Heir to the Empire

2. Small Regrets

Senior Billingslea smiled towards the clean-cut Edric Hunter as Loldirr squirmed under his uncomfortable stare. "Lessons are extremely useful, my lord."

'Stop blowing steam up his...' Loldirr thought as she recognised senior Billingslea's need to feel righteous. She could never understand why they referred to her guardian as Lord Edric. He was no lord, just some trader who got lumbered with her when her parents were killed in a village raid. Perhaps it was because he was far more educated than anyone else in the village and that they felt compelled to provide him with such a title. What they didn't know was that he was arrogant and a disciplinarian.

Lumbered, that's how she always felt when she was around Edric. Like she was just some burden Edric felt compelled to deal with because of some irrelevant and irrational code of honour.

Whether it was senior Billingslea's behaviour or the long hunt in the morning, Loldirr's frustration was now at a tipping point. "Study, what for?"

She had become exceedingly tired of learning about how to run a household, arithmetic and chivalry. She was a hunter, and all that mattered was that she was able to hit her target silently and accurately.

Edric was keen not to lose his temper in front of their neighbours. "We can discuss this at home."

"My dear, if we could all get your level of education, we would all be in a better place." Mr Billingslea responded while only making eye contact with Edric.

'No way are you getting one over me!' She thought to herself, feeling the anger raging inside of her like a tempest.

"Why? What's the point? It's not as if I'm going to use anything I've ever been taught in this simple village!" she raged.

Her outburst took the Billingslea's by surprise; they just stood mouth wide open, gawping and staring at Edric, waiting for his response.

Edric sighed but once again kept his calm. He rubbed his carefully trimmed beard before outstretching his arm to encourage her to stand down from the argument. "Loldirr, I am your father, and you are to do as I say. You will return home with me now."

Loldirr had never known her parents, and Edric refused to talk about them. "You are not my father!" Her cheeks blushed red with rage, "you are my guardian and nothing more. I'm tired of your pointless lessons, which I have no need for in this pointless village."

Senior Billingslea seemed to be eager to defuse the situation, once again, hoping to earn favour with Edric. "My Lord, I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by this outburst."

That was it! Years of the frustration of the boredom of village life, the constant lessons and the failure to see anything beyond this stagnant future was starting to boil over. In her eighteen winters on the earth that she could remember, she woke up in the village, took lessons, went or practised hunting, eat, shit and slept before going through the same monotonous cycle again. This was her life, and she knew she had to embrace it. As a result, the conflict inside her between settling and ambition could continue no more.

"And you!" she shouted, pointing angrily at senior Billingslea, "You dare try laying a hand on me again; I shall tell your wife about your conversations with Mr Butcher's daughter! She has only been around twelve winters! You make me sick!" There was a wave of fiery anger in her eyes and venom in her words as she could no longer endure the facade she had to live through.

Senior Billingslea just looked stunned as his wife stopped what she was doing and stared intently at him.

Loldirr looked around at each of them before realising what she had just done. It wasn't until she saw the horrified look at her longtime friend, Willis, that she saw the destructive nature of her words.