The Crown cannot Help You

Chapter 28: The Decision

Audelia walked into the inn's kitchen, welcoming the familiar sight of Tabitha cooking breakfast.

"Hey, Delia. How was the training session? Should I expect Flynn to come running in with an arrow in his foot?" Tabitha greeted, not bothering to face Audelia as she rambled.

Audelia didn't respond, she just watched Tabitha cook, relishing in the delicious smells.

Tabitha frowned upon not hearing Audelia respond and turned around to finally take a look at her. Her eyes immediately zoomed in upon the split in Audelia's bottom lip and the yellowing bruise that was slowly fading from around her left eye. These were the only two injuries that Tabitha could see, yet Audelia looked visibly distraught. "You okay, Dels?"

Audelia blinked at her distantly, letting a smile curl at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Is there something I should know?" Tabitha asked, watching Audelia carefully as though she would suddenly lose it at any moment.

"I'll tell you later," Audelia said warmly. "I just want to enjoy this for now."

"Okay..." Tabitha muttered with a laugh, not knowing what to make of Audelia's odd mood. But trusting Audelia's word, she didn't push the matter further and just returned to her cooking.

Audelia perched herself upon the table and sat there swinging her legs whilst Tabitha went about the kitchen. They gossiped about the village, joked about Audelia's injuries, and then served breakfast to the inn's guests before they finally settled down to eat breakfast themselves.

It didn't take long before Audelia had entirely cleared her plate and had gotten up to start washing it. As she ran the water over the plate, she realised the morning had come to an end and it was now the later she had mentioned. "Tabitha."

Tabitha looked up from her plate, her eyes opening wide with curiosity.

Audelia swallowed her remaining doubts and continued as confidently as she could manage. "You are my family."

Tabitha's face broke into a smile, but she remained suspicious of where this was going. "And you are mine."

Audelia hadn't expected Tabitha to respond, so she cut her speech off momentarily to smile back. She knew it was true, in that Audelia felt they were family more so than Audelia's biological family had ever been to her, but it was comforting to hear Tabitha felt the same. "And I want you to know that I've made a decision."

Tabitha nodded silently, feeling her heartbeat increase in anticipation for what Audelia had to say.

"I don't want to kill Lily or Max," Audelia stated carefully, but as Tabitha's brow raised in confusion, she rushed to explain why. "It's not their fault they ended up this way," Audelia stated quickly. "Just as it wasn't yours or Flynn. They deserve a chance to choose a better life."

Tabitha didn't waste a single second before replying. "That's a very honourable thought Delia, but Lily and Max aren't the same as Flynn and me. Indeed, it is not their fault they ended up like this, but they're still turned off from the world at the moment. They aren't living for anything but the job."

Audelia shook her head, not agreeing with Tabitha's surprisingly closed-minded view. "But didn't you think the same of Flynn a mere few months ago, and yet here we are."

"Yes, but Max and Lily are different, they've been assassins a lot longer than Flynn or me. They're too far gone."

"I don't believe that." Audelia said, determined to show Tabitha she'd made up her mind. "They deserve a chance to make up for everything they've done. They deserve a second chance."