𝐓.𝐇.𝐄

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓

What do you normally ask to get to know someone?

I barely remember the last time I had the chance to socialize with someone which is not in this place. I can hardly even remember the last time I have seen the world outside.

The first questions that come to my mind are basic, as how old are you or where are you from. But with him it is different. I have never met someone so unreadable and hard to communicate with. His whole physical appearance and behaviour is far from normality.

As I stress my brain out, I try to elaborate the most efficient questions with the intent of receiving useful information to report back to Lucy, Claire and Johnathan, (probably Anne as well.)

"I've always wondered.." I take a breath as I pose my eyes on his pale face, "why do you spend your whole time up here?"

I bite my down lip hard, frightened of his reaction. Surprisingly, I receive a soft smile back, as his eyes meet mine. "Simple, I live here."

"What I mean is, why aren't you together with your family?" I insist.

His smile fades away and my heartbeat increases, "because.. I must stay alone."

I wrinkle my eyebrows, confused and saddened by his answer. "I don't understand."

He takes a long sigh, and suddenly stands up, walking towards the huge window that gives access to the white and snowy garden. "My whole existence and presence here is deeper than you can ever imagine."

As he takes a pause, and turns around to look at me, my expression is more confused than before, "I still don't understand. Why does everyone fear you, even your family?"

"I have been created to be feared. I have been placed here and given power to rule everything and everyone." He takes steps towards the chair, close to me, "this is why everyone fears me."

From his statement he expected me to show fear and run away, however, my reaction was the opposite; I furrow my brows as confusion persists in me. His answers are more complicated to interpret than the Sudoku game. What does he mean by that? How can he control and rule the whole World?

"But you don't, do you?" His voice brings my attention back to him.

"I don't feel like I have any valid reason to fear you." The words leave my mouth before my brain could elaborate.

He smirks at my response, straightening his mouth a second later. My heartbeat increases as his stare becomes more intense, and I distract my eyes from his.

"Let me give you one." He affirms, as he turns around, facing the huge window with the garden view. "I have enough power to make the whole World suffer poverty and misery just by saying it."

I widen my eyes at his statement, "this sounds quite impossible." I say, confidently.

Ignoring my words, he asks, "who do you think controls every country?"

"The presidents."

He smirks loudly, as if he expected this answer. "That's what I make you all believe."

I furrow my eyebrows, "what do you mean?"

Slowly, he turns around and moves close to me, "what I mean is very simple." Laying his hands over the back of my chair, I can feel his deep breath on my pale and confused face.

"I control them. I tell them what to say. I tell them what to do. I make all bad things happen." His gravelly tone of voice made my whole spine shiver.

Without breaking the deep and endless eye contact, he continued, "I am not who you think I am, Avelyn Lothbrok. I don't possess any good heart in my chest, neither a good soul. I was chosen to be and do bad things, and no one can ever change it. Nor God."

"That's a lie." I interrupt him. "We are the ones who take decisions for our own lives. Nobody else."

"Then tell me," he stops me, detaching himself from me, "did you choose to be a maid?"

His question caught me off guard. "No, I didn't." He smirks at my answer, "however, I have the power to choose whether to be a maid for my whole life, or to break the line and build a new path."

"That's impossible." He affirms, as a slight of fear passes his widen eyes.

"How can it be impossible?" I ask, amused by his sudden off-guard look.

"You can't leave this place. You belong here forever. You know that." He affirms once again, this time with authority.

"Who says that?"

"I do say it." Our eyes meet again, and this time coldness surrounds them. "You are such a big dreamy girl, that thinks she can do everything she wants. This is a big lie, Avelyn, you can't grow your wings unless I say so."

This is the real James King Rockchild. The person who lives in coldness, and hate, surrounded by darkness and misery. The person who has no hope neither in himelf, nor in other people. The person who wants everyone to drown in hell with him, because he is scared to do it alone.

Without adding a word further, I walk towards the door and open it to leave. His, now, gentle and soft voice stops my actions. "Stay. Please."

"It's getting late, I need some rest." As I open the door, it shuts right away.

"Stay." He insists, laying his head over my shoulder. His intense breath warms my skin, itching it as fire scales.

"Why, uh?" I turn around, infuriated by his response. "Why would you want me, a maid, stay here with you?"

"Becau-"

"Stop!" I yell, as my skin starts boiling of anger, "All I'm hearing are words of a lost and scared man who is scattering his internal anger and hate towards a genuine world because he is too weak to suffer on his own."

I seeth with anger and frustration, and my trembling voice with the intensity of my emotions as I unleash my pent-up feelings upon him.

He steps back at my words as if they hit him like sharp arrows in the chest. His eyes, usually dark and emotionless, now blaze with a mixture of hurt and fury.

"You may command the whole world and put everyone down on their knees for you, but I won't ever surrender to you." With each word, my voice grows louder, resonating with the raw energy of my anger.

"Avelyn, you'd better be careful about the words you choose against me." He murmurs under his angry and tight jaw. As the intensity of the argument escalates, my face flushes with a mixture of emotions. I can feel my heart pounding in her chest, my breath becoming shallow and rapid. In the midst of my outburst, tears welled up in my eyes, a mixture of anguish and relief.

"I have lost everything in my life since the day I was born. I will not let you take hope and freedom from me."

Without letting him add another word, I leave and shut the door with all the strength I have left in this moment. My steps slow and deliberate as I retrace my path back to my room. Each footfall echoed with a lingering sense of disappointment and hurt. My shoulders slumped, burdened by the weight of the confrontation and the strain of their damaged relationship.

I should have stayed in my room eating the biscuits.