead in their tracks. Shocked by the scene in front of them. Behind them, they left Jacko's dead body behind, which fel to the ground. Lewis looked at Oliver Jade. A small stream of blood oozed from the dark red spot in his head between his eyes. Blauw, with a smoking revolver in hand, fell to the ground. Lewis immediately sat by him, screaming at the still frozen soldiers waking them up from their trance. ‘Get a bloody medic.’ Lewis yelled to them. He looked down. His brother in his arms. Blauw opened his mouth. ‘Finish what I started.’ he said quietly. ‘We did it brother... Go to my room... My desk, upper left drawer… Documents and instructions... Hurry...’ then he fell unconscious.
His eyes slowly opened. The bright light of the sun entered the white room he laid in. Next to him a familiar person. ‘Lewis?’ Blauw asked dizzy. Lewis looked at Blauw. ‘Thank god your awake.’ His voice was filled with relief. ‘How long has it been?’ Blauw asked, still dizzy.’ ‘A week brother.’ Lewis answered. ‘Now, you must stay calm and rest. Everything is under control.’ Blauw had many more questions to ask, but he dozed off into another dreamless sleep. It took Blauw another three days to recover. Although his wound wasn’t healed fully, he told the nurses he felt just fine. Eventually due to Lewis’s pressure, they had no choice but to let him out of the hospital.
While Blauw was in a coma, Lewis and his soldiers had traveled to the Azure family. There, you found an empty palace. They all fled to the mountains towards Ilva. A dangerous journey, but Blauw was sure that the Azures had made it, and were now in Ilva. ‘Why is it such a big deal?’ Lewis had asked him. ‘They happy, we happy right?’ ‘No brother.’ Blauw had responded. ‘Ilva’s king has questioned them for sure. Verjaniva is in a state of chaos, and Ilva knows it. They will prepare for an invasion that's what I bet you.’
‘We will activate the 1 year plan that I’ve devised.’ Blauw continued to his brother. ’If Ilva is planning an invasion, we must be prepared. This document contains the plans. Plans to get Verjaniva out of this madness state. We must guide our people to victory. And to protect what they hold dear.’ The nobles sat down at the large table. ‘And why do you need us then?’ one of them asked. ‘Aren't we that ¨scum¨ you hated? Blauw smiled. ‘You guys are here to finance it all.’ he explained. ‘If we want to raise the economy from dust, and make tunnels in the mountains we need workers. And those workers need money. If we offer them enough, more people will join making the process go quicker. ‘What is our reward for this?’ another asked. ‘Everyone of you, can become a director of a factory. If we pay our workers, they will show up happily. Verjaniva’s economy will come out the gutter, and we will be responsible for it. The times of magic and old days are done. We have to industrialize before we become part of Ilva.’ The nobles people nodded. ‘Everything but Ilva.’ they shouted.
Verjaniva was thriving, as it did a very long time ago. Factories raised from the dirt, and people were finally employed. Verjanivia became less and less dependent on magic as the industry took over work. Cities urbanized, more and more people saw the opportunity to get rich and live a prosperous life. With the money they received, they wouldn't have to grow everything on their own. Remaining farmers acquired larger and larger pieces of land. Slowly but surely the industrial revolution also reached the rural farmlands. Where people either worked hard or used magic feed their family, new industrial machinery took over the labor force in the countryside. The future looked bright for Verjaniva. Cities developed rapidly as their inhabitants became more and more wealthy. The economy grew exponential. They even began constructing merchant ship to open up trading with other nations. Verjanvia is no longer the hermit nation it was before.
Blauw looked out the his window. He and his brother had moved to the Stellansk Royal Palace. It was the only place where he felt close to Octavia. ‘Blauw?’ Lewis came through the door. ‘We have some news from Ilva.’ Blauw looked around and faced his brother. ‘Our spies tell us they are indeed mobilizing their army.’ Lewis continued. ‘They are not ready yet, but we do expect them to start attacking in a month or three.’ Blauw turned around. ‘Very well brother.’ he sighted. ‘Verjaniva is not as poor anymore. People are united and have reason to fight.’ It’s time to respond to Ilva.
As the time limit the intelligence gave drew closer, Verjaniva changed yet again. War propaganda was strung up all over towns and cities. Production lines shifted to weapons and equipment. The inhabitants of the northern country supported it. They wanted to show Ilva that last time was fluke. Verjaniva stood proud and ready now. Confident for victory. Whatever the cost might be. Besides this massive change, there were more plans. Mineworkers worked day and night to make a huge bunker system in the mountains. This system would cut right through the mountais, giving the Verjanivan army a clear vision on Ilva while waiting for an attack.
Eventually the day came. The spies who were spying in Ilva, informed Blauw and Lewis that Ilva’s army was setting up camp at the foot of the mountain. This was Verjanivas call to react. Radios throughout the country reported the current situation and asked the soldiers to travel towards the border. The massive bunker line in the mountains slowly came to life, as more and more men rushed to their positions. The bunker line was built very cleverly. The soldiers of Verjaniva could access it by the tunnels, which were wide enough to also fit supply trucks. After the five-minute drive upwards, you were greeted by the entrance of the bunker, where countless soldiers awaited for orders.
Days passed which felt like years. The tension in the bunker line became higher and higher as days went by. But the moral stayed unchanged. The soldiers were once again proud, to represent their country. They were once again, ready to give everything up for their country. Amongst all those soldiers, officers and generals walked two more people. Both Blauw and Lewis, dressed up in their sleek, black uniforms they had received for being veterans. Lewis’s suit was decorated with medals that he wore with pride. On his shoulders he had received Red Feathers. A sign of loyalty and trust. Blauw on the other hand didn't show his medals. His high collar was stiff around his neck, almost touching the bottom side of his beak. He hates his medals. He wanted to leave the old war behind him, and hope for a better future. Over his face, he wore a blue mask. The people recognized him by this. He had worn it before, when he was fighting for four years in harsh trenches.
It took Ilva’s army an entire week to set their camps. From the high bunker line, the Verjanivans overlooked them, as a raven circled in for its prey. Ilva’s army was overconfident. As the seemingly impenetrable mountains that separated them from Verjaniva were nothing. They casually spoke to each other, as they also waited for orders. The orders for a plan, which would turn out to be disasterous.
A siren screamed from the grounds below in the early morning. Everyone in the bunker line looked down. A portion of Ilva’s army moved towards the mountains. Slowly but surely they began climbing the high mountain line. ‘Here they come, boys!’ Lewis yelled. ‘Finish them silently, these are the scouts. If we kill them without too much chaos, the rest of their army will follow!’ The Verjanivan army was ready. They had been practicing for four months now, and they were ready to prove themselves. As the Ilvanian group of scouts came closer, the Verjanivans were waiting patiently.
The enemy climbed higher and higher, slowly coming closer to the well hidden bunker line. The head scout looked around him. “Were there not more in my group?” he thought. He could have sworn he had a much bigger team. The Verjanivan snipers picked off the scouts one by one. One by one they fell, leaving chain of command clueless about the situation. By the time he understood what was going on, it was already too late. He turned around and started screaming. Waving his arms in the process, warning the large force down to not climb up.
'And Sir?' an Ilvanian soldier. 'Are we good to go?' The general looked up. The scouts were tiny on the large mountain. Nevertheless, he saw someone waving his arms up and down. 'Tell the forces to begin climbing,' he answered. 'Today will be the day that we finish those Verjanivans once and for all.' The large force began moving. Guns brandished in the morning sun. Once they were over the mountains, they would have overcome the largest obstacle. After that, they could march through Verjaniva freely.
Bells began ringing in the bunker line. Underneath them, the force grew larger and larger as they clustered to climbed the mountains. 'Just let them come a little closer.” Lewis spoke over the bunkerline radio.' Blauw opened his pocket watch, and looked at the time. It had begun, the defence of Verjaniva. The Ilvanian army had no idea about the death trap awaiting them. And after they had done enough damage, they would begin the counterattack. His eyes moved towards the picture on the other side of the old watch. Octavia’s eyes stared at him, filled with confidence. ‘We will meet again.’ Blauw whispered.