บท 2: Chapter 2: Marked From Birth
Tris’ heart drops and she steps back with a gasp. She would rather take a beating from the Queen for her mistake than be kicked out of the Kingdom. What will she tell her parents? Where will they go? Her family has been working in the palace for generations.
The Queen appears to relish in Tris’ suffering, and she begins cackling as she walks back across the room.
“We can make you a better dress, faster than ever before,” Tris cries, grasping at straws in hopes the Queen will change her mind.
“Stupid girl,” Queen Sandra snaps, turning on her heels to face Tris. “This has nothing to do with the rags you brought me. My son, Prince Dominick, has been neglecting his duty of finding a wife. One of my servants has just explained to me why that is,” she replies angrily.
Tris’ shock must appear more like a look of confusion to the Queen, as she narrows her eyes and slowly walks back toward her.
“Unless that servant was mistaken,” Queen Sandra remarks.
Tris doesn’t believe in lying, but the fate of her family rests heavily on her shoulders, so she must push her morals aside.
“I don’t know what the servant thinks they saw,” she gulps, wide-eyed. “But, I am only a seamstress. What would the prince want with me?”
“Yes, what indeed?” she asks without expecting an answer. “It will be best for your family if you avoid my son in the future. If not, you will find yourselves cast out. Am I clear?” she snaps.
“Yes, your Majesty,” Tris replies.
“Now, get out of my chambers!” the Queen yells.
Tris doesn’t hesitate, darting out of the room in fear. The other servants are still waiting outside of the chamber and they eye her suspiciously as she moves past. Tris hurries along the corridor until she reaches another hall. Turning quickly, she runs toward the library on autopilot. The room full of books is usually her sanctuary. But there are classes there today, so she rests her back against the wooden doors.
After taking a few deep breaths, she collects herself and makes her way back to her chambers. Tris still doesn’t know what to do as she walks through the door. Her chest feels tight and it’s taking everything she has not to break down. All of the color washes out of her face as she turns around to find her mom standing in the middle of her room.
“Tell me it isn’t true,” her mom demands. “Tell me you and the prince are not romantically involved.”
Tris doesn’t know what to say so she stands perfectly still just inside the closed door.
Her mom rushes toward her and grabs her by the arm, fear reflecting in her stare.
“It is…” she says after studying her daughter’s face. “How could you do this?” Ava continues, trying to keep the panic from growing in her throat.
Tris winces as her mom squeezes her arm a little too hard. “You’re hurting me,” she pleas, trying to free herself from her mother’s grasp.
Ava takes a step back, releasing her hold on her daughter in the process. “I can’t believe you would do this to your family! And your father, what will he think?” she stammers.
Tris takes a few steps toward her mother. “Please don’t tell him,” she gasps. “Nick and I can’t help what…”
Ava turns toward her with a look of rage on her face. “You mean Prince Dominick! You will never refer to him in such a common manner again, do you understand?” she screams through clenched teeth.
Tris can feel hot tears running down her face. “But we’re meant to be together,” she whimpers.
The look on her mother’s face twists into disgust. “Why? Because of your birthmark? You have been letting Dowager Queen Nora’s stories go to your head again. They are made-up fairy tales and you’re not a child anymore!”
Ava’s comment causes anger to bubble up inside Tris. The Dowager Queen is the mother figure she always wanted, and needed. She comforts Tris when she needs it and gave her advice even when she didn’t ask. The old Queen is Nick’s biological grandma, but she treats Tris like family. How dare her mom attack someone Tris loves so much?
“It’s not just a fairy tale! My mark is in many historical books in the library,” Tris explains.
Her comment only appears to anger Ava more.
“That’s enough! I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
And Tris can’t take her mother’s lecture any longer. She turns and storms out of her own chamber, heading for the stables to find a quiet place to think. Holding back tears, Tris rushes out the side entrance to the palace and runs right into her father. She looks at him blankly for a moment before bursting into tears.
He has a look of shock on his face that quickly softens. “What’s all this about?” he asks, caressing her curly hair.
Tris has always felt safe with her father. He’s the only person, other than Nick, who she doesn’t feel the need to make herself small around. She blubbers into his chest as he holds her. Pulling away, she only needs to utter one word.
“Mother,” she manages to stutter between tears.
He tips his head back and lets out a sigh before looking down at her. “I should have known,” he says, wiping the tears from his daughter’s cheeks. “I’ll talk with her when I get back,” he adds with a smile. “I’m about to take a hunting party out.”
Tris wishes he wouldn’t talk to her mother, but what can she say? She can’t exactly tell her father that she’s been running around with the prince and deliberately hiding it from everyone. She respects her father, and she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she was the reason he gets kicked out of the Kingdom.
“Go on, find someplace quiet to collect yourself,” he says, knowing exactly where his daughter is off to. Ever since she was a child, Tris has sought out animal companionships over human ones. He knows the barns around the Kingdom have always been a safe place for her.
Tris nods and walks toward the stables. Her father has been spending a lot of time away from the palace. If he isn’t chasing dragons he’s taking men out to hunt. She knows everything he does is important work for the Kingdom, but Tris misses him. The days of him taking her out to the woods are over. How she misses listening to his stories and having him teach her how to track game and hunt.
Walking into the stables brings her comfort. She has always found peace around animals more than people. Her mother had discouraged her from spending time here when she was a child, saying she’d be treated as a barn animal if she smelled like one, so she stopped coming as often as she would want to.
Tris doesn’t care about how she smells. Nick never complains about the scent of fresh hay. Thinking of him pulls at her heart.
“Gremlin,” she calls. “Come here kitty-kitty.”
Gremlin is the name she gave her favorite old barn cat. Looking around she observes the old gray tabby slowly coming down the steps leading to the loft. Tris smiles and walks over to greet him.
“Were you taking your nap?” she asks as she scoops up the fragile creature.
The sorry excuse for a cat looks up at her with its only good eye and tries to meow. Sure, he’s seen better days, but Tris loves him in spite of his horrific looks. She kisses him on the top of the head and walks toward the hay bales they keep in the corner of the stables. Tris sits down and rests her back on a bale while gently placing Gremlin on her lap.
The tension in her chest eases as the sack of bones begins to purr. “What am I going to do, Gremlin? Mother doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Dowager Queen Nora wouldn’t have bothered telling us about the mark if she didn’t think it was important,” Tris whispers to the cat.
“They say she’s batty, you know?” a voice replies.
Tris looks down at Gremlin with wide eyes. “Did you just talk?” she gasps.
Rolling laughter from her right causes Tris to look up. She crosses her arms over her chest and scowls. “Lucas, that isn’t funny!” she scolds.
The sixteen-year-old rolls off a hay bale while holding his sides and laughing. His tattered brown pants and cream-colored shirt become covered in hay as he rolls onto the ground. Lucas finally stops and rubs the tears off his dirty face with the back of his hand.
The young boy is the little brother she never wanted, but desperately needed in her life. Lucas always cheers her up, and when she has a problem, he lends an ear. He was orphaned at the age of four, and his potential as a wizard made him a desired addition to the Kingdom.
“I got you good that time,” he says, chuckling.
Tris drops her hands back down to Gremlin and begins petting him again. “You didn’t, I was just pretending,” she replies, bitterly.
Lucas shakes the hay out of his dirty blond hair and sits down next to Tris. “What’s the matter with you?” he asks curiously.
Tris sighs at the idea she is so easily read. “Why does something have to be wrong? I’m allowed to just come out here and sit with the animals for a while,” she huffs.
Lucas looks at her and smiles. His green eyes sparkle in spite of there not being any direct sunlight in the stables. “You only come out here when someone has ruffled your feathers,” he replies, tossing the skirt of her dress playfully. “It’s your mom again, isn’t it?”
“Did you use magic to figure that out?” Tris asks, wondering if Lucas learned how to read minds from the palace’s wizard.
“No, just my ears,” Lucas replies. “I heard her yelling and came out here to avoid the fireworks,” he adds playfully.
Tris tries to change the subject. “Shouldn’t you be training with the wizard right now?”
Lucas looks down and swats at a pile of loose hay. “The old fuss got mad at me for setting his robe on fire instead of the wood logs in the hearth,” he says dismissively.
Tris feels bad. Lucas was taken into the kingdom after he showed promise in the ways of magic. He was made ward to the wizard and provided shelter and clothing for his willingness to train. Unfortunately, he has not really blossomed as a wizard yet. Tris enjoys spending time with Lucas, and she knows Nick confides in him as well.
The two of them talk until the sun begins to set. Tris hadn’t realized the late hour until her stomach began to grumble. “Well, I should get going,” she says, standing up and brushing off her skirt.
Lucas looks outside at the darkening courtyard. “I’ll walk with you,” he says, falling in next to her.
They step out into the cool night air and notice a group of guards with torches standing on the other side of the courtyard. They share a look of confusion as the raised voices of the group drift over to them.
“I’ll go check it out,” Lucas says, walking toward the gathering.
Tris watches as he walks up to the men and begins talking with them. He doesn’t take long, and his walk back toward her turns into a full run about halfway back.
Lucas stops in front of her and takes a deep breath. “The hunting party isn’t back yet. The men say they fear the group is lost and they are going to look for them,” he explains, panting.
Tris gasps. “My father,” she whispers. “He knows the woods well. He wouldn’t lead the hunters astray,” she says reassuringly.
But the concerned look on Lucas’ face tells her there’s more to it than he’s letting on.
“What is it?” she asks, fear pooling in her stomach.
“There was a dragon sighting over the woods earlier today.”
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