Valerian Empire

A child is ignorant only until a certain age before maturity kicks in, thought Malphus to himself.

“My mother was a kind woman. A woman any man would value but my father didn’t. Instead he beat her and brought in other women to sleep with him as he had grown tired of her. It isn’t that uncommon for an elite to have mistresses but they usually do it away from their wives eyes but the Lord of Mythweald didn’t care for it. I didn’t know back then as to what was happening because my mother would never utter a word about it and my father would treat her nice in front of me. She passed away before I even turned six…and my father remarried. I wasn’t allowed to visit her funeral or rather no one knew,” he said letting go of the grill, “He forced my mother when he wanted to and let her go without a thought. It wasn’t long that I saw for what people were…You end up growing to be cautious in such environment.”

“Silas is your step brother then,” Katie stated to see him nod.

“He is. He was such a good little boy but I guess it doesn’t take much time for a bunch of rotten apples to affect a good one,” he said remembering the time in his south. She saw him smile gingerly, he then continued to speak, “My new mother was the definition of step mother. Silas and I were treated differently but I never cared much. Now that I think about it, I didn’t have a reason to stay but I’m glad that I did. It was only after few years that I found that my mother didn’t die out of a disease or of illness. She was let to be raped continuously by other men before she herself took her life due to the mental and physical pain.”

Katie was utterly shocked. She didn’t know what to say or how to react to what he just said. Lord Esdras Norman had allowed other men to **** his wife, his son’s mother. She felt her hands ball into fists.

How could a man let his wife be subjected to something so cruel, the pain the woman must have gone through was something unimaginable. She caught sight of the glimpse of emotions swirling in his eyes when he looked at her before turning away.

“As he said, the Norman’s rule the Mythweald empire with an iron fist. I knew that my father would not pass his Lordship to his sons until his last breath therefore I devised a plan, a plan enough to pull all the necessary proofs to subject him to a trial in the council for what he put through my mother but time is not always on our side and he caught on what I was trying to do. I fled but the guardsmen caught hold of me, imprisoning but I ran again. Away from the mansion and people who knew me.”

“Do you…think that he sent the witches after you?” she asked him at the possibility to which he hummed.

“May be. After all he wasn’t forgiving and seeing the disappointment of me still alive seems like he did. The only sad part is that the documents which had proofs was lost or was retrieved back by him after the massacre took place the night your parents and I died,” he sighed in disappointment, “Frankly I never wanted to step on the land of Mythweald again.”

“I am sorry for putting you in this position,” Katie apologized sadly, “If it weren’t for me yo-”

“You don’t have to take the blame for anything,” Malphus interrupted her, “I wasn’t aware that the witches would be waiting to welcome me to their house.”

After few minutes Katie asked him, “W-will Ralph be given a proper burial?”

“The townsfolk will, seeing that he was killed by a witch.”

“Why didn’t you turn back to your spirit form? Why aren’t you in your spirit form?”

“Ah, that…I think I have turned back to a human,” she heard him drawl and seeing her open her mouth he said, “You see I am not able to go back to being ghost and am in quite a pickle since they got me here.”

“Welcome back to being human again?”

“Thank you but no thank you. I want to get back to my spirit form than being stuck in this place. I don’t know what my father has done with the witches. Every place has been cursed like…a little trap.”

They heard footsteps from the other end before two guardsmen came with two plates, sliding it in to their cells and going to stand with their back facing them. The food looked stale on the plate and even though her stomach growled she didn’t touch the food.

Malphus didn’t speak after the guards stood outside their cells. Katie took the glass of water which was placed with the plate to rinse her hands.

Once the guards went away Katie spoke, “How did you escape last time?”

“There was a tunnel that led to the river but they have sealed it believe,” he replied as he laid down on the hard floor, “Ralph spoke about the marking to be incomplete. If what he found out was true then you need to get into the Lord’s mansion. Silas seems to be infatuated with you,” he pointed it out.

“You want me to use him?” she whispered furrowing her eyebrows to see him nod.

“Yes. When time calls a woman is as good as any lethal weapon while playing the dirty game of chess.”