Crowned in Crimson Cinders

Chapter 3: Aleah's Secret (Revised)

Sorry for the long chapter - I know it's a lot :)

ENJOY!!!!

Sebastian and Clif started to walk towards the exit of the training arena. Both of them looked tired, ready to collapse even. They waved to Brock and left him in the arena where he cleaned the swords near the racks. We were now alone in the arena together.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not even bothering to look up from the weapons in front of him to meet my eyes. For whatever reason, he was obviously trying to avoid eye contact with me.

"Just looking for you," I say as I try to maneuver around him so he would look at me but was unsuccessful.

He sighed and finally threw away the cloth he used to clean the steel and lowered the sword so the point was facing downward. The metal was so shiny that it reflected the rays of sun coming in from the glass ceiling, making it look like the sword was glowing.

"You're acting strange, Brock. And I know it's about last night," I say, crossing my arms in front of me, determined to get an answer from him. However, after many beats of silence, he still says nothing.

"You don't have to worry about it. If this is what I must do to protect my kingdom and the people in it, then so be it." I try to speak again but he clearly isn't in the mood for conversation.

"You're right," he says, surprising me. "I'll stop worrying."

There was no way he agreed with me that fast. He just wanted me to stop poking into his business.

He turned back around and grabbed another sword, clearly trying to find something to occupy himself so that I would stop talking to him.

He couldn't be acting so weird just because I was getting married. Everyone in this family has been prepared for the day when they would enter a political marriage. I am no exception and Brock knows it.

"I'm not stupid. I know there's something else going on with you. What's truly bothering you? You can tell me, you know?" He was definitely hiding something and I knew it. His hands stop and he freezes for a moment, almost like I've asked him an impossible question.

"It's none of your concern."

None of my concern? Since when has Brock ever been one to say something like that to me? He was lying straight to my face.

"You are lying."

"I'm not. There is nothing wrong."

"That's not what everyone else thought at breakfast this morning."

He looked at me again. "What do you mean?"

"After breakfast, Clif came up to me and asked what was going on with you. I told him I didn't know." I looked at him, expecting answers. He was clearly thinking about what to say next. Almost... calculating even which made me uncomfortable. It wasn't like Brock to be so secretive with me.

"After you left the throne room last night..." he began but trailed off, "Mother and I had a very... heated argument. We both said some things we didn't mean and well..."

"You were talking about me weren't you?"

His silence was answer enough. The reason Brock and Mother were so mad at each other was because of me. I screwed up yet another thing in life.

Brock finally nodded and looked to the ground.

"I'm not okay with you marrying Prince Darian. He's a murderer and a monster."