Hi everyone! As always thanks for tuning in, and grab some tissues. This is one of the rough chapters. Beginning of the end…

Chapter 10:

That night:

Alcina lay awake in bed, listening to her husband's loud snores. He was quite content after their rigorous love making, and had fallen into a coma-like sleep afterwards.

'I fear I broke him,' she thought in amusement, slowly getting up and walking over to the window. Her gaze going up to the bright moon outside. She stared at it for a while, her mind beginning to replay an earlier conversation they had had before Fredric fell asleep.

'I know you wanted another child,' Fredric had commented.

'In truth I had hoped for one more, and I know you would have liked to have had a son…'

'Indeed, but what is one son compared to Josie and Helena. I would never trade them for any sons.'

Alcina blinked back the tears. How lucky she was to have a man like Fredric. A man so devoted to them. Who truly and deeply loved them.

Fredric released another loud snore, making her roll her eyes.

'Idiot…'

She started to walk back over to the bed when something outside caught her eye. Movement. Pulling back the curtain to get a better view of the yard, Alcina cried out as the glass in the window shattered.

Fredric immediately awakened by his wife's cry, bolted as fast as he could over to where she was knelt and holding her bleeding forehead due to a piece of glass.

"Jesus, Alcina, are you all right?"

"I will live," she said.

Fredric about to speak was silenced as more bullets came raining in through the window.

"Get down!" he leaped on Alcina to shield her from more harm. The bullets hitting the opposite wall and going straight through, Alcina had to cover her ears from the deafening sound.

Once the attack had slowly ceased, Fredric crawled off her and took a quick peek out the now windowless space. He could not see anyone, but he could distinctly hear shouting from below.

"We must get the girls," Alcina said, rising to her feet when their door burst open.

"Lady Alcina; Lord Fredric."

"Aresian!"

"Are you both all right?" he quickly diverted his eyes upon them both still bare naked.

"Yes, do you know what is happening outside?"

"Rebels, my lord. The other guards are downstairs and managing to keep them out for now. They are chanting for your head, my lord."

Alcina blanched at that, watching Fredric getting dressed, she too quickly donned her nightgown and robe.

"Fredric…"

"If they want my head they are going to have to earn it." He finished buttoning up his army jacket, disappearing into his closet and coming out with a sword and gun. "Alcina, go and fetch the girls. You must hide until this is all over."

Alcina opening her mouth to protest, a scream along with the sound of glass shattering could be heard from down the hallway.

"Aresian, I order you to stay with them. I am entrusting you to keep my family safe."

"Yes, sir!"

"Fredric!"

He gave her a wink, kissing her on the lips.

"It will be all right. Now go!"

"Come, my lady," Aresian said.

Alcina and Aresian dashed out of the room and towards Josie's room. Alcina finding both girls huddled together underneath Josie's bed, she urgently beckoned them to her.

"Mama, what is going on?" Josie whimpered.

"Hush now," Alcina said, lifting Josie into her arms.

The four hastily made their way in the direction of the study. The inside of the room had been hit just like the bedchambers. The windows were blown open by the bullets. Glass littering the floor along with pieces of furniture, parts of books and papers. Miraculously the desk remained in tacked and unscathed.

Setting Josie down for a moment, she reached underneath the desk and pushed a button. The desk slid forward and there appeared a secret passage. There were already lightbulbs strung up along the wall, allowing them to navigate down the steps without risk of falling.

Aresian taking the lead down the stairs with Alcina at the end, she then pressed another button and the floor slid back into place. Hiding the passage from sight.

"Go ahead, pretty girl," Alcina whispered.

"Josie," Helena chimed in, hooking her pointer finger with her sister's and guiding her along.

"How much further, Mother?" Helena asked.

"Not too much longer," Alcina said. "Keep an eye out for a ladder. That will spit us out behind the stables."

"It is so cold down here," Josie shivered. "And why isn't Father with us?"

"Hush, Josie," Alcina said, though her thoughts had been on Fredric, too. What was happening to him? Was he all right? 'Be careful, my love. Do not do anything reckless…'

{-}

The four had found the ladder just as Alcina had said. Aresian climbing up first, eyed around the area to find it quiet and still. Helping the three out as they reached the top, they scurried into the woods and hunkered down in wait. Occasionally they could hear shouts and gunfire, but nothing that reached where they sat.

Josie had fallen asleep next to her mother while Aresian, Helena and Alcina kept a vigilant watch. It wasn't until many hours went by and the first rays of light started to appear in the sky, when the faint smell of smoke drifted through the air and it was getting stronger.

Fear seized her heart.

Were they burning down the manor? Would the flames reach the woods?

She turned and saw Aresian was just as alert to the smell as she. Indicating he would go and take a look, he left behind his gun for her and made his way through the woods in the direction of the manor.

"Mother?" Helena said, her teeth chattering from the cold.

Motioning for Helena to come to her, she wrapped her arm around her and prayed. Prayed that Fredric was safe. That the manor was not in fact burning.

Thirty minutes later Aresian returned. She didn't have to ask. The look on his face was all the information she needed to know.

"The rebels have begun to disperse," he stated. "I heard sirens headed towards the manor as I was walking back here."

"Good," Alcina said, restraining herself not to ask if he had seen Fredric.

"Just to be safe, we should linger here for a little while longer."

"Agreed."

More light had flooded the sky. Allowing Alcina to get a better idea of where they were. She could not see the manor from where they were, but the stable was partially visible in-between the congestion of trees.

'At least they left that be,' she thought.

"Mother? Do you think it is over?" Helena asked.

"I do not know, darling," she said honestly, unable to hear sirens like she had earlier.

"Should we go check?"

Alcina wanted nothing more than to do just that, but she also didn't want to leave the girls, nor drag them back to the manor until she knew it was safe.

Just then the sound of dogs barking could be heard.

Aresian unsheathing his sword, while Alcina cocked the gun and prepared to fire at the intruder, both lowered their weapons at the sight of a police officer and his dog. Another appeared soon after the first inquiring if she was Lady Alcina Stanislav.

Alcina was not too polite at the younger officer for having to ask such an asinine question.

"My lady," the older officer stepped in, handing the leash over to the young man, he motioned for Alcina to speak to him privately.

Alcina glancing back to her daughters to see they were petting the dog while Aresian stood by, she came to a halt at the touch of the officer.

"What happened?" Alcina said. "And do not mitigate it to me."

The officer nodded.

"Lady Alcina, your manor had been set fire to. We cannot determine if anyone had been trapped inside yet. The mansion is still too treacherous for us to enter and do a thorough search, but we have recovered bodies that had already been outside."

"I see," Alcina said, swallowing hard. "A-and my husband? Did you find Fredric?"

"I am afraid you will have to come with me and identify him for us. The insurgents set fire to some of the bodies, while others were badly beaten."

Alcina sucked in a deep breath of air, informing the officer she would indeed identify the bodies, if she could even do that much.

The walk back to the manor felt like an endless journey. Each step slower than the last. Her chest constricted with despair. She felt so cold. This could not be true. This couldn't be real! This is all a horrible nightmare. Yes, and she'll wake up to find her Fredric snoring next to her.

It was the smell of the still smoldering wood that snapped her back to the reality of the situation. The foundation remained, but the rest was gone. Nothing discernable about what had stood there.

"This way, my lady," the officer said.

Tearing her eyes away from her home, she turned to see many of her staff sitting on the yard, blankets draped around their shoulders with something warm to drink in hand.

"My lady."

"Lady Alcina thank goodness you are safe."

They were so pleased to see her unharmed.

"My lady."

"Phoebe," Alcina said, not surprised to see the hardy old woman.

"Are the children?"

"Safe," Alcina said, trying to smile which looked more like a grimace. Her emotions starting to swell all over again.

The old woman giving both her hands a tight squeeze, Alcina walked over to where the officer stood with four others.

There were 11 bodies in total. All covered with a blanket. Alcina did not hear a word the officer said to her next, her eyes scanning over each figure. She was calculating the height of each one. Fredric standing 6'4 knew he would stand out, like a lighthouse beacon in the middle of the night.

Alcina suddenly stopped scanning, her blue eyes falling to the sixth man in the row. She tried to move, but her legs refused.

"Show me the individual there," she pointed.

The officer walking to where she was pointing, carefully removed the blanket. Alcina instantly covered her nose and mouth upon the smell. Never had she smelled anything so foul.

"Do you know him?"

"Yes, he was one of the guards, Andre, I believe was his name…"

One by one the officers pulled back the blankets, but none of them were Fredric. Walking away from the scene to regather herself, she noticed a trail of blood leading away from the manor. Kneeling down, she touched it to find it was still fresh. Thinking it odd how the police dogs hadn't picked up on this, she called over the officer.

"Get a dog over here!" he called, turning to Alcina.

"I am going with you," she said firmly.

"Very well," the officer said, not about to argue with her.

The blood trail led in the direction of the pond, but then veered off towards a well beaten path that brought them out into an open field, where a lone shed stood. The dog then abruptly halted, barking wildly. Pulling at the leash, spittle flying out of his mouth as he continued to bark louder.

"Officer Bloo; Officer Kyli," the captain said. "Check it out."

"Sir," they both said, pulling out their guns and heading straight for the shed.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Alcina's heart thudded in her chest as the two entered inside, one of the officers came back out and vomited.

"Damn it," the captain growled. "Report, man!"

"There is…" the man gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"What!?" the captain roared, the dog continuing to bark ferociously.

"A body, sir! Decapitated."

"Man or woman?"

"Man, sir!"

"What is he wearing?" Alcina suddenly asked, dread already consuming her. Her instincts telling her it was him. Her Fredric… They had butchered him like an animal.

"An army type jacket…"

Alcina's knees buckled, the captain reached out to steady her, but she did not feel his touch. Her head was spinning. The world around her seeming so loud and heavy when all suddenly went quiet. Her eyes falling to the field where she saw a dark figure standing. The sunlight behind this figure giving him an ethereal glow.

"Fredric?" she blinked, stumbling towards the figure. Fingers reaching out and snatching at the air in hopes to get hold of him.

"Lady Alcina!" the captain called to her.

She kept moving, almost falling in her haste and then she dropped to her knees. The dark figure was gone and where it had stood was a stake. A stake that had her Fredric's head on it.

Alcina wrapped her arms around her midsection, bowing her head to the dewy grass and releasing an agonized; gut-wrenching sob. Her body shaking, uncontrollably.

'Do not let this be true. Please, dear god! Please do not let this be true…' she chanted in her mind over and over until she collapsed onto her side, distinctly remembering the captain talking and then everything went dark…