Forced to marry the enemy prince in her sister's place

Octavia walked briskly along the Halls of the palace. She had conquered Meridonis and taken possession of their iron mines.

"My princess," General Glovus said. He was a man with a stout figure and a rapacious character. "Everything is settled here. Where do we head next?"

Octavia despised their interactions. She knew how his hand festered at the sight of the spoils they had earned from this battle. How he would steal from her the very chance could. But in a way, she was at ease. Even if she couldn’t trust the man, she could trust his greed. He would help her win what she wanted.

"Calypsus," she answered. Glovus was struggling to keep up with her, and she’d almost laughed.

"We just take the iron and leave? Or..."

"I would like a meeting with the king. Set it up for me," she said.

"You ordered that we slaughter him and throw his remains to the dogs, my princess."

"Ohh, yes, I did. He was simply too annoying," Octavia sighed. " We could have made a peaceful pact, and none of the extra tragedies that occurred would have happened, but he just had to act brave."

"I understand you my princess," Glovus replied coldly.

"Well, my general," Octavia heaved deeply. "We should be able to depart in two days. We would need to send word to Erindros to send men here to take over. But in the meantime, we could have a little celebration. Tell the boys to enjoy themselves. Take anything they like."

"Yes, your majesty."

***********************************************

"Your Majesty!!" Augustus shouted as he reached the castle. "Your majesty!"

He was greeted by confused soldiers.

"Where is he?" He asked frantically. "Where is the prince?!"

"My lord... He went with a few of our men... To search for... To search for..."

"To search for what?" Augustus shouted.

"The secret passages.... I mean tunnels, my lord," the young soldier answered.

"Find him," Augustus ordered. "Find him now."

He carried her into one of the unoccupied rooms near the entrance of the castle and placed her gently on a table, face down.

"You better not die on me, princess," he muttered to himself. "You better not."

He tore off her shirt and inspected the wounds. They were lunged deep inside her. If he pulled them out. She wouldn’t last long.

He ran a hand across his face. His mind had gone blank. If he left the arrows in, they would cause more damage, but if he removed them, she’d bleed to death. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Just then, Andrea and Doris rushed in.

"What in the heavens happened to her?" Doris half screamed.

"Lower your voice, Doris," Andrea hissed.

"Look at her!" Doris retorted harshly. "You’re worried about my screams, and she’s lying on a table, almost dead. I knew it...I knew this whole thing was a bad idea."

Andrea turned and shook Doris violently. "The last thing we need right now is your useless complaints. They will not heal Astrid, so calm down and let us think."

Doris shuddered. "I wish Selene were here. She would know what to do."

Andrea shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Move, sir," Andrea ordered. "I would like to inspect the wound."

Augustus moved to the side.

Andrea looked at Astrid’s still body and moved the hair away from her face. "You never listen," She said quietly.

She turned to Augustus. "I need you to pull out the arrows." She pointed to the arrow on Astrid’s shoulder first. "And Doris, I need you to heat a knife."

"What?!" Doris asked in shock.

"Just do it."

Augustus stood over Astrid and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. His eye ran along the length of her body, then in one breath, he pulled out the arrow.

Blood began to gush from the spot. Andrea immediately pressed down on the wound.

"The knife," Andrea said with a grunt. She pressed the knife hard on Astrid’s skin. She could smell the burning flesh as it hissed under the knife.

Astrid’s face contorted in pain.

Andrea handed the knife back to Doris. "Heat it again," she commanded. "As hot as you can." Then she turned to Augustus. "Pull it out as fast as you can, unless she’ll bleed to death."

"Do you think it affected any vital organ?" He asked.

"I only have eyes, sir, just like you," she replied flatly.

"Ohh."

"It’s done," Doris replied in haste.

"Alright." Andrea nodded. "On my count, pull." She paused. "One... Two... Now."

Astrid gasped lightly.

"The knife, the knife." Andrea pressed the knife quickly down on her skin before the blood flowed and held it for a few seconds.

They had taken out the last arrow when Adonis ran into the room. Immediately, his eyes landed on her, and he stopped in his tracks.

"What happened?" He asked. "Who did this to her?" His voice was eerily calm.

"She was chased by a few Silithran soldiers," Augustus answered. "She discovered a ravine which seems to be the path the other members of the royal family used to escape, and they wanted to stop her." He panted heavily as he recalled the memory. "Thankfully, I saw them before they could finish the job. "

Adonis stayed deathly still. He clenched his fists so tightly he almost drew blood.

"I have been far too nice to this scoundrel." Adonis’ voice was low. "Augustus, come with me."

"Your majesty," Augustus said. "What do you plan to do?"

"Burn this whole place to the ground. If it is death they seek, then I will give them death." Adonis growled.

"Now, hold on, your majesty." Andrea stood up and faced him. "You need to find Lily first. She went along with her when we separated. Before you do anything, bring her to me."

"I give you my word," Adonis promised.

"Your majesty," Augustus said as they left the room. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"I’m sure."

"Close combat, your majesty, will be deadly."

Adonis turned abruptly to face Augustus. "I will make them all pay for what they’ve done to her," he said coldly. "No matter the cost."