Sacrifice

Chapter 15 - The Incident

Kalli was so ecstatic with her success that she practically danced all the way home. Coming through the large oak doors into the front hall she saw her father barking sharp words at a pale and trembling Feylanna. Kalli was brought up short. Her father was never home at this time of night; it was the prime time for wheeling and dealing at any one of the city's many gentlemen's clubs. He looked up at the sound of the great door closing.

"You," he shouted striding towards her, "where in damnation have you been?"

Kalli took a step back. "Out," was all she could think to say.

"Really?" he said, "and why didn't you leave word of where you were to be found? I've had the servants scouring the city for you."

He was towering over her now.

"Why?" she asked, glancing around the empty hall for a hint of what was upsetting her father.

"Why?" her father tossed back. "I'll tell you why you silly chit. The Crown Prince has been in our sitting room for nearly two hours waiting for your return. You get yourself in there and apologize to him. Then agree to whatever it is he came here to say."

Kalli nodded tersely and then skirted around her father towards the sitting room, acutely aware of the sound of him following her.

But as soon as she saw the Prince draped insolently on the green silk lounge chair she stiffened and remembered exactly why she never wanted to see his condescending face ever again. Remembering her father's presence behind her, she executed a stiff curtsy, though strictly speaking it wasn't deep enough to suit protocol. The arch of the Prince's brow told her that he had seen her subtle, but deliberate, insult.

Still, he said nothing, and her father stepped forward as he attempted to smooth the Prince's inevitably ruffled feathers.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my daughter's tardiness in returning. She's active in a number of cultural pursuits, and I'm certain she simply lost track of the time."

The Prince nodded curtly.

"You said you had some matter to discuss with my lovely daughter," Kalli's father inquired.

Kalli clenched her jaw. The Prince didn't even bother addressing her; instead, he spoke directly to her father. "I wished to have her accompany me to the Katara match this coming Sunday."

Kalli's father gave a smile devoid of any real warmth. "Of course, she would love –"

"I decline. I have a finite number of hours on this fine earth, and I do not choose to spend them with a self-centred prig."

Kalli was so entranced by the look of sheer incredulity that had appeared on Bhirdan's face that she didn't remember that her father was still in the room.

That was until the back of his hand hit her with enough force to knock her to the ground. She almost blacked out but caught the tail end of her father's shouts.

" – the respect due to him."

"ENOUGH."

Kalli jumped at the roar that was loud enough to be heard from one end of a drill square to the other. For a moment she expected to see Adir standing there. But instead, it was the Crown Prince who stood between her and her father.

# # #

Bhirdan was breathless with shock and rage after seeing Lord dir Liran send his daughter flying. He took a deep breath and cut off Kalli's father as he tried to say something.

"I said that is enough. I no longer require your presence dir Liran, I suggest that you remove yourself before I choose to take insult to the fact that you would instigate violence in my presence."

Lord dir Liran paled and bowed low before backing himself out of the room.

Bhirdan turned to Kalli, she was still on the floor; the left side of her face was red, and a bruise was starting to form. She still looked dazed from the blow, so he crouched and reached out to help her up. She winced away from him and he stilled.

The realization that she was frightened of him brought the bitter taste of vomit to his mouth.

But why wouldn't she be? He asked himself. He was twice her size and even her father, who was not a large man, was a head taller than her. She was politically powerless and likely without property. She was no more able to protect herself than an infant.

"It's alright," Bhirdan said softly, crouching with his hands out to the side so that she could see he wouldn't hurt her. "You needn't be afraid."

She wouldn't meet his eye. Instead, she spoke softly, almost hesitantly to the floor. "I would be honoured to accompany you my Liege."

The tone of her voice hit Bhirdan like a battering ram, she sounded meek, obedient, like a little robot programmed only to say the right things; it was completely different from the way she had spoken to him in the past.

"Kalli," he said gently, "you don't need to come with me."

She stayed silent, her eyes never left the floor.

"I'll leave now." Bhirdan swallowed. "If your father ever lays a hand on you again, if he ever threatens you in any way, you come to me. I'll make sure that you're protected and that he pays."

Bhirdan waited for Kalli to nod and then let himself out. Stepping into the cool night air, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Until he had seen Kalli on the floor cowed and powerless, he hadn't realized what drew him to her. She amazed him because she was so free and spirited. To try and rein that in would be to destroy what made her so special.

# # #

Kalli crept up to her bedroom as silently as possible. She doubted that her father was still in the house, but she didn't want to risk attracting his attention if he was. Shutting the door and locking it, she crossed the dark room to her makeup table and sat on the stool. Pressing her hand against her mouth, she muffled a small sob as she saw the damage her father had done. Tears coursed down her cheeks, but it wasn't from the pain.

It did hurt, but it was bearable.

With trembling hands, she removed the pins from her hair and let it cascade down. The mark was still visible. There was no way that she could see Adir with her face like this. He would be furious, he might even make good on his threat and kill her father for touching her, and then she would lose him too.

Burying her face in her hands she thought back to the first time she had met Adir. She had just buried her mother, and the house was full of crying people who weren't really sad. So she had snuck down to the kitchen and hid under one of the big tables in the corner. The kitchen staff were so excited by the number of important guests that they were serving that they didn't notice her.

No one except the little kitchen boy covered in soot. Adir had crawled in beside her when he had seen her crying and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's all right Lady," he had whispered to her, "it'll all be ok."

When she had told him that he didn't understand, that no one did he'd just looked at her as solemn as could be and told her that his parents had died, so he guessed that maybe he did know. After that day under the table, he had been her champion. A couple of years older and a world wiser, he'd always been there to help make things ok. Besides the few times that soldiering had taken him away, they had always seen each other every day.

Now she had to think of a way to avoid him until the bruises faded, and at the moment she needed him more than ever. Slowly, she prepared herself for bed in the hopes that the morning would bring a fresh start and some good ideas.