TYRION

Chapter 17

"Have some food," Princess Matilda insisted, spoon-feeding Tyrion. She had the maids prepare a luxurious bath for him in her chamber. After being cleaned up, he looked much better than when she had rescued him. His wounds had been tended to, and he had been urged to rest before eating.
"I'm fine now, thank you," Tyrion said.

"No, you need to eat more. Those rascals really did a number on you," she said, frowning with concern, and fed him another bite.

"Tell me everything that happened. I always knew my cousin was a jerk, but I never thought he could be this evil," Princess Matilda said.
"Your cousin? Aaron is your cousin?" Tyrion asked anxiously, and Princess Matilda nodded.

"He is. He's the son of my late father's brother. He was placed in the king's care when he was young. His father would have been king if it weren't for his illness that later took his life," she explained.

"Oh," Tyrion muttered.
"So, tell me, why did he have you in that state? He told us you were trying to take that dancer girl away while she was unconscious, that you wanted to kill her. I didn't believe him for a second. I knew something wasn't right. He even said you led the bandits. I may not know much about you, but I know you're not evil, Tyrion," Princess Matilda said, looking at him furiously.

"I can sense it; you are not evil," she added, her hand impulsively moving forward to touch Tyrion's face, but he shifted to avoid it, causing her to pull back abruptly, her face falling.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling well. I didn't mean to," Tyrion tried to console her.
"No, no, it's fine," she said, blinking rapidly. "I just want to know what happened exactly so that I can convince the king not to punish you. Aaron has poisoned his mind. My father was going to suspect a priest he had been consulting, but he knew nothing about the attack. Now, all eyes are on you. Come to think of it, all this started happening when you arrived in this land."

"What, Princess? Are you suggesting I'm involved in this? I would ne—" Princess Matilda cut him short.
"No, I'm not saying you know about it. It would have been so easy to believe if I hadn't spent time with you. I see through you, Tyrion. You're not evil, but you might be keeping a secret. Tell me about it," she urged. Tyrion searched her eyes intensely before glancing around. Then, he looked back at her with a resolved expression, as if he had decided on something.
"If I'm going to tell you anything, we need to be alone," he insisted, and Princess Matilda glanced up at the guards.

***
Screams filled the air as sorcery was performed on the figure in their midst. The sorcerers chanted, with Isolde as their target, placed on a wooden table among them, screaming. The room was dark, illuminated only by firewood in each corner. The chants continued, and Isolde arched and jerked in response. The sorcerers' leader, a woman in her 70s named Agatha, stepped forward to untie one of Isolde's arms, the one that once bore the now-clear lock and key tattoo. Agatha cast a final spell, causing Isolde's scream to intensify as the lock and key became vivid once again, just as before.

Moments later, silence descended, and Isolde's eyes adjusted to her surroundings as her breath returned to normal. She raised her burning arm and shivered at the reality before her. She remembered a similar ritual performed on her when she was little, but then she had been easily deceived, thinking it was a tradition. Now, she knew better.

The lock symbol was meant to suppress her dark powers. Her nightmares were real after all, and she had been having a lot of them lately. Did Tyrion know about her powers? Was that why he wanted to be with her? But she had been the one to seek him out; he hadn't proposed intimacy to her, she had. He had only expressed his feelings for her. These were Isolde's thoughts at that moment before Lady Aurora, her mother, stepped out of the haven's gathering to sit across from her.

My daughter," she called out to Isolde, gently tucking strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. She looked weak and uncomfortable.

"The pain was unbearable," Isolde said, resting her forehead on Lady Aurora's shoulder. Lady Agatha joined them, and the rest of the haven left.
"She needs to rest," Lady Agatha suggested.
"What do I need to do so the mark doesn't disappear again?" Isolde asked naively. The two women looked at each other before settling their eyes on her.
"You need to stay away from that young man named Tyrion," Lady Agatha said, causing Isolde's breath to quicken.

"I... is it true that he caused this?" Isolde asked, desperately hoping it wasn't true, wanting them to deny it so badly that it hurt.
"Yes, he did," Lady Agatha replied.
"How?"
"His powers awakened yours when you were together. It was no ordinary power, unlike anything we've seen in years. If you're with him again, it could be disastrous. You're not strong enough to handle your powers, Isolde," Lady Agatha explained. Isolde stood up and walked away from them.
"No, no, that cannot be," Isolde denied, almost delusional.

"You can't be with him again," Lady Aurora's voice was firm. Isolde couldn't contain her sobs as they escaped her. The two women approached her, leaning down to hold her in place.
"You mustn't be with him again, Isolde," Lady Aurora repeated. Isolde slowly looked up at the two women, clad in long black hoods, and nodded faintly.