The wedding ceremony was small and simple. The party the town threw the next day was quite the opposite. During a time of harsh war, a royal wedding was exactly what the people needed to lift their spirits up. The night before I had managed to patch things up with King Pontus who agreed to start working on negotiating a peace treaty with the Palkins as well as responding to Lesion. Everything was going smoothly and according to plan. Elane and I even moved into a small secluded house within the castle walls. it was about a week later when Alden and Tarka showed up at my door.
After my conversation with Tarka, I headed off in the direction Alden ran. I eventually found him in the stables feeding sugar to one of the horses. He was covered in dirt, probably from his journey, but had two clean streaks along his cheeks. guilt twisted in my chest. He hasn't seen me yet, I could easily sneak back out of the stable... but I owe him the truth. I cough, letting him know I'm there. He picks up another sugar cube from the sack beside him and feeds it to the horse.
"Hey... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?" Alden interrupts, " You're sorry?" He turns to me, anger in his eyes. The guilt stabs deeper into my chest. "You killed my brother, you don't have the right to be sorry." His voice starts to raise. "If I had known who you were when I met you back in the jungle, I would have killed you there."
"I'm the one who kept you alive hunted for you, protected you from soldiers."
"Yeah but you didn't know I was the brother of the man you MURDERED!"
"Yeah I did." Wrong thing to say. Alden's fists clench and he starts throwing handfuls of sugar cubes at me yelling "you knew you killed my brother and you never told me!?" I take the beating of harmless sugar cubes, knowing I deserve worse.
After a minute Alden quits throwing cubes and collapses to the ground, crying this time. "Alden," I say moving a bit closer, "It was an accident. I got angry and threw a rock...I never meant... It wasn't... but it did and I'm really sorry my anger got out of control. I've learned a lot since then. I've grown and you've helped me learn to forgive myself. Can you please forgive me?"
He stops crying and, after a moment, looks up. "No. I can't forgive you. At least not right now." and the guilt stabs deeper than I thought it could possibly go. I feel like there is no way I can make it up to him, no way he will ever forgive me and be my friend again. I hang my head as Alden stands up. He passes me on his way out then mutters, "But we still need to stop Lesion." Then he is gone. I sit down nursing the ache and brushing off sugar. Elane finds me there and, without asking questions, sits down and wraps her arms around me. It hurts a little less now, but is still hurts.
After my conversation with Tarka, I headed off in the direction Alden ran. I eventually found him in the stables feeding sugar to one of the horses. He was covered in dirt, probably from his journey, but had two clean streaks along his cheeks. guilt twisted in my chest. He hasn't seen me yet, I could easily sneak back out of the stable... but I owe him the truth. I cough, letting him know I'm there. He picks up another sugar cube from the sack beside him and feeds it to the horse.
"Hey... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?" Alden interrupts, " You're sorry?" He turns to me, anger in his eyes. The guilt stabs deeper into my chest. "You killed my brother, you don't have the right to be sorry." His voice starts to raise. "If I had known who you were when I met you back in the jungle, I would have killed you there."
"I'm the one who kept you alive hunted for you, protected you from soldiers."
"Yeah but you didn't know I was the brother of the man you MURDERED!"
"Yeah I did." Wrong thing to say. Alden's fists clench and he starts throwing handfuls of sugar cubes at me yelling "you knew you killed my brother and you never told me!?" I take the beating of harmless sugar cubes, knowing I deserve worse.
After a minute Alden quits throwing cubes and collapses to the ground, crying this time. "Alden," I say moving a bit closer, "It was an accident. I got angry and threw a rock...I never meant... It wasn't... but it did and I'm really sorry my anger got out of control. I've learned a lot since then. I've grown and you've helped me learn to forgive myself. Can you please forgive me?"
He stops crying and, after a moment, looks up. "No. I can't forgive you. At least not right now." and the guilt stabs deeper than I thought it could possibly go. I feel like there is no way I can make it up to him, no way he will ever forgive me and be my friend again. I hang my head as Alden stands up. He passes me on his way out then mutters, "But we still need to stop Lesion." Then he is gone. I sit down nursing the ache and brushing off sugar. Elane finds me there and, without asking questions, sits down and wraps her arms around me. It hurts a little less now, but is still hurts.
Please, please, I'm sure y'all are very busy with school.......but I'm dying to know what happens next to Tarka, Alden, and Tristram!!!
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