The Reckoning - Book Two

Chapter Twenty Two - Demwyn

I walk another pass, boots kicking at the packed dirt as dust shifts and stirs around me.

Was she still sulking because of last night? Could she not just behave like a grown woman?

I pace the length of the training yard again, reaching the rack of weapons and back, eyes scanning towards the palace where she should be coming from.

I open and close my hands at my sides.

Well if she was going to act like a child then she will be treated like one.

I march towards her room, boots snapping on the polished floor as a young servant girl scurries out of my way, ducking her head as I pass, eyes wide with fear.

I pound against her closed door, we had an agreement and I wouldn't be made to stand and wait for her all afternoon. She could get over herself and come down to training.

No one answers and I pound on the door again, was she really going to just try and ignore me? She should know better by now.

When she doesn't answer I let out an angry sigh and open the door.

"Daella?" I call out, eyes scanning the room.

Empty.

I slam the door shut behind me and start prowling the corridors in the chosen's wing looking for someone who will know where she is.

I see Agaile stepping out of a room and approach her quickly.

"Your Majesty." She smiles brightly, lowering into a curtsy but I don't have the time or patience for her pleasantries.

"Where is Daella?" I demand quickly.

"Oh Daella, well she wasn't feeling well this morning so I have sent her to rest." She answers quickly, concern crossing her face.

"She wasn't in her room." I reply.

"No, we were concerned for her well-being so I sent her to a quiet room where she can rest and be watched over." She answers and I hesitate. Why would they be concerned about her well-being? "Do you need her for something?" She asks.

"She wasn't at her training lesson." I explain, thoughts wondering to what could possibly be that wrong with her that they would need to keep her under supervision.

"Oh, well no, she definitely is not well enough to be partaking in training I'm afraid. Would you like me to take you to her, I'm sure I can rouse her if you need to speak to her." She offers quickly.

"No, no it's fine, just let her rest." I shake my head.

If whatever ailed her was that serious that she was removed from her rooms then I didn't need to get in her way.

"Of course Your Majesty, I'm sure with a few days of rest she will be back to herself and return to training." She smiles tightly and I only nod in return.

"Thank you." I say before leaving her in the corridor.

Surely if she was that ill Quirin would have told me, right? Maybe it was her nightmares? Had they come back worse? Was the training no longer working?

Or maybe it was something more feminine.

If that was the case then it would be best if we were nowhere near each other. It was bad enough spending time with her when she was in her normal mood, I couldn't imagine what she would be like if she was dealing with her cycle.

I storm back towards my wing, frustrated that training had been cancelled and no one had even thought to tell me.

Where was Quirin? Why hadn't he sent someone to tell me?

I was the King and still had to find out for myself.

Next thing you know I will be cooking my own food in the kitchens!

I grind my teeth together and march into my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

It seems even when she isn't around she finds ways of irritating me, it must be a skill that is unique to her.

A few days, that's what Agaile had said, a few days of rest and she will be back to herself and ready for training.

I can't help but think that she must be glad to be free of me for so much time. I thought I would agree with the sentiment but instead all I feel is irritation. I had begun to feel this routine settle into place. Becoming used to training with her, it reminded me of when I was learning to fight for the very first time.

I had been so eager to learn, wanting to know everything all at once. I didn't want to take my time, I didn't want to learn in stages. I wanted to know everything and so I became relentless in my training. I trained even when there was no tutor, even when my brothers played and begged me to play with them, even when my muscles ached and the blisters on my hands bled, I didn't want to stop, it felt too much like giving up.

I felt like if I stopped I was acknowledging my limitations and I wasn't ready for that. I didn't want limitations and no matter how many times it was explained to me by my tutors, by soldiers, by my own father that everyone had limitations, I didn't want to listen.

I could see that same look in Daella's eyes from time to time, the unwillingness to accept her limitations. She was brutal in her lessons, unrelenting and desperate. That was how she moved, she was desperate, desperate to learn, desperate to fight, desperate to prove herself.

Perhaps it was my own fault. I had instilled the same flaws in her that I held myself. It took many years and real fights where my life and the life of others were on the line to finally accept that everyone, including myself, has limitations. I couldn't be invincible, I couldn't fight forever without growing tired, without losing strength, and I would never know everything.

I needed to make sure Daella understood that as well. I needed to make sure I didn't inflict my own faults onto her. That desperation could be dangerous, it could grow and lose control until it is overwhelming and overpowering.

I wanted her to learn how to fight, not only because it helped with her nightmares and with that I was keeping my word to my brothers to look after her. But I also wanted her to learn how to fight because it would give her a sense of accomplishment. She would learn a valuable skill, and while she will never need to use it in a real life situation, the discipline and understanding that comes from learning any skill will benefit her.

It didn't matter that I missed training my soldiers, it didn't matter that training with her gave me moments of freedom from the back breaking responsibility I carried. It didn't matter that during those two hours of training I was reminded of who I was before everything changed.

I let out a heavy sigh.

I knew the truth of it. I just didn't want to admit it.

It was the only time I truly felt like myself.