Become The Duke's Wife Or Die

Lyra couldn't sleep at all that night, filled with bothersome thoughts.  Everything about her engagement to Duke Kleo, which would be held in a month.  It's too soon, locking her in a new prison, though not a prison for the dead.

'Even today he's starting to be mean to me,' she thought.  'I don't know if I should be happy or not.  I want to make him sick of me so that he soon lets me go.  But it turns out he ensnared me to make me suffer.'

It was late, the moon did not appear that night, making the atmosphere seem pitch black.  Candles shimmered in the corners of the room, illuminating Lyra's figure lying on the bed.

Her mind sank, thinking of various options for escape, again.  But she was too tired for that, exhausted to try and then fail.  Even though she had only tried to run away once, it felt like she had done so many times.

In the midst of it all, suddenly she heard a voice.  Her earlobes seemed to react so she lifted her head to look around.  Nothing strange happened, even though the two stumbling servants were not far from her bed.

"Maybe it's just the wind." Then her head fell back on the bed, wrestling with the blanket, falling back into the daydream.

She didn't notice that someone had entered her room, crawling through the darkness like a thief.  Even after that person stood on the tip of her head, she still hadn't come to her senses at all.  Until finally someone reached out and patted her shoulder very gently.

It took several times before she finally came to her senses, jumping like an animal meeting a predator.  Luckily she didn't scream, and it saved her life.

"Who are you?" she squeaked, almost summoning the guards as well as the servants to give hands.  Her wide eyes widened even more after seeing the stranger.

"My name is Weggie," whispered Weggie, after pulling the hood off her head, sticking her curly hair in the air.  Her wide and beautiful eyes lit up like a marble.  "I came to free you."

The universe seemed to swirl before Lyra's eyes, then streaks of light shot like a parade.  It was all too confusing and shocking for her at the same time.  A savior?  This quick?  How could it be?

"Uh, Lyra?"  scolded Weggie again, feeling she didn't have much time.  "Gerald is already downstairs waiting for us.  I don't want him to be caught by the guards."

"Gerry?"  Lyra squeaked, too loud to wake the two maids waiting for her for a moment.  A miracle is sometimes real because they fall back asleep.

"Yes," Weggie nodded after helping Lyra to stand beside her.  "We both wanted to release you after hearing the news that you will soon marry Duke Kleo."

"But how do you know?"

"Baron Jason," Weggie said after a long sigh.  "And I am Master Pinn's slave.  So I know everything."

"So that means Tiny is in your hands?"

"More like the house where I live," Weggie corrected, sounding unsure.  Her steps led to various hidden gaps to carry Lyra away.  She took the usual Mangrovee Forest access to come to Wereal, then slipped away as the guards changed shifts, and entered a secret room that was no longer in use.

Along the way, Lyra was amazed because never knew she could escape through a small passage in the Wereal. She wasn't even sure if Duke Kleo knew about it, because if he did she probably wouldn't have been placed in that room.

They slipped in silence, holding hands as they continued steadily.  After a silence and a terrible reverberation, they were able to exit their escape route, finding Gerald standing like a sack of grain.

Lyra's eyes widened, immediately jumping up to hug her best friend very tightly, eliciting desperate jealousy from Weggie.

'He looks very happy when he meets Lyra.  But he was never like that when he met me,' Weggie thought pretending to be okay.  Her face turned bright again after the two friends finished hugging each other.  "Come on, we have to get going.  I know a safe place to go."

Like a captain, she led their escape, sneaked in astutely, waited for the right moment, and then waded through the moonless night.  Finally, they found the right time to carry out the mission.

The ends of their robes flashed in the air, including the Lyra's she got from Weggie.  Their last step went smoothly.  Now they had entered the Mangrovee Forest and managed to avoid the guards.

Their feet kept racing, kicking dry leaves damp with rain, occasionally stumbling because they almost fell.

"Stop!"  Lyra gasped after they had run far enough into the woods.  "Let me rest!  My lungs are about to explode!"

Gerald stopped his feet very nimbly, his hands still gripping Lyra's fingers, worried that she was falling too far behind them.  His head turned to Weggie, who had stopped breathing heavily.  "She's tired, Weg.  Let's take a break first!  After all, we've gone too far into the forest.  The guards will not be able to find us."

Weggie looked doubtful, the Mangrovee Forest was like a small piece of land to the Wereal's guards and soldiers as they trained and patrolled there a lot.  But after seeing Lyra's exhausted condition, she had no other choice.

"Okay," Weggie nodded.  "Let's find a place to hide and rest.  But I suggest don't stay too long!  We still have to move fast."

Lyra didn't seem to mind Weggie's suggestion.  With Gerald's help, she walked over to the bushes and sat down with relief.  Her legs were numb, stiff, and might be difficult to move tomorrow.

"Are you still able to walk?"  asked Gerald anxiously, as if separating Weggie into a strange world.

Weggie bit her lip, looking like she was trying to understand it.

"Who knows.  My legs hurt so much," Lyra moaned, gently massaging her legs.  "Do we still have a long way to go?"

Gerald turned to Weggie suddenly, making her gasp in surprise and nervousness.

"Oh, yeah," she stammered.  "We're only half way through."

Gerald now turned back to Lyra, helping her massage her legs.  "How?  Are you still able to walk?"

Weggie squeezed her hands together, looking down as she watched Gerald's concern for Lyra.  'They've been friends for a very long time.  So it's only natural that he pays attention to her more than me.  After all, he doesn't like me.  We're dating because I set him up.' But her heart still hurts so much.  Jealousy is more painful than a knife scratch.

"I guess so," Lyra nodded, wincing as she tried to get up, Gerald helping her again.  "I will force myself.  Besides, if it's not like this then I won't be able to be free.  I also have to appreciate the efforts of you guys, who were willing to try to free me twice."

Gerald looked at her meaningfully.

"Okay," Weggie nodded, standing up too.  "Come on!  We still have a long way to go."  Her feet leaped swiftly around the bushes, her eyes darting around, after confirming that there were no guards, her hands waved to invite Gerald and Lyra.

The three of them immediately ran back, spurring the footsteps with all their might.  The uneven terrain, as well as the many rocky outcrops, have hindered their journey.  Lyra's legs hurt even more than before, which made her fall over and over again.

This made Gerald take the initiative to hold her for a while, then let her walk on her own once she felt better.

"There's the end of the forest!  Come on, in a little while we'll be truly free!"  said Weggie excitedly, looking forward to getting compliments and thanks from Gerald, looking forward to treating her even better.

Gerald and Lyra looked equally happy.  Carrying Gerald, Lyra limped toward the edge of the forest, beginning to imagine the boundless freedom she could regain.

'Finally, I can live a normal life after this,' she thought happily.  'Maybe I'll hide first, then start moving to another kingdom.  I'll take it slowly.'

But sadly all plans and happiness were destroyed, when suddenly they heard the sound of galloping horses hoof approaching towards them, followed by the gleam of armor from a distance, and the glow of a very distinctive robe.

"Duke Kleo!"  cried Weggie.  "He found us!"

***