Chapter 43: The Ruined Castle





"Do you think you can get away easily just like that after what you did to the Pirate City?"



An image of sinking ships flashed in my mind as I remembered what happened that day. I could still hear the screams of agony from the falling pirates and the last gasps of their breaths were like the smokes of candles that were blown by air. My grip on her arm tightened and I was on the verge of letting my anger get the best of me when I saw a small boy clung to her. I averted my eyes to the boy with a hair that was as white as the snow and wearing a thick fur coat. Two older boys and a little girl were also watching us with the same surprised look in their eyes. Gritting my teeth, I let go of the woman's arm aware that showing violence in front of the children was never a great idea.



I straightened and looked at her, showing hatred in my eyes. I watched as Cecilia caressed the boy's hair reassuringly and whispered something for him to join the rest of the kids. The boy looked at me with fear but decided to do what Cecilia told him.



"I understand that you're dying for this confrontation, my lady. However, I do hope that you will not do it in front of my children for they are too young to understand things. And I wish I have the time to settle it with you but we need to reach our destination before dusk," she said politely. She regarded me like she had never seen my nakedness, or combed my hair, or dressed me. She talked to me like the Pirate City never happened – like it didn't exist. And it intensified the anger and pain that were threatening to get out of the cage.



I clenched my fists on my side as I stared at her. Tarnus immediately walked up to me assessing the situation. He looked at the woman sternly when he realized my tension.



"Is she causing you trouble, my lady?" he asked.



It took all my strength not to command her death at the moment. My eyes wandered again to the children who were looking at me worryingly like I was the evil witch in their dreams and night story. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply trying to calm myself down.



"Are they your children?" I asked when I opened my eyes.



"Yes," she answered.



I thought of just letting her go at that moment. It must not be the right time for confrontation considering our audiences. At least, I knew that I could find her in the North Land. I glared at her in controlled anger and turned my back. I marched grudgingly back to the carriage and when I was about to get on it, the wind started to blow colder. I looked up at the darkened sky only to be kissed by the first snow. I glanced at Tarnus and I saw concern on his face. Apparently, we weren't expecting snow on our journey back to the East Land. We might encounter trouble on the way. To my surprise, Cecilia walked up to us. She looked at me the way she did in the Pirate City – like I was once again at her mercy.



"It will get colder and darker soon. I don't think your men would be able to handle it in case of a snow storm," she commented.



"And since when did that became your problem?" I asked sarcastically.



"Indeed, it is not my problem. However, I certainly know a place you can use as a shelter for the night. The weather doesn't look so kind," she answered.



I looked at Tarnus and he seemed to be considering Cecilia's offer. We weren't able to predict a bad weather. I thought it would just be cold in this part of a place.



"What made you think that I would trust you after what you've done?" I snapped – venom evident in my voice.



She fixed me with a solemn look and glanced at the children who were looking at us worriedly. "I'll never put you in danger," she answered as if I was just one of them.



I remembered when she came for me during the fall of the Pirate City. I saw her as my last chance of hope – like she brought a light in our darkening world. She didn't hurt me – she saved me. And it was already too late for me to learn that she was the one to pull the trigger and shoot my heart.



"Do you think we can still continue our journey, Tarnus?" I asked, turning to the man standing beside me.



"The woman has the better option. It will be safe to let this bad weather passed," he answered.



I sighed deeply and came to a decision that would benefit my party. "We'll follow this woman to the shelter and we'll spend the night there until it is safe to travel again in the morning. We must be cautious though; this woman is cunning and might betray us in a second." I announced to the few soldiers who traveled with me.



"You don't have to worry, my lady. I'll keep on guard," Tarnus assured me and motioned the men for preparation.



The kisses of snow turned into bites of coldness and I shivered as I entered the carriage. I was thankful of the warmth and safety it provided. I looked at the window on my side and saw the children started to follow Cecilia. I frowned and called out to them.



"I am not as cold as the snow. You can join me here," I said.



"I will be grateful my lady if you allow my children to join you in the carriage. I will walk with the gentlemen to lead the way," Cecilia answered.



I nodded and watched silently as the four children filled the carriage. The young girl sat beside me while the two older boys and the youngest one sat on the seat across us. And in just a second, four pairs of eyes were silently staring at me – like I was a different creature from them. I shifted uncomfortably on my seat when the carriage started moving.



It was after few minutes when I felt someone gently touching my hair. I turned and looked at the girl beside me. She seemed to be astonished while looking at my strands between her fingertips.



"Vivienne, stop it," the oldest boy called to the girl. He looked horrified and shocked at what his sister was doing.



"Her hair is the color of the roses. It is so beautiful," the girl answered still inspecting at my hair.



I couldn't help the smile that was starting to stretch on my lips. She looked so innocent and had no worries about anything. She seemed to trust even a stranger like me.



"Do you like it?" I asked.



She looked up at me and smiled. "Yes, I do," she answered.



"Well, your hair is also beautiful – like the snow fairy's if there's one," I said. I saw her smile widened and turned towards her brothers.



"The beautiful lady said that I'm a snow fairy," she told them and the second older boy snorted. He clearly disagreed.



"Snow fairies do not exist," the boy argued.



"They do!" the girl insisted.



"They don't!" the boy countered.



The little trouble started to bubble inside the carriage and I didn't want to be caught once again in the middle of another war. I decided to stop it by putting my hands between them.



"The snow fairies' existence is something you can argue about when you grow older. How about you get back to each other about this topic ten years from now and show the proof of your researches?" I asked.



"I will prove to you that they don't exist," the boy said and the girl just stuck her tongue at him. The youngest boy giggled and I couldn't help but felt silly with these kids inside the carriage. It was far from the political meeting I attended in the North Castle. I certainly preferred this one better.



"I can tell you about how I thought pirates and the sea monsters only exist in the books when I was young and found out that they're actually real," I suggested.



Four pairs of eyes widened and stared at me expectantly. I had really gotten their attention this time.



"But first, you have to tell me your names. We don't talk to strangers, do we? My name is Primrose," I said.



"Div," "Rem," "Vivienne," they chorused. The little boy looked at his brothers and sister confused.



"His name is Ron," the oldest boy, named Div, said.



I nodded and smiled at them. I started telling them about how I was kidnapped by the pirates and decided to leave all the violent details of my story out. I told them about the pirate ships and the monstrous fishes they caught that provided them meals for days. I even recalled how we were able to surpass the storms and brave the gigantic waves of the furious sea. I watched as their mouth gape open when I describe them the Pirate City.



"Are you sure your mother didn't tell you pirate stories at night?" I inquired when I finished.



They shook their heads silently. Their eyes were bright and shining, it was as if the events I shared with them were currently playing inside their heads. I left them in their own imagination and looked out through the window. I frowned when I saw that we were taking the path towards the ruined castle.



"Why are we heading to the lost castle?" I asked, almost to myself.



"Mother said that we need to visit the castle very often. She didn't tell us pirate stories but every night, we listen to her talking about princes and princesses," Vivienne, the little girl, said to me.



I looked down at her and caressed her snow hair. Cecilia must have not found the pirate world worthy as children stories. I waited silently in the carriage thinking of the questions I had to ask to Cecilia. When we finally stopped, Tarnus immediately opened the door for us. The snow was harsher this time and I let the children go first so they could run to the huge entrance of the ruined castle. I stared at the dark opening of the castle and looked at Tarnus anxiously.



"The woman assured us that it is safe to stay here for the night. If she ever tries anything that will harm you, I'll immediately have her head thrown to the ground," he promised, eyes darkening at the seriousness of his threat.



I grimaced at the proposed violence. Clearly, it was not what I wanted. I stepped down of the carriage and let Tarnus lead me to Cecilia and her children. The other soldiers brought the horses and carriage to safety before joining us.



Cecilia led us inside the castle, lighting torches on her way. I watched as the interior of it started to show itself to us through the glow of the orange light. It was huge, and ghostly. It was slightly cleaned up, probably because of Cecilia, but spider webs were still fighting for their way in every corner. It was warmer compared outside but the chilling silence of the place was enough to raise the hairs on my nape and arms. It made me feel pairs of eyes were silently watching us.



She went to the fireplace and started lighting it up. Some of my men helped her in putting logs in the fire. She told us to wait there and disappeared towards a room with Div and Rem. When they got back, they were carrying loads of thick blankets in their arms. Tarnus immediately received it and made a bed near the fire place. He gestured for me to rest there and so I did.



"There are more blankets in that room if you need more for your men," Cecilia said as she made beds for the children.



The men decided to camp a little bit farther from us. I told them to grab more blankets if they want to stay warm. Tarnus decided to make his bed few meters from mine. He said that even in sleep he'll always be on duty.



Vivienne walked up to me and handed me a piece of bread. I smiled at her gratefully and looked up to Cecilia. Div and Rem were distributing bread to my men from the basket they brought.



"We brought bread that would make the children full until the next day but would be enough for us for the night. I apologize for that is all I could give to you," Cecilia said.



I swallowed and answered, "Thank you. My men need this for the strength tomorrow. But what about you? It seems that you plan on staying here for days."



She shrugged and looked around us. "There will be few more people here tomorrow and I'm sure they'll bring us food and water," she answered.



"There will be more people coming here tomorrow? Why?" I asked.



She didn't answer me right away. She just looked at me in complete, silence and then she sighed. "Because this castle is for the people. That's all I can tell you for now," she said, vaguely.



She laid out those words like they were riddles she knew I wouldn't be able to solve at the moment. If she had anything against the ruling families of the mainland, why betray the Pirate City? Her lack of enthusiasm in answering my question caused an uncomfortable silence between us. She busied herself feeding Ron and Vivienne, while Tarnus decided to sit beside my bed.



"Are you cold?" he asked.



I shook my head and stared at the fire. At that moment, I silently wished that I was a witch – that in just a simple magic, the fire would show me the person I wanted to see the most. The fire licked its way to my chest, burning through my heart. And I felt that stinging pain inside me for I couldn't – for I wasn't a witch, for the only thing I could do is to stare at the fire silently.



"If I ask you to torture that woman to get some answers, would you do it?" I suddenly asked.



I felt him shifted beside me; he seemed to be surprised at my question. I turned to look at him and I saw him staring intently at me.



"I am so furious at that woman that I want to pull her hair and break her fingers because of what she did to the Pirate City. But I couldn't – I am not that type of person. I couldn't imagine doing it in front of her children. But if I ask you to do it for me, would you do it?"



He sighed and his hand reached out to cup my cheek. I leaned on it because of the nice warmth of his palm.



"She provided us food and shelter. She seemed to be kind to us and so far, she didn't cause any harm. But if hurting her will make you feel better, then I'll do it," he said and started to rise from his feet.



I stared at him in confusion and panic when I realized what he was about to do. I immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him down. He stared at me as he was seated again beside me.



"I can't. We can't. You are not that person either. How could I ask you of that evil thing!" I said exasperatedly covering my face with my both hands.



I felt his hand on my shoulder, comforting me. It was his way of telling me that he was there – beside me, protecting me. If there was one thing I was certain about Tarnus, it was that he's a good person, and he had protected me for as long as I could remember.



"I can change for you if that's what you want me to do. If you want me to be a monster then I will be your monster. I'll always stay by your side," he said silently, almost a whisper.



And with that, I rose my head and look at him. He was smiling at me, with the same adoration he had when we were still kids. Before he became my soldier, he was my childhood friend – he's my best friend.



After that conversation, I let myself fall on the make-up bed and sleep knowing that I had Tarnus to watch me through the night. The warmth brought by the fire was like a huge, invisible blanket that hugged all of us. The ruined castle became our refuge in the cold, snowy night protecting us from the harm we could get if ever we traveled outside. Cecilia's words echoed in my head as I drifted into a dreamless slumber: "This castle is for the people." How about the ghosts that lived here? Where would they go?



They'll live again, a whisper I imagined before everything turned into darkness.