Chapter 4: A Threat
1336 Words
-William-
“I can’t believe you’re home,” Luke said as we all gathered around a table.
Drinks were served, and a curvy woman smiled at me while pouring ale into my cup. I barely noticed her. My mind was elsewhere. I took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through my body. In the north, beer and ale were essential for staying warm, though I didn’t particularly enjoy them, but it was either that or freezing to death. So I did what was necessary.
“So?” Luke prompted.
“So?”
“Tell us, how was it fighting for the king? Is it true that the men up there in the cold lands are eating humans?”
“Are they really as big as bears?” someone else asked.
“Did you get to kill some?”
Memories of the horrors I had witnessed flashed before my eyes, and I looked down at my hands, momentarily seeing them covered in blood. It was only for a second, but it was enough to make my heart race and sweat form on my palms. How I had changed...
“Will?” Luke inquired.
I looked up at him, along with the others who were watching me intently.
“It was... cold,” I said.
Everyone looked puzzled. Only Tom seemed to understand the vagueness of my answer as he nodded slightly. But he knew the true cost of war—the way it shattered men’s spirits.
“Cold?” Luke asked, looking bewildered. “That’s it?”
Tom cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “I believe William needs some time before sharing all the details. He just returned today, after all.”
The men seemed to understand, and I silently thanked Tom with my eyes. He nodded back, clearly recognizing the fragile state I was in. I wasn’t ready to discuss what I had witnessed. I was barely holding myself together.
“Where will you be staying?” Luke asked, his sadness apparent.
The others’ expressions turned somber as well, and I knew they were all aware of my father’s passing.
“With Tom,” I replied. “He offered me a place after I returned and found out that... well...”
Everyone seemed to understand. Even though my father and I had never been particularly close, it didn’t lessen my grief or my wish to see him healthy and well when I returned.
“He will be missed,” Luke said. “Your father was a good man.”
I could only nod in agreement. I couldn’t say much about him because I barely knew him. After my mother’s death, all he seemed to care about was cutting and shaping wood.
I finished the drink in my cup and finally asked what I truly wanted to know, “Where is Vanessa? Did she return to live with her aunt?”
The room’s mood shifted from calm to tense. What is going on? I wondered. Everyone seemed uneasy, avoiding my gaze and glancing at each other with worry. I first turned to Luke, who looked away like the rest, then to Tom, who cleared his throat again, this time more uncomfortably.
“What’s going on?” I inquired, sensing the shift in mood.
“Well,” Tom began, clearing his throat. “Things change, as you know. After seven years, a lot can... happen, and—”
“Tom, I’ve just spent those seven years on an ice block, staring into the eyes of Flesh Eaters ready to cut me up and eat me. I don’t have time for people who can’t speak the truth,” I interrupted.
Everyone looked at me, almost scared, and then glanced at Tom. I knew my words were harsh, but if they expected the same kind and gentle William who had left, they would be sorely disappointed.
“Alright then,” Tom said in a subdued voice. “Vanessa... she’s married.”
-Grace-
“I will do it! I swear I will!” I shouted.
I had tried to run away but failed. Now, I was trapped in my room, standing at the window and looking down from the third floor. The wind was fierce up here, nearly blowing me back into the room, but I clung tightly to the edges and glanced over my shoulder.
“Please, princess, don’t do this!” the frightened maid pleaded. “What will the king do to me if I fail to stop you?”
I felt sorry for her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was genuinely scared for both of us. If I jumped, she would be punished, and it would not be gentle.
“Then go get my father, or I will throw myself out of this window!”
“Please, princess! Just come back inside. I-I’ll make you some tea!”
“I don’t want tea!” I screamed.
The maid flinched at the loud sound echoing in the room. I felt another pang of guilt, but I had to make my point. There was no way I would marry King Hector and let that disgusting old man touch me. My father had to see I was serious, and that was why I needed him here.
“I want you to tell my father that I will jump!” I demanded.
“Princess... your heart!” the maid pleaded.
“f**k my heart! Get the king!” I screamed.
She continued to cry, clearly unable to comprehend my desperation. I rolled my eyes and groaned. It would be pointless to go get him myself. That would only make my situation seem laughable.
“Do you hear me?”
She did not respond, sobbing into her hands and refusing to meet my gaze.
“Get the king!”
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by the sound of my door slamming open. My father, looking stern and freshly shaven with his hair cut short, stood in the doorway.
“Grace!” His voice thundered. “Get down from there immediately!”
“Not until you cancel this engagement!” I shouted back.
“Grace, this is not a joke! This is your life. Step away!”
“No!” I screamed. “Not until you promise me you won’t marry me off to that old king!”
“Grace, I am your father, and I’m telling you to get down from there!”
“No! I’d rather die than marry him!”
“Grace, have you lost your mind?” he demanded.
I shook my head and focused on the ground below. Maybe I had lost my mind, but how could I marry that old man? I didn’t love him, and I would never love him. I had met the old man only once, and he was repulsive.
“Either you cancel this engagement, or I’ll jump!” I declared, glancing over my shoulder.
My father had been followed by his many trusted advisors. He had most likely been in a meeting, but I didn’t care. I wanted them all to witness the lengths I was willing to go to in order to avoid marrying that old man.
“Grace, I will give you until the count of three to get down from there, or you will face severe punishment!”
“You are already punishing me,” I whispered.
“Grace!”
“I’ll do it!”
“One!”
“Cancel the engagement!”
“Two!”
“Cancel it!”
“My patience is wearing thin, Grace!”
“Cancel it!”
“Three!”
Without fully realizing it, my hands let go of the window ledge. I felt myself starting to fall forward, and just as my feet were about to leave the edge, I felt a hand grab me and pull me back into the room.
Damn Lord Edward. He had been clever, sneaking around behind my back while my father and I argued. And now I would face my punishment.
- Writer
