…/Proxy
Staring up at the medical tent roof, I can’t get a wink of sleep. Tossing and turning is all I’ve been doing for a while; even counting sheep does nothing. Everything that happened in Laguna is keeping me up, Jed’s bitch ass, Cade and our fight, and that thing I did to Cade and Jed. Those punches were something else; for a split second, all my focus would hone in on a specific part of their body, telling me to hit there. Not just that, it felt like my body knew how to throw the perfect punch… This has to be a part of my instinct, but why did it come out now? Because these fights are pushing me… Losing sleep over this stuff kind of sucks.
“Might as well go for a walk.”
I slowly climb to my feet. The pain isn’t as bad thanks to Dr. Crow and Richard, but I gotta be careful. I’ll just walk around the camp just to be safe; I’m no good to anyone if I end up dead cause I went too far.
Everyone is already asleep, so I have to be quiet while out and about. Normally, walking by myself at night would be pretty boring, but I guess it’s nice every once and a while.
“I had a feeling you would be up and about.” Alex pops up from behind, his arm in a sling. “Are your wounds settled?”
“Kind of. What about your arm?”
“Richard and Zell will work on expediting the healing process. Other than that, I am stellar.”
“Good. Beats waiting around for our wounds to heal.”
“Yes. Although, I think it best we rest for a spell before moving out.”
“I hear you on that. After all the crap we went through, we deserve it.”
We walk alongside each other, caring little for where we're going. The stuff we talk about isn’t all that important or anything, but it’s helping me unwind from my restlessness. We end up a bit away from the camp, in a clearing.
“Proxy…there are things I never told you. About me, Marie, or our family.”
“Do I need to know?”
“...Yes. But it's not just my secret to share, but Marie's as well.”
“Then why tell me this? Feeling bad or something?”
“I just think it is prudent for you to know who you are fighting with. I've placed expectations on you and everyone else to bring us victory. It would not be right to keep secrets between allies, and–”
“Okay, stop.”
“Huh? Did I say something wrong?”
“Yeah, you trying to be too damn honest.”
“O-oh? Is that…bad?”
“No, but you don’t have to push yourself to tell us things you don’t need to or aren’t ready to say. Besides, I’m sure I said this before, but you aren’t making us do anything we didn’t decide to do. These guys are fighting because they want to, not because you said so.”
“Then what of you?”
“Duh, 'cause I made a promise with you. Also…I’ve seen too much and met people who suffered from all this not to see it through. So stop worrying about it, okay?”
Alex casts off that lost appearance of his for the usual joyful smile. “Sorry, I suppose it is a terrible habit of mine. But I will do away with it.”
“You better. We can’t have you going around acting moppy anymore.”
We’re almost at the end; we’re here because we want to be, so there’s no point in questioning it now. It’s full throttle or nothing at all from here on out.
“Our allies fight hard because they wish to do away with the bandits and protect their loved ones,” Alex earnestly says.
“See, nothing you have to worry about. But I think you were the ones to jump-start this. Without you, the army wouldn’t be here.”
“But without you and Marie, I would still be imprisoned.”
“Oh yeah, Blackrock. I remember that. Feels like…well, months ago.”
“Putting it all in perspective, we have come far in such a short amount of time. And I believe it is in no small part to all of you, for giving it your all.” I turn my eyes to Alex, who’s staring up at the sky with a bright expression. “I am blessed with such great allies and friends.”
“Yeah…same here.”
Despite the setbacks, the time we spent with each other is something that can’t be broken, ever. Also, these guys gave me something I never had before: a sense of purpose. Not like I was desperate for one, but it feels...great to fight for something other than just for the hell of it.
“Once this is over, when we win, let us all go back home proud and victorious.”
“Duh, like we’re going back home losers. As long as you got me, I’ll make sure things swing our way.”
Just gotta kick ass and look good doing it. But I doubt they’ll make it that easy. We're closing in on their home turf, so they’ll be playing for keeps when we get there. I can’t lie; it's got me hyped to punch their leader's face in. Now that think about it, what if it’s a girl? Yeah…I’ll just let Marie or Nunnalé handle it if that happens.
“You two should be careful with such hopes.”
A grim voice emanates from the other end of the clearing. Someone comes into view shortly after. Garrick carrying a short sword, standing with his back straightened out, and his guard weirdly up.
“Sir Garrick, you are unharmed?”
“For the most part, yes.”
I get next to Alex. “Don’t like this, something isn’t right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Got no clue, just don’t like it.”
“Why whisper in front of me? Care to share your thoughts,” Garrick says, aloof to this conversation.
“All right, where the hell were you?” I ask, using a sharp tone. “You disappeared when we got to the bridge. Did you get scared?”
“I was there.”
“We did not see you,” Alex raises.
“It hardly matters.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I came to see Alexander. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Yeah, right? Let me guess, you just got that out to trim trees?” He says nothing, fixing his sights on us. “I’ve been wondering…who blew up that tree branch? At first, I thought it was the bandits, but why would they? If they could’ve, why not blow up the bridge before we had the chance to even get there? They had all damn night! No… See, my gut is telling me you did it, didn’t you?”
That big ass bag we got back at his place must've had explosives, because I definitely remember two, out of goddamn nowhere explosions happening.
“A gut feeling? What drivel. Are we to believe this boy, Alexander? His words hold no weight.”
“Perhaps he has no evidence, and I would not like to believe you almost killed both him and Cade… However, then I would like for you to swear to me that it was not you.”
“Swear on what?”
“Your honor, as a knight and as the friend of Sigurd…”
“Oh, then, in that case, I cannot.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am a disgraced knight, no thanks to Sigurd… Or maybe, it’s prudent to say, your father.”
Alex takes a step back, flinching at his exposure for who he is. “You know I am…”
“At first, I drew your looks to be a coincidence. However, your clear fascination with my stories of Sigurd was telling. But more than that, the way you move, spoke, even your seemingly noble nature, that’s what gave it away.”
“I see, but what do you mean by my father disgracing you?”
“You should already know…”
“He doesn’t, and neither do I, so you better start being specific!”
No one looks my way to give me a clear-cut answer, just stilted silence. Alex is giving him an intense look that can’t be mistaken for admiration, but outright anger.
“Boy, how much do you know?” he asks me.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“As much as we let him know.” Marie, arriving in the clearing, says. “...I heard someone named Garrick was involved in our fight here, and an ex-knight at that.”
“Marie?” I whisper to myself.
“You… You’re…!” Garrick's face lights up for the first time as if he’s seen a ghost. His are eyes transfixed on Marie, focusing too so much he might let his sword slip out of his hand. “...But you were dead. How are you alive?” Marie says nothing, letting the fogey muse on himself. “Ah, I get it now… That brother of yours, so cunning, especially for his age.”
“Alex, what does he mean by that?”
“The hell is he talking about? Does this old fart have dementia or something?”
Garrick smirks, mockingly laughing at my ignorance. “It seems as if the boy really does know nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“The hell are you so smug for, asshole!?”
“I assure you, I am not smug, rather, laughably unsurprised.”
“Garrick, I recommend you watch what you say,” Marie commands, uttering it with a sense of authority.
“Apologies, however, I cannot follow that order since I am no knight.”
He turns his attention to me, drilling those cold eyes into mine. “Boy, you know of their father, correct?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Then did you know that their mother lived in the kingdom?”
“Maybe? What’s your point?”
“Well then, allow me to regale you in a tale… Sigurd and I, alongside many allies, had successfully destroyed the largest enemy stronghold: Borghulda. At the time, we were all elated that we had finally grabbed victory from the many years of endless and brutal war. The trip home was lighter compared to our months of marching there. Yet Sigurd’s smile was nowhere to be found. He was superb at hiding it, however, I was closest to him, so I was able to peer past his guise. When I asked, he shared with me the reason why. It was his home before the kingdom.”
The revelation throws all of us through a loop and keeps us there with our mouths gaping open like a pack of idiots. The guy destroyed his own home!?
“Father’s…home?”
“...I assumed at the time that was the only thing on his mind, and he would return to being positively annoying. However, everything changed when we came back.”
“That’s enough,” Marie harshly says, baring down on him with a venomous glare.
“Your father and the king’s wife always seemed so close. Even as someone who was meant to protect her, I was always jealous of how close he was to her and the family. Especially the young mistress.”
“Garrick, I’m warning you,” Marie yells, losing her shit as he goes on.
“But who could have known why? Until I saw and heard for myself.”
Marie sprints at him, disregarding the weapon in his hand. She lunges at him, but he steps out of the way. She’s quick to go for a kick to his stomach. However, he grabs her foot with one hand. He slams her to the ground with a heavy thump.
“Marie!”
“Rushing like that is foolish. Darrius taught you better than this, no?”
“Get off me!”
He places the blade next to her cheek. “One night, I happen to catch the Queen leaving the castle. I wanted to confront her, but I also wanted to know what she was up to. I followed behind her, out of sight, all the way outside the kingdom, where those of the outside who were still loyal to the kingdom remained.”
“Garrick, please,” Marie begs, struggling to break his grasp.
He pauses for a moment, shutting his eyes. He takes a deep breath, opening his eyes and back onto Alex with a bitter expression. “She saw a man and a child…”
Wait…wait, wait, wait! Don’t tell me, I mean, that’s– this can’t be it, no way.…
“That was when I learned the truth; the ugliest truth… That your father had a son, and the mother, the Queen herself.” He lifts Marie to her feet, holding her arm behind her back. “...And so, this makes her the long-lost daughter to the queen, and the long-lost sister to the king.”
Marie…is that girl, the same dead sister to the king? And not just that, but her brother is Relius!? Oh my god, that’s why she didn’t want to go to the festival in the kingdom!
“He betrayed our oath, our trust, and our friendship. But after all these years of mulling it all over. His affair with the Queen, spawning children, was a part of a larger plan."
“W–what– what do you mean?”
“Think of it. Why would he keep one child secret, but allow the other to live as royalty?”
“That's nonsense,” Alex argues back.
“How so? He had no trouble hiding you from us, so why would he not do the same for his daughter? And he could not send you to live with them. You look too much like him, however your sister looked just like the queen herself. It makes sense.” There’s no opening I can exploit, and even if there was one, would I be able to do anything with it? “...And, this line of thought leads me to believe your birth, Alexander, was unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary?”
Seething anger burns away at whatever level-headedness I was preserving to this prick down. Now I just want to ram my fist down his throat.
“Brother, don’t listen to him.”
“I’m gonna rip your tongue out if you keep talking like, shithead!”
“I feel bad for you, Alexander. The same man you admire was nothing more than a liar, manipulator, and one who only took care of you out of obligation.”
Absolute despair overruns Alex’s face as he sinks to his knees. He slouches his shoulders, lowering his head to the ground. A feight whimpering escapes his mouth.
I break into a mad dash. “You better be ready for a close-casket funeral, you old bitch!”
Get him! Ignore the pain and just hit this dickhead as hard as you can! But halfway to him, my chest pounds with a hard thump. My legs give out from the pain. I end up flopping onto the ground.
“Proxy,” the siblings cry out my name.
Garrick lifts Marie, approaching me with her. “You should do well to take care of your own body before going into combat.”
“Hurt them and I’ll rip your goddamn head off. I’ll hunt you down like a dog, and put you six feet under”
“I saw your fight with that other boy. While he was stronger, you somehow pulled ahead…You may seem like a rambunctious child and nothing more, but your potential is monstrous. It would be dangerous to have you come after me later. I should–”
Alex stands between me and Garrick, drawing his sword with only one hand. “That is enough! I will not let you harm him or anyone here!”
“I know everything your father knew about swordplay. You carry that style.”
“I do not care! Leave them alone, or I will take you down!”
“Wielding with a single arm is not your strong suit, and besides, would you really throw your life away for him?”
“Yes, I would for him, and anyone else here… Now let me sister go.”
Alex stays close to me, and Garrick holds his grip and sword to Marie. “Why continue this? Your life is a lie. Why continue to care for this farce? Your sister was the one he wanted, not–”
“What of it!? So what if the man I knew was a lie? Who cares if I was not wanted by him!? If my sister needs me, my friends need me, then I will fight for them! So let her go, now!”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“No, you’re going to let her go, now.”
R-Richard…!? And not just him. The others, armed to the teeth, come running to help us, mean mugging the living hell out of Garrick.
“Why should I?”
“Because I’m the only person who's stopping her from hurting you.” Someone slips past the vigilant douchebag’s notice. Their blade slides right under their neck, ready to pull back. She’s making the scariest face I’ve ever seen; anger overtaken by intense killing intent. “And before you weigh your options, you aren’t faster than her.”
The others start making a ruckus, cursing him out and telling him to get away from Marie. He immediately lets her go, letting Nunnalé’s blade lead him away from her. Nunnalé grabs her by the arm and takes her back to us.
“So, will you sic them on me?” he asks, twirling the blade in his hand.
“I want you to leave, and to never fall under my sight again,” Alex says, cold and brimming with hurt.
“Not possible, but for tonight, I will leave.” He begins to back up out of the clearing and into the trees. “But this is far from over, Alexander. As long as you have his blood in you, this will never end.”
I flip him off, sticking out my tongue. “If we see you again, we’ll kick your ass.”
“We’ll see. Until then…”
He disappears into the woods, moving between the trees to cover his exit.
Everyone heads after him, but Alex gestures to them to stop. “Let him go. He may have laid traps to cover his escape.”
“You sure, blondie?” Chip asks.
“I am… I rather not lose anyone to unseen attacks.” He puts his sword back into its scabbard and gives me a hand up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, one piece…”
“Hey,” someone from the crowd behind us said. “...is it true; that you and Marie are the queen's children? And that Marie is the long-dead sister of the king?”
Oh, shit, not good!
“Guys, wait a minute! It's–”
Marie moves forward, heading up to everyone. I try to call out to her, but Alex puts a hand on my back, telling me, “Don't worry.” He joins up with her to face the restless people.
“...It… It is. My brother and I are children of Sigurd and the Queen. I'm the fake daughter of the old king. And sister to the current one, Marianne.” Skeptical murmuring grows louder among everyone, training their eyes on Marie. “I know what all of you might be thinking, and I won't stop you. If you hate the royal family, I understand; all the things that happened over the years won't go away, no matter how sorry I am, or how much I apologize, but please, Alexander was never in the royal family. Spare him any retribution. I deserve all of your hatred…”
She drops to her hands and knees, putting her head to the ground. Alex gets next to her, dropping to his knees as well. Groveling on the ground is the ultimate act of humility, and that’s all they can do in a situation like this.
Chip walks ahead of the crowd, stopping right in front of them.“...I got nothing to hate you guys for. You guys saved me from rotting in jail, and even with how shady I am sometimes, you never doubted me. Besides, blaming everything on you because you were royalty would be unfair; I mean, you were a kid.”
“You gave us a place to be when we had nowhere left to go,” someone from the group says. “You guys did more for us than the kingdom ever has!”
“Yeah, and thanks to you guys, we're driving out the bandits from our homes, save more folk!”
“We don't care if you're from there! We got ex-bandits in the group, so what makes you think we care!?”
Several more voice their support and understanding for the siblings. The uproar of cheers lightens me up on the inside. If they got angry, or even left, I'd understand, but I was more worried they would just try to hurt them… We got ourselves some good people.
“Let me help you.” Gil puts me on his back. “...Did you know?”
“Not everything, just that Sigurd was their dad.”
“I can't blame them for keeping it secret, but now that it's out, things might change because of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Simple, dumbass,” Zeal walks up behind us, lightly punching my back. “You look like shit.”
“I feel like it too, but what do you mean?”
“Means that if the daughter of the queen is alive, then what does that mean for the kingdom's current leadership? She can probably go for a claim, and some of these numbskulls either figured that out or are gonna eventually. Who knows, the kingdom might be our next fight. The people here are gonna want it. Those work mines still exist, and most of these guys aren’t too keen on them. Plus, it's not like the hostility from the war has died out.”
“Then what do you think of them?” Gil asks.
“Of the kingdom? Don't like ‘em, but it's not like the outside is innocent or anything in terms of what we did during the war. As for those two… They showed mercy to my brother and me, that's good enough in my book. But what about you, big guy?”
“Well, Alexander and Marie are nice people, and they never thought lowly of us or took advantage of us. Also, the people I lost are dead because of one person; so I know where to direct all my anger.”
Going head to head with the kingdom, huh…? I mean, I thought of the idea, but actually doing it is another thing. But…
“Thinking of it now is useless,” I say. “We need to win this fight first, then worry about the kingdom later.”
“At least your brain still works, whatever that's worth.”
“Does being a prick come naturally, or are you begging me to beat you?”
With this out in the open, we can finally fight with everything we have. But, there's the nagging feeling that things won’t go smoothly; Guess I'll chalk it up to karma or something like that. Either way, whatever comes next, comes.
