Taranheim 181

The guards posted outside of the castle hurriedly let me and Terry in. One of the guards, a white-haired, older gentleman with brown eyes noticed how I was freezing and kindly gave me his cloak before shepherding me inside of the castle and telling me the king had locked himself away in our quarters for hours since I had disappeared.

Before I parted ways with Terry inside of the castle, he held me at arm’s length and asked, “are you going to be alright? You don’t think he’d hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so—hopefully not.”

Terry looked upon me worriedly and said, “if he does… Perhaps I should give you my sword?”

“I’ll be fine, Terry. You run on to bed.” I told him.

He gave me an uncertain look, and was about to obey, but instead he said, "oh, Mimi, don't forget that my dad is coming tomorrow. I'd still like you to be there for moral support.. I-if that's okay."

"Of course Terry. I'll be there." I replied hastily and then gave him a hug before sending him off.

I climbed the stairs of the castle wearily. I was exhausted from running after Terry all day and worrying so much about him. Once I climbed two flights of stairs, I stood outside the door to our quarters and took a deep breath before pushing the door in.

The room was a mess. Paris had pulled all my clothes from the wardrobe and thrown them onto the ground. He had even ripped some of them. He had pushed over any piece of furniture he could and had broken a glass vase.

He was holding his face in his hands—his back against the wall of the opposite side of the room. The whole room stank of alcohol.

I walked over to him slowly and uncovered his eyes fearfully, yet purposefully. “I told you no more drinking.”

His hands were trembling and his eyes were red from tears. When he looked upon me, he drew me into his embrace roughly and muttered. “You’re mine—you’re mine. How dare you run away from me."

His beath stank and his embrace was suffocating as he murmured, “you ran off into those woods and we searched for you for hours but you were nowhere to be found. I thought you had run away from me forever. Do you wish to escape my loving embrace and run back to your savage people?”

His fingers dug into my back and I winced in pain.

“You’re hurting me… And I promise you, I was only chasing after Terry—not running away from you. He was running off and I didn’t know where he was going. I wanted to make sure he was okay, that’s all. I told you I would come back.”

He pushed me down by the wrists and loomed over me as he said, “and you didn’t trust me to find him for you? Why are you always with him, anyway? This sapphire doesn’t seem like the type of thing a little brother should give you.”

He grabbed the sapphire jealously and the chain dug into my neck as he tried to break it off.

His eyes had not turned black; he was a legitimately jealous man. I was deathly afraid of him when I realized that. He was very angry at me at the moment, and I had to lighten the mood so he wouldn’t harm me.

I giggled a little and pulled him closer on top of me. “You’re silly; you have nothing to fear. I can’t believe you’re jealous of a fifteen-year-old templar who is considering taking his final vows. I don’t want anyone else, and I never planned on running away from you. What would it take to get you to realize that?”

“I need proof…” His words were slurred as he started kissing me. “Proof that you’re mine.”

I wrapped my arms around him and let him kiss me a few more times before I realized I shouldn’t sleep with him while he was drunk.

I sat up and hung my arms over his shoulders--linking my hands behind his head. “What proof would be good enough?”

“Proof that is equal to the secret I told you.” He told me and tried to pin me back down playfully rather than aggressively this time, but I slipped out of his grasp before he could and twisted to my feet.

“I shall think of something, then, to prove that I am yours.” I told him as I slowly backed away from him and leaned against the door. He tried to follow after me with a playful grin but was so drunk he fell down on the pile of clothes he had torn apart.

I giggled a little. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

__

Once I was away from him and I found an open room to sleep in, I trembled a little at the dangerous situation I was just in. He could seriously hurt me while he was drunk if I weren’t careful. I had to get him to stop drinking somehow.

__

The next day was the day that Terry’s father would arrive at the castle. I got ready to help Terry to greet him, and I hoped Paris wouldn't mind. He had agreed to let me days ago, and I wondered if he was still okay with it now--seeing as how he was jealous of Terry.

We only had one interaction in the morning before he avoided me the rest of the day. He said to me, “I’m sorry if I… Tried anything last night.”

I shook my head. “Nothing I didn’t want you to try. But you must promise me you won’t drink anymore. I don’t want you to harm me.”

He looked at me sadly while running a hand down my face and replied, “I don’t want me to harm you either… I’ll—get you new dresses, I promise.”

I could sense he wanted to say that he wouldn’t drink so long as I didn’t give him a reason to, but he left after he said that and I could tell he hated himself for the way he treated me last night. I had nothing but pity in my heart for him. He was expecting me to leave him.

__

Terry’s father was a very old man who needed to use a cane to walk. I greeted him with Terry in tow in the afternoon at the front door of the castle.

“I didn’t expect the queen herself to come and greet me,” the old man said. “In any case, this is a talk an old man must have with his son alone. Come with me, Terry. I’ll treat you to dinner.”

Terry reluctantly began to leave the castle.

What was normally a rambunctious and confident boy was turned into a withdrawn and sullen one hanging his head in the presence of his father.

I said before they could leave, “really? I made a feast fit for a king for the three of us and it’s waiting for you in the private dining hall.” I said cheerfully. “I would love to get to know the father of such a great and noble templar as Terry!”

The old man raised an eyebrow. He was in disbelief that I had such kind things to say about his son. He shrugged and said, “very well. It would be rude to refuse such a treat from the queen.”

As Terry’s father followed us through the castle and to the dining room, Terry whispered to me, “is there really a fine dinner waiting for him?”

I nodded. “Of course. I came prepared.”

Terry nodded nervously with a grin.

“Terry.” I said to him firmly and quietly. “Just know what you want to do with your own life. If you want to be a templar, be a templar. If you want to be a knight, be a knight. Nobody should tell you otherwise.”

Terry looked at me and regained some of his vigor. He smiled a little. “You’re right.”