Our Immortal Souls

.: Chapter 1 :.


Anthony's thighs were red and sore, the aching growing as he rode past every slight imperfection on the dirt road beneath him. Still he remained silent. Anything was better than being cooped up in the golden carriage at his back, filled with babbling courtesans. Other than their sharp ears and pretty faces, there was little use to his sisters friends. Though it was perhaps thanks to their ability of being underestimated that Anastasia deemed it necessary to have them accompany to the royals on their visit. Despite being the Crown Prince, there was nothing Anthony could do about it.

Just a few more hours, he told himself, and I will be rid of this tedious task. Visiting Duke Geoffroy had never been a pleasant task; with his childish personality and his lack of manners it was as bad as visiting one of those newly appointed lords with an overly high ego. If it weren't for his mildly interesting raven haired daughter, Anthony would have refused to endure the long trek from the castle to the Duke's estate, despite the diplomatic consequences. Even then, Anthony was being generous, as he had seen much prettier girls.

As displeasing as he was, Duke Geoffroy was needed, more specifically his fat purse was needed in order to win the pending war. The Duke's physical state makes it almost impossible for him to join the King during the privy council meetings, making it of the utmost importance for the Crown Prince himself to inform the duke of the advancement of the Prussian troops. Not only was Anthony supposed to tell the Duke how loved he was at court, but how grateful the king would be if he lent a few coins. As unlikely as it seems, a big old man such as the Duke could play a vital role in the outcome of the war.

"Your Highness, we will soon be arriving at Duke Geoffroy's estate. I recommend that you highness stays back while the scouts assure th- " a guard informed Anthony before he cut him off with a small wave of his hand. The guards that Anthony had been given were cowardly idiots, incapable of protecting themselves, let alone the prince and his sister. They deemed it safer to have the Crown Prince of Illea waiting patiently in the open, like a squirrel in the middle of the road, just waiting to be run over.

Ignoring the various grunts and mumbles traveling throughout the guards, Anthony gave a slight kick and led his stallion farther ahead. If the Prussians intended to kill him, a few pawns from the royal guard would do nothing to protect him. He was more likely to be slowed down by this group useless wooden soldiers than anything.

A deep low growl interrupted Anthony to his race towards Duke Geoffroy's high walls and extravagant gardens. At the horse's foot, Ajax, his perceptive hound was leaning backwards, ears back, his sleek black body stiff. Something had joined them, Anthony presumed, as the growling grew louder. The forest seemed to be closing in on them, growing darker. Among a bed of bright white anemones was a wilted one, drooping unnaturally low to the ground. Not very far lay another one and another. There was a whole group of them leading to a large tree. Yet it wasn't it's unnatural size that caught Anthony's eye, but the creature that hid behind it.

Half hiding behind a tree was his birth father's pale companion. A small grim smile grew on his bony face and Anthony couldn't help but feel a little disturbed. Slowly he approached this mythical being, yet was cut off when it disappeared into thin air at the sound of approaching hoofbeats. "Thanatos," Anthony whispered under his breath. Finally things were going to get interesting.

It would be an understatement to say that death hung in the air by the time the rest of the prince's party had reached him. Thanatos was the physical representation of death, a faithful servant of Hades. This meant that whatever lie ahead was bound to take a turn for the worse.

This new discovery did not change the fact that Anastasia was already unsatisfied with their trip. From behind, Anthony could hear the muffled complaints of his sister. It was obvious that she was becoming restless, cooped up in her carriage with her pretty flock of hens.

"It was you who insisted on joining us, Anastasia. I don't recall anyone forcing you to visit the Duke," Anthony tautened.

Ignoring her brothers remarks, Anastasia popped her head out the side of the carriage and signaled the coachmen to continue. She had had enough of Anthony and his snarky remarks. Having been dragged along this trip didn't give him a reason to make it hell for everyone else. It was his nature, for no one could be pleased if he wasn't.

Sighing, Anastasia pulled out her embroidered handkerchief and patted at her face. Despite the gentle breeze blowing from outside, the heat inside the carriage was becoming unbearable. It's the girls, she thought, them and their layered gowns are filling the whole damn carriage.

As she failed to suppress a scowl, Anastasia looked down at her own dress. Understanding a female's power of seduction, she had a favored a low cut riding gown.

Despite being utterly repulsing, Duke Geoffroy was powerful and had many connections. Anastasia may not have come to impress the Duke, but there were still many influential men in his entourage. For what she wanted, she needed influential men. And if all went as planned, the power she would obtain would outweigh even the King's, making her the most influential royal in all Illea, quite possible the world.

"My lady," chippered a voice from Anastasia's right, "We were just discussing how handsome the Duke's nephew is."

Uninterested, Anastasia barely bothered to look at her lady-in-waiting. "I suppose," she managed to answer.

"He would make a fine husband, possibly even a prince," the lady continued. The other women in the carriage blushed at the thought.

The princesse gave a sharp look towards her lady-in-waiting. Slowly her face melted into a fixed smile. "My dearest Jenna," she said in a voice as sweet as honey. Her eyes pierced daggers at the younger girl, sharp enough to kill. "The Duke's nephew may be a suitable husband for a lady of your class, but no man suitable for a girl of your kind will ever be appropriate for me. I am a princess of Illea, daughter of Athena. It would be best you do not forget that."

The lady-in-waiting gave a feeble nod, cowering back into the carriages cushioned seats. Without another word, Anastasia turned back towards the carriage. The forest was beginning to thin, indicating the close proximity of the Duke's manor.

Despite the joy Anastasia should have felt by the prospect of coming one step closer to her goal, she couldn't ignore the sudden tension that had overtaken her body. Something was wrong. She was no longer in control.


Soon enough Prince Anthony's company was trotting through the golden gates of the Duke's flamboyant manor. The courtyard was large enough to fit at least half of the royal courts carriages, yet it was empty. There was silver statues of nymphs, with blue and green gemstones as eyes, a man-made stream filled with exquisite fish, a enormous fountain with tiny Eros's spitting out water, but no human was in sight.

An ominous silence hung over the Duke's courtyard. There wasn't the usual bussing sound of servants rushing to complete their daily tasks and the faint metallic sound of the gardeners clips. Ajax himself was silent, both of his ears were flat, his tail tucked underneath him. The prince whispered something incomprehensible to his dog, trying his best to calm him.

With a minor hand motion Anthony brought the rest of his pathetic entourage to a halt. They eagerly complied, finally starting to realize that something was off. As he dismounted, a voice laced with annoyance cried out. "Why have we stopped," Anastasia called out, "I for one don't intend to walk all the way to the main entrance."

Prince Anthony did not turn back, but replied calmly, "I seem to remember you growing quite claustrophobic in the carriage."

Anastasia quickly responded, "Women, dear Anthony, are not given the same comfort as men. I thought you off all people would notice with all the time you spend undressing them."

Anthony did not answer, starting the walk towards the manor with Ajax at his side. He signaled ten of his men to follow him, not that it would do any good, leaving the rest to guard the rest of his procession. To nobody's surprise, the click-clack of heels resonated in the silent courtyard. The younger princess was about to let her brother have all the fun.

The prince led the small group of men and his sister towards the manor, not bothering to look back at them. It didn't matter to him whether they followed him or not, whoever had dropped by the Duke's manor was long gone.

The walk was silent, most of the guards to scared to speak. It gave Anthony a while to think of the best way to approach the situation. Despite his best efforts to remain concentrated, Anthony couldn't get his mind off the sad bunch he had been paired with.

The distance between the Duke's manor and the palace was small, meaning that it had been deemed by the King that the elite forces were not to accompany the prince. Instead, the King had preferred to have them accompany him on his hunting trip.

The prince had tried to reason with his father, but he knew it was pointless. Once he had made a decision, nothing could change the King's mind. It was his impulsive decision making that made the Prussians ready to take up arms against Illea. Anthony knew that unless something was done to shut his mouth, Illea would be facing a fearsome enemy. Instead of worrying the prince, it seemed only to excite him.

After a too long walk, they had finally reached the manor's entrance. Anastasia feet were screaming in pain and glands of sweat trickled down her face. The princess silently cursed the person who had decided shoes that were elevated on the heel was good idea and looked at the entrance.

The main entrance was as extravagant as the rest of the manor. The doors were made out of oak, stained dark purple, lined with a silver trimming. There were potted plants on either side, filled with flowers of every color.

Despite the magnitude of distractions the entrance offered, Anastasia attentions was solely focused of the double doors. It wasn't the color or the ornamenting that interested the princess, but rather the fact that the doors were opened.

When she was finally able to draw her eyes away from the open doors, the princess turned to face her brother. He was already in front of the doors, left hand on the hilt of his sword. Ajax matched his master's stance, teeth out and ready to attack. Not wanting to be left behind Anastasia rushed to meet her brother and his dog ignoring the painful spasms she got every time her feet touched the ground. The princess strode forward with an unsettling confidence. Being the daughter of Athena allowed her many things, one being having the ability to walk among armed men as if she were there superior. Yet in spite of all the advantages of being a demigod princess, Anastasia seemed rather unimpressed with her current status. Just by looking at her, which was exactly what Anthony was doing, you could see that she longed for more.

His dark eyes seemed to be examining every inch of his royal sister, trying to find the reason she had insisted on joining them. After a while he settled with the idea that Anastasia wanted to insure that she was closer to the Duke than anybody else in the royal family. He knew there was more to it than "having the right connections", but gave up the hopeless mission of trying to figure it out.

Instead he directed his attention the Duke's foyer, searching for something more exciting that his sister's self-serving intentions. All he was greeted with was a spotless room and no sign of the Duke. Still no human was in sight. What was going on at the Duke's manor had been carefully planned to insure that nobody would be left in the manor upon the prince's arrival. The whole scene seemed straight out of the doll-house's Helena used to play with when she was five. Everything delicately placed, completely still, beautiful yet fragile. Everything except the single piece of paper on the left staircase.

A small gust of wind pushed it down a few steps, allowing the royal siblings to understand that the paper hadn't been simply placed on the stairs. This paper was not part of somebody's plan.

The prince walked up the stairs and bent down to look a the piece of paper. Ajax had was cautiously sniffing the paper, as if sensing the danger it meant. He saw the stain of ink on the top right of the paper and watched as his sister gently brushed her fingers against the surface of the paper.

"Fresh," she whispered, turning her head to face the terrified faces of the fools who were meant to bravely protect the royal pair.

They didn't respond, to frightened to move. Anthony laughed at their lack of response, while Anastasia sighed. Out of all the guards the could have been given, they had definitely got the jackpot.

With a slight nod of his head, the prince freed the guards from their trance, leading them up the stairs. It was then when he sensed it, truly sensed it.

Death. Not filled with years of sorrows and the heaviness of rot, but light like the fresh kill of the hunter or the swift fall of the ax. It filled his body, filling him with pure ecstasy, leaving him wanting more. Prince Anthony pushed the last feeling aside, focusing his energy on the hall before him.

The second door on the left was open, yet no sound was coming from inside. It's facade was made of cherry wood, with a silver hummingbird at its center. The Leofry's sigil: swift, sincere and loyal, word's few would use to described His Grace. Though, with the right bribe, the Duke's wavering loyalty could be kept for as long as it was the best offer. But promises of songs eternally commemorating his actions would do nothing for either royal, not when the other half of the deal was gone along with the Duke's life.

As the prince entered the the oddly simple room, he saw it. The Duke lay in his chair, his hairless head buried in his desk. Ajax let out a low growl before being silenced by his master. Despite being familiar with corpses, Ajax felt far from comfortable with the Duke's dead body.

Before his death, the Duke had been working on buying new land. At first glance, the paper seemed normal, but if one read the second paragraph they could see that this land was in Prussia.

Anastasia seemed to notice before her brother, quickly grabbing it before he had the chance to read anything more. Anthony sighed, it was very much like Anastasia to always want the upper hand. It was no secret that she would use this paper to whatever advantage she could get.

The paper was soon forgotten when the pair directed their attention back to the Duke. A disturbing pool of black liquid was coming from his nose, staining the mahogany table. Anthony internally smiled, thinking of the Duke's reaction to the stain if he were alive.

"Black blood," stated one of the guards. Other whispers and muffled shrieks followed it, but the prince ignored them all. Blood this dark, this thin meant only one thing. Lernean Hydra, mother of the most lethal of poisons. This nine-headed monster could bring down a whole nation thanks to it's powerful venom.

From the corner of his eye, the prince saw his sister's pale face, struck with terror, a sight rarer than even the deadly poison. The prince himself was not able to display his habitual careless smirk. Both royals knew what this signified. Not even their ego could bring them to disregard the urgency of the Duke's death and the danger it meant.

This was no ordinary low-breed assassin's poison, not something that would be wasted on mere lords or even kings. It was the poison of the Gods, their only downfall. The venom of the Lernean Hydra was the only way a mortal could kill a god.

For it be wasted on a man such as Duke Geoffrey was not to insure his death, not when a simple spear would have sufficed to take the man out. This was more than a simple assassination, it was a message.

Prince Anthony cautiously faced his half-sister and her pretty brown curls. "Prussians," she managed to say. He simply nodded.


Hey guys,

I am really excited to see that people are interested in this story and love receiving all of your submissions. For all those who have or want to submit a character, please feel free to share a character board with me on pinterest. My own one is called IMadeureadthis. On another note there has been a few people asking questions about the world in which the story takes place, which is great. People can keep on doing so, though I may not reveal all of the information. One thing that I want to make clear is that magic is present in the story, though it isn't something people will see on a day to day basis. Final note is that I will not be updating this regularly. This chapter is being put out sooner to help those that are still in the submitting stage. I do have some sort of schedule in my mind (when school starts I probably won't keep up with it), so the next chapter will be released a little latter. I don't know if that made any sense, but trust me it works. Please review and submit,

Camille