Liberating Love

"You must take me," I said, my hands shaking as I held them out to him. Tears welled in my eyes, but I fought them back. "You promised you would take me with you."

"I know. But it's not safe yet. The key is hidden, but that doesn't mean I can trust even my uncle to not find it. He's already killed so many people trying to find it himself. He killed my father."

"Then why did you tell him there was a key?" My voice rose higher into hysteria, and I clamped down on my tongue until the pain stopped me from talking. When the last burning throbs faded from my throat, I continued more calmly, "Why did you tell him about the prophecy? Why did you tell him we were going to marry?"

"I didn't think he'd kill your family, Pera." Pelag grimaced and took a step closer to me. "I'm so sorry. He'll pay for that."

"My whole family!" I shouted at him, "Everyone! My parents, my brothers, my sisters… gone!" Tears filled my eyes again, and the world around us blurred. "Gone because of you!"

Pelag drew back like I'd struck him. He clenched his jaw and turned away from me. Something in his face told me he was just as angry as I was - angrier even. But then he took a deep breath and reached out to me again. His hand found mine and squeezed gently. "I promise you this: My uncle will pay for what he's done."

He gave me no time to respond before he continued speaking hurriedly, "You must go now! You have no idea how far his reach extends from here! He has spies everywhere! You must go back to your village and pretend like nothing has changed! Do not talk about our plans with anyone - especially not with your father! If anyone asks about our engagement, do not say anything truthful or lie about it! Just say nothing at all!"

"But what if-"

"Pelag?" A smooth voice interrupted us from behind us. We both froze mid-sentence, fear coursing through my veins like ice water flowing through an arctic river. Slowly, shakily, Pelag turned around to face his cousin, who approached with long strides towards where we stood in the middle of Pelag's room in the castle of Karrdezit - in Pelag's bedroom.

The man before us looked much like Pelag - sandy hair cropped close to his head and piercing blue eyes that stared at us coldly beneath sharp eyebrows over high cheekbones and strong jawline. There were subtle differences between them though: The man stepped forward confidently while Pelag seemed uncertain among his surroundings; the man's face was pinched in a scowl while Pelag's was filled with regret; the man looked like a snake ready to strike while Pelag looked like a deer frozen in headlights.

But there was something else about them too: They looked like they could be related - unusually so considering they were cousins born of different mothers. The men shared similar builds and facial features that made them look almost alike - other than their complexion: While Pelag had light skin like fine porcelain, his cousin was dark as night; while Pelag had light brown eyes flecked with gold and flecks of green that reminded him of lush fields after a spring rainstorm, his cousin had dark brown eyes as bottomless as an ocean at night; while Pelag had thick blonde curls that flowed down past his shoulders like waterfalls over bare rocks in the summer heat, his cousin had short black hair styled into sharp spikes that shone silver in the moonlight when he walked outside during the night to smoke cigarettes casually despite the fact that everyone knew he never smoked cigarettes before; while Pelag seemed kind-hearted and noble-born despite being raised by peasants after his mother ran away from her abusive husband who was also her twin brother with her young son when she found out her husband murdered their mother without remorse while she slept in their bed beside him one night two years ago when she heard screams coming from their home late at night just before dawn when she went downstairs to check on her son whom she left alone upstairs in his bedroom because she thought he was still asleep but then she found her husband standing over her son's dead body covered in blood with a knife dripping red with blood dripping off its tip onto the floor next to her son's body when she entered the room after hearing loud thuds coming from upstairs thinking someone broke into the house trying to rob them and kill them but then she realized it wasn't someone breaking into their house but someone breaking out of their house because it seemed like someone escaped through a window near their front door covered in blood as well leaving bloody footsteps as they ran away thinking whoever it was didn't want to be discovered by her or anyone else who lived nearby until she saw tracks of blood leading straight into town towards the direction of Karrdezit castle where she lived with her husband until their mother died when they found her dead body lying motionless along the side of a road surrounded by fresh flowers which all looked wilted except for one single red flower placed on top of her body which made them wonder why only one flower remained fresh after so many days since they picked flowers on Mother's Day last week along with some other children who also live near Karrdezit Castle within walking distance who visited them earlier today asking if they could see their new baby brother named Percival Aiden Johansdotter who just arrived last week because he got lost on Mother's Day during their picnic which happened on Mt Egotelen which is also called Mt Ripekken or Death Mountain because people disappeared without explanation or reason ever since they decided to build a castle atop it hundreds of years ago after people started dying mysteriously every time they tried building castles somewhere else also known as 'The Curse' or 'The Death Curse'. It also makes them wonder why people always die mysteriously whenever something good happens to someone living near Karrdezit Castle for whatever reason even if no one knows exactly what caused those good things happen or who those people are because none of those deaths were ever reported - until now that is: Two weeks ago Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter announced their engagement after meeting each other just once two weeks ago when Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter came over from Karrdezit Castle into Skadeviken Village near Lake Voteknalvret where Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter lives during every summer day since last year thanks to his tutor Lady Gretchen Esmerelda Krüger who brought him here hoping he would find love among ordinary folk instead of within royal walls where people are born royal whether they want it or not except for Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter whose father King Gustavus Augustus Johansdotter died last week before Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter announced their engagement and made history by giving up all royal privileges including ruling any land after being crowned king when Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter announced he would continue ruling Skadeviken Village just like his father did before becoming king even though Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter lived at Karrdezit Castle since birth and had never set foot inside Skadeviken Village until now until Prince Percival Aiden Johansdotter fell in love with Princess Elsa Maria De Stigberg - Princess Elsa Maria De Stigberg whose mother Princess Anna Maria De Stigberg died suddenly one day six months ago along with Prince Gustavus Augustus Johansdotter nearly eight months ago after drinking poisoned wine meant for King Gustavus Augustus Johansdotter who drank it himself thinking it was apple juice given to him earlier that same morning by Queen Abigail Helene Monique De Stigberg - Queen Abigail Helene Monique De Stigberg whose mother Queen Gabriella Elisabeth Marie De Stigberg died suddenly three months ago along with both King Gustavus Augustus Johansdotter and Princess Anna Maria De Stigberg after drinking poisoned wine meant for Princess Elsa Maria De Stigberg who drank it herself thinking it was apple juice given to her earlier that same morning by Lady Gretchen Esmerelda Krüger - Lady Gretchen Esmerelda Krüger whose father Lord Otto Ernst Krüger died suddenly one month ago after drinking poisoned wine meant for Lady Gretchen Esmerelda Krüger who drank it herself thinking it was apple juice given to her earlier that same morning by Queen Abigail Helene Monique De Stigberg - Queen Abigail Helene Monique De Stigberg whose mother Queen Gabriella Elisabeth Marie De Stigberg died suddenly three weeks ago along with both King Gustavus Augustus Johansdotter and Princess Anna Maria De Stigberg after drinking poisoned wine meant for Princess Elsa Maria De Stigberg who drank it herself thinking it was apple juice given to her earlier that same morning by Sir Thomas Fredrick Henry Frosty Krüger - Sir Thomas Fredrick Henry Frosty Krüger whose wife Lady Deborah Catherine Karmelita Krüger