by K. T. Webb
“I fear we may never know the names of the women who lost their lives for giving birth to daughters. I doubt the King even cared to know their names,” Legacy announced.
“No, but someone had to have known these women. We could ask the citizens of Pallisaide,” Evander seemed determined to solve the mystery.
Legacy nodded absently. “I think we may do that.”
She was only half committed to the idea. Her preoccupation had more to do with the unlikelihood they would find anyone willing to talk to them about things they had experienced under the King’s thumb. Junius may be gone, but the horrors he committed still echoed in the minds of the people. So many had been killed or imprisoned during those years that it would be nearly impossible to determine who was murdered for what reason. Then again, it had only been nine or ten years since these women would have fallen victim to the heinous scheme created by the Shadow Mages and King Junius. Legacy shook her head. It was a long shot, but someone out there may know something.
“I think that is enough for today. My bones are aching, and my stomach is grumbling,” Renata stood from her chair, gripping her lower back.
Evander followed her lead, closing his book and standing before offering his hand to Legacy. As much as she wanted to continue digging into the life of the father she never knew, Renata was right. Spending too much time enveloped in his thoughts would not lead to peace of mind. Junius had been disturbed. His thought patterns changed from the early days of his rule to the weeks leading up to their attack on Pallisaide. The man had become more and more desperate. The thought came with a hint of something just beyond reach. He had indeed been less stable in his advanced age. He had made rash decisions one moment then executed calculated plans the next. How was he able to parent a newborn or a toddler? How would he have been able to provide the nurturing environment Noble needed in his formative years?
“It would have been impossible,” Legacy muttered aloud.
“What?” Evander had not been privy to her inner monologue.
“Junius would not have been able to be a parent to Noble as a newborn. Babies require gentle patience. They require love. Noble does not strike me as a boy completely deprived of love. He had to have known kindness from someone.”
Evander and Renata stared at her as though she had sprouted a third eye. Legacy knew precisely who to ask about the mother who produced a son for the King, and it sickened her that it had taken so long to think of it. They had been searching for information from someone who did not care about anyone but themselves. In all their conversations, in all their musings, in all their imaginings, they had never once thought to ask the person who would have meant everything to the woman who gave birth to him.
Noble.
“I do not think he killed the mother right away. Junius had no interest in being a father to an infant. He would have kept the mother around to do the dirty work in the early years. He was raising a King to kill a King; he wasn’t interested in the child until it was old enough for him to train.” Legacy did not wait to see if the others had finally caught her line of thinking.
She rushed to the bedroom Noble still insisted on confining himself to. She felt absolutely satisfied that Noble had known his mother. He may not remember knowing her, but she had no doubt in her mind that the woman had been present until Noble was old enough that King Junius could tolerate his presence. Legacy felt Evander and Renata behind her when she arrived outside the door and gently knocked for permission to enter.
“Legacy!” Noble seemed genuinely pleased at her arrival.
“Hello, Noble. Can I ask you a question?”
Her brother nodded eagerly. She realized she had not sought him out for a real conversation since the day she found him in the tunnels below the castle. Her feelings of uneasiness around her brother had only increased since that day. It troubled her to think of who could be watching her through the bright, inquisitive blue eyes.
Now, she scolded herself to believe she had considered him to be the same as the monsters partially responsible for his birth. It was not his fault. Noble did not ask to be born. He was not a willing participant in any nefarious plan hatched by the Shadow Mages and their father. Legacy had to believe there was something inherently good about her brother; she and Honor had not followed the right path because they were forced down it, they followed it because they knew it was what needed to be done. Now that Noble was no longer under the constant influence of their father, he, too, may be able to choose for himself.
“Can you close your eyes for me?” Legacy requested. He complied. “Good. Now, can you think back to a time when you were scared or lonely or in pain? Maybe a time when you did not understand the world around you or were unable to form the words you needed to tell someone what was wrong.”
“I can try.” Noble furrowed his brow as though concentrating harder would bring forth just the right thought.
Legacy wished she could see what was going on in his mind. His expression morphed between intense concentration and the edge of realization multiple times before he finally opened his eyes and looked at his sister.
“Do you have a memory in mind?” she asked.
Noble nodded again.
“Good. Can you tell me what made you feel better when it seemed like nothing else would?” she continued.
Big blue eyes flashed with fear as he clamped his mouth shut, and violently shook his head.
“You cannot tell me, or are you unwilling to tell me?”
“Father said it was just a dream. He said only babies think of such foolishness. He hit me and locked me away without food for three days the last time I spoke of her.”
Every hair on her body stood on end as Legacy glanced up from her place seated on Noble’s bed. Evander and Renata both held the same expression she felt etched into her features. It was more than shock, it was excitement.
“Father is gone. I am here now. You will never be hit or locked away again; do you understand?”
Noble nodded once more, sucking in his bottom lip to chew at it.
“Now, who are you referring to when you say ‘her’?” Legacy requested.
He whispered so faintly Legacy had to ask him to repeat himself to be sure she heard him correctly.
“My mother.”
The look on Noble’s face after he finally said the words out loud sent a million emotions roiling through Legacy. It was clear the secret had been held deep to keep himself safe from his father’s wrath. Now that the title had finally fallen from his lips, he seemed free.
“Tell us about her,” Legacy encouraged.
Noble launched into his memories with the eloquence of a disjointed puppet. He had been so young during most of his interactions with his mother that his memories were best told in the voice of his younger self. Legacy did not bother to suppress the grin she found creeping onto her face at his animated description.
“I look a lot more like mama than father. She had pretty black hair with curls. Most of the time, it was pulled back, but when father was gone, she would let it down so I could play with it. Her eyes were blue, like mine. When my father was around, she only touched me to feed me or dress me. He did not want me comforted and loved like a baby. Mama said boys should be shown their mothers love them, even when they were all grown up,” Noble leaned over like he had a secret to tell before continuing, “She used to say that was part of what was wrong with my father. His mama and father did not show him any love, so he had no idea what it was like.”
Legacy knew just how true that was. Junius had been as unwanted as the eleven children he himself had fathered. That simple fact was probably the leading reason he saw no issues with killing the daughters born between Honor and Noble. Children were not something to be celebrated in his experience. Children meant the end of an era for him. His own father had not wanted children but let his son live because he loved his wife too much to kill the child.
“Mama taught me that even though I had
to do as my father said, I could still be my own man. She told me that one day she would be gone, and I would have to choose between what was right for me and what my father wanted for me.” Noble slowed a bit as though he realized his mother had known from the beginning that her fate was sealed.
“How old were you when your mother went away?” Renata asked.
“My mother did not just go away. My mother died.” Noble replied while his eyes brimmed with bitter tears.
A searing pain shot through Legacy at the sound of her brother’s intense grief. The poor boy had not been allowed to mention his mother, so he was unlikely to have dealt with the pain of her loss. This was probably the first time he had uttered the words out loud.
Sobs quickly wracked his body as Legacy wrapped him in her arms. He was so small. She realized how deep her hatred for her father ran as she held her little brother while he wept for the mother he was not allowed to remember. Evander came and sat on the other side of Noble and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to offer his support.
“I lost my mother too,” Evander offered. “Our fathers may have been at different levels within these castle walls, but neither of them believed in showing their sons the tenderness a mother provides. I know how you feel. My father did not let me grieve for my mama, either.” Evander gave Noble’s shoulder a small squeeze.
Noble looked up with tears streaming from his red-rimmed eyes. “How long has your mama been dead?”
Evander closed his eyes for a moment as though searching for a distant memory. “She died when I was twelve, so she has been gone for nearly eight years. She was a practitioner and was called away to help deliver a baby and did not make it back alive. They thought an animal got to her.”
Legacy furrowed her brow. In their conversations, she had never asked about Evander’s mother. If she had been a practitioner in Pallisaide, she might have delivered the babies born in the castle. Her gaze shot to Renata. The two locked eyes and a moment of understanding passed between them. They both knew Evander’s mother may have fallen victim to King Junius’ plans.
“My mama told the best stories. She told me one about four dragons. I wish I remembered all the details she told with the story, but I can only remember a little. Do you want me to tell you what I recall?” Noble’s eyes were bright with excitement.
Everyone readily nodded their agreement, eager to hear him speak of happier times with the mother he missed so dearly. He was so excited to get started, he hopped off the bed and took Renata by the hand, pulling her to sit with the others. Once the old woman was seated on the bed, he began his tale.
“Once a family was living happily together in a large city. They did not have much, but their home was their castle, and their love for one another was strong like a fortress. The mother and father had four sons together. They wanted nothing more than to watch their sons grow into strong men and have families of their own. The father worked hard, and the mother stayed home with her boys every day. Before the father left for work each day, he gathered his boys together to remind them that they were his dragons, and he needed them to defend their castle and protect their greatest treasure. The boys and their father shared a secret; their mother was the greatest treasure their family had. The brothers loved their mother and took their roles as her protectors very seriously,” Noble stopped and scrunched his face as though searching his mind for the next part of the story.
“They lived happily for many years. But one day, when the father returned from work, he discovered his castle in shambles. It looked as though giants had stomped through destroying everything they touched. His heart hammered in his chest. He began to search for his children and his treasure.”
Legacy began to see the story in her mind. A man helplessly digging through rubble, desperate to find his wife and children. It was a strange story for a mother to tell her little boy. Noble had paused again. His eyes were alive with the excitement of reliving the times his mother may have sat him on her lap for story time. Legacy pictured him absently playing with his mother’s hair while she rocked him in the prison of the boy’s nursery. The thought was hard for her to stomach.
“The man called out to his sons, desperate to find them. Instead of their small voices, he heard the low grumblings of a strange creature. He was prepared to fight off whatever animal had attacked his home. Carefully stepping around broken items on the floor, he came upon the first creature. A small dragon. He was too shocked to be afraid; dragons are not real! Two other dragons shook themselves free from the wreckage. None of them moved to attack him. Instead, they did the last thing he expected a ferocious creature to do, they cried.”
Legacy had never heard the story, and from the way it looked, neither had Evander. It must not have been a simple bedtime story for the children of Pallisaide. Each adult was utterly enraptured by the tale. Noble seemed to find it easier and easier to remember as he continued with his story.
“Two dragons were tall and seemed strong. The third dragon was smaller than the others. The tallest dragon had orange scales that glimmered like pearls when he moved. The next biggest also had orange scales, but of a slightly darker hue that seemed impervious to light. The smallest dragon was unique; his scales were black as night,” Noble paused for a moment to ensure he had their full attention. “As the father stared at them, it became clear to him the dragons were three of his own sons. Something had happened to transform them from the sweet little boys he had left that morning to the strange beasts in his home, but where was his youngest son?”
“The father felt a deep sadness that his sons had been changed so drastically since he saw them in the morning. He asked why the house was destroyed and where their mother and youngest brother had gone. The dragon boys cried big angry tears in response. A cold feeling washed over the father as he searched for his beloved wife; she was nowhere to be found. He begged his sons to tell him again, what had happened,” Noble took a breath and cleared his throat. “Finally, the oldest boy, who looked so like his father, told him of the shadow men who came to their home. The boys tried to stop them, but it was no use. The second boy hung his head and told their father how sorry they were that the dragons had failed to protect their treasure.”
“The father wept. He took his dragon sons into his arms and wept for the loss of their treasure. They promised to stick together and do whatever they could to bring their mother home. As each boy made the solemn vow, their skin began to change back to human skin. But, when the youngest dragon was asked to join their pact, he hung his head. He had a secret he did not want to tell.”
“When the shadow men had subdued the older boys, he was hiding. He felt he could have tried to fight them off, but he was too afraid. At once, his brothers were angry. They scolded him for being so scared. But the father saw something in his son that he knew the brothers had not. The youngest took after his mother, and what he did not have in brawn he more than made up for in brains. The father asked his son if he heard or saw anything that may help them.” Noble seemed to be growing tired the farther he went into the story, as though the act of telling it was draining his energy. “The black dragon told his father and brothers he knew where the mother and youngest son had been taken. They had been taken prisoner by the wicked shadow master and would be forced to do his bidding.”
Legacy began to feel there was some truth to this story that Noble’s mother hoped he would discover when he was old enough to work it out. She had begun to see the parallels between the shadow men and the Makt, the shadow master, and King Junius. Perhaps the story his mother had told him all those nights was her own story.
“The boys and their father tried to break into the shadow master’s fortress, but they were thwarted each time. They tried to find shadow men who would tell them of the fate of those they loved, but none would speak a word. They never saw the mother or brother again. Through the years, they began to recognize their mother in every woman on the street. If they felt a treasure was in danger, the boys would
immediately transform into dragon form and rush to her aid. It became a mission for the dragon boys and their father to protect other men’s treasures the way they had failed to protect their own.”
Noble let out a giant yawn, “That is all I can remember. I think there must have been more of an ending, but I was usually asleep by then. Did your mother ever tell you that story, Evander?”
“I cannot say that she did,” Evander looked to Legacy as though he, too, had been trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle.
“Thank you for sharing that story, Noble. I think we should let you rest. When you wake, I would love to hear more about your mother if you remember anything else,” Legacy helped her brother into bed and tucked the blanket under his arms.
“I love you, Legacy,” he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep almost immediately.
“I love you too, Noble.” She meant it.
Maris had requested an audience with Legacy and Nikita in the throne room.
The two leaders took their places on the thrones that felt entirely too big for either of them to occupy. Both agreed it was probably best they did not feel worthy to rule. There is no greater danger than a ruler convinced of their own right to the power they were given. Legacy and Nikita promised one another should there ever come a day when they behaved in such a manner, the other would remind them of who they truly were.
Now they sat, waiting for Maris to make her appearance. Evander, who rarely left her side, stood near Legacy. He, too, had a personal investment in the progress Maris and Gray made with the guard. It had been a constant source of stress for him to consider the way his brother would behave. To Legacy’s knowledge, the brothers had not spoken since the day in the courtyard when she had made her intentions clear to the ragtag army. Despite the words they exchanged, she knew Evander loved his brother.
