Blood is not thicker than water
Blood is not thicker than water
Aribella POV
“A storybook?” Emrys repeated my words, his face losing all emotion. He stood as still as a statue, as almost everyone else in the room did.
My eyes darted around the room, seeing the faces of every person I cared about except for Peyton. It felt like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for me to say it was all some sort of sick joke… but it wasn’t.
“Yes,” I swallowed the lump in my throat before my eyes lifted to Rhory’s, “You were supposed to die.”
“You can’t be serious right now,” Emrys mutters, running a shaky hand through his inky strands.
“That’s how I knew about the hunting accident…. It was in the story.”
Rhory’s eyes lacked their normal warmth, and his face drained of all color. “You’re lying,” his voice was barely above a whisper.
His accusation stung but was expected. If someone had told me they’d read a story about my life, one in which I died, I wouldn’t believe them.
“What purpose would I have to lie, Rhory?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the slight tremble in my fingers. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to dig deep. The truth was already out… They were either going to believe me, or send me packing, but either way, I couldn’t take what I said back now.
“Aribella Voss was supposed to marry Mael,” goosebumps spread across my arms at the memory. “It was a ruse for the throne because you hadn’t found a wife yet. Mael believed that this relationship would earn him brownie points in the eye of your father. When that didn’t work out, he began the second part of his plan, which was to eliminate you. It started with the hunting trip, where you were attacked, but Emrys took the bullet for you. Then came the poisoning,” I whispered, seeing Emrys’s jaw tighten.
“He poisoned us both in the story, and we both died. From there, Emrys and Kaelar worked together to find evidence that Mael was behind the murders, but everything keeps changing,” I threw my hands in the air, tears burning my eyes. “I don’t know what happens now because you and I aren’t dead,” I stared into Rhory’s eyes, pleading with him to believe me.
“I didn’t know that I killed Stephan that day.”
“What do you mean you didn’t know?” Emrys was the only one asking questions, and I knew it was for Rhory’s sake. Rhory stood frozen, unable to formulate thoughts beyond what he was hearing, so Emrys filled in the gaps.
“He slit my god damn throat!” I hissed, reaching up to massage the phantom pain away, “And while I was dying, I stabbed him, but I died before seeing what happened.”
Rhory’s eyes were no longer trained on me. He stared directly at Kaelar.
“You know I would have objected if she was lying,” Kaelar pinned him with a glare that I could only assume was for his accusations.
Rhory collapsed into his chair, slamming a fist against his desk, “I am the future King and not one of you,” his eyes panned around the room. “Has been honest with me. Each one of you has chosen to put the Kingdom of Sacaris in danger.”
“Says the man who chooses to believe blood is thicker than water,” I snapped back. “Newsflash, Rhory, you’ve been ignoring the elephant in the room for months, despite my warnings.”
“Mael is my brother,” he protests weakly.
“Every single person in this room would protect you with their lives, all the while Mael is trying to take yours from you,” our eyes lock, and I see it. I see the moment it truly clicks for him that he’d been disillusioned into believing in his brother because Mael is family.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion.
A single tear slides down his cheek, his jaw loosening enough to tremble.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Emrys’s voice is strained.
“NO!” Rhory shouts. “Stop treating me like I am an insolent child!”
“That’s not at all what I’m doing,” Emrys looked hurt.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this meeting has gone on too long. I can’t imagine Johnston or Mael not becoming suspicious,” Reo finally broke his silence.
“Aribella,” Rhory lifts his eyes to mine. “May I speak with you alone?”