Chapter 91: What Do I Conclude?

Chapter 91: What Do I Conclude?
Beta Maxwell's POV:

I don't know why this was so aggravating. No matter, I continued my line of questioning with the one man I'd never met before. That's when I asked right then, demanding an answer from him when I nearly shouted, "The information your group was supposed to provide all those years ago could have saved countless lives! Why did you choose now to return with the pack of Warriors who tried to attack your own Nation on today of all days?!"

I had to admit that my anger was about to get the better of me, and my Wolf even more so for the loss of life. If His Highness knew about the fact that this... THIS man was still alive now... when His parents weren't?! He might even kill him on the spot. I had to get to the bottom of this before I let His Highness know about what was going on here.

I needed answers to give Him before I brought this information to Him, so I would have any real answers to give at the initial report. I needed to make sense of this before I had this man taken and beaten for not following His Royal Highness's original orders. That, and the fact that it was pertinent to gather the information and bring it back to prevent the loss of life in a timely manner.

It was at that moment that Hemming actually bowed his head, lowering his gaze away from mine as he looked down to the floor. Then he knelt down on one knee as if lowering his gaze was not quite enough for my temper. In a way, it was like he was trying to show me he was not a threat, or to be taken as one. With his gaze still on the floor, he remained quiet for a moment before he chose to speak up. He needed to take time to speak by answering my demanding questions from before.

"My apologies," he started to say, still looking down at the floor in front of him. "You are right. It is hard to imagine me alive when the Royal family is not. I feel absolutely horrible about it. I was beaten, bound, and thrown in a dungeon cell of complete darkness, only to later hear the word that the Royal family was killed many months after I was taken captive. Still to this day, I regret not getting the chance to escape sooner, so I could have prevented their beloved deaths. I hold that solely on my own head, as the rest of my group was killed."

Could that actually be right? He was taken captive and beaten, which is why he was not able to return before now?! Could this actually be the truth? I had to admit that I was shocked even more so than I was already. I honestly didn't know what to think at this point.

His Highness and I were still quite young when we were thrown into the mix of everything that happened all those years ago. I knew there was a lot to learn about all this and still. However, I needed to assess the situation carefully to determine whether this man was telling the truth. I needed to know whether his words were the truth or just a scheme to get close to His Highness so he could finish the job.

I needed to make sure he was kept in the dungeon for the time being, so I could gather the necessary information and follow all avenues to ensure I did not screw this up. The last thing that I wanted to do was to cause more harm to the beloved memory of His Highness's parents... than what had already happened in the years of the past.

His Highness was a very strong-willed man and has grown into a headstrong individual I have grown to admire. However, before I tell Him any of this news, I needed to make sure I had all of my facts in order. As far as I knew, if I told His Highness about this man, or any of this information prematurely, it could bring about wrath and destruction of an unnecessary level. I had to be smart about this and about what was to come.

'When he mentioned that, about the Royal family being killed, did that insinuate the entire Royal family?' (Marx asked me a bit confused as to all the information we were presented with.)

I thought about what he said for a moment, only to realize he was right. If Hemming said he heard his captors mention the Royal family, not the king and queen, then what could they be referring to otherwise? Something about that did not make any sense. Could he have possibly heard them wrong... since he was in a cell when he overheard the conversation, no less? Or could there be more to this entire scenario?

"Wait a minute..." I started to say, in shock, as I went over this information aloud for him to hear as well and to correct me if necessary. "What do you mean the Royal family was killed? Only His Royal Highness and Her Royal Majesty were the ones killed those 18 years ago!"

With his position still on the floor, hearing the words I just spoke, he lifted his head up to a level, staring at about my knees and not looking up at my eyes. I could tell he was weighing the words I said as he went over the memory in his head once more of what he had previously heard. Sure enough, he rose back up to his feet as he held onto the chain and stood there a moment longer before he spoke up.

"I'm sure I heard them say the Royal family was killed. They would not have boasted otherwise." Hemming said, looking me dead in the eye.

"Well, I tell you here and now," I said, taking another step closer to him and staring at him intently, speaking in a firm tone, one that did not waver. "His Highness is very well alive. It was only his parents who were killed. That was the news you heard. He wasn't among those who lost their lives and were killed that day."

You could tell by his visible appearance that he was relieved upon hearing that. I'm not exactly sure as to why he was so relieved, but his body language suggested no less than being relieved that not everyone was killed.

If he were one of us and by that, one of our own nation, then I could understand his reaction. However, if he was an outsider and just happened to know Lawrence, he was pretty good at hiding it, trying to make me believe it through his demeanor.

"I'm pleased to hear that not everyone was killed then," he said as he bowed to me for the first time before he looked at me. "I thank you for bringing me this news. I've waited so many years to know what happened after that horrible day. Knowing that one of them is still alive brings me hope."