𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴

The King (part 3)

I struggle against Dukes hands as I am thrown into the chair. I keep my gaze on the floor as my hands are tied behind my back. Slowly, I raise my head to look into Fathers eyes.

What is see is pure hatred.

His knuckles are resting on the mahogany desk in front of him and he leans forward to show the power he has over me.

We remain in silence for a long time. Staring. Duke has left so it is only us. Only we will break the quiet. Still the muteness goes on. On and on.

Father has moved now. He is sitting. One hand rests on the arm of the chair, the other rests on the knife at his hip.

I can take this no longer. I have to say something.

"Still not dead then?" I ask mockingly.

I think this takes him by surprise but he covers it well.

"What did you think you were doing?" He says, completely ignoring my question.

"I knew what I was doing." I say. "It is you who doesn't."

Still his expression remains blank. "Did you really think no one would notice where you had gone? Were you that naive that you trusted that guard?"

The Guard? Daniel? No. He wouldn't - would he? Maybe if he was threatened.

I try to keep my expression neutral. I can't let him win.

"How did you find us?" I ask.

He laughs at me. A laugh that sends shivers through my body.

"You may not think it," he says, "but I have power... influence over... people."

The way he said that last word sends nausea up within me.

"What did you do?" I whisper.

A sickening grin crosses his face.

"What did I do?" He says quietly, mimicking my hushed voice. "What did you do?" This last part he shouted.

My eyes have widened in fear.

"Yes, girl. If you hadn't been such a bitch those men never would have been interrogated. We went through them all. Every one of them. Until we found him."

Went through them all. We found him.

"We threatened him." Father continues, sounding as though we were talking about something cheerful like how nice the roses are in the garden. "We tortured him. We used his family of course."

This snaps me out of my daze. "You used his family?"

"Wouldn't need to have done if you had been a good girl, would I now?"

So that is how this fell down around me. One man. One man who knew. Tortured. His family...

"So." Father says so I cannot finish the thought. "Where is your sister?"

"You didn't find her then?" Guilty relief runs through me. "Obviously your Hunter team is lacking some important men."

He was surprised at this second jab. Again he has quickly covered up.

"I need to decide what to do with you and the boy."

The boy. Wymond. No. He will not touch him.

"You haven't made a decision?" I cheerfully say, forcing a smile onto my face. I am not really sure how well I am playing this. "Goodness, it must be difficult when you are dying and you need someone for the throne but one daughter is missing and the other is... well... me. You can't just execute your own daughter, a Princess. First in line for the throne."

I sit there, with my arms straining behind me. My chest rising a falling. I stare right at him, never letting my gaze fall.

Finally he speaks. "Bitch." Is all he says before standing and striding out of the study.

I watch him leave and the door swings shut behind him with a bang. I fall back into the chair and try to let my arms relax.

There is a stillness all of a sudden before the door opens again and I am being pulled out the chair from behind and I turn to face someone.

Ferox.