Chapter 24
944 Words
Vaelith exhaled through his nose, jaw tight. He had heard enough to know that the king was a monster.
"Elara," he said, her name was a command but he tempered it with a tone that almost sounded like pleading, "Look at me."
She flinched but obeyed, lifting her chin just enough for the candlelight to glint off the tears tracking down her cheeks.
"How many times?" His voice was gravel, the words tearing from him.
My Lord?
I said how many times did he touch you since you came to this place?
She trembled before answering
"Once My lord, it was one time. few nights ago
A growl rumbled in Vaelith's chest before he could stop it.
His hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening. One time was enough, one time was too much.
"Did he hurt you?" he roared.
She swallowed, her throat working. "Yes it did hurt," she said.
I was bleeding to show it hurts. He ... He didn't stop, he didn't even care , she cried
Was it your first time?
My Lord?
Was it your first time sleeping with a man?
Y...Yes my lord
Vaelith's vision blurred with red. He turned away gripping the mantel so hard the wood groaned.
"And the others?" His voice was a blade. "Did they touch you too?"
"No," she said.
A long silence followed.
Vaelith closed his eyes.
Just once.
The thought should have brought relief.
It didn't.
Because once was already too much.
Slowly, he turned back toward her.
Elara sat rigid in the chair, tears still slipping down her cheeks.
She looked small.
Fragile.
Nothing like the woman who had laughed beneath moonlit skies in his dreams.
Nothing like the woman who had stolen his peace for five years.
And yet she was the same person.
The same eyes.
The same face.
The same soul.
"Elara."
She looked up hesitantly.
Fear still lingering in her expression.
Vaelith took a slow breath.
Then spoke.
"He will never touch you again."
She blinked.
"My lord?"
"He will never touch you again," he repeated.
The certainty in his voice startled her.
As though he wasn't making a promise.
As though he was stating a fact.
Elara stared at him.
Confused.
The king was the ruler of the kingdom.
The king did whatever he wanted.
Everyone knew that.
"You can't know that," she whispered.
A dangerous look crossed Vaelith's face.
"He won't."
The words were simple.
Final.
Absolute.
For a moment, Elara almost believed him.
Almost.
The conversation continued after that.
Not about the king.
Not about that night.
Vaelith seemed to realize she had said enough.
Instead he asked about simpler things.
The kitchens.
The work she did every day.
How long she had been in the palace.
The questions felt strange.
Nobody had ever cared enough to ask.
At first her answers were short.
Careful.
But gradually she relaxed.
Only a little.
The fear never fully disappeared.
Yet somehow the commander managed to keep drawing words from her.
Before either of them realized it, the castle bells rang in the distance.
Midnight.
Elara's eyes widened.
She immediately stood.
"My lord."
Vaelith looked toward the window.
The night had slipped away unnoticed.
"I should return."
He nodded.
"The others will notice if I'm gone any longer."
"Then go."
Elara hesitated.
Something she couldn't explain made her linger.
Then she quickly pushed the feeling aside.
"Thank you for the meal, my lord."
Vaelith inclined his head.
She turned and crossed the room.
The door opened.
Then closed behind her.
Silence settled over the chamber once more.
Only the crackling fire remained.
A few moments later, another knock sounded.
"Enter."
Captain Kaelen stepped inside.
The moment he saw Vaelith, he frowned.
Something was different.
Something had been different for days.
Kaelen shut the door behind him.
Then crossed his arms.
"What's going on with you and that slave?"
Vaelith remained silent.
The captain sighed.
"You've requested her twice."
No answer.
"You spend hours talking to her."
Still nothing.
Kaelen shook his head.
"Commander."
Vaelith finally looked at him.
For several moments neither man spoke.
Then Vaelith exhaled slowly.
"You remember the woman."
Kaelen frowned.
"The woman?"
"The one I told you about."
Understanding immediately dawned.
The dreams.
Five years of them.
The mysterious woman who appeared night after night.
The woman Vaelith had never been able to find.
"The woman from your dreams?"
"Yes."
Kaelen stared.
Vaelith's silver eyes drifted toward the door Elara had just walked through.
When he spoke, his voice was quiet.
"It's her."
The captain froze.
"What?"
"It's Elara."
Silence.
Kaelen simply stared at him.
As though he had misheard.
"The slave?"
"Yes."
"The woman you've been dreaming about for five years is a palace slave?"
A bitter laugh escaped Vaelith.
"So it would seem."
The fire crackled between them.
Neither man spoke for several moments.
Finally Kaelen sat down heavily.
Trying to process what he had just heard.
"When did you know?"
"The first time she brought my meal."
Days ago.
The captain rubbed a hand across his jaw.
Then asked the question that mattered most.
"What are you going to do now?"
Vaelith's expression darkened.
His thoughts drifted back to Elara.
To her trembling.
To her tears.
To the fear in her eyes.
The fear of a woman who had learned nobody would protect her.
His jaw tightened.
When he finally answered, his voice was cold.
"First, I'm going to make sure she's safe."
I will get her out of here
And for the first time since arriving at Castle Valdren, Commander Vaelith stopped thinking like a guest of the king.
He began thinking like a man with something to lose.
- Writer
