Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 49: Rock and a Hard Place

Hew nodded animatedly. "Maybe. But this elf has been to many brothels and he has told me that it can help him distinguish who is lying about being in love and who is not. He told me that the love in both your face and your king's cannot lie. At any rate, it's worth a try. We deserve our own kingdom. I'm willing to die for it."

"You don't understand." Kori said evenly. "There may be no kingdom left for you to have if you don't let me take this elf back to his queen. Maribel is deeply in debt, and if I don't convince the queen to lower the debt, we might be in for a war or an occupation from Alanheim. Please, let me continue on my way!"

Hew sunk his sword into the ground and leaned his cheek on the hilt of it. A little smirk came to his face. "Very well. I'll ransom you, give you back, and then you can continue on your venture."

"It might be too late by then!" Kori exclaimed. "I need to go now! I promise I'll mention your plight to the king—I'll convince him to give you your own kingdom... I...."

The smirk hadn't left the man's face as he pretended to listen to her proposal. "Ah, little waif... Nothing you can say can convince me. What do I care who owns the kingdom—even if you are telling the truth about it being in debt?"

Kori lowered her eyes furiously. "You truly don't care how much everyone—including you—will come to suffer under elven rule? They will kill you when they rule, or worse, enslave you."

"Throw this waif and the elf in a tent, and make sure they don't leave it without my permission." Hew ignored her. "Tomorrow, we will take the waif back to her king and we will decide what to do with the elf."

Kori glared at Hew in disgust and her eyes did not leave his even as she and Francis were hauled from the tent.

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Kori and Francis were given a chance to relieve themselves at the edge of the camp before being locked away in a tent together. Kori was embarrassed and averted her gaze as Francis shamelessly disrobed.

One does have to wonder which parts are that of a woman... Kori thought to herself. Ah! How rude of me!

She asked the guards who had accompanied them, "can you all please look away?"

"And give you a chance to escape?" One of the elf-humans replied.

Kori rolled her eyes and then gingerly disrobed and did her business fast.

Afterward, they were given two flasks of water and a meager dinner to eat inside a tent which was heavily guarded.

Francis glared at her as he ate. "You humans are so lax on your patrols. How could you not know that you have an infestation of elf-humans lurking so close to your castle?"

Kori didn't bother looking at him as she picked at her meal. "I am not a human, and we can't patrol every square inch of Maribel."

Francis snorted. "Elves would never allow this."

Kori tried not to bite back with sarcasm. I need him on my side. I need him on my side. She repeated it to herself as if repeating it would make being kind to the elf easier. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this."

Francis looked up in surprise—unable to hide his genuine shock at her apology—but then cleared his throat and put on his arrogant façade. "You should be! I'm glad to know how ashamed you are! I came here as a guest, only to leave as a captive!"

Kori reached deep inside herself and found compassion for the elf who had been nothing but a nuisance to her. She reached out with her special magical power to soothe. The magic creeped up on Francis and made his stiff shoulders relax and his heightened emotions even out.

Kori conjured up some tears. "I really am sorry. All of this has been so unfair and awful for you. Guests are supposed to be treated like kings; we're supposed to show foreigners how polite and accommodating a kingdom Maribel can be, but instead we showed you that we're just a bunch of savages!"

Kori forced more tears out of her eyes and wiped them away with them away with the back of her hand. "It's just been so hard lately! First, I learn that you have been treated so unfairly and captured unduly, and then I learn that our entire kingdom is in debt and that we could entangle ourselves in a war with your people if we don't return you safely. And then, I lose the friendship of the king and... And Eory... I feel like this is all my fault..."

Francis had a look of pity on his face that Kori did not expect. "Oh, come now, Little Waif. You have no need to blame yourself. The only person you need to be blaming is your king. You have done nothing egregiously wrong. In fact, you have only tried to right the wrongs of your king. If it weren't for you, your king would have strung me up or beheaded me."

Inside, Kori was beaming. He has the ability to see my side of things! On the outside, however, she kept her wrinkly cheeks fairly damp, and sobbed all-the-harder.

"But even if we make it out of this mess I've gotten us into—even if we make it to Alanheim—you're still going to tell your queen that we kept you captive. She'll probably behead me on the spot!" Kori wept.

Francis bit his lip and held up a hand in such a way that it looked like he wanted to put it comfortingly on the waif's shoulder. Instead, he merely said, "I won't do that, waif. I would have nothing to gain from it, other than your pain and suffering, and I'm not that cruel..."

Kori leaned her face into her palms to hide the grin that she couldn't help. Even if he's lying, at least I've given him something to think about!

She uncovered her face when she was ready with a convincing frown. "Truly? You are so kind, Francis."

Francis looked flattered for a half-second before regaining his arrogant composure.

He gazed up at the ceiling of the tent—holding a piece of chicken in his fingers—and asked her, "I don't suppose you have magical power enough to burn all these people to death so we can escape...? The Redeemer should have some amount of magical power, yes?"

Kori nodded—her eyes still wet with tears. "I do... But not enough for us to escape alive. Besides, I generally don't like to burn people to death if I don't have to."

"I suppose we're doomed to be prisoners to these savages." Francis sighed. "Doesn't make much of a difference to me, I suppose."

Kori felt ashamed of herself for manipulating him. She was reminded of how she genuinely felt sorry for the position he was in. I suppose I see his side of things, too.

"I'm sure my knights will find us." Kori said it more to convince herself than Francis.

The elf curled up on floor of the tent and closed his eyes. "I hope so."

Kori finished her dinner and then drifted off into a fitful sleep, as well.

Or were they memories she had drifted off to?

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"Kori," her mother told her sternly as she dressed her six-year-old daughter in a modest dress. "Your father will not always be there to walk you to the school. Your little brother will have to take you on occasion."

"Okay, mama." Kori murmured meekly.

"Don't make eye-contact with any of the men or boys you see on the way there. Keep to yourself and make sure your dress is buttoned all the way up." Mother said as she knelt and made sure the bottom of Kori's dress dragged along the floor as societal norms dictated it do. Next, she made sure that Kori's arms were entirely covered with the dress' sleeves, and when she was satisfied, she sent Kori off to the school with her father.

Nobody looked at her on the way to the school.

Nobody looked at her at all.