Page 96 of Enchanted Kingdom
He rolled his eyes but smirked.
By the time we reached our carriage, I was feeling even more refreshed. There was something about the smells and quietness of the forest that made me feel better. That made my problems feel manageable and not like the world was crashing down around me. That I would be able to figure it all out if only I would stop and breathe.
“So,” Owen said from next to me not long after the horses began walking and rocking us as our carriage took off. He had again warmed the blanket for me. Now he added a sound barrier around us.
“So.” From around his magic, I kept my eyes out the carriage window, looking for any sign of a bird or wolf or any creature at all for that matter.
“We need to talk about something that is long overdue, and I need for you to hear me out.”
That didn’t sound ominous at all. “Okay.”
“What you saw in the forest,” Owen began.
I immediately slammed my eyes shut. I saw the dagger. I saw the blood, I saw Prince Krewan sink his dagger into that man’s flesh like it was nothing. And how did Owen figure out that I had seen it, anyway?
“It was not what you think,” Owen continued.
My eyes snapped open. “Not what I thought? Did a man not die, then?”
Owen took a deep breath. “No, he did.”
My temper flared. “It was murder, Owen!”
He nodded. “Yes, it was, but—”
“There is no but, Owen! It was murder.” My chest heaved with anger.
“Yes, it was, but there was more to the situation than that!” he fired back.
“I know you are loyal to the princes. I get it. But you cannot just turn a blind eye based on who you are loyal to.” I found my voice was getting louder and louder the more upset I got. “That man had a family and people who cared about him and now he is just gone, and we are all carrying along like none of it mattered. Prince Krewan killed a man, but it doesn’t matter because he is a prince and can do whatever the hell he wants. But murder is murder, Owen!”
“It wasn’t murder,” he snapped, his voice going lethal.“It was mercy!”
I went silent, not knowing what he meant. The only noises I could hear were the both of us breathing heavily and the clacking of the horses’ hooves.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly.
He looked out the window on his side of the carriage and shook his head. “Forget it.”
I reached for his arm. “Please explain it to me.”
He cocked his head as he turned to look at me. “I was trying to, Jorah. You didn’t want to hear me out.”
I took a deep breath and felt my eyes sting. He was right. I had interrupted him and cut him off this entire conversation. “I’m sorry. I just...” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I am struggling with having seen it.”
He looked up at the roof of the carriage. “I know you have lived your whole life in Nerede. And because of what happened to your father you have every reason to think the worst of us, Jorah. But unless you have been into that mountain and—” He swallowed. “Until you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you’ll haveno ideawhy we are forced to make the decisions we do. You’ll never understand it and I hope you never have to.”
The first time he had mentioned it in passing, this time he was definitely alluding to the fact that he’d been tortured or punished by the king in that jail. I still didn’t understand it all, but I was beginning to see that my own prejudices against the Enchanted were again at play here.
I wanted to ask him so many things, but if he truly had been hurt by the king like that, I didn’t want to force him to relive any of it. Instead of demanding more answers, I rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Owen. And please know I don’t think you are a monster. Not at all.”
* * *
“Jorah!”Mother grinned, a tray of tea already sitting out for us.
I winced as I noticed not even bread was in process. “Are you going to be behind from having to close the shop this afternoon?”
She shook her head and stole a glance at Owen. “No.”
