The King and His Men.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“Of course not. Don’t say that!”

“Claire…you were the only one who came back. Why?”

“Because I asked him to let me go and he did.”

“It’s because he loved you back.”

“Don’t say that!” I covered my ears. “Stop it.” I burst into tears yet again trying to smother the sobbing  with the hem of my dress.

“Don’t act like a child, Claire. Open the door. Just admit it, you love him. He wouldn’t have let you go if he didn’t to you too. What happened, Claire? Why did you through it all away?”

I got to my feet and ripped open the door. “Stop it!” I said firmly. “Stop. It.”

Caroline was surprised at my stubbornness. “You can’t run away from it,” she said eventually. “You can’t give it up.”

“He has a bride now, they’re happy.”

“The King was originally with you, why did you give him up so he could have someone else?”

“He tortured me and my mother! It was so hard to look the person I love in the eye and hate them. I couldn’t handle it. But when I forgave him it seemed to disappear but I couldn’t risk it. It isn’t my place.” It hurt me even more to admit that I had feelings for him. It hurt to explain why I left and why I could never go back. The castle wasn't the place for me, it was meant for a polite, loyal girl who would forever stand by her King. That wasn't me...it was never going to be me... "Delron doesn't need me, it's best if we both move on with our lives. He hurt me...even though that was a long time ago. Mother only just woke. I need to take care of her now; she is my blood. Mother will always come first, and she needs to get as far away from the King as possible. It’s best for all of us, Caroline.”

She nodded her head, her eyes full of pity and sadness. I hated it. “Think hard and answer me one thing. If you hadn’t have left, would he loved you with all his heart? Would he have never lay another finder on you? Would he have treated you right? Would he have adored the children that you bore? Answer me that…”

My lip trembled. “Yes, he would have.” I knew it to be so. Delron was a fierce tempered man with a strong pride but underneath all that he was so good. “It still doesn’t change anything, Caroline.” I wiped my eyes and put on a brave face. “It’s all in the past now.”

“Okay, Claire.” She backed away and I retreated back to my room.

~*~*~

The sky was black as night. The warm days were gone and replaced by cold chill and sickness. Rain dropped like a waterfall. From my window I could see it flow down the street just missing doorsteps. It was early afternoon, and I had to use candles to light the house. Nothing cheered up the mood placed in the house yesterday. When I woke this morning I felt worse, like a hole had opened in my chest. I could never leave, people would stare and point because was somebody the King used to know.

I needed to accept that. I needed to move on, heal my mother and then find someone to spend the rest of my life with, someone who wasn’t the King, or anyone like him for that matter.

I had dressed myself in one of my plain old dresses. I couldn’t even look at the other ones without feeling bad. I wasn’t beautiful or important enough to wear them. I wrapped up all the jewelry and placed them in boxes with the dresses to be sent back to the castle. All except one, the sapphire necklace, the one the King gave me. It seemed so long go but it wasn’t. I couldn’t bear to part with it; it was so beautiful and now I could imagine a better King than the one I originally thought he was. I was wearing it now, feeling the heavy weight it held on the hollow of my throat. So beautiful but so painful.