Chapter 74: Pursuant

Quick chapter notes: Imre (Im-rah) is Eva's husband first introduced in chapter 51.

Paddock (pad-ek): field enclosure for horses

Libertine: characterized by a disregard of morality, especially in sexual matters.

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Chapter 74:

Pursuant

Silas used the weight of his body when he swung down the heavy axe, piercing it through the wood log with a satisfying crack. As the two splintered sides of the wood fell on each side, Silas picked up another block of wood sitting in a pile next to him, carefully placing it on the tree stump where he and his family would always cut their wood and repeated the process, swinging the axe down. Drips of sweat ran down his forehead, and the sun beat down on his reddening face.

This should be enough for a few days. Silas thought to himself as he pulled up the collar of his shirt, wiping away the sweat that tickled his face. For a short moment, his well defined abdomen showed, exposing his years of training and his pale white skin. His shirt dropped back against his sweaty skin as he let it go from his hand, instead leaning down to grab as many pieces of chopped wood as he could carry, scooping them up in his arms.

"Whoa! Don't hurt yourself! Give me a few of those." A deep, tired voice said with a laugh as two hands swung around Silas's side and grabbed two logs from the top of the pile in his arms, uncovering his face.

"You don't need to do that, Mom. I've got it." Silas said with a smile, turning towards Maeir, who tried to swipe another log from Silas's arms. Silas saw her coming and cleanly side stepped out of her reach, to her annoyance, "Besides, aren't you supposed to be resting right now?"

"I was resting, but I figured your siblings were off playing instead of helping out, so I came out here to chastise them." Maeir looked around her with narrowed eyes, scanning the large field next to their small home, "And it seems I was right to do so. Where are those two little troublemakers?" Her face was knotted slightly, knowing Cirdan and Aurelia would be off causing some trouble or another around the village as soon as her back was turned.

"Last time I saw them, they were playing with the horses in the paddock." Silas said with a smile, balancing the wood in his arms carefully as he began making his way back to the house. Maeir rolled her eyes at the confession, before she then bent down and picked up the rest of the wood in her arms, walking swiftly back to the house. She hurried her walk even more when she heard Silas place the wood down inside their home, knowing he would insist on helping.

"No, I've got it." Maeir said as soon as she saw Silas's head pop out of the front door, his long golden bangs trailing with him. Silas smiled, but knew immediately there was no point in trying to argue with her, so he sighed and hunched his shoulders in a sign of surrender, "Instead of babying me, why don't you go get your sister and brother? If they come home immediately and finish their chores, I'll let them have dessert tonight."

Silas laughed and nodded his head, "Alright. I will tell them that."

As Silas stepped around his mother, heading towards the enclosed pasture at the edge of the village where the horses were kept, she stopped and called out to him, freezing him in place.

"Silas?" Maeir called, adjusting the wood pieces in her arms. Silas turned and looked at her, smiling, as he waited for her to continue. She faltered, as if she was trying to find the right words to say to him, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're back. It's been hard without you."

"I'm glad to be back, Mom. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Silas said, his face glowing as he smiled warmly. As Maeir smiled back, nodding her head, she resumed her swift walk back towards their home. Watching Maeir trail away, Silas felt a sudden surge of energy in his body, like a fire lighting in his chest, full of warmth. He began running towards the paddock. He closed his eyes as he ran, letting the cool air brush against his hot, sweaty face. As he felt his chest expand with every breath and his legs adapt to the familiar sensation of running, Silas felt alive.

…

Meredith pushed a small cotton cloth into a shallow bowl of warm water as he hummed to himself, letting the cloth soak with water before he picked it up and wrung the excess liquid out of the thin cloth. He frowned as he twisted the small cloth with a stern twist of his hands. Once he was satisfied with his work, Meredith balled up the cloth and dabbed it on Silas's forehead with gentle, light passes of the fabric. The heat that radiated off Silas's forehead worried Meredith, but he decided to focus on the task at hand, choosing to have confidence in Silas.

"You can go to sleep, Eva. I can take care of Silas while you rest your eyes for a while." Meredith said, continuing to dab at Silas's warm forehead as he listened to Silas's even breaths, a look of relief hanging on his face. Meredith used his other hand to push back Silas's white blond hair off of his forehead, dabbing the cloth near his hairline with a small sigh.

"No, I'm alright." Eva said, her words dragging with her exhaustion. She straightened up in her seat, which was situated next to the bed where Silas was lying unconscious. Her movement caused Meredith to look up at her with a worn smile. She frowned at him in response and pulled her shawl tighter around her, leaning in towards Silas with a sad expression, "How is he? Any changes?"

Meredith turned his eyes back to Silas, whose face was serene and relaxed, showing little sign of fatigue on his maturing face. It looked foreign on Silas, who had very rarely genuinely smiled or relaxed in the last few years, "No. His breaths are even and calm though, and even though he has a fever, it's gone down since last night." At this, Meredith turned back to Eva and smiled, "He's doing better."

"Good." Eva said with a nod, reaching out and pulling up the weighted down quilt that covered Silas, "Everyone will be relieved to hear it."

Together, they sat in silence, watching the rise and fall of Silas's chest, holding dearly on to the fact that Silas was still alive. Meredith returned the cloth to the bowl, rewetting it and wringing it out, then dabbed it on Silas's forehead again. Eva watched this, as she had been the whole night, her gloved hands resting in her lap. Meredith continued to dab at Silas's forehead, and, without looking at Eva, he said quietly, "You know this isn't your fault, right? It was an accident."

Eva listened to Meredith as she put her hands on the arms of the chair, her fingers stretching out as she took a deep breath. She waited for a minute before answering, letting the silence swell between them, "Meredith, don't coddle me. You know I hate that."

"I'm not coddling you, I'm telling you the truth." Meredith said, removing the cloth from Silas's cooling forehead and placing it back into the bowl. He dried his hands on a dry cloth next to the bowl and turned back towards Silas and Eva, who was staring down at her gloved hands.

Meredith followed Eva's gaze down to her gloved hands, "That wasn't your fault, and neither was this. You can't blame yourself for other people's choices. Silas was aware of the risks when he saved you, just like Imre was."

"If it wasn't my fault, then why do I feel so guilty?" Eva asked quietly, her hands leaving the chair and returning to her lap as she dropped her gaze, "Why did he save me? I can't help but wonder. If I'm honest, he should have just left me. It would have been better for everyone if he had."

Meredith frowned deeply as he watched Eva fold into herself, her usual confident, striking self wilting into a shell of herself, "Don't say that, Eva." Meredith said firmly, standing up and going to Eva's side. Meredith crouched down next to Eva and put one of his cool, dry hands over hers, squeezing them reassuringly as he stared up at her saddened face, "That's not fair to you, or them. Imre and Silas both risked their lives for you, because they wanted to. If you give up on everything now, it throws away both of their sacrifices. Everyone needs you to be strong now more than ever. Everyone is hurting deeply and feeling lost, because of Silas's current condition. It's times like this that everyone needs a leader. So don't give up now, okay? Be the leader Imre saw in you."

Eva raised her chin and looked at Meredith, her eyes misty with tears, as she asked him, "Why won't you yell at me? Or get angry with me?" Her voice caught in her throat, and she had to stop to collect herself. This only managed to make her more upset, "I almost killed your nephew! He's unconscious right now, and we don't know if he will ever wake up! Scream at me until your voice is hoarse! Tell me how much you hate me! I know you do, so just be upfront with me!"

Meredith smiled gently, holding Eva's hand tightly in his own, "I don't hate you, Eva. Neither does Silas. If he did, he never would have jumped in the pool to save you. And if I get mad at you, or scream at you, Silas will be upset when he wakes up. He saved you, because he wanted to, so don't blame yourself." Eva shook her head as she listened, refusing to accept Meredith's reasoning, but he continued to smile gently, "You've gotten to know Silas through your journeys together. You know it's true. He's really stubborn in that way. I guess he's more like Imre than either of us originally thought." Eva listened as she nodded slowly, defeated by Meredith's calm reasoning.

"I think that it's just a common trait in elven men." Eva said shakily, laughing a little. This caused Meredith to laugh too. They both laughed a little, alleviating some of the tension in the tense room. Still, laying next to them on the sterile bed was Silas, evenly breathing though his face was flush with fever.

As their laughs faded, Eva wrapped her arms around Meredith's neck and squeezed it tightly, pulling his face towards hers. He went with it willingly, and even stroked the back of her head as it nestled next to his.

"I promise that I'll be strong after this. I just need a minute." Eva whispered into Meredith's shoulder.

"Take all the time you need. I'll be here until you're ready." Meredith said soothingly, continuing to stroke the back of Eva's hair, her blonde hair smoothing with the downward movement of his hand. Eva squeezed Meredith a little tighter as she cried, and he quietly hummed a popular elven hymn in her ear. Though Eva had never been one who enjoyed other people's touch, Meredith was glad he could help her in her moment of weakness. When Meredith had gone to Eva, asking for her help to locate his nephew, she had used almost every resource she had at her disposal to help him. And though Meredith knew she had had her own motivations for helping him, he would forever be grateful for her help. Without her, Meredith was not sure he ever would have found his nephew.

Minutes passed without either of them moving. It was quiet, except for Eva's occasional shaky breath as she tried to control her crying and Meredith quietly humming popular elven hymns.

Outside the room, his hand hovering above the door, was an unkempt Holland. His hair was sloppily pulled back into a flimsy ponytail, and his usual pristine appearance was replaced with a wrinkled shirt and dirty pants. His boots were dirty and not tied tightly enough, so they were sagging down his calf. His refreshed face was now sagged and tired, with bags under his eyes. He pulled his hand back to knock, but as he heard the muffled voices through the door, he stopped and listened closely. His eyes widened as he heard the quieted cries and dropped his hand that hovered above the door down to his side.

I guess right now isn't a good time. Holland thought to himself as he awkwardly adjusted his sword at his hip, suddenly having the intense need to do something with his hands.

"Did they say anything?" Neema, who had followed not far behind Holland, asked as she hurried down the hall to meet him. Her outfit was also haphazardly thrown together, with her tunic disheveled and her hair unbrushed. She had not eaten since lunch the day before, but she ignored her protesting stomach as she tried to find out anything she could about Eva or Silas's conditions. After both were found lying unconscious on the side of the guest pool last night, drenched and pale, but breathing, it was quickly deduced they had somehow fallen into the pool. How they got out of the pool was a mystery to everyone though, as Eva only barely remembered falling in the pool, and had no recollection of getting out of the pool.

Once it was deemed safe to move them, they were rushed to an empty room for emergency medical care. Eva was the first to show signs of consciousness when her fingers twitched. Soon after, she was awake and weakly speaking. However, to everyone's dismay, Silas still laid lifelessly on the bed he was placed on. The only proof he was still alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Though a few hours had passed, Silas's condition had not changed, and there was no evidence of what had happened. Until Silas woke up, there was nothing anyone could do.

Holland scratched the back of his head as he shook his head, "I haven't heard a word." This caused Neema to sigh deeply in frustration. Suddenly, Neema's head shot up, as if she had gotten an idea. She leaned her head towards Holland, her tone hushed, as she glanced towards the closed door, "Did you hear anything? From inside the room?"

"No, I just got here." Holland whispered uneasily, sliding his eyes over towards the door too, "I was just about to knock, but it's quiet in there, so maybe now isn't a good time to bother them."

Neema looked back at Holland, adjusting her weight towards her back foot as she crossed her arms across her chest, "I guess, if you think so." Neema then sighed heavily, "It's only been a few hours, but it feels like days have passed. I hope we hear some good news soon."

"I hope so too." Holland mumbled, his uneasiness growing, "Since there isn't much to do here, I'm going to walk around the perimeter. Is Vaan awake?"

Neema frowned deeply, nodding her head, "He is, but he doesn't look very good. I think what happened last night has him pretty shaken."

"Because he was the last one to know?" Holland asked, thinking back to the previous night. Even though Vaan's injuries had healed, he still had pains in his shoulder and chest from the brutal attack he survived. Vaan could still wield a sword with ease, but the pain made his swings weaker. No one would tell him this, but they all could tell the pain bothered him, so everyone had silently agreed to be easy on Vaan until he made a complete recovery, if he would. Because of this, last night they had decided not to wake Vaan up until they knew more about what happened. Unfortunately, as soon as people were frantically running around the hallway, he woke up immediately and went to investigate. Holland clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword as he thought about what Vaan had looked like when he saw the drenched, unconscious Eva laying beside the pool. The way Vaan's eyes widened in horror and he stood frozen in disbelief as they carried Eva's limp body to a nearby room.

"We all take pride in our ability to protect Lady Eva. We all failed last night, and Silas almost had to pay the price for our failure." Neema said coolly, though her face was marred with intense pain and shame.

Holland cleared his throat, pushing away the memories of last night, "I'm still trying to figure out who pulled them out of the pool though. I was the first one in the pool area, but by the time I was there, they were already lying unconscious on the side of the pool. Someone got there before us and pulled them both out." Holland said grimly, his brows furrowed as he considered the possibilities.

Neema's face scrunched, her discomfort with discussing the incident obvious, but she spoke anyway, "And you said it wasn't one of the staff?"

Holland shook his head sternly, "No, I spoke to all of the staff that was working last night, and they said no one was assigned to this wing of the inn for our group to have privacy. Everyone who was working was assigned to different parts of the inn, so there was no way they were here."

"And we can't ask Lady Eva, because she doesn't remember anything once she fell in the pool." Neema shook her head and sighed again.

"Maybe once Silas wakes up, he'll be able to tell us more." Holland replied weakly, glancing down the hall, "But let's do what we can while we wait for that."

"I'll interview the staff, in case they saw something." Neema said, sighing as she rubbed her forehead. Suddenly, Neema's stomach angrily growled, causing her face to become bright red.

"Why don't you go get some food? I can give you a hand once you've eaten." Holland said with a weak smile.

"Yeah," Neema said awkwardly as she placed an embarrassed hand on her grumbling stomach, "I'll do that. Sorry."

"No worries." Holland said, continuing to smile, "Grab me something while you're there."

"On it." Neema said with an embarrassed laugh, turning on her heel and hurrying down the hall before her stomach could protest more.

Holland took a moment to glance back at the door, resisting the urge to knock. He wanted so desperately to speak to Silas, to find out what happened last night, but he knew it was pointless for now. He glanced down at his drooping boots and shook his head.

First, I need to make myself somewhat presentable. No one will believe that I am part of Eva's group looking like this. Holland looked back at the door, sensing that Eva and Silas were just beyond the door, just out of reach, but he sighed and looked away, I'll come back later. For now, I'll just have to do everything I can without their help.

…

A small, intricate carriage traveled down the stone road towards the Yursear kingdom's entry gates, surrounded by a group of armored knights on horseback. The insignia of the noble's family was not visible, hidden for privacy and safety as the group traveled.

"Young master Godfreed, we have reached the Yursear Kingdom." A deep male voice stated from the side of the carriage. After the group had stopped momentarily to get clearance to cross the border, they had pulled over on the side of the road to rest and allow the horses to get water. When there was silence from inside the carriage, the man continued, "There are two weeks left before we reach the palace. Though if we remove a stop or two, we can be there a day earlier."

Malcolm's figure was resting leisurely in the embellished carriage, his long arm stretched out in a lazy fashion against the leather seat. A smile danced on his handsome face, and his black hair was swept back in an elegant fashion, showing his clear forehead and expressive features well. Even his suit had been pressed and cleaned with impeccable detail, making the young duke appear ethereal.

"No need. Two weeks will suffice. Besides, the men and the horses need time to rest." Malcolm raised his brow as he spoke, his words carrying a trailing undercurrent with them, as he leaned forward and pulled aside the curtain to the door, allowing him to look at the bowing guard, "And the other matter we discussed?"

The guard paused for only a moment before he responded, "Yes, sir. Regarding that matter, all the nobles are currently residing in the capital as Prince Clarence completes his bridal selection. There has been no selection as of yet, though some of the nobles seem to favor one candidate in particular."

"Is that so?" When the young duke looked over the bowing guard, his eyes were dull as he smiled, "Do you know this candidate's name?"

"Yes, sir. It is Marchioness Olicia Hallan from the Faelfier kingdom."

"And how likely is she to claim the position of my dear cousin's wife?" Malcolm asked, his smile unwavering.

"It's difficult to say at the moment, sir. Though some of the crown prince's closest allies, particularly Marquis Alywin Cyneric, seem to be pushing Prince Clarence to choose the marchioness, the crown prince has had private meetings with the Bethellian princess, Princess Charlotte Dupont."

Malcolm hummed to himself as he strummed his fingers against the leather armrest, "I wonder who my dear cousin plans to choose?" Malcolm wondered aloud, contemplating to himself before he looked back at the guard, "And how is Marquis Cyneric? A great deal of time has passed since the two of us have seen each other."

"He seems to be in good health, and though he has a," The guard paused, trying to find an appropriate word to use, "libertine reputation, he maintains a good standing in the court." The guard said immediately, as if the response had been prepared.

His eyes were bent into crescents, and a light chuckle escaped his lips. "How amusing. It seems he has not changed much since we last saw each other." Malcolm rubbed a thin, simple gold band that hung on a string around his neck, stroking the cold metal with his thumb with a pious expression. "It's strange how some things have changed, but other things haven't changed at all." His eyes darkened, as he looked forward, not a trace of exhaustion in him, "If that's all you have to report, I'm going to rest."

"Of course, Your Majesty." The guard said, bowing once again before he slipped away from the window, leaving no trace of his presence behind him. Malcolm finally let the curtain drop, sitting back in his seat as he breathed in deeply.

Returning to the Yursinean Kingdom was the first step towards his demonstration of strength. Soon, he would directly show the strength he had grown, the wealth he had accumulated.

Now was his time to step forward and take his position as rightful heir.

Though the sky was only beginning to lighten, the group decided to wait no longer, and set out into the lightening darkness. The surrounding guards rode their horses without fail, showing no expressions as they rode into the growing sun.

…

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Huge thank you to Hunny again for tackling and writing this 9 paged monster. I was stuck making calls and doing checkouts all week ;; but everyone's left for break, so I will have a lot more free time now to get back into writing next week :D I've already got the next two chapters drafted out, just need to write them now.

Finally Malcolm has returned, after waiting two weeks to fit him in xD Ah, boy, I did miss him. He has some ideas of what he would like to do. Literally, he's just like, "Clare is incompetent! I'm a much better heir!" I'm buying resource books to prepare for his parts, but no spoilers >y< He's a fun guy, that's all I can say.

See you all next week! Maybe my cat won't be sitting on chest then while I'm trying to type :)))