The Call

Memories pt 1

Sorry for the short chapter Just a little teaser :)

The door to the study opened without a sound and Lady Nora entered, closing the door behind her. She turned toward the figure slumped at the desk in the center of the room and moved towards him.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and calming.

The dark blue eyes turned to look at her before falling back to the surface of the desk.

Nora came behind him and set a hand on his shoulder. She took a deep breath and looked around the dimly lit room.

"Have you eaten?"

Inimicus snorted. "Of course not," he whispered.

Nora was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "No one saw this coming."

Inimicus didn't answer, his breath whistling through his teeth as he drew it in deeply, trying to control his anger.

"Serene is upset too."

Inimicus slammed his fist on the table. "I don't want to hear that name!"

"But, Inimicus, she cares about you. She didn't do anything wrong."

"It was her fault that all of this happened anyway." He stood to his feet and looked at her with blazing eyes. "Do you know how easily she could have persuaded the council?" He returned to his chair, exhaling sharply. "They would have listened to her if she actually tried. Everyone could see her pleading was completely fake." He was silent for a moment, his heavy breathing echoing around him. When he spoke again, his voice was low. "Father didn't even defend me."

"Because he knows the laws. It's the honor of Iconian leaders to bear two swords in battle," Nora countered gently.

"I could change that. How much more disgraceful will it be to have a woman lead our nation than having a man who can only bear one sword?"

"She won't disgrace us, and if you help her, she could become one of the best leaders Iconia's had.

"Help her?" he sneered. "Everyone knows I was born to be Iconia's lord."

"But your arm."

"I could hide it. No one would know. There is no law saying I can't be lord because my arm is useless."

"The lord must be completely fit for battle."

"And having a weak arm qualifies? It isn't even completely useless. I could still learn to fight!"

"The physicians said you couldn't. Your arm will never be the same." Nora moved her hands soothingly across his left shoulder and his back.

"Then how is Serene more fit for battle? She's a woman! Both her arms are weak."

"She's different, Inimicus, but she needs you. She looks up to you and-"

"That was nothing but a mask." Inimicus's voice rose in fury. "She always acted that way, but now I know she was only planning. Getting closer to me and gaining my trust so that when this time came, I would ignorantly believe her. This was all her doing!"

"Inimicus-"

"As far as I know, she hired the marauders to injure me."

"It was just an accident. She couldn't have done that."

"It was far too coincidental to be an accident," he countered, tracing the grain of his desk. "And they were skilled. They weren't simply bandits." His voice was low. "It took all my effort to fight them off, and they still injured me." He paused. "I had told Serene where I was going and that I planned to be out longer since I wanted to practice for the examination. I was already exhausted when I returned. It was the perfect time to strike."

"Serene would never do such a thing." Nora's face showed her surprise. "She loves you. She never wanted to be ruler."

"See? She was convincing." His eyes stayed focused on the desk before him. "All this time, it was only a mask to hide her true face. She's had her eyes on my position all along."

"I don't think so."

There was silence for a long moment.

"Will you betray me too, Nora?"

"No."

"Then why are you defending her?"

"I'm not. I think you could easily win against her, but you can't fight the Council."

"I feel like trying."

Nora shook her head. "You just need to wait. Something has to change."

Inimicus put his head in his hands. "I have no choice but to wait."

Thank you, all my lovely readers, for your support! Hope you are enjoying the story so far!❤️