The True Northern King - James

Chapter 7

Any battle or war was not a pretty thing, and I had just returned home for one that lasted two years. It was fighters from higher in the North, who were led by a powerful man. They were brutal ones, that wanted nothing but to create chaos. They had cost us many lives and we all felt the hard blow from it, as we entered the city. At least now the men could return home and so could Will and I. I had been against Will coming. He was still very young, but my father had said he had been his age when he was in his first battle.

Will had changed though. Like everyone else, he had been forced to take lives, and because of that he had changed. He rode beside me, and I moved a little closer, placing my hand on his shoulder. I gave him a small smile, and he tried one back, but he looked more in pain.

“Welcome back little brother,” I said as we crossed that barrier between the city and the connected castle.

“It’s good to be back,” he said.

We stopped in front of the entrance and got off our horses before walking up the stairs. We had barely gotten inside when our father was pretty much storming towards us and pulled first Will closer, looking him over and then me.

“You two look exhausted. Come, let us eat something and you can tell me everything.”

We followed him to the next floor, where Henry and Carter came running. Henry was pretty much an adult now and Carter right behind him. They had really grown these two years. They followed us into the dining room, where Samuel and Liam waited. They had grown a lot too, but we were missing one.

“Where is Laelia?” I asked.

My father sighed, shaking his head.

“In her room,” he said, and walked over to his seat.

We followed along, greeting my other two brothers on the way and then sitting down before I turned to my father.

“In her room?”

“Yes, and she is going to remain there until she has learned her lesson.”

I smiled a little, looking at Will, who sat in front of me. He was smiling a little too. The first smile I had seen in two years.

“What did she do?” I asked, trying to act serious.

“She went into town and was found playing with the other orphan kids.”

“She did what?” I asked and couldn’t contain my laughter.

It felt good to laugh. It felt good to leave some of the blood and death behind me and focus on my crazy family instead. Though I was not surprised that Laelia had snuck out and had been playing with the kids from the orphanage, I was surprised that my father had let her escape. He always kept a close eye on her.

“That girl …” he sighed.

He reached for his cup just as the food was being served and drank a little to calm himself down. Will and I shared a small look. We were both smiling. My father could act like he was mad, but I was sure he wasn’t. He could never get mad when it came to Laelia. It was simply impossible.

“Shall I not just go get her?” I asked.

“No!” he said and placed his cup down. “I am teaching her a lesson here.”

“Come now father,” I said. “We both know you won’t last long.”

My father clearly disagreed and shook his head before pointing at me.

“I am teaching her a lesson this time, and I am not giving in.”

I held up my hands, telling him without words that I believed him, but in reality, I didn’t. I knew he wouldn’t last through half the dinner before he started to feel guilty and would ask one of us to get Laelia. And like I predicted, Will and I had barely been able to tell our father about how we had ended the leader Dastan before he said.

“Someone go get Laelia.”

I laughed at that before leaving my chair. I had not seen my little sister in two years, I simply had to be the one to go get her.

I walked out of the dining room and then a floor up before going down the long hallways until I reached her room. Two guards were placed on each side of her door, and they quickly stepped to the side, letting me pass.

I opened the door, only to find the room empty. I walked inside, closing the door, when suddenly I felt something sharp against my back. I smiled, before looking at the fireplace where there were usually these two big swords hanging over it. Now there was only one.

“Who dares enter when the princess is mad?” she asked.

I laughed before saying,

“Are you really going to kill your brother before he even gets to hug you?”

Suddenly, the sword lowered, and I heard it being dropped to the floor. It was a very big and heavy sword, and I simply had no idea how a five-year-old had been able to hold it, but she had. I turned around, seeing her look at me shocked before tears welled up in her eyes.

“James?” she asked, almost scared.

I smiled at her and then she jumped into my arms, clinging to me and crying, as I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her from the ground. I had missed her so much, and sh*t, she had changed so much. I couldn’t believe I had missed two years of her life.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I am home now.”

“Never leave again!” she cried.

I patted her back before then placing her down on the ground and staying at her eye-level. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and she looked so adorable with those big emerald, green eyes she got from our mother.

“Promise!” she said and grabbed my arm.

“Okay, I promise,” I said.

I knew I couldn’t promise anything, but right now she needed her older brother to tell her she would never have to miss him again. Later I would have to explain to her that I would continue to leave, so would Will, Henry soon enough, then Carter, Liam and Samuel. We all had our duties, just like her duties lied here, and therefore she had to stay back every time.

“I thought you were dead …” she whispered.

“Me? Dead? Never!” I said, making her laugh at the funny way I said it. “Though I hear you have been playing in the dirty streets.”

I pushed her gently, and she just laughed at that, trying to look innocent.

“I don’t know what you mean. A princess doesn’t play in the mud,” she said.

“Is that why you have dirt on your face?” I asked, reaching out and wiping some of it off.

I held up my thumb to show how dirty it had gotten, and she just shrugged, acting like she wasn’t seeing anything.

“Must just be your hands,” she said.

We both laughed at that before I stood up.

“Come, let us go eat,” I said.

“But father told me to stay here. He said he was mad at me … so now I am mad at him,” she said and crossed her arms.

I knew Laelia wasn’t used to being punished by our father, but really, he never truly could. He always gave in in the end. Like he was doing now. She just had to see that.

“He is not mad,” I said.

“I am!”

“Come now, Laelia, he wants you to come eat with the rest of us.”

“Then he can come get me himself!”

She walked over to a couch in her room and climbed up before sitting down determined and crossing her arms again. She just looked so cute; I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“Laelia, he has regretted his decision,” I said.

“And why are you the one telling me?” she asked.

“You know how proud father is, but he wants you there. I know he does.”

She seemed to think it over, but still stayed determined, and I walked over there shaking my head and smiling before sitting down.

Then as I sat down, I noticed a paper lying on a table beside the couch and I picked it up, reading it quickly before holding it in front of Laelia, who still sat there with her arms crossed.

“Are you running away now?” I asked, barely able to hold back my laughter.

“Father is being unfair!” she wined.

I couldn’t help it and laughed hard, as I looked down at the letter, where she threatened to run away. There were a lot of misspelled words and even a funny drawing of her being mad.

“James, stop! I am serious!” she said.

I nodded but could not stop laughing. This was the funniest thing to return home to, and I hoped she would always be doing something crazy every time I returned.

“James!”

I nodded, trying to stop myself, and after a little while I was able to. I put the letter down and then looked at her, acting all serious now.

“I know you are mad, but father was just worried. You know how he gets when he gets worried,” I said.

She sighed and slowly nodded, some of her anger disappearing.

“So, can’t we make peace and go eat something? I am starving,” I told her.

“You are?”

I nodded.

“Okay. For you, because you are hungry,” she said and jumped down from the couch.

I smiled and got up before following the little dark-haired girl with the silver strands in the front. She reminded me more and more of our mother. Even her wild spirit was like hers. In a way, it was like mother never really left us.