Chapter Text
Leif had no idea where he was or how long he had been running. All he knew was that he couldn’t stop.
The Empire’s invasion had come without warning, Tahra being surrounded and under attack by the time the Duke received news of their arrival. Linoan had barely had enough time to lead Leif, Finn, Nanna, and Asbel to what the Duke hoped would be the safest escape route before House Friege’s soldiers arrived at the mansion, demanding the Duke hand Leif over to them. The passage beneath the mansion had been clear but the moment Finn stepped out of it and into the street to check for soldier, three of them set upon him. One made a grab for Leif and he took off, Asbel’s hand clenched tightly around his forcing Leif to bring him along with him.
But while Finn had been able to stop the soldiers from pursuing them, the fire spell that barely missed Leif warned of the mage following them. Leif and Asbel only made it a few blocks away before one of the mage’s spells hit an older building, causing it to collapse. Asbel’s hand had slipped out of his as they both hurried to avoid being crushed by burning debris and Leif continued his desperate flee alone.
Finn had given him instructions on what to do if they were separated while trying to escape the Empire and Leif did his best to follow them now. He darted from alley to alley, avoiding being out in the open as much as possible, trying to keep is ragged breathing as quiet as possible. The alleys between the houses were narrow enough he could touch both sides without fully extending his arms so at least there was little chance of any soldier who did see him following him through here. Still, he didn’t slow down, desperate to get out of the city. The houses around him were becoming shabbier, a sign, Leif hoped, he was close to the edge of Tahra. Once he was made it out of the city, he just needed find a place to hide and wait for everyone else. If he made it out, they would make it out as well. He couldn’t think otherwise.
Just as he was approaching the end of the alley, he heard voices. Skidding to a halt, he frantically looked around for something to hide behind. Seeing nothing, he backed into the shadows and pressed himself against the wall facing away from the direction the voices were coming from. Holding his breath despite his lungs pleading for air, he prayed for whoever was out there to not look down the alley as they passed.
“Do you think we’ll actually catch the brat this time?” a man asked. It didn’t take much to guess the man was an Empire soldier and by brat he meant Leif. His heart was racing so fast he couldn’t count the beats as each footstep brought the men hunting for him closer.
“Probably not, he’s been a slippery one so far. But at least we finally had an excuse to take Tahra so can’t say the kid doesn’t have his uses,” his companion answered.
The first soldier huffed. “Do you really think the people of Tahra will take the execution of their duke well? From what I’ve heard, he and his family are well liked. The last thing I want to be dealing with is another riot.”
“It doesn’t matter how well liked you are if you’re caught harboring a known fugitive. And even if we don’t catch him, we have the testimony of two guards and a maid that the prince was here. That’s more than enough to sign his death sentence, giving the people no good reason to riot unless they want to sign theirs too,” the second replied nonchalantly. The pair continued their conversation but were too far away for Leif to make out what they were saying. Not that he could have paid attention to anything else they said the mention of the Duke’s fate.
Even after the soldiers were far enough away for Leif to continue on, he found himself unable to. Instead, he slid down the wall, coming to rest with his knees against his chest, head bowed. He was shaking, whether with fear, anger, or something else, he didn’t know. The soldiers’ words repeated mercilessly in his head. The Duke of Tahra was going to die. Linoan’s father, a kind man who told terrible jokes and bought flowers for Nanna, who instead of getting mad, laughed when Asbel accidentally set a curtain on fire, who showed off for Leif the swordplay techniques he learned in Isaach. This man was going to be executed, just because he helped Leif.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened either. The King of Alster had also been executed after the Empire learned he had taken in Leif, as had Asbel’s father, a simple priest whose people turned on him for harboring the prince. When Leif asked Finn if this was his fault, Finn had denied it. But Leif had a hard time believing him back then. Now, it seemed undeniable.
Everywhere he went, whoever helped him ended up facing the wrath of the Empire, a trail of corpses and ruined lives left behind so he could escape unscathed. Asbel was an orphan, Linoan would be too, if she wasn’t killed along with her father. He had no idea what had happened to Miranda, the Princess of Alster. Even Finn had fought and bled more times than Leif likely knew just to keep him alive. Leif couldn’t think of a single person who had offered him aid and not paid the price for it.
That ended now.
Clenching his fists, he tried to will his shaking to stop. He had to stop this, never again would he let someone else die for his sake. No one else would ever give their life in exchange for his. Especially Finn. For as long as Leif could remember, Finn had been by his side as a protector, mentor, father. He knew Finn didn’t agree with the last one but the title felt more fitting for him than the man who died before Leif had a chance to remember him and whose legacy Leif disgraced by existing. Leif couldn’t let Finn throw his life away for something as pointless as him, a powerless prince the gods themselves tried to warn the world was unworthy by withholding the blessing of Major Holy Blood every other prince of Leonster had been born with. That should have been enough of a warning he wasn’t worth all the sacrifices made to keep him alive but too many people had still made them. But no one ever would again.
New resolution in mind, Leif finally managed to stand. The shaking hadn’t gone away but he could ignore it as he ran. So he took off, running toward the edge of Tahra. The walls surrounding the city had been broken in several places to allow more troops in faster than all of them entering through only the main and back gates. Now they served as an easier escape than trying to find one of the hidden exits or sneak through the gates. Once outside, Leif started running again, almost tumbling down the incline leading to the top of the hill Tahra was built on several times as he descended. He still managed to make it down quickly and continued running straight into the trees lining the road. Away from the burning city, the darkness of night hid what lay ahead of him, each step a risk Leif didn’t consider. He had no idea where he was going or how long he had been running. All he knew was that he couldn’t stop.