Liridia

Chapter 21: A shade too blue

Aldwin
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"Why don't we talk, Greggory. Step outside one moment." Hywel asks, almost warningly.

Well, this is sure to be exciting.

I step outside, trying not to steal a glance at Her.

"What are you doing? Did I not just say that your services are unwanted and unnecessary?" He scolded, while I held my head up and tried to not burst out laughing. Because, honestly, it was quite funny, when you thought about it. When our father's would come together for council once a month, we would play in a separate room.

I was always barking out orders, delegating roles for everyone to play in the game. I was always the Commander, and Hywel my Lieutenant.

We were... friends. Seeing as we only met seven times before, we grew apart. Then Father finally, rather than bury the hatchet, decided it best to bury it into my back while I wasn't looking. So we never saw each other again.

Hywel always did follow orders well. Sometimes we would debate about who's kingdom is more powerful, and I once cut him so deep with my words that we didn't speak the next time we met.

It felt so good to win. Yet I really lost it all.

"Yes, but Liona wanted to discuss her schedule with me, as she does not fully know the castle in the doing of her investigation. It was but a moments conversation between us, Your Highness, I swear it." I lie through my teeth, letting my dignity fall to the shiny tiled floor.

"I will tell my father of your disobedience, and you will be punished. Do not cross me, guard." He said, almost venomously. Territorial.

"Of course, I beg forgiveness, Your Highness."

He nods, his brows furrowed and creased with annoyance. He fancies her, I realise, almost wanting to slap my head repetitively with my fist.

"You fancy her." I exclaim, not able to stop myself before the words fall out of my mouth. Now I wish to behead myself for my stupidity. He looks at my incredulously and shakes his head as he storms off in a rage. My bad.

I watch him thunder down the hallway and lightly step back into the room, her head in her hands. I stand with my arms crossed and watch her stare into the distance and sigh.

"What have you two been doing? Hm? I hope to the gods above you have not begun to fancy him back. You're supposed to be a professional. This job is supposed to already be done!" I whisper angrily.

"And you think that I don't know that!? This has taken longer because it needs to be. I had intel from a trusted friend that she was brought here and hasn't come out. I don't really know where she is, but what we just found could be the answer to saving your burden of a sister." She whispered, caught in a rage.

Burden of a sister. She didn't mean that.

"Don't avoid the question. What have you been doing? With that territorial prîck? Really? Spread yourself that thin for a man who only wants to satisfy himself between your legs. I know him, he is forever shrouded in the light of his brother, no one really cares what he does except his father. He takes advantage of people. Don't be so naïve." I spit harshly.

She jumps up from where she stands and launches herself at me, her hands crushing my neck against the wall in a matter of moments. Her nostrils flaring, eyes hard like stone, a fire burning so brightly in her eyes it would blind me if i stared into them for too long.

"Call me naïve when you're the one who wanted me, an assassin, to help you, a disowned, lowlife, petty little boy to find your sister, who is most likely dead. I have distanced myself from the territorial prîck, and our investigation was not going well until we worked together and found something to put hope into.

I learnt in my training to become an assassin to never feel. Have hope in nothing, love no one and trust no one. I also learnt how to kill people anyway I want. We will meet in the dungeons every third turn at midnight, and you will not be seen. Now get out of my face and stop being an ignorant little shît." She seethed dangerously, the fire growing brighter with every word until I couldn't look into her eyes. I was suffocating slowly, how she wanted, and I was losing breath with every word she spoke, which was a lot of breath.

She let go quickly, and I fell to my knees gasping for breath.

"If I stop being an ignorant shît, then you have to stop being a bîtch." I wheezed stupidly.

She knelt down to my side, titling my chin up with one finger to look her in the eyes. No emotion, not a trace of remorse or mercy. Just a tear falling down her face so quickly, it was if I had dreamt it.

"You remind me of a girl I used to know. Her name was Ayala, but I called her 'paululum de armento', for little bull. She was my friend. And I wasn't good enough to save her. Ridgemont stabbed her down to the hilt. She was kind of like you. Stubborn, funny, light-hearted yet seemingly emotionless.

I-I... I loved her, and after every beating, every lesson, every scolding remark and every broken bone, I threw away the rules and loved her. As if I hadn't already learned, that anyone you love can taken away from you. Love is weakness. That is why I'm cold, why I'm blank-faced... because if anyone saw what was going on underneath..." She finished with but a whisper.

I grab her hand and hold it as she stares off into nothing. Even though she did just choke me.

"It's not like I try to be a bîtch. Your past shapes your future, after all." She says, a tinge of melancholy painting her voice a shade too blue.

"And yet you can change the future by what you do today. Now, where were we? The book. I'll show you." I propose, holding tightly to her hand as if I were an anchor for her battleship of a heart.

If she was a battleship, then I'd have to be a destroyer.
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Jeez guys, it's been a while, sorry for not updating in a while.

You know, exams next week, so I'm studying like a madman. (Am I right Ashleigh-is-a-Pillow , KailaIsFab And MasterOfAwesomeness1 ???)

Song of the week: Layla, by Eric Clapton
Book recommendation: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne 9/10 for me, couldn't put it down.

Until our final journey to the ground, may we meet again. 😭😭LEXA😭😭😭LINCOLN😭😭