famously unfamous | jaron artolius eckbert iii

Eight

Mott escorted us back inside Farthenwood. It was clear that his orders were to see Sage was never left alone. He described to us in detail how the copy of Jaron's sword had been forged only off a drawing Conner's father once made from memory, since Jaron's sword had been lost when his ship was attacked. We cared nothing about the story and didn't even pretend to listen.

"We should probably go back to the dining room," Sage mumbled.

"You're sweaty now. A gentleman would never enter a dining room smelling as you and I do."

"I'm not going near him," I grumbled.

"Then where?" Sage asked, ignoring me.

"Back to your room. Roden and Tobias will join you before too long," Mott said decisively.

"There's nothing to do in my room."

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow begins your training for Conner's plan, and I assure you it will be exhausting."

"Are you going to chain yourself to me again?"

He smiled. "Of course not. But your room will be guarded. If you try to escape, the vigil will catch you and then notify me. Please believe me when I say you don't want to disturb my sleep for a second night in a row."

"Are you one of Conner's servants too?" I asked Mott curiously. "Does he own you?"

"I serve him, but he doesn't own me. My father worked for his father, so it was natural I should work for the son. I believe in him, Leta. I hope in time you both believe in him too."

"He killed Latamer. After telling him he was free to go, he killed him," Sage said angrily.

"To be technical, Cregan killed Latamer, although it was on Conner's orders." Mott was silent for a moment, then said, "Master Conner is not aspiring to be a priest and asks for no hero worship. But he is a patriot, Sage, doing what he believes is best for Carthya. Latamer never should've been chosen to come with us. It was better that he die than fail in the challenges over these next two weeks."

"I think Conner wanted us to see him kill Latamer. Then we'd know how serious he is about this plan."

"Perhaps," Mott said. "And if that was his idea, then it certainly worked."

I stopped walking for a moment, forcing Mott and Sage to stop and look at me. In a soft voice, I said, "The two boys who don't get chosen for his plan — is he going to kill them too?"

Mott put his hand on my shoulder and pressed me forward again. "He has to protect the secrecy of his plan, Leta. See that you get chosen, Sage."

Errol was waiting on a bench near Sage's room when we arrived. Mott asked him to take Sage into his room and assist him with dressing for bed.

"I don't need help dressing," Sage said to them both. "I solved the mystery of how to button a shirt long ago."

"Help him," Mott repeated.

Errol looked at Sage, silently pleading with him to accept the order so he wouldn't have to face Mott. Sage sighed loudly enough for Mott to take notice of his annoyance, and then nodded his head at Errol. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

"I will take Leta to her room," Mott decided.

I rolled my eyes, though messed up Sage's hair and started off.

As we walked, Mott took it upon himself to explain who I was going to be and how to be it.

Conner had a daughter. Her name was Charlette and she was disowned when she was four. She had blue eyes that sometimes looked more green or gray, depending on the light. She had long blonde hair, similar to mine, and was always taller than average. She was always a little taller than Jaron. I was shorter than all three boys. She had been given her mother's ring, or so Conner thought, because it had disappeared when Charlette disappeared.

When Mott spoke those words, my hand pressed against my chest where my necklace hung. His brows furrowed in response. My heart froze in my chest.

"Are you alright, Leta?"

I swallowed my nerves before giving him a smile. "I'm fine, thank you, Mott."

He nodded and pushed open my door. Cleo was there, pulling out my nightclothes. I could see them around her — a white silk nightdress, a gray woolen robe, and gray woolen slippers with a hard rubber sole. I stepped inside.

Cleo turned around and gave Mott a tired smile. I glanced between them, trying to understand their quiet camaraderie with my tired head.

"Cleo, if you could please help Leta get ready for bed," Mott said. "Then lead her to Master Conner's office. He wishes to have a word with her."

I groaned quietly. "Where did you even hear that?" I complained. "I've been with you since the courtyard."

He chuckled. "Cleo?"

The girl nodded and gestured for me to close the door. I did as ordered. The heavy wooden door closed behind me and I let Cleo dress me. First I had to struggle out of my dress and underskirts, then put on different undergarments and then put on the nightclothes that lay on the bed. I reached down to pull on my slippers but Cleo was holding them out for me to step into. I did so.

She made a motion that intended for me to follow her, so I did, quietly and without much protest. My feet were much more comfortable in my new felted wool slippers than in the black shoes or barefoot.

We walked in silence, which was refreshing after Conner and Mott insisting on talking. I saw Tobias and Roden walking down the hall towards us and raised my hand in greeting. They nodded to me.

Cleo kept walking. I jogged after her and then slowed my pace. We stopped a little while later at an open door. It was heavy and wooden, like my own and all the other doors I'd seen as of yet. Conner sat inside at a large dark oak desk. He had a comfortable chair of wood with large red cushions. He wore the same clothes as he had in the dining room, showing that he hadn't taken any time to prepare for bed. The office was large and spacious and had many notebooks, loose paper, and pens. My eyes flickered around with subdued interest.

"Good, Leta. You're here. Cleo, go wait outside. And close the door behind you."

The girl stepped back out and pulled the heavy door shut.

Conner stood and studied me. "Leta. I know that you understand this plan better than the boys."

I locked eyes with him. "What do you want from me?"

"You need to become a close confidant of all three boys. Not a friend, as the boys I do not chose will have to die, but a close confidant. You need them to tell you everything in confidence. Else this plan will fail."

"I don't care for your stupid plan!"

"You will," Conner warned, eyes brewing a storm. "You will have to. I know who you are, who you pretend not to be."

My breath caught in my throat. "May I leave now?"

He tilted his head. "Alright. Go. It will be a long day tomorrow."

My stomach climbed into my throat as Cleo led me back to my room. I could practically smell her curiosity as I rushed her to get me back to my room, trying to swallow the bile rising in my throat. When we entered my room, only then did I feel safe. I remembered checking for any types of secret passageways or spy holes, so I knew I was alone when I sent Cleo out. I curled up on the rug, heart thudding, tears streaming. I fell asleep like that.

~✨~

So poor Leta is now privy to information on the plan that none of the boys are... it's all part of her tragic story and ✨trauma✨.