Kindred Spirit

Chapter 12

Everything seems to pause for a split moment, the moment my brother meets my eyes. It hasn't truly been that long since I have seen him, but it feels as though it has been decades. Why has he come here? Has he completely lost his sanity? He has willingly traveled to enemy lands, to a kingdom filled with those who would leap at the chance to end his life. He now stands in the castle of one of the strongest, coldest, ill-tempered men I have ever met.

Why? Why would he risk everything to come here? I know the answer even as I ask myself these questions. He has done this for me, to save me. Corden truly does care for me, he always has. Ryker has attempted to fill my head with lies and doubt towards my brother, but this proves Corden is on my side, and I am on his.

He could just want your visions, and not you. I try to silence the quiet small voice that suggests such a ludicrous idea. My loyalty remains with my brother, but my heart, my soul has begun to feel more attached to Ryker. I have attempted to deny this truth, I have outright denied it, but I can sense the truth hidden behind my words of denial.

I don't love him, but... I feel a connection to him, a connection I cannot simply explain. The more time I spend with him, and the more my past lives reveal, the more my mixed feelings towards him grow. I loved him, and I've hated him, each life has been different. I have seen firsthand what happens if I deny who I am, what I have done, and who I love. I have seen what happens if I deny myself.

But all of that was in the past, you have a life now, you have memories in this life, you have people who care about you in this life, and Ryker took one of those people away from you.

I used to believe it was my heart and brain arguing, but now I know that is not the case. The feud is between two sides of my heart, my past and my present. Ryker took Anne away from me, he has treated me coldly, and he has been heartless. But I've seen his kinder side as well, when he got angry with me because I could not remember what he wanted, I could see the hurt it causes him each time he looks at me.

"I want you to remember what has been lost to you. I'm only angry with you because you don't understand how I feel, you don't know the pieces of you that are missing but I do, and I have to look at you every day and hold it all in! I have to tolerate you fighting with me, I have to deal with your constant struggles, I have to try and keep everything from the past within myself!"

I can see the longing and the sadness hidden in his deep eyes as he said that. I can sense the joy he felt when he placed the beautiful necklace around my neck before we entered the dining room. I can feel protectiveness radiating off of him as he holds firmly to my arm.

He is cruel, but he is also kind. Could it be possible that my brother is only using me? No, he wouldn't, he couldn't, but he could...

"Amaya," Corden says standing to his feet. He had been seated at the long table. He begins to move towards us but pauses when Ryker lifts his hand.

"Close enough," Ryker says coldly, formally. "Let's all sit and enjoy our prepared meal. I'm curious to hear what it is you have to say." Ryker smirks.

Ryker walks to his place at the head of the table, he pulls out a chair for me beside him on his right. I sit down and he pushes the chair in before taking his own seat. "You sit there," Ryker says gesturing to the chair at the far end of the table. My brother frowns but takes his seat without a verbal complaint.

"How has he been treating you, Amaya?" Corden asks, only looking at me. When addressing Ryker in his question he spoke the word he with clear distaste.

I'm not sure how to answer him. He has treated me both good and bad. I look at Ryker and also find his eyes focused upon me as well. I return my gaze towards my brother as I speak. "Ryker has shown kindness towards me as of late," My opening sentence causes Corden to frown. "He has revealed many things to me, and I have also uncovered some truths," My brother's frown deepens. Does he know of my past lives? Does he know Ryker and I were lovers? His reaction suggests so, but I don't see how Corden could have been aware of Ryker and me. I write his frown off as the most logical conclusion. He has been hoping I hated it here, and I will beg him to take me home, he has been hoping I felt nothing for Ryker.