The Betrayal of a Loved One

In the brightly lit dining hall sits Maldoran.

As he props various foods of delicacy into his mouth, he chews and swallows in a somewhat beastly manner, which his sister frowns embarrassingly at. But Malinda herself has also dishes that have been placed there by the servants when they had come back from the kitchen.

They had come with platters in hand, then as only three people were seated by the table, they stood on either side of the seated individuals while setting down the plates filled with warm food that seeped up in the air to give the dining hall an aroma of fine-carved meat with gravy; potatoes, vegetables of different colors. Also a little bit beside the placed tableware, a bowl of vegetable soup which’s exactly the same as what Madelyn ate, but ranging from a more diverse selection.

Bread, cheese, ham, butter, and many other toppings that go along with appetizers to settle the growling stomachs, but since the main dish came right away, Malinda and Maldoran had just begun eating while Malinda tried to show Xe’Reth which silverware he needed to use. Maldoran had intently watched Xe’Reth as he propped dish after dish. Though to Malinda’s, Maldoran’s and the servants’ surprise, Xe’Reth knew which silverware was used on which.

………

Now, here in this dining hall, all three of them eats as Malinda keeps a close eye on her man beside her, so he doesn’t mess up, but from her brother’s sudden chuckling voice, her eyes direct to him with a questioning flicker, “Lad, you certainly surprise me. Even though I’m not currently exerting myself to dine with elegance, but you, how have you learned the etiquette of nobility?”

“Yes, I’m also wondering about that actually… Xe’Reth, where have you learned it?” Malinda too questioned with pursing lips while holding a spoon ready with steamy sauce which drips into the bowl of soup.

With a blow, Xe’Reth coolly puts his own spoon into his mouth as he then says with a satisfied smile, “My mother, she has always been jealous of nobles. And through her jealousy, she tried to become the finest lady she could possibly be while rubbing everything she learned onto me because there are always books that can teach anything as long as you have the stomach to learn. Which she had.”

“Ah, I see, your mother taught you,” Maldoran said with a nodding head of approval, which eases his suspicious heart. Xe’Reth’s posture, his air isn’t that of a commoner, though now when Xe’Reth explained it to him, Maldoran believes that this lad isn’t so bad after all. ‘Oh well, since I’ll be seeing him a lot from now on, I better take care of him… so little sister doesn’t begin to hate me.’

Malinda lowers her spoon into the bowl as her other hand places on Xe’Reth’s shoulder while she smilingly says, “I remember now, yes, your mother also taught you how to dance, didn’t she?”

“Dance?!” Maldoran shouted in surprise as his body bends forward, to stare wide-eyed at Xe’Reth.

“Indeed, brother! You should’ve seen what he did to me! It was as if he had control over my entire body. That feeling of trust to surrender one’s own self to sway in flowing movements is truly heartwarming… It reminded me of father…” Malinda said in a daze while having a wide smile, but she coughs in embarrassment as both her brother’s and Xe’Reth’s eyes gazes at her; one with flickering lids and one with a raised scarred brow of wonder. “I… I mean… I—Xe’Reth is just a good dancer, that’s all—Let’s not talk about it any further.”

Malinda picks up her soup-filled spoon, then sticks it in her mouth while she surprisingly pouts with a head turning away from them. Which causes Maldoran to chuckle loudly at her new way of womanhood.

“Hahaha, really, baby sister! You’ve changed so quickly into a little girl, it’s almost as if I don’t recognize you anymore in that innocent manner! It’s simply hilarious! Hahaha!” Maldoran laughed as he leans back in his throne of a seat while hitting the armrest with his fist to try to ease his own laughter.

“Brother, stop laughing at this instant or I’ll have to—!!” Malinda growlingly shouted as she interrupts herself. Her gaze wanders to Xe’Reth whose eyes show slight bafflement, but instead of finishing what she wanted to yell, she says, “Just stop it, okay? It’s not funny, I’m just my regular self…”

“Gahahaha, your regular self?!” Maldoran snorted a laugh as he bangs on the armrest a little more, “Oh no, dear baby sister, you’ve changed! For the better even! Indeed! Indeed! And maybe you’ll also need to retire from the army?! Because you’ll be needing a lot of rest from the intense nights that you two will have!!” Hahaha! Haha—ahhh?!”

*Shriek*

A silvery knife soar through the air, then with a thud, it splits the wood as the knife embeds itself right next to Maldoran’s head, making him gulp in utter fright with a frozen body, while the servants standing by the walls have various faces on them; hands covering their agape mouths, eyes gawking at the silver tip which’s protruding at the backrest of the throne-like chair, and their pure fear for Malinda who stares at her brother with a deadly gaze.

“I told you to shut up, you big oaf, I’ll not say it again,” Malinda uttered with wide staring eyes looking directly at her fear grimacing brother. But again she realizes what she just did. Her eyes go to Xe’Reth this time. He’s actually smiling at the knife in amazement, though with one flick of his eyes, he returns to his normal self as he turns to Malinda.

“Well, that was something I’ve never seen before,” Xe’Reth said with a slight chuckle in his voice, which make Malinda breathe out a sigh of relief as she listens to his forgiving words. “You okay Maldoran?”

“Wah?! Ah! Yes… Yes of course. Haha, of course, I am okay, Xe’Reth. And you’re right, sister, you haven’t changed at all, not at all… Not at all,” Maldoran said as he slumps forward to begin eating again while his eyes stare alertly at his sister so she doesn’t lash out at him again for good measure. But as he catches her worried expression, he fights on. “But… Sister… You’ve done it with him, right? You know.”

He raises his hands while forming a circle with two fingers, then with one single finger on his other hand, he stabs into the circle, in and out, in and out while Malinda stares at his weird motion, which she actually wonders what he means by it. Though as Xe’Reth leans to Malinda, he whispers, “It means if we’ve had sex yet.”

Malinda turns bright red as she now gazes with clarity at her brother’s moving hands. Her lips shake as she tries to speak, but her eye twitches, no, spasms as her anger boils and boils in her mind, then with a stuttering scream, she releases every bit of her rage, “B-B-B-Bro-Brother, enough!!!!”

Even the spoon in Malinda’s hand bends with her grip strength, which Xe’Reth chuckles at in even more amazement. ‘Will I be capable enough to show my dominance in bed? Or will she be the one on top and I be on the bottom? No, she’ll probably be as scared as she was when we first kissed, as innocent as she can be. Though as time goes on, will she take the lead when she becomes more comfortable? No, I’ll not let her…’

“Okay—Okay—Okay—Okay, I’m sorry! I’ll stop!” Maldoran worriedly shouted with hands covering his face to guard from any flying objects, but no objects fly towards him, only the staring eyes of his sister that tries to calm down while her crimson lip twitches in fury. “I… I was only joking around, alright? Baby sister?”

“Maldoran,” Xe’Reth interrupted, “You shouldn’t speak about such activities when she’s very innocent at heart. Today was her first kiss with me, even though such a simple act took a lot out of her, so go easy on her, alright?” Xe’Reth mused teasingly to clear the brewing storm which has laid itself thick in the dining hall.

Even the servants wonder what Maldoran meant by those hand gestures he made, but when one servant who’s well-informed in sexual information whispers to the clueless ones, they go bright red as Malinda is right now.

Malinda whips her head at Xe’Reth with eyes ajar as she stutters sobbingly, “X-Xe’Reth… N-Not you too…”

“But in all seriousness, sister, you’re acting like a child. You blush here, and throw tantrum there, while Xe’Reth isn’t moved by such mature talk. Really, who’s the older one in your relationship?” Maldoran continued as he scolded jokingly, with a fork-holding hand flailing about as if he’s painting in the air. “You said you were seventeen when we finished our chat about the perpetrators, right?”

“That’s correct, I’m around seven years younger than Malinda,” Xe’Reth replied with a nod as he cuts into the steak while red blood and fat seeps out, staining the gravy, making an oily wave push the brown sauce away.

“Brother… I warn you. If I think what you’re thinking of, don’t utter a single word of it. What does it matter what age he is? I love him, that’s all that matters,” Malinda frowningly said with a sliced piece of bread in one hand, while having a wooden butter knife in her other, which she wipes with. Then she puts it beside Xe’Reth’s plate as she licks her buttery fingers, “Here, Xe’Reth, try dipping the bread into the soup, it’s delicious.”

“Sister… don’t be such a mother. If he wanted to try something as weird that, he’d do it himself. But honestly, I never get why you spoil the bread with soup instead of having toppings,” Maldoran said with a shaking head of disapproval as he sticks a big bit of steak into his mouth. “Mmhm. Smeriously, dmipping ims smo unmladylike…”

“You’ll not speak about how I eat; just look at him Xe’Reth, don’t you think he eats like a complete pig?” Malinda retorted with a pointing knife directed at her brother, which he recoils from by putting up his hands in reflex.

Some of the servants surprisingly even nod in agreement with Malinda but returns to be frozen in place by the wall as she catches their slight movement with their heads.

“Well, I am kind of surprised how un-nobly you act, Maldoran,” Xe’Reth answered as he gazes at the smirking brother-in-law to be while Maldoran reaches out with his hand to pick up his glass of fine red wine. “Though, I’m guessing you normally don’t act like this when your wife, Celyssa, is here, right?”

“Haha, you’re quite right!” Maldoran shouted favorably as he swirls with his glass, then smells the aroma of the wine. “If she were to see how I acted right now, she would have such a fit over it! Hahaha!”

“But Xe’Reth my boy, do try some wine!” Maldoran offered as only a container of water have been placed by him and Malinda. He knows that Malinda doesn’t ever drink anything that’s unhealthy, only a diet of regular food for a noble and water, simply water. “It is imported from the other side of the ocean where the most expensive delicacies come from. I’ve only been there once with my wife before we got Merissa, truly a paradise for those who have the means of wealth. Come, try some.”

Maldoran raises his hand, then with a wave, a servant obediently begins to walk calmly towards Xe’Reth, but before the servant reaches the table, Malinda thrusts forth her hand, and with a high serious voice, she yells, “Stop right there! You’ll not urge Xe’Reth to begin drinking such filth called wine! Water is the purest form of drink which he and I will only need. So, shoo, go back and stand by the wall, go!”

Xe’Reth has been quiet while listening, but being controlled of what to eat and drink isn’t something he’ll allow Malinda to do. He takes Malinda’s one hand as he squeezes it while saying disobediently, “Sure, I’ll have some, Maldoran.”

“Xe’Reth!” Malinda barked with wide eyes as she’s stunned by his sudden answer, feeling his gripping hand at the same time. Yet before she utters anything else, Xe’Reth retorts with a smile, “Malinda, honey… We’ve had a rough day, and I’ve never tasted such luxury as wine. So would it really be that bad to taste it just this once?”

“Well… I… Well, no…” Malinda replied with a grimacing expression as she tries to get out her words.

All this time of never giving into anything that could harm her own body has fortified her resolution of these kinds of actions. Though now? Does she really need to keep up with her stubborn ways of a trained mind? A mind that only thinks of upcoming wars, training her body to be fit, and to feel relaxed as she waits for the battle by the Ebon Wall. Is it really worth to restrict Xe’Reth to her ideals? She shakes her head in dismay as her own foolish way of control collapses entirely.

“I, I guess only this once you can try—,”

“—No, you too Malinda. Because you’ve had a dreadful day. Your mind needs to let go of its worries completely,” Xe’Reth cut her off as he raises his gripping hand to kiss hers. “And it’ll be easier to go to sleep together later. So let’s drink for today since it is really my first time drinking alcohol. I would enjoy drinking it with you.”

“A-All right, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try it for once…” Malinda said with a slow nod while gazing into his eyes. Blushing cheeks sprout on her face also when his lips had touched her hand.

“Pfffttt—Hahaha! You know how to handle women, Xe’Reth! But be careful so you don’t make her do things she will regret later. Haa!? Haa!?” Maldoran laughingly said with a slapping hand on Xe’Reth’s shoulder, yet weak since he’s still worried about Xe’Reth’s current condition. “That settles it then! Now, fill their glasses with blood, haha!”

With that, the servant who stopped midway to the table, continues to walk to be positioned between Xe’Reth and Malinda. Though upon making eye contact with the Lady in question, the servant’s head droop with a grimace for being on serving duty. Angering someone like her will truly put her at a disadvantage against all of the other servers in the kitchen.

As Xe’Reth stares at the servant whose clothed-covered bust display before him, he goes wide-eyed for a split second. For two giant mountains bulge as she pours Malinda’s empty wine glass to be entirely full. Malinda, however, grumbles at this servant’s overly large breasts because they surely aren’t supposed to be that big. Even the perfume exudes off of her uniformed body which Xe’Reth scents fully yet totally unmoved by it.

With Malinda’s glass brimming with redness, the servant turns her attention to the striking young man sitting right next to her, and as their eyes now make eye contact, she becomes entirely frozen because he stares with those peering globes of shadows.

Never have she witnessed such a trait in anyone in the citadel before. Sure, she saw him from afar, but what most people don’t know about her, her eyes, they can’t see far away objects clearly. And she hasn’t had the courage to request glasses, so none knows of her poor eyesight.

Her agape eyes gaze directly into Xe’Reth’s, while he raises his curious scarred eyebrow at her cease of movement.

“What is the matter? Why are you standing there all aloof?” Malinda questioned as the servant doesn’t move a muscle, instead, she’s gawking at Xe’Reth as if he’s some newly found species. Even Maldoran squints at the servant’s frozen state, but before the servant responds, Malinda becomes furious at this servant’s boldness. “Answer me, dammit!!”

As Malinda pulls the servant’s shoulder to turn her towards her, a gasp of surprise exhales out of the servant’s mouth as her dazed mind becomes wide awake. Though with Malinda’s unexpected yank of her uniform, the servant’s newly startled awareness drops the container holding the wine as everyone’s eyes go wide, even the servants by the wall. But Xe’Reth, he watches the container fall from the grimacing servant’s hands; her own doom awaits her.

With one smiling curve, Xe’Reth stretches out so the container lands on his palm neatly.

The servant has closed eyes because the can’s material is see-through glass. It would’ve made such a crash on the granite floor, but thankfully as the servant’s eyes open up to witness no doom, only a man’s hand balancing the glass container, she sighs out shuddering air.

“What madness were thinking of?!” Malinda furiously shouted as she stands to grab ahold of the servant to turn her directly towards her. The servant tries to recoil in utter terror upon her face, but Malinda’s clutching hands hold her tightly in place. “If this is some kind of joke trying to shame him, I’ll see to it that you’re put to the worst duty in the entire citadel!!”

“Nooo, Lady Malinda… I wasn’t, I wasn’t trying to do anything…” the servant pleaded weakly with retreated hands under her chin, trying to not cry about her grave mistake in dazing out right in front of the two powerful persons in the entire citadel. “Please… I… I was just taken aback by your lover… I’ve never seen eyes as black as that before… I’m sorry… Please, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“Malinda…” Xe’Reth frowningly said, standing up to glare angrily at his lover, which she goes wide-eyed at in shame for she probably showed such a contorted expression while she yelled. Making her hands relax as she releases the servant, but the servant remains frozen in place between the chairs, the center of attention. “Sit down, now. She didn’t do it on purpose. Her eyes were just in complete surprise. And with your dragging, of course, she would be startled out of her mind. Now sit.”

Malinda, wide-eyed as her mouth open in bafflement; Maldoran, whose eyes flicker in slight respect for ordering her proud sister so strictly. But what take him aback the most, Malinda furrows her brows as she tamely sits down again while crossing her arms with pouting lips and head in the direction of the giant painting of her father, her mother, her sister, her brother, and herself.

“You can go back to your position by the wall, we’ll pour our own drinks, now go on. And don’t look so sad, it was just an honest mistake. No harm was done, right?” Xe’Reth smilingly comforted the shriveling servant who’s in her late teens, same age as him, yet her bust has totally grown out of proportion.

With a saddened nod from the girl, she walks away as she gazes with a turned body so no death stare comes from Malinda, but no gaze, nothing, only the man who saved her from enduring punishment by the hand of his lover.

Maldoran chuckles happily as the server strides past him in quick movements to stand at her regular position by the wall. Then while Malinda’s mood has been spoilt completely, Xe’Reth directs his attention to his lovely dressed lady. He leans in as one hand touches the back support of the chair to place his palm on Malinda’s turned cheek, to move it to look into his eyes, which she does submissively.

Her face, filled with sorrow on her almost closed eyes, downturned mouth, and lowered furrowed brows. She isn’t any better than her sister for scolding that servant so harshly.

Nothing even happened, yet she struck forth without thinking of the consequences that might come of it. This temperamental trait of hers, she has trained to not act like an arrogant noble, only when the need arises can she switch it on, but not against a servant that didn’t mean to do what she did. She must count on that some servants in the citadel have never seen a young man before.

As she looks into Xe’Reth’s eyes, she utters, “I… apologize, I just. I’ve no…”

“It has been a harsh day for you and me both, my Malinda, my love,” Xe’Reth whispered with a slightly crouched body. She’s actually pouting with her lips in an innocent way that asks for attention since she doesn’t want to ruin the rest of the evening. But his words, ah, his words of simply brushing it off as if it didn’t even happen, it strengthens her resolution, though before she can give him a kiss of gratitude, he reaches with his arms while coiling them around her body to embrace her fully. “Now, let us continue to celebrate. Let us drown in the mind-numbing effect of the wine. Then as the dinner is finished, we’ll head to bed. To sleep together for the first time; to feel our warm bodies against each other. Come, brighten up to show me how beautiful you can be, and not your saddened self, I hate seeing you in pain…”

“Is everything all right?” Maldoran asked as he only hears muttering from Xe’Reth yet not catching the words. But with Malinda’s face changing from a grief-stricken woman to a fawning woman of love, his eyebrows raise in surprise as his sister gains a gorgeous smile on her lips while Xe’Reth lets go of her to sit down again, all coolly.

“Yes… Yes, brother. Everything is all right. I just embarrassed myself, that’s all,” Malinda responded as she breathes out her worries. “Now, let’s continue eating and put this event behind us.”

“If… If you say so, but really, you can be so alike your sister sometimes that it isn’t even funny, especially your mood swings,” Maldoran sighed in disappointment but rasps his throat as Malinda glares at him. “Okay—Okay—I got it. Lad, if only I was so outgoing when I was at your age, then maybe…”

“I mean—Women, right Xe’Reth?! Haaha?! Haa?!”

As slap after slap bombard Xe’Reth’s shoulder, he simply chuckles to not make the situation any worse than it already is. Then Malinda picks up the wine container. She takes the initiative to pour Xe’Reth’s empty glass to be completely full.

“Xe’Reth, let’s taste together,” Malinda said as she places the container down, then offer his glass to him, without him having a choice to choose because he wanted to drink, and drink he shall do. A lot. ‘I’ll show Xe’Reth that I’m not so easily influenced by alcohol… But… what if I am?’

“Why, thank you, honey,” Xe’Reth said half-jokingly with white teeth fully showing as he takes the offered glass casually off of Malinda’s hand.

“To you two, I guess!” Maldoran shouted with a raised wine glass while Xe’Reth does the same, so do Malinda with a smile on her lips.

“To us,” Malinda celebrated with a clink of her glass against Xe’Reth’s.

“To us,” Xe’Reth smilingly replied, directing all of his attention to his lovely maiden who also smiles beautifully as if her whole world revolves around this very moment. “And for the years to come.”

………

……

…

“Mistress…? Please, open up and tell us what’s the matter,” Liriana pleaded with head pressed against the door that leads into Madelyn’s bedchamber. Only Liriana, the red-headed Velyn, and Velyn’s twin sister stands outside, trying to urge their Mistress in opening the door. But to no avail since as soon as the servants who escorted Cerinn through Malinda’s wing came back, they had told what happened in great detail.

About how they were stopped by her sister’s lover. He whose hair and eyes are black. It struck Madelyn’s furious mind into total confusion and turmoil. First she didn’t think it was Xe’Reth that they spoke of, but then when they said his name, she froze in place.

Nobody knows Madelyn’s love interest, except Celyssa. But she has no idea that the shorty heard the name, the name of Xe’Reth which she had screamed in complete ecstasy as her midnight joy of pleasure sounded out in her entire bedchamber. Though never would she have thought that a servant was eavesdropping through the door, standing in the very room where she had been sentenced; Cerinn the Cunning heard the name of who she loved, who she screamed for.

But now inside the bedchamber she weeps and weeps, not hearing the voices of her worried handmaidens. She lies on her glorious bed, looking up at the spectacular ceiling where carved granite of different women displays, the women of the Tertin line who came before her; her grand, grand, grandmother. And many other Tertin women has lived in this very chamber, yet now it belongs to Madelyn.

She weeps as she turns over to lie on her belly with tears staining the white linen sheets, pillows, and cover. Her whole body, which’s covered by her loose garment completely show her untrained curves. Not plump, and not skinny, only a perfection of fat and bone, while her bosoms push into the bed as her sorrow continues to drain her water supply of tears.

“Mistress, let us in! We want to help! Tell us what we can do to help!” Liriana shouted with a muffled voice outside the door. But no response returns to the anxious handmaidens.

When the sudden name of Xe’Reth popped up from the two escorts, Madelyn had screamed with all her fury for every single servant to return to their duties, then she stormed into her bedchamber. Locking it, too.

Only Madelyn has a key and none other. And that worries the handmaidens the most. They care for their Mistress deeply, even with Madelyn’s dreadful nature. Yet they’re also scared that she might lash out at them too, so the three of them has just positioned themselves by the double door patiently.

“It can’t be him—It mustn’t be him…” Madelyn muttered with her head buried in her pillow, soaking it as liquid moisten the material. Her reddened cheek pulsates in pain as it presses. “Why…? Why is Xe’Reth with sister…? Why is my sister with him…? I… I d-don’t understand…”

Her hidden face grimaces dearly, yet she rolls to her back to reveal her swollen eyes of sorrow. She has cried for too long, she has thought for too long, and now she has come to the maddening conclusion: Her precious eldest sister stole him from her. ‘How can she do this to me…? She must’ve known from how I acted towards him at the Ebon Wall yesterday… And by the breakfast table… To… to take that which is mine… That, that whore! How dare she…?!'

'I SAW HIM FIRST! THREE YEARS AGO! HE IS MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! HOOOOWW DAAAREEE YOOOUUU, SISTEEEERRR!!!?!?!?!??!’

Yes, it happened three years ago.

In the outer castle ground where Celyssa had arranged the trials to become a part of Madelyn’s newly formed squadron of archers. People from all ranks, the poor, commoners of different backgrounds, and nobles from both low and high came. They were let into the third layer of the city for that single day of tryouts.

Since Madelyn’s status is an Honored One, the masses flocked to the trials for the chance to gaze upon a girl of utter wealth and power. However, not only Madelyn, but her brother, her sister, her niece, and of course, the hardworking Celyssa who put everything in place for that spectacular day came to support her.

It was an early morning by one of the outer castle ground’s training yards; a giant square field of fine beige sand which had been imported from the kingdom’s beaches by the ocean. They had built stands on two sides of the square formation where people sat to gaze upon the participants as they were given number after number to indicate when it was their turn.

The Tertin family and their invited guests of nobility had situated themselves on a pavilion overlooking the training field. Like a stadium where people gaze at the combatants, but this time, no combat, only an event put up for the sake of having some kind of formality in recruiting teenagers into Madelyn’s service.

Families of nobility and high ranked citizens were located on one side, and on the other, the poorer families who wanted their child to succeed in joining the Honored archer squadron of Madelyn because the pay of that particular squad was higher than normal squads’ salaries.

Advertisements had spread all around the city and in the Tertinum domain weeks before this particular occasion.

Merely teenagers between thirteen and seventeen were allowed to join the trials, for the reason, Madelyn didn’t want to have anyone higher in age than her. Because she wanted to be the leader, even though her leadership material counted for squat. But, Madelyn wasn’t the one who instigated the idea of becoming a commander of a squad. Her brother, Maldoran came up with it. Otherwise, she would’ve lazed around all day, every day.

Of course, she tried to decline, though when Celyssa came into the fray, she agreed with her husband, which made Madelyn lower her head in obedience. Her current wealth wasn’t given to her until she became eighteen years old. That was why she hadn’t a choice but to suck it up. To act as an Honored Lady. To show no weakness of childish behavior. To appear as beautiful as she can be.

To gaze out onto the beige field of hardworking girls and boys who fired arrow after arrow at the circle targets, to hit dead center, but alas, people who missed their targets were ultimately shamed to not be accepted into the Honored archer squad.

“Do not dare to sit down, Madelyn,” Celyssa strictly demanded while an eleven-year-old girl had glued onto her, and that girl was Merissa. A year of blindness had she suffered since her eyesight vanished. “You must show that you’ve an interest in their effort in coming here today, so stand with a head held high, chest forward, and hands behind your back, chop, chop, do it now.”

Madelyn stood by the handrail of the pavilion, leaning with her light plated arms to overlook at the meaningless activity before her. But she sighed with an uninterested shake of her loose blond-haired head as her body straightened to stand upright, right as Celyssa instructed.

“My dear, Merissa, say aaahhh,” Maldoran said who’s seated beside his wife and daughter while forwarding a bagel for Merissa to eat. Her favorite. She always got what she wanted because of her blindness, moreover since her parents didn’t want her to ever feel depressed.

The current dark world in front of her eyes.

“Noo!” Merissa pouted, with an arm whipping randomly to try to hit her father’s bagel-holding hand, but failed miserably.

“But, but, it’s your favorite…” Maldoran urged with a somewhat childlike voice as he too pouted with his lips.

“No! I don’ wanna eaat!” Merissa shouted with an arm flailing about to seek her goal, but yet again she failed to reach her father’s hand since he retreated back with a saddened grimace. A stubborn little princess he had there in front of himself.

“But honey, you must eat. Because it’ll be a long day of archery until everyone has finished and been chosen to join your aunt’s squadron,” Maldoran insisted with a stricter tone, yet had a gentle smile of certain victory.

“Humph,” Merissa declared with pouting lips and an opened palm stretching toward her father’s voice.

“Good girl,” Maldoran said, patting his daughter’s head, then placed the bagel into her small pale hand.

It didn’t take long before another “Humph,” requested one more bagel while Merissa’s content expression revealed every bit of joy she held in munching down the chocolate balls with sprinkled white flake topping. Her mouth, stained with brown stickiness which her mother wiped off when her daughter tugged at her lavish sleeve.

“Malinda, my dear, how about you?” Maldoran offered his stationary sister beside him who sat staring out at the field, yet with stone-cold eyes traveling to him, she simply did a closed-eyed shake of her head, then again began staring out at the diligent teenagers. A mid-twenty-year-old Malinda whose strictness was overly grim at that point of time. While behind the Tertin family, handmaidens of Madelyn, Malinda, Celyssa, and Merissa stood in a complete obedient line.

The flame-haired sisters, Taryna, and Tanya were there, yet the Battle-Mistress Recina was unaccounted for. The head-handmaiden, Linadra, and her daughter, Liriana, were surprisingly seated on chairs since Linadra did sway what went on in the citadel, and outside too. Madelyn’s other handmaidens, Velyn, and her twin sister stood behind the empty chair belonging to their Mistress, for Madelyn must show herself fully to the masses of people who had gathered.

Madelyn wore obsidian and crimson colored light plate armor to display her battle prowess, which she didn’t have. Yet, it’s the same armor she had on the Ebon Wall when she bullied Xe’Reth out of his money. Only an appearance for the eye-sparkling gazes of all the people who want to witness an Honored family, their rulers of Tertinum City and its domain.

‘Damn you brother. Why did you have to put this in motion all of a sudden… I was happy doing absolutely nothing,’ Madelyn grumbled in her mind as her eyes wandered about the sandy field.

None of the firing teenagers caught her interest. The teenagers’ eyes, however, nervously peered behind, up to the high pavilion above them to witness the sisters of beauty. Both girls and boys wouldn’t miss the chance to gawk at them if they had the opportunity.

Though, as the line of teenagers became shorter and shorter the longer the day went, it had come to the last group to fire.

It was rather simple of how one could get into Madelyn’s squad: Every individual got five arrows. They were required to hit the painted targets which stood fifty meters ahead. The minimum of arrows that needed to hit was three out of five, so of course, those who had no experience in archery were eliminated immediately from the trials.

Maldoran’s middle gate’s high ranked soldiers handled the process and were the judges.

Then, as the last group readied themselves to fire, Madelyn’s eyes flickered. Below, down by the field’s firing range stood Xe’Reth whose black hair displayed fully in the sunlight, while his length was that of an eleven-year-old. Tiny for a fourteen-year-old boy. Yet his height was the special component that made Madelyn stare at him.

Her family were chatting with the invited guests who brought along their sons and daughters to try to gain some kind of response from the two Tertin maidens. Well, at least, they tried but ultimately failed because Madelyn had to stand in a proud stance for the gathered people, and Malinda, they didn’t dare to interrupt her, since her expression said it all. People with ulterior motives, people with different masks to hide their deceitfulness, and people whose kind-heartedness had no agenda other than to support their Lord and Lady of the city.

As she stood there gazing at the short kid, her eyebrows furrow in disgust with a raised lip; his clothes, filthy and tattered. But his face was hidden for she stared at his back while he readied his bow of darkness.

People began to point and laugh as they saw the boy with such a bow in his hands. The bow was actually longer than his height.

“Wasn’t the age restriction fourteen to seventeen?!”

“Indeed! What kind of nerve does that rascal have, to try to join our city’s Honored Lady’s squad? But oh well, let him suffer humiliation trying to draw that bow of his with his puny body, heh.”

Before the gossip could continue any further, a booming voice ringed out as it had before, “GREET YOUR HONORED LORD AND LADIES!!”

All of the archers turned around simultaneously, then with ten shouting voices of both girls and boys, they yelled, “Thank you! Our Honored Lord and Ladies!”

“BOW AND SHOUT YOUR GRATEFULNESS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN!!!”

The ten recruits bowed and shouted in unison, “We’re extremely grateful to be given this opportunity to serve an Honored One!”

“TURN!!” the high ranked soldier shouted with such a demanding tone. The ten recruits obeyed with a turn of their bodies. “DRAW!!”

They drew their bows to their max with a nocked arrow. But, what people might not understand was their unexpected coordination, but it was a pamphlet of written words given to the upcoming recruits when they had gotten their numbers. Though, the teenagers of poorer background had to ask the person in front of them or behind them, because most of them couldn’t even read simple letters.

Madelyn had peered at Xe’Reth when he turned around; her eyes indeed went wide as she faintly caught a glimpse of his eye color and his casual calm mask of an appearance. She had thought with a scoff, ‘What a vicious little brat.’ But as he spun to draw his bow, it was as if he didn’t need an ounce of strength to pull it.

“BEGIN YOUR FIRING!” Maldoran’s subordinate yelled with his all.

With that, the crowd hushed. They waited for the ten arrows to hit their designated marks in utter silence. Even the arrows’ sound in the air were heard as the crowd followed with their gaze.

Then six thuds resounded in the distance.

Six hit, four missed.

Madelyn raised her hand, a hand which held a one-eyed monocular. As her eye traveled to Xe’Reth’s mark, she thought, ‘Silly boy, are you even trying?’

Xe’Reth hit the target on the very edge of its circle.

Her monocular hastily went to Xe’Reth, and his expression as he nocked another arrow in place, totally indifferent to his terrible hit. With another arrow going off, Madelyn quickly moved her head to Xe’Reth’s target.

Another terrible hit at the edge, yet on the other side. And again she stared at Xe’Reth’s expression as he slightly turned to nock his arrow on his string. Completely calm. No worry, nothing. Only eyes inspecting his fellow opponents; calculating how amateurish they were.

He released his arrow and as Madelyn went to his target, she couldn’t believe it, ‘He missed… I guess it was too much for this senseless boy…’

She lowered her hand to turn around, her family oblivious to her sudden interest, but only a slight fixation because it wasn’t every day that one witnessed a black haired boy, a short one at that, with a bow longer than the boy’s height.

Madelyn shook her head in pity as her monocular raised while closing one eye.

Another miss.

‘Tsk, hit the target, foolish boy, hit it! It mustn’t be that hard! HIT IT!’ Madelyn surprisingly cheered for Xe’Reth’s luck unintentionally. And yet again, his appearance, utterly unfazed by his terrible aim. One last shot, he needed to succeed in his last shot, otherwise, he would be eliminated from joining Madelyn’s squad.

With a gulp, Madelyn traced her monocular to his target, to wait for that thud. The thud of a victorious success was what Madelyn wanted to hear. But what she couldn’t witness was Xe’Reth’s sudden smirk as he let go of his last arrow.

Madelyn’s eyes, wide as they could get. He hit dead center. And she actually smiled at his achievement. She even started to laugh in a somewhat baffled way.

“Madelyn, stop laughing at them, it’s unladylike,” Celyssa said all of a sudden, thinking that she was laughing at the teenagers who lost because Celyssa knew Madelyn all to well. But oh how wrong could she be at this very moment in time.

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear Sister-In-Law,” Madelyn said with a smile on her rosy lips. Her body turned to her family, “But it has been a… very, very interesting day.”

“Oh? I-I’m glad you liked it,” Celyssa replied as her eyes flickered in surprise at Madelyn’s unexpected mood change. “Hmm, oh yes… You can return home if you want, it’s getting late, isn’t it?”

“Really?!” Madelyn exclaimed with a wide smile of delight. Finally, the removal of these light plate garments that weighed heavily on her untrained body, making her feet extremely sore. But as she whipped her head to raise her monocular again, the boy, nowhere in sight. Though, the realization of knowing that she’ll meet him again, for he hit his target three out of five sent joyous emotions around her whole body. ‘I think it won’t be so bad to spend time training with my brand new squad. He was quite cute with his little vicious appearance. I look forward to seeing him again.’

“Finally, come baby sister, let’s return to the citadel,” Malinda said while standing up to be right next to her armored little sister. Malinda’s stone-cold atmosphere had vanished, to be replaced by a big sister’s love. Her arm latched around Madelyn’s shoulder to pull her close. “How about I teach you how to draw a bow properly, huh? Huh?”

With a rubbing cheek against cheek, Malinda dragged away her sudden grimacing sister into oblivion, called archery…

“Let go of me, you wench! I’ll not be put to any more punishment! I said, let go! Ah, no, please! I was only kidding! I didn’t mean to call you… Noooo! Put me down you she-brute! Put me doowwwnn!”

The two sisters disappeared down a flight of stairs leading down to their carriages. One walking, one being carried. One laughing, one complaining.

So it began.

A sudden spark of interest set aflame Madelyn’s fixation for Xe’Reth. And through the three years of not making any major contact with him other than being the commander of his squad and keeping her secret stare at him, only grew their rift between each other, making it larger and larger until the very moment when Madelyn bullied Xe’Reth out of his well-earned reward.

In current time, in Madelyn’s bedchamber, she who loved her sister dearly, have now come to the utterly crazy conclusion, that Malinda, her dear sister, purposefully stole Xe’Reth away from her…

With clenched teeth grinding, she maddeningly declares in a shuddering voice, “You… will… pay… for… this… Taking him from me, to be your own… How about I take him from you, instead, sister? Yes… Yes… You’ll feel your heart break asunder… You’ll see me take him from you… To be in my arms… You betrayed me first, sister, I’m only paying you back for your treachery… Maybe I’ll tie you to a chair and make you watch as I have sex with him… Ha… Haha…”

“HAHAHAHAHA!” Madelyn laughed hysterically with a damaging grimace as tears roll down her cheeks in utter sorrow, not even aware of what she just said, only a heartbroken girl whose sister have taken a piece of her core and smashed it to the ground.

Betrayed…

Malinda did it on purpose to laugh at her prized love is what Madelyn thinks.

As her whole body continue to shake, she curls into a ball, then she commences with her agony in complete darkness.

………

……

…

Thanks for reading! And I'm sorry for the late release again. I've been really sick with the flu while having a high fever.

But! Feeling better now, so, yay! :D If you see any grammar mistakes, shout out if you want!

Anyhow, any thoughts on how the flashback was? And about how Madelyn's sudden feeling of betrayal played out? Or anything else?

Voice your thoughts, even making yourself known urges me on! :D

A storm is brewing in the distance... Though, what kind of storm? :>

Until... Next Time!

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