Of the Forest and Sea

Chapter 27

Brayen brought up food for us but stayed silent as he did. He was angry at me too, and I couldn’t blame him for it.

“Maria, will you stay here with me tonight?”

“Yes,” she said, quickly.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?”

“I already said yes, I don’t know-.”

“Do you want to, or are you going to make sure I don’t disappear again?”

“Both.”

“At least you’re honest.” I sent one of the servants to grab one of Loveday’s smaller nightgowns and stepped out for Maria to change.

“You can come back in now. I’ve gotten quicker at changing, you know,” She said, opening the door. She took my hand and pulled me back into my room, letting me fall back into bed. I still felt weak, but I tried to ignore it as much as possible.

At least with Maria, I never have to tell her, she just knows.

“Has anything else happened with the pearls?”

“Oh, no… I hadn’t even thought about those.”

“Do you keep them with you?”

“No, Uncle has them locked away. For good reason, I suppose. If they’re not out in the world, then there’s no danger.”

“I have a feeling you don’t like it.”

“I’d feel safer knowing that the crown and the dagger weren’t together. I keep watching the book, too. Nothing’s changed.”

“It might soon. Dulac’s execution date has been set, that’s bound to cause some problem.”

“You say it like you know something will happen.”

“I don’t doubt it. It’s Dulac, I know he doesn’t want this, so who’s to say he won’t try to avoid it. He’s already tried, but my father has 4 guards watching him at all times. He didn’t make it very far.”

“Does he have to be killed?”

“What?” I sat up quickly and stared at her in shock. Did she really just ask that?

“Well, it just seems a bit extreme…”

“Wait. Are you telling me that you don’t want the man who tried to kill you, multiple times, and nearly killed me, to live?” I could tell she was hesitant to answer.

“Robin, he’s still a human, the same as you and me.”

“A human who tried to kill you. More than once. Dulac is a weapon for my family. He has been trained to kill.”

“Then help him change.”

“He wants the both of us dead, Maria. Would you feel safe if he was let go?” She shook her head, “I know you have good intentions, but some people are too far gone to change.” Maria pulled me back down in bed and cuddled into my side.

“I just don’t understand why he has to be killed. Keep him locked up for the rest of his life or something.”

“We risk him breaking out and causing problems. I don’t want the past to relive itself, I still have bad days from when he took me. The scars healed but it still hurts. And…well, being honest…I don’t want to end up like your father.” She fell quiet, and I didn’t want to bring that up to her. But Dulac was too dangerous, and I couldn’t risk losing her to him, and making her live after losing her uncle or even me.

“Robin…”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up.”

“No, no…it’s not that. I had almost forgotten about how he died. I tried not to think about it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You were there that night, right?” I nodded, “Can you tell me about him?”

“Tell you about your father? He was your father, what didn’t you know?”

“I grew up without him. He was rarely ever home. He traveled a lot with his regiment after the war and I missed him whenever he went away. Father wasn’t ever home for long when he did come back. But when he was home, he always made a point to see me, even if it wasn’t for very long. Since he was gone so much, Miss Heliotrope was my only family. She taught me everything I knew, was there through everything with me.”

“So, if he always saw you, why do you want to know about him?”

“When Father died, and I was the only one left, I had to handle everything. He had lost everything in some gambling ring, which is why I came here to Moonacre Valley. Without my uncle I wouldn’t have anything. But the advisor had told me he had lost everything in London…and he never came home to see me. He promised in his letter that he would… I hadn’t seen him in almost a year.”

This conversation had taken a turn, and my initial frustration over Dulac turned to pity. She was good-hearted, and now I understood that there was more to her questioning.

I took a deep breath, and I felt her fingers interlock with mine on my chest. “Alright. When my father found out that Benjamin had a niece, he was concerned for the valley. For his own morbid reasons. If the magic of the valley died, the curse would be over, and maybe we could all just move on. The problem was, he needed the moon princess. He didn’t know it was you, but he needed to get you here just to make sure. Somehow, he was right. To get you here, my father sent me and Dulac. The plan was to get rid of your father and take you. We had been in London for a while, enough to learn when he’d be arriving and what his weaknesses were.”

“Gambling?”

“I’m getting there, princess. Before your father officially arrived in port, Dulac thought it would be a good idea to make sure we were able to get you out with little fight and go as unnoticed as possible. That was the very first time I saw you.”

“You didn’t take me though.” I remembered that first night so clearly, I couldn’t take her.

“No, I didn’t. I paid for it later but…I couldn’t. The night your father came back, Dulac and I followed him to a pub in a less than appropriate side of town. His regiment was with him that night, but when he bet everything on the game, they all abandoned him. Some went for drinks, while others found women for company. He was arrogant, and cocky. Your father was so convinced he was going to win, and he almost did.”

“He did?”

“Almost. It was some game between him and Dulac, and your father was on a losing streak, but the closer he got to feeling like he was winning, the more he bet. He bet the house, his horses, and then you. That’s when Dulac decided it was time to end it. Your father was so upset about losing, knowing he had lost everything, including his daughter.”

“Father bet me?”

“I told you, he was arrogant. He didn’t care what he bet, he wanted to win. After wards, Dulac had asked for his winnings, and your father started to get anxious. He couldn’t pay up, and that’s something that Dulac was counting on. Dulac challenged him, and your father set one final wager. If he wins, they throw the entire game. If he loses, the only thing we were begged to leave alone was you.”

“And what good is a dead man’s wager?”

“If it wasn’t for my father, I never would have had any part in what happened.”

“I know that. I’m sorry my father was like that to you.”

“Princess, there is no reason you have to apologize for your father. Now, get some sleep, or you’re going to be way too tired tomorrow.”

“Wait...”

“What?”

“Tell me about when you saw me.”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tonight.” I rolled over and started to squish her underneath me. She giggled and squealed, trying to squirm out from under me.

“Tomorrow, little princess.”

“Fine. But you have to swear it.”

“I do swear it. Now, sleep Maria. Or I’ll send you to sleep in the dungeons.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t tempt me, little princess.”