Crown of Blood

5.2|| Sensitive Matters

Cage used the wet cloth to clean the blood off himself. "We're going to need thirty men."

Humphrey's dark eyes were wide as he stared at his king. "Pardon me, your Majesty. Thirty men?"

"Thirty one to be more precise." Cage stopped his motion and glanced at the Palace Master. "For the royal guard."

"Oh. That many?"

"Yeah. Twenty of them were loyal to Fherras and I frightened another eleven of them off when they realized they weren't even close to the skill needed for this position. To qualify, they had to touch me with their swords."

"Is that why..." The old man gestured towards Cage with his pen.

"Oh, no. Most of this isn't mine. I gave a pass to anyone who managed to cut my shirt, but a few of them did a better job and actually nicked me. I nicked most of them back. Don't worry. I didn't kill or seriously injure anyone."

"I would hope not," Humphrey said, sounding alarmed. "Your Majesty, you cannot--"

"I know my skill, Humphrey. Nothing was going to happen to me. Furthermore..." He let out a long breath. "I think it's time for you to know a few things. I'm sure the rumors were that I was dead or out on some drunken binge over the past eight years. Or maybe you've heard the other rumor."

The man's face darkened and his frame stiffened. "I have heard rumors that you were cursed."

Cage nodded and leaned back in his chair. He'd called Humphrey to his rooms, so the probability of being overheard was minimal.

"That's the truth, Humphrey. I was cursed. For over seven years I was stuck in my castle in Darkwood for fear I would kill someone." His voice cracked. "Someone else."

It spoke of the things the Palace Master had seen in his lifetime that he didn't cower or stammer. Instead, he waited, his eyes filled with determination.

"Joey, Lord William, Squire Dustin... What did Fherras tell the world when they didn't return? When they were never found?"

"The matter was quite ignored, your Majesty," Humphrey whispered.

"Well, I killed them. Because my curse... Well, my curse was meant to cut me off from anyone I ever cared about. I cared about them, so I killed them. I turned into a monster quite literally. Claws, fangs, lack of control, everything."

"But now?" For the first time there was a slight tremor in his voice.

"Now, I broke the curse. Not by myself, but with the help of a woman who happened to stumble into my castle. A woman who saw beyond my mask and my flaws and dared to love me for who I was. A woman whom..." The words no longer came easy because every time he thought of Kat, the images of death and war flooded his vision. But he knew. He knew he'd loved her. "I loved with all my heart," he whispered.

He could say nothing more after that. He forced his memory, but it put up a resistance enforced by Cecille's magic. A magic he assumed was meant to protect him for he had to face her as enemies.

"What happened to her?" Humphrey's voice was barely a whisper as well, and from the tone, Cage guessed he believed he'd ended up killing her as well.

"She turned out to be the heir of Endir. And she's coming for me."

"Well," the old man said after a few seconds of stunned silence. "This certainly complicates things."

"It does. But I wanted to make something else apparent to you. The curse... Even if it's now broken, magic hasn't left my body. It's the force that keeps me alive, the only reason I'm not dead. Which means..." He leaned forward in his chair and closed his eyes, driving his magic to heal his minor wounds.