A Threatened Treaty

Chapter Twenty

~On the ship home~

Evangeline ate like a wild animal, filling her stomach until she felt sick.

Her family watched in silence, shaking their heads at Evie's behavior until Alysster spoke up. "My daughter is alive. At least she's eating something. I would rather see her eating like this than not at all."

Halt nodded. "Alysster's right. The poor girl's been left to go hungry for who knows how long. Let her forget her manners just this once."

The ship fell silent at Halt's words. They all knew it was true. Evangeline had been beaten, tortured for who knows what, and starved and the only one who knew how long she'd been treated like that was now dead, thanks to her own father.

Still, those on the ship who weren't indisposed with doing something else, watched her closely as she inhaled the food until her stomach bulged and she felt just a little nauseous from it all. Thank goodness we brought extra food, Alysster thought as his daughter wiped her face of any remnants of the food off her face.

She yawned once the effects of eating so much hit her, and she wobbled her way over to her father, sat beside him, and leaned on his shoulder. "I missed you, daddy," she said. The first words she'd said to them since they got her away from the camp.

Alysster tried and failed to keep the tears at bay. "I missed you too, sweatheart."

Before long, she was asleep and using his lap as a pillow.

Halt came over as she slept, took off his cloak to place around his great grandaughter, and sat on the other side of Alysster. "I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted a career that's more... tame compared to what her grandmother does."

Alysster nodded. "Today was a lot for her to take. But, the decision is for her to make."

Halt grunted his agreement, and the two of them sat beside one another in silence, aside from the sounds of the ship and its crewmembers.

My daughter's finally safe.