"Let go of her!"
Toth ran at Roran. Without so much as turning, Roran punched Toth in the face. Toth's nose crunched and blood spurted out. He dropped to his knees, clutching his face.
"Why?" Roran screamed again. "Why did you kill her?"
Kamil's face was turning red. She clawed at Roran's arm, digging her nails into his skin in an attempt to free herself. As she weakened, her face turning purple and eyes losing focus, Roran released her.
Falling to the ground, Kamil curled up in a ball, coughing. Tears were streaming down her face and a handprint was visible around her neck.
"Answer me! Why did you kill my mother?"
"Is that what this is about?" Murrin climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. "There's no need to get so worked up. And attacking the last remaining councilman is a step too far. If I weren't your father I'd-"
Roran whirled on Murrin, punching him on the jaw. Murrin staggered back, his eyes wide with shock.
"You are not my father. You were nothing more than a client to my mother."
"That's not true. We had something special. We had-"
"If you were so special then what was on her back?"
"Pardon? Her back?"
"Yes, her back. What was on her back?" asked Roran. "You claim to have loved her." He gestured around the dungeon. "You all claim to have loved her. Half of you have slept with her. She saved the town, navigating a mountain in a blizzard to bring medicine for your children. She listened to your troubles and helped you work through your problems. Whenever you were sad or lonely, she was there, giving you comfort. And yet, you all revile her as a whore. You all made it clear that you hate me. Now these fools claim to be my father because I have value, because I bring in money. But the truth is all of you wish I didn't exist, wish that the whore's bastard child would disappear forever so you didn't have to wonder if I was yours or not."
Roran paused, looking around the dungeon. Nobody met his eye. The adults were ashamed after having the truth shoved in their faces. Their children were either embarrassed for their parents or too young to understand and just wanted to avoid confrontation. The only person that was looking directly at him was the warden, still standing by the door.
Sighing, Roran said, "My mother had a tattoo on her back. In the times any of you laid with her, did you see it? Did any of you actually see her with her guard down, see her be vulnerable? Or were you too focused on yourselves, on what you could get from her?"
The silence was his answer.
Turning on Murrin, Roran said, "Kamil killed my mother. She used the same poison that you gave me last night. She put it in a pot of chamomile tea, which delayed the effects and made it appear like a fever. Kamil had plenty of time to go home and take a cure after she left my mother."
Murrin licked his lips. "Oh, I see," he said.
"She murdered her out of jealousy, because she thinks I'm Toth's half brother. She killed an innocent woman out of blind jealousy."
Murrin lowered his gaze and smoothed his mustache. After a moment, he started rubbing his hands together, still not looking at Roran.
Roran waited. He waited for something, anything, to happen. Nothing did. Nothing happened and nobody said anything.
"That's it?" Roran said, confused. "I tell you that she killed my mother, the mother of the person you claim is your child, and you have nothing to say?"
"I uh...well..."
"You knew." Roran closed his eyes and shuddered, the truth hitting him like an icicle to the chest. "This whole time, you knew. Did anyone else know?" He looked around the dungeon, at all the pale, miserable faces. "Did you know she killed my mother?"
Nobody looked at him this time, not even the warden.
"No, child, not everyone knew." Yora came forward, walking slowly on her cane. "But we suspected, which I suppose is just as bad. I suppose nobody said anything because they were ashamed. Ashamed that they laid with your mother, or ashamed that one of their own killed her out of petty selfishness."
"It wasn't petty!" Kamil snapped. Her voice was hoarse but her vigor was back. She glared daggers at Roran. "Your whore mother ruined my marriage. I told Urick to deal with it, to convince that whore to get rid of you before we ended up with a bastard. But he wouldn't do it. He loved her and it ruined all our lives. Now I'm saddled with the whore's legacy and Urick's bastard."
Calmly, Roran walked over to Kamil and squatted down so they were eye to eye. She flinched away from him.
"You're wrong," he said slowly. "I'm not related to Toth, or Urick, or anyone here. And I'm going to prove it. I'm going to prove it so you know that you killed my mother for no reason."
"I wouldn't care even if you weren't Urick's bastard," Kamil spat, mustering every ounce of defiance she had left. "She was a whore, not a mother. The world is better off without her."
Roran pulled the dagger out of his boot and pointed the tip at Kamil. She flinched away, the fight finally going out of her.
"Then know that you only live because of that whore's grace and kindness. If I didn't know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that killing you would disappoint her, I would skin you alive here and now."
Kamil covered her mouth with a hand in a vain attempt to hold back sobs. Tears fell freely from her eyes and she collapsed to the ground, her body shuddering as she cried in fear.
Disgusted, Roran sheathed his dagger and stood. He left the miserable woman and started walking towards the corner where Dorval and Sephyr were sitting, towards the place his sword and shield sat against the wall. Murrin cut him off.
"Now hold on, this temper tantrum has gone far enough. While I don't agree with Kamil's methods, it's understandable that she would be jealous of a whore that-"
Roran punched Murrin in the teeth. Before Murrin could fall to the ground, Roran grabbed his shirt and held him up. He punched Murrin again and again and again, until blood and teeth fell to the ground. Then, he dropped Murrin into the dirt.
"I told you not to call her a whore," he said, and stepped over Murrin's unconscious body.
He walked up to Dorval and held out his hand.
"My sword and shield."
Dorval shook his head. "I can't do that boy."
"I will kill you."
"I'm not about to let you take our only weapons."
Sephyr put a hand on Dorval's shoulder and shook his head. "Let it go, you can't win this fight." Turning to Roran, he handed over the sword and shield. "Good luck out there."
Roran nodded. He buckled the sword and shield to his hips. It felt good to have them back. Sick of the dungeon and of the miserable people inside it, Roran headed for the door where the warden still waited, watching the confrontation unfold.
Toth cut him off. He looked pissed, with blood staining his front and his face scrunched up in pain.
"You can't take those, they're mine. Give them back."
"Get out of my way Toth, I'm leaving."
"Give them back!"
Toth grabbed Roran's shirt, trying to use his superior height and size to intimidate him. Roran slammed his fist into Toth's abdomen. Toth folded, his stomach squishing beneath Roran's fist. He doubled over, coughing and gagging, while still clinging onto Roran's shirt, ripping the thin fabric off him.
Roran stood over Toth, scowling. While Toth was taller and bigger, Roran was made of hard muscle, the weeks of training having shaped his body into that of a gladiator. All the areas Toth was soft, Roran was hard.
When Toth tried to stand up, Roran punched him again. He kicked Toth's leg out, sending him sprawling to the dirt.
Looking down on him, Roran said, "I'm leaving, try to stop me again and I'll kill you in front of your mother."
Defeated, Toth fell back into the ground. Roran walked out of the dungeon and slammed the door shut behind him.