Blood and Gold

Blood Before Gold

11 Years Ago

"Get up." My father said through gritted teeth. "I said get up!"

I staggered to my feet, panting as I got into a messy stance. My father used his spear to widen my stance and set my arms in the correct position.

"That's okay, but remember, a wide stance is a stable one," he swung his spear in a downwards arc at me, I stretched my own spear out, blocking the attack. "A stable stance, means good defense."

"Master, master!" A servant of my father's ran to the backyard where we were training. "It's the mistress."

My father didn't hesitate to throw the bladed end of his spear into the ground before running inside to my mother's bedside. I followed in his actions, tailing him until my father turned to me, knelt down, and said, "No, wait out here."

I was handed Claudia, my only younger sibling as of now, she was 3, so clearly not wanting to sit still as I waited nervously for news of my youngest sibling.

I sat on the floor beside the wooden door as the servants and doctors murmured from inside of my mother's sleeping quarters. She had been with child for months, I figured it was time for my newest younger sibling to arrive, but my heart pounded in my chest when I heard little commotion.

I sat for what felt like hours until a doctor stepped outside of the room, gave me a hand to help me up before taking Claudia, and sighed. "I'm sorry."

I heard no baby crying, no voices from inside of the room. I heard a soft sniffling, as if someone else was crying as well. Once I stepped inside, scanning the room, I understood. Three servants, one with an silent, limp-looking infant in white cloth lined with gold. My mother, unmoving, in her bed, with my father by her side. He was crying? The strongest, most stoic man I'd ever met, was holding onto my mother's hand, crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He muttered, weeping. "Oh Morrigan, I'm sorry." His voice broke as his rough hands clasped my mother's soft ones.

"Father?" I was only 7, I looked up to my parents as if they were gods. Gods couldn't die. So why was he acting like that's what happened.

"Thea, come, speak to her one last time." His tear filled eyes weren't angry for once. "Then we will have a funeral, and see her in the gods' trail tonight." He set me on his lap and allowed me to see my mother's pale face.

Her skin was usually dark compared to the rest of the family, the snowy mountains of Talliari didn't give a good tan. She had a clear face, my freckles came from my father. She had dark brown hair that was always braided and laid on her shoulder, and her dark brown eyes always had love in them. Her voice was like an angel's she would hum and sing to me as we worked in the garden or as I drifted off to sleep.

I kissed her forehead, as she used to kiss mine and muttered a final, "I love you." Tears came pouring down my face as my father pulled me into a hug.

"All we can do now is grieve. We must accept that she is gone, it hurts, but there's nothing we can do now." He kissed my head. "Do you understand?"

"Yes father."

"The world doesn't revolve around us, you have a little sister to take care of and training to continue." He held me close, "but for a while now, you're allowed to grieve. Both over your mother, and your lost brother."

7 Years Ago

"Run Thea, take your sister and run!" He pushed me back, "Go to the cellar!"

I didn't hesitate to run into my sister's room, but her room was empty. I rushed back out to my father, who was fighting a man in black armor with gold and red trim. He looked at me, "There she is." He suddenly turned his attention to me and started charging forward.

"Go!" My father stepped in front of the attack, getting blasted backwards. "Run!"

I had to hide, I knew the forest behind our house well, there was a waterfall that hid a crack that I could squeeze through into a cave. I stayed there until I heard the men shout, "Damnit! Let's go." Followed by the faint sound of footsteps. I poked my head through the waterfall in time to see their chariots race off.

I didn't waste a moment to run home to see if my father was okay. He wasn't.

"Father?" He was covered in blood, barely breathing. I removed his helmet. "I lost her, Claudia is gone. She wasn't in her room."

"Then find her," he croaked. I turned, starting to get up, but my father stopped me. "Wait. Don't get consumed by the search." He coughed. "Live your life, not as a revenge driven maniac, but as you. Not my daughter, but as my child."

I looked back and forth between his eyes green eyes. "What?"

"Go live as Theron, not Theodora." He held my wrist. "I've known, I'm sorry. I wanted you to come to me when you were ready."

"How did you know?"

"Jasper read your journal. I just want you to be happy." He winced. "Take my bracer. Find Sapphire, she'll know what to do." He grunted as his blood started to soak in the dirt below. "Go Theron."

"I love you father."

"And I, you." He put a hand on the back of my neck and pulled my forehead to his. "Never forget this pain. Let it drive you." It didn't take long before his grip faded and he stopped fighting. The life from his eyes left and his final breath was taken.

I pressed my forehead against his chest armor and screamed, loud enough for even the gods to hear me. Lightning flashed as the bird circling me dove down. I punched the ground, muttering every curse word I knew at eleven years old.

"Get up." A grim voice sounded from behind me.

I turned, my father's broken bracer in hand. Running towards the hooded man I threw aimless punches, which he allowed me to hit. He was like stone, unmoved by the attacks. I punched over and over between shouting and tears. Eventually I fell, he caught me, as if waiting for me to run out of breath and anger. I sobbed into his arms.

"Come, you'll be safe with me." I didn't want to leave my father for the vultures. "We will bury him, so gods can lead him to the afterlife." He stood with me in his arms. "You will be alright." I passed out, seeing nothing more then his glowing orange eyes in the moonlight. "You are exactly what I've been looking for."