EnglandxReader - CHAINED Ch1

CHAINED
—Magic is everywhere, you just don't realize it was there.

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Trade

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"Lady [Name]!" You heard a familiar shout from behind you, nearly drowned by the chaos surrounding the area.

"Y-Yao!"

Your ever faithful servant dashed toward you, a look of pure horror and panic masked his face. The young man grabbed your shoulder in worry. "Lady! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you, aru?"

"No, I'm fine." You took a glance around. It was a horrible sight. The land you once knew as your country was now blaring in fire. Buildings and houses were ruined, gardens and fields destroyed, villagers captured and killed without mercy. Everything was not what they used to be anymore.

Yao gave you a comforting hug. He shushed your silent cries and whispered, "Sshh, don't cry. Everything will be alright. Everything will be... fine."

You bit your lip and nodded. It was tragic and overbearing. Yao's words were warm and comforting, but you sincerely wished that they were the truth.

***

Cries of battles and neighs of horses echoed everywhere. Yao had brought you to a safer place in the palace grounds, hiding you from the enemies' hungry hands. Yao took you to a secluded area, and kept watch for incoming attacks.

"The guards still couldn't find His Royal Highness and Her Majesty, Lady [Name], so you have to stay with me for now, aru." Yao looked at you worriedly, and you nodded meekly. Yao had been your guardian and your caretaker for as long as you remember, and you trusted him with all your life. His loyalty was not to be questioned.

You felt tears filling your eyes once again. "I'm sorry, Yao... this isn't supposed to happen."

"You don't need to apologize, aru. It's no one's fault."

"But I have to. My parents are at fault too in this case, knowing that we don't have enough money to pay the Wizards, they still pushed on, nonetheless."

There was a glint of sadness visible on the young warrior's face. "Lady..."

"...And your family, they might be in danger, too."

"Don't worry about them. My brothers are all warriors, they can help themselves."

"But your sister! She is still so young!"

Yao walked closer to you and put a comforting hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry. Kiku will protect her, no matter what."

Looking in his eyes, you could see how much faith he puts on his younger brother. You were relieved to know that his family's safety was assured.

Just when you thought you could ease in the moment, the large wooden door that hid you from the chaos outside was nearly cracked into two, and a horde of a fierce looking soldiers barged in. Yao quickly drew his sword and stood in front of you.

"Hand the princess or else!" You heard one of the soldiers shouted.

"Never!" Yao replied, and with a swift movement he leaped forward and attempted to slash the soldier off guard. Unfortunately, the man was much more quicker than him and managed to avoid his attack, countering the assault and disarming Yao with a slash of his own blade.

You shrieked in fear. The counterattack brought a painful looking gash across Yao's right arm and it successfully immobilized him. Yao let out a cry of pain and he fell to the ground. The soldier pinned him down with his sword, a nasty smirk plastered across his scarred face.

"Y-Yao!"

"L-Lady! Stay back!"

"Silence, trash! Challenging someone into battle and trying to flee is against the battlefield rules!" He lifted his sword and positioned it right on top of Yao.

"Punishment has been ascertained!"

Without waiting for another moment, you stepped forward and pushed the man away from the wounded servant. "STOP!"

The scarred man, though initially surprised, flashed a smirk and roughly grabbed your upper arm, pulling you toward him. You screamed in pain, trying to get away from his grip.

You heard him chuckle. "What a feisty woman you are, Princess [Name]. I'm sure Master Kirkland will be glad to have you."

"Lady [Name]! Let her go!" Yao tried to stand up, but the other guards held him and kept him down. Finding no way to escape, Yao seethed. "You... son of a—!"

The large man holding your arm laughed maniacally, and roughly pulled you out with him. "Come, men. Bring that boy along, we will have him punished severely after this!"

You tried to get away from him, but it was useless. He was too strong. "What will you do to him?! Don't hurt him! You can take me, but let him go!"

"Lady, what are you saying, aru?! Do not say that!"

The large soldier only let out another disgusting laugh and looked at you mockingly. "Lawbreakers are to be beheaded!"

***

You were thrown up onto the wooden deck. You could hear the crowd shouting angry curses in front of you. Your eyes started to water again. They were the villagers of your country, the people left of your once glorious kingdom. The guards were trying to keep them down, and between the crowds, you could see your parents held captive on the side of the deck where you kneeled helplessly. You noticed your mother saw you and she started crying. Your father tried to keep his calm and comforted his wife, but you could see in his eyes that he was starting to lose hope. The seemingly endless chaos was stopped when a man with golden hair walked up the deck. He wore a long black cloak, and he seemed to be an important person.

"My name is Arthur Kirkland." His voice was calm, but it echoed throughout the area and silenced everything at once. He had a very strong aura, one that showed his status and class without even saying. "I am the Wizard your King had summoned a month ago."

You felt a pang in your chest. A month ago, your kingdom was attacked by an unknown country who tried to claim your kingdom's territory. The King, your father, was worried about his people's safety since your country was having a crisis at the moment and had not enough power to cast the enemies away. The decision to call reinforcement from Wizards was wise, but summoning a family of Dark Mages was a mistake. It was a price that your kingdom had to pay.

The Dark Mage looked at you, a glint of disgust flashed in his emerald green orbs. You could see that he had a significantly thick eyebrows that was somehow out of place. He smirked at you. "For a little country, you do have your treasures."

You shivered. There was something about this man that frightened you. His mysteriously accented voice was always low and sounded harmless, but somehow you could feel the eerie sensation that it sent down your spines. It was like his voice could control people around him.

Without taking his icy gaze off you, he continued, "For hiring Mages and not paying them properly, even with the extended given amount of time. Don't that deserve a proper punishment?"

You heard you father speak, "We are terribly sorry, Sire. We did not mean to break our promise..."

"Nonsense!" The Dark Mage swayed his cloak and turned to face the King. "You will still have to pay for all the trouble you cause us."

"B-But, sir—"

"Pay us back, and that's that. I will take your daughter as hostage until you pay off your debt." He gave you an angry glance.

"NO! Not [Name]!" Your father cried. "Take me! You can take anyone, but please, not her!"

"I will take your daughter. Or would you rather I kill her?"

The King was silent.

He smiled eerily. "Very well, I will take my leave now. Guards, prepare the horses!" He commanded.

His troops began to move, and one of them took your hand and pulled you into a carriage. You saw your parents, and tears welled in your eyes.

"Mother! Father!"

You heard them shouting your name, begging for them not to take you away, but their voice was drowned by the shouting of the crowds as you were slowly taken away from your parents, from your kingdom, from your home.

To be continued...