Daughter of a Dixon ✔️

86: Way with Words

I was up early that next morning, already having an idea in my mind for how the day was going to go. Firstly, I needed to talk with Ezekiel.

I threw on a pair of jeans and an old flannel, (which I may or may not have stolen from Carl, but I didn't want to think about that right then) and I was out the door. I made sure to leave my dad a note, saying where I would be, in case he began to worry, which I knew he probably would. I doubted he would ever trust me after what I did to him.

I paced down the street of the Kingdom to the King's auditorium, where Jerry was standing outside proudly, enjoying a fresh apple. He smiled when he saw me, throwing up a quick peace sign. I let out a quiet chuckle, and returned the gesture.

"Is the king in?" I questioned, and Jerry gave me an adamant nod.

"Go ahead in; he's expecting you," the steward said, and he flashed me a giddy thumbs-up.

I laughed to myself, and told him a thank you before walking into the auditorium, holding my head high. If I was going to try and convince Ezekiel to fight for us, I needed to bring my A-game.

I entered the large room, and was immediately met with a raucous call from Shiva, who was seated at the foot of Ezekiel's throne.

"Easy, Shiva; be kind to our guest," the king said as I approached, flashing me a gentle smile. "Good morning, Miss Sidney; I had a feeling I would be seeing you at some point in the day."

I gave him a nod, and stopped walking about four rows from the front of the stage. "I'm glad, and I believe you know why I'm here."

The King sighed, and his face fell as he nodded once in acknowledgment. "I fear I do, yes."

My eyes drifted down, but I forced them back up; I needed to be confident in my words. "The Saviors didn't just kill our people, sir, they took a part of us away, too. Our freedom, our happiness, they stole that from us. Our group is broken, and I can vouch for that... my relationship with my dad, I broke it... it's gone."

Ezekiel seemed intrigued, he had an eyebrow raised, and he had leaned forward slightly in interest. "They took my dad and I captive, at the Sanctuary. What they did to us, to me, at least, I-I couldn't take it... I got away, but I knew that if they found me, they'd kill another member of our group. I couldn't let that happen, so... I faked my own death. I made everyone believe I was dead, Dad included. That's why I came here, with Jackson and Garret, because I truly had nowhere else to go."

Ezekiel's face fell, and his eyes averted away from mine. "Now, I know all of that is my fault, but what the Saviors did to us, what they took from us... that's on them."

Ezekiel sighed, looking down into his lap as he pondered. From below him, Shiva rested her head on her enormous paws, her eyes fluttering closed gently.

"At the Sanctuary," Ezekiel spoke slowly, "what were you submitted to?"

I stiffened, and my breathing silently hitched. "Um," I began, looking down at the bottom of the stage instead of up at Ezekiel. "They-they kept me in a cell. It was dark, cold. They fed me dog food, or something similar... I mean, it's pretty obvious they beat me,-.." I gestured to my bruised face, "-.. sometimes for no reason, other times because, uh..."

I bit my lip, and inhaled a slow breath. "Other times because my dad did something they didn't like...they were using me as a bargaining chip. If my dad didn't cooperate, they'd beat me up. They just had me there for that reason; to be used as a pawn for my dad to behave... that was it."