Tattered

Chapter 6

"Let me go out and face it as well, father," I blurted out. Before he could reject my request, I dropped to one knee and continued on earnestly. "Give me this chance to prove my worth." Please. I'll show you how strong I am. You don't have to send me away.

He only hesitated for a moment.

"Very well," He said with a nod. "Hurry and tell your sister to stay put. The battalion will leave with or without you." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off to command the men, his cloak drifting lazily behind him. I practically jumped back to my feet, relief coursing through me. Granted, his quick response went to show how little value he placed in my life, but that didn't matter; I was determined to survive. What mattered was that I was being given a chance to prove myself. I wouldn't let it go to waste. 

I shoved through the growing crowd of warriors rushing to prepare for battle and dove back into the halls of the keep. Ingrid's chambers were near my own, in the northern part of the castle. I picked up my pace, not only eager to prepare for battle with the troll, but anxious to confirm Ingrid's whereabouts. She was fond of going out riding in the afternoons and kept no consistent schedule. Whatever Ingrid did, it always seemed to be on a whim.

When I finally arrived at the entrance to Ingrid's room I pushed open the door without knocking and stepped inside. It was disgustingly prim, everything clean and pretty and put into its proper place, exactly the opposite of my own rooms. But more importantly, Ingrid wasn't there. With a huff of growing impatience, I turned to walk back out the door, thinking that Ingrid might be off chatting with some of the other ladies. A muffled noise made me pause with my hand on the handle. I turned around slowly, thinking I might have imagined it. My hand drifted instinctively to Spoon's hilt tucked into my belt. No, there it was again: a soft thumping sound coming from the door to Ingrid's closet. 

Drawing my sword and standing in a fighting stance, I flung open the closet door. A boy who I recognized as one of Ingrid's cupbearers tipped unceremoniously onto the floor, a gag around his mouth and a rope binding his hands. He was making noise, trying to speak around the gag, but upon seeing me standing above him he immediately quieted, his eyes growing wide and scared. I was too used to such a reaction to let it bother me. What did bother me was that there was a boy tied up and gagged in my sister's closet while she was nowhere to be found. Reaching for a knife at my belt, I quickly cut through his restraints and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Where is Ingrid?" I demanded before he could even get a word out.

The boy's eyes went even wider, if that was possible. He was fairly young, Ingrid's age or maybe even younger. Just old enough to begin training for war. His position as a cupbearer implied that he was either extremely low in status or completely incompetent. Neither gave me a very high opinion of him. He opened his mouth to speak and shut it again just as quickly, looking nervous.

 "She- she made me promise not to tell," He said in a shaky voice, but managed to meet my gaze with some defiance.

I arched my brow. "She also tied you up and locked you in her closet."

He wilted slightly at that, but his lips remained determinedly shut. I sighed. Clearly this was one of the gaggle of boys in the castle infatuated with Ingrid. Not that I blamed them- Ingrid was good at encouraging suitors and even better at using them to her advantage- but now was not the time. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, one I knew wouldn't go away until I knew my sister's exact location. I grit my teeth, willing myself not to threaten the boy with violence and add another tally to my father's list of my failures. Usually my intimidation alone was enough to get the answers I needed from people. Having failed the intimidation method, I was at a loss at what to do next.

"There is a troll outside, not four leagues from here," I said with an urgent tone. If he wouldn't tell me, I'd simply have to appeal to his concern for Ingrid. "For the princess's own safety, I need to know her location."

That caused him to look away and shift guiltily. As if he already knew about the troll. As if he knew exactly where Ingrid had went and why. I could feel my temper rising but I took a deep breath to cool down. I could do this peacefully. I could.

"Do you know what trolls do once they've captured a person?" I asked. I bared my teeth and scrunched up my nose, trying for a hideous, painful-death kind of look. I was pretty sure it was working. "First they chop off the fingers- they love good, bone-crunching fingers for a snack." The boy unconsciously clenched his fists, encouraging me to continue. "Then they pull out the hair so it doesn't get stuck in their teeth when they're chewing. Next is their very favorite part: peeling off the skin." Even though I was only repeating all the bedtime stories the nurses used to scare us when we were little, the boy sucked in his breath. I must have been a better storyteller than I thought. That, or he bought into the rumors about me and thought I might eat him myself. "They use their magic to keep captured humans alive until the very end. Did you know that? Can't let the blood get cold, of course. And finally, once every bit of flesh is stripped from the skin... Well, I think you can guess what happens next."

I put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder and tried for a smile, although I'm sure it looked closer to a snarl.

"So," I said amiably. "Where is Princess Ingrid?"

For a moment he didn't even seem to register the question, still too absorbed in the horror stories of the trolls. But it didn't take long for him to crack.

"She went after the troll!" He cried in a panicked voice. My grip on his shoulder tightened instinctively and he yelped. I let go, grinding my teeth to stay calm.

"You let her go after the troll?" My voice was little more than a whisper. I was focusing a considerable amount of energy on not roaring.

"I was going to tell someone!" He said quickly to defend himself. "But...She seemed so confident about it. And she said I'd be betraying her trust if I told..."

I inhaled deeply through my nose. This one wasn't very bright, was he? All the same, Ingrid was getting too skilled at this kind of manipulation for her own good.

"Then why, pray tell, were you tied up in the closet?"

"It was so I wouldn't be blamed if anyone discovered her missing!"

"Did she tell you that?"

Again, he shut up quickly, looking guilty.

I stood up and sheathed Spoon. I'd had about enough of this.

"Stay here," I commanded. "You'll be dealt with when the battalion returns."

I didn't wait for a reply. I was out the door and sprinting through the halls, once again chasing after my reckless imbecile of a sister.

The first two weeks of college have killed all of my free time. XO I'll try to keep up, though. I'm considering focusing mainly on Tattered for a while and taking a break from Icebound but I'm not certain yet.

As always, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I always love to hear comments about any thoughts you had on the chapter. ^_^