All The King's Men

All The King's Men-Chapter Fifteen

"Amelia, you cannot go in there." 

Amelia scraped the palm of her hand on a ragged edge, as she attempted to remove the boards that barred her way into her parents chamber. She ignored Sir Lucas' approach from behind, and gave another pull. The board gave way, and she tossed it to the floor. 

"Amelia." Lucas' tone carried a warning note.

She ignored him, and grasped the second board with both hands. With her arms extended, she put her body weight behind the next tug. The board gave way, forcing her backwards. Lucas caught her before she hit the floor. 

"What the hell happened?" Martin yelled as he came jogging up the hallway. 

Amelia jerked away from Lucas, and reached for the door handle.

"Nay, Ame." Martin caught her left arm, while Lucas took hold of her right. They pulled her away from the door. "There is nothing but pain in there." 

Amelia struggled against their hold. "There are memories." She replied, "The painful memories are in my mind, I wish to remember the good, not only the bad." 

"Nay, Ame..." Martin began. 

"Let me be." Amelia continued to struggle. 

"Ame," Lucas said, holding her arm tighter. "There is no reason to bring up the bad memories." 

With a growl of frustration and anger, Amelia slammed her foot into Martin's leg. He grunted and loosened his hold enough for her to twist towards Lucas. She lifted her knee, and slammed it into his groin. He released her and doubled over in pain. Martin laughed, Amelia spun towards him to bring her fist up to connect with his eye. 

Without waiting for them to react, she grabbed a torch from an sconce on the wall, and turned the handle to her parents chamber. Once inside, she slammed the door. Causing dust and cobwebs to fall, then slid the bar across the door. 

She stood in her parents sitting room, and knew she only have a few moments. She ran to the bed chamber, and slid the bar into place on that door, then did the same in her childhood bed chamber. Just as the bar slid into place, he heard something scrap against the other side of the door, and guessed that Martin and Lucas were removing the boards from the door. 

"Ame. you know we will not break down these doors. We would not do that to you." She heard Martin's voice call out to her. 

"Oh, I see," She called back, "You do not think anything of locking me in my chamber with Malcolm, but you would never break down a door." She laughed, "I do not care anymore." She turned away, and went back into her parents sitting room. 

The chamber had been sealed immediately after the bodies had been removed, nothing had been covered. A thick layer of dust covered every surface. She lit the candles around the room, and touched the torch to the wood in the fireplaces in all three rooms. It was old wood, and lit quickly. Soon the sitting rooms had fires blazing, and the heat was slowly seeping into the cold rooms. She set the torch in a sconce on the wall, and picked up a candle holder. 

She walked through the master bed chamber, and kept her gaze averted from the blood stains on the floor. Portraits of her parent's lives together covered the walls. She studied each, smiling through her tears at the happy memories they brought back. The last portrait, a painting of her sitting with her mother. With a wistful smile, Amelia sighed, and continued looking through the room. 

Her mothers writing desk sat next to the window. She picked up a folded letter from the top of the desk. It was sealed with her mothers crest. Turning it over, she discovered it was addressed to Lady Eloise de Vonce. Curiosity got the better of her, and she broke the seal. Inside was another folded letter.