Chapter 23
1237 Words
The wind outside didn't just blow; it screamed, clawing at the stone walls of the castle like a dying thing.
Inside, the fire roared, but it couldn't warm the ice forming in Vaelith's veins.
He stood by the hearth, his back rigid, staring into the flames as if they held the answer to a question that made his blood boil.
"Captain Kaelen."
The door opened instantly.
Kaelen stepped in, sensing the shift in the air.
The Commander wasn't just angry; he was vibrating with a lethal, suppressed rage."
You sent for me, Commander.
"Vaelith didn't turn.
His voice was a low growl.
"The evening meal.
"A pause.
The fire crackled, popping sparks that died instantly in the cold air.
"The same arrangement."Kaelen hesitated.
He knew what that meant. He knew the rumors.
He knew the dark, sickening reality of what happened in the King's chambers.
"The same slave, sir?"
Kaelen asked, his voice cautious. "Elara?
Vaelith finally turned.
The silver mask covered his mouth, but his eyes... his eyes were burning with a fury that could melt steel.
"Yes."
Kaelen swallowed hard. "
As you command."
Elara was in the scullery, her hands submerged in freezing, greasy water, scrubbing the remnants of the nobles' feast from heavy silver platters.
Her knuckles were raw.
Her back screamed in agony.
"Elara."She froze.
The head overseer stood at the entrance, his face a mask of bored cruelty."
Yes, sir?""
You're serving the Commander again.
"Elara's heart stopped.
"Again?" Her voice was a whisper. "
But... I just..."
"Don't question it," the overseer snapped, stepping forward and grabbing her arm, his fingers digging into her bruised skin.
"Get up there.
Now.
Or I'll have you whipped for disobedience.
"He didn't need to threaten
. Elara knew the drill. Refusal meant pain.
Refusal meant the dungeons.
Refusal meant death.
She dried her hands on her ragged dress, her stomach churning with dread.
Why?
she thought, panic rising in her throat. Why me?
What does he want?
The walk to the Commander's chambers felt like a march to the gallows.
Every step was heavy, every breath shallow.
When the guards opened the door without a word, Elara felt her knees buckle.
She stepped inside, clutching the tray like a shield.
The room was warm, too warm, the fire blazing.
Vaelith stood near the table, his back to her.
The silence was deafening, thick with tension.
Click.
The door closed behind her.
She was trapped."
My lord," she whispered, her voice trembling. "
Your meal."
She set the tray down with shaking hands, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.
She couldn't look at him.
She couldn't bear to see the lust, the cruelty, the expectation she saw in every noble's eyes."
Stay."
The command hit her like a physical blow.
Her hands froze on the tray.
"My lord?" she whispered, terror flooding her veins.
Vaelith pulled out the chair opposite him.
The sound of wood scraping on stone was like a gunshot in the silence.
"Sit
."Elara hesitated.
Her mind raced. Is this a game?
Is he going to hurt me?
Is he like the others?
But she had no choice. She slowly, carefully, lowered herself into the chair, her body tense, ready to run, ready to fight, ready to die.
Vaelith sat across from her.
He didn't touch the food. He didn't pour wine.
He just stared at her, his silver eyes piercing through her soul.
"Look at me."Elara's breath hitched.
Slowly, terrified, she lifted her gaze.
Those eyes.
Again.
That strange, unsettling familiarity mixed with pure fear."
The other day," Vaelith said, his voice low, dangerous.
"When I reached toward you.
"Elara flinched, her body recoiling instinctively."
You flinched," he stated, his voice hardening. "
You looked at me as if I would hurt you.
Elara's eyes dropped to her lap.
"My lord, I... it was nothing.
I apologize. I didn't mean—""It is not nothing," Vaelith snapped, slamming his hand on the table.
Bang!
Elara screamed, scrambling back in her chair, her heart pounding in her ears.
"Tell me,
" Vaelith commanded, leaning forward, his voice a deadly whisper.
"Did someone hurt you?
Did someone touch you without your consent?"
"No,"
Elara lied, her voice shaking.
"No, my lord. I'm fine. I'm just... tired.""
You are lying," Vaelith accused, his eyes narrowing.
"I see the fear in your eyes.
I see the bruises on your arms.
I see the way you look at every man in this castle as if he is a monster.""
I am not—
""Sit down!" Vaelith roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
Elara froze, tears streaming down her face.
She slumped back into the chair, sobbing quietly."
Tell me," Vaelith demanded, his voice softer now, but still intense.
"Tell me what happened.
Who did this to you?"
Elara shook her head, her body shaking with suppressed trauma.
"I can't... I can't say...
""You will,"
Vaelith said, his voice steel.
"Or I will find out myself.
And when I do, I will kill whoever did this to you.
"Elara looked up, her eyes wide with terror.
"No! Please, my lord, don't... don't make me say it...
""Elara," Vaelith said, using her name for the first time.
It sounded strange on his lips, intimate and dangerous.
"Tell me.
"The dam broke.
"He... the King..." Elara whispered, her voice breaking.
"He... he chooses us. Every night.
He lines us up like... like animals.
And he picks whoever he wants.
And then..."She couldn't continue.
She couldn't say the words.
He forces himself on us.
He r***s us.
He touches us where we don't want to be touched.
He hurts us.But she didn't need to say it. Vaelith understood.
The air in the room changed. It became cold, deadly.
Vaelith stood up slowly, his chair scraping against the floor.
Elara flinched again, but this time, Vaelith didn't reach for her.
He turned away, his back to her, his shoulders shaking with rage.
"That f*****g bastard," Vaelith whispered, his voice filled with hatred.
"That monster."
He turned back to her, his eyes blazing.
"You are not nothing, Elara.
Do you hear me?
You are not nothing.
And I will not let him hurt you again.
"Elara stared at him, tears streaming down her face.
She didn't understand. Why was he angry?
Why did he care?"
My lord..." she whispered.
Vaelith walked back to the table.
He picked up the tray of food and placed it in front of her."
That meal is for you," he said, his voice firm.
"Eat it
. All of it.
Right here.
Now."Elara looked at the food, then at Vaelith.
"But... my lord..."
"Eat," Vaelith commanded, but there was no cruelty in his voice.
Only protection.
"You are safe here.
I promise you.
No one will touch you.
Not while I am alive."
Elara stared at him, disbelief warring with hope.
For the first time in her life, someone was protecting her
. Someone was fighting for her.
She picked up a piece of bread, her hands still shaking.
She took a small bite, tears falling onto the table.
Vaelith watched her, his heart breaking.
He knew what he had to do.
He knew the price he would have to pay.
But he didn't care.
The King had made a mistake.
A fatal mistake.
He had touched something that belonged to Vaelith
.And now, the King would learn the true meaning of fear.
- Writer
