Chapter 33 Chapter 31

Chapter 33 Chapter 31
”When the truth falls, even the deaf would become aware”

Marina

“Ouch” the little girl said as she fell with her palms into the huckleberry bush that was filled with thorns.

In fact, every where was filled with the bushes. Either that or the tallest pine trees I have ever laid eyes on. There were no houses for miles, they would have walked for at least an hour to be this far in the woods. 

I watched as her older sister walked towards her with so much haste, that would make you think she fractured a bone.

The impact was not that much so the injury was definitely not as severe.

“I’ve told you. Stop cutting yourself!” The older one yelled at the girl who was still trying to control herself from sobbing.

“I slipped” she tried to explain.

“It does not matter, stop cutting yourself! Mr Dolon would not listen to your excuses” the bigger girl tried to wipe away the little blood that was seeping out from cuts with her black woolen dress.

The dress was fit for the weather, I thought. From where I stood, I could feel the icy breeze and catch a few flakes of snow here and about. They were in the winter solstice.

The highest peak of the winter wave.

Her little sister’s cloth however, was inappropriate. Chiffon and lace materials of different colors were used to make a straight and sleeveless gown for her.

“He would not know” the little girl tried to defend her predicament.

“Don’t be silly. He would smell it”

All I could wonder was, what sort of a man was Mr. Dolon that he could smell blood? I had never heard of such abilities before. 

And from the tone which they spoke of him, he did not sound like a monster of fiction. He sounded like someone physical.

The older one appeared more frightened than the one who had actually sustained the injury. “Almost there…” she said, dragging out her second word as she applied pressure on the broken skin.

Seemed like it was a regular occurrence for her little sister to hurt herself. She handled it with a sense of understanding that reflected muscle memory. 

The kind that controlled your breathing, no thoughts to it. Just a series of actions.

I took a step forward to meet the girls and ask why they were out in the cold by this time and what they were doing this far but my feet crushed on some twigs and leaves that had fallen from the already naked trees.

Their eyes whipped in my direction and they stilled for a moment. Staring right at me.

No… staring right through me.

“Let’s go. It’s getting dark” it actually was. Part of the reasons I was worried for them. 

“They can’t see you” a voice to my right said and I turned to see a woman whom I had not noticed earlier, looking unto the retreating girls. Watching them in a certain kind of awe.

To my surprise, I was not terrified by the spontaneous company. She looked familiar. I just could not place a personality to the face.

“Why?” I had a feeling that was why they did not run away after glancing my way but I needed to know why.

“Come with me. Hurry, you don’t want to be late” the woman said as she led us in the opposite direction from where the girls were going.

“Should we not make sure they get home safe?” Even for a moment?

“We are going to meet them”

“They went the other way” I debated, in case she was mistaken.

“We’d get to them faster this way”

In silence and obedience, I followed her because it’s not like I knew my way out of here either and she moved with a fluidity that showed this was a regular path for her.

Unlike myself who kept trying to count trees and mark boulders. 

It was not long before we approached a village. People bustling around trying to skewer fishes, make fires, fetch a pail of water, gathering up wood.

Everyone seemed so busy to even notice our passing through. 

Unless…

“They cannot see us as well?” But my question was not answered. She moved like she really wanted me to ignore every other person till we found our target.

And that was how we walked away from the bubbly village, to an isolated area protected by long bushes.

I saw the two girls once again but this time, the younger one stood a little distance from the older, who was kneeling in front of a short but wide tree stump that looked like a butchering table. Resting her upper body on it, I could also see she unzipped her black dress, revealing her back. 

A little gasp escaped my lips at the sight.

Her back was filled with scars of various lengths and breadths. Some completely healed, some looked freshly sustained. Her skin was a mess of bruises and injuries.

Having no idea how I had missed the man who stood to the older sister’s side with a whip in his hand. My attention was called to him when the whip sliced through the air and struck the little girl’s back.

Her younger sister held back a whimper and the man repeated the action again and again and again.

He just kept going and I watched in shock and disbelief. “Are we just going to stand here?”

To my surprise, all the woman who led me here, did was laugh. What was amusing? I had no idea. “This is a beta dream. It has to happen”

“A better what?” I was almost annoyed.

“Not better, beta. She must go through this”

The whip collided with the girl’s back repeatedly that I had already lost count.

Tears ran down her face as she struggled with the pain to whisper a “please”

That was when I lost it and ran out from behind the bush which we hid and towards her to help.

But as soon as I got into the clearing, the scene changed. I was no longer in the woods.

I was staring at Quala who watched me strangely in the exotic room I had been told belonged to The Lady.

“I think the nightmares may be normal for a while” Quala said as she pressed a wet, warm cloth onto my palms. Making me know the bandages had been taken off.

My breathing was uneven and I focused on steadying that instead of speaking.

It was a dream? What sort of dream was that?

A knock on the door caused the both of us to divide our attention as she now left my hands to answer it.

The King walked into the room and I had to look down to be sure I was properly dressed. Just to find that I was wearing nothing.

Only the sheets covered my nakedness. I tried using my hands to cover up myself a bit more but the pain could not permit me to even pinch the edges.

Quala walked out of the room and King Xanthanius shut the door behind him. He watched me for a little moment, definitely noticing my struggle earlier. Then he spoke.

“May I?”

“May you what?” 

“Help you? You’re trying to cover up” he said it like it should have been obvious to me what he was asking.

I almost declined the offer out of diffidence but that would be foolish of me because I would be far more uncomfortable leaving it this way.

So I nodded.

The King leaned downward a bit and gently picked the edge of the light material between his thumb and index fingers, dragging the material a bit higher up my chest. I did not miss the way his knuckles slightly brushed against my skin.

An unintentional act but it was noticeable nonetheless.

“You sustained some scratches and bruising all over that they would require to undress you sometimes to apply the healing balm” he explained why I was unclad. Truthfully, it really did not occur to me to ask until he walked in.

I had not even observed it.

Standing back to his full height that towered over where I lay, “how are you feeling now?”

“Better” was the only accurate reply I could muster.

“When you recover fully. There is another quest I would want to indulge you in” his tone made it clear that this was the major reason he had come in here in the first place. Not to know how I was doing.

“Okay” it is not like I could turn down the King’s offer.

“I would like you to visit the pub you mentioned earlier”

Now was my time to be confused and concerned. Men usually did not hold women who visited pubs in high esteem. “Why?”

“Is there a person in particular you know at this place?”

“Yes. The manager” he was the one who granted me permits to join the dishwashers and paid my dues.

One of the reasons I had stopped working at the pub was because this man in particular whom I had assumed wanted to just help me, knowing the state of my family, had requested to ‘have a share in my flower’ on a random day.

For those who may not understand, he had wanted to bed me.

“Good. I would need you to speak with him”

“About?”

“Find out what else he knows about the Royals. If he owns the place that originated the woman at the tower being my mother. He would definitely have more to share”

To his benefit, the manager was actually the primary originator of most stories “Does that not ground the fact that all he spreads are rumors?”

“A rumor among his tales might be relevant to me”

I raked my brain for a second “For Segei, something has to preempt the stories. He does not just speak. The last story began when you ascended the throne after the death of the King”

I was a thread away from saying “… after you killed the King” but I valued my own life.

“There was an attack on the castle that I’m certain most of the city would be aware of now. Start from there” 

The king was right, the event was a very ripe fruit to pluck at.

But then, there was me.

“Most of them would already know I’m part of the palace as a mistress. I do not think it would make him willing to engage me in a conversation”

“Would a bribe help?”

My flabber was very gasted.

“Your highness, not everyone can be bribed out of their specials. It may have worked on the blacksmith but I do not think Segei would fall for that. He would love to live long enough to see his little sons grow old” the thought of the blacksmith reminded me of how he had tried to kill me after such said bribe.

It had really been a series of injuries since I moved here.

“I would want you to think of a way to extract the gossip from him. In exchange, I would grant your request to see your family”

Oh… they’re trying to bribe me too?

Fair enough, it worked. 

“I would think of a way but I might want to change my request”

I saw his eyes narrow at my audacity once again. “Many could learn a thing or two about boldness from you. Change it to what?”

“I would also think about it”

The king said nothing more as he stared down at me. “Get well soon” he added and went for the door.

“May I resume my lectures with Duchin?”

“You…” he started but maybe thought against completing his sentence “if it would keep you busy and aid your healing, then yes. I would speak with Hilra to reschedule your classes again”