Empire of Germania, 1940
It was a disaster of the highest caliber, that much Archduchess Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt of the Principality of Eylstadt, or Finé as she likes for her close friends and family to call her, could surmise after much contemplation as she sat on the hard stone cot with her face in her hands, and her waist length golden blonde hair a slight mess flowing down her back being of any indication how roughed up she was. She had unknowingly walked right into Germania's ambush when she was inspecting the frontlines, causing the death of her many bodyguards, most of whom were good friends she had known all her life, and of course her capture into the hands of the enemy they were fighting against. Without a doubt, the Germanian Empire would use her as a hostage and leverage to get Elystadt military to surrender so they can continue their conquest of Europe unimpeded.
Of course, it helped even more that alongside Finé, they have also captured the cursed red-haired White Witch of Elystadt that had costed them considerably in their war effort so far. Izetta, wearing her now iconic white dress she used to fly into battle, lay unconscious still on the other side of the small one-cell dungeon she shared with Finé, probably drugged to keep her from using her witch powers. Her hands were covered in a full medieval handcuffs behind her back and chained with a long iron links connected to a ringed spike in the middle of the dungeon cell floor. Finé tried waking her up since they were locked up to no avail before she sat down to contemplate earlier.
There was only one guard posted to watch them, strange as it might considering how important their prisoners were, but the unit that managed to capture them did not escape unscathed either as their numbers were far fewer than necessary to transport prisoners at all. Still, they managed to get back into friendly territory despite their clear numerical disadvantage thanks perhaps to their mission causing quite a stir in the Elystadt chain of command that allowed them to escape the borders and came to this halfway point, an old Germanian medieval castle built in a valley that was being used as a military outpost with a very small military presence due to the area's lack of strategic importance. Hence, they just don't have the men to spare doing watchguard duty, at least until reinforcements arrive from the capital which was forthcoming after they had reported to high command.
But the guard didn't stay long either as one of his comrade came up urgently not to replace his watch but to call him up as there was an emergency. Previously sleepy and otherwise bored of just looking after two harmless women, the guard left his post fully alert and awake. Finally alone, Finé could breathe a sigh of relief, her first sign of weakness now that her enemies are out of sight. Her sense of dread was lifted slightly by the odd actions of the soldiers, perhaps signifying that rescue might not be far off no matter how implausible it might seems. It was even further lifted when she heard the first sound of her dear friend making across the cell.
Finé hurriedly got up to Izetta's side who was mumbling something as she came to. Finé could hardly contain her joy at knowing there might be a chance for them to escape now that Izetta was waking up that she shook the poor girl on her shoulders rather hard, making her red-eyes open wide with a jolt and scaring the sleepy girl to full wakefulness in a heartbeat.
"Izetta! Wake up! Izetta!" Finé whispered loudly, just about enough for Izetta to hear.
"Archduchess!" Izetta cried out incredulously once she was fully awake and struggled to get up with a groan which was difficult when her hands were cuffed tightly behind her back so Finé helped her up instead. "What happened, where are we?" She asked, her voice slightly raspy as she had nothing to drink since she was out cold.
"We're in Germania. We were kidnapped and you were unconscious the whole time. I was worried sick about you. I thought you'd never wake up." Finé explained simply with a smile and on the verge of tears, happy that at least she has Izetta to talk to in their trying times.
"Oh no. We have to get you out of here. We…" Izetta started, standing up with a start. Her eyebrows furrowed as she focused her mind to work her magic to get them out of here. The Germanian soldiers would be sorry to think that a mere chain and cuffs could hold her down-
"There's no magic…" Izetta whispered with dread. "I don't feel any magic in this area. Wherever we are, it's far from any leyline I can in the ground. I'm sorry, Archduchess, I failed you." Izetta sat down heavily in her cot with resignation evident in her voice and face. She and her powers would have been the shining hope in their darkest hour right now, but it was already eclipsed before she was already awake.
"It's alright, Izetta. As long as I have you here then we can think of something. That's all that matters right now." Finé for her part although disappointed at the sudden turn of events remained calm and collected as ever. She reaches out to caress Izetta's cheeks as if to give assurance to the young witch that she was not disappointed with her at all considering the circumstances. It was too much to hope for that they ended up in a place where Izetta can make use of the magical energy residing in the Earth itself.
Izetta remains downtrodden but manages a smile at Finé's attempt to comfort her, knowing full well that she needed it more than her. Besides, she can't stay and feel helpless for long. She promised she would give her all to the Archduchess as long as she lives. There could be a way out of here still and she looks around looking for a clue. "Where are the others? And where are the guards?" Izetta asked calmly enough when she finally noticed that they were alone.
Unbeknownst to them, up on the surface, the outpost was in disarray. Heavy rain was pouring down for a few hours now but it's not what had sent the soldiers to panic all of a sudden. A warning just came in on the radio that a dam further up in the valley was destroyed by a mysterious explosion, unaware that Elystadt command managed to effect and launch a retaliatory strike against the Germanian Empire for the kidnapping of their Archduchess regardless whether it would do anything to stall the inevitable. They decided to launch one suicidal attack on a crucial hydroelectric dam located inside their territory, and destroyed it with a prototype bouncing bomb secretly provided by Britannian military carried by their only largest and heaviest airplane capable of carrying it. That dam happens to hold back one of the largest reservoir of water behind it, and its immediate collapse sent a flood of water down the valley straight for the Germanian castle outpost. There was no time to order a proper evacuation when the report came and sent everyone running and creating chaos in the ranks and chain of command. The original units who captured the Archduchess and the White Witch were trying desperately to secure their hostage but with the chaos that had fallen onto the outpost, it was difficult.
And, it was too late when the wall of water several meters high came rushing around the corner of the valley and struck the high walls of the castle with such force that it toppled the ancient stone and mortar from its foundation and sending it crashing down amongst the panicking troops, sending the rest running everywhere.
The crashing sound was like a resounding thud far above from inside the dungeon cell, and Finé and Izetta could only look up at the ceiling in confusion and pondered what was even going on above just as the electric light bulb died out and plunged the dungeon into darkness. Their questions were only answered by the splashing sound of rushing water coming down into the dungeon after the flood waters found the door to the dungeon below. The stone cold floors were covered in a thin sheet of water at first that spread out and into their cell but very quickly rises up to their ankles. Finé was taken aback that she jumped back at the rising water and lifted the edge of her dress skirt so it wouldn't get wet.
"Archduchess, get up on the cot!" Izetta ordered Finé curtly while standing up immediately as the water continued to rise and swirl up to their knees. Finé only reluctantly got up on to the cot Izetta was sleeping on earlier but her friend was not able to join her on her elevated position as the chain that anchored her to the floor was not long enough for her to do so.
"Izetta!" Finé cried when she saw her friend through the gloom was still standing in the rising water. Izetta's gesture of protecting Finé from it was short lived as the waterline submerges even the cot itself and drenching her skirt again as she was now worried for Izetta more than the condition of her own clothes. For whatever terrible situation they were was slowly getting worse by the minute. If the water didn't stop rising they would have nowhere to go at all.
Izetta though starting to show signs of panic was more worried about Finé instead and tried her best to think of a way out, though there were none. Powerless, the slow realization that they were doomed down here in the dungeon fell on her and so does Finé.
Abandoning her pride or tact as a sovereign head of a kingdom, Finé jumped down into the now waist high water and heads to the iron bars that kept them in, placing her hands on two of the bars uselessly pulled on them. "Somebody! Is there somebody out there!? Help us! We're still down here!" She shouted out to anyone who could here which there were none. Most of the soldiers were washed away and carried away by the murderous torrents above and Finé and Izetta remains the only people still alive in the castle.
A sudden wave of water rushed into the dungeon cell and without a tighter grip on the bars, Finé was inexplicably pushed back in and bodily crashes straight into Izetta who was behind her, sending both of them falling into the water. Finé twisted and turn underwater trying to make sense of her orientation, before with some great difficulty no thanks to her now full soaked and heavy dress, managed to break surface with a gasp.
She looked around worried to find Izetta was not with her above the water. She had forgotten that because Izetta's hands were handcuffed behind her back thus limiting her mobility, she was unable to get up and reach the life giving air inches above her head.
"Izetta! Izetta!" Finé shouted hoping her friend could hear her and respond while she tries to feel in the water with both her hands for Izetta or anything from her . But the swirling water was doing its best to impede her and threaten to bring her under as well. But moments later, Finé felt the fabric of Izetta's dress and with strength she didn't know she had, she put her arms under Izetta's armpits and deftly pulled her head up back to the surface, coughing and sputtering water.
"Ar-Archduchess…" Izetta mouthed weakly, having swallowed a bit of water when she was under before she was saved. Finé only hugged her friend in response, scared at the prospect of almost losing her again for good. Not that their situation was any better now than before as water continued to rise and rise until they almost neck deep in it now. With the chains still keeping her only a short distance, Izetta knew that Finé only delayed the inevitable.
Finé knew it too and was crying into Izetta's shoulders, now completely at a loss at what to do. She wondered over and over how could they have gotten this far yet only to have it all end like this. "I'm sorry, Izetta… I'm so sorry…" She bawled quietly, somehow resigned that if she hadn't taken the steps to oppose Germania from the get go, than perhaps they wouldn't be here in the first place.
"Archduchess… Finé!" Izetta gulped as the water was creeping up to her mouth and almost got into it again. She tried jumping up off the dungeon floor but could only get so high with the heavy weight of the handcuffs and chains. It was the first time she ever called Finé by her name, abandoning her reverence of the Archduchess in what may be her final moments.
"Izetta?" Finé looked up with surprise, only to see the water was now past her mouth, and only her terrified wide eyes were now visible above the water. "Izetta!"
"Ai-airobuugu-!" Izetta managed to sputter into the water with great difficulty as she didn't managed to catch her breath properly before the water covered her mouth and nose, and soon she was under and not a trace of her was left on the surface despite her now tiptoeing to her full height.
"Izetta!" Finé cried out once more, desperate and longing than ever. She refused to leave their last parting moment as that, and taking a long deep breath, she lowered herself into the water as well to join her only friend in the world right now. She could see the poor girl was struggling and squirming in her restraints, trying desperately to get free. Bubbles trailed from her nose and pursed lips as she struggled to no avail. Finé thought of something in the heat of the moment that she thinks could save her friend, and grabs Izetta's puffed up cheeks before pulling her face close to hers so she could put her lips on hers. She thought she could give some of her air to Izetta through mouth-to-mouth, but Izetta was desperately trying to keep her mouth closed instead lest she swallowed water so she was unable to have any air from Finé who was uselessly trying to blow some out of her own mouth. But the kiss did calm Izetta down enough from struggling somewhat briefly, before her urge to breath caused her to accidentally breathe in water through her nose.
That sent her reflexively struggling violently even more, spasming and tugging at the chains that kept her below the surface, that had kept her being useless to Finé. Finé could hear her poor friend coughing and gurgling horrifically in front of her as she continued to suck in water. In her drowning throes, she unknowingly sent a knee into Finé lower abdomen that caused her to wince and bubbled in pain. Unable to stay down with her drowning friend any longer, Finé swam up to the surface, gasping for air and crying at the loss of her friend, unable to look down below.
Izetta's last thought before her spasming body settled down on the dungeon floor was wondering if Finé managed to escape safely without her, no longer able to see the shadowy treading form of Finé above her.
Finé was fighting her own fight trying to keep her head above the water. But her cursed dress was heavy and felt like a ton on her, taking her down with every attempt to breathe and severely weakening her struggle until she couldn't struggle no more. With one last but shallow breath, Finé sank below the water with her arms flailing still trying to keep her upright. Try as she might she couldn't reach up to the surface anymore. Her chests heaved as she tried to hold her breath as long as possible. She winces as stray bubbles of air snorted out of her nose.
With her sinuses unbearably burning from the water going up her nose, Finé weakly coughed underwater and reflexively she swallowed water with a gasp. Finé trashed about wildly as she grunted and gurgled, pulling in more water into her tired lungs. Trails of bubbles flowed out of her gurgling mouth towards the surface and being the only part of her to reach it.
She finally went limp with a last jerk of her body, her short yet somehow exciting life flashed before her eyes before the life in it flicked out. Pulled down by her dress, Finé's body sank down gently and settled face down on top of Izetta's, their lifeless eyes staring into one another never to see each other again. Thus end the reign of the long von Eylstadt family dynasty, as well as the fearsome legend of the White Witch that went hand in hand in Eylstadt.
No one ever found out about what came to Archduchess Finé and her White Witch, as anyone who knew the truth behind their kidnappings and whereabout after that were dead by the war's end. But one thing for certain that with wild imaginations and theories, the legend of the White Witch would stay strong into the modern times. And maybe one day somebody might dive down into the flooded valley and search the lost castle and its dungeon to find the truth behind the mystery.