Lies Dressed In Lace

17

She was captured by the knights, they threatened to torture and kill her if my father didn't give me to them. He knew they wouldn't hurt me, a child, so he did.

    They killed her anyway.

    I sit on my own under a thick tree thinking about everything Wolkif told me. About what my fath-, about what the king did when he took the throne. He can't be the same person who raised me, the same person who showed me love when I had none. I never got to know who my actual family was, who I could have been with them. I count the drops of blood dripping off my fingers draped over my knee. 10. 11. 12. Whats wrong with me? 13. Was I really worth her life? 14. It's coming from under my bandage too. 15. 16. I pull off my bandage looking over the cut, I'll need to get it stitched up. 17. I stand up and start marching back to the kings tent. I storm in again not giving him a chance to speak when he looks up from bending over the desk with a shorter thicker man.

    "If I stay here a little longer then you have to tell me the truth, no more lies no half truths, I want to be in on everything. Trust me like you trust Wolkif." Both men stare at me until the little one bursts into laughter.

    "She's a spitfire, ain't she?" He laughs shaking his whole body including the red bristly beard. "She's yours, huh?"

    "How'd you guess?" The king says dryly.

    "Good luck, Rathnok, you're gunna need it." He rolls up whatever they were looking at and walks past me with a chuckle. He only reaches my hip and I'm short.

    "Rathnok? Thats your name?" I ask when he doesn't say anything. He nods picking up a fountain pen and fiddling with it. "Rathnok, are you going to trust me or lie to me like everyone else?" I use his name hoping it'll make him trust me. He tosses the pen onto the desk.

    "Trust is a 2 way street. I can't say I'll tell you everything but I will never lie to you."

    "Tell me what really happened to my mother and I'll trust you, completely." He sighs thrusting a hand through his hair. Then sits down heavily.

    "She was taken when the humans attacked the castle, they threatened that I would be able to hear her screams from anywhere in the world that I would go. They wanted you so I wouldn't attack again and retake the castle, they promised not to kill your mother if I did." He looks down at his hands as his eyes cloud over with unshed tears. "When we met for the trade they forced me to let you go first and then they would release your mother, she was standing right there watching me give you away to the enemy. Once they had you they cut her binds and let her go." He curls his hands into fists and blinks away his tears. "She was in my arms when their archer shot her through the heart, she died in my arms while they took you from me." He takes a shaky breath then looks up at me.

    "I'm so sorry." He shakes his head.

    "It was not your fault, it was mine." I stand up and go around the desk to his side and kneel beside him putting my uninjured hand over his.

    "It was their fault, it is their fault. I didn't believe you and I am sorry for that, I've just never known what a real family feels like, and you did let me get attacked." I say finding humor in what happened, I mean I wasn't hurt.

    "You were right, that was a test to see if you could be the champion we need." I take my hand back and stand up.

    "One thing you should know about me, I don't like tests. Or surprises." He smiles.

    "I'll have to remember that one." I nod and wonder away from him looking around the tent a little more. Light from the early morning sun plays softly with the dust floating around in the air and I can't help but to put my hand in one of the rays cutting across the carpet. It warms my flesh when I didn't even know I was cold. He stands up coming over to me and grabs my hand out of the air. "What happened?" He demands.