Last Voyages

Chapter 26

"Your very existence...made someone important to you suffer." -Both

Harry's POV:

My body moved on its own as the words left my mouth. Layla called after me confused as I walked forward, seeing Wesly look over at me with a confused look on his face before his eyes widened in worry. Before he could defend himself I grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up off the ground with both hands, making him gasp for breath.

"HARRY STOP!" Queen Phillipa's shout echoed in my ears but I didn't listen to her. I grit my teeth together as I glared at Wesly, who was now terrified. 

"It was you, wasn't it?" I hiss and he coughs. "I don't know what you're talking about." he wheezes out and I narrow my eyes, tightening my grip and making his mouth fall open, his eyes wide as he struggled to get breath out.

"Harry drop him!!" Phillipa screamed again but still I ignored her. "You were the one who set us up. You're the one who let those rats into the castle to kill Edward. You've been working here for years." I seethe and Wesly tries to shake his head but he can't move.

"Daddy don't kill him!" 

My eyes widened at the sound of Layla's terrified scream, and in an instant Wesly was out of my hands, on his knees gagging as I stood frozen, bound by my daughter's words. Blinking a few times, I turn around, seeing everyone rushing over towards me now, Layla in front of all of them with her eyes wide.

Tears lined the bottom of her eyes, but to my surprise she leaps from the ground, her arms enclosing around my waist as she digs her head into my chest, clinging to me tightly. Surprise gripped me, but I gripped Layla so she wouldn't fall, holding her up as she hugged me. An odd, protective sensation gripped my chest as I slowly got to my knees, making sure her feet could touch the ground as she hugged me, a tear falling down her cheek.

I stared down at her face with an appalled look on my face, wondering why she flung herself into my arms. 

"A-are you okay?" I stumble and she looks up at me sadly. "Daddy you can't kill him. Mr. Wesly is good! Why did you attack him?" she asks and I swallow hard. 

"I...just had a bad feeling." I mutter, holding her tightly as I look up at Phillipa, who was bending down looking at Wesly before she shifts her gaze to me. "You really think it's him?" she asks a bit disbelievingly and I frown. Bella's mother gave the same disapproving look and I scowled at the negativity from them.

"It could easily be him." I say, feeling terrible as I felt Layla tremble in my arms. I must've really scared her... I think sadly, putting one hand on the top of her head, patting her gently. At the motion she looks up, her green eyes reflecting my own as she stares at me.

"What?" I ask and she gives me a small smile. "Mommy does that to me too." she says happily and I pause, surprise on my face. Flashbacks of all the times I would do this motion to Bella when we were together came to mind, and I swallowed hard, trying to rid the images from my mind. 

Even something like this...she kept the memory of it? 

"Daddy don't hurt Mr. Wesly. He's helped us so much, he can't be bad!" Layla says in an almost instinctively stubborn voice, one that reminded me oh so much of her mother. The naive innocence of this child trusting everyone is something Bella has always had. But at the same time...sometimes she was right about them being good.

"We'll look further into it. You may be right." I say, a small smile coming to my face, and Layla's smile widens instantly. The good thing about this girl is she doesn't stay sad very long.

Layla wipes her eyes with her hands, finally letting me go and I withdraw my arms, looking at her puzzled. I still couldn't figure her out. There was so much inside this tiny child that it baffled me, and frankly ticked me off because of how intellectual and perceptive she was.