The Fall of Ostia
I wanted to resign, and that filled my mind for minutes as I strolled down the hallways of Castle Ostia as if it were a park, some very beautiful open grassland to be ventured and not the familiar place that it is. These hallways—and their secret lanes—have been part of my home since I could remember, since I trained to be a spy of Ostia. Yes, since I could remember, I have been a spy of Ostia. For too long. Far too long.
Which brings me back to the desire to resign. But who would take over my job? Who to pick? Well, there was my beautiful assistant, so the choice was clear—
-Matthew, stop stalling. Flattery isn't getting you anywhere.
-It might get me more wine. Give me that bottle and shut up and listen, it's my story right?
—As I was saying, I had a beautiful assistant—horribly cold and dull, though—who would be ever fit to take over my job. She might not like that notion, though, that I'd be promoting her to be Ostia's Master of Spies when she wasn't even an Ostian, more so a Lycian, but a Bernese. But who of Ostian blood was more fit than her? There was always Asthor, but he be a lazy one too, and he'd also hate the role. And so I was debating with myself with who was worthy of becoming Ostia's Master of Spies when it happened. A loud explosion at first, and then more loud sounds as if our walls were being rammed, and then battle cries, and a loud—"Castle Ostia is under attack! Fiends! Infidels! Traitors!"
For a split second I thought I was dreaming. But then, a Master Spy, even in a dream, knows his priority. I made the fastest dash I could to Lady Lyn's rooms, to secure the lady and her daughter, make sure they were safe and that they knew the situation before any fiends could come to them. My lord Hector was away, and the castle and his wife and child were entrusted to me, so if anything ever happened to Lady Lyn and Lilina, if anything ever happened—
And then I realized, half our soldiers were away with Lord Hector to Araphen. The defenders left at court, half of them were traitors. I ran the halls, seeing Ostian versus Ostian, and with soldiers wearing Bern's armor and flag thrown into the mix. So it was Bern—Bern!—who was the cause of all this. But... why? My dearest Kumiko would never let this happen. She'd never—unless she didn't know...
My path to Lady Lyn's rooms was a long, hard, path. Ostians and Bernese blocked me, and once again I had to use the dagger concealed in my coat to fight. None of them were good enough for me, good enough to hurt me, when the urgency to see to the lady's safety was driving me. "Watch over Lyn and Lilina for me, Matthew," Lord Hector said before he left. I'll be damned if I didn't see them safe. Who knows if her own guards were traitors, too? Who knew if this dream was real?
Yes, it was all real. And no matter how fast I was, I was not as fast as them.
