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| - Victoria sat up in her bed, skimming through the diary her father had lent her. There was much in there that interested her. Her father had kept a daily record of his and her mothers relationship. One day they would be out for a walk in the woods, another they would be aboard his ship just enjoying the day. Not a single day seemed to go by without some sweet memory taking place. Victoria smiled as she continued to read the book. The diary went on for a good 13 years, before suddenly ending abruptly. Victoria looked at the last page confused. "I wonder why it ends here?" She asked aloud to Daisy, who was already asleep at the far corner of the bed. She searched the cover for more clues, and found one. A small and barely legible sentence. It read: "The Rouge and the Lady". Victoria looked puzzled at the title. "Where have I heard that before?" She muttered. Just then, she heard some scuffling outside her door. It's probably just mice. She thought as she plopped down upon her pillow, startling Daisy awake. Strangely, Daisy got up and went to the cabin door. She sniffed it and then growled in a low aggressive tone. "It's just mice girl, go back to sleep already." As soon as she had spoken, the door swung open, and it wasn't vermin. It was two of her crew members, Ron and William. They approached Victoria in an intimidating manner. Victoria eyed then warily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is my cabin, get out!" Victoria yelled as the two men continued to advance on her. Daisy continued to growl fiercely, until Ron kicked her in the ribs. The wolfdog let out a painful yelp and then lay pitifully on the floorboards. "Daisy! What the hell did you do that for?!" Victoria continued to yell. All too late, she reached for her cutlass, but the men were already upon her, dragging her away. She fought and kicked, but the two strong men easily carried her up to the deck, where Victoria saw Gustavan tied to the mast. The two men did the same to her. "Mutney..." Victoria muttered. "Not quite luv, more like, they be kidnappen' ye." Gustavan spoke up. "But why? And why are you tied up too?" She asked him. Gustavan growled under his breath. "Now that part be a backstab. Me men turned on me the second they found out who ye were." He explained. Victoria looked around angrily at the pirates. Seth, who was brandishing a rather nasty-looking old cutlass, came walking over to the mast that held the two captives. He grinned down at Victoria, looking mighty proud of himself. "Why ol Captain Dread must be looking out fer me, cus look at the huge haul I just caught in me net!" Seth wheezed. "You better let Gus and I go, or else you'll regret it!" She threatened. "Oooh, I didn't know that ye was a couple. Well don't worry, I won't hurt yer boyfriend." The crew erupted into laughter. "Course, I could just keep ye for meself. What do you have ta say ta that Victoria?" Seth asked her. The princess spat in his face. "Drop dead." She hissed. Seth's amusing gaze melted into a dangerous frown. He raised his cutlass at her. Victoria's eyes widened and she prepared herself for the worst. "I wouldn't do that if I were you..." William piped up. Seth stopped and looked at his mate. "She's the princess Seth. How are we gonna git the gold from the ransom if she's dead?" Seth wiped the spat from his cheek and leaned in closer until his face and Victoria's face were inches apart. Victoria could smell rotten fish on his breath. "He's got a point. But, if yer brother doesn't pay up, I'll rip yer liver out and feed it to the mutt." "That's not a very wise thing to do Seth." Victoria replied. "Why not?" He asked her. "Because my father is a pirate too. He'll come and save me, and make you guys suffer." Victoria stated. Seth looked back at the other pirates and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Victoria asked annoyed. Seth straightened his back and glared at her. "Every pirate on the seven seas knows that ol' Reaver hung up his cutlass more than 30 years ago, when he fell fer yer mum." Seth replied. Victoria winced. It was true, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, her father wasn't coming to save her. No one was. "Anyways, yer big brother will pay a handsome reward fer ye- espessialy if he ever wants ta see ye again." He poked the cutlass up into Victoria's neck. She yelped at the unexpected prick as blood trickled down onto her blouse. "The king will have yer heads if ye even think about pullen a stunt like that! How are ye even gonna go about a ransom Seth? We're out at sea." Gustavan asked. His answer was a hard glare from Seth and a kick in the crotch from William. Gustavan winced as Seth continued to pace. "Like I'd listen ta the son of the most half-assed pirate ta ever live? Yer old man made his money selling fake letters ta people. Some pirate." Seth smirked. The rest of the crew laughed again. Victoria pulled harder on the ropes. "How are you going to go about it then? He has a point you know. How is Logan going to be able to send a ransom all the way out to the middle of the ocean? Besides, he doesn't care if I'm dead. He threatened to kill me himself." Victoria added. Seth looked at the ominous dark storm clouds that seemed to circle the ship. "He'll pay up." Was his only reply. Victoria felt awful, remembering the night in the ballroom when her brother and her had had their absolute worst ever falling out. She regretted it with all of her heart, and she prayed and hoped that Logan did too. The storm clouds continued to form dark black swirls around The Rose Maiden, and now, everyone was looking at them with a mix of worry and confusion. They were not normal storm clouds, and there were no thunder clashes in the distance. Seth was also growing visibly more ill at ease. He looked up to the crow's nest and yelled for Norman, who was keeping watch. "What do ye see Norman? Is there a storm on the way?" He asked. Norman looked down at Seth and called back. "I don't really know. It's not like any storm I've ever seen before." "Where the hells Westcliff?" He asked aloud. Suddenly, Daniel rushed down from the wheel of the ship. A look of cold fear and dread covered his face. "Seth! Westcliff, its...its..." Daniel stammered. Seth shoved him aside and rushed to the wheel. To his horror, he saw Westcliff coming into view. But it was not like it had been even a year ago when Seth and Ron had last been there. It was completely engulfed in marsh, and everything, from the once proud Crucible, all the way to the dreaded Howling Halls, was covered in a dank, murky mist. What was even more disturbing was the fact that no people were anywhere around the place. Except for the few haunting remains of tattered corpses scattered around the mire, the whole of Westcliff was desolate and empty. Seth's eyes widened as he saw a man running madly towards his approaching ship. The man looked to be half-crazy and was clothed in torn rags. He called to the men on board. "Stop, please, take me with you and let's get outta here!" The man yelled hysterically. Seth looked down at him and called. "What the hell happened here?" "No one really knows. But it happened this morning, and so fast too. Everyone was so happy, enjoying the day. Then, it came, and and..." The man started to laugh and cry all at once in an insane scream. Seth watched him, until the mans display was cut short abruptly by a thunder-clap of black. A pillar of dark smoke rose forth from the ground and engulfed the man whole, and the mans cries were no more. In his place stood a tall figure in a black hood. The figure stood motionless until Seth called to it. "You there! Who are ye?" Seth demanded from the cloaked figure. The hood that obscured the figures face fell away, to reveal a tanned man with an arcane tatoo on his cheek and gleaming red eyes. "Seth. You have my thanks for bringing me Victoria Remswood." The man spoke in a deep voice. Seth looked at him bewildered. "H-How did ye know me name?" He asked. The hooded man simply smiled and reached into the muck, revealing the bones of a small child. He broke free the childs ribcage, and one of the topmost ribs. Then, in a blur of dark energy, he hurled the rib straight at Seth, piercing his heart. The hooded man the levitated up to the ship, and as he passed the other crew members, his black energy engulfed and suffocated them in his wake. He approached the mast where Victoria and Gustavan stood tied. He bent over and examined Victoria, before grinning a dark smile. "So your his daughter. Yes, you have the same fire in your eyes. The very same." The mans chuckle made a noise like bones being ground into powder. Victoria locked eyes as fearlessly as she could with the strange man. "Who are you? What's happened to Westcliff?" She looked around restlessly at the destroyed town. "Let's just call it my specialty. I see you have your fathers recklessness and your mothers optimism. A dangerous mix that is my dear." The man added. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Xaiver. I own most of the known parts of Albion, which I have transformed into this lovely little dark mire, and I am a master at the black arts. You are Madam Victoria Remswood." He replied. Victoria was taken aback by his words. "How do you know all that?" Xaiver smirked. "All will be explained in time." With that, the princess blacked out. Victoria awoke in a small room, chained to the wall. Gustavan and Daisy were nowhere to be seen. Victoria suddenly recalled the kidnapping, and the strange man that had saved them, only to kidnap her for himself. Victoria hoped with all her heart that Gustavan and her dog were somewhere still alive and safe, although that was beginning to seem more unlikely by the passing minute. She wondered what fate awaited her here. Did the strange man in the black hood wish to get a ransom off of her too? Or was it something else? He did know of her family, and even her full name, without ever meeting her. Victoria had heard about will users, magicians and wizards, witches and spell weavers. They came in black magic, white magic and plenty of shades of grey, but they all had one thing in common: they all could read minds. Victoria was now seriously considering that this man was indeed, a will user. Either that or a spy. No matter what he was, she was chained to a wall and she was in danger. The cell door creaked open, startling Victoria. The same hooded man walked into her cell. He removed the hood which had concealed his face. "You! What are you planning to do to me?" Victoria yelled at the man. "I am not planning on doing anything to you my dear. In fact, I want you to do something for me." Xaiver replied. Victoria looked around the cell frantically. Xaiver laughed in his throat. "Looking for something?" He asked. Victoria looked him in the eyes. They were red and very frightening to look at, but she was feeling bold and was worried about Gustavan and Daisy. "Where is my friend, and where is my dog?" She asked, worried at what the answer might be. "They managed to escape." "Some warlock you must be. Don't you know that having witnesses to your crimes is a bad thing?" Victoria jeered. Xaiver continued to smile, which made her a little uneasy. "All part of my plan. Your brother is looking for you." "Duh. Everyone in Albion knows that. He does this every time I've run away." "But you have never made it this long or this far have you?" Xavier pointed out. Victoria looked away. "No." She replied embarrassed. "Which is exactly why your pitiful friends were granted leave from my malevolent domain. They will no doubt run to warn the local authorities that you have been kidnapped, whom in turn will alert your brother, the king." Xaiver explained. "And why exactly are you happy about this?" Victoira asked. "Because that is the basis of what we call a trap. I have you, I have your mother, now all I need is your big brother and your father, whom is undoubtably on his way to rescue you and your mother as we speak. Trying to prevent me from slaughtering his family again no doubt..." Victoria's eyes widened. "Are you nuts?! My mothers been dead 16 years now, and my brother would never come looking for me himself, he's far to spoiled and full of himself." Victoria answered. "He gets that part from your daddy." "And what about him? What do you mean that you slaughtered his family? Did he have a wife before mother or something? Do I have a sibling that you killed? Honestly, what the hell is going on here?!" Victoria added. Xaiver made a gurgling noise which Victoria could only imagine was supposed to be a laugh, as he turned his back to her. "You don't know anything about this whole thing do you?" "Not really, and when you get arrested and hung and I'm going to be laughing. All Logan has do to is alert the guards in Westcliff and-" "Silly girl. Did you really think that we were still in Westcliff? Take a look outside." Xaiver opened the black curtains of the cell and Victoria was shocked by what she saw. She hadn't been in a cell at all, but with the dark lighting and all the chains, she couldn't have been the wiser. What she had really been looking at was a huge dining room, complete with a long dining table, and a stove. Everything was made of either dark black wood or obsidian stone. Save the candles licking hungrily at the cold black stone walls with their purple and bluish flames. Xaiver watched as she continued to take in her surroundings. "Welcome to Obsidian Keep. My domain, all of it. Feast your eyes on my land, on my country, and on my world." Xaiver motioned to the window. Thick black lines of energy whipped around the chains that held Victoria, causing her to cry out in shock. They ate away at the heavy chains, freeing her as they dropped. The hollowness of the room became clear as the chains hit the floor with a loud clang. Victoria stood and made her way to the window, a little unsure as to why her kidnapper had freed her. She looked out the window and saw the lands that Xaiver had told her about. They went on for as far as her eyes could see: eerie empty marsh, full of dead trees and destroyed buildings. There were no signs of life as far as Victoria could tell. Xaiver stared out over the vastness of his kingdom and smiled at her. "Beautiful isn't it?" He asked her. "No. Its just like Westcliff, ugly and creepy. Did you do all this too?" She asked. "This was, shall we say my first undertaking. This land used to be a quaint little farming community, full of life, laughter, and beauty. I put an end to that. With the help of your father that is." "That's impossible. My father would never help you to do something like this! He's an inventor, and industrialist, an instrument of progress and change. This is just mindless destruction." Victoria was insulted at what she was hearing. "Indeed it is...From here I took Bloodstone, and from there, I wrapped my evil around the sea of dread, which came to Westcliff. My empire continues to grow and to thrive, and one day, it shall cover all of Albion, and then the world." Victoria looked up at him. "Why? What would a man with dreams as dark as yours want with me and my family?! I don't understand." She asked. "You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, sit pretty and wait for the show to begin." Xaiver started to dissipate into a thick black fog. His words of hatred and evil angered Victoria. Why would he do something that evil? And why was he capturing her family? And about her mother, she had been dead for so long, yet Xaiver acted like she was alive and well. From behind her, Victoria heard the door unlock. She spun around and locked eyes with a nightmare.
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