Hunted

Chapter 4

-Neve-

I knelt in front of his headstone, pulling out the apple from my cloak I had picked the other day.

"I brought you this, Father. I know they were your favorite, especially when I brought you a bundle."

Audra and Francis stood close by, giving me the privacy that I needed. Every time I visited his grave, I wanted so badly for an answer back. To hear his soft gravelly voice again. To hear the heartiness of his laughter when I told him a good joke. And most urgently... I needed advice. My time to rule the kingdom was approaching, and I had no idea what to expect or how to prepare.

I glanced back at my fiance, dressed head-to-toe in his best attire. Francis was born to be a king. He was proper and well-accustomed. I did not doubt that he would be able to command an army with one word and rule with candor. But me? I was still trying to catch up. I looked down at the ground and pressed my hands into the ground, clutching some of the grass that had grown in front of his headstone.

"Sometimes I wonder if there was meant to be someone else. If somehow, I'm not meant to inherit the kingdom."

I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder. "You are."

I turned, and Audra stood behind me, looking at me with admiration. If I was looking for a sign from my father, this had to be it. I remembered him treating her like one of his own, even though she was meant to be my lady in waiting. His fatherly love was not conditioned to me–he extended it to Audra with grace. I sniffed and pulled her down beside me, wrapping her in my arms. My tears fell, and I knew I was probably getting her dress all wet.

"I'm sorry," I lifted my head from her shoulder and wiped my eyes, "sometimes I feel helpless without his guidance, you know?"

"We all do," Audra pressed a hand to my cheek whilst wiping a stray tear that was falling from my face. "He brought out the best in all of us."

While I never knew my mother, I remembered the enduring strength that he carried even with her gone. There were days that I could see the mourning in his eyes, but he continued. Of course, I'm sure marrying Delphina helped, but nothing could have filled the void of my mother, Rosalind. He was like a shell with remnants of who he was before.

"He was a noble man." Delphina's voice startled the both of us.

"Such a shame he had to go the way he did." She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on his headstone.

I glanced at Audra, and she was visibly uncomfortable. We both stood up, dusting the dirt from our gowns.

"Yes. It was." I said with almost no emotion in my voice while still swiping at my skirt. I didn't want her to see my tears, not again.

"Audra, would you like me to escort you back to the palace?" Francis cut in, offering his arm to her. I appreciated his gesture because I could see that she was close to breaking. She offered him a forced smile and took his arm. Delphina didn't even acknowledge their departure. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on his grave.

"It's good of you to visit. Keeps his memory alive. I'm sure your mother would have been beside herself."

My heart felt like it was gripped by a claw.

"I wouldn't know. She died when I was born."

"Yes, that's right." Delphina clicked her tongue and leaned in closer. "Childbirth can be a beautiful thing, I suppose...but also tragic, given her circumstances."

If she was trying to strike a nerve in me, it was starting to work. I needn't think hard to understand her hidden meaning.

I'm the reason she died.

I bit my lip, hard enough to draw blood. Who was this woman standing in front of me? Only days ago, she barely acted like I existed, and now...She acted like I was in her way. She was trying to push me to my breaking point, for whatever reason. I immediately turned to walk away, afraid

I would burst into tears or stab her right there, but her voice stopped me.

"Your father wrote very fondly of her."

My feet couldn't move any further. Her words sparked something in me that I couldn't quite describe.

"He wrote about her? Where?" I said, feeling a strange hunger for information erupt inside of me.

Delphina waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, he always kept a silly little book with him. Wrote in it every chance he could. I thought it was going to burst out of its seams with how frequently he wrote."

My heart fluttered. I knew little about my father, and even less about my mother. It almost angered me that I had never known how much access to them I had at my fingertips.

"Where is it?" I couldn't help but stare blankly at my father's headstone.

"He kept it safe somewhere in the library. He was very cautious about where he hid it. I never knew why he was so secretive. But Neve?"

I averted my gaze, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"Promise me you won't go looking for it? I know it will only cause you more grief. Please, try to enjoy the ball tonight. For me, and for Francis."
I nodded slightly, and without another word, I turned to leave. Fighting the tears burning behind my eyes. Her empty pleas ringing in my ears.

Did I trust her? I wasn't sure. With how cruelly I had seen her acting the past few days, I didn't want to. But if this book existed...

I needed to find it.

I so craved the connection with my father, and I didn't care if that could only be through his handwriting from years ago. I wanted to know more about my mother too. But Delphina couldn't find out.

Trying to access the library would only bring attention to myself, and I knew she could use Audra to punish me. So... I needed to look for it when no one was around.

The ball.

It was almost too perfect.

***
-Elias-

I'm used to living anywhere in The Forest by now. With how much I have to gather for food, I must be on the prowl day in and day out. Last night, I found an open area between a grove of trees where the sky opened up to a starry night. I fell asleep watching them twinkle.

My knife sliced easily through the rabbit's abdomen. By now, I had skinned it and saved the pelt, tying it to my fur pack; I'd make it into a pair of gloves later.

As I continued to gut the rabbit, my mind wandered. I couldn't help thinking of my mother, even hearing her voice in my ear.

That's right, Lias, just around the wrists like that.
I remember the gentle redirection and praise she would give me while I was learning. She was the one who taught me how to prepare my game in the first place. Taught me my survival skills. I don't think I would have survived out here if she hadn't. I watched my hands carefully as I continued, my eyes catching the leathery burn scars around my hands.

The flames could not be put out. Our cabin was a goner. I had managed to crawl out onto the grass, my skin and back on fire. My ears were ringing from the pain, but I could still hear the sound of her agonizing cries.

I willed myself to push those memories out of my mind. If I let them dwell too long, they would only overtake me. I made some final incisions and removed the rest of the organs. By the end, I was clutching my bloodied dagger by its hilt. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. And I couldn't shake the uneasy feelings from my mind.
How could I use this very same dagger on the woman I was instructed to kill?

***