I need to find Reed. You thought as you watched the twins idly walk around your room. But they won't leave me alone.
You thought about the poor child. How was he dealing with Micah's...Micah's...You winced.
"Is something wrong dear?" Connor asked as he glanced at you.
You shook your head quickly, "No. I'm fine I just have to..." You stood up and walked over to the bathroom and quickly shut the door, needing a moment to yourself.
You sank to the ground against it. You needed to get them away, but how. You glanced around the bathroom.
Think like Micah...He knew how to use his environment...
You slowly stood up and examined every inch of the bathroom. No idea came to mind.
"(Y/n)? Are you okay in there?" Aiden asked from the other room.
"I'm fine." You called.
~~~~
"I thought you didn't have a lie that would cover up everything." Aiden said as he sat on the bed.
"It was a spur of the moment decision. She can't check for a 'mysterious southern poison' and it lines up with his wounds." Connor scoffed as he looked at the fire.
"Smart." Aiden grinned and looked out the window.
~~~~
You walked back to the vanity and stared into the mirror.
You looked...bad. It was like a ghost version of yourself.
How much has all of this affected me...You thought as you reached out and touched the mirror.
I wish I was back in the village. I wish I was hanging out with Nadia and Alex. I wish I was cooking with mom. I wish I was picking berries with dad...Your eyes widened for a moment. That was it.
You bent down and opened the cabinet, pulling the small pouch of berries out.
Bezaberries. They induce severe nausea. You glanced at yourself in the mirror once more. It just might work.
Slowly, you opened the door and shuffled back out into the room.
"U-Um..." You started as you looked at the ground, hiding the berries behind your back.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked as he looked up at you.
"W-well...Um...Micah, he snuck out into the village for me once and brought me back some snacks from the garden." You glanced up at them to see their expressions harden. "B-But! I don't want to hide anything from you, a-and you've been so kind and have shown me tons of things about to you...I wanted to show you something that's about me." You held out the pouch of berries.
"Berries?" Aiden inquired as he came up to you.
You nodded and forced a smile, "Yup! We use them in pastries all the time in the village."
Connor walked over and looked into the pouch, "What are they called?"
"B....Bonumberries!" You glanced away and cringed internally.
"I've never heard of them..." Aiden murmured as he picked one up and examined it.
You smiled, "A secret of the village. Only my parents and a few others grow them."
They both nodded as they looked at the berries in their hands.
"Well? Let's try them!" You picked up one and held it up to your mouth.
"Ready?"
They both nodded.
"Alright. Three...Two...One...go!"
Both brothers threw the berries into their mouths. You made it so that the berry purposefully slipped out of your hands.
"Whoops!" You knelt down and picked it up, shooting a glance at the brothers.
"This is actually really-" Aiden stopped mid-sentence as his brow furrowed.
"(Y/n), dear, what's wrong with those berries?" Connor muttered as he lightly held his stomach.
You stood back up, "What do you mean?"
"Th-They're..." Aiden's face paled as he turned towards the door, "Excuse me for a few minutes."
"Me too."
They both left the room and disappeared down the hallway. You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding and put the berries back in their spot. It had worked.
Glancing around, you stepped out into the hallway and ran towards the main entrance. The marble floor was replaced with gravel as you made your way down the path. There was no one outside the stable. It looked...sad and empty.
You made your way towards it, purposefully averting your gaze from one of the pens and stepped inside tentatively. The sunlight filtered through in certain places, giving it an even more ominous feeling.
"Reed?" You whispered as you looked around. No one replied to you. You walked down the row of stalls, looking for the blonde boy.
"Reed?" You called out again, listening for an answer.
The sound of faint crying met your ears and you followed it to an empty stall. You peered in and saw a small figure huddled in the corner. You opened the gate and stepped inside, walking towards him.
"Reed." You said softly as you bent down in front of him.
You saw one of his dark blue eyes look up at you through his hair. "(Y-Y/n)?"
You nodded silently as you pulled him towards you into a hug. He wrapped his arms around you and gripped your dress tightly.
"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here." You rubbed his back as he sobbed into your shoulder.
"I-I saw him. Saw...M-Micah. The guards were dragging him away...T-There was... so much...so much...blood." He hiccupped and his grip tightened.
"I'm so sorry." You whispered, "You should have never seen that. I'm here, you're going to be okay. You're not alone Reed."
He nodded, "They were being so rough...Aren't you supposed to respect the dead? They just kept...playing with him. Throwing him around..and...and...I can't say it. I-I ran out. I told them to stop...but..." He pulled away and looked up at you.
You gasped. There was a cut near his right eye that ran down midway to his cheek. There was dried blood on the side of his face and he looked up at you in worry. You hesitantly reached your finger out and ran it down the cut.
He shook, "T-They laughed. They said they'd kill me like they did him if I didn't go back inside. (Y/n). I was so scared...I-I..." He started crying again and you pressed him back into you.
You made soothing noises and rubbed his back as he let everything out.
You looked at the wall, "Reed. Did they say that they killed Micah?"
He nodded silently as he sniffed.
You felt anger and shame boil up inside you. They lied.
"Okay. I was with him in his last moments. He told me that you would take over everything. I know you're scared and you're a child, but we have to get out tomorrow." You gave him a soft squeeze before pulling away, "You're my knight now, okay?"
He looked at you, his eyes wide, "B-But I couldn't even begin to act like him a-and-"'
You smiled sadly, "Reed. You are the bravest child I know. You've been through so much. He said you knew all the plans. We have to leave. The two of us. That was his last wish."
He looked at you silently for a moment before nodding, "Okay...For Micah."
You nodded as well as you wiped a tear away from his face, "My brave knight."
He sat up straighter, "Micah's plan was to get you out while Aiden and Connor greeted the guests. Mei would have been saddled up and waiting somewhere near the entrance. You're supposed to ride Mei somewhere to the outskirts of the village where you'll wait for us Then, we head east. It's the closest border of their territory."
You let all of the information sink in. He really had thought it all through.
"Okay. We'll still go through with it." You said as you silently stood up. "It should be possible still."
He nodded and stood up as well. "I'll make sure everything's ready." His eyes were a mix of excitement and fear, "They took Micah from me, but they can't take you."
You felt something break inside you, "Reed..." You pulled him into another hug.
"We'll do it. We'll get out for him." You whispered.
The two of you pulled away and got to work with setting everything up for tomorrow.
A/N: The masquerades tomorrow >-<. Which means...a lot of things. I've been waiting to write this part for over a week and I have so many surprises in store. Hope you're enjoying the story! ^-^