Chapter Thirty-Two

Iris:

I felt rather than saw Cirdan gearing to counter my words, I could feel his emotions more clearly than before and when I said Finn would teach me, I saw that those words hurt him. That my choice had hurt him, but this was not about him right now, this was about me, so he needed to back off.

“Iris.” Cirdan called.

“Really Cirdan, you want to use that tone with me, like you are the one hurt?” I rolled my eyes while saying the words but when Cirdan flinched I felt bad. It was okay seeing my parents feel that way, I wanted to hurt them a little bit because somehow my mind blamed my little expedition and later capture on them, like it would not have happened if they hadn’t tried to keep me in this place as a prisoner with no rights of leaving.

But Cirdan did not deserve to be hurt, his only fault is that he made the decision I chose. Not to use my power.

“Ouch Iris.”

“I am sorry, but you are not changing my mind, don’t you see anything wrong with your earlier statement, you want to teach me protective and how to defend myself but that is not all I want to learn. I want to learn how to attack, I know I would feel better with the knowledge that I would not cower and be pushed back any time someone ever attacked me again. I want to fight and show them that I am a force to reckon with. You teaching me will not make that happen.”

“I can still teach you some attacks.” Cirdan defended.

“I might not know much about Fae, but I do know enough that a mate cannot sit by and watch people attack his partner not to talk of being the one to attack.”

“So, you would not want me to even sit in and watch the practice then?” Cirdan asked wryly. I nodded in agreement and Cirdan sighed then stood up. My heart changed its pace in my chest, I was worried, I had annoyed Cirdan somehow, but he removed that worry from my mind when he bent over me and kissed my hair.

“I am going to look for Finn for you.” He muttered against my hair before standing straight once more.

“That’s all.” My father stated in a disbelieving stare at Cirdan.

“Yes my king that is all.” Cirdan returned, “Because Iris is right, let’s not turn this into something about us when we are not the ones who were hurt.” Cirdan stared at my father as he spoke, his eyes daring my father to argue.

My father didn’t although he chaffed and puffed. “I forgot that you come from a very powerful bloodline too.”

Cirdan inclined his head to my father before he passed my parents and walked out.

“Papa.” I called my father, and he froze, that was not something I had called him since I was seven. “Can you tell me a goodnight story?”

He glanced at the window which clearly showed that sun was high in the sky, but he smiled. “Anything for my baby girl.” He responded as he moved to me and kissed my hair.

He settled in a seat near my bed and started a tale, a faery tale. My mother smiled at the tale being told before she took another seat close to the foot of my bed then started massaging my feet, I fell asleep under the lull of my father’s voice and my mother’s soothing touch, feeling protected and well loved.

Too bad the feeling did not extend to my dreams or rather nightmares about the thrall of the wild fae.

********************************

Finn:

I was not being tortured. King Elros knows better than to torture someone who does not belong to his race and my queen knows better than to torture me since she was the one who gave the order not just to me but to those mercenaries.

Still, I was being interrogated and I was tempted, seriously tempted to tell the truth but then again. The queen would get out of the lie, and I would be killed then she would replace me with someone else. Someone who would gladly carry out her orders about her daughter.

Still, it would be nice to tell the truth then now is the not first time that I was shying away from doing what was right. The queen called my two favorite nick names of her choosing when I was younger. Her pet because I was always in a leash connected to her hands and her spineless coward because that is what I have always been.

I always did what she wanted because I feared for my life more than anything.

“You are keeping something from us.” The chief interrogator in front of me said, his eyes swirling with golden light. A sign to show that he was upset. Messing with an upset Folk is one of the most stupid mistakes anyone can make.

“I already said it was my fault, what else do you want to hear.” I returned.

“To hear how it is your fault.” The person returned but I turned my face away from him. I could not give him the answer he was looking for.

“Listen…” He slammed his hands on the desk between us, looking like he would fling the whole thing away and squeeze my neck with his hands. “I will not fail my princess for the first time ever because her …”

“That is enough.” Cirdan voice sounded from the door, I watch the shock in the man’s face before he calmed down a little.

“Sire, what are you doing here?”

“I came for him, Iris wants to see him,” Cirdan replied, glancing at me from the side of his eyes before he turned his face back to the interrogator. “He also says he is at fault because he went against his monarch orders because of his best friend pleas.”

When the interrogator paled, Cirdan nodded. “Yes, he is princess iris best friend.”

Within a few minutes after Cirdan’s words, the cuffs at my hands were removed and we were walking back to Iris room.

“Do she really want to see me?” I asked hopeful.

“Of course, she does, she not only wants to see you, but she wants you to train her.” Cirdan answered. My heart stalled as I smiled wanly, the queen would get what she wants sadly. As always.

“She doesn’t blame you for the incident, but I do.” Cirdan added, I turned to look at him to find his jaws clenched tight while his eyes blazed. “You were responsible for her safety, and she was not safe. I don’t think I can ever trust you with her again.” Cirdan added.

“Cird—” I started but Cirdan paled then started sprinting for the direction we were going.

I ran after him only to stop at the door of Iris room as I watched iris openly sob in Cirdan’s arms.

I looked at the queen who had tears in her eyes even though her expression was blank. She saw me watching her and her lips gave a barely there twitch.

I really was a spineless coward.