Teach Me Dirty

9: About Kehanar

“Excuse me… I will leave you two,” Dotroth said, his voice lowering as he bowed deeply to King Nudoz.

He did not wait for the king to dismiss him with words. The chilling atmosphere radiating from Nudoz was enough of an eviction notice.

Dotroth turned, and walked away, leaving the physician and the furious king alone in the corridor. However, Dotroth had no intention of returning to his own quarters just yet. He was going to see Kehanar.

He had never laid eyes on the fallen princess before, though palace rumors were rife with descriptions of her unparalleled beauty.

Since Nudoz had appointed him to rule over Taringhal… the very kingdom her father, the late King Malo, had once governed… Dotroth felt a strange, magnetic pull to see the woman whose legacy he was about to inherit.

After wandering through several unfamiliar corridors and asking for directions from a few nervous castle staff, he was finally directed to her secluded quarters. He stood before the heavy wooden door, taking a steadying breath before he knocked.

There was no immediate response.

He waited, listening to the silence of the hallway. When several moments passed without a sound from the other side, he sighed and turned to leave, assuming she was either asleep or unwilling to receive visitors.

But just as he took his first step away, the door clicked and opened slightly.

The door did not swing fully open, it was only a small crack, but her face was right there in the gap. Dotroth's eyes immediately locked onto hers. He stood frozen for a beat, taken aback by the sheer, raw intensity in her gaze despite the emptiness that was supposed to be there.

Is this her? He asked himself silently.

He truly did not know what the princess looked like, having only heard exaggerated tales from drunk soldiers and gossiping servants. Looking at her now, the rumors of her beauty seemed almost understated.

“Are you Kehanar?” he asked simply, keeping his voice gentle so as not to startle her.

She did not speak. She merely nodded in confirmation and pulled the door open wider, stepping back to allow him entrance. Dotroth hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking in.

Kehanar did not try to make conversation. She walked over to the bed and sat down, her eyes returning to him with an unblinking, heavy focus that made him feel incredibly exposed.

“Who are you?” Kehanar asked, her voice soft and laced with a hesitant curiosity.

Just before Dotroth could formulate an answer, the door clicked again and opened.

Ekira came walking in, holding a wooden tray filled with a steaming bowl of food. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening in surprise to see Dotroth standing inside the private room.

“You... I know you. You were assigned to rule Taringhal by King Nudoz,” Ekira said, recognizing the fighter immediately.

Upon hearing those words, Dotroth did not look at the servant. Instead, he quickly turned his attention back to Kehanar. He wanted to see how she would react to the sudden, blunt realization that he was the man chosen to rule her late father’s kingdom on behalf of her greatest enemy.

“Don’t worry about her, she lost her memory,” Ekira added dismissively, setting the tray down on a small bedside table.

Dotroth knew that Physician Forlod had just told King Nudoz that very same thing. Yet, as he watched Kehanar closely, he could easily read the subtle, shifting reaction across her face when Ekira spoke about her amnesia.

She looked away, a flash of deep anger and frustration crossing her features.

Dotroth was no fool. He realized in that exact moment that she was genuinely hurt. A realization settled in his chest: how could a person who had truly lost her memory feel so deeply hurt and offended when hearing about a past she could not remember?

“I will take my leave. I just wanted to see how you are faring. I wish you a quick recovery,” Dotroth said, bowing his head slightly to the quiet girl.

He left the room, his mind swirling with intense suspicion. On his way back toward the main wing of the palace, he crossed paths with the physician once again.

“Where is the king?” Dotroth asked, stopping the older man.

“In his study, Sire,” Forlod answered.

Dotroth muttered a quick “thank you” before starting to take his leave. He walked a few steps, but stopped abruptly. He turned back to face the physician.

“About the princess…” Dotroth started, but Forlod quickly cut him short with a panicked wave of his hand.

“Her name, Kehanar, would be preferable. The king did not take it easy on me when I referred to her as a princess,” Forlod warned in a hushed tone.

Dotroth nodded, correcting himself. “About Kehanar... how did she lose her memory?”

“I am sorry, but I cannot say as it is strictly confidential,” Forlod replied, bowing his head.

“But is she really not remembering anything?” Dotroth pressed.

“She isn't remembering anything,” Forlod stated firmly. He looked at Dotroth curiously. “Is there any problem?”

“Not really. Thank you,” Dotroth said vaguely. He turned and walked straight to the king's private study.

When he arrived at the grand doors, the king’s personal guard, Sifas, stepped forward and blocked his path, shaking his head.

Dotroth frowned. “Tell him I have something to tell him.”

“The king does not want to see anybody. That is the order,” Sifas said coldly.

Suddenly, Nudoz’s muffled voice boomed from inside the room. “Let him in.”

Sifas immediately shifted to one side, pulling the heavy door open. Dotroth walked inside. There sat Nudoz at his desk, buried under a mountain of paperwork and maps of the conquered territories.

“As you can see, I am busy. Why are you here?” Nudoz asked without looking up.

“Yes... about Kehanar,” Dotroth began cautiously. “I went to see her.”

Nudoz did not like that part at all. He stopped writing and turned his cold, predatory attention directly onto Dotroth.

“I did not ask you to,” Nudoz stated, his voice dropping an octave into a dangerous, icy threat.

“I am sorry,” Dotroth whispered, bowing his head in submission.

When he saw that Nudoz did not immediately shout or throw him out, Dotroth gathered his courage and proceeded with his suspicion. “I don't think she lost her memory.”

“Are you saying that physician Forlod is lying?” Nudoz asked.