“Father sent everybody away as soon as it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to defend the castle.”
“Defend the castle… It’s true? We are at war?” She asked, wiping her hands to the hem of her cloak. Scott harrumphed and threw a potato to her basket, reaching for a carrot before his horse managed to munch it away.
“Not anymore. Drakes took us by surprise. Kingdom doesn’t exist anymore. Robert’s father made this land part of his empire. At first we tried… When I still had the army we tried to fight back.”
“Still had the army? What happened to it?”
“Robert’s father, Gregory brought a witch with him. A sorceress. Calls herself Dark Phoenix. She eradicated our forces. If father hadn’t called me back from the front I’d be dead as well.”
They collected rest of the vegetables and then just sat in silence for a moment.
“I never believed that you were dead,” Scott finally said.
“What gave me away?”
“Wolverine. He disappeared the same night you left. I thought he left with you. Where is he?” Scott asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him after that day. I…” Suddenly it took all her strength not to cry. Scott squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“I’m sure he’s alright. If there’s something he’s good at, it’s this. War. He’s a soldier, Rogue. He knows how to take care of himself.”
Scott’s sudden kindness was too much for her to bear. It was impossible to keep the tears at bay any longer. She grasped Scott’s shoulder and cried, wishing and hoping against hope that instead of Scott she could have smelled familiar scent of metal and leather.
“What are we going to do now?” She asked when she was able to speak again. Scott shook his head.
“I don’t know. Father told me that I should try to contact the rebels. To ask help from them. I don’t think it’s a good idea. For all we know, they might be in allegiance with Gregory.”
“Are we just going to sit back and let Drakes take our land?” She asked mortified. Scott nodded.
“For now. Until I can find reliable enough allies we have no other options.”
“But what about father, couldn’t he do something to Dark Phoenix?” She asked. Scott frowned.
“Rogue…”
“Is he alright?”
“He’s alright. I think. They took him as a hostage. Dark Phoenix was too strong for him.”
“What are you doing here, then! Shouldn’t we go and try to set him free?”
“No. He told me to hide and find allies. They won’t harm him as long as he’s useful.”
“Useful? Scott, he’s our father!”
“He’s our father, but as long as people see him as the legal ruler of this land Gregory can use him as a puppet, rule through him. And we will let him do that until we can find strong enough people to wipe out Dark Phoenix and Drakes!”
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