Curse - Septiplier

8: Selfishness

Jack's POV

I rode into the kingdom on Agro the next morning, not nearly as tired as I should have been and feeling optimistic. I fell asleep on Agro some point on the way home, and he kept trotting along like the good horse that he was. We made it into town a little after sunrise, and I woke up to the noise of the village people. Agro was more tired than I was, I gave him a reassuring pat on the neck as we walked. He needed to get back to the stables and rest there. The townspeople watched as we passed by, and I did my best to smile and wave at whoever I could, hardly able to muster up the energy for it. We made our way slowly over the cobbled bridge, and I found my father and the General waiting for me at the top of the stairs, my father racing down to meet me.

"Jack! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" his voice was taut with worry, and his eyes flashed with concern. I swallowed, nodding to his questions and not really wanting to speak with him still. The General seemed to sense this, and he quietly tugged at my father's arm. He pulled the man aside, speaking to him in hushed tones as I slipped off of Agro. A stable boy was at my side, having seen my arrival from afar, and he bridled Agro up to take him back to the stables for some rest. I felt a bit better standing up for myself, and I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. I felt like taking a nap, but staying awake would be my punishment for running away I decided. I watched as my father gave me a wave and a somber look before turning and walking back inside, leaving me alone with the General. I felt the anger boil inside my chest from yesterday, and I forced myself to be calm. There was no need to explode all over again, and I was sure that my father would apologize in due time. The General made his way to me now, watching my father as he left before turning to speak to me properly.

"Your Highness, are you alright? You aren't injured or anything after all?" he asked me, and I wanted to give him a sarcastic expression to tell him how foolish I found his question, but I stopped myself. I was too tired to start picking fights with people and I sighed, running a hand through my hair and shaking my head. I was okay, and he could see it after a moment of me walking around. "Tired?" I shrugged at this, and the General nodded and cleared his throat. "Alright, well if you're in good shape then you should go train with Mark."

I stiffened as the General bowed to me and walked away, leaving me with the memory of how I treated Mark yesterday. The things I said to him, and how I snapped when all he wanted to do was make sure that I was alright. I had left him in the dust, not bothering to stop and consider his feelings in the heat of my anger, and I silently cursed myself with every insult I knew. I made my way into the training field, my sword on my side as I thought of every way I could apologize to Mark. What should I say, and how should I say it? There was no point in making excuses to him, it was quite clear that I was angry and didn't want his presence at the time, but that wasn't a reason behind my actions. I looked up when I arrived, seeing him there and training already. He was covered in sweat, and I could imagine that in the confusion of my anger he was taking out his stress on the training dummies, and I didn't know what to say to him. Instead of words, he gestured to the other post beside him where I could work on my striking, and continued to work without saying hello.

It was more than awkward with the silence and the tension that was clearly between us. I wanted to say something to Mark, to apologize, but his back was mostly turned to me and he seemed to have no intention of speaking. I often found myself pausing to peek a glance at him, to see his expression and wonder what was going on in his mind. Was he angry with me and the way that I acted now? He could rightfully have such an opinion, but that was not what I wanted. I wanted my friendship with this man back, and I definitely wanted to get to know him a little bit better than I already did; I didn't want to push him away. I felt several emotions boiling inside me, but guilt was the one that seared my throat and choked me. It was enough that I could feel tears pooling in my eyes, and finally I stopped working.