Amelia Merlin and the Songs of the Elves

Chapter Thirteen: The Long Lost Brother

A/N sorry I haven't updated in forever!!! I've been so busy! I hope you like this chapter because there is a big reveal at the end that I have been planning for so long and I'm so excited!! Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoy reading the story!

Don Monatheon skulked around Canavar trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. He slipped behind silk tapestries and ducked around pillars of marble. For the first time in his life, he wished he could be back at Castle Rock. That place had a million hiding places and everything was so dark and dingy that people had a very hard time finding him. But Canavar was light and open and he had yet to find a tower that was hidden away from the rest of the goddamn castle. 

Apparently, the castle was designed that way so monarchs would always be watched, that way they could never get away with screwing over the kingdom. Don could understand why it was that way but he hated it nonetheless. 

Moira had gone off on some quest, Blaxton was holed up in Stone Garden doing nothing, and he was here, at the southern tip of the kingdom. He could see the ocean from the view in his room. He had never seen a body of water so large but anytime he did see it, all he could think of was Lake Duessa. 

The memory of going back there raced through his mind as he kept hidden behind the silk tapestry. He could see himself walking around the edge of the clear water towards the hut that lay at the end. He could hear himself knocking on the door and he could see that woman opening it. His mother. His real mother. And he could see himself turning away from her and leaving her to watch him walk away. 

He was a bastard. 

His goddamn father had let him believe for his whole life that he was a true-born Monatheon but that just wasn't true. And he hated his family for going along with it. 

When he thought about it, it was obvious. His blonde hair couldn't be different from Blaxton and Moira's dark and he was never able to do the things they could. He couldn't hunt, or ride, or fight, particularly well. He wasn't a Monatheon. 

Don felt the tapestry press against his body. The silk tickled his face and he felt a small release go through him. The business and bustle happening on the other side of the curtain felt very far away. He had always been an observer, never a participant but now, standing behind the tapestry, he felt completely separate from all of it. 

And it felt amazing. 

Don sighed and closed his eyes. He wouldn't say that he felt happy, but it was enough that he didn't have to talk to anyone. Unfortunately, just as Don felt the relaxation fall over him, someone yanked the tapestry back. 

Don blinked his eyes open to see Brice Gorodetsky smirking at him with those red lips and dark eyes. 

"Lord Monatheon, funny finding you here," he said. 

"Get away from me."

"Oh, come on!" Brice laughed. "Now what have I ever done to deserve that?"

"You tricked me. You used me-"

"I only ever told you the truth," his voice turned from playful to serious in a second. His eyes bore into Don who felt himself back up against the wall. "We made a deal."

"You tell me who my family is and I kill Jeremy Merlin for you," Don snapped. 

"Technically, Jeremy was already dying. He was cursed. We just sped the process up," shrugged Brice. 

"Technically everyone is dying. That's not a good enough reason for murder," Apparently Brice wasn't used to people seeing through his words because he looked impressed. 

"Very well put, Lord Monatheon."

"Don't call me that."

"Right! You're not really a Monatheon! I almost forgot-"

"What do you want from me?"

"Look," Brice sighed. "I want to make things up to you. I can see now that asking you to poison the queen's own brother was a very steep price to pay. Especially when I only told you about one member of your family. Your mother is really not the most interesting part of your heritage."

"I'm not doing any more deals with you," Don started to walk away but he grabbed his arm. 

"Hear me out. I'm not asking anything from you. You can do whatever you like. There's just something you should know. You should know your real name."

"Stay the hell away from me," he hissed and wrenched his arm from the bony fingers. 

"You'll want to hear it! It's the most important thing about you!" he called out and Don stopped. He took a deep breath in and hated himself as he turned back around to hear what Brice Gorodetsky had to say. 

"What?" he snarled. 

"The most interesting person in your family isn't your mother or even your rich and powerful, deceased, father. It's your sister," Don could tell he was dragging it out, trying to gain some dramatic effect by making him wait for this precious information. Brice was trying not to grin, it was so obvious how serious he was trying to look. 

"Get to the point, Brice."

"I suppose bluntness is appreciated in moments like this," he was being overly nervous which took all sincerity away. "I guess I should just say it."

"Fuck you," Don narrowed his eyes and turned again. 

"No! Wait! I'm sorry, this is just difficult for me to say."

"No, it isn't. Stop being an asshole." 

"Alright. Have it your way," the grin on Brice's face had almost reached pure glee. "Roderick Monatheon wasn't your father. That blonde bimbo I sent you to at the edge of Lake Duessa isn't your mother."

"What about my sister? You said she was important-"

"Not Moira, you idiot," he scoffed. "Your sister has blonde hair like yours. Unlike you, however, she sits on the throne of this castle and rules the kingdom. Your real name is William Merlin."