A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 15: Terms and Conditions

Loxley's stunt put us three days behind schedule. I was on bed rest until my bruises subsided and my stab wound became nothing more than a dull ache. I hated that Marcus was moving further and further away from me with every hour that passed, and that there was no way for me to stop Arrian and our friends from racing into Galacian territory to save me.

The only upside to my stationary state was that I had plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons of Rowan's plan, compelling me to make the most sensible decision.

I was sitting in a chair by the long mirror in the spare room that Arlo, Kilgorian and I had been sharing, taking in my features by candlelight. The cut from Loxley's blade was no longer swollen, but my face was still various shades of purple and brown from the fall. Alma shuffles into the room to check on me, acting as my nurse for the past three days. She doesn't say anything, but rather watches as I run my fingers through my matted, shoulder length hair.

"I'm an ugly little thing..." I offer with a smile to break the tension.

She returned the gesture good-naturedly as she moved to stand behind me. She grabbed a brush off of the side table to take over the poor job that my fingers were doing.

I ran my fingers over the various scars that littered my face, and then I pulled on my shirt collar to do the same over the scars across my shoulders and chest. I stopped over my most recent wound, knowing that it too would become another battle scar.

"Girl's shouldn't look like this."

"Says who? There's no shame in it." Alma proclaims as she yanks a particularly large knot loose.

"I'm not ashamed... just aware." I look at myself thoughtfully, "I suppose I'll have to disguise myself again. I can't very well trapes through Romallia as the Princess when I'm supposed to be a Galacian war prisoner." I lean over to the side table to grab a pair of sheers. I flip them over in my hands as I consider my options. "The first time I went undercover, I hacked off my hair in a hurry and took my brother's name. Part of me regrets that decision." I surprise myself with this admission, but I explore it further, "Maybe if I just went off as a girl, I could have saved my brother long before-" I stopped myself before revealing too much. I had a feeling that Alma and Rowan wouldn't judge Marcus for becoming an assassin, primarily due to their acceptance of Loxley's similar past. I was just afraid of it reaching Kilgorian's ears, so I move on in my babbling, "Arrian cut my hair the second time. It was to keep up appearances as a young boy during the tournament, right before the final event where I stupidly revealed my true identity. All that seems like a lifetime ago." A sad, small smirk forms at the corner of my mouth. I decidedly raise the sheers to Alma. "I suppose it's time to become someone else again."

Alma puts the brush back down onto the side table before grabbing the sheers from my fingers. I close my eyes tightly, waiting for the familiar sound that I had grown to associate with my identity loss. But instead I hear the thump of the sheers being placed back on the side table. I open my eyes and look at Alma with uncertainty.

"The time for hiding behind a mask has long passed, Candra. Just be you."

"What if I don't know who I am?" My stomach churns at the thought. "Who am I if I'm not my father's daughter or my brother's sister? A gladiator, or Decimus' one true love, or even a Princess? Who am I if I'm not The Miracle of Romallia?"

Alma smiles knowingly before stating, "You're Candra Calpurnius Galeo, and that's enough."

I contemplate her words before inquiring, "And what would Candra Calpurnius Galeo say to Rowan's plan to end the war? How would she proceed?"

"That's for you to decide on your own."

~*~*~*~

The next morning I called everyone into the front room to give them my decision. They were all waiting patiently when I sauntered in. Alma was sitting in the chair by the fireplace. She smiled when she saw that my hair was still intact with the edges brushing gently against my shoulders. Rowan was sitting at the table with his fingers intertwined, and Arlo sat across from him leaning back comfortably in his chair. Loxley was sitting on a window ledge, and Kilgorian was propped up against the wall eating a chunk of cheese.