43. Unexpected Allies
43
UNEXPECTED ALLIES
*Kieran*
The walk to the dungeon is colder and darker than I remember. It’s always been dingy, sure. Truthfully, I’ve only ever come down to chastise Raven for being here when she shouldn’t or yell at her father. How did she stand it , I wonder. The stench alone is enough to send people running in the opposite direction.
The guards stand at attention when I round the corner, but I motion for them to stand at ease. They look understandably surprised to see me. I wasn’t the “twin” who spent all my free time here.
“The king would like me to deliver a special message to that bastard, Blake,” I growl out.
They nod with amused understanding. He’s likely their favorite to beat. It makes my blood boil. No king deserves to be locked up in the dungeon of another. If these men knew who it truly was they were torturing, they’d probably beg for mercy. They will beg for mercy when the time comes, unless they wake up and choose the right side.
“Discretion is of the utmost importance,” I tell them quietly. “You understand. There are certain things my father prefers to not be overheard.”
The men smile again and nod before one whistles to call another guard over. He conveys the message that I need privacy with Blake, and the newly arrived guard has the same smirk on his face. He simply nods, and they clear out, leaving me alone in the dank space.
One guard lingers behind. “He’s back in his cell now, Sir.”
I nod, and he shuffles away.
I know my way to his cell very well now. He’s standing under the same high window, the way he always does, and I’m struck immediately by how similar he is to Raven. How could I not have noticed? Of course, I couldn’t have comprehended the truth before, even if I had made the connection. Yet, it’s evident in his long dark hair, even in the way he holds himself. There’s a raven perched on his windowsill, and he seems to be in deep conversation with it.
Weeks ago, I would have considered that a ludicrous idea, but now it’s just another puzzle piece fallen into place. My heart lurches at the thought that this is probably his only way to stay sane. It’s all so fucked up. I look down at his feet and notice the silver shackles clinging to his ankles. I will make this right as soon as I can.
“Mr. Blake,” I say lowly, pretty certain he already knows I’m there. He has that funny way about him.
He turns to look at me, the cuts and bruises on his face still evident, though they’ve healed a lot since the last time I visited him on a hospital bed. The bruises, especially, are in various shades creating a kaleidoscope effect.
“I wondered when you would come down to see me,” he says calmly, his lips twitching as if he’s about to smile. “It was such a shame to hear about the death of your sister.”
Now he’s smiling fully, and I know he knows the truth. The guards probably delighted in telling him about Raven’s death, knowing she was the only one who would ever show him kindness. He’s much too wise to have fallen for it, though. Maybe he senses her still, all these miles from where she is. If that’s the case, I envy him that.
“Yes, it’s a shame Blanca is dead,” I say loudly, without any emotion. “And I’d like to discuss your role in it.”
This is mostly for the guards’ benefit, just in case they’re listening. I wink at him, and he nods. He shuffles over to the bars, pained by the small movements. I can’t disguise my own wince, and the fury continues to build. He didn’t deserve this. It’s just one more injustice to level against my father.
“I left Raven safely with your wife,” I tell him more quietly, and his eyes light up brightly. “It was a beautiful reunion.”
He clings to the bars when he reaches them, though I can’t tell if it’s from physical exertion or his excitement to hear about his beloved wife.
“How is she?” he asks, his eyes quickly filling with unshed tears.
“She’s very well,” I confirm, wishing I could show him how well she’s adjusted to life, even without him. Though, I don’t know if that would hurt him or help him. “She misses you terribly, but she was ecstatic when she heard you’re still alive. And I intend to ensure you stay that way.”
He rests his forehead against the bars and sighs, his body seeming to relax.
“And tell me, should I be calling you son, now?” he asks in barely more than a whisper. I nod curtly.
“We were wed before I left. Perhaps we’ll celebrate again when you can join us,” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I remember my wedding. I can’t wait to get this over with so I can return to her. That’s all that really matters anymore.
“That’s a bold promise,” he answers solemnly.
“It’s one I intend to keep,” I assure him. “I promised your wife and mine. Your kingdom needs you, and so does your family. This is no place for a king.”
He chuckles quietly to himself, and I realize that this is likely the first time in 20 years that anyone has ever referred to him as what he really is.
“Well, I’m certainly glad you’ve taken the blinders off your eyes, finally, to see the truth,” he breathes out. “It’s been frustrating to see you two circling each other without understanding.”
“Did you know?” I wonder aloud, the thought just occurring. “Before the Haze, I mean. Did you know that she and I would be mates?”
“I’m not psychic, Kieran,” he chuckles again. “However, I do know your father went to great lengths to make sure that very thing could never happen. Having his kingdom allied to mine was his greatest fear. He never could accept that we are stronger as allies than as enemies.”
“That’s why we have to get rid of him,” my voice breaks, though my will is still resolute.
His eyes meet mine briefly, and they flash with something I don’t entirely understand. Revenge? Anger? Fear?
“How exactly do you plan to do that, son?” he asks, his tone almost condescending.
“I’m still ironing out the exact details,” I answer honestly. “But he has to be overthrown. And he has to be killed.”
The look in his eye is clearer to me now. It’s doubt.
“You could never do that, son,” he says gently. “Despite his flaws, he is still your father. You could never do that to him.”
He pities me, I realize. For what I have to do, and the belief that I don’t have the strength to do what it takes. Somehow that crystalizes my need to do it even more.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty,” I bite out sarcastically, mentally chastising myself for being rude to my father-in-law, “you have no idea what I’m capable of. And you haven’t been home in twenty years. You have no idea how hard it is there, how your own people have to live because of what my father did to them. He can’t be allowed to live.”
He bristles at this, clearly angry at the mention of his home. Truthfully, I don’t know exactly how much of the damage he bore witness to before he was forced to make a deal with the devil to save his daughter. What I do know, though, is that he underestimates how much I care.
“While I appreciate that, Kieran, it takes an awful lot more than concern for others to have the stomach to take a man’s life,” he says in a quiet, yet urgent whisper. “Especially the man who raised you.”
“The man who abused my wife for twenty-one years.” I growl as quietly as I can so as not to alert anyone else. “The man who enslaved her father and left her mother thinking she was a childless widow. The man who burned an entire kingdom to the ground out of fear. I can and will kill that man because I have to. The future of my family depends on it.”
I don’t realize until he takes a step back how close I’ve gotten to him through the bars. I’m practically spitting in his face, and I mirror his movement, taking a step away and shaking my head to right myself.
“I believe you will do what you set out to do,” he says with a resolute nod. “What can I do to help?”
I slide down to the ground, my body half turned toward the cell so we can still talk privately, but this will be a much longer conversation. He settles down across from me, on the other side of the prison bars, and we discuss my plan. I wait with some anxiety for him to tell me I’m just being a stupid kid, that it will never work, but he doesn’t. He listens patiently and asks questions when he doesn’t understand. It hits me suddenly that he respects me, and that’s the greatest gift he could possibly give me.