Shining light

Chapter 6

A week went by where Eleanor had training every day. Master Gabriel continued to train her concentration, multitasking, and focus by doing more balancing exercises on the pole. She slowly got better and better at it. They also did some visualization exercises where she needed to visualize a portal appearing in front of her, but she had not succeeded yet.

After training, she would collapse in bed and then wake up again in the middle of the night, where she would go out to the garden. Some days she met Adrian there too, and they talked a bit. He seemed to have a lot of things to think about too, but he never opened up about it, and she did not want to pry.

It was Sunday, and she had just finished training for the day. She collapsed on the bed when there was a knock on the door. It was Lilya. She was there to help get her ready for dinner because the king had requested her presence again. She was super exhausted, so after her shower, Lilya helped her put on her dress.

"Lilya, do you know why the king wants to talk to me?" Eleanor asked. Lilya shook her head. "I don't ask questions. I just do what I'm told," she answered.

Eleanor wondered what the king might want to talk to her about, and her thoughts started to spiral. "Do you think I have done something wrong?" "If you had done something wrong, I don't think the king would invite you to dinner," she said as she started to do Eleanor's hair.

Lilya braided Eleanor's bangs into the hair at the back, then proceeded to do her makeup. "I'm done. Now just wait here. The prince should be here any minute to pick you up," Lilya said and left.

Eleanor went out on the balcony to try to clear her mind while she waited. It was a beautiful evening with clear skies. Maybe she could go look at the stars after dinner.

There was a knock on the door. She opened it, and Adrian stood on the other side in his finest dinner attire. "Why does the king want me to come to dinner again?" she burst out frantically. "I talked to my father about how we've been trying to find out anything about your parents, and he said he knows who they are and he wanted to discuss it with you. So do not worry. You are not in trouble," he said and chuckled a bit. "What? He knows who my parents are?" "Yeah, you will finally get some answers," he said with joy.

She looked away. "What's wrong? Is this not a good thing?" he asked. "It is a good thing. I don't know. I... I am just scared," she said and put her arms around herself.

He put an arm on her shoulder, and she looked at him. "It's gonna be fine. I am sure they had a really good reason for giving you to an orphanage," he reassured her. She took a deep breath and nodded.

As Eleanor and Adrian made their way towards the grand dining room, Eleanor's heart raced with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Thoughts about the revelation that awaited her, about the identity of her parents and the reasons behind her upbringing in the orphanage. She hoped Adrian was right.

As they entered the dining room, she could see the king already sitting at the end of the table. "Welcome, you two. Now come, sit down so we can begin the dinner," the king said.

She sat down on the chair a maid held out for her, and then the first dish was served. It was some kind of fish. Eleanor didn't really feel like eating anything, but she forced herself anyway to not seem rude.

"So, Eleanor dear, my son tells me that you two have been trying to find out who your parents are. That's why I invited you to join us today. I know who your parents are," the king said, looking at her with a smirk. Eleanor stopped eating and looked at him.

"Their names are William and Margaret Thompson," he said and continued eating. Eleanor couldn't help but smile a little. She now knew her parents' names and her own last name, which she had always wanted.

"If you were hoping to see them, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but they are both dead." the king quickly said. Eleanor's heart dropped. "What happened to them?" she asked with a shaking voice.

The king took a sip of his wine. "Your mother died of grief after you had been stolen from the castle by an unknown intruder. As for your dad, he died not long ago. He was murdered by our kingdom's most wanted criminal, an assassin that goes by the name Zagreus. He is a shapeshifter and a heartless killer who kills whoever he wants to."

A tear ran down Eleanor's cheek. She would never know what it would feel like to have parents. "Why?" she stumbled.

"I would like to know that myself. And therefore, a squad of my best warriors will go on a mission starting tomorrow to track him down and imprison him. Then we will get some answers."

Eleanor needed answers from this guy. It was his fault that she would always be parentless and alone. She needed this guy to pay for ruining her life.

Eleanor had made up her mind and looked at the king. "I want to go with them," she said. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her and the king started laughing.

"You're feisty. I like that. I will make arrangements so you can join them tomorrow if that's what you really want," he asked.She nodded.

"But, father, she doesn't know how to fight or even how to use her powers. He will kill her!" the prince said frantically. The king looked at him.

"If she wants to go, she is allowed to. It is her decision. She is not our prisoner. You should not fear for her well-being. I will make sure that she will be protected and that nothing will happen to her and that she will come back safely. So do not concern yourself."

Then the dinner proceeded in silence, except for when the king asked Eleanor about her training.

After the dinner, Adrian walked her to her room. "Do not go," he said to her as they walked down the hallway. She looked at him. "Adrian, I understand your concern, but I have to go. I need to know why he killed my dad."

"Then just wait until they come back with him in chains. Then you can ask him all the questions you want." "I need to go. I could meet other people who know the killer or who knew my parents. I need all the information I can get so I can figure all this out. I deserve answers, and this might be my chance to get them. So I need to go, even if it might be dangerous," she said as they reached her door.

They both stopped in front of her door, and Adrian looked at her. "Then promise me to stay safe," he said."I can't promise you that, but I will try" she said and walked into her room, closing the door behind her.