“As you see fit, my King,” Elías said.
“And if youeverinvoke my wife’s name against me again–”
“I understand.”
With that, Father was off onto whatever bed he would find himself in that night. I drifted deeper into the sheets of mine, into the mood of the castle after dark, and I tried not to think of the whispers within its halls or of Hellveig’s happy face.
A forceful knock rapped off my chamber door, followed by Elías’s voice.
“Your Highness?” he tried, different than he usually was, out commanding the Guard. “Permission to enter?” he asked.
I didn’t answer, so he waited, like a faithful mutt, and maybe because he was not the one I was angry with, I uttered the first real word I’d spoken in a week.
“Granted.”
With that, the Lord Commander stepped in and appeared at my side. I was strung stomach-down, across the mattress, staring rather derangedly into the wall. My fingers shook as they traced the tiny lines of rock in front of them. He knelt and sighed.
“Princess. You cannot do this,” he said.
“Cannot? It seems I can,” I said. “It’s actually rather easy.”
“You must eat,” he said.
“Must. Can’t. In truth, I can do what I want. You do not order me,Knight,”I said, distancing him like my father had.
“You will wither away if you continue to starve yourself,” he said.
“I eat.”
“Barely.”
“So what?” I asked.
“It’s not a quick death,” he said.
“I don’t care.”
“You might if you’d seen the truth behind it. As far as suffering goes, there’s not much worse.”
“I don’t care,” I repeated.
“I think you do,” he said.
“I think–” I struggled to sit up. “I think you aren’tpaidto think.”
He didn’t react much to my irritation. He said, “His Majesty bears remorse for–”
“I have ears, you’re aware?” I asked. “I may be achildin your eyes, but I am anything butstupid. My father isnotsorry for anything; how dare you lie to me! How dare you think I’d believe you. His Majesty thinks-” I steadied myself against one of thebedposts, ignoring the pinch in my gut. “He thinks…” I couldn’t find the words. I couldn’t find any words. My brain was clouded.
Elías said, “The ostler and his son are gone. His Majesty has sent them away,” and he sat down on the floor. “You don’t have to be worried to cross their path.”
Gone.Gone,I thought. Worse than the hunger.
He went on. “The doctor says the boy will recover fine if you wish to know.”
“Recover fine?” I whined. “From being held down and branded? Like a horse? Like he wasproperty?”
“Yes,”he whispered.
