Benjamin looked away from Roland, hiding the ticking of his jaw. Each and everyone of Emmah’s sses was a slap to his face. He had asked her to be patient and wait for him. She had turned around, found new suitors, got herself pregnant, killed her stepmother and gone on the run.
The servants and the knights had enjoyed whispering and laughing at him when they thought he could not hear them. But how could he not hear them? There was nothing to do in this house turned prison than to listen to them talk about the world beyond the walls of his ho.
"Firstly, nobody could have predicted that Emmah would beco a murderer and secondly, I did not choose between. I just knew that everyone else would be saving our father and I was the only one interested in saving her. How could I have known that the knights would fail and father would end up stabbed and poisoned?" Benjamin defended himself with strength, bellowing. "Emmah scread and I had only seconds to decide..."
"Bullshit!" Roland raged, "You are a knight and you had a duty." He reminded his brother sharply, "Duty to our father. To the man that personally taught you how to fight with a sword and gave you every privilege. Who called you his ’precious son.’"
"And you," Benjamin muttered, "were always his choice of crown prince."
Roland’s eyes flickered. "Only because I was born first and let’s not pretend like he did not consider at one point taking the title from and passing it to you. It is only because he knew what the nobles would say that he held himself back. Don’t sit there and pretend that your mother did not peddle this idea to him at one point or another."
Benjamin stood up and started walking towards Roland but the knights drew their swords at him and he staggered back. "If my mother had as much influence over him like everyone says, he would not have pushed you to fulfill all the duties of a crown prince or sent you off in wars to build a reputation for yourself as a hero among the people. He loved because I was safe, there was no noble house pressuring him to push into your position.
I was not a threat to him like you, the half De-Kensington that could rebel and take the throne with the support of the queen and probably half of the noble families in this land. He has always known that you are the future and he respected that even though he never embraced you." His voice trembled with rage. "I wanted that. I wanted to be crown prince. If he loved so much, he should have given what he knew I wanted--what mother wanted."
Roland scoffed. Everyone wanted to be crown prince but only in safe tis. When he was heading out to war, nobody ever knew if he would be back dead or paralyzed. When he was heading to really dangerous territories, consort Rina and their father would find reasons to keep Benjamin back. And him, there was no parent to even hug as he set out.
Benjamin felt shattered as he drew in rugged breaths. "Has he truly not asked for ?"
"No." Roland answered.
Benjamin’s jaw clenched. "Tell , what decision would you have made if you were there and Sigrid was standing where Emmah was. Would you have watched the woman you love die just so you could please the man that never shared a single mont of affection with you?"
"I would have stopped the blade, with my own blade or my body." Roland replied without hesitation. "Because I am a knight and protecting the king is my duty. The king’s death is sotis the death of an empire. I can sacrifice myself for that duty. Any woman that marries a knight knows this."
Benjamin looked up and laughed. "Then you are a fool and you do not deserve the love of your wife."
Roland shook his head, "My wife is no ordinary woman, that is why for the choice is simple. If Sigrid was standing where Emmah was, she would be giving hell to the assassins. She would be fighting back with a sword or magic. I have all the confidence in the world that she would win.
Emmah is or was a mage too and she was always unnaturally lucky. I am quite certain that she would have survived sohow even if you did not intervene. You made the wrong choice Benjamin."
Benjamin’s laugh was hollow. "I guess that is easy for you to say now that you remind of how great your wife is. But let’s be honest, even if she was not all that great, you would not have saved her because your love is diplomacy and power. It is why you imprisoned here, is it not?"
Roland sighed and studied Benjamin. "I never realized it when we were younger. How much you loathed . Every move I made, you analyzed and read much into, seeing things that were not there. I did not imprison you here to show off my power.
I needed ti. Ti to rule and move the empire forward at a ti when the people were uneasy. Ti for father to heal. Ti for you to understand what it ans to bear the weight of consequence. Ti for you to decide on what you will do if father forgives you." Roland slow walked back to the chair and sat down. "Surely, you know by now that your reputation among the knights is dead. You cannot return to the army because the n do not trust you to protect them as they protect you."
Benjamin threw his head back. He had not thought at all about what to do. He did not know if he would get a chance to live after all that occurred. Like most of the people that knew the inner story, he was expecting his father to give him a death sentence.
He had even co to the conclusion that it would not be a public beheading but maybe poison, sothing quiet that would not cause a fuss.
"Do you know what he intends to do with ?" Benjamin asked.
Roland crossed a leg over the other. "I don’t know. He may forgive you. He may not. But know this--neither I nor Galen will protect or defend you. If you could leave your beloved father to die, then we can only imagine what you would do to brothers that you don’t love.
If you are not forgiven but he decides to let you live, I advise you to leave Eldoria imdiately. Go sowhere far away and never return. Start a new life, maybe you will find happiness and a new dream. Even if father forgives you, I advise you to do the sa." Roland stood up. "This is the only rcy that I will show you and the last ti that I will call you brother."
Benjamin claid his jaw. The warning in the ssage was clear. If he did not leave, he would die. Roland did not say goodbye and Benjamin did not hear the door close.
Sowhere in the silence, the king’s judgent awaited but a verdict had already been given and it was exile.
Reviews
All reviews (0)