My Dear Savior

Episode 13

At my more relaxed response and posture, he came further into the room and sat down in a chair next to me by the fire. At his grimace and grunt I asked, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I feel so much better now that the medicine has kicked in. But,” He hesitated briefly. “It’s been said among my people for generations that your people have snakeskin-like scales along your bodies.”

I glanced up at his face, still not quite able to meet his eyes yet as the rest of my embarrassment faded. “Why?”

He shrugged. “It probably has something to do with Zarick’s legend.” At my confused look he continued. “As the legend goes, when our two kingdoms first met all those generations ago, our great warrior king Zarick fell madly in love with one of the women among your people.”

“Yeah, right.” I interrupted rudely as I rolled my eyes. "More like he forced Ellowyn to marry him!"

He shook his head at me. “Are you going to let me finish explaining?”

I mimed buttoning my lips together, which got a slight smirk from him. I continued brushing out my hair with my fingers and came to a huge knot. He gently moved my fingers away and absently began working at it as he proceeded with the story.

“Since he was awe-struck by the woman- Ellowyn as you call her- in every way, he married her in a treaty to try and unite our people. His love for her was so great that our renowned warrior king was willing to lay down his sword and make peace because he couldn’t imagine striking her down. There are some other parts to the story, but in summation, all his efforts were wasted and she never loved him back. As part of a plot against him, she stabbed him in the back like the snake she was claimed to be by the snakeskin rumors, starting the war we have been trying to end all this time.”

In the lengthy pause after Zane finished, I whistled mockingly. “Wow. That is quite the lie your people tell yourselves to justify a war of your own making. I especially love the part where your people insinuate that Ellowyn was a snake when that couldn’t be farther from the truth!”  

“Well, how does the story go for your people then? Clearly you have your own version of events.” He dropped my hair and leaned back in the chair. I didn’t like how it appeared that he was above me while I was sitting on the floor, so I stood up and paced the room.

My rising anger at the story had made me begin to perspire a little, and I needed to move away from the fire.

“First off, Ellowyn was the victim here, not Zarick.” I hissed his name like the curse it was, surprising myself at the hostility in my voice. I guess it was easier to hate a legend than it was to hate the live boy before me in the flesh.  

I took a steadying breath and continued as I sat down in my mother’s chair at the table. “It is said that Ellowyn- kind, beautiful, and young- was used as a pawn in a treaty between our nations. She was forced to marry him and was used by him. He was vicious and cruel to her, and in the end, after she gave him the son he so desperately wanted from her, he slit her throat while she was in childbed.” My eyes met his in a clear challenge for him to contradict me.  

“It seems to me like both sides have a story that supports their own ends.” He replied blandly as he held my gaze. “I wonder what other rumors have been used to perpetuate the violence…”