Erica

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The Trencent estate was not a place to be. The atmosphere was strained as the chaos was on the brink of forcing its way out of the doors and into the public.

Not only had the King fallen, but the prime suspect had escaped. The Duchess of Trencent faced an unhappy younger brother who was stubborn to the core.

"The girl is innocent." The Duke of Waisend gave an irritated grunt.

"Caspian... We do not know that for sure. None of us were there to witness the scene." The Duchess of Trencent frowned.

The Duke of Waisend narrowed his eyes at his older sister. His mood quickly darkening.

"There were two witnesses," Another voice joined in as they entered the room, "the Countess Alvore and her daughter." The Duchess of Waisend took strong strides to her husband's side, her posture rigid and unhappy.

"Exactly." The Duchess of Trencent confirmed acknowledging her sister-in-law, "What would they have to gain from such allegations against some unknown girl?"

"Oh, they know exactly who she is." The Duchess of Waisend almost spat out.

Her sister-in-law gave her a questioning look waiting for her to continue.

The Duchess of Waisend shot a glance over to the door, "Come in." She commanded.

Slowly the door opened and in walked a man, his eyes hardened, and his steps determined.

"Erica Alvore is my sister." Sorin spoke meeting the eyes of the Duchess of Trencent directly.

The Duke of Waisend did not take his statement lightly and in a split second grabbed the young man by his arm twisting it and slammed his head onto the hard oak table before them.

"You dare step foot in here!" The Duke seethed.

"Dear," His wife placed a delicate hand on his chest, "Let him go. He needs to speak."

Reluctantly the Duke pulled away from him letting the man go but maintaining a hateful glare in his direction daring Sorin to try anything.

Sorin uncomfortably shifted on his feet as he ribbed his arm nervously glancing back at the Duke, "Um...The girl who you suspect is my sister."

"Impossible. The Count is only known to have one daughter." The Duchess of Trencent widened her eyes.

Sorin nervously began talking again, "Yes. That is because she is my father's illegitimate child."

Sorin hoped that sentence alone would explain any questions, but truth be told, he had been feeling guilty as anything in that moment. His regret surrounding Erica was all but consuming him.

"So, your family tried to kill her." The Duke of Waisend's words were calm but that made them all the more terrifying and suffocating.

"Kill her?" Sorin was suddenly confused.

The Duke was unimpressed with his response, "Erica was brought to the Port Town of Canterbre with severe injuries and clear indications of torture."

Sorin's eyes widened, "But she was not part of the wreckage..." He whispered to himself as if trying to piece everything together and work out how she may have gotten hurt.

The Duke of Waisend slammed his fists onto the table almost breaking the hard wood with the force, "That girl has suffered enough from the hands of your family. You stole her voice; you hid her from the world and now you claim ignorance!"

"Calm down Caspian." The Duchess of Trencent let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. All this information was slightly overwhelming.

"Erica lost her-"

Sorin was interrupted by the door almost being slammed off its hinges by a very anxious and almost wild looking Georgie.

"Erica is innocent. The Countess Alvore is lying!" Her words were desperate as she hastily spoke to them while out of breath.

"Georgie?" The Duchess of Trencent was surprised by the young girl's sudden appearance.

Georgie glanced around the room before stopping and narrowing her eyes on Sorin. She did not hesitate to march right up to him and swip her flat hand right across his cheek. The slap was deafening in the silence of the room.

Sorin's head jerked to the side as his cheek began to sting. He deserved that...

"You bastard." Georgie spat, "You. You hurt her so much." She almost choked, "You hurt Erica."

"I never intended to-" Sorin started but Georgie would not let him speak.

"You and your disgusting family abandoned her!" Georgie fought back tears.

Sorin looked away guiltily.

"Who are you?" The Duchess of Waisend questioned giving the new arrival a suspicious look.

Georgie turned to face her before dropping her eyes in shame, "I was once a servant for the Alvore household... I was once close to Erica." She bit her lip.

The Duke of Waisend narrowed his eyes. There was something about the way she spoke that ticked him off.

"You hurt her." It was not the Duke who spoke but his wife, her intuition never failed her. She was as observant as ever.

"I... I had no choice..." Georgie sobbed, "The Countess Alvore forced me to."

The temperature of the room took a rapid drop. It suddenly felt extremely cold. The silence that followed after her words was deafening.

"Pardon the interruption, your Graces." A guard walked in bowing his head low. He carried urgent news.

"Speak." The Duchess of Trencent ordered her eyes never leaving Georgie.

"The King is missing."

All eyes suddenly turned to the guard. The poor man suddenly felt extremely terrified. Why did he have to draw the short straw and deliver the message?

"He will be back." Another voice chimed in walking in behind the guard. Walter entered the room unbothered by the intense atmosphere.

"If he dies, you owe me a new cousin." Louis grumbled behind the man still concerned for Aleric's health but accepting of the situation.

"He will not die." Walter rolled his eyes, a loose smile on his lips.

"Louis Trencent, you better start explaining." The Duchess of Trencent folded her arms. So much was going on, she could barely hold herself together.

Her husband, the Duke of Trencent was out trying to keep the chaos under control and prevent any news from reading beyond the Trencent gates. She was here trying to understand the situation and decide what steps to take. There was too much happening all at once and now King Aleric was supposedly missing. She would not be surprised if by the end of the night she would have gone completely grey.

"Mother. He is in love with her." Louis gave a small smile.

"Your Grace, I stand here before you with not only my position of Commander but my very life on the line. My sister, Erica, is innocent." Walter bowed.

"Believe him, she is." Louis stood strong next to Walter.

The Duchess of Trencent took a moment to look at each person in the room. Her brother and his wife, who she fully trusted and knew that they would never lie to her, Georgie, who she had become fond of, Sorin Alvore, a man who seem conflicted, Walter Alvore, who was both the King and her son's most trusted friend and Louis who would only take such a stand if he believed it was right.

She then turned to the guard, her mind made up, "You there, call off the search for the escaped suspect and bring me the Countess Alvore and her daughter, Sibyl Alvore."