I was up early that next morning, already having an idea in my mind for how the day was going to go. Firstly, I needed to talk with Ezekiel.
I threw on a pair of jeans and an old flannel, (which I may or may not have stolen from Carl, but I didn't want to think about that right then) and I was out the door. I made sure to leave my dad a note, saying where I would be, in case he began to worry, which I knew he probably would. I doubted he would ever trust me after what I did to him.
I paced down the street of the Kingdom to the King's auditorium, where Jerry was standing outside proudly, enjoying a fresh apple. He smiled when he saw me, throwing up a quick peace sign. I let out a quiet chuckle, and returned the gesture.
"Is the king in?" I questioned, and Jerry gave me an adamant nod.
"Go ahead in; he's expecting you," the steward said, and he flashed me a giddy thumbs-up.
I laughed to myself, and told him a thank you before walking into the auditorium, holding my head high. If I was going to try and convince Ezekiel to fight for us, I needed to bring my A-game.
I entered the large room, and was immediately met with a raucous call from Shiva, who was seated at the foot of Ezekiel's throne.
"Easy, Shiva; be kind to our guest," the king said as I approached, flashing me a gentle smile. "Good morning, Miss Sidney; I had a feeling I would be seeing you at some point in the day."
I gave him a nod, and stopped walking about four rows from the front of the stage. "I'm glad, and I believe you know why I'm here."
The King sighed, and his face fell as he nodded once in acknowledgment. "I fear I do, yes."
My eyes drifted down, but I forced them back up; I needed to be confident in my words. "The Saviors didn't just kill our people, sir, they took a part of us away, too. Our freedom, our happiness, they stole that from us. Our group is broken, and I can vouch for that... my relationship with my dad, I broke it... it's gone."
Ezekiel seemed intrigued, he had an eyebrow raised, and he had leaned forward slightly in interest. "They took my dad and I captive, at the Sanctuary. What they did to us, to me, at least, I-I couldn't take it... I got away, but I knew that if they found me, they'd kill another member of our group. I couldn't let that happen, so... I faked my own death. I made everyone believe I was dead, Dad included. That's why I came here, with Jackson and Garret, because I truly had nowhere else to go."
Ezekiel's face fell, and his eyes averted away from mine. "Now, I know all of that is my fault, but what the Saviors did to us, what they took from us... that's on them."
Ezekiel sighed, looking down into his lap as he pondered. From below him, Shiva rested her head on her enormous paws, her eyes fluttering closed gently.
"At the Sanctuary," Ezekiel spoke slowly, "what were you submitted to?"
I stiffened, and my breathing silently hitched. "Um," I began, looking down at the bottom of the stage instead of up at Ezekiel. "They-they kept me in a cell. It was dark, cold. They fed me dog food, or something similar... I mean, it's pretty obvious they beat me,-.." I gestured to my bruised face, "-.. sometimes for no reason, other times because, uh..."
I bit my lip, and inhaled a slow breath. "Other times because my dad did something they didn't like...they were using me as a bargaining chip. If my dad didn't cooperate, they'd beat me up. They just had me there for that reason; to be used as a pawn for my dad to behave... that was it."
Ezekiel looked at me with a pitiful expression, and a part of me disliked that he felt bad for me. But, another part knew that it could be used to my advantage.
"I'm sorry this has happened to you," Ezekiel began, seeming entirely sincere. "You're story is one of sorrow, and horrors that should never be bestowed upon a human being. I would wish that upon no one, especially not a soul as kind as your own... You have a way with words, Miss Sidney. I will have to think on this concept, whether to assist you in your war, but I believe you have begun to persuade me in your favor."
He gave me a soft smile, and I flat-out grinned right back at him.
That was the best news I had heard in what felt like forever.
I made my way back to the cabin after Ezekiel and I concluded our conversation, and when I got back, I found that Dad was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't entirely worried, but I did walk around the community, making sure he didn't leave and try to go back to Alexandria.
I eventually spotted him out at the archery practice range, a crossbow held tight in his hands. One of the Kingdom guards, Richard, was with him, and they seemed to be holding conversation.
I had an internal battle with myself, debating whether I should head over there or not, before I finally began walking the other direction. Dad seemed okay right then, calm; I didn't want to ruin that for him.
I made my way back to the cabin, and just tidied up a bit. I was trying to busy myself with miscellaneous tasks, just to take my mind off of the reality I was trapped in. I didn't know how well it was working, but it was the only thing I could do to take my mind off things. If I wasn't doing anything, horrid memories would fill my head, and once they did, I couldn't get rid of them.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I heard another set of footsteps in the cabin, immediately making my heart rate increase. I leaned out from the doorway to my bedroom, and saw Dad in the kitchen, washing his hands in the basin. He must've sensed my gaze, because he turned to look at me almost instantly. I flashed him an uncertain smile, and his eyes drifted away from mine before he gave me a nod in acknowledgment.
I debated whether to return to writing in my journal, but after a second, I stood up, walking over to the doorframe that led into the common area. I leaned against the wood, looking down at the floor, ashamed.
"I know you don't wanna hear this from me, but... I am sorry, Dad..."
He froze, allowing the water from the faucet to continue to run. I kept my distance, remaining still and staying silent as I waited on him to speak. There were so many things unsaid between us, so much tension. We needed to address so many things, but both of us were too scared, too hurt, to even try.
Eventually, his voice came from him, soft, and almost caring. "Yeah, I know... that don't make it okay, Sid."
My breathing shuddered, and I looked up to him, a silent plead in my eyes. "Then, what will?"
He still didn't look at me; he kept his gaze trained on the countertop in front of him. I could still see, though, he was aching to ask me something, to talk to me like he used to. He didn't like the tension between us, and neither did I, but there were too many unsaid words for everything to be okay. Too many things had gone wrong.
"Sid, I-... I jus' don't know," he admitted, shaking his lowered head.
As much as I understood how hurt and angry he must've been, in a way, I wanted him to understand what I was feeling, too. He had a right to be sorry just as much as I did. I was terrified when he hit me - it was the worst feeling I'd ever had - and he never apologized.
"You know," I said quietly, avoiding eye contact, "I know you can't accept my apology.. but you hit me, Dad... and never apologized."
I shyly glanced at him side ways, and saw the anger in his eyes quickly fade to guilt. A whole lot of it. He bit his lip, and looked up from the countertop, glaring out through the window above the sink. The sunlight shining through the window illuminated the tears in his eyes, and I looked away at that sight.
To my surprise, he didn't say anything, not even the slightest apology.
He stepped away from the counter, walked right past me, and stormed out the door.
AN: HOLY RAVIOLI THANK YOU ALL FOR 10K READS!!! ❤️❤️💛💛💜💜💖💖