Hollow Truth

Ren's Pain

He had never felt so betrayed, so alienated. He felt like a guest in his own home. As soon as Zephyr had fallen asleep, Ren had left the room. He couldn't take Zephyr's content demeanor.

Ren could hear the soft whisper of the shadows that still danced around him, whispering their tales to each other. He couldn't understand what they were hissing, but it didn't bother him. Just their presence was comforting. They were at least genuine, unlike the servants. His temper flared as he was reminded of his confrontation with Ms. Gwen.

It was true, every word, she had claimed. She hadn't even flinched as he shouted his accusations, explaining with absolute composure that his parents had indeed been assassins. The only reason Ren retained his title was because the other nobles didn't want to own up to hiring professional killers. He couldn't believe it. He simply couldn't believe it.

Stalking out into the chilled night, Ren inhaled deeply, attempting to clear his mind. It was almost impossible to see anything, a thick cloud cover obscuring the moon from the world. Or at least that's what Ren assumed. After all, not even a single star brightened the sky. Meandering over to one of the many stone benches that were placed in the garden, Ren sat down, shivering as the cold stone pressed against his body. The chill was refreshing, giving him refuge from the heat of anger.

Lord Maxton was threatening his life. It amused Ren greatly, now that he thought about it. A Duke with little money trying to come after him: what, was Lord Maxton going to send his one loyal servant to do the deed? Or maybe he'd use his daughter as a means of hiring an assassin. The poor girl... Who knew whom she'd end up with? But Ren figured it wouldn't be the person she loved. No, she'd just become a bargaining chip in some shady deal.

Maybe he'd take her under his wing just so she could be happy. Then again, his father would see the debt as paid off, something that just didn't sit well with Ren. It wasn't that he needed the money. It was just he didn't want to buy Maxton's daughter, or seem like he was like all the other nobles. Maybe that was it. He couldn't stand the idea of being one of them.

"You'll catch cold if you stay out here like this, Lord Ren." Blake's voice shattered the stillness of the night, and Ren sighed, turning to look at him. The shadows shifted so they were touching the servant, allowing him to make out Blake's expression.

"Better than having to deal with another puppet," Ren said, letting his head fall back against the stone so he was looking skyward.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." The shadows shied away from Blake's feet as he shifted his weight. Ren shrugged even though he knew Blake couldn't see the dismissive motion. Ren's head moved with his shoulders, a slight knock on the stone freeing his mind of Lord Maxton.

"I bet Ms. Gwen threatened your position or something of that nature. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you, sir. I'm also worried about Zephyr. He didn't seem right today, Lord Ren. Seemed out of it, you know?" Ren couldn't help but notice the informal tone Blake was slipping in and out of. Blake's hands were wringing a few of the shadows that Ren had attached to the servant. It was a nervous habit Ren often witnessed.

"So you noticed it, too, huh?"

"My lord?"

"Zephyr was in an immense amount of pain today. It was quite obvious. And it wasn't just his side." Ren sighed, closing his eyes.