“If that means destroying the ones you love for the sake of my kingdom, then that is what you will do,” the king spat the words in my face, then leaned closer. “Lastly, do noteverexpect mercy from me again. I do not care if you are so sick that you cannot stand. I do not care if you have two broken arms and struggle to hold a sword. I do not care if you are laboring your child. The ten-year mandated service does not apply to you. For as long as I am alive, if I call upon you for service,you will show up.” His voice bellowed throughout the room, ricocheting off of the walls.
Just when I thought I could not hate this man any more, he proved me wrong.
“How dare you,” I growled, shooting up from my seat. “How dare you take the only ounce of freedom I have left. And for what? Because I have a different gift than your other soldiers?” I shook my head, refusing to accept that fate. “I'll be damned if you truly believe that I will comply.”
The king chuckled. “Oh, you will comply. You have no other options, my dear. Not if you would like to see your loved ones again.”
My eyebrows rose. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“Don’t you fucking touch them,” I hissed.
“Watch your mouth, young lady.” He bared his teeth, standing as well.
I didn't say another word. I turned my back to him and exited the room, slamming the door behind me. I contemplated flipping him my middle finger, but decided silence was better in this scenario.
Sebastian jumped to his feet when he saw me. “What did he say?”
I strutted by him, too pissed to even put into words what just happened. Not to mention that I felt a bit nauseous.
Picking my walk up to a run, I moved my legs as fast as possible, trying to make it outside before I got sick.
Sebastian chased after me, calling my name.
I barely made it out of the castle. As soon as my feet touched the grass, I held my hair back and hunched over, bringing up everything in my stomach.
“Oh shit.” I heard Sebastian curse as he approached behind me.
I waved him away with my free hand. He, of course, ignored the gesture and was soon by my side. He took my hair for me so I could use my hands to steady myself on my thighs as I heaved again and again.
When there was nothing left to release, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The grass, frozen from the air, crunched underneath my weight as I sat. I crossed my legs and hung my head, feeling slightly dizzy.
Sebastian sat next to me and wrapped part of his cloak over me. He didn't say anything. Just tucked me into his side, allowing me to steal the warmth from his body. With all of the adrenaline coursing through my blood, I hadn't even realized that I was shivering from the cold.
I puffed out my cheeks and released a deep breath. “I hate him,” I snarled coldly.
Sebastian looked over at me. “You and me both.”
My shivering had yet to cease, so he pulled me closer to his body, closing the cloak around us.
“I think I left my rucksack and cloak in his study,” I said.
“I'll get it later.”
“Thanks.” I sniffled as my nose dripped from the cold air. My silence was surely killing him, but Sebastian didn't pry. He let me wallow in my own self-pity for as long as I desired. Time faded away as I replayed the king's cruel words in my head over and over.
“If we stay out here much longer, you'll be frozen to the ground. We should move inside,” Sebastian suggested when he realized I wasn't ready to divulge any details. He helped me up, my knees wavering as he led me back into the castle.
We stopped briefly at his father’s study to grab my things, then Sebastian directed me through countless twists and turns of hallways and corridors. At first, I thought he was taking me to the archives, but that was in the opposite direction of where we were headed.
I recognized the door we approached as the entrance to the soldiers' housing. My stomach rolled in queasiness again.Was he taking me to his room?
He didn't unlock his door, though. Instead, he walked right by it, stopping in front of a different door which he hit hard with his fist. Giggling came from beyond the wall, then someone yelled at us to go away.
Sebastian banged on the metal even harder. “Kohen, open up.”
Kohen was in the midst of buttoning his pants when he opened the door. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and granted us an awkward smirk when he saw that Sebastian wasn't alone.
