I was thrown into Baron Praxis' throne room, I looked up at him as he sat on his throne with an arrogant smile on his lips, "We meet again, Tess," he said with a smirk. I glared up at him with tears still streaming down my face.

"How could you do that to Torn?" I yelled through my tears as I wrung the bit of my shirt that hung over my shorts.

"Stop that," he replied as he stood up and strode over to me, "You're pathetic when you mourn over pathetic people."

I felt rage rear up in my heart, "Torn was not pathetic! He was more of a man than you'll ever be!"

His single eye turned black with anger and he slapped me hard across the face, "You want to see a man? Then I'll show you what a real man can do." He grabbed the back of my hair and forced me to my feet.

"Oh give me a break, your no man, the only way you even became the Baron was by betraying our former leader, Damas!" I yelled at him.

"I earned my right to sit on the throne!" the Baron shouted back, I felt about three feet high compared to him, but I refused to back down to him. He ruined everything, my present life, my previous life, and my family.

"You earned nothing! You're a coward! The only way you can keep in power is by keeping this war going!" I shouted back, "Otherwise you know that no one would listen to you!"

With a final roar of fury he led me out of the room. Errol was close behind us as I was half dragged out of the throne room and down to the dungeon. Errol had a fond gleam in his eyes as he doted on the Baron; he seemed like an eager puppy. He was nothing but the Baron's lap dog.

I whimpered as he led me towards a metal cell, he threw me into the small room and I looked around fearful as I stared at him, "I'll come back for you when it's time," the Baron said with a snarky grin on his lips.

I whimpered as he slid the metal door shut and it slammed with a loud clang. I looked around fearfully as I felt my claustrophobia made me begin to hyperventilate with dread.

The day started out with my daily chores that I'd set for myself, and it wasn't even evening yet and I was in a cell and my fiancée was dead, bleeding on the ground, beaten to death by the people who had once claimed to look up to him.

I curled up on the small bed and began to cry. I tried to make myself think of a happier time, a time when my life was actually pleasant. I forced myself to think of my time when I was Baroness of this town.

"Damas!" I screeched as I ran towards him, throwing my arms around him; my husband. I kissed his lips over and over again, the taste of them was addicting, and I didn't want to let go of him.

"So? What is the verdict Tess?" he asked as he looked down at my growing stomach, I smiled.

"I talked to the doctor not but 15 minutes ago, and they said it's a boy!" I said happily, he picked me up and spun me around eagerly. We stood on the balcony before the grand Haven City. We both looked out at the city and saw destruction just beyond its walls.

Just past the walls sat an army of metal heads that wanted to rip apart the people we watched over. Now with one of our own on the way, we couldn't let them reach us anymore than they have.

I looked at Damas who was smiling down at me with pride, "Has Praxis given you anymore information on the metal head nest? We will need to know this information if we're going to infiltrate it and take out their leader," I said with a smile.

Damas sighed as he walked back into the throne room, "No, he has not, I'm not really sure what's going on with Praxis lately, he's been secretive, and has been spending an awful lot of time in the library," he replied.

I smiled, "Dear, Praxis is entitled to read as much as he likes in the library here, it's not completely off limits to the people who dwell here."

"Tess, I love you, but you seem to forget that Praxis hates reading, and the sections he's been in…have me concerned," he muttered as he sat down on the throne.

"What sections?" I asked as I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"The ones that have to do with past wars," he replied as he rested his face in his hand as he leaned his elbow on the arm of the chair. "I think we'll have to keep an eye on him, because the way he's been acting has been making me feel uneasy, and with you now holding our son…I can't bear to think what would happen if he's doing what I think he is doing…"

I walked over and knelt down before him and looked up with a bright smile as my hair fell around my face and my crimson robe hugged my body tightly, "My dear, you worry too much about these things, you have a war going on outside of these walls, you shouldn't worry what's happening within them as much," I told him sweetly.

"You're right, Tess, everything should be fine, as it is, our city is under attack by an enemy much bigger than us, let us worry about them."

I smiled as I stood up and hugged him happily, my husband, my lover, my king.

This was a strange tow, but I was so very wrong in those days. My son had been born shortly after Praxis took over the town, I had never actually met him, and nobody knew that I was the Baroness of the city, I had been kept a secret so I wouldn't be attacked. But after we were kicked out of the city and my son, Mar, was born, he was stolen from us. He first sent Sig into the town, but he was going no where with the search. Shortly after I managed to convince Damas to let me come back to the city, I wasn't exiled from the city, but since he was my husband and I wanted my family to stay together I went with him.

But when I got into the city I met Torn, he was on duty and first saw me when I walked into the town in my short shorts and my low cut green combat shirt. At that moment I felt the conflict in my own mind as I struggled to kill my attraction to the Krimson Guard who worked for my enemy. But soon we started dating, and then he proposed to me. What could I tell him? That I was already married to the man who used to rule the city? That I was the ex-baroness of the city and that I was here to find my son who was never actually known to exist?

I agreed to the marriage, even though I knew it could never happen. So I continued to put it off as I fell more and more in love with him. This was how our lives continued to be as he slowly made it further up the ranks with all his hard work, and then in one day. It crashed down. He went back to his first rank and I lost him when he was beaten to death before my very eyes.

I curled up into a tighter ball as I pulled the blanket over my head and sobbed hard into my hands. I wanted my life back. I wanted my husband at my side to tell me that everything would be okay. But I knew it was pathetic hopefulness that would never happen. My life would forever changed, because I wanted to find my son, and found another lover…