Dead if you do, Dead if you don't

Chapter 7 A Cold Blooded Murderer

A couple months later, we are told we can go home for Founders Day. Today is the day that Charles Bellevue founded this land. Aster and I mount our horses and head home. We finally arrive home and my father sends Aster to her room and leads me to his office.

"How is the mission?" My father asks.

"Hello my lovely daughter, wonderful to see you, how are you? I haven't seen you in months, tell me how is life treating you?" I scoff.

"Don't get an attitude with me!" He snaps.

"It's been fine, nothing much has been happening." I reply to his original question.

"Athena, I know you are hiding something! I can tell!" He starts to raise his voice.

"Fine! You want to know? It was stupid of you to kidnap the prince! I saw your symbol on the chains! You are lucky I was there first instead of anyone else! Someone–"

"Maybe I wouldn't have needed to if you gave me information!" He yelled.

"Don't interrupt me!" I yell back.

"I can do whatever I want, you are my daughter. I am your superior and you need to start acting like it!" He glares at me.

"Why don't you do it then, if i'm being such a disappointment? Is it because you failed last time?" I say, fake pouting.

"If you don't give me new information soon then I will have to give you some consequences." He says as he wipes off one of his new swords.

"You would really threaten your own daughter? The person who took care of Aster while you were too busy doing assassin work to take care of your own children?" I roll my eyes.

"I'm sorry that my Wife died!" He yells.

"Yeah, your wife did die. But she was my mother! I was ten! I was ten years old when I watched my mother die! I watched her get shot and die in my arms! And I still took care of my sister, and you when you got too drunk! I had to grow up at the age of ten because you were too busy being drunk and being an assassin to care about either one of us. And when you failed you made me, your ten year old daughter, a cold blooded murderer."

"You don't underst–"

"Don't tell me that I don't understand, because I don't! I don't understand how you could sit there and watch your children suffer! How you could let us be motherless! You are the reason she is dead! You got her killed all because you wanted revenge, because you were scared! So don't go pretending that you loved her, because I know that you hired someone to kill her because she was going to tell the royal guard who you really were." I yell, I see his fists start to close.

"Don't talk to me like that!" he yells. My father looks up as the door creaks open. I see Aster peek in, then close the door again.

"You don't get to talk to me like that. And if you do decide to tell on me, Aster will go down the same route as your mother." He threatens.

"You would kill your own daughter! You're a monster!" I yell, Derrik turns around, I felt a sharp sting as I blacked out. I was always afraid of my father because of how many times he threatened me. But this time is the first time that I am actually terrified of him and his power.

I wake up to see a bright light above me. I try to move but my arms and legs are restricted.

"Hey, shh." I hear someone say. The restraints loosen and I quickly remove my limbs from them.

"I'm getting you out of here. Aster is already at the stables" I see Kenna as my vision starts to clear up. Kenna grabs me and starts running out. We finally make it outside.

"Go! I have an alibi so I'm fine, go to the royal guard." Kenna says She walks back into the base as Aster and I get on our horses and ride back to the castle.

I couldn't sleep all night, anytime I tried nightmares would fill my sleep. I decide to wander around the castle. I see the bookcase that Cassian showed me. I pull on the pale blue book like Cassian did. I walk around the golden bookcases, not looking for any book in particular, just any that would take my mind off of things. I find a book that sparks my interest, a book called, "Guards of the Past"

I open the leather book and flip through the pages and see a familiar name, Deimos Barrett.

"Deimos Achlys Barrett, Black rank. An extraordinary soldier who led to many wars to be won. He was one of the most respected soldiers until an incident between him and another Black rank. Barrett said he believed that another black ranked soldier, Kenny Davis, Why does that name sound familiar? was a part of a secret rebellion. He decided to take matters into his own hands and attack Davis in his sleep. Barrett was kicked out of the royal guard for attacking an innocent in his sleep. After an investigation Davis was found guilty of being a part of a rebellion group. The royal family tried to find Barrett but he went missing, said to be seen in the town of Redmere with a girl named Alice Meadows No... a girl with dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. People who knew Barrett said he was quick to violence and war and would do anything to take down the other side. To this day only Alice Meadows has been found, she was shot and was dead before soldiers got to her."

"My mother's name was Alice Meadows." I whisper to myself. "Why does the name Davis sound so familiar" My voice trailed off as everything clicked into place. I remember my parents arguing over someone named Davis! My father is Deimos Barrett!