Heart's Desire

Chapter 19

~TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF R@PE. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.~

I rolled onto the sand, away from where I wanted to go. Wrestling with the person who had tackled me, I was pulled to my feet. The person was wearing a cloak. It was red like Odessa's toga.

"Mrs. Stone?"

"There's not much time," the woman said.

"W-What?"

"I'll explain everything."

"B-But Odessa."

"She can handle it. Don't worry."

I was ushered away from the Colosseum and towards Odessa's neighborhood, but went completely past her house. We went further back until we reached a dingy house that was by the creek Odessa had taken me. The woman opened the door and slammed it closed, locking numerous locks before turning to face me.

"Who in the hell are you?"

"I've been watching you, Y/N."

"How do you know my name?"

"Odessa."

"How does Odessa know you?"

"She found me following you."

"And what does she want? Does she know what is happening?"

"She does. I was the one who told her."

"Told her what?"

"That your father had planned all along to reveal who she was. Reveal her to the entire empire that she wanted to take your hand in marriage. He was just waiting for the right opportunity. And so was she."

"What?"

"She is going to put your father on trial for abuse of power. And for infanticide."

"T-That's so long ago. How can she prove that?"

"Her father kept the letters your father wrote to him. And almost all of them mentioned about killing Odessa once he found out."

"Ok. You have that for proof. What about abuse of power?"

"What he is showing today, that is abuse of power."

I nodded my head, "But Aetius' father is on the council. He won't let this slide."

"We have taken care of him."

"We? Who is we?"

"Odessa and I."

"You really had this planned out. And what? In the matter of a few weeks?"

"Odessa found your father's plans for that stage whenever she was training one day. I told her he was planning something, as there was a large abundance of wood and metal being imported."

"So you've been following us for longer than that?"

The woman nodded her head, "Yes. I have."

"Why didn't you help us sooner?"

"I would have been killed."

"So you're using Odessa as a decoy? A distraction?"

"That was her idea."

"Her idea to be found out?"

"Yes. She cares for you deeply, Y/N. I hope you know that."

"I do. I do know that."

"And she is doing this all for you. So that you two can live together in peace and without you having to worry about an arranged marriage."

"So much so that she would risk herself getting killed?"

"I know what will happen. Your father isn't the kind of man to kill someone. He doesn't want to get his hands dirty. He will be ordering some gladiators to torture her until she begs for mercy. She won't. She's hard like a rock. Fitting last name if you ask me. But that isn't to say she isn't in danger."

"And you know how to help her once this is all said and done?"

"Yes."

"You really did have everything planned out. I'm impressed. Tell me more on how you formed this plan."

"After Odessa found the plans for that stage, she also read the letters to the people who imported the materials. He went on and on about how he is going to use this for some big reveal of a citizen here. And that he was just waiting for the perfect moment. There were even letters to Aetius' father about his speculation of yours and Odessa's blossoming relationship. He pressed Aetius' father to pressure Aetius into an arranged marriage with you. And absolutely under no condition would your father allow Aetius to go by what you wanted."

"Shit," I whispered.

"He thought that if he could marry you off before the challenge, you wouldn't see Odessa anymore. But you were adamant on waiting until after the challenge was over. He was also banking on the hope that Odessa would lose and be killed by the champion."

"So this is how he's going to stop her from seeing me."

"He thinks that if he eliminates the problem at the source, everything he is planning will fall into place."

I sat down on a chair that was nearby, trying to process all of what was being said to me.

"Can I ask you some questions now?"

"Go ahead."

"Who are you?"

"I will answer that later."

"How did you and Odessa meet?"

"She came to me. She was worried about me following you and tried to kill me. After I explained my story to her, that was when her and I started planning this."

"And how long ago was that?"

"When you and her went to that creek that night."

"So from the very beginning you've been following us. It wasn't until now that I finally noticed."

The woman nodded her head.

"What is your story then? If you're not going to tell me who you are without directly telling me," I began.

"You do deserve that. I was a happy woman who was happily married to a good man. He had anger issues, but who doesn't. He and I met at a young age and I knew we were going to get along very well. I kept seeing him until we fell in love. His father was happy for him, knowing that the empire would be strong with us together and for us to provide an heir.

"After we married, we were about to settle down and have a child. But one night, a drunk guard came into our bedroom and," the woman swallowed. "Raped me."

"Oh shit," I whispered.

"After my husband found out, he had executed the guard who did that. He was upset that this happened, but did not kill me or the unborn fetus that was inside me. Once our child was born, he cast me out. Forbidden to enter our home as now I had given him a child of tainted blood. He did not want to be with a woman who was impure. Not by my choice. I tried to get him to see reason, but he never did. And he never will."

"Alright. Now that I know more about you, who are you?"

The woman pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing she had the same eye shape and color as me. Along with the same color of hair. My eyes widened as I stood face to face with her.