The Rider's Daughter

Chapter 26

"You have a younger sister?" Selena's mood suddenly changed when Tristan broke the news. She never thought he would have any siblings; he always acted as if he had no family left.

"Yes. I don't like talking about her, for many reasons." He was on the verge of tears, but he managed to hold them back.

"Tristan, I'm sorry. I feel terrible now, I should never have overreacted." She stepped away from him and turned around, casting her eyes to the ground in shame. "I am such a foolish girl."

Tristan sighed, "No, becoming jealous and angry only showed that you do care for me. I really should have told you about her earlier; I didn't because I am used to not talking about her. It's for her protection."

"Still, I should have been more mature. Age is only a number and cannot gauge when a person has entered adulthood. Just because I had a 'coming out' ceremony, does not mean I am yet an adult. I still feel like a child after what I said to you."

Tristan took a step towards her, "Selena, you are far from a child. I am only 17. We all have our foolish moments. You owned up to your faults, so you must be mature."

"Only compared to some." She turned to face Tristan. "I am sorry."

"Your apology had been accepted." He smiled. "I guess this means that you will let me go tomorrow."

"I can manage better knowing that your quest is noble."

"Do you want to know why I have to go to her?"

"That is your business, I have pried enough. Tell me is you wish, but know that I do not want you to ask my permission again. I will say no."

Tristan laughed. "A noble answer. I will tell you, and it is of my own free will."

"In that case, I will listen carefully." She sat down again. He did not sit, rather he leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky.

"My sister, Adele, is sick. I fear that she may be dying. In the last letter I received, her fever worsened and she developed a deeper cough. Some days, she will vomit, and others, she can become dehydrated. I am worried that I will lose the only family I have left."

Selena looked at the ground, tears splattering at her feet. "You should have left sooner, what if you do not make it in time?"

"On the contrary, traveling with you have been faster than if I had been on my own."

"That may be true." She sighed. "What do you think?"

"I know not. I am no doctor, all I can give is my love and support."

"Aye." She said, quietly. "How old is she?"

Tristan could not contain himself any longer. His sobbing tore at Selena's heart watching his weep for his sister. Only a loving brother would weep for his sister like that. He reminds me of my father and his unwavering love for me. "I am sorry, I keep asking you sensitive questions. I will take my leave."

"No! Please, it's not you, or your questions. It is me." With his reluctance to let her leave, she sat down again. When she was settled, he continued, "Adele is only seven. Life has never been kind for the both of us. Our father was a chronic drunk, and a general in the King's army. My mother, though young, was a sorceress. Her marriage to my father was all arranged by the King, her refusal meant her death, and mine. She was already 2 months pregnant with me on their wedding day. Her life since I was conceived was centered on me, which was until my sister was born, then it was around both of us.

In the years before my sister was born, my mother and I were abused daily. In his drunken rages, he would strike at my mother and call her a whore and a worthless bitch. I was only a young boy, but that did not stop me from retaliating. I took a knife one night after he pushed my mother into the wall and stabbed him in the leg. That night he broke my arm after he wrenched the knife away and threw my down the stairs.