Invincible

Prologue
The tall, beautiful ceiling fell down in crumbs; the splendor of the stained-glass windows cracked and threatened to break at any second; and the walls once adorned in drapes of blue and purple were consumed by billowing black smoke.
This smoke infiltrated every crevice within the castle, and filled the grand hall so when Celestia and her personal maid, Elizabeth, entered the throne room, it invaded their nostrils. Amidst the thick smoke, Celestia joined her sister-in-law Lizette, and the trio started down the long hall towards the castle doors.
The fire attacked the grand hall like a ravaged wolf, destroying everything Celestia loved about the castle. Her eyes stung, she coughed uncontrollably; but she thought of only one thing: Was her husband safe?
After some clever maneuvers, they made it to the doors, which Elizabeth opened, allowing the smoke to burst out with them. Though she immediately closed the doors, Celestia knew the flames continued feasting upon the castle’s beauty.
Celestia turned away from the doors, and found Lizette’s personal maid, Mary, who had gotten two horses laid with provisions ready for them.
“A very merry merry, Elizabeth,” Celestia thanked, once the coughs subsided. “You risked your life to save ours, we will surely not forget it.”
“And the same gratitude for you, Mary,” Lizette addressed, her voice hoarse. “We were honored to have both of you as our personal maids.”
The two maids bowed. “With all due respect, your highness,” Elizabeth said, “I had hoped to someday take care of your little one.”
Celestia put her hand on her belly, and said, “If you stay faithful to the Wrutome throne, then maybe someday you will.” Celestia looked at Lizette’s maid, remembering Lizette’s pregnancy, and said, “You could have the same future.”
The two maids helped the two women up on their horses, using as much care as possible to protect their babies.
Mary then asked, “Will I ever see you again?”
“I don’t know,” Lizette said, downcast.
“Pray then,” she said, “hear me out. I am positive that this fire did not start on its own.”
“You believe someone purposely kindled this fire?” Celestia questioned.
“Yes, your highness.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Lizette asked.
To Celestia’s relief, nobody answered that question, though she felt she knew the answer. Instead, they said farewell to their personal maids and rode away into the night.
They headed for the Swifter River, the dark night making it easy for Celestia to ignore her surroundings. She last saw her husband, King Raymond, at dinner. The worst fears began gnawing at her, especially since even the maids suspected that someone could be targeting the royals. After all, horrid events, especially recently, always seemed to accompany exciting events. The death of Prince Redmond, Lizette’s husband, within a month of Lizette announcing her pregnancy to the Wrutomeans; this fire when both babies were due in a month. A strange fear latched onto her; one she couldn’t quite shake.
Celestia came out of her thoughts and really looked at Lizette, and saw inexplicable sadness. She also saw her sister-in-law had come to a similar conclusion as she had. They would not be safe if they stayed together. But splitting up meant they would most likely never see each other again, for they would have to enter the Dominaek Forest.
The Dominaek Forest had not been named so for no reason. It served as the main landmark separating the three kingdoms, it stretched for miles and miles, and it had been ages since anyone could properly navigate it. Only one trustworthy path could be found in the forest now, a trail, created from years and years of closeness between the kingdom of Wrutome and the people of the plains past the forest, and then years of fighting between the newly named Abandoned Plains and the kingdom of Wrutome. To stray from this path equaled suicide due to the sheer size of the forest, and its jungle-like qualities. However, the two ladies couldn’t risk leaving a trail just anyone could follow.
At last, they came to the Swifter River, and crossed over the bridge, officially out of the Wrutome kingdom, facing the Dominaek Forest head-on. They slowly approached it.
“I hate to leave you,” Lizette said, her voice back to normal courtesy of the clear air.
“Are you going back home?” Celestia asked. “Even though you haven’t spoken with your family since you married Redmond?”
“Yes. The kingdom of Namodence is the only other place I feel safe. My father doesn’t have to know I’m there.”
“I’ll go to Jegavol. Our kingdom was once very close to the kingdom of Jegavol.”
Celestia then glanced at Lizette, and found concern in her eyes. “What if we never see each other again?”
The horse’s reins grew heavier for Celestia to carry as she softly said, “Our babies could meet.” Louder, she continued, “If my baby is not a boy, then by law we don’t have an heir to the throne. That means if your baby is a boy, then he’s the rightful heir to the throne of Wrutome, though I have no clue what the future holds.” No matter what, the crown of Wrutome could not be given to just anyone.
“By my troth, when I have my baby, if it’s a girl I’ll name it Celeste,” Lizette promised.
Celestia looked with surprise at her sister-in-law. The families always named their babies based on their ancestors’ names. To buck against this tradition either showed the person’s insanity or devoted love. Celestia smiled with tears in her eyes.
“Then I vow to do the same. However, if my baby is a boy, I will name it Desmond.”
If the names of the babies made even the slightest bit of a difference, then it would be worth it.
“I shall do the same,” Lizette answered with her own smile.
They finally made it to the very edge of the forest.
“Stay safe,” Celestia bid.
“You too,” Lizette responded...