7 – Meet My Mother

"No! I will not let my daughter marry at the age of eighteen!" Thames shouted from across the table filled with luscious food.

None of them ate a thing.

"What were they thinking?" another shouted.

"Over my dead body!"

"They must have been tipsy when deciding."

Soon the whole table erupted in a noise where one had to shout over the other to be heard.

They 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 to be heard. They 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 to be heard.

"Silence." their king shouted above them all.

At once everyone calmed down but their eyes screamed bloody murder.

"I too, think this is insane and unreasonable, but the Rulers have made their decision."

Silence didn't last very long as whispers were flung across the table.

"Also, there is one more thing." the King pitched up. "They..."

He didn't want to carry on but it felt as if the words were burning in his mouth like acid. "...decided to build a wall around Captacold."

This in turn made the whole space feel like a war room. Everyone seemed like they were suffocating on anger.

"What about the other villages out of Captacold? Are they gonna get blocked in as well?" someone shouted.

The room erupted in hatred as everyone voiced their thoughts and bitterness. The old chandelier above them shook.

King William Scott picked up his hand to calm them down. "I will, however," he continued, "try to confront them about the issue and make them reconsider. I make no promises. For the village"

*

"Skyler. How are you feeling today?" Anvis asked as I stepped onto the training ground.

Snow-covered the ground so much, I couldn't see the grass anymore. Anvis stood in the middle with a thick fleece on, cleaning his sword.

"Been better."

I was getting more sick from the people asking me that than the actual injury itself.

He chuckled. He clearly saw the face I made.

"Your mother was the same."

"My...mother?"

Do I hate her? Yes.

I mean, come on. If anyone just split on their family when they just had a child, it 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 put you in that state of mind.

Meet my mother.

But that didn't fully mean I didn't get curious about her. It just meant I'd get to know another part of her to hate.

"She was always the stubborn type. Something you're not far off from."

Heat rose to my cheeks. Yeah, I could be a lot to handle sometimes. 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺...𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

Even I just admitted it.

"She was so brave, and one of the reasons your father fell in love with her. She loved him too, very much."

He finished, but somehow that last statement made his eyes seem sadder. 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 even.

"But she doesn't deserve such a man anymore for just leaving like that."

The atmosphere stuffed my face with sadness. I wanted to get rid of it.

"Chloe said you wanted to see me? Something important I suppose?"

Anvis snapped out of the trance and returned to his present self.

"Yes. I overheard the conversation between you and your father."

I scoffed.

Yeah, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.

But that wasn't really his style.

"And," he continued, "I believe that, with all respect to your father, does not understand the talent you possess nor your potential.

I owe everything to him, and I respect his decision, but I've taken it upon myself to train you in secret.

This is to stay discreet. I have made this choice due to something that came up this morning, but it is not for me to discuss."

I was astonished.

Excitement spread throughout my body when a short circuit occurred.

"But how can I train? My side is in absolute pain and I can't move my shoulders properly."

"In the meantime, you are not to train physically, but mentally."

My eyebrows shot up faster than you could say what.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?" I said it anyway.

"Fighting in a battle does not only require physical strength, Skyler."

I knew that. I truly believed I was clever enough to outwit most people on the field. How hard could it be?

Maybe some puzzles to solve and up-twisted questions to wrack my brain a little. I didn't expect to get anything else out of it other than that. This was going to get interesting.

"Okay. I'll take up that offer."

"I expected nothing less from you."

His eyes crinkled around the corners.

"Whatever spare time I have, I will let you know, but you already know the routine. I will see you in a day or two, Skyler. Keep well."

I most certainly hope I do.

"Keep well, Anvis."