Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Forty One

"Hunter North was not an innocent. He was guilty of a treasonous act and his punishment was fairly executed. You are right; I did not send my men out to gather information. They were to take him out and kill him quietly and make it appear as an ambush." Theodore states without any guilt.

Ari swallows roughly. "A treasonous act? Then why was he not given a public trial?" She growls. "I can tell you why. That would have meant your precious wife would be stood next to him receiving the death sentence. You would have lost a woman suited to be Queen, a right hand man who you can trust and you would have lost the people's respect and love. I know how this all works."

"Do not forget who you are accusing Lady Arisxandre!" Theodore warns.

"What more can you do to me? I simply want the truth. Your men have a story that he succumbed to the blade by an enemy. I want to know which of your men stabbed him. I want to know if he killed the other men that did not return home. I want to know everything." Ari passionately claims.

"Are you sure you want to know? It will not give you any peace of mind only pain." Theodore softly gives her the option to escape.

Ari glances down at her fidgeting fingers. "The truth will go no further than I. I give you my word. Just please be honest with me."

Theodore sits down again, "There is nothing you can do with this information unless you wish to witness the same fate." She nods in acceptance. "My men went out and took him to a place they would not be easily spied upon. They attacked him, he refused to kill them." Ari licks her lip and nods for him to continue. "He struck them in the arms, in the legs. He fought valiantly. But they had a job to do and they had to complete it. He is guilty, Arisxandre."

"I want the facts not your view upon it." Ari interjects.

"As you wish. My men did not kill him." He sees her look up at his words and he sees hope there. He shakes his head. "There really was another ambush. My men had to change tack and fight alongside him rather than continue to try and kill him. Their injuries slowed them down and a great many of them fell to the blade, Hunter amongst them. Some of my men escaped and they were given a story to repeat and keep. It, as you said, assures that I keep my wife, keep Orion and do not lose my people's trust and respect." He truthfully tells her.

"Why would you still want to marry her? Surely there are other women who would make a good Queen." Ari voices her thoughts.

"She will never dare to have another dalliance after what happened to him. She will be obedient and she will always be a good image by my side. I know I cannot fully trust her and that protects me. It is better than having blind faith." Theodore speaks without emotion.

"So he died at the hands of another. You must know that his blood is still on your hands." Ari rises to her feet.

"It was always meant to be. What else could I have done?" Theodore asks her.

Ari looks back on him. "You could have been merciful. You could have granted forgiveness and let both go. It would not have been a sign of weakness. It would have been a sign of strength because only great men can let go of the crimes against them. I know of your wife's previous indiscretions. I know what you have done. You are not a great man in this moment but I hope that with time you can become one. Do not dare to threaten me ever again. I will not stand for it. You killed a good man, that is all there is to it." She turns the handle.

"Silence is what I expect from you, Arisxandre. I have given you information I would not give another. I know your word would be ignored over mine and I was within my rights. Silence protects you." Theodore replies. Ari inclines her head in agreement as she pushes open the door and leaves. Theodore sighs and rubs his eyes. It is somewhat of a relief to admit the truth to someone he knows will never repeat it.

○ ○ ○

Ari glides into the Glen residence after a lot of walking around to settle the tumbling of a hundred different emotions in her gut. She pauses at the sight of a full room. Orion sits there accompanied by Jasper, Ross, Jacqui and Zandar. Alice sits with her mother by her side and John stands behind their seats. Ari clears her throat and shakes her head. "It was a true ambush. He died under an enemy's blade. The Prince's men did not kill him. They are innocent. It was simply a horrific act upon him by a stranger."

Khiara lets out a breath that she did not know she had been holding. Orion drops his head into his hands struggling to understand how he feels with that information. John massages Khiara's shoulders. Ross squeezes Jacqui's hand and she nods in acceptance. Alice gets to her feet and walks from the room, figure trembling slightly. Ari swallows roughly and turns to go.

"Ari, Theodore had nothing to do with his death?" 

She freezes but then forces herself to relax. She glances over her shoulder. Orion watches her. "Theodore is not responsible for his death." She never thought that she would say something that was both true and false at the same time.

"What about what Hunter did, does he know about that?" Orion asks louder this time as Ari again tries to make her escape. 

Seeing that she will be questioned more, she turns and crosses her arms. "I asked him about the day of the ambush. Hunter died on one of the enemy's blades just as others did. How could I ask him that without showing that I knew and I kept it from him? That is treason in its self." Ari states with fire in her voice.

"You are being far too careful in your choice of words." Orion rises to his feet and stalks towards her. His frame towers above hers as he scowls down upon her. "Does Theodore know? Did Theodore send men to kill him?" He purposely asks questions she cannot wiggle out of. 

Ari glares at him with full force. "I already told you." She replies, tone getting hotter.

Orion grabs her arm and she winces slightly with how tight his fingers wrap around. Her free hand goes around to her back. "Answer the questions!" He commands. 

Her palm envelops the handle of the blade and she pulls it up out of the fabric and weighs it in her grasp. "Release me." She orders, eyebrows drawn down together, eyes alight with fire and lips pushed firmly together after. "No matter what he did he was not the one who caused his death. That was someone else." Orion's grip tightens further. Ari reacts quickly and places her dagger at his throat. "I told you to release me." She reminds with ice now in her voice. Orion abruptly lets her go and growls.

"He is responsible for his death, he ordered him killed." Orion states and Ari nods.

"I am sorry. I thought it would easier for you to believe your friend was innocent." She softly admits.

Orion holds his hand out for hers. She places hers in it. "That is not information you should have to carry by yourself. We can carry this burden." He looks out on all his friends and his family. "We can all carry this burden."