IV. The Impact of Her

~ Twenty-Five ~

The guards immediately looked up to me with wide eyes.

"In this matter, we are asking you to risk your lives to protect us. The very least that we can do is to minimise casualties," I continued as I walked amongst them. "With all that I am, I will talk to His Majesty and see if I can persuade him to take the forest trail."

A smile finally appeared on their faces. And the captain gave me a nod of approval. It might not be the best promise. But it was better than nothing.

If the lives of our guards didn't matter to James, it mattered to me.

~*~*~*~

After the meeting was dismissed, James still hasn't returned.

Instead of waiting, I took the time to visit Grandpa Ben. And upon my arrival, the Medicine King mentioned that Grandpa Ben had some kind of progress. But it would continue at such a sluggish pace.

And I would take that rather than nothing.

Grandpa Ben's clothes were changed as well. He didn't sweat as much. And he seemed to be resting more peacefully.

As I watched over him, I held my emotions back with all of my best.

'I failed him. I have failed him,' I repeated to myself non-stop. Everything that I promised him, I wasn't able to keep. That fact alone made it harder for me to look at him.

'You don't know how much I wish this hasn't happened to you, Grandpa Ben,' I thought to myself as I looked at his frail body. 'You didn't deserve this misfortune. You and Laura.'

Someone then entered the room and stood behind me. "Your Highness," my page whispered into my ear, "Nana Olsa is waiting for you outside."

As soon as I heard that, I quickly stood up and left the room.

~*~*~*~

Nana wasn't in good shape.

Frantic, her hair was in disarray. She clutched onto her white scarf as she paced back and forth by the window.

"Nana?" I carefully called out to her as I approached her.

Nana gasped as she looked in my direction. "Oh, Robert," she sobbed as she ran into my arms. "Oh, dear one."

Immediately, I engulfed her in an embrace. I rubbed her back as she cried on my shirt. After a while, I pulled away and held her by the arms. "What happened, Nana?" I asked.

Nana sniffled and wiped her tears. She took her time to compose herself. "It's Mallory," she said before she looked up at me, "She is missing."

I froze as Nana broke down once more.

That part of me that hoped for Mallory's innocence, that she would never do such a crime was shattered. I closed my eyes. My emotions battled with my better judgement. I didn't want to jump to conclusions. But her sudden disappearance just made her a suspect.

"Robert, please," Nana held fast onto my shirt, "Do not take this as evidence of guilt. We don't even know if Mallory is complicit in this matter."

"Nana," I gently cupped her face, now wet with tears, "I am trying my best not to. But, I would be lying if I said I can turn a cheek."

"Find her. Please, find Mallory, Robert. Bring her back to me," Nana begged. She continued as she cried even more, "I raised her to be a better person than this. I am aware that she has done some unquestionable things. But she cannot hurt anybody. I know she won't."

I hated to see Nana in this state. She has never begged for anything. Most especially, this desperately. After all of her family members passed away, Mallory became her world. She had all of Nana's heart.

I couldn't imagine the pain that Nana felt right now.

"Hush now, Nana. Calm yourself, please," I said as I rubbed her arms. "I will find her. And I promise you that I will bring her back to you. Safe and sound."

"But how? Where will you look for her? You don't even know where she is," Nana raised her voice as she replied. Her despair slowly got the best of her.

I already had plans on where to look for Mallory. But if I told Nana the truth, it would only fuel her rage even more. I wanted to be honest with her. I wanted to tell her my plan. However, in Nana's current state, the truth could kill her.

Gently, I pulled Nana in an embrace and stood silent as she calmed down. I rubbed her back until she cried once again. I closed my eyes as my heart broke whilst she wept.

How I wish I could spare Nana from her agony, along with everybody else. This matter should have stayed between Benjamin and I. Innocent people didn't need to be dragged into this mess.

I gave Nana more time to compose herself before I pulled away. I held onto her arms and said, "I understand how you're feeling right now, Nana. And you have every right to feel the way that you do right now. I cannot tell you specifically where and how to find Mallory. But I assure you, I will bring her back safely."

Nana then looked into my eyes as she searched for something in my gaze. "You still believe that she is guilty, don't you?" she asked.

I sighed as I looked down. I held her hands and kept my lips sealed. I didn't want to admit the truth.

"But, Robert–"

"Your Highness," Gonzalo interrupted Nana as he walked up to us, "Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you to the dungeons." When he turned to Nana, his eyes widened. "Nana Olsa, what happened??" Gonzalo asked, concerned.

Nana ignored Gonzalo and persisted, "Robert, please reconsider. Mallory is innocent."

"Gonzalo," I turned to him, "Kindly bring Nana to my room so that she can rest. Give her something to eat and to drink," I instructed.

"As you wish, Your Highness," Gonzalo bowed.

"Robert–"

"Nana," I held her outstretched hand firmly, "Let us discuss this later. I need to go to the dungeons first."

Defeated, Nana slowly retreated her hands and walked away with Gonzalo.

I took a deep breath and headed in a different direction.

~*~*~*~

I was escorted by two guards as I entered the dungeons.

Since it was built under the castle, the sun never reached the dungeons. Water dripped from different areas of this dark prison. Some prisoners were freed after a trial or a payment. But most have died due to numerous causes.

As we got deeper into the dungeons, I finally saw James. With his guards, they stood in front of the torture chamber.

"Your Majesty," I bowed as I stood beside him. "You asked to see me?"

"Yes," James said as he signalled to follow him into the chamber.

Inside, six men were chained to the wall. Their heads hung low. Wounds covered their bodies. And the only thing that they wore were ragged sackcloths.

The torturer stood behind the table that contained his tools. He watched us as he wiped a whipping rod clean.

James and I stood before the groaning prisoners. Not one moved nor spoke.

Confused, I asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

James then nudged as one of his guards. "Robert, do you recognise this man?" he asked as the guard approached the prisoners.

The guard gripped one prisoner by the hair to raise the head.

My eyes widened. It was the pirate leader!