The King's Possession ✔️

FIFTY ONE

Word Count: 2079

I woke to all the feelings of frustration and anger having vanished, leaving a hollow feeling in my stomach. Another morning of waking up to my own cruel reality, and yet another day of trying to recover from it, trying to move on.

As usual, the day dragged on, Tai gone off like he usually is, dealing with both the rebel presence, and the cruel reality of the war, which has been bothering the King more recently. He hasn't shared much with me about the war, other than that it's been a financial and emotional drain, knowing that he is sending men to die.

My father never spoke much about the horrors of the war either, leaving much up to my imagination. All I know is that it's a battle between independent rebel groups within the Jade Province and the Scarlet Province that ended up causing so much conflict, political powers, including Tai and his family became involved.

Now other rebel groups are threatening Tai's reign, that may or may not be connected.

Tai and I ate dinner together, talking about anything other than the war, rebels and Tani. Instead I told him about my writing, how my story is coming along. He listened, like he always does, and then I went up to my bedroom.

I couldn't convince myself to stay there very long, deciding to take my small writing book outside to enjoy the night, even if the winter air is cold. But tonight, for the first time all week, it's not raining.

The marbled porch is cold underneath me as I sit down, resting the book between my thighs.

The tip of my pen doesn't even touch the paper before I hear footsteps from behind me, causing me to turn. Marek settles next to me, resting his forearms on his thighs as he looks at me.

"What happened to your face?" I question.

A deep blue shadow entrenched in his skin from his jaw to his left eye causes me to flinch, trying to decipher what it is. He watches me carefully, waiting for me to put it all together.

"Some of the other hunters roughed me up for calling off anymore hunts for Tani," he murmurs. Oh, it's a bruise. It's so strange looking, so different. I have to remember that Marek does not bleed red like a human, but pastel blue like a Summoner. That means his bruises are going to look different to mine. I'm surprised I didn't notice earlier, after the Beast attacked him.

I was so worried about Tai...

"Seriously?" I question, reaching up to touch the bruise, noting the cut on his lip. He let's my fingers gently brush against his skin, gaze soft. "I know I got angry but...it wasn't worth getting yourself hurt."

"You were right. It's wrong, us killing innocent creatures like that and ruining people's faith," he breathes, reaching up to grab my hand, bring it away from his face, but he doesn't let it go. "I should have learnt from you earlier that those things mean a lot to people."

"I'm sorry for taking it out on you, when it was Tai's demands," I relent. "I was just so frustrated, knowing I now don't have a Tani and that feeling is terrible. I don't want anyone else to go through that."

Marek looks down at my hand that he still holds, cradling it like an injured animal.

"You're far too good of a person to even be in my presence," he admits, his voice hoarse. I shake my head, looking out into the border of the forest at the end of Tai's property. I forgot that Marek and I used to come out here a lot in the beginning, but now it feels like a distant memory.

"Why do you hate Tani so much?" I ask absently, brushing away a few stray strands of hair that flutter against my face, carried by the gentle breeze.