The Secrets of Elverg

Welcome to Elverg

There was always laughter around the Ward table. Between Odelle and her brother Silas, there was never a dull moment in their household. Dinner was the highlight of the entire family's day. It was the only time that all of them were able to sit down together and forget about the hardships of that day. Odelle's father, Percival, always brought tales of battle to the kitchen table, as he was a guardian for the King himself. His long grey hair and wrinkled smile lit up the entire house when he came home from work. Odelle's mother, Elizabeth, would always wait for him at the door, dinner already on the table. Every single day without fail he would pick her up and spin her around as he walked through the door. From the time Odelle was little she could remember laughing and cheering with her brother Silas as he did so, making their mother look like a feather in his arms as he spun her around and around.

This all changed the night of the murder.

Odelle could remember everything from that night. The evening had been cold, as autumn was just coming upon their village. Heavy rain fell on their roof and her and Silas had grabbed bowls from the kitchen to catch the rain as it fell through leaks in their shabby roof. Their mother waited for their father that night, and the kids sat around the kitchen table. He was never late for dinner, but that night, as their mother waited by the door for an extra hour than she normally did, the three of them became very concerned. It was no secret what happened in Elverg the first day of Autumn, and everyone was already on edge. Every single year, on this day, there was a murder in their village. The King continued to reassure everyone that the murderer would be found, and the Ward family was never one to question the King. Even after seventeen years and seventeen murders.

As their mother ordered the two of them to bed that night with fear written on her features, the door to the small village house was flung open. When her father stepped in, caked in mud with his armour ripped on both sleeves, the entire family knew something was wrong. He did not stop to spin his concerned wife as he stepped through the door of the house, nor did he address his children as he sat down at the dinner table. There were a few moments of silence as Odelle's mother stared at him, in fury or relief Odelle still isn't sure, before closing the door.

As Odelle's mother came to join them at the table, her father finally spoke.

"You must forgive me for my tardiness, Elizabeth, but I have good reason," he began as he rubbed his hands together, a nervous habit that was passed on to Odelle. "I have learned something tonight that has caused all of my thoughts and loyalties to be questioned and I really don't know what to do."

Odelle stared at him as he paused, glancing over at her mother. Elizabeth was always the level-headed and gentle peacekeeper of the family. This was proven as she reached over and touched her loving husbands hand to keep him grounded and reassure him that she was there for him.

"Whatever it is, Percival, you can tell us," she said gently, rubbing his calloused hand with her own fingers.

Odelle held her breath until her father spoke again.

"King Kaiin is committing the murders."

Odelle's eyes opened in horror as she heard her mother audibly gasp. Silas sat beside her in complete silence at the shock of the news. No one spoke but Odelle's mind was racing with thoughts and questions. It didn't make sense to her. How could a king be murdering his own people without anyone knowing?

"But how? How could you be working in the palace for all of this time and after seventeen years of murders, not know it was him? How did you learn this?" Odelle wasn't normally one to speak up to her father, but her lips were moving faster than she could think.

"Delle, you must listen to me carefully. I was trained to obey everything that the King does or says, and I have never had a reason to question his loyalties. Tonight he had me go with him into the forest and had me wait by a pine tree so that he could carry on with his business," this was nothing out of the ordinary, as her father always told them of his boring adventures where the King just had him stand in silence, "But...something about his demeanor tonight made me hesitate. When he left to carry on his business, I followed him. My footsteps were quiet, as I was trained to do, and when I finally caught up to him I saw it." Her father paused for a moment, as if he were trying to catch his breath from recalling the events of that fateful night, "I caught up to him just as he ran a dagger through the young Carver boy and saw him shaking hands with a man I've never seen before."

Odelle's arms raised with goosebumps as she looked at her father, his face gone completely white.

"Are you sure it was him...?" Odelle spoke up again. If none of her family was going to ask questions, then she had to.

"Yes, Delle. I'm positive."

Her mother sighed as she took her husband's hand and kissed it gently. "What do we do now Percival?" she asked, her soft voice immediately calming Odelle down.

"We don't do anything. I managed to get away without being seen, but if we leave it will be too suspicious. I have never questioned his loyalties or had any interest in leaving Elverg before this moment, and leaving would cause too much trouble. I can't have any of you getting hurt." Odelle's father's eyes filled with tears for the first time that she could remember. The thought of losing his family was too much for him to bare. "We continue our lives as if I never told you anything."

"Father, I cannot pretend to serve a king who kills his own people" Silas spoke up for the first time. His face was stern and serious, his words heavy. Odelle knew that whenever he spoke he had already carefully calculated all of his words, the complete opposite from her own. Odelle did not know what to believe at this point. It wasn't that she distrusted her father, but she had too many questions still swirling around her mind.

"You must, son. We must continue our duties toward the king without a word about this to anyone. Do you understand?" With the last words he looked directly at Odelle. He knew that her spontaneity could get them killed, and she knew it too. The weight was heavy on her shoulders.

"I understand." Her mother spoke first, looking into her father's eyes as she did so.

"I understand." said Silas in his deep voice, nodding toward his father, the complete definition of respect.

There was a long moment of silence as the rest of her family looked at her, waiting her response. She didn't know why it was so hard to get the words to come out of her mouth, and when she finally spoke it felt as if she were spitting out poison.

"I understand."