Prologue
As I emerged from the black abyss that was my childhood, I knew one truth. Trust no one, and feel nothing. Never leave yourself open; never leave yourself weak to those who want to harm you. When I was just a filly, my parents were slain. Slain by the stallions that pledged to protect them, their crownguards, the Black Cloaks. I remember it vividly. It was cold that night, awkwardly so, for a clear night at the apex of summer. The war had raged on for two years by then. Ah, I should explain. About two years ago, my father issued the command to invade Pegasura to end the autonomy that the Pegasi enjoyed there. To keep their country racially clean, the Pegasurians would capture or execute any unicorns or Earth ponies and leave their corpses on poles on the outside of the walls of their holdings, to warn any ponies unfortunate enough to wander into their territory. The war was going rather well for my father, until the battle of Misthold, where several of my father’s commanders were killed. That was several months ago, and since then the entire conflict has reached a stalemate. It would make perfect sense to me that the Pegasurians might send a small force to get past Liberna’s walls, but that wouldn’t make sense, as the stallions who murdered my parents were all unicorns.
I’m getting ahead of myself. You see, my name is Lulu, short for Lucella. I was born in the city of Liberna, the capitol of the kingdom of Equina. I’m a princess… was a princess. My parents were Jerros and Lucille of house Grandeur. I was an only child, I didn’t have any friends. I suppose my only friends were my parents, and my hoof-maiden. How I miss them all….
I apologize, I’m getting sidetracked again. Jerros, my lord father was just ending a council meeting in the Hall of Knives. Some matter involving an ambushed shipment of cider. I was in the yard, playing with my crystal figures that my caretaker had carved for me. My mother was watching me at play, when we heard it; the sound of almost a hundred hoofsteps against the marble floor. “What is the meaning of this,” I heard my father say, “How did you get past my-“
His voice was cut off by the chorus of swords being unsheathed. I remember looking at my mother then, her beautiful, green eyes rounded by fear. She got up and trotted into the council room. Then, it happened. As my father stood to run, his own guards took him from behind and thrust their horns into his neck, killing him instantly. The army of strange men descended on my mother. I didn’t see what happened to her, as my caretaker took my mane in her mouth and gave me the universal sign of “run”. So we did. We ran from the courtyard to the larder. Marcella, my caretaker, pushed a stone jutting from the wall with her hoof, causing a food shelf to swing open.
As we ran into the darkness, there were millions of thoughts running through my head. What’s going on? Where’s mother, where’s father? Did I do something wrong? Has Celestia forsaken us? Moments later, we emerged from under the outer wall, outside of Liberna. I looked to Marcella, and burst into tears. She embraced me, and held me for what felt like hours. “Lulu, my sweet, it will be okay,” she said between whimpers, “I will protect you, we will be safe.” I wish she was right, as I wouldn’t be here, writing this. I would be far outside the borders of Equina, perhaps even so far as Equestria. But alas, just moments after those words left her mouth; a dozen armed stallions surrounded us, with magic-imbued blades aimed at us. They killed Marcella there, but took me. Where? I have no idea. They blocked my vision with a cloth, clapped me in irons, and took me here, this prison, wherever it is. I believe I’ve been here for about three weeks, though it’s hard to tell as no sunlight leaks in, and the only light I have to write even this is from a candle that they provided me. They’re quite hospitable, oddly enough. Despite this cramped, smelly, rat-infested chamber I was given, they actually respond to many of my requests. Although the guards don’t talk, not even to each other, they still provide me with some of the things I ask for. I get two meals a day, consisting of bread, water, and sometimes even an apple. They’ve given me ink, parchment, quills, even a softer pillow. They denied me when I asked for my freedom, though. The fact that the guards would actually go out of their way to do these things for me though, probably means that they want me in good condition. I assume I’ve been ransomed for an arranged marriage or perhaps as a hostage to send back to Pegasura. Every day, I make sure to attempt to confront the guards about it, but they simply ignore me, as if they don’t even understand what I’m saying… perhaps they don’t. For all I know, I could be at the other side of the world from Liberna.
Well, it seems that my candle is beginning to die out, so I believe I’ll stop writing here. I’ll attempt to write in this journal as much as possible, but I doubt that will be too often, depending on whether or not the guards want to give me more candles.
-Lulu
Chapter I
“Mother, why can’t Father play with me today?” a young filly asked her mother inquisitively, her hooves clopping impatiently at the cobble beneath them. “Oh, Lulu,” her mother started as she took her head into her hoof, looking into her blue eyes. They always reminded her of the ocean. “Your father is very busy during the days, you know this. Now go to your chamber, little one. It’s almost time for dinner. Marcella will help you bathe.” They had been walking in the garden, and Lulu, with her explorative nature, would always wander off the path after some bug or creature and get her coat covered in dirt and leaves. When it wasn’t matted with earth, her coat was a beautiful dark purple, and her mane a light blue, to match her eyes. “I don’t want to bathe. I’m not done playing.” Her mother gave her a stern look. “You are a lady, a princess at that. We can’t have you being covered in filth when you eat. Now go, go on.” With a sigh, Lulu trotted into the halls of the keep.
As she approached her bedchamber, something felt off. The hallways were darker than unusual, as the candles were unlit. Suddenly, large iron bars slammed behind her, scaring her into a trot. As she ran into the hallway, it began to twist and turn, defying all laws of nature. Paintings on the walls began morphing into grotesque figures, their hooves turning into claws and groping at her from all sides. As Lulu ran, she saw two familiar figures in front of her in the form of silhouettes. Mother! Father! Suddenly, a third figure appeared and used his unicorn magic to thrust a spear into her father’s chest. A grim smile appeared on the shadow as it pulled loose the spearhead with a crunching sound. Lulu tried to scream, but nothing came out.
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Lulu woke up with her coat drenched in sweat, and her face covered in tears. She looked around the room, confused at first as to where she was. A dungeon, she remembered. She stood and stretched her leg muscles and let out an exhausted yawn. How long did I sleep? She wondered. She heard heavy hoof steps coming from outside her cell. A large wooden door swung open with a bang! As it hit the cobblestone wall behind it. An armored stallion came into view with a torch attached to his armor to the side. “Lucella Grandeur,” the stallion said in a deep, rusted voice. “It is time for you to answer for your crimes to Lord Lulamoon.” The unicorn lifted a key to the cell door and opened it with a swing. “Come.”
Lulu followed him up the stairs out of the dungeon. The dungeon opened up into an open yard outside of the castle. There were still walls all around, though, so Lulu couldn’t see anything beyond the castle grounds. The guard led her to a great doorway with guards posted on each side. They’re all unicorns, Lulu noticed as the doors swung open. The transition from the dungeon to the actual castle was very stark in contrast. As the dungeon had hay and iron bars and cobble, the castle had great tapestries hanging from the walls and long carpets stretching about. The purple tapestries fell along in every hall of the castle, with light colored pictures of stars and crescent moons.
At the end of the hall Lulu could see a fat unicorn lying on his couch of a throne. Using a long chair or couch was regarded as lazy in Equina, as all true leaders were meant to brave the uncomfortable position of a throne, as it shows power and posture. From the side, she heard a scrawny pony with a shrill voice announce: “All attention to Lord Lulamoon, Duke of White Crescent, Warden of the North, and Dancer of the Stars.” A hush fell over the room as Lulu was escorted to the steps below the Duke’s “Throne”. “Lucella of house Grandeur, once Princess of Liberna, turncloak, kinslayer, and kingslayer. I have captured you and brought you to my court so you can answer for your crimes.” A sudden dread washed over Lulu, greater than any she’s ever felt just shy of the day of her parents’ death. “Wha… I…” She tried to utter, but the words escaped her. “Normally a crime such as kin-slaying or king-slaying, is punishible by death. But, I am a merciful Lord,” Lulamoon started, “So I shall not send you to the chopping block just yet. I will give you a chance.” He paused to pluck a grape from the bushel on the plate to his side. “I will send you on a little errand for me although it will be extremely difficult and you will most likely not succeed, or survive for that matter.” He continued to chew the grape. “My lord, I didn’t kill my own parents… Their guards turned on them….”
Lulamoon’s face twisted in anger. “I will have none of it! Jerros was a good friend of mine, and every noble who was present for the murder saw you thrust your horn into your own parent’s hearts. Now, you will stop your arguments or I will have my guards remove all your hooves and THEN send you on your errand. Now then, for your task. To the south, there lie the ruins of an old keep called Bellowhold. Are you aware of this place?” “No.” “Well, it was my good uncle’s keep, before it was destroyed by the Pegasurians two years ago. Since then it’s just been a gathering place for direrats and snarks. Well, when my brother inherited the keep, he also inherited our family’s blade, Sweeping Moon.” Lulu thought for a moment. “If the keep was sacked by the Pegasurians, wouldn’t they have taken the blade?” “No,” Lulamoon responded, “It’s locked in a hidden chamber below the keep’s dungeon. “Then how do you expect me to retrieve this sword?” Lulamoon clicked his hooves together. “Sir Leonard, present the girl with the items.” One of the knights stepped from the side with a bag and several other items. He walked up to Lulu and dropped a bag, a sword, a rolled up parchment, and an odd stone orb with many ornamental carvings engraved into it. “These are the items that you will be taking with you. The bag has a skin of wine, bread, and some water. The sword you can teach yourself how to use. The paper is a map of the way there, and the orb is what you’re going to use to access the chamber below the keep, although only one with Lulamoon blood can use the chamber, so that is why I’m going to send my son with you. Sir Theobald, fetch my little Trevin.” “Yes, my lord.”
Sir Theobald returned several moments later with a brown coated colt with a blonde mane and blue eyes. Considering who his father is, he’s quite fetching. “Trevin, this is the kinslayer and kingslayer that you are going to travel with. Go gather up the orb and any other things you plan to take with you, as you will leave on the morrow. Sir Leonard, escort Lulu back to her cell and give her a hot meal and some water.” “Yes, my grace.” The large stallion used his magic to carry all of the equipment above his head. He nodded to Lulu and escorted her back to her cell.
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The next day, Lulu and Trevin were given a hundred bits between them to shop around town before they set off. While Trevin looked around Armor, weapon, and medicine shops, Lulu went to look at any cheap clothing she could purchase to help keep her warm just in case the weather decided to turn on them. Everywhere Lulu went, she couldn’t help but notice that the townsponies were giving her all sorts of glares and nasty looks, some whispering insults and other gossip to each other under their breathe. They know who I am, and they don’t like it. Still, Lulu decided not to let it faze her, as this was the first time she’s seen shops or merchant stands in over a month. Even the snarky words were a nice transition from the deep conversations the rats provided in the dungeons.
All around her she saw ponies shopping, looking at regalia in shop windows, fruits in the markets, and the occasional beggar asking for bits. She began to realize that this city was nearly the size of Liberna, except the buildings were stylized much different, almost Equestrian in style. She remembered traveling to Equestria once, when she was but a filly. The people spoke a very odd tongue compared to Equinians, and that’s really all she remembered. As she continued down the streets, she noticed a shop filled with fantastical dresses, some white with pink flowers adorning them, some black with red trimming along the bottom. Although they were all beautiful, Lulu was never interested in dresses, so she kept walking. Eventually she came to a bakery with delicious looking pastries and treats inside. The scent of cinnamon, sugar, and other sweet spices bombarded her nose as she neared, so she couldn’t help herself but go inside and look. As she entered the building, a large, black coated stallion blocked her way and gave her an almost menacing look. “You’re not allowed here.” “Why?” Lulu already knew the answer, but she just felt the word slip off her tongue. “I don’t allow murderers into my shop.” “You will let her in.” Lulu turned to see Trevin standing behind her. “Lord Trevin, I…” The baker started, but Trevin interjected. “Let her in. She’s under Lord Lulamoon’s protection, and I will see that you do not attempt to undermine our Lord Duke. You wouldn’t want to be charged with treason, would you?” Panic swept over the baker’s face. “N-No, M’lord! Very sorry, M’lord.”
The large stallion stepped out of the way. Trevin walked in front of Lulu and bowed. “Please, my lady, I bid you enter. Select any treat that you want, I saved more than enough bits for you.” “Th-thank you, my lord.” Why is he treating me so nicely, when everyone else are practically hanging me with their looks and glances? She ultimately purchased a Saddle Arabian Delight and Trevin bought himself a small apple pie.
When they walked quite a way from the large crowds, Trevin spoke up. “Lulu, I don’t believe that you killed your parents.” His statement startled her. “It just doesn’t add up. You were caught by my father’s soldiers only moments after your parents’ deaths, you were being followed by a group of unbannered stallions who my father’s men just let slip out of the city. Do you see any logic in this?” Come to think of it, none of this makes any sense. “My… You’re right. Why would your father send a small host outside of the city walls, anyways? Your father was my father’s bannerstallions.” Trevin sighed. “As you can probably tell by his stature, my father is a greedy, envious, and over-indulgent pony. He... well, he probably means to marry you to gain dominion over your father’s throne and the realm. Yes…. He probably means to crown himself King of Equina.” “If you think he meant to marry me why would he send us on this goose chase?” “That’s what I don’t understand… But I guess we’ll just have to find out ourselves. Here, we’re approaching the city gates.” As they approached, several armed guards saluted Trevin and hurried over to push over the large postern gates. As they exited the protective walls of the city, the large gates slammed shut behind them. Lulu gasped in amazement. As the path stretched on in front of them, so did the fields of flowers.
The horizon was completely empty of anything pony-made except for an approaching trader. “It’s beautiful out here,” Lulu sighed. “It is, my lady. But we must move on if we mean to make it a quarter of the way to Bellowhold by nightfall.” And so they continued on. As they walked, Lulu found herself looking over at Trevin more and more often. There was something about him, something that was very interesting, and even enthralling. What am I feeling? Trevin looked over at Lulu. As she felt her face become flushed with blood, she turned her eyes to the dirt road below their hooves. She heard him let out a little chuckle.
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Several hours passed. Trevin and Lulu found the road led into a thick wood. All around them, Lulu heard the chirps of birds and cries of other animals she did not recognize. The sounds began to relax her, and she even began to feel about sleepy. She felt her eye lids becoming heavier and heavier, until they closed entirely. Just seconds after, she heard a loud crash in front of them. She looked up to see a large tree fallen in front of them. “What’s goi-...” she began, but Trevin hushed her and drew his blade using his magic. “This isn’t right… free your blade,” he whispered. “But…. I have no idea how to use a sword…” “Well now you’re going to learn.”
As the words left his lips, two stallions jumped from behind the tree and landed in front of them. “Hehehe, Lookie here, brotha’. We got ourselves some nice highborn lookin’ ponies. I’m sure their pockets are lined to overflowing,” the pony chuckled through broken and yellow teeth. The other pony nodded. The talkative pony had a several small blades attached via leather strips to his hooves, while the other had a lance attached to his back. “Prepare yourself,” Trevin started, “These kinds of ponies can’t be convinced to leave us alone.” The clawed pony dashed at Trevin with his right hoof raised, preparing for a downward strike. Trevin danced out of the way and made a stab with his blade, but the second pony blocked it with his lance. Claw-pony turned for another attack, and clipped Trevin’s left shoulder blade as Trevin attempted to move away from him. Trevin made several steps backwards and magically sent his sword down towards the lance-pony’s neck, but the sword managed to only graze him. “Lulu, I can’t… fight them alone!” The claw-pony led another flurry of slashes towards Trevin. Trevin blocked all of them, but all the stress of the attacks broke the bond between him and his sword and sent him backwards. The sword lodged itself into the ground next to his face.
Claw-pony let out a loud cackle before saying: “Brother, you handle the broken colt. I’ll help myself to the tender one over here.” He turned his gaze onto Lulu, who stood there frozen. He charged her and reared backwards, preparing for a full-on downward assault. The sound of blade colliding with skin rang through the forest. Lulu opened her eyes to see her sword firmly lodged into the pony’s skull, blood dripping down from his face onto hers. The mare lifted the heavy pony off of her, throwing his corpse to the ground with a strained cry. Trevin and the lance-pony looked at her with shock. Trevin realized he was still in danger, and quickly dislodged his sword from the dirt and sent it flying into the lance-pony’s neck, who went limp instantly, falling to the ground. He looked at Lulu. “Lulu....” She burst into tears. “I killed him.” Trevin struggled for words, but couldn't find anything to say. “I killed him,” she repeated. Trevin slowly approached her and used his magic to take a cloth from his side-satchel and wiped the blood from her face. Her eyes met his, and she embraced his neck, letting out another sob. “Y-you did well.” The tears continued to fall from her face.