Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 4: Corrupting Innocence

King Laurence rubbed his temples as he listened to the business of a fairy come before him who was asking that Laurence make certain towns and cities in the kingdom homogenous. His advisors were listening to this business as well, and so he let his mind wander.

And where it wandered made his muscles tense on the arm of his throne.

He remembered that evil fairy's eyes flaring with black magic and the resounding sound—like glass breaking—filling his mind. He remembered the Astral Elf taking the boy away, and afterward...

He thought the shadow dog would have disappeared once Eory had gone, but it roared and whimpered and ghosted through the castle's walls until it ended up outside.

The whole castle had been shaken by the creature rampaging with its horrific roar late at night.

It was still out there, somewhere.

Peasants and nobles alike came to ask Laurence what had transpired in the ballroom that night and if they should fear the return of this shadow dog. Laurence promised them that he had it under control, and he sent a regiment of twenty soldiers to go scout for the dog for seven days. If they found nothing, they were to return.

The roar from that foul creature filled his mind as it bared its glinting, sharp teeth and feasted on those poor archers--leaving nothing but bloody splotches behind.

Queen Harriet noticed her husband was not listening at all to the fairy's problems and suggestions and put a hand over his.

He felt like taking it away. It was Kori he wanted, but the waif wanted nothing to do with him at the moment.

He should never have let her spare that fairy to begin with. If he had just said no to her when she threw herself to her knees and begged for his life, they all could have been spared his presence at the ball and the massacring at the still-bloody ballroom. It would not have stopped Pollyanna from coming and taking revenge on them all, but it would have spared Kori from becoming so attached to such a corrupt creature who had turned her simple heart.

Laurence remembered it all so clearly.

The executioner had just lopped off the older fairy boy's head and was then hauling the youngest one over to the guillotine at Laurence's approval.

But Kori had looked at the king with such hateful and judgmental eyes that he knew the waif would have never forgiven him if he killed the youngest child. Kori marched to Laurence's side and said quietly and fearlessly to him. "Laurence, if you kill that boy, you will never see me again. If you kill that boy, I will have no respect or love for you and I will pray for your death everyday because that would be the only suitable punishment for you after killing such a young and innocent creature."

Laurence retorted sharply, "innocent! You know what the Arrozans have done to me and my family and everyone in Maribel! None of them have ever been honest and upright! There has not been a single moral or kind Arrozan for hundreds of years! Why should we expect this creature to be any different?"

"He is six-years-old! His parents are the horrible people! Look at that weeping child! Does he look evil to you? Please... Let me take him. I will Redeem him like I have redeemed other criminals. I will raise him away from others in captivity where he will harm no one! Just let him live if you have any kindness in your heart! Otherwise, you are no better than the Arrozans you hate so much." Kori spat with vitriol in every ounce of her words.

And Laurence gave in.

He gave in because he thought there was a truth to her words; the boy was young, and perhaps he could still be saved. And it was true he would be little better than the Arrozans if he killed a boy so young without having any proof of his evil tendencies.

Lastly, he gave in because he loved Kori more than anything and he felt so guilty for being unable to marry her. He owed her for toying with her feelings and her heart; he owed her for making her his mistress.

And she made that corrupt and horrid boy into her surrogate son because there was nothing she ever wanted more in life than to have children. Laurence knew that better than anyone.

Over the years, she would consistently bring him news about Eory—sometimes she was hoping to convince him that he was fit for society, other times, she just wanted to tell him about Eory because it came so naturally to her. It was as natural to her as a biological mother discussing her child's first steps with her husband.

At some point, she had become more loyal to that boy than she had to him.

"Your Majesty?" One of his advisors who stood next to the throne called his name and broke him out of his reverie. Laurence blinked rapidly and came back to reality. "Yes?"

"What's to be done about this problem concerning the humans and fairies?" His advisor asked.

Laurence rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't afford to convert every city and town in the kingdom into homogenous ones. We must all learn to get along. Separating humans from fairies will not help in that. If there is trouble within your city, ask your duke and city guards for help. I can do little to help you on this, myself."

The fairy before him at the bottom of the many steps leading up to the throne looked down-trodden and angry. He had come a long way just to be told that Laurence could not fix everything.

Every peasant and noble came before him expecting him to fix everything. It was exhausting and beginning to wear on the human king.

The king felt guilty, but, at feeling his concentration dimming and feeling his eyelids become heavy, he realized he needed to stop for the day.

He turned to his advisor. "Take over, please. I must rest."

Laurence stood up, then, and felt dizzy when the shadow dog flashed in his mind—so dizzy that he nearly lost his balance on the stairs. Harriet cried out his name and steadied him. "Are you alright, my darling? You never feel so sick that you have the need to let Levi take over..."

Laurence nodded to Harriet and then turned his attention back to reaching the bottom of the stairs. His eyes nearly sparkled with delight when he saw Kori standing in the shadow of an arch on his right that led to the hallway.

"Harriet, can you go see how our son is faring at his studies?" Laurence asked.

Harried nodded slowly with worry pulling at her lovely features. She helped Laurence the rest of the way down the stairs and then she left through the arch on the left.

Laurence straightened his clothes and then joined Kori at the shadow of the arch. "What is it, Kori?"

She looked at him like she had never looked at him before; with wariness and mistrust.

She said with a low whisper, "I need to talk to you alone."