4 Princes

XXVI

Rook
The world is an awful place when you think about it. Everything the universe has is meant to throw you under it and run you under its hooves. Everything from family, to enemies, to relationships.

And when everything is against you, you always have one person to go to. Your friend.

"Sir Seth Mondown," I turned into the barn and hopped off of Chesh, my shoes landing on the dirty floor. I walked Chesh into her stable and began tying her up. "How are you doing this fine afternoon?'

He was standing at the side of his horse, brushing through his horse's, Tweedledee's, hair. His horse was on the dumb side, a set of twins. The other horse, Tweedledum, belonged to Corby, my Knight who had fallen just recently.

Corby's death had hit Seth just a tad harder than it had hit me. 

"Absolutely, positively, terrible, my Prince," Seth laughed. 

He was going through things all on his own. Seth was my friend, my closest and most trusted partner save for my siblings. He was also the most humane friend that I had. His world was tainted and splattered but he didn't give up hope or his humanity, ever. Probably because of his little sister, McNamara.

I took slow steps to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He turned around and I could see in his eyes that he was wounded deep down in his soul. "How are you really?"

Seth sighed and set the brush down. He was tired, even at his age. He was only 15 but his mind had seen enough war to age him. His responsibilities had tacked on enough days that it was shortening his life span.

"Rook... the kingdom is tattered. The people demand a speech from the King, no offense but all of the Princes have gone crazy 'cept you and that's not saying much." He set his hand on my shoulder so we were looking eye to eye. He was a little shorter than me, but his attitude held him straighter. "We are losing the war, and I feel like we're losing... our people."

Corby.

"Seth... do you trust Elaina?"

He dropped his mouth open and then rolled his eyes. He turned his back to me and started fiddling with the saddle on his horse. "I don't know her, Rook. I don't know her at all. If you trust her, I do as well, because I trust you. With my life."

I didn't know how to talk about women, I never really had to before. Sure, I had women fawn over me and I had women who would have begged to just talk to me. I never had to try. But now I had to.

And I needed help.

"Seth..."

"What is it, Rook!? Spit it out, mate," Seth laughed.

"I can't tell if Elaina is lying to me or not," I admitted. "And I don't know how to bring it up."

Seth walked across the barn to a bucket that was filled with brown and icky water. He lifted it up, smirking. "I never would have guessed you didn't know how to bring things up," He walked away and started holding the bucket up to his horse's mouth. "And I really, actually, would have never guessed you couldn't tell whether or not someone is lying. What happened?"

I bit my bottom lip and then played with it between my fingers. "The witch visited me."

Seth's body tensed up and I saw his sword hand twitch towards his side. My family was his family, and he wanted revenge just as badly as the rest of us. 

"She explained to me that Elaina knows who killed my mother, and it wasn't Erik."

He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time like I wasn't at all who I was yesterday. Perhaps he was right. "That's a bold sentence from a witch. You believe her?"