Warrior of Lucis
Chapter 6: Saviour
All that was seen was fire and the sound of a loud piercing cry of a bird followed soon after, along with the sound of dancing flames. Then there was a voice that would make anyone cower with fear. A woman's voice which was husky yet intimidating and coarse.
"Rise, oh child of Kings. Oh, you who was birthed and risen through fire and from ashes. You who had suffered emotionally, mentally and physically. They twisted your mind, broke your body and crushed your soul. You are not a mere selfish mortal, but a warrior of the Royal bloodline. Now rise. Rise and be reborn by my blessing again."
The young woman who saw fire and heard an unknown voice was suddenly given back life, as oxygen filled her lungs once again and her heart began to beat. Her eyes that opened was a bright red that was like fire which only lasted a second till she blinked and it turned to her usual forest green eyes again. Tears filled her eyes as she reached her chest feeling it pound, thanking whoever the voice belonged to for giving her another chance at life. She found her breathing was limited as she was stuck inside a very tight coffin with not much room to move in.
"Help!" She shouted as she slammed her hands against the top of the coffin. "Help! Is anyone there?! Help!" No matter how much she yelled there was no response.
But then Bella remembered; the daggers in her sheathes. The Princess took one out and began stabbing the top of the wooden coffin. It was a thick and hard piece of wood that she was hacking but thankfully the weapon her father gave her was enough to break the wood. When the top of the coffin broke, the soil above fell down onto her body, so she dug herself out of the ground and her head was the first to raise above the ground as she took in a sharp breath. She was breathing heavily trying to catch her breath and take in all the oxygen necessary.
She climbed out of the ground and fell onto her side, facing a newly made grave and an older one. Bella, whose breathing returned back to normal, noticed that the newly made grave was her for father and the older one of his left belonged to her mother. The warm tears fell down her cold cheeks as she began to cry like a child and she placed her hand on top the pile of soil which buried her father. She managed to push herself up to her knees, placing the other hand on the soil that buried the mother she never knew.
"I wished I could see you both when I opened my eyes again." Her voice was shaky as her bottom lip quivered. "Father, I wanted to see your smile again and be buried by your warm embrace. Mother, I wanted to see your beautiful face with my own eyes, face to face and to be held in your arms. But I promise you both." Her head whipped up as she stared at both their graves with determination glowing in her eyes. "I promise you I will find Noctis and protect him with my life. I swear it by Etro herself, I swear it on your graves, that I will protect him no matter, what. Even if I die trying." The Princess meant every word of it then she turned to face her father. "The one who killed you, the one who killed Clarus and the one who killed me. It was Titus Drautos. He was working for the Empire the entire time. But don't you worry." She held up the dagger and gripped onto it as drops of blood fell onto the soil. "I Bellatrix Lucis Caelum, daughter of King Regis Lucis Caelum and Queen Aulea swear a blood oath on the grave of her father the King, to gain justice from both his death and death of the King's Shield Clarus Amicitia. I pledge to kill Titus Drautos, making him pay for his crimes as a traitor of both Lucis and the crown, only when I am strong enough. No matter how long it will take me, a year, a decade or even 50 years, I vow to make him regret the day he laid a finger on the Queen of Tenebrae, the Shield of the King, many innocent lives and the King of Lucis. Father, Mother, I must leave. I love you both."
Bella stood to her feet and turned around, she was located at the back of the Citadel where the rest of the royal family were buried outside. She looked up at the Palace, squinting her eyes trying to look for the balcony to her room. That was until she saw the pots of bright sunflowers. With all her force, she threw the dagger towards the location she had in view.
She warped to the balcony and pulled herself up to safe ground. She remembered keeping the door unlocked and peered into her room checking if anyone was in there. Thankfully the coast was clear and she opened the door, closing it silently behind her. Bella sat on her bed, wiping the dirt off her body. Her cuts and gashes were still fresh, so she continued ripping apart her skirt and wrapping them around her injuries. When the Princess was done, she ran towards her closet, opening it and going through it, trying to find any clothing. Her wardrobe was filled with nothing but dresses which she knew she would never wear again. Fortunately, she did manage to find a glaive's coat she would use for training with Cor, a black hooded cloak, a pair of shorts and a black breathable mouth mask. The young woman put them on and took out a satchel bag. She took off the only shoe she had left on her foot in that bag. She took out a map of Insomnia from her harness sheath around her thigh and placed it into the bag, as well as her phone and charger. Her father had given the map to her before the signing with directions towards that hidden passageway he mentioned before. She packed the only two potions and ethers she had in her room and a 2 litre bottle of water. The Princess removed her jewellery placing them into her jewellery box and keeping her mother's ring and engagement ring in her bag to avoid any suspicion.
Bella left her bedroom and checked if the coast was clear. Oddly enough when she took the stairs down to the entrance lobby, the Citadel was completely empty. What the Empire was looking for they surely must have found it. But when she got outside, her eyes widened and she felt her heart stop for a moment. The gates of the Citadel was barricaded completely so she hid behind a column; how was she supposed to get out of the Citadel limits when the entrance was completely blocked off?
"There must be Imperials on the other side of that gate. So even if I climb over I could get caught." She said to herself and started looking around trying to find something she could work with. But all she could find was litter. Her eyes however picked up on something and she got an idea.
The young woman ran down the stairs and found a bottle of rum with about half the alcohol left in there. She also found some paper too, so she rolled it up then slid it into the bottle. She scurried across the clearing and climbed up the gate.
The Princess pulled herself up slowly and carefully as she peered out to see what her situation was. Her hunch was right but instead of usual Imperial soldiers, there were 10 Magitek Soldiers outside the other side of the gate.
"They're definitely not human, not human anymore." She thought to herself and ducked. "Alright, you better work." Her index finger was covered with fire and she touched the paper, letting the flames spread.
When the fire was about to touch the alcohol, she threw it as far away as possible out, towards a broken down car. The bottle hit the roof of the car and the bottle cracked as the fire burned stronger.
7 of the Magitek Troopers stomped towards the car and hopped off the gate and landed quietly on one knee.
Bella felt her heart pounding in her chest and her throat felt tight. She was right behind the backs of all three MTs. She knew what her escape route out of this situation and took out her dagger. She held it up with a tight grip and gulped. She threw her dagger through one of their chests and she warped back and forth through all three soldiers. As they perished, piercing screams came from their armours as they faded into a black smoke. Just before the other remaining 7 Magiteks could turn around and notice, Bella warped towards them taking them out with just her 2 daggers in just 15 seconds.
The young woman began running through the streets and all she kept thinking about was Clarus. She had to get to the Amicitia Mansion to help Iris and the others escape. But she knew their residence was on the other side of the city, south-east of the Citadel. If she had a car or a motorbike she would be able to get there quicker within just 20 minutes.
"I have to find a way to get there by foot without getting caught." She said. "I better not stay here just in case anyone turns up."
The Princess began walking through the smaller roads to avoid any detection. She was cautious with each action and decision she took, she felt like a wanted criminal in her own home. Her city, Insomnia was in panic and chaos with the rise of Imperials around the main roads. People were running around screaming and panicking as Imperial fleets began invading and massacring many people. It forced the rest of the civilians into hiding in large abandoned buildings like old warehouses. Supplies of food and water were getting shorter as every hour passed with many Imperial Soldiers taking them away.
Bella placed her hand on her stomach as it began to make noise; she hasn't eaten in 12 hours and she was slowly getting more tired of walking and running around in secret. If she didn't keep herself hydrated or well fed then she wouldn't be able to warp or fight either. So she followed directions to a food cash and carry where hopefully she could find something there the Imperials haven't taken.
However, once she got there the Imperials were already there securing the area. She knew she only had one way to get through them; stealth kills. The young woman used her warp strike on the Niflheim troop standing in front of the entrance. She quietly opened the door and slipped into the entrance with a welcoming desk and behind there was a huge doorway leading to the humungous area where all the wholesale stock was sold and kept.
There looked like 3 Imperial troops holding their guns at all 5 staff who had their hands up with pale faces and wide eyes. Bella hid behind a house plant and kept a keen eye.
"We will ask again, are you hiding any Lucians in this warehouse?" One troop asked.
"No, we're not." An older man from the staff answered in a shaky voice; the 18 year-old knew he was both lying and scared.
"Well, let us through then." A female trooper to the left asked.
"We can't let you. Company policy!" A woman called out.
"Bullshit, you're fucking hiding something aren't you?" The female soldier asked. "A shame really, once we're done with you their blood will be on your hands."
Bella couldn't hold it in any longer. Her blood was boiling at them threatening innocent people like this. She couldn't just let them get away with it. Something in her body wanted to protect those people, save those people from grave danger the same feeling she felt when Ravus was getting hurt.
She raced towards them, jumped and landed hard on the troop in middle's back stomping on it making him buckle to his knees. She was quick with her actions as before the other 2 Nifs could turn around to react, she drove both daggers into their throats. She pulled her weapons out then leaped up into the air. The only living trooper reacted quickly by looking up and shooting his gun, she threw her dagger down into his chest and warped down to take it out. He fell onto the ground bleeding out of his chest struggling to breathe and the three of them were bleeding to their deaths, unable to move or say anything at all.
Bella looked up at the staff who all sighed with relief as they watched the entire thing. Thank goodness none of them got hurt in the crossfire. Suddenly the Princess felt a tight burning sensation on her left shoulder and her face scrunched up with pain.
She shrieked whilst touching her upper arm underneath her cloak. Her finger brushed against the wound and she hissed with pain.
"She got hit!" A woman from the staff exclaimed and they all ran towards her. The Princess looked at her, she looked like Noctis's age with golden blonde curly hair up to her shoulders, slightly tanned skin, freckles, round bright brown eyes and a slim body. "Show me your arm." Bella lifted her arm towards her and one of the older members of staff got her a chair to sit on and she plopped herself down on it. Another receptionist pulled her cloak back showing the wound which was bleeding heavily. "I'm gonna have to remove the bullet lodged in your arm. Give me your dagger." Bella's eyes widened when she looked up at the woman's serious face.
"Are you crazy?" She asked.
"Just trust me. I'm a medical student." She smiled.
"Aurelia knows what she's doing child, trust her." An older woman stated and the younger woman sighed whilst giving the woman her dagger. The older woman grey hair tied back in a ponytail, fair skin with a few wrinkles and bright blue eyes.
"Now, I'm gonna have to check if it's lodged in an artery." She mumbled whilst taking a look. "Thank god it isn't. I can see it, but I need to take out the bullet. So this is gonna hurt a little."
When Bella felt the blade dig into the wound she screamed with tears falling down her cheeks. The older woman grabbed her hand for support and Bella unconsciously squeezed her hand tight.
"You're strong." The older woman mumbled and she looked up at her. "I'm Celia by the way."
"Nice to meet you all." Bella murmured.
"Can someone get me a first aid kit, please?" Aurelia asked and another receptionist ran over to the desk. He carried the green box and opened it. "Bandage." He took it out and gave it to Aurelia.
"No ordinary civilian can warp like that." A man stated.
"You're a Glaive, huh?" Aurelia asked as she tied the bandage around her arm. "There."
"Thank you so much." Bella thanked her quietly. "I was at the peace treaty signing and managed to get out of there."
"Terrible what happened. Especially to the King and Princess." Celia sighed. "She was a young innocent girl who did nothing wrong. She should've gone along with her brother to Altissia." Bellatrix gulped at this with her eyes stinging with tears.
"She had to stay to get engaged to the Prince. Besides, the Princess wouldn't have left her father especially when it's the Empire in our city." Aurelia added and the woman clad in black looked down with tears dropping on her lap. She couldn't let them see her tears, so she wiped her tears.
"Is there any way I can have some food from the stock? I haven't eaten in 12 hours." Bella muttered.
"Oh why yes of course. Come along dear." The blue eyed woman helped her up and they led her through the doorway out into a gigantic hall with aisles and aisles of supplies of food and drinks.
"We were actually hiding civilians." The man who lied before to the Imperial Troop stated.
"How many?" She asked.
"Around 150 people. They're right at the back of the hall." Aurelia answered. "Anything you fancy eating?"
"A lot of high energy food if possible." She said.
"Get her as much food as possible." The blonde commanded her colleagues and 3 of them scurried away.
Aurelia and Celia led her to the back of the warehouse where Bella saw everyone else. What really broke her heart was that they all looked either devastated or afraid. There were children who were crying and others who just rested in their parent's grasps. They all looked completely helpless and hopeless even though they were safe here. The elderly were just staring at the ground blankly without any emotion but one can say they seemed broken from the invasion. They all looked up at her and Aurelia pulled her a chair. The dark haired saviour sat down and pulled down her mask, knowing no one would recognise her. Her face was still dirty from soot and sweat and her mascara was smudged.
"Here you go, dear." Celia gave her a wet wipe and the Princess took it.
"Thank you, Celia." She wiped her face. She turned to everyone else who still stared at her as if knowing what she exactly did and she sighed. "If all of you stay here, the Imperial army will find you."
"There's nowhere else we can go." A man called out. "They blocked the only way for us to get out of the city."
"Can someone please explain to me what's been going on? Why are you all hiding?" She asked curiously and there was dead silence that felt suffocating. That was until an old man stood up. He looked frail, small with pale skin, many wrinkles on his face, a white beard and just some hair on top of his head. He was holding what looked like a Moogle doll in his hand.
"They call it cleansing and empowering. Imperial Soldiers are taking control of the city to achieve their full dominance over Lucis." The man's voice was rough and hoarse. "They're mercilessly killing Insomnians everywhere just to prove they're more powerful. The Kingsglaive, they've gone missing, except for the few that have died protecting us. We're all losing people we love, people we grew with, and people we would see every day so fast. My granddaughter," He held up the Moogle tightly with tears falling down his cheeks, his wise dark eyes looking up at her and his voice began to crack. "She was only 4 years old. She was all I had left in the world, I lived to raise her! I held her small lifeless body in my hands."
When Bella saw him cry and heard his story, she gripped onto her trembling fists as the hot tears kept falling down her cheeks. So many had lost their lives and the ones they loved just like she did, she couldn't just run away from this place whilst so many people were still suffering. She didn't have any help when fighting against Glauca when all hope and love was lost, she still fought. These people were innocent civilians who like her had no help. She had to protect these people, these people were her people. Her father may have told her she was free from the bondage of royal duty to pursue her own life, the way she wanted to live it. But protecting her people and getting them to safety was something she wanted to do, something she needed to do.
The young woman stood from her chair and walked up to the crying man. She held his hands in hers with her gaze to her feet.
"Your daughter did not deserve to die, none of your loved ones, no Insomnians deserved to die at the hands of those monsters!" She exclaimed. She helped the man to sit down on her seat and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me, who is the monster responsible?"
"The Emperor and a man with a scar on his face." Her jaw was clenched as her knuckles turned white. They will get what's coming for them, someday.
"Is there a death toll?" Her voice was shaky.
"There aren't that many people left." Aurelia answered grimly. "There are 250 more people in two other warehouses.
"Do you have any of those trucks you use to transport distribution?" She asked and the blonde nodded. "Is there any way possible to locate those other warehouses?"
"We have their numbers. You have a plan right?" Aurelia questioned and the woman in black nodded.
The other members of staff came with a hearty meal prepared for her. A sandwich with brown slices of bread, egg, cream cheese, roasted sweet potato and salmon. They also had a small pot of porridge with sliced apples, bananas and honey as toppings and a huge cup of Ebony.
"You got her breakfast?" Aurelia crossed her arms.
"It's perfect. All the right nutrients to give me enough energy, thank you." Bella smiled kindly and sat on the floor with other families. She ate the food as if she had been starved for days. Celia felt relieved that she was eating properly.
Bella opened up the map she had with her, on the ground and sipped her coffee. The other members of staff brought their own maps too and they sat together.
"So here's the plan. There is a secret passageway hidden away from the public and hopefully away from enemy eye, which leads to the outskirts of the City. It leads to The Weaverwilds. First we have to get the civilians onto the distribution trucks from the other warehouses. From there you are going to need to drive to that passageway." Bella explained.
"How are we going to do it without getting stopped by Imperials?" Celia asked.
"How many people can you fit into one truck?" Bella asked.
"150 people with a lot of food too." A man answered.
"So you're only gonna need 3 trucks. There are 4 dead Imperial Troops at the reception area. 4 people can take their clothes and impersonate them to get around easily. If someone asks why, say you're just taking as much food as possible out of the city. If they want to check at the back, position the food boxes blocking their view." She informed.
"That sounds like a good plan." The blue eyes woman smiled.
"Are you all okay with that?" Everyone else nodded.
Whilst the others were preparing for the plan, Bella spoke to a few families. They were afraid if they were going to get caught and told her they didn't want to lose any more family members. She reassured them that if they believe in the plan then it would surely work. Some younger children also seemed very afraid and were on the verge of crying. But she calmed them down, telling them they had to stay brave like her. She told them that like her, they too were extremely strong for surviving. The children absolutely loved her and admired her for her strength, bravery and determination and everyone else were extremely grateful that she was helping out.
The Warehouse staff members from other locations within the city were contacted and everything was ready. All the trucks were filled with enough supplies to last about 2 weeks and the truck leaving last contained all the civilians. Aurelia and Celia stayed with the people in the truck whilst 4 others were dressed as Imperial Troops. Bella put her mask back on and they left the warehouse.
As they drove the trucks through the roads, the Princess in disguise was following close by warping from building to building. They took smaller roads and shortcuts instead of main roads to avoid any blockage or enemy detection.
It took them 15 minutes to get to the first warehouse and thankfully there weren't any Imperials at that building. Bella stood outside the gate keeping a careful eye on the civilians getting into the truck.
"What do we have here?" She heard a woman's voice and turned around holding her daggers up.
The woman looked middle aged but was extremely beautiful with silver hair, fair skin and green eyes. She was dressed in a red and black leather and her appearance screamed dragon. By her side were 2 men, one wearing a lighter grey coat and the other wearing one which was darker.
"None of your concern. You better leave if you know what's good for you." Bella threatened.
"Looks like human trafficking to me, Lady A." The man on the woman's left stated.
"You work for the Empire don't you?" The woman asked.
"I'm just a mercenary." The woman asked and sneered at the daggers. "You can put those away, I'm not gonna harm anyone and so are these two."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Bella growled.
"We don't have any weapons, so technically you're threatening us." She replied and the younger woman put her daggers back in her sheathes. "I'm Aranea by the way. These two are Biggs and Wedge. You got a name?" She motioned to the men who tipped their hats with respect. Bella glanced away from a moment then looked back at the woman.
"…Alexa Lucas." She answered meekly.
"That's obviously a made up name." Biggs stated.
"It is not!" The Princess exclaimed.
"You're terrible at lying. Your parents must have taught you to always speak the truth huh?" Aranea crossed her arms.
"My father taught me not to lie, he was a good man. But he got slaughtered by the Empire. The ones you work for." She glared at them. "I'm helping these people, putting my life at risk because they're innocent." The silver haired mercenary sighed whilst rubbing her forehead.
"Whatever the Empire is doing to these people, is wrong. We have nothing to do with it." She said.
Bella stated at the trio, they didn't look like bad people and Aranea seemed like she disliked the Empire. She had already made her mind about them and sighed.
"I trust you." She said.
"Is there any way we can get some food?" Wedge asked and Bella looked back at the others. "Please?"
"If we give you food, I only demand one thing." The Princess stated. "Help me transport these people out of the city. There's another way out of here."
"You got yourself a deal." Aranea smiled with her hand on her hip.
"If you even think about stabbing us in the back, I won't hesitate to kill you." She muttered as she led them through the gate. When the other members of the Warehouse turned to her their eyes widened. "They won't hurt you, trust me. They're going to help us get to our destination. Celia, could you get them some food, please?"
The older woman gave them some sandwiches and water and they thanked them. They headed back onto the road. Biggs and Wedge offered to drive 2 of the other trucks so they would look less suspicious. Aranea joined Bella jumping from roof to room helping her keep an eye from the sky.
They manage to get to the next warehouse and escort more civilians out into the trucks in just an hour. The passageway was truly hidden from the public as it was through a forest.
There was a 115ft brick wall that acted like a border to Keycatriach, a rich town that was invaded by daemons when the Wall was pushed back. On the wall was a huge outline of what looked like a round door which were covered by leaves.
"How do we get this bad boy to open?" Aranea asked.
"There's no handle, so we're gonna have to push through." The woman in black answered.
The two woman and Biggs and Wedge, placed their hands on the door and after the count of 3 they started pushing. It took them all of their strengths to push through as the door creaked and slowly opened. The passageway looked large enough for the trucks to drive through so they stood aside for the trucks to enter.
Both Celia and Aurelia got off their trucks and ran to meet up with the ones who opened the door.
"Head for any outposts possible in Leide. It's only 7pm so it's going to get dark soon. You guys should hurry." Bella stated.
"How can we ever repay you?" Celia asked with a sweet gentle smile.
"You kept me fed and helped me with an injury. It's the least I can do." The woman in black stated. "Now hurry."
"Thank you for all your help. We're forever grateful. I hope to meet you again." Aurelia stated.
"Me too." Bella nodded and they got back into the truck to leave. All 3 trucks successfully entered all the passageways and the door was shut. The youngest of the group turned to the others. "I need to go check in on a family I know. Where are you going to go?"
"We're gonna stay here just in case you send us anyone our way." The silver haired woman stated and the Princess smiled with a nod before heading out into the forest.