Trusting Dust

Chapter 11

Connor sat quietly, refusing to look at Ava. His father was planning to assassinate the king, and he couldn't do anything about it. He can't stop a bullet. There situation was hopeless. Ava tapped his arm. Connor was brought out of his thoughts.

"What did he say?" Connor shook his head.

"He said that we shouldn't try anything stupid."

"That's it?"

"Yes." Ava didn't believe him, but she didn't want to push him so she stayed quiet. Neither of them slept that night.

***

The next morning, one of the bandits came in and told them to get back into the carriage. They both did as they were ordered not wanting to cause any trouble.

Connor was devastated. The fact that he knew his father's plan but couldn't do anything about it was tearing him apart. The king was one of the best rulers that the Hazrad kingdom had seen. If the people lost their ruler, the kingdom would fall apart.

Ava seemed to sense that something terrible was about to happen. She had no idea what was coming, but she was terrified. She had never been in a situation like this and she her hope in Connor was the only thing she had left.

***

The carriage rolled slowly to a stop. No one moved. Connor tensed up. He had done a lot of thinking during the silent ride to their destination. He still had no idea what he could do to prevent his father from going through with his plot, and he was running out of time.

The door opened in a flash. The stars were the only things visible outside of the carriage as Ava and Connor were led towards another group of people. As Connor's eyes adjusted, he immediately counted only two people in the other group. After a gasp from Ava, he immediately identified the two people as the king and queen. He cringed. His time was running out, and he couldn't do anything. A deep voice brought everyone's attention to the king.

"We came and we have the money. Please, just let our daughter go." Even in the darkness Connor could see the fear in the king's eyes. His father smiled wickedly.

"Leaving so soon? You came all this way, don't you have time for an old friend?" The king staggered backwards a few steps when Connor's father became visible.

"Landon. You're... you're alive. I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" Connor's father snarled.

"You know exactly why. I had it all, and you took it away. You took it all away. Now it's time for you to see what that feels like." A malicious grin formed on his face as he looked at Ava. Ava started to shake, she was terrified of Connor's father and she didn't like where this was going. Connor didn't like it either. He tried to move closer to Ava, but the man holding him wouldn't let him budge. He looked around trying to find a way out, but he couldn't find one. For now, he was stuck.

The king pleaded with Connor's father, "Please, we brought the money and we did what you asked, please let her go." The king locked eye contact with Ava while he waited for the bandit's response. Connor's father smiled.

"I don't think this money is going to be enough. Her price just went up." The king's face filled with terror, and the queen looked as if she was having trouble breathing. Connor closed his eyes, he knew what was coming next. He continued to try to find a way out.

"What else do you want?" Connor's father took a few slow steps towards Ava and then stopped and turned back to her parents.

"I want what I had, Landon." The king's eyes went wide.

"You can't be serious!" Connor's father nodded.

"Oh, but I am. I want my kingdom back. I should be ruling the kingdom, but no. You banished me! Now it is your time to pay up." The king's face filled with rage.

"You murdered my father! You wanted war! You are the last person that should be ruling this kingdom!" Connor and Ava were both shocked, this was news to them. Connor balled his hands into fists, he was now more determined than ever to stop his father. He watched his father narrow his eyes, he saw the cold eyes he was all too familiar with. Connor's father practically spat his words at the king.

"You think you know best! I lost everything! Now it's your turn! I want you to feel what I felt! To have everything that you have known disappear in a blink of an eye!" He started walking towards Ava again, but was stopped in his tracks by Connor's voice.

"No!" For a moment surprise filled his father's face, but after that it was replaced by pure rage. It took everything that Connor had to not back down under the threatening glare of his father.

"You are done hurting people! You will not touch her! Nor anyone else for that matter!" Connor's father almost looked amused by Connor's words.

"You think you can stop me? You are just a dirty, puny, sad excuse for a human being. There is nothing you can do. You have no purpose. I should have ended you years ago. That was my mistake. But I'll tell you what. I will leave the precious girl alone. I never had any quarrel with her anyways. My only fight is with him." With those words, he turned towards the king, now holding his pistol. Connor stood in shock, his father's words ringing in his years.

"You have no purpose."

He was brought out of his thoughts, by a low rumbling. He looked off in the distance and saw the royal cavalry making their way towards the scene, but Connor knew that they wouldn't make it in time. He looked around again for a way out, a way to stop what he was sure was going to happen. But his father had thought of everything. Connor looked at the man that was holding him. He looked a bit distracted by the incoming cavalry. Connor's father had thought of everything, except for one thing.

Connor dug his elbow into the bandit's gut causing him to lose his hold on Connor. Connor moved out of the man's grip and started to run as fast as he could towards the king. He saw his father grin as he said goodbye to the king. Connor ran faster, giving it all that he had in him. His father's words rang in his head.

"You have no purpose."

He ran as fast as he could as his father pulled the trigger of his pistol. He heard the loud crack as the bullet left the gun and went sailing towards the king.