Poisoned

Poisoned - Ch. 10 [Oath]

Chapter 10: Oath

          As usual, my return to the world was gradual. Eventually I became aware of a piercing sour smell which made me writhe and cringe, but no matter how much I squirmed, I inhaled the horrid stench. Swirling dusty orange colours, the shade of the Monarch’s Downfall, mingled with poisonous green, forming a kaleidoscope of colours.

          With a weak groan, I opened my eyes. I saw a vial of smelling salts being held to my nose, but they disappeared from view as soon as the person holding me saw that I was conscious. Blearily I looked up, head aching from the salts, to see Birk’s kind eyes sparkling with concern. Above him, impossibly tall, stood Sir Daelin.

          It took a moment for me to realize that I had fainted, and was lying flat on my back on the floor of the Throne Room. With a gasp, I shot up suddenly, humiliated beyond words for causing such a spectacle before the Royal Family. A timid, scared glance up at them confirmed that their feelings were not of concern for my well-being.

          Fearfully I glanced up at Sir Daelin, still crouched on the floor, and I was bewildered by the expression which flashed quickly through his eyes.

          Approval.

          Sitting on the ground in utter confusion, I caught sight of a pitiful creature staring back at me from within the polished exterior of a suit of armor nearby. The pitiful creature was me.

          And suddenly, I understood the expression in Sir Daelin’s eyes, even though he had wiped his face devoid of emotion and was now apologizing to the Royal Family, describing in detail what I had gone through for the past year. Listening to his descriptive choice of words, I thought he was laying it on a bit thick, but at least I understood why he was doing it.

          He was trying to keep me alive. My fainting spell, the colour of the gown, enhancing the dark bruises, my slimness, my habit of keeping behind Sir Daelin – they all made me look weak, scared, and completely incapable of harming anyone. He was giving me a gift, convincing everyone assembled before him that I had suffered enough, was no longer a threat.

          Sudden gratitude, fierce and sweeping, pulsed through me. I owed him so much. Though I still had no idea what I’d done to convince him of my innocence. I resolved to ask him the next moment we had time alone.

          My attention was caught by a ringing, authoritative voice. King Wilhelm had risen, and was speaking.

          “Daelin, I admit I expected someone looking less...” his lip curled, and I could sense how difficult it was for him to be unbiased at the moment, “...well, less vulnerable,” he said finally. “But it still does nothing to excuse her crimes.”

          “I am not excusing them,” Sir Daelin’s calm, steady voice answered quietly. “I am merely pointing out that she has been punished sufficiently.”

          “A life for a life,” the King replied. My heart hammered in my chest until I felt like ripping it out.

          “Your Majesty,” Sir Daelin said, and now he was frowning, “Each one of us here knows the law. But I think we can all agree the chosen Poison Tester has always been the exception. You know you would not have been so loathe to accept her had it been anyone else she killed.”

          My breath caught at Sir Daelin’s daring. He was quietly, without condemnation, accusing the King himself of hypocrisy.

          Trembling, my eyes quickly flicked away from King Wilhelm who was now frowning in great concentration at his right-hand man standing confidently before him.