A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 12: Lost Boy

Kilgorian throws the inner door open a moment after Rowan raised his voice. He marches into the room to my side, ready to attack if he finds me altered. But the damage Rowan has done isn't visible; no cuts, bruises or blood to indicate foul play. The damage is internal. My heart is pounding as my mind races.

"Leave us, Kilgorian." I order softly in hopes of defusing his anxiety and curiosity.

"I heard him yelling..." He offers in explanation. He didn't seem to know the nature of our conversation, probably because Alma had actually put him to work as she previously stated. He wasn't able to fully eavesdrop on our conversation as he did so often before we left the palace.

I nod before continuing, "I'm fine. You misunderstood the nature of his tone, but thank you for coming to my aid nonetheless."

He looks at Rowan with a furious gaze. "I should stay with you just in case..."

"I'm perfectly safe, Kilgorian. I need to continue my conversation with Rowan privately."

He hesitates, ready to argue his way into remaining in the room. But I give him a calculated look, ordering him once more to get out before I made him leave. He takes the hint, backing out of the room as he frowns at Rowan. The door closes softly despite Kilgorian's rage.

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in my chair, studying the Prince with a mix of disgust, wonder and amusement. "You're Nero." I state coldly.

He slowly nods, afraid that he divulged too much.

I looked for any trace of his father in his features, finding it hard to believe that he was actually Maximus' son. But then I recalled the painting of the first Empress that hung in the palace. Rowan shared a great deal of similarities to the woman, specifically in the shape of his face and colour of his eyes. I couldn't deny his parentage, but I couldn't prove it either.

"Explain." I demand.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Perhaps you could tell me why you're even alive?" I shrug arrogantly, growing more frustrated by this conversation with every word. "Our history says that you were murdered shortly after your birth, along with your mother. Is she alive too?"

"No."

"Then why were you spared? Why doesn't Maximus know?"

"Gaius told everyone that he killed me, but instead he kidnapped me. The infant body he left for my father must have been a look-alike replacement. He brought me back to Galacian territory and left me in the care of an ignorant woman who just wanted a child. She was told that my name was Rowan, and that it was important to keep me safe. Once I got a little older, she started asking questions about my origin. She disappeared soon after, and then a new woman showed up at the cottage to take care of me, along with a weekly check in by a palace guard. This cycle continued every few years. The moment my caretaker started asking questions about my origin, she was quickly replaced."

"Gaius had them executed to keep his secret, didn't he?"

"I assume so."

"Why go through all the trouble? Why did he want you alive?"

"To use me as a bartering chip? To make me his heir if he never married? Perhaps because he couldn't live with himself if he killed a child, especially his own nephew? I don't really know..."

"But you're on the list..." I grab the parchment that had fallen back onto the table after I had thrown it at him earlier. I look at his name and then back up at him. "He obviously wants you dead now. What changed?"

"I suppose I did. As I got older, I began to ask questions on my own. When I was twelve, my caretaker at the time divulged her concerns to the Galacian guard who was sent to check up on me. The next day a group of soldiers came to take me away from the cottage. After a long journey with a blindfold over my eyes and shackles on my wrists, we arrived at an old abandoned fort in the middle of nowhere. They put me in the stone basement, locking me away under constant supervision for the next six years."