Holy War: Two Worlds and an In- Between

Chapter 34: A Day to Myself

My heart beat against my chest as I saw Jack in handcuffs standing before Sir Itachi. Guards swarmed around him as a broad smile spread on his face. He stared at me as though he were expecting me to do something, but I was too terrified to move.

He was arrested that day for charges unbeknownst to me and the kingdom. All we knew was that Jack was arrested for plotting to kill the king. Of course, Sir Itachi was portrayed as a hero for saving the kingdom's leader. While I would have preferred that he been known for his act of cowardice, I was just happy the girls didn't lose their father that day.

"Wow, father! Did you see the kind of magic he possessed? He harnessed electricity," Summer marveled as we traveled back to the castle.

I was stunned. I couldn't react to her excitement, or grow impatient with her father's cocky attitude. Instead, I sat there as still as a statue and looked out of the window. My body almost felt numb as I processed what I had just seen.

"I can't believe it," I thought to myself as we exited the carriage, "my Jack fighting."

I didn't bother to greet the bubbling Benny standing at the door. Speaking to anyone seemed too hard at the moment, so I walked to my room in silence. I could tell that people were concerned about my mental health. I did receive some confused stares as

I walked through the maids quarters, but I couldn't think too much of it.

As I laid in bed that evening, I didn't think about anything but Jack. I found it so hard to imagine my friend fighting like that. He had so much precision in each blow and power moving through his body. I had never seen him so focused.

"How could be just let me think he was dead?" I thought, "Didn't he know how concerned I was?"

As I began to drift to sleep, I began to think about what it'd be like if Jack were beside me. Would he fly into aggressive combat, or would he sit beside me and joke about the whole situation? I liked to think that he'd smile at me like he always did and promise that it would be okay. With that thought, I went to sleep.

***

The next morning, I was glad as I remembered that I had the day off. All of the castle workers were afforded at least two days off a week. Needless to say, this rule was written by the king, not Sir Itachi. I was sure he'd make me work twenty-four seven if he had the chance.

I decided to take the opportunity to take a walk and clear my head. It was somewhat new to me to have a million problems on my shoulders at once. I constantly felt as though I was going to collapse in a pile of tears but kept pushing through.

The truth was; I lived a very protected and privileged life on earth. My grandmother provided for us, so I never even had to cook a meal. Needless to say, it became a bit different in Saros.

"Maybe Jack wasn't who I thought he was. Maybe he didn't even care about me. After all, he was willing to give me up for Calypso. Then he went to the fighting festival after saying he wouldn't. Why should I feel bad for him?" I reasoned as I walked out of the castle doors.

Everything flooded my mind so quickly, "If Jack's alive then Ally is alive," I reasoned beginning to smile, " but then that means he let me think he was dead too."

I finally had enough when I began to feel a headache creeping up on me. I shook the thoughts out of my mind and decided to ignore them for a while. I decided that I would take that day not to worry.

There was a large field behind the castle that was used to train warriors. They would sword fight and sometimes spar. I could see it from one of the bay windows I sat on and would watch whenever I got the time.

That day, I walked onto the field hoping to see the action up close and personal. When I got there, I found about a dozen soldiers messing around on the field. I was a bit disappointed but still walked over to see what they were up to.

"Hey, who's this?" A tall muscular man asked as he saw me approaching.

They all turned to look at me. They seemed confused by my arrival as though I was trespassing. I began to feel a bit self-conscious in the plain old green dress I was wearing. Nonetheless, I kept walking.

"Hi, I'm Di- ... I mean Margarett. I usually watch you guys spar out here, and I just wanted to see it up close," I said a bit nervously as they all looked at me.

"So, you want to see a fight, huh?" The muscular one asked with his deep voice. He took a few steps towards me, and I took a few steps back.

"Relax Rex, there's no need for that," a woman who appeared thicker because of her muscles instructed effortlessly pushing him away from me.

"Forgive him, he's well ... a muscle head for lack of a better word," she explained, "I'm Amada, nice to meet you."

She seemed nice enough, but I had seen her fight. She may not have been the strongest, but she was the quickest and smartest fighter. I knew better than to get on her bad side.

"This is James," she introduced the young man standing behind her.

His hair was somewhat long but still a lot shorter than Jack's. He seemed kind too, but I had seen him spar and he was incredibly skilled. He was truly a fighting machine.

They talked to me about their training and why the sale. I enjoyed the time I spent with them, but throughout it, I kept thinking of Jack and Allioni. I needed a plan and I needed it quickly. Otherwise, I would go mad.