Chapter 55 William Barnstin
A handsome man of 20, sat in his private quaters, as he read the letters sent by his Subordinates.
The man had blue eyes, black hair, and a finely chiseled jawline.
This man was William Barnstin A.K.A, 'the Ghostly prince'.
His mother, Mona Ferris, had been a caring and woman, who showered him with love daily.
Mona used to be was from the Nobel family of Ferris.
She was actually first engaged to King Barn's younger brother at the time.
She loved Oden Barn dearly. He was the 2nd prince at the time, and the chosen crown prince by his father. He truly cared about the people, and wasnt power hungry like his other brothers.
Kindness and empathy is a good trait, but can also have its downsides.
One day, Mona had come to visit her beloved, only to see him in a pool of blood.
There were 3 men in the room with daggers in their hands.
It was the now present King Barn (whose name is Alec), and his 2 Subordinates.
She immediately pushed them aside and ran towards Oden... Why? ... what kind of person kills their own blood? she couldn't wrap her head around it.
King Barn had always been lusting over her, so he asked his 2 guards to stand guard whole he tried to rape her.
She struggled and fought with all her might, and in the midst of her struggling, Alec Barn got angry and used his dagger to cut her face.
He gave her 2 long stripes in the form of an 'X' on her face.
Suddenly, the door burst open and her personal guards successfully rescued her from King Barn's grasps. They knocked Alec Barn unconscious and rushed to their lady's side.
Luckily, she wasn't raped. She looked at Oden's body and realised that he was still breathing... He was alive!!
The guards quickly carried his body and they all escape.
Once she got back at the Ferris estate, her parents quickly sent her, all her siblings and their families, as well as their knights, into hiding.
They escaped that very night and traveled for 4 and a half months to their secret base. At the same time, her parents freed all the slaves and maids, and sat alone in their Private quarters.
She knew that this would be the last time that she saw her parents.
The next day, the entire empire was in an uproar... It was said that Mona killed Oden and made was with his body in the dead of night.
What made people believe the rumours was the fact that Mona, her siblings and all the guards and servants, were no were to be found.
What surprised people the more was that the current King, Augustus Barn, had also passed away mysteriously that same night.
Mona's parents were tied up and burnt alive in front of the citizens... They were charged for both deaths and weren't even given a trial.
2 days later, Alec Barn took over the throne as ruled of Arcadina. And with this, the Ferris family was no more.
5 months later, Mona heard the news about her parents and her dear father in law King Augustus.
She swore that she would get her revenge for what that beast did to her love ones.
But for the past 2 months, she had been feeling sick and constant been throwing up. Her brothers wives had told her that it might be due to pregnancy, but she immediately rejected the thought.
Since concluded it was probably due to l the trauma she had faced.
She had Oden had only slept with each other once. How could a baby come out just from that one time?
But 7 months later, she looked at her petruding belly and felt helpless.. Oden was still receiving treatment and was still very weak.
She decided that she would try her best to raise her child with all the love in the world. She had to be strong for both the child and Oden.
When William was born, Mona looked at him and cried.
He resembled her late father.
And when he smiled or laughed, he also had the splitting image of her late father-in-law Augustus.
She named him William in remembrance of her loving father, and Barnstin, to remind him that he is came from a great Barn, and the 'stin' was for cover up.... So that even if he walked about the town, no one would be curious about why his name was Barn.
Little William grew up in a loving him with his many uncles, his father, his mother and a few maids.
But as he grew up, curiosity got the best of him.
Who gave his mother those scars? Why did his mother often mention someone called Augustus? Why were they always in hiding? And more importantly, who was responsible for heavily injuring his father?
When he turned 12, he had overheard his uncles having conversations about their past, and he was able to put one and two together.
He now truly felt bad for his mother... and he swore to make that bastart uncle Alec of his pay.
He became more vigilant with his sword and more eager on learning military tactics.
When he was 15, he walked up to his father, mother and uncles, requesting for the truth.
Oden and Mona had given up on revenge long ago because of William. This kind of burden was too great for him to carry alone. This was the current king they were talking about. It wasn't going to be easy to kill him.
"Father, Mother, I will do this whether you all like it or not!! I want you all, and everyone to be free.
I want you all to be able to walk about without disguising or hiding yourselves.
I know that you all gave up on revenge because of me.... But if I'm truly part of this family, then treat me like a man by allowing me to share your burdens... I will not fail!!"
Oden, Mona, her brothers and the knights were taken aback.
'Our young Prince had finally grown up', they thought.
Oden and Mona knew that they couldn't reject his offer... they never wanted him to go down the road of bloodshed... but they also knew that it wasnt a realistic dream at all.
No one could live out their entire life in hiding. It's either you bring the battle to your enemies or they bring the battle to you.
Although they had meant to give up on revenge, a tiny part of them wasn't willing to.
So they both trained in secret daily, in hopes that they would one day have the courage to kill that bastard without their sons knowledge.
But their little bundle of joy had also became a man, and wanted them to rely on him more. Everyone knew that his mind was made up.. and no one could change it.
Everyone waited for Oden's answer anxiously, especially Mona's brothers.
"I will tell you everything, and I will allow you to make your own decisions on the path that you want to choose...
But no matter what path it is, I hope that you will never do things recklessly or without a backup plan.
If you do choose to aid us in our quest, then I too have a request for you" Oden said
"What is it Father?"
"You must always cover your face whenever you leave the base, no matter who you are with....
You must always wear a mask."