The Way We Fall

Chapter 59 (Roche)

"What happened?" Roche asked, stained with mud and Atrex blood as she barrelled into the hall outside the throne room. Ivie was slumped on the ground in front of the large set of doors. She stared up at the carvings in the wooden doors, facing two guards who stood on either side of the doors.

Raised voices seeped through the wood and brick, one of them unmistakable the princess'.

"They're deciding my fate." Ivie replied morosely, rubbing her skinned palms together. Roche sat beside her.

"Don't worry. I don't think I've heard Tigris this worked up about something in a while. You'll be honoured as a knight, just as you wanted."

Ivie's eyes didn't stray from the door. "At what cost?"

Roche couldn't understand why the soon-to-be knight wasn't jumping for joy. "What do you mean?"

Ivie turned to her then. "The king wants me imprisoned. If Princess Tigris bestows me knighthood, it will be against her father's wishes and against his rules. I've seen and heard how much she respects him and his court. This decision would come between them."

But the rules are wrong! Roche wanted to protest, but the knights standing in front of them would notice the treasonous statement. Ivie's eyes searched Roche's face. Something in her eyes made the should-be knight nod.

"I don't want to put a strain on the princess' relationship with her father. It's not..." Ivie licked her dried lips, "honourable. That is not the way to achieve a dream."

Roche hesitated. "But... being a knight is your dream. You deserve it."

"Perhaps." Ivie's eyes bored into Roche's intensely, "But perhaps I do not."

"You do! You killed the Atrex!"

"The Atrex," Ivie repeated, her lips curling with a thoughtful smile, "A creature of inkblood. Undefeatable by blade alone. That's what the prince murmured in his cell."

A hint of alarm crept through Roche.

"You killed it," Roche repeated, emphasizing the words, "So clearly that's not true."

Ivie nodded, but something in her eyes was far away. She rose to her feet. "This is not how I will become a knight."

There was steel in her slow movements. Roche nodded slowly, seeing the resolve in her new friend's eyes. "You're an honourable woman, Ivie. I hope the king sees that."

Ivie flashed her a shy smile at that, and then sprang past the surprised guards, shoving open the doors. She ducked past them, barrelling into the throne room. Tigris and the king turned towards her, pausing their intense argument.

"What is the meaning of this? Guards!" the king bellowed as the guards gathered their wits and grabbed Ivie by the arms. She struggled against them.

"Let me speak!" she gritted out.

The king glanced at Tigris, and something in his eyes softened. He held up his hands, drawing the guards' attention. "Leave her be."

Immediately, the guards fell back. Ivie dropped into a respectful curtsy before the royals, her chest heaving. She lifted her gaze to the king.

"I only wished to say goodbye, your highness." Ivie said solemnly, her voice echoing loudly in the room. Tigris' brow furrowed.

"Goodbye?"

Ivie nodded. "I'll be leaving the city tonight. I've always wished to travel through the kingdom and work on my fighting forms. This will be a good opportunity." she explained, her eyes glowing intently in the candlelight.