The muscles in his jaw tighten. He lets go of me, and his hands ball up into fists at his side. "That's not something to joke about." Garroth scolds.
"Why would I joke about something like this, Garroth?" I ask, though my tone is a bit harsh. It's frustrating to think that he'd think that lowly of me. "Ivy is going to kill your mother. This isn't a joking matter."
"Then I have to go save her!"
He's quick on his feet as he starts towards the direction of O'Khasis. O'Khasis is quite far from here, but I've never known Garroth to not be determined.
I reach out for him and wrap my arms around from behind. "No!" I yell, digging my heels into the earth beneath me. "Don't make haste, Garroth. You mustn't! You'll do more harm without a plan rather than with one. What about Kandi?"
"My sister can handle herself," He says. "Her head isn't the one on a chopping block."
"You're being ridiculous."
By this time I've let Garroth go. It appears he intends on arguing with me rather than rushing off. "I'm being ridiculous? You have no idea how I feel, Alex."
It takes everything within me not to fight against him. I'm aware he's hurt, but he'll regret his words eventually.
"You're right. I don't know how you feel. I wasn't given a warning that my father was going to die. It wasn't out of cold blood," I say, reaching for the sides of my dress to wipe away the sweat on my hands. "But I do know loss. My father is dead. My brother is missing. I rarely see my sister. I also know that if you rush into O'Khasis like this, your going to have a higher chance of getting your mother killed and possible kill yourself. Make a plan, not haste."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Garroth decided to listen to my words. When he calmed his anger down, he grew upset. I watched as he dropped onto his knees with his head in his hands.
I didn't know what to do but watch. Part of me wanted to get onto my own knees and hold him tightly. Another part of me wanted to walk away and leave him to himself.
Eventually I gave in and lowered myself to my knees, holding onto one of his hands and stroking the back with my thumb. It was Garroth who held onto me and cried into my shoulder. Selfishly, I was happy he was with me and not Aphmau. My stomach danced with butterflies. It only made it worse.
Kandi was fighting a tree when we returned.
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
"I made a mistake!"
Kandi and I turn our heads to see Aphmau running down a long patch of grass towards us. We stare at each over for a moment of time before looking back towards her.
"You shouldn't rush like that," I call out. I may not like her very much, but she's still in a delicate condition. "You're pregnant."
"Oh, forget my pregnancy. I made a mistake!" She's out of breath by the time she comes towards us. I watch as Aphmau slumps over with her hands on her knees and gasps for air. "I was going to confine in Katelyn, but she–oh forget that. I t-told Garroth about Lady Ro'meave and my pregnancy, and it went poorly."
Kandi visibly stiffens from beside me. Salt is being rubbed into her wounds as we speak. "Why would you go and do a thing like that for? We already knew about the execution. Garroth and I had a plan all figured out."
Aphmau doesn't have a chance when Vylad enters the conversation. He has snuck up behind us and must've heard the conversation.
"I couldn't find Laurance," Vylad says. "Though, Garroth looks to be heading to O'Khasis."
