Chapter Text
Chapter one.
Four months earlier.
Lena knew that she couldn’t stay in this village forever, she wished for the busy hustle and bustle of the city, where there would be swarms of people, faces that she would never see again. Instead, she was in her family village, population 134 - hopefully soon 133. Oh, she dreamed of going to a place where no one new her name or had an already formulated assumption of her, to be meek, mild and mannered, to live up to the expectations of her family, where all she wanted to do was run away and never look back.
“Lena!” - shouted a voice in the distance, again it called out “Lena!” Growing closer and closer. Lena sighed, knowing that her daydreaming was over for now, and the chores where to begin.
“Where have you been?” The voice close approaching, her older brother, a rude obnoxious boy, just a few years older and believing he knew everything and was the prince of the house. “You have work that needs doing, and mother needs you in the kitchen, you’re already late. You’ll be in for a right kicking if you aren’t there soon.” Taylor said casually.
Lena looked up, steadily to her tall brother, 6 foot 2 and knew it. He was brash and good with a weapon, and liked to ensure that lena know it too. She gulped, knowing that she didn’t want to be in and trouble, smiled an apologetic grimace and said “I’m sorry, I had to organise the food for the animals and lost track of time”. A flimsy excuse at best but she knew he would buy it, at least for a few hours before he was later here to feed the chickens and pigs.
“Just go Lena” - he said exasperatedly. He turned around, she knew the conversation was over.
*
Julien sat in the carriage, hearing the soft hooves of the horses pulling it along and knew tonight would be fun. A night of drinking and debauchery, girls to dance with and whatever later on when they’d both had a few too many to drink. Its what kept him sane, nights like these, where he could let loose and not worry about his life and what was to become of it, he knew his father said a war would be here soon. That the nation across the water was ready to try and invade and take over. Therefore, he needed to have fun and let loose before there would be blood and lies and death.
The hooves out front of his carriage stopped.
“We are here, sir” said his footman Bill. Bill was an older man, but wise and had quick wit, which Julien found amusing. Julien jumped out on to the dirt ground and smiled up at the night approaching sky, shades of pink and red. It would be a fun night, indeed.
“Thank you Bill, I have it from here” he smiles, a bright smile, “Be here tomorrow morning, if you don’t mind though, and bring some breakfast too”
Julian, turned once more to wave Bill off, and set off into the town, lights lit the archways, twinkling in the shadows, around the corner was the inn where he tending to go the most. Hopefully, he wasn’t the first one there, and a table was saved for himself and his friends.
I second later, a voice called out “Jules, Jules, over here” - it was a deep voice but one that held a level of carefree spirit in it, and a slight slur. “Max”, Julien smiled largely and hugged his friend.
Max, had been with Julien through everything since they were children, however, nowadays Max was seen in an inn like this more often then not, sporting messy dark curls and clouded blue eyes from the green drink he’d have each day. Max would say it was to settle the nerves and ease the tension, but Julien however, knew the truth.
“My friend!” Max laughed “How I’ve missed you”.
“It's only been two days, Maxie” Julien said laughing and sighing together.
“And what a boring two days its been” Max replied, taking a steady gulp of his drink. “Come on, you need to catch up”.
*
Lena sighed deeply, lying on her lumpy mattress, she tried closing her eyes, but sleep seemed to be disobeying her tonight. The room was quiet, the only sound heard outside from the insects. Lena knew she should try and sleep further, but also knew that if she lay here longer, another day would go by without her making her escape.
Her life wasn’t bad to say the least, but Lena seemed adventure, a challenge. Something she knew she would never find in her sleepy, dreary village. Her mother had settled down with her father before they’d even finished school, and she could not ever dream herself a life like that, where the lines of her mothers face seemed to grow deeper and deeper each day, and her father angrier and angrier at the world they’d made. Her older brother, would tell her to stop and not be selfish, but he also had the luck of being the favourite and the most loved. A known fact, Lena had always known since she was a child. Her family did not need nor care enough to seek her out if she did leave, a feeling that she thought was to be mutual.
Packing a small bag, with the money she had collected from the odd jobs she did on the side of her chores, and bread from her dinner, Lena left her room, careful to miss the creak on the staircase and the shaky step on the stairs itself. Slowly, she opened the front door and shut it again. Taking once last look at the house she’d been in for seventeen years, taking a great breath and exhaled, Lena turned away and speedily made her exit. Hoping to catch the last carriage into the town close by and to find a place to stay for the night.
She raced into the village centre, where a large hall was and out front, thankfully a carriage, Lena rummaged in her purse, looking up at the driver and asked how much.
“Three shillings girl” said the driver, a large man with a turned down face and moustache. Lena gave the money over, and kept her head down. There was already another body in the carriage already, a boy, looking similar in age to herself, he didn’t say anything, just stared out of the window. Lena thought him handsome, with light blond her and expressive eyes, Lena kept peering at him then back down to her purse. Still a word hadn’t been said. Lena, was beginning to grow anxious, when suddenly a girl brashly opened the carriage door and smiles.
“Why hello you too, scooch over now will you” she said to Lena, lena mad herself even smaller that what she already thought of herself to be doing.
The girl sighed and sat down with a thump, and shouted, rather rudely to the driver “are we leaving then, I’ve got to be into town quite quickly” the girl sighed again and looked at Lena and the boy opposite her.
“What are you two going to be doing in town then?” Without waiting for a response from the two, she carried on “I’m meeting a hopeful new employer for myself, I’m a writer you see, a journalist if you must, I’m hoping to be able to travel for it, get away from this miserable squaller of a village”. The girl continued to prattle on, Lena wasn’t listening, herself and the boy had made eye contact and she was smiling shyly at him, at though they had an inside joke.
*
The party seemed to be in full swing, laughter and the band was all that Julien could hear. Max no where to be found, Julien already knew he’d have to search for him later on, to make sure he wasn’t chocking on his own vomit. Julien was to the sidelines, an ale in his hand and a cigarette in the other, his eyes slowly gazing at the crowd gathering more and more around him. To his left was his other friend and close confidant Erik, they’d only known each other a short while, but had become close friend in that time period.
‘Julien, are you alright?” Erik said to him, bumping their shoulders together, Julien turned to him and gave him a half smile in return.
“Of cause I am, just lost in thought, how have you been Erik?” Hoping to turn the conversation away from himself and his own worries. Julien took a longer swig of his drink.
“I’m grand Jules, you know me, I keep busy, between the guards I’m training and making sure Maxie is doing fine, I’ve hardly got a moment spare” a small huff of a laugh came from the man next to him. Julien’s smile seemed to vanish with the thought of his spiralling friend.
“How has he been, Erik, truly?” Turning to face his friend head on.
“Oh you know are Max, never a dull moment - always seems to be in some kind of trouble and needs someone to drag him out of it, a rue the day his father passing on his title to him, I don’t know how he’ll fair” Erik gave a long breath out and looked down at his drink “He’ll be fine, Julien” he said steadily “you know how he gets, he’s got us in his corner and we’ve always got his back”.
Julien laughed “for now” trying to make a laugh of the matter.
The next moment, there was a push as a petite girl accidentally bumped into him, she spun around with a small “sorry” before dashing off. Julien looked as she disappeared into the crowd, how he thought she was beautiful, and hoped to see her again.