The Goblin's Heir

Chapter Forty: Beneath the Hill

I swept through the air between Knut and my old self. I twisted myself around her, studying that unfamiliar face. A face I'd all but forgotten that I once possessed. I had long thought of myself as an unparalleled beauty. I may have been a penniless urchin with the temperament of a caged weasel, but in this regard, I felt myself the superior of even the most wealthy and docile of upper-crust maidens. Looking at her now, I wondered if I perhaps didn't have the best eyesight in my youth. Matilda Pole, while undoubtedly lovely, was not the goddess sent to earth she thought she was. The body she thought of as strong was too thin, the muscle showing more from lack of fat than anything. Her cheekbones, a defining feature, stood out because of her shallow cheeks. The only real bit of fat her body boasted was her ample chest, which she put on display thanks to a few popped buttons at the top of her disgusting rag of a dress. The pinkish skin beneath it and her golden hair were both so filthy one could hardly admire them.

Knut didn't seem to notice any of this. I swirled around, drinking in his tall figure and the awed expression frozen in his features as time seemed to pause while he stared at her and she unknowingly stared right back. Knut's gaze was stuck on her own, peering into the dark pools of her eyes. In the sunlight, they were a warmer brown, flecked with shots of gold, but now, as she looked through him, they were nearly as black as his own. 

The door of the shack opened and time unstuck itself, moving again at its rapid unforgiving pace. Rolland walked out onto the uneven cobblestone street with Rhys right at his heels. Young Matilda blinked and turned away, forgetting whatever it was that drew her to look in Knut's direction. She looked to her brothers instead and smiled as they smiled, uncaring of the sight of those yellowed, broken teeth. "You don't have plans today, do you?" Rolland asked in a hushed voice. "I was hoping you'd help us out today." Behind him, Rhys was tucking a wicked-looking knife into the waist of his breeches at his spine. 

Matilda's eyes noticeably brightened as if she were being given a gift. "Like last time?" she asked excitedly. 

Rolland nodded with a widening smile. "Do you remember what to do, what to say?"

Matilda propped her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes haughtily. "Of course, I'm not a simpleton."

"Good. Do you have your knife on you?"

In answer, Matilda yanked her skirt up, showing off the knife she kept tied to her thigh with the stays of her stockings. "Never leave home without it."

Knut's eyes widened and his head tilted in interest. "What have you been up to while I've been away?" He asked her, glancing between her and her brothers, before shifting upwards towards her furious, thrashing soul. His emotions roiled through me. Curiosity, affection, and concern. All muddled together into a force that made his heart knock against his ribs.

Rhys and Rolland exchanged impressed looks. "Good girl, Tilly." 

Rhys' mouth flashed a wicked grin. He threw his heavy arm over Matilda's small shoulders and began to guide the group down the alleyway toward the main street. "Don't be shy to use it if he tries to get further than you're willing to let him." He kept his voice low so the brother still asleep inside the house, recovering from another late night, wouldn't stir. 

"No need to worry about that," Matilda said with a playfully disgusted face. 

"What are they talking about?" Knut wondered, feeling his anxiety rise. "Tilly, what are they making you do?" He strode with the group, walking quickly to maintain his view of Matilda's face. His concern for Matilda's wellbeing was beginning to overcome everything else. When he looked at the two ugly men surrounding their sister, Knut's stomach ached and his mind was set fire. He didn't much care for any of Matilda's kin. They were all the type to worry more about themselves than even people they loved. The eldest brother hid it well behind kind words and a pretty face. The twins tended to put their selfishness on clear display in a never-ending series of bad choices.