The Healer

Chapter 39 : Judgement

"LILIANA--"

"I want to know. I want to know everything. That's why you brought me here, right? To tell me what you want to say? Then tell me all of it." 

We stared at each other for a few seconds before he sighed and walked towards me. 

"What I'm going to tell you is the whole truth. It's up to you if you'll believe me or not but that's for you to find out."  

Sumandal siya sa mesang naroon. My hand stung with the ointment but it's bearable. It's the least of my concerns right now. The ship where we're at swayed with the gentle waves. It made me sick.

"I'll take it from here, Laurent." 

Our heads flung to the doorway kung saan nakatayo si Apollo. His face solemn as before. He looked at me, as if asking for permission to enter the room. Laurent waited for me to nod slightly before he went to the chair near the door and sat there. Apollo took the chair across me. 

"How is your wound?" he started. I didn't budge. I tried not clenching my hand. Deep inside me, I want to hear what they have to say. Maybe...maybe I can find something to prove they are wrong. 

"Tell me everything," I said firmly. The room was cold and quite. Only the sound of the distant waves can be heard. I don't know where we are and I gave up trying to figure it out.

"My name is Maynard Black. Apollo is just a title given to any Pirate King. And I was the Pirate King." 

My brows furrowed. I looked at Laurent and he was just looking at me intently as if observing whatever my reaction is. But I don't know what to react. I don't even know what to believe. So I just looked at him, waiting for him to continue. 

"I've told you earlier about my comrades wanting to kick me out of the group. Or rather, they want to have my head all because I decided to quit stealing. They even burned my house and my family and accused me of doing it. I was chased away from my island, my home. They've been chasing me for longer than I can imagine until recently..." he trailed and looked at me. 

"They knew about you and your connection to me," he looked at the wooden floor. As if by doing so, it could make talking easier, could make the words come out his mouth. I remained seated there, staring at him as he struggled to find the next words. I grit my teeth. 

"They conspired with Emerich Sardon when they found out that High Lord's son is also after you," 

He looked at me and I hate that I could see desperation, longing, and regret in his eyes. I hate that deep inside, I think he is telling the truth. I'm afraid what he says is true. What if he's telling the truth? 

"They both want you for their different purposes. The pirates want to hold you hostage so I'll come out and come to them willingly. Emerich Sardon wants you to go back to Sandovia to become his wife so that he could inherit his Father's position. Nabalitaan kong muntik ka nilang makuha but did not succeed." 

I remembered the ambush in the forest.

"So you're saying that you aren't behind those attacks?" 

Bahagya itong umiling. Pinigilan kong magmura. 

"They used the title Apollo to instill fear. I am no longer part of it. The moment they killed my family---your mother and your sister--" 

He looked at me as if watching my reaction then continued.

"--and framed me up for doing it just to teach me a lesson about my decision to stop stealing. That's why I had to be on a constant run. That's why I had to ... I had to leave you to not get you involved. But then they somehow knew one of my daughters is still alive and they plan to get you as a bait to lure me out. And they succeeded. When they ambushed you in the woods that day, I showed myself to them hoping to stop them from targeting you. But they kept trying to get you to give you to Sardon hence, the constant threats you receive. The attacks they did was all to get you and I hate to say it but I have become their puppet since I showed myself to them. And I couldn't do anything to stop it." 

He frustratedly combed his hair using his hand.  "Even when they asked for you in exchange of the slaves they have on that ship, I couldn't do anything. I ended up being their puppet again when I realized you were also on that ship. They made me meet up with the Duke of Araennon when he tried to negotiate. But they---the pirates---don't want it. They want you. So I provoked Exene, hoping he could create a commotion and I succeeded. I used that chance to escape.  Now they're after me. You have to tell them they are after the wrong person. The true Apollo is still out there---"

"All you know is run away," I muttered dahilan para mapatingin sila sa gawi ko. 

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I tried my best to stop it. Not now. 

"You were running all your life you don't know how to face them all now. Maybe that's why they died. Because of your cowardness, maybe it's why they died. Don't expect Davis will be all forgiving even if he knows the truth. You've become a puppet to protect me? No. You were just scared of facing it all again so you didn't even bother fighting back. Even at the end, you still ran away. Don't expect me to forgive you that easily. Because of what you did, my friends have been hurt, other people have been hurt and Davis..." I swallowed the lump in my throat. Remembering that night when Davis told me everything. "Davis has been living his life full of hatred. You left him to survive on his own. Did you even bother coming back to get him? Did you even bother tell him everything?" 

I stared at him, not bothering changing my expression as I spoke. 

"You have already lost your family the moment they died. You already lost Davis when you left him alone. You already lost me when you decided to leave me too." 

"Liliana--" 

He was cut off by a loud pounding on the door. And all our attention went to the door when it burst open. Before we could even react, a gunshot echoed and the next thing I know, Apollo or rather Maynard, is on the floor, holding his leg where he was shot. Exene has his gun pointed towards Maynard. Levi, on the other hand, had his gun pointed towards Laurent who also has his guns pointed at Levi and Exene. 

"Exene--" 

"That's very impolite of you to just barge in somebody else's place, don't you think?" Maynard managed to say. He looked at Laurent, "Laurent, put your guns down." 

"But Father--" 

"Put it down," he said firmly. Laurent looked at Exene and Levi for a few seconds before he put his guns down. Exene and Levi did the same before Exene rushed to my side and check  me up. When he saw the  bandage on my hand, mahina siyang napamura. 

"I did it to myself," I said quietly. I looked at him. Worry is etched across his face and before I could say something else, he pulled me to a hug. And just with that, when I felt his warmth, tears threatened to fall and it took all my self-control not to break down after knowing everything. 

Our attentions went to the door when somebody else came and knocked on the door quietly. It was Ares and I looked behind him ngunit wala ang hinahanap ko. Where is he?

"There's nothing else here. I need to bring this ship home," Ares' eyes went to Maynard and Laurent. "And I need them bound," he said and he looked at our direction.

I stepped away from Exene and called Ares who was about to walk away.

"Ares, they're not the ones you're looking for."

Naningkit ang mata niyang nakatingin sa akin. "What did you say?"

"Lily, what do you mean?" Exene asked. Laurent looked at me as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. Levi also looked at me, eyes wide.

I gulped. "The true Apollo is still out there. These men..." I eyed Maynard who is still on the ground, leg bleeding.

"These men are also victims,"

Naniningkit ang mga matang nakatingin si Ares si akin. "What on earth are you saying?" 

"You're chasing the wrong man. He's Davis' father---" 

"We already know that. But that doesn't make him innocent, Liliana." Ares stared me down but I didn't look away.

"The Pirates used me to lure him out. Because they knew.." 

They all looked at me and I looked at Exene as I said, 

"They knew I am his daughter," 

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