Chapter 42 Unyielding Petals
“Good work, dame,” Captain Jackson praised me, walking closer to the bandits’ leader.
“W—wait, hold on,” the leader stuttered. “Let’s talk about this—”
“Talk?” Jackson snarled, pointing his cutlass at him. “You tortured and murdered two of my knights! What is there to talk about?”
“I—I have a wealth of information! I could be useful to Embercrest!”
“Bullshit.”
“Do you think neighboring nations haven’t noticed that Embercrest Kingdom is in disarray?" the leader blurted. “The most powerful, wealthy, lush kingdom is currently weakened? Does that not sound tempting to poorer nations?”
Jackson shoved the cutlass beneath the man’s chin, and he squealed.
“Lies to save your own skin,” Jackson snarled. The hate in his voice could drip blood from his words.
My jaw clenched. I wanted to speak up again, worried that Jackson may be acting out of rage again. Yet, I knew that if I interrupted him again, Jackson wouldn’t let me off with another warning. Still, this was unbearable to watch. It was savage. I refused to believe this was the real Jackson—not the callous captain our enemies call him out to be.
I knew Jackson wouldn’t be lenient if I stepped in a second time.
What should I do?
“Robin,” Cedric whispered, as if reading my mind. “Trust the captain.”
“Trust?” I hissed under my breath. “In this barbaric cruelty?”
The bandits’ leader cried out as Jackson dug the cutlass into his neck. The bead of blood flowed down his throat and turned the collar of his shirt red. Pure fear reflected in the other bandits’ eyes; meanwhile, the leader’s gaze was lightless with defeat, and yet our captain kept pushing.
The sight reminded me of the crushing words that Jackson had told me earlier today: sometimes knights have to be villains too.
No. I can’t accept this. I won’t accept this!
I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves and mentally preparing myself for a brutal punishment. Cedric desperately shook his head, but I still spoke up.
“Captain.”
Jackson’s chilling glare traveled from the leader to me without a word. His eyes alone told me I was going to get it later. The wide-eyed disbelief in everyone else’s eyes had switched into wondering if I was insane.
Probably.
“Wealth of information or not, he’s still the leader of the bandits. There could be more bandits out there, or have valuable connections with people outside of Embercrest territory. We could use him as a hostage. A bargaining chip,” I advised.
Not a person uttered a word; bandit nor knight. Everyone was frozen in place. Eventually, Jackson kicked the leader to the ground, bloodying the man’s nose, and he spat out blood.
Our captain turned to the other knights and muttered, “Tie them up.”
“Yes, sir,” the knights said as they tied up the bandits.
Jackson’s gaze turned to me. “As for you…” He marched up to me and snatched me by my arm. Cedric and Russel looked away as the captain dragged me off. I repeatedly tripped over my feet, struggling to keep up and almost falling when he shoved me.
“How many warnings do I need to give you to get it through your dense skull?!” he snarled.
I tried to remain brave by forcing on a smile. Though it couldn’t be seen through my helmet, you could still hear it in my voice. “I’m afraid my skull is too dense, sir.”
Jackson stared at me in disbelief, scoffed, and turned his back to me. We stood in silence as I nervously waited for my punishment. When he turned to face me again, the coldness in his glare returned.
“Go back to base camp.”
My face dropped. “H—huh…?”
“You heard me, dame. Return to base camp and do not come back until I say otherwise.”
I fell silent in shock as he walked away, but blurted my thoughts when he took a few steps. “Why?? That’s—this is unfair. I’ve done nothing wrong!”
Jackson spun around and barked, “You keep interfering in a situation you clearly can’t understand!”
“I understand this isn’t just!” I barked back, yanking off my helmet and wiping the ginger bangs from my face. “You’re doing this for your murdered comrades, but this is not the way. There is no justice in this! This is only for selfish revenge!”
Every knight looked at each other, thinking that I had a deathwish. Even the bandits cowered.
He laughed before glowering. “These unforgivable bastards deserve to be tortured tenfold. I don’t care whether that’s justice or vengeance.”
My hands balled into fists as I yelled, “Have you learned nothing from the petty squabbles in Embercrest’s streets?! What happened to Dale?? The price for vengeance isn’t worth it. It doesn’t bring any good to either side!”
The rage in Jackson’s gaze faded as he warily looked me up. He muttered, “…How do you know that?”
I paled, my gaze dropping to the ground as I swallowed hard. “U—uh…”
“I asked you a question, dame.” Jackson’s voice deepened as he marched up and grabbed my shoulder. “How the hell does an outsider know the activities taking place inside the kingdom?”
“I—I, uh…” My gaze darted around, thinking a million thoughts to find the most believable excuse. “P—Princess Liliana told me in our letters—”
“Bullshit!” he spat. “That happened the same day Princess Liliana was—” he cut his sentence short. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was trying to keep her murder a secret from the bandits, or if it was because his voice would crack.
“It’s true!”
“Why the hell would Princess Liliana discuss such things with you?”
My green gaze hardened. “To ask for advice. King Austin believes that fairness can be given to everyone, and so do I!” I gestured to the bandits. “Some of them may be fueled by greed, but did it ever dawn on you that some of them may just be trying to survive? Desperation? Hunger? Did it ever cross your mind that they may know no other life because they were never given the opportunity?"
The knights glanced at each other. The bandits kept their gaze on the ground, their eyes lightless and fatigued. The leader’s nose wrinkled as he looked away with a glare.
Jackson’s jaw clenched before he muttered, “I’ve warned you before. The moment you let down your guard, they’ll turn on you and stab you in the back too.”
True, he warned me. But something told me he wasn’t referring to his fallen comrades this time.
I murmured where only he could hear. “I know your heart is still breaking, but bloodshed won’t heal you. Princess Liliana wouldn’t want th—”
“ENOUGH!” he boomed, and I jumped. “Enough, Robin! Just stop talking! Please…” he whispered his last word. We stood silently before he turned to his knights. “Cedric, keep an eye on the bandits. I need a moment.”
“Yes, sir,” Cedric said as Jackson walked into the forest.
My throat tightened. “Captain…” I whispered, about to chase him, but Cedric grabbed my arm.
“Leave him be, Robin,” he warned. “You’ve done enough.”
“But I never meant…” I hesitated, tears blurring my vision. I turned to the forest, but Jackson had already disappeared.