Under The Oak Tree (Riftan Calypse POV) - The Confession

The Confession

Riftan looked down on Maxi's face as he held her in his arms, while still seated on his horse. Elliot was making arrangements at an inn where they can stay for the night. It will take a few more days to reach Anatol but this would be the last village on their journey home.

Maxi was no longer crying. In the dim light, Riftan could see that her face was blank with melancholy and her eyes were swollen. Maxi seemed unreachable. He had never seen her like this, not even when they parted at Livadon. He held her tight and instinctively worried about his wife.

Riftan recalled how she was beaten so severely. He knows what it's like to be frequently punished if he did something wrong. Back when he was a young apprentice to a blacksmith and then when he trained as a mercenary, he was punched and pushed to the ground by men bigger than him. Riftan felt the anger and injustice of every hit but he learned how to use the lingering pain to fight back. As a boy, he was conditioned to take physical punishment as if it were an important requirement to become a man. And yet, the severity of his experience could not compare to the brutality that Maxi had been subjected to by her father. Hers was not merely punishment; it was torture.

Riftan was afraid to ask how long she had endured it and gritted his teeth as he thought about that bastard. He did not really want to hear what the answer was, but at the same time, his heart wanted to know the truth.

How long has she carried this secret? Did it happen while I was away?

Riftan grew furious. There was never any indication that Maxi had been so badly abused. She was always kind, caring, and bore no resentment in her spirit.

I could not understand why she still went with her father so willingly. Why did she not wait for me to come back? She should have told me this... I would have gladly killed her father a long time ago!

After he carried Maxi to their room and laid her on the bed, he opened the window for some fresh air so he could gather his thoughts and stay calm. He did not even think about removing his armor. But Riftan's mind was already made up to declare war against the Duke of Croix. He was determined to make him pay for it with his life, no matter what the consequences were against the laws that governed the Western Continent.

Riftan was distracted when he heard a knock on the door. "Sir Calypse, I've prepared hot water for you." It was Ruth. He did not give him any instructions as he was with Maxi the whole time, but the wizard understood what was needed. He went over to the door. "I brought some clean towels and clothes to change into. Dinner is..."

"In an hour," Riftan curtly replied. He took what Ruth offered and quickly shut the door behind him. He brought the bowl of hot water to the night table closest to where Maxi was curled in bed. He sat down on a nearby chair and removed his gauntlets. He dipped a towel into the bowl and squeezed the water out before holding Maxi's chin. She flinched at his touch.

"I will wipe away the blood," Riftan explained.

"Oh..." Maxi weakly replied.

Riftan tenderly dealt with the marks of her injuries as best he could, even if he was upset seeing it. Maxi continued to look blankly at an empty space. After wiping the blood on the side of her cheek, he removed the coat that he gave her so he can wipe the bloodstains off her back and shoulders with a new towel. He sensed that Maxi wasn't comfortable as her shoulders seemed to twitch every now and then. Although her wounds have been completely healed by magic, Riftan could easily imagine how big or small the lashings were based on the dried patterns of blood and other redness left behind. He also wiped her arms since it was sticky with dirt. It felt much thinner to his touch than he remembered.

"...How often has his happened?" Riftan asked gently at first when he was almost done. Maxi avoided his eyes and looked desperately for another object to stare at, "Wh-what do you mean?"