Chapter 128: Confrontation

Chapter 128:

Confrontation

"His body is weak from the injuries he sustained, and he's greatly overused his mana. It will be difficult to know if he'll make it through the night." Yulia said with a frown, her gaze falling down as her pale white hair fell to her sides, circling her face with a heavy sense of sadness. Though she was unable to see Meredith's body, just by his pulse and breathing, she could tell he was very weak.

Even an untrained eye could see Meredith's condition was poor, far poorer than any of them had ever seen. While elves were blessed with mana, allowing them to heal themselves through their innate powers, it also weakened their overall physical condition. For Meredith, who specialized in magic, physical injuries were far more serious than for most soldiers. There was only so much Maeir and Yulia could do to treat him.

Only time could tell if he would recover. They were all aware of this, but the crushing weight of death hanging overhead magnified their feelings even more, bringing a heightened sense of anxiety to them, like a growing tidal wave. Everyone was on edge at that thought of losing another comrade, another family member, another person dear to their hearts. They were already so close to the end of the war. Meredith had to survive. He had to see the end, when peace finally returned to the continent just as they had wished for.

"I'm shocked he came back in such poor shape!" Angeline muttered louder than she intended, in an attempt to lighten the dark mood, "If he looks like this, I wonder what his enemies look like right now, if not ash on the ground?"

Yulia and Eva's faces both froze for a moment while they processed Angeline's words, their thoughts reflecting on their faces as they stared between Silas and Angeline. Eva's faint expression of shock quickly faded, replaced by a glimmer of amusement. At that moment, a strange feeling of awkward humor broke over the tense atmosphere.

"We should discuss what we should do now. Holland Joey is still missing, and it's a bad sign that Meredith arrived here alone and so wounded." Camille said, the top of her back pressed against the wall as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Yes, there's no chance that Holland is dead, so he must have been captured by the Yursear kingdom." Eva said, reaching her hand out to gently hold Meredith's in her own, "Though I hate to say it, this may be a conversation we should include our banished prince in."

"Why is that?" Silas snapped immediately, a vicious tone overshadowing his words. Everyone looked at Silas, their eyes wide in shock. This was not how Silas spoke to anyone.

"It only makes sense." Angeline said briskly, trying to control the tense atmosphere, "If this Holland was captured, like Eva believes, he will be very helpful in-"

"Bullshit." Silas snapped back, his tone becoming more vicious.

"Silas." Maeir placed a warm hand on her son's shoulder. Maeir then turned to the tense group, "I agree with Silas. It's absurd he's traveled this far with us. He is a liability, and he must go."

"Absolutely not." Eva said coldly, her eyes matching Maeir's, "He will know better than anyone how to get into the dungeon, or any other route we may need. You don't have to like him, gods know why you wouldn't, but that doesn't mean you get to start making such big decisions on your own."

"How do we even know Holland was captured? Or even that it was the Yursear kingdom? It's all guesses and assumptions." Maeir said heatedly.

"I know Holland better than most," Eva said, her tone even icier, "And I don't make blind assumptions. We know that Yursinean soldiers have been lurking around in the nearby villages, looking for our tracks, and that bastard bloodhound knows the faces of my closest allies. I don't doubt he found Holland, and the only way Holland would not be here now is if he was dead or captured. And I know he's not dead."

"Let's take a deep breath, everyone." Yulia said, her brows furrowed as she frowned deeply, "This isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. It won't help anyone."

Though Yulia tried to calm the group, the atmosphere became more tense, as if bringing attention to it brought it to the spotlight.

"You're wrong." Silas muttered, his hot breath exhaled through his flared nostrils, "Meredith isn't like this, because they are hunting for us. Meredith is like this, because they were hunting for their cowardly prince." Silas paused only momentarily, the electricity in the air raising the hairs on everyone's arms, "Maybe I should cut off his head and deliver it to them? I'm sure Malcolm would take such an offering in exchange for Holland. And if not, it'll get me close enough to kill the new king myself."

"What are you saying?!" Yulia cried, her usually calm demeanor broken, as tears welled in her shut eyes, "How could you say something so horrible, Silas? You should speak about your pain, not hide it behind such cruelty."

"There's no hiding what these people have done." Silas said, reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"Stop this nonsense. You're embarrassing yourself." Angeline said calmly, looking Silas right in the face.

"How dare you speak to my son that way!" Maeir shouted, emotions flared as Meredith laid still as stone on the bed, his breathing shallow, "You have no idea what we've been through. They should be punished. It's the least they can do for their crimes."

"Do you think they haven't hurt us too?" Angeline shouted back, "You're lucky you still have your family! You ungrateful bastards!"

"Angeline. Stop." Camille said firmly as she placed a hand on Angeline's arm, "Go outside and compose yourself." Angeline looked up at Camille, tears welling in her eyes, as she yanked her arm out of Camille's grip. Angeline hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"This is a difficult time for all of us." Camille said, an edge to her voice, as she turned to face the tense room, "With our comrades missing and gravely injured, it's easy for tempers to flare. I understand we all have ways of releasing that anxiety and frustration. However," Camille's dark glare fell over everyone's eyes in the room, "I expect all of us to treat each other with respect. We've all faced horrible loss, and we're working together to stop that for future generations. You all don't have to like each other. In fact, you're welcome to dislike each other if you so choose, but we've decided to work as a team, so we will do so. If that seems like too much to ask of you, you're more than welcome to leave at any time. I trust you all know where the front gate is?"

No one responded, but the mood shifted to silent brewing instead of outright hostility.

"Then I consider this matter dealt with. We will not bring it up again." Camille, seeing her point was made, swiftly left the room, her poised figure following in the traces of Angeline's.

Everyone remained awkwardly silent, the tension from the heated words still lingering in the air.

Yulia cleared her throat weakly, "You didn't mean what you said, did you, Silas?" Eva sighed, her free hand rubbing the temple of her forehead. Though Yulia knew it was a horrible time to ask, she wanted to hear the answer from Silas. She knew he was not like that. He was just an angry, lost soul that was facing another difficult and tragic loss.

In response to the question, Silas cruelly laughed.

Yulia's eyes widened slightly as she stared in the direction of the elven man, listening carefully as Silas turned to move towards the door to leave. Silas walked towards the closed door, his fists clenched at his sides. "Don't any of you understand what he did to my family? To me? To my dead wife?! That temperamental child is lucky he is useful, or I would have skinned him alive already for what he has done. That selfish monster and I are nothing to each other but enemies, and after this war ends, he should pray we never meet again." His words were quiet, but they held an intangible anger that filled the air, lightening the green hue in Silas's eyes.

The room fell quiet as Silas spoke, his words quivering, as if he himself were a step short of crying. The pain in his voice was heavy, tangible, much like everyone in the room had experienced during the Yursear-Elven war. Everyone desired an end, but only few would survive to see the war end in their lifetime.

Maeir stood up from the table, prepared to follow Silas before he stepped forward, pushing open the heavy wooden door Angeline had run through only moments before. He was too emotional to stay, his temper moving like waves, crashed harder and harder in his chest, until he could no longer restrain it.

"Ah-" With the door suddenly opened, Jasmine's voice suddenly sounded aloud as she held her hands in front of her chest with a face of surprise. She stood to the left of Clarence, who stood in front of the door to the room, facing Silas with a stiff expression.

Silas locked eyes with Clarence, who stood, frozen on his feet, looking as though his entire world had been shattered. The tips of his eyes were red, and the shock had yet to fade from his expression. Seeing him weak like this, just as he had looked at him that fateful day nearly ten years ago, it made his chest hurt. Without a word, Silas brushed heavily against his shoulder and stormed down the hall, refusing to look back at the young man, who he had come to realize, had grown to rely on him.

Clenching his fists, Silas could feel his nails digging into the soft flesh, making him grimace. He felt anger, pity, and misunderstood. He could not return to his room, shared with that bastard. Instead he would go to the forest and collect his thoughts in the solace of the trees.

Jasmine looked at the group within the room, bewildered, but no one said anything in response. Eva continued to hold Meredith's hand, squeezing it tightly. Yulia turned away, swiping at her moist eyes. Maeir looked down at her scarred hands, shaking her head limply.

As Silas stormed out of view, Jasmine slowly turned to Clarence, who stood motionlessly by her side, his expression flat, devoid of any emotion as he stared towards where Silas had disappeared down the hall. His face felt frozen, a mix of hurt, fear, and anger, the words Silas had just said echoing again and again in his head like a broken record, bringing a indescribable burning feeling to his chest, as if it was directly torn out and stomped on by the other man. His lips quivered slightly as he blinked twice, letting out a shaky breath to keep himself from crying.

"Are you okay?" Watching Clarence's eyes gradually redden, Jasmine felt a pang of concern. She did not like Clarence, but watching him be torn down by Silas was difficult to watch, and she could not even bring herself to laugh as she watched his fragile self esteem shatter.

I thought Silas had some feelings for him. Clare's adoration of him is as obvious as the harvest moon. Jasmine thought to herself with a frown. Meredith's condition must have pushed him too far.

Clarence swallowed back his tears, speaking in a steady tone as he turned to Jasmine. "I-I'm fine." He turned to look down the hall, staring at the faint shoe marks left on the floor, feeling as though he could follow in Silas's footsteps, where he could at least attempt to redeem himself, as much as he could do to make Silas look at him.

If only Silas's eyes were on him, he could live contently. But the scorn, contempt, and sorrow in his eyes was too much for Clarence to bear. He wanted to take Silas in his arms that very minute, wrapping his arms around his waist, stroking that long, soft blonde hair in his fingers as Silas leaned into his chest, his tears wetting his blouse as the elven man exposed his vulnerabilities, allowing Clarence to show is own, to bring them another step closer together.

If only I could be the one to wipe his tears away. While Clarence's thoughts ran wild, Maeir stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her as she stared at Clarence with a palpable dislike, the light in her burning green eyes falling on the young prince with an eerie calm that made a fierce chill travel down his back. As he stood in the hall, facing the mother of the man he loved, he fell silent, staring towards her in a surrendering manner, attempting to win her fragile trust in any way he could, sincerely courting Silas like a lovesick puppy.

"I want you to know something, you foolish little child." Maeir said, her voice calm and chilly, enunciated with stabbing fierceness. "You want him, but you will never have him. My child has a pure, good heart. He's suffered immensely, and all by your hands. You have played a direct role in this war, in the death of our clansmen… so many things. The elves only retaliated because we were attacked first, forced from our homes and slaughtered like cattle. You should have died when you were a child. You would have saved my child from so much pain if you had."

Clarence stared forward, his eyes burning red as he spoke in a heavy tone, his throat weak as he choked out, "I know now that what's been done by my family is wrong. I can't change what has been done in the past, but I can save everyone, and I want to. Though I no longer have the crown, I am still my kingdom's king. I will retake my rightful position from my cousin before anyone else I love is hurt. And then, I will do everything in my power to right the wrongs my people have done to you" The prince stared forward with a piercing gaze, staring directly into Bloody Maeir's eyes with little fear, his determination strong. "I can't change the past, but I can recognize my role in it, and I can do so much good in the future."

"Then how do you plan to fix this, then? We've seen how successful you've been so far. You're a weak child. If you want to do something helpful, stop putting your sick fantasies on my traumatized son. You've done enough harm to him." Maeir's words spewed like venom, punching through Clarence's chest and seizing his heart with deadly accuracy.

She's right. Clarence thought to himself, What have I done for Silas that wasn't for my own gain? Did I ever take Silas's wants into consideration? I just pushed whatever I wanted onto Silas, and he was in too much pain and heartache to push me away. No wonder he hates me so passionately.

"I've promised to cooperate in any way, and I'm true to my words. I will not betray Silas, and I know full well what will happen if I don't cooperate. I want to be a person Silas can depend on. He is-" Clarence paused, his eyes falling to the side as the blush grew on his youthful face. "He is important to me. All I want is for him to be happy." He bit his lips, holding back the other half of the phrase, 'I want him to be happy with me by his side.' He did not have the right to utter such words. Not now.

"If you even think of being near my son again, then I won't wait for him to take care of you. Do you understand me?" The older woman stared up at Clarence, but her heavy gaze only made him feel small, smaller than an acorn on a forest trail. "I will never give my blessing, especially not to a spineless human who knows nothing of our struggles. You're selfish and conniving. You don't deserve my child."

Clarence looked down at his feet, his shoes dirty and scuffed. It was so unlike him, "You're right. I don't deserve him right now. But I'll make myself someone worthy of Silas." Clarence said, half-heartedly trying to convince himself.

"Stay away from my child, or I will remove your head and deliver it to the new king myself." Maeir's cold, unblinking eyes ran a shiver up Clarence's spine. He had to admit defeat in front of such a powerful foe. Yet, as Maeir walked away, her stiff spine straighter than a board, Clarence could hear the words Maeir viciously lashed at him replaying in his mind.

Everything she had said was correct. Silas hated him, and rightfully so. Did Clarence even deserve a chance at redeeming himself with Silas? He pondered the thought silently, his heart so heavy, it sunk into his stomach.

Once Maeir had disappeared, Jasmine, who had appeared from where she had been hiding, watching the drama unfold, looked over towards Clarence with a faint laugh as she said, her words full of teasing, unable to truly understand the magnitude of the scene she had just witnessed. "Wow, that was intense. Good job, Clare-bear, you held your own!" She laughed, "It's a shame, though. I guess you're sleeping outside the honeymoon suite tonight."

"Is there another room available? I think it's best that I don't go back there." Clarence felt too aggrieved to retort to Jasmine's prodding, and fell quiet as Jasmine began to drone on, his mind on other things. Clarence's eyes narrowed slightly, the red in his eyes darkening as he let out a small sigh of his own, which trailing away listlessly, feeling more alone than he ever had before.

…

Extra: The painting

Malcolm walked into the closed-up room attached to his missing cousin's, having not opened the doors to the forgotten art room since Clarence's disappearance from the palace. Clarence's presence was strongest in this room, and he felt a wave of disgust every time. Today, he found himself tempted to enter the forbidden area, having drunk a glass of whisky to soften his mood.

With his mood softened by alcohol, Malcolm unlocked the door and strode into the room, appearing as though it were his own. He sauntered around the dark, dim room with a grimace, staring at the painting supplies that had long since been abandoned by their owner. The dirtied paintbrushes remained dry, hard and stained with the forlorn colored oil paints, smearing the white cloth underneath it with dashes of faint colors.

On an easel next to the window, There was a single painting covered by a white, dust-stained sheet. It was obvious that the painting had been carefully taken care of, as the supplies around the painting were moved to a nearby table, a safe distance away from the hidden painting. Slowly, with curiosity burning in his gaze, Malcolm walked forward, his eyes full of anticipation, unsure of what he would find.

"That perverted cousin… what is this?" Malcolm asked himself aloud, his expression twisted with repulsion as he stared at the painting he had uncovered underneath the white sheet, the frame nearly as large as he was tall, causing him to pause as his eyes fell over what was painted on the canvas.

The painting had a beautiful blonde elf. Their eyes were nearly closed, appearing half-lidded as the figure stared at the person behind them. It was unclear who the second figure was, but the painted elf appeared angelic, like a martyr, and the arms behind them appeared like shackles, nearly tying down the innocent elf in place, as if they would never smile again to anyone but the owner of those arms. Staring at such a painting, he felt as though he were intruding on a space that did not belong to him.

Malcolm did not have to guess who the subject of the painting was, it was the one elven man that had made such a mark on his cousin, like a festering welt, to never heal and linger like a maggot-infested corpse, bringing with it pain and sorrow that would forever taint the relationship between the human prince and the powerless elf. Staring at the painting, the faint buzz Malcolm had felt quickly faded, bringing a strange sober feeling with it.

Such a strange painting. Malcolm's lip rolled as he covered the painting again, feeling too ashamed at his cousin to look at it any longer. What a strange fascination he has. Fitting of such a failure. The duke thought to himself as he released his hold on the heavy sheet, gazing towards the door of the art room. The dust filled the room, causing him to cough as he waved away the flecks of dust that had floated near him, shaking off of the sheet as it was moved again, falling halfway to the floor with little care, barely covering the painting with the care it had been shown previously.

As Malcolm turned on his heel and walked towards the door, he prepared to meet with his sweetheart, Alywin, once again, unaware of the hypocrisy shared between the two obsessive cousins.

…

________________________

Apologies in advance, this note will be a little long today! First of all, thanks so much for your patience, and for Hunny for working with me to get this done tonight! Lots of stuff was taken out, so it may seem short, but I think it worked better for the story's progression. Also, super excited to see so many new readers as well! Thanks so much for enjoying YMtK!

Regarding that project I'm working on... very, very suddenly last week, I was offered a physical storefront for very affordable rent, so, I took the offer! It also whirlwinded into me filing for my LLC and tons more paperwork than I expected, so I haven't really had much time to exist. Hilariously enough, I'm Hunny's store neighbor! This past weekend I spent painting the space and doing renovations before my contractor can come in and do the rest of the stuff I can't do. I'll show pictures of the before and after on my twitter once it's done, so stay tuned!

Due to the nature of the store, I'll be opening an etsy store as well! When that is sorted around I may do a giveaway of YMtK prints. Let me know if that interests you, and thank you all again!! See you next week! :D (YMtK's schedule should still be as usual, I'm just struggling a little on this portion...)