𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 ➵︎ [ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧 ]

59| the silent house

Hello everyone! Firstly I apologise for the long wait. Despite exams finishing, I had to prepare for an interview for a school I wanna get into! I also got sick (:D). SO as compensation for the wait, this chapter is super long. 

I am currently also in the process of re-editing this book, so if right now, small things don't line up, it's because of that. I'll be sure to iron all that out as soon as I can.

For now, enjoy this new chapter!

────── ༻♛༺ ──────

As I sat in the ruins listening to Maeglor's story, I could feel the same thought revolving through my mind.

It...it couldn't be. It just couldn't be..

I felt my head shake vigorously. This had to be some sort of ruse...some elaborate scheme...right?

"I...I don't believe you," I uttered quietly, "my father would never do such a thing.

Maeglor scoffed with a shake of his head.

"That's what I initially thought as well. But-"

"Maeglor-"

"Just..." he interrupted, closing his eyes momentarily before directing his gaze into my eyes, "...just think about it, Daeriel. You are an intelligent person, capable of thinking logically. So just think."

Maeglor stood to his feet before me.

"Why do you think my father tried to kill yours?"

"For the power." I replied, glaring back at him.

But Maeglor just scoffed.

"Really? After a millennium of serving him dutifully, acting as his trusted advisor through hardship, war and adversity, never once leading him astray? Did you really think he was just 'power hungry'?"

I could find no words on my tongue to rebuff what he said. Maeglor just continued to speak.

"No. It was because whilst the kingdom was trying to recover from the plague, including your own mother, your father was in my home, doing nothing but tearing my family apart."

I couldn't help but wring my hands as the realisation slowly began to sink in.

Part of me wanted to believe that Gaerion's attempt at my father's life was unprovoked. I wanted to allege that anyone could snap at any time. But the other part knew that, as much as I hated to admit, Maeglor's words had some semblance of truth to them.

I knew his father, and how passionate Gaerion was about his role as my father's chief advisor. His sudden burst of murderous rage made no sense to me...until today.

Bitterness dripped from every single word as Maeglor paced before me.

"And the funny thing is, everything worked out fine for Arveldir—why?"

Maeglor shook his head, a mirthless chuckle falling from his lips, his voice heavy with resentment.

"Because he's the king, and the king can get away with everything," his voice rose steadily until his eyes were burning with frustration, "because everyone blindly follows the king!"

A tense silence followed as I tried to straighten out my thoughts as more and more of what Maeglor said slowly began to fit into place in my mind. As the crackling of the fire and calls of distant creatures ate away at the silence, all the strange occurrences, unexplained absences, unusual behaviour; small things that I never gave a second thought to now suddenly began to make more sense under the new light.