Birth of the Queen

Chapter Three: Questions

Roman P.O.V.

I left the café bidding Pri goodbye. I was going to the station when my cell ringed. Aaron. I picked up and heard his thick voice, “Yo, man. Are you coming today or what? I’m gonna beat your ass up if you say no.” I laughed at his hostile tone and said, “No. I ain’t comin’.” “What? I’m gonna..” started Aaron but I cut him in the middle and said chuckling, “Of course, I’m coming. Chill your pants.” He said in a mock-threatening tone, “You better!” “Yo. my train is here. See ya soon.” I hung up as I heard the blow of the train from afar. I was standing near a closed book store on the platform. Suddenly a cold wind gushed through the place and I shivered a little. I felt a bit strange and realized that I’m the only passenger standing. Okay, that happens. When I was about to go to the edge of the platform to see how far the train was, I felt someone hit my back with something heavy. I was losing my breath. I drooped down on my knees and saw stars. I saw some men before I gave into darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I was sitting on a chair and my hands and feet were tied up with rope. I tried to move but my back hurt badly and then I remembered the incident in the station. I tried to look around. Then, I heard someone coming through the door in front of me. He wasn’t fully visible at first because of the dimly lit room. But as he came closer, I realized it was a man of good build. He had three other men with him. He drew even closer and bent himself and started examining me with hawk-eyes. I was too surprised to even ask questions. And I was a bit afraid as he had a very dark aura around him. Yeah, this guy looked totally dangerous. When he kept staring at me for what seemed like half an hour, I finally asked, “What’s this? Who are you? And why am I tied up?” He moved away from me but still kept his eyes on my face and spoke with a poker face, “Roman Lewis.” “Yeah. That’s my name. how do you know me?” I asked, nervously. “Do you know why you’re here?” he asked and I realized that he wasn’t really expecting an answer. So I just looked at him blankly. He again stooped down and looked at my face and said, “I don’t know either. I’m just trying to understand what it is about you that makes you so special.” “What’re you…” I started saying but he seemed like he was talking to himself, “You are not that handsome. You are not even that smart. What does she see in you?” I finally found my tongue, “Who are you guys? Why have you kidnapped me? Look. If you’re looking for a ransom, you ‘ave the wrong person because I’m not rich, nor do I have a millionaire friend.” “Oh! But, little boy, the ransom I ask is much greater than millions.” He said in a dramatic tone. I asked, my voice shaking, “What is it?” His eyes turned black and he whispered, “Prita Denborough.”

At first, I thought I heard wrong. But then I realized he was asking for Pri. Why would someone like him ask for Pri? I didn’t know what to say. So, I just asked what came to my mind, “Who are you to ask for Pri?” Suddenly he shouted, his eyes turned darker, “Don’t you dare call her Pri. That’s the name I gave her..” He stopped for a second and continued in a quieter voice, still angry, “Lord, you have no idea how much I want to kill you. But I can’t.” He turned away from me and yelled like a monster. I was genuinely afraid this time. He is mad. He’ll kill me. But what concerned me more was that he was gonna hurt Pri and I couldn’t let him do that. So, I did what I thought was best. I told him, “You can never reach Pri through me. So, just leave her be.” “Do you think you care about her more than I do?” he turned towards me looking furious, “Do you even know who I am?” I replied in a low tone, “I don’t care. All I know is that you’re gonna hurt Pri and I can’t let you do that.” He gave out a maniacal laughter saying, “Hurt Pri? Hurt Pri?” He then stopped and glared at me in hatred, “I won’t hurt Pri ever. I’m here to hurt you. It’ll draw Pri’s attention. And that’s it. Then I’m free to kill you.” He continued, “I don’t like pricks like you hanging around her. It puts her in danger. Has your dear Pri ever told you about me? She definitely has.” What’s he talking about? “Look at me, Roman. I’m Tristan.” He declared raising his arms in the air. First, I thought he was now showing off the narcissist part of him and then it hit me. Tristan. Where had I heard it? Before I could brush up my memories fully, Tristan looked at his men and they seemingly had a silent exchange and then the men took out their knives and they lifted them midair and I swear I saw the knives float and the tip of the knives pointed towards me and I felt an excruciating pain in my left hand and then in my right. I could not understand what was happening. Tristan kept saying, “Remember, Roman. Search your memories. You’ll find out who I am.” I screamed from pain. I saw an enormous amount of blood leaving my hands. Then I felt a sharp pain in my head. I started sweating uncontrollably. Suddenly, I was thrown back to my college days. I was sitting across Pri and she had a very sad expression. She said, “Now, you know, Rome. Tristan was…” Her voice faded. I shrieked and called out for her but the pictures in front of me blurred and I remembered. Tristan. Pri told me about her very special best friend she had at the age of sixteen. She trusted him and treated him like her family. But he betrayed her. He wanted to cut her off from everyone. He spread rumors about her and told everyone she was crazy and an attention-seeker. He even sent some low-lives after her. They tried to scar her. They tried to r**e her. The incident left such an effect on her mind that she couldn’t remember how she escaped them that night. it pained her whenever she tried to remember that night’s events. It was because of him she was confined in her own house for six months. She used to take tranquilizers because of that incident. And then, he left her. He never came back. I remembered he was the one Pri saw whenever she was drunk. He was the monster that ruined a major part of her life. It took a lot to heal and bring her back to the regular life. 

Everything became clear to me. But I still couldn’t understand why Tristan came back now. When did he become a mafia? Or, is he a mafia or something else? I was brought back from my thoughts when I felt the pain in my head was gone. They stopped torturing me all of a sudden. Tristan wended his way toward me and came very close to my face. He asked with a grim face, “What do you remember, Roman?” I stuttered, “I..I..I think I know who you are.” I looked at his eyes and finally said what I dreamt of saying all these years, “You’re a monster, Tristan. Pri didn’t deserve your demons. She was an innocent cheerful child and you ruined her. You made her into something sad. You tried to destroy her.” I smiled through my agony as I saw weakness growing in his eyes and continued, “But you failed, Tristan. She’s alive and now, she’s happy. She’s not the sad little girl anymore. You failed. You failed terribly.” I knew I was rambling but I couldn’t stop. Pain, anger and sorrow made me say everything I wanted to say throughout the years. There was a time I hoped that the monster showed up and I would face him and kill him with my bare hands. But, clearly, I wasn’t in a position to do that now. But I tried to do everything I could right now. I faced the monster and didn’t let him have the satisfaction of thinking that Pri was alone because she wasn’t and she never would be. Tristan looked a bit shocked. Then, he changed his expression and scowled, “What did you say? I ruined Pri? I made her sad? I was trying to protect her but she won’t let me. I didn’t have the power to make her understand the grave situation.” He stopped for a bit and then his pupils became dark again and he said, “But, now, I have. I will be her protector now. I really wonder how she survived all these years without me.” “No. Don’t you dare go near her,” I tried to shout. His eyes were growing dangerous by the second. He looked into me, as if piercing me through his eyes, “Who do you think you are? You mean nothing. Nothing. You’re just a trash. A bait.” He then did something which I couldn’t understand and I felt pain again. This time, hundredth time more than before. I saw black.

I could hear a faint voice as if it was coming from a distance. I tried to recognize the owner of the voice but I couldn’t open my eyes as I felt sore all over my body. I felt I heard Pri before I lost my senses again. When I finally woke up, I saw three men from before and two other. I was wondering where Tristan was, when suddenly he walked into the room and started observing me like he was trying to find something on me. Then he made a move with his eyes and one of his men came close to me. I thought that was it and I was going to die. But the man took something out of his coat pocket and started chanting something in an unknown language. I felt something was being lifted off of me and then I realized that my hands were not hurting so badly anymore. I looked at my tied hands and saw that the deep cuts were gone. They were only left with faint bruises. I didn’t get why they were doing this. But I stayed silent. Tristan left the room again. I didn’t know how long I had sat like that, until I heard Pri’s voice, “NOW!” I heard a clap and the men lifted me from my seat and dragged me towards the other room untying my hands and feet. When I finally walked through the door, I saw Pri. I had never been so happy to see someone in my entire life. And there she was, looking tired but still fierce enough to yell at a monster like Tristan. I noticed a bandage on her left shoulder. I was about to ask her how she got a bandage over there but she seemed to have much more important problems to deal with at that moment.  Then the crazy monster started doing crazier things. He was going to set us on fire. I started choking in the smoke. I lost all hope until a man came out of nowhere and stopped the fire. I was feeling dizzy from the smoke but nether Pri nor the other guys seemed to be bothered by the smoke at all, at least not physically. Pri and the new guy had a heated exchange and what I got was that he was the guy whom she told me about yesterday. Strange! How was everything connected? I was trying to compose myself when I heard our savior say, “There’s a door behind me.” Pri looked as surprised as me and she was about to protest when we both saw a door appear out of thin air. At first, I thought I was hallucinating but then I looked at Pri. She was wide-eyed too. So, I relaxed a bit. She grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me towards the door but the monster tried to stop her by speaking nonsense. And we finally got out. Pri was silent all the way towards her home and I realized she needed space, so I didn’t pry. Moreover, I was tired as hell. I went back home and hugged mom first. She started crying. I comforted her saying, “Mom, please, don’t cry. I just had a rough day. But it’s over now. I’m fine.” But she continued her sobbing. While hugging her my eyes drifted towards my hands and I couldn’t believe my own eyes as I saw no sign of bruises, neither felt any pain. It was like nothing happened. It was good that the marks weren’t there, otherwise I would have to make something up again. After a good amount of crying, Mom finally let me go and I freshened up and had dinner. I thought of calling Pri but I realized she needed space. I lied down on my bed and tried to form a picture of the series of events that took place today and could conclude one thing – Pri’s life would not be safe anymore and I had a feeling that I was now officially a part of the danger to come and I would be ready.