Amelia Merlin and the Game for Okamila

Part 105: The Road to the City

The road down to the city was well-walked and easy for the soldiers who were on foot. Al and the members of the Nine were all on horseback except for Amelia who walked beside Mitra and chatted with as many people as possible. They liked her, the people, and it only took a few minutes before they calmed down and relaxed around her. Al could watch her talk to them for hours. She was fascinating, that was undoubted for anyone who saw her.

"Al?" Benvolio Roscureaux came up behind him. The boy was extremely good looking, and there was something about him especially lively and youthful.

"Yes?" Al smiled at him, he couldn't help it but he didn't really mean it. He felt like shit inside but he wanted to fake it around Benvolio. No, he didn't want to fake it but he just couldn't help it.

"It's quite nice out." he smiled.

"What?" he furrowed his brow, unsure what the bloody hell was going on.

"The weather." Ben nodded. "It's beautiful. I knew a cellist once, she played wonderfully. It filled the air-"

"Ben," Al interrupted and those pink lips fell open in silence. "No offense, but I don't want to hear about some violin playing-"

"Cellist." he said quietly.

"What?"

"She was a cellist."

  "So?"

"They're different." Ben shook his head. "Never mind though. I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear about that. You must be so upset."

"What?" Al could not keep up with this guy's thinking.

"Jeremy." he looked saddened and hopeless. "You loved him, everyone knew it."

"Don't." he ran his hand through his hair. "You don't know what you're talking about." he growled and kicked his horse so they ran off ahead of the crowd so he didn't have to listen to that idiot talk anymore. He was so frustrated, and pissed off and he just wish Ben would keep his fucking mouth shut.

Unfortunately, skipping ahead didn't do anything. Out of the woods, Brice Gorodetsky and Don Monatheon came on black horses. Al groaned when he saw them and immediately checked to see if Amelia was anywhere around, thankfully she wasn't.

"What are you doing here, Brice?" he snapped.

"You owe me." the black hair and red lips smirked. "Remember what I did for you?"

"It didn't work." he hissed.

"I never said it would, but if I remember correctly, you did say I could have a favor."

"Fine, what the hell do you want."

"You know what I want."

"You're not getting on the counsel, I'm not letting you anywhere near her."

"That's not really up to you. Unless you want her to know the exact details of what happened."

"She knows everything."

"She knows it was black magic then? And she also knows everything Eli has been telling you?"

Al stood quietly before he responded to Brice, "Fine. I'll get you a meeting with her."

They waited for the group to catch up and for Amelia to reach them. Al didn't recognize the people she was talking to but the way she looked at them you would've thought they were the best friends she'd ever seen. He felt his heart rising up in his throat.

"Your grace." he dismounted from his horse to be on level with her, Brice and Don followed. "Lord Gorodetsky is here to see you." She looked at him and with the smallest look of her eyes he knew she was angry at him.

Turning to the soldiers she said, "Rick, Annie, it's been such a pleasure but I have very serious things to do right now."

"Of course, your grace." they bowed.

"Thank you for walking with me, and don't forget to grab some of that soup. I'll ask them to make it tonight, for you." she smiled and they thanked her excessively. "Alakai, would you and Lord Monatheon leave me with Lord Gorodetsky here to talk?"

"Your grace." he bowed and left with Don. They awkwardly got back on their horses and rode until they reached the other members of the Nine. Don stopped and Al looked back at him and said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to see them."

"See who?" he snapped.

"Moira and Blaxton." Don spat venom and Al sighed heavily.

"I don't give two shits what you do, Don." and he walked off, leaving the pale, awkward kid alone to face his brother and sister.

Don refused to look up at them, his eyes stayed trained on the ground and he clenched his jaw so hard that he was getting a bit of a headache. He could see Moira and Blaxton coming up to him and he could hear their damn whispering while they tried to figure out what they were saying.

"Don!" Blaxton trotted his horse forwards. "Long time no see!"

"Long time no see?" he shook with anger. "It's been over a year and that is the best you can come up with?"

"What do you want me to say?" his brother sighed. "We looked for you."

"I stayed away."

"Yeah, we know." Blaxton snarled. "Gave us a big fucking problem to deal with like always."

"Fuck you!" Don shouted. "I don't want to hear anything from you ever again!"

"We're your family, Don. Good luck getting rid of us!" People around them were staring unashamedly at the three Monatheons.

"Family?" he hissed. "You are not my family."

"Yes we are. You can't change this." Moira spoke up.

"No you're not!" he screamed and the two other siblings went silent and watched their brother carefully. "You're not my family."

"Yes we are." She said firmly.

"No." he shook his head. "I'm nothing like you, I don't even look like either of you with your dark hair. I'm not your family."

"What are you talking about Don?"

"I'm a bastard."

"Isn't that a fact." Blaxton murmured and Moira shot him an angry look.

"It's true." Don snarled at his brother. "Father only took me in as a favor to mother. You aren't my family."

"Stop saying that." he yelled back at him.

"I'm happy father died because at least it means I never have to pretend to like you ever again!" Don said. Blaxton punched him in the face and Moira screamed at the two of them to stop it but there was no way Blaxton was letting him get away with it. When Amelia walked over she saw Blaxton on top of his brother beating the life out of him. Next thing anyone could see, Blaxton flew backwards and Don was released.

"Al." she said quietly. "I need you to take Lord Monatheon while I have a conversation with his younger brother."

"I won't have people fighting, especially not family." Amelia said to Don. "So either you stop, or you leave."

"I can't do either." he sulked.

"Why not?"

"I won't be nice to Blaxton and I can't leave because Brice knows, he knows who my real family is."

"I don't care what you can or can't do. I care about what you will do, which is what I goddamn told you."