Chapter 17 Chapter 17
The SUV was taring through the rain, while the thunder rolled over the mountain and it was very low and heavy on to them. While the windshield was wiping through the storm and it was frantic outside.
Lydia glared at him and she was not just looking at him, she was studying him. The man that had killed four people. Four people, and yet his hands were resting on the steering wheel like he was driving home from work.
His hands very steady and controlled. Too controlled, like none of this really bothered him and that is when Lydia looked right at his face.
"You are unbelievable. Why are you so calm right now?" She finally asked. Lydia couldn't hold it to herself. Her voice shaking despite the effort to steady it.
The the king did not look at her, but rather he was looking at the road ahead of him.
"I am focused. Getting out of here is more important." He said,, and this confused her. Lines where form on her forehead.
"Focus?" She was in complete disbelief.
" Arthur. You just sort four men in the middle of the road, while we will going to a charity."
"They were armed. These men were here to kill us." He said
"That is not the point. But they are all dead now."
"That is the point Lydia." He said a little louder than usual and her hands flew into the sky.
"You did not even think though this, and shot them."
"I did not have the liberty to think twice. Either it was them or us Lydia." He clarified to her.
"Why didn't you look scared?" She whispered. And The King exhaled slowly. The kind of breathing someone take when they were trying very hard not lose patient.
"If I hesitate in situations like this..." He said evenly.
"Both of us could die. Would that be okay with you?" He finally asked her the question, and she fully turned to her seat.
"And what about me. Did you even think maybe I might not want to sit in a car, while bullet flew right through the window." Lydia asked.
"I was thinking about you Lydia." He burst and she almost laughed.
"Really? Because from where I was sitting. It looked like you were having a perfectly normal Tuesday. We could have just drove away Arthur. Why did you get out of the car and do any of that?" She screamed, still in shock.
"What if there were other people around us? they could have got sort. What if there were children in the car next to us?" She asked and there Arthur shifted a little.
When she asked about children.
The man finally looked at her, his eyes very firm.
"You think all of this is normal to me?" He asked.
"Yes. That's exactly the problem. You act like this is just part of your routine." She whispered, backing away from him and Arthur drove to a different road.
Into a narrow road, winding through the thick trees. Rain pounding hard against the roof.
"You are safe here." He said, and those words almost made her laugh.
"Arthur, someone literally tried to kill us ten minutes ago." He said, fear crossed her face.
"And they failed." He reminded her, and that made her sit quiet for sometime. She was pain mentally. Her frown went deep.
"That is not make me comfortable, knowing that I came out of there alive. I could have just died Arthur, you could have died. Does that not make you scared?"
"I don't think I have at time to be scared anymore. All I can do is keep you and myself safe." He muttered.
"Safe?" She said to herself.
"I remember you promised me, I would be safe. Do you remember that?" She asked..
"No one could reach me if I stayed with you?"
"And no one will Lydia." He muttered, and her mouth fell open. Not in shock but because she wanted to say something. She just did not have the words to say it.
Arthur parked the car outside of a secluded wooden cabinet. Shutting the engine. The rain still did not stop..
"Get inside. I have to check around." He said softly, but she did not move. Lydia had a very gross look on her face.
"They made their choice made for them. It had to happen." He reminded her, while she looked at her fingers, nodding her head.
"And you pulled the trigger." She whispered.
"They would have done the same thing to us." He said and her chest went heavy.
"You are a mad man." She muttered, opening the door and rushing outside. Getting wet in the rain. He was stunned. He knew she was mad at him but also in shock.
"Lydia..." He called out for her, but she did not stop for him. Already running out into the heavy rain, it was so cold outside.
Once inside the cabin, she slammed the door so hard, the walls started shaking. It looks like somebody was already inside before them and just left.
Because the house was warm. Fire light was flickering into the wooden interior and food was made in the corner.
Lydia noticed all of this. While still messing with the skin of her hands. She was fine on the outside but the inside she was freaking out. Breaking, falling apart. Lydia was going through everything.
The man was right behind her, as she walked in.
"What kind of life is this?" She demanded and The King took off his jacket, closing the door correctly. But he never looked away from his wife. He was watching her every move. Understanding her panic.
"This is the only one I have ever known." He said, talking about the guns and the voilence.
"That not an answer Arthur. I understand you are a very powerful man, but this... How is this a normal thing, in a normal life. How did you just go back to eating food after you do something like this?" She muttered, stunned.
"I am just telling you the truth of everything I know and I have learnt. My title comes with a life like this." Arthur said to her, and she shook her head.
Lydia started to pace around the room, running her hands through her wet hair.
"You could have been shot Arthur.... You know..." She whispered in panic.
"The way you walked out, not even think you could be shot. Arthur, I do understand you have your bodyguard with you, but what about me? What if you would have died? what would they have done to me?"
"Lydia stop." He got loud and mad now. And this was not because he was angry with her but he didn't even want to think of a time where someone could hurt her.
"What would happen to my father who is under your control. Under your safety? What about any of that?"
More questions started to come and Arthur stood there and understood what she was going through. Even though these are the questions he never asked himself.
Listening to it, Arthur understood her point of view.
Arthur moved to the other side of the room quickly, looking out the window. there was no one outside. But before he turned around, Arthur looked down to see a very long blanket.
Without thinking for a second, he grabbed it, walking up to Lydia. She was still looking at the ground, biting her nails. Her was wet still the same.
He put the blanket over her shoulder, keeping her extremely warm.
"What I do is very necessary. That is all I'm saying." He said looking directly into her eyes and he was being very kind and soft with her. Something he could never do with others.
And now because she needed this and he knew it.
"But it wasn't nothing Arthur. You did not even blink." She said, walking away from him and he was standing there watching her quitely.
"That's because blinking gets people killed." He whispered.
"Do you even hear yourself Arthur?" She said turning around looking at him.
"Do you realize how insane and sick that sounds?"
"Perfectly." He answered with a straight face.
"And you are fine with that?" She asked, terrified.
"No." He said almost immediately. Her anger altering every second.
"No?" She asked while he stared.
"If I fail, people around me will panic." He said and she actually got very angry at that.
"So you just keep everything inside of you? That's your strategy. Pretend like nothing happened?" She was stunned. He let out a heavy breath.
"I manage it." He explained. But she shook her head, smiling to herself.
"You call this managing? there are bodies on the road. The car completely destroyed." She shouted.
"I call it surviving." Was all The King said. She looked at him to see he wasn't irritated with her question, he was standing there and answering all of it.
She saw him still waiting for her to continue. And this confused Lydia.
"I have to leave. I have to go from here." She said turning around and walking away. But the door was locked and it looks like it needed a key to get out of there.
"It is not safe outside for you Lydia." He said, walking up to her, to hold her hand. But she backed away from him.
"Don't touch me Arthur..."
She said, backing away. Arthur did not see that coming.
"You could have left to this life Arthur. What is making you be this way?" She yelled. And he did not even hesitate to say that he could not.
"There was no way out of being this. This was what I was given." He said, standing there. She stared at him stunned.
"You are the most powerful man in your organisation, and you could not leave?"
"And that's exactly why I cannot leave." He got louder but not more than her.
"Why?...... Why not?"
"The power like this does not disappear Lydia." He said almost immediately.
"If I leave it gets taken and when it is taken by the non deserving, people die." He explained.
"And this is your answer?" It infuriated her.
"I did not sign up for this?" She said, shaking her head and backing away, and he only came closer to her.
"I know. you did not deserve this?" he knew she was right. The man felt the pain for her.
He was trying to calm her down.
"I was in the car that was being shot. I was in there because of YOU." She screamed at him, punching on his chest, very hard.
"I hate this world... I hate the guns... I hate the bodyguards... the... blood." Her voice was loud, she was shouting aggressively.
Her voice cracking.
"I hate how this is normal to you. I hate everything." She said screaming and that is when The King holds her closer to him, grabbing her waist.
Lydia tried to push him away.
But he did not let go of her. He was not aggressive with her either, but he simply wanted her to stop.
"Lydia..." He said, as she punched him harder and she was now hurting herself.
"LYDIA..." He called out her name again, louder for her to hear. But she was hitting him, slapping him.
"Let go of me.... Don't touch me.."
"I want you to breath.." He said grabbing her face, softly. Forcing her to look at him.
"But she wasn't listening.
"No....leave me.. Ahhh.." She screams as she moved her hand to punch him but she hit the wood behind her and hard.
"LYDIA BREATH..." He said grabbing her hand and stopping her. Their faces closer, too closer. He grabbed her hand and held it closer to his chest.
And she was breathing heavy. her chest hurting but for once she listened to him and calmed down.
"Breath.." he whispered, placing his hand on her chest, and calming her down. She didn't know what it was, but she was fighting him but she fought peace in him as well.
And she hated herself for that. but here she was, lookign at him only him. Arthur felt somethig strange in him as well. A pull he never felt before. And there he leaned and she didn't pull back as well. Lydia stayed while Arthur, moved closer.