Kingdoms In Ruling <Jamilton>

Chapter Twelve..."Not here"/

Remember when I used this section to like, do a 'previous on...' type of thing? Yeah..

fuck that.

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\Maria POV/

I picked at the ruins of my charred, red dress as I watched the children run about, tense. I could feel the stares of their mothers on me; why would they not be? I was a dangerous rogue, simple as that.

"Miss?" I looked up, startled, seeing a small boy who seemed to be only ten, blonde hair covering his eyes. "You look sad."

"Well, what if I am?" I tried smiling at the boy but I bet it came more as a grimace, judging by his expression. He looked around for a moment, as if hesitating, then sat down across from me, legs crossed, peering up.

"Where's your mum?" I finally asked.

"Not here." The boy's eyes were suddenly distant, and I knew those words meant something else. "Where's yours?"

I smiled just a tiny bit. "Not here."

"Oh." His voice was small as he picked at the grass. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "What's your name?"

I tilted my head, wondering if I should give, relenting. "Maria. Just Maria."

The boy nodded, accepting it. "I'm David. Just...David." He then smiled wide, showing a couple missing teeth, cheeks turning rosy. Oh, how adorable.

I returned the smile, expression going soft. "Lovely name. Are you alone here?"

"Seems to be," David responded, shoulders slacking momentarily. "My brother isn't here. Mr. Madison says he must've gotten lost with the horses, but..."

My heart broke as the realization hit me. "I'm sure he'll show soon. Don't worry, dear." I made my words sound as sincere as possible, feeling sorry for the boy.

He only nodded, going back to picking at the grass.

It was silent for the rest of the day as we bathed in each others company, watching the children with their mothers and fathers. A couple times I saw David staring at a pair of siblings with their mother, and my heart broke even more for the boy. A couple times I caught myself looking at the girls, imagining her running around, playing with them.

"Maria." A familar voice came from behind, and I tensed, knowing who it was without even turning. My blood went cold.

"Hello, Reynolds." My voice was monotone. David turned to look at me, scooting closer, seeming to trust me, surprisingly.

"Seems like you like this boy even more than you loved my daughter." A hand gripped my shoulder and turned me around, my eyes meeting ones filled with seething hatred. "Fucking whore."

"You have no right to say such blasphemy-" I threw his hand off and stood abruptly, making sure David kept behind me. The boy peered around the edges of my dress, eyes wide, trembling.

"Oh, really?" James snarled, taking a threatening step forward. I took one back, he took another. This repeated until I was almost backed into a tree, David at my side.

"You're such a shame," James snarled, fingers twitching at his sides. "What would Susan think of her mother, if she were still alive? Would she beg for death, or just off herself right then, unable to stand your mere fucking presence?"

I only growled back in response, body tense. A small hand at my side kept me grounded for the moment.

Suddenly, James surged forward, going for my side. I immediately knew what his goal was and lashed out, nails digging into his cheek. His hands had just barely missed David; another second longer and he would have dragged him down and done Maker's knows what.