The Sword Thief

Chapter 24

"I am right here you old fogy." Her voice sounds from where she once was standing. 

"Mother?"

"Elizabeth?"

"Check the floor." My sword grumbles.They both dive down crawling on their hands and knees searching the cobbled stone. 

"Found her!" Matilda yells standing up holding a golden key. She quickly opens the clasp on the necklace of her mothers locket, and slides the key down it. 

"There, now I'll always have mother." She smiles to herself rubbing the key between her fingers. 

"Ahaha! That tickles my dear! please stop!" her mother or should I say the key laughs.

"Oh sorry." She blushes embarrased.

"You can feel when we hold you? Then what part of your body am I holding Belthazar?"

"You can only feel it for the first few weeks after transforming, and I'd like to saw my legs, but I'm not entirely sure. It's been many years." 

"Intresting." Matilda ponders looking up then meeting her father's eyes. He's wearing a forlorn expression on his face longingly staring at the key. Matilda seems to realize what he wants and invuluntarily wraps her fist around the key. The king realizes he's been staring and sends her a sad smile that says "I'm okay, you may keep it."

"Oh bother." she grumbles at first looking mad then looking more and more understanding.

"Common children, we have a war to stop." He says beginning to walk down the roof door.

"Father wait!" She yells out running towards him.

"You may have mother." she says holding out the key. His eyes brighten and a small smile appears across his face.

"Why?"

"I-I suppose it's because... I don't know what I'd do if Garrett died, came back, then some other person got to keep him." She mumbles more to herself while handing him the sword. 

"Oh." he says gingerly taking the key with a look of intense guilt in his eyes.

"Matilda-- I owe you an emense apology..."

"Yes. Yes you do."

"At first I was indeed mad with you, for a reason I now find proposterous, but after that I just wanted to protect you, and then the two emotions mixed, and I became over protective and---"

"It's okay. We'll fix this father."

An awkward silence passes as both of them realize this moment calls for a hug, but neither know how to approach the other. 

"Oh stop being gulity and hug already!" Their mother says the key bouncing up and down. They laugh at the sight and hug one another. It's an awkward hug none the least, but it makes her mother happy and that's all either one cares about. 

"Common let's go stop a war." the King says tossing the key up while Elizabeth screams in mock terror.

"You guys are bizarre." I mutter holding the sword as far away from me as possible.

"Oh shut up." Balthazar growls. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . .  . . . .  

The rumble of angry villagers envelope us as we walk out. As soon as the king is seen, the roars erupt and anything the villagers can find is being thrown. Ducking a wagon wheel and iron ladel, I grab Matilda and we hide behind a pillar.

"Vilagers!" The King yells trying to calm them down.

"We want a New King!" They roar.

"People of the Mainland!"