[Jairus]
Watching him from the corner of my eye, I can tell he's scared. By now he's slowly getting use to the room. I made my eyes glow to signal for lights and immediately there were my mother's flames of purple casted around them and then around us.
My father gave Tristan a studying glare, "Let us be on with the newcomer. What is your name, boy?
"........" as expected, he's still scared. I rubbed his back a little to comfort him, but he was jumping at that. Calm down, love.
"Jairus, is he alright?"
"Yes he is. Just a little scared and new to the surroundings, Father."
"Well then, I'll ask again. What is your name, boy?
"It's okay, love. Just tell them your name. They're good people."
"Tr.... Tristan," he whimpered.
"Jairus, what is wrong with him?
"I told you before that he's just scared. That's all." him being scared was only starting to make me feel the same way. This is what's best for him. I knelt beside him to be met with bawling eyes. I tried to wipe them away, but he turn his head from me as if I was some kind of monster. So I grabbed his face as best as I could and whispered in his ear, "Calm down, please. Everything is fine."
And with that he let out sigh of relief. I've admired using that spell on others. Now I'm admiring that he's able to relax a little. He straightened up his seat and wiped his tears away.
"Sorry. Please resume," was his sudden remark that had all of us raising our eyebrows. Stellan, my younger brother, had a smirk that made me growl a bit at him.
"Sorry, Brother. It's just that your mate here has surprised me. I'm starting to think he'll be doing it more."
"With that said," my father snarled at him, "tell us about yourself. Then, tell us about how you and Jairus came to cross paths."
"I'm Tristan Dearborn. I'm eighteen. I recently graduated from high school. I'm just a normal human being. I didn't come to Jairus, he came to me. The first time was in two nightmares when he took me away from my grandmother and accused her of being a witch." I was taken aback at that. I stared at him as if he'd just died or something. I couldn't help it. What I couldn't help more were the shocked faces of my mother and sisters.
"Is this true, Jairus?" my mother chimed in.
"Yes Mother, but I was trying to prot-"
"He came to me again in another dream. However, when my grandmother wasn't around. I was by myself enjoying the morning scenery next to a big tree with red and orange leaves. Everything then died down and turn black when he took me and brought me into a dining room. I tried to run and get back to the tree so I could change the whole thing, but when I got to it nothing changed. And he held me saying how I'll be his, how we'll be kings together, and bathing in blood. I thought he was gonna suck my blood and bathe in it, but my grandmother showed up out of nowhere, chanted something that I believe came from a game I've played, and we both were literally bathing in blood because blood started rising from the ground and drowning us."
"I assure you that I was only trying to help him understand, and protect him from that witch. She couldn't have been his grandmother if she's dead. It had to be someone trying to trick him and kill him!"
"Then, I woke up, and he was in my room. He'd said in my dream that he was in my games, he was in my household in the Sims 3, and that he was in my actual house as the two bright, blue fireflies that I collected in a jar the night before. I tried to wake up my boyfriend and pet dog, but they were both deeply asleep as if they were in a coma, or dead. I tried to get away from Jairus by kicking him out my room and calling the police. I saw their cars parked outside our house and thought that they searched everywhere, but when I opened my door I saw their dead bodies sprawled out on the floor and the walls were covered in their blood. I was gonna cry so my boyfriend could hear me, but I blacked out somehow. When I woke up, I was in a different room, maybe his. He was holding me. I tried getting out of his grip, but he was stronger than me. I cried for my boyfriend, but he shushed me by saying that I'll be forced to watch him kill him and give my dog to wolves. And now, I'm here," he inhaled and sighed, wiping the little sweat from his forehead.
All I could do is swear to myself and keep a calm facade as my family glanced between us. I was going to say something to try and reassure them that I did all that to keep him safe, but my father spoke before I could even open my mouth.
"With all of this that happened so you two would cross paths, I take it that you don't want to be with him. Do you not?"
"No sir, I don't. I want to go back to my grandmother's house that she raised me and my boyfriend in, and our family dog. What I want for him however is to find someone else, because I'm not the one for him." he stated with finality. I just stared at him with the same calm demeanor as before. I had to hold in my anger and not yell in my defense, but my mother decided to speak this time.
"My son has his ways of getting to others, as we all do. I mean we are the Whispering Onyx clan. We vigilant and persistent with our words as we are cunning and subtle with our powers. That is why we have the onyx part. We're as cunning and guile as the night brings in the sun's onyx shadow. I'm sure that you'll understand me when I say that he didn't do any of that to hurt you. He was trying to get you to see what a nice guy he is. I'm sure he was-"
"Trying to protect me from a woman who I know for sure is dead and had nothing to do with witchcraft, but yet he calls her a witch and hurt me even more by taking her away. That's what nice guys do? Do they also talk down about people's lovers? Hmm?"
"My, my, Jairus. He also has quite the tongue. Mom, Dad, if he gets thrown into the dungeons, can I have him?" I glared furiously at Stellan. I wanted to rip his head clean off, but I kept my composure.
"No you may not, Stellan." Father denied. "You, Tristan, clearly cannot see how generous we're being. My son saved you from a witch that disguised herself as your grandmother. Seeing as how we have an alliance with a coven of elementals and white magic witches, the one you saw in your dreams was of black magic and tricked you. Yet you don't seem to understand how he had good intentions, one being that boyfriend of yours. Besides, what do you see in him? How is that my son doesn't?"
Tristan didn't answer, but instead he gasped. The calming spell must've worn off. He was fighting back his sobs while the tears came endlessly. I wanted to comfort him so bad now, but he'd just turn away. I went to ru-
"Jairus, the boy said that he's not the one for you. He also insulted you by lying about you. He wants to stay with a man who can't reflect a bullet to save him, and wants to go home." Father turned his gaze to Tristan at the question.
"Y-yes, I do."
"You can either go home with your God, or you can consider a servant's room as your home. Since you want my son to find someone better than you, you will be his personal servant and assistant him while we find one best fit. And when that happens, you'll be executed."
I will not stand for this. This is far too much, even for me. "Father let's be rational here. He just needs time to take all this in. He's-"
"Take the time now to think this through. If you wish to be with my son, you'll have people at your feet. But if you wish to go back, you will his personal servant and have your first punishment carried out as a result of your refusal. Do you wish to be a king with my son, Tristan?"
I turned my now worried gaze to him to await his answer, but he sat there trembling with his head down, hands clasped tightly.
"Her name was Cybil. She's not a witch, and she never was. So no. No I don't want to be a king with your son."
I wanted to make sure I heard that right even though I did. So I kneeled down beside him and tried to hear him out again. "Love, please reconsider this. I will even let you have all that is of your needs."
He looked up directly at my father and answered, "No. I just wanna go home." I was hurt at how broken he sounded. I can't help the guilt feeling that I did this to him. I only wanted him to see how I felt about him.
Now I felt angry, not just at his answer, but at the consequences behind it that my father implied. I didn't want this for him.
"Imbecile! You will be marked as his personal servant, and you will tend to any of his needs! If you refuse or are late on his requests, you will face immediate punisment. He, the head servant, or I will carry out your punishment. You will accompany him in the events, meetings, and meals that he will attend, you will not speak unless he says so. AND if you try to escape, I'll have our top dogs, enchanters, and Yearning Moon's Pack after you."
"Father, you are being unreasonable let me-"
"Hold your hands out!"
He did as told, but I caught them and pleaded with father. "NO!"
It was too late. Just as he held them out, father had already casted two cuffs on his wrists with the mark of our family crest. He finally let out a whimper as the crest on the cuffs glowed, signaling that it burned deep into his flesh. I wanted to stop father, but I couldn't. I looked up at him and saw someone who could do something...... and she did.
"You will not be punished for refusing my son, instead you will still be his personal servant. You do not have to attend the events if you do not wish to. You will not be punished for your tardiness of his requests. You will not be put in a servant's room, instead you'll be put in different room down the hall. Do you understand?" mother commanded, rescuing US both from father's impudence.
Tristan didn't answer. I reached out to him and brought him to stand, but he yanked himself out of my arms and stayed to himself whilst staring at the floor.
"Jairus, take him to his room and see that he is situated and then he's yours for duty. He shall see the ways of our people. Do you understand? " mother asked. I nodded. She tilted her head and asked Tristan the same thing, "Mr. Dearborn, do you understand?"
As we all expected, he still didn't answer, but instead he did nodded and slowly turned around. Father was wearing an outraged face and was going to stop us, but mother snapped her fingers in front of him and he disappeared. "Off you go, then. This meeting is adjourned." she said before disappearing along with my brother and three sisters.
When Tristan and I made our way back to the main hall, I guided him back to my room instead of the guest room. He walked in before me and I locked the door behind me after I was in. I noticed that he stopped trembling and crying, but his eyes were still red from the tears and he wore a face of deep sadness.
I went and brought him into a strong embrace while I had a hand rubbing his eyes. To my surprise he didn't retaliate, but he stayed there. Instead of trying to kiss him and mislead him, I lowered my head to his ear and whispered, "It's okay, love. I didn't mean for this to happen, but one day. One day you will understand."