Silver Silence [Red Queen Fan Fiction]

Chapter Six

We stood by the Eastern River, with the Waterfront Quarter just across the body of water. The river streamed by as we sat on the park bench, unsure of what to say. I knew Kaius had a lot of questions, and there were a lot of things I wanted to tell him as well: Beatrice, Eragon, my mother, my future, everything. I don't have to tell him anything, but I want to.

"I don't even know where to start..." I whispered.

"The bar." I had almost forgotten he was there. Now that I think about it, this is actually the first time we've spoken since then.

"It was late, and I was bored." He gave me a look. Do you think I'm stupid? Or something along those lines. "I'm serious, okay? And... I was slightly hungry. I didn't want to stay in, so I went out."

"Why did you save her?" Why did I save Kira? Because she was young, a girl helpless against men who were at least three times her size.

"If not me, then who else?" She would have been taken advantage of, laughed at, humiliated.

"It wasn't your problem."

"It was when I threw that glass." Surprisingly, he bursted into laughter.

"That was hilarious by the way." I smiled, then a thought occurred to me.

"Wait, you were there the entire time and didn't even help out?" He awkwardly scratched the back of his head at the question. "Kaius!" I punched him in the arm, and he cowered.

"Ow, hey, I knew you could handle yourself, okay?" Yeah, against an entire gang of over-sized farts. "Plus, I was going to until that other guy stepped up. Who was he anyways?" He was none other than the Prince Tiberias Calore VII, I wanted to say, but it wasn't my secret to tell.

"I have no idea. Some Silk." He considered my answer for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"And today... Beatrice. What's the story behind that?" I explained to him that she was the maid who brought me breakfast. I invited her on a whim because I've only gone to the market a few times before when I was younger. She would have known how to navigate the area much better than I. "You could have asked me. I'm there all the time."

"Because I stalk you enough to know that." But he did know about the bakery, and he recognized the value of the dress Beatrice was wearing. Now that I think about it, Kaius actually knows East Archeon like the back of his hand, the central parts and outskirts. "I don't know, it was fun though. Today, that is"

"She'll get in trouble." If someone said something. "Servants have duties to finish, tasks to do, orders to follow. They can't just drop everything and go shopping."

"But—"

"That's just the way it is, Ase. You know that. We're Silver Elites, and they're Reds. That defines who we are and how we live our live, what we can and can't do. End of story." And he was right. That is the way it is. That's the way it's always been, but I don't like. I don't like it at all. I've seen Reds beaten, punished, taken advantage of just because they're weak. Silvers can do whatever they want to a Red if they feel threatened. If a Red's half-second glance is misinterpreted, it could mean death. This was just a day at the market.

"Yeah, you're right." He's almost always right. "But I still would have chosen to bring her along. Especially over you." Now, he's upset. You're choosing a Red servant over me? He tries to speak, but I don't let him. "Kaius, god, you're the last person to understand any why I did any of this. First of all, you're a boy. You guys don't care about anything but pride and power whatsoever, and second, you're you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped.

"Kaius," I let out a weak laugh. How does he not know what I mean? "You're the most powerful one among us in East Archeon." Now, I'm standing, shouting, hands flying as the world passes by us. "You're probably stronger than the Nobles. For the King's sake, you could even probably fight the Princes and win!" I wasn't positive about that last statement, but I was too furious to care.