Location: Rooftop of Gorias castle

Φ With Minagrain in my hand, I guide her throughout the rooftop while saying, “Sorry about this, I just didn’t want some pests to catch wind of our activities.”

She shakes her head and follows me.

Soon we reach the tallest point of the castle and look down. It is a windy night so all of the strings that are attached to Gorias castle play music as we stare at the moon.

Holding Minagrain at my side, I stare up at the moon.

But as I do, she nudges me a little, and I ask, “Do you want to kiss more?”

She shakes her head from left to right, then up and down, then left and right again.

Then she gestures, “Are you Ok?”

“Of course, I am.”

She then gestures, “You have looked like you have been worried about something in the back of your mind since we met.”

“Minagrain, nothing like that is happening to me.”

“Setanta, don’t you want me to be your wife? If so please tell me what is bothering you?”

“Minagrain, I don’t want to talk about this thing in front of you. Besides it is not like you could understand.”

“Setanta you always speak with emotions, so I can tell when you are off. Even when you told me the story about leading your first unit, you were lying. I can tell you must have felt anxious leading all of those people, having to care for all their lives.”

Slightly annoyed, I say, “Minagrain, I wasn’t anxious. I don’t feel such things, a leader of a Gorias cannot feel like that.”

Minagrain then says, “Setanta, I don’t like lies, so be honest.”

Her hands tremble a bit, then she looks at me and gestures, “You have helped me and my family through very hard times. Without you and your family, we would have been crushed under an intense unbearable weight.

If at any point in your life, you feel the same, I want to help lift it off of you, I want to take your hand like you have done mine. So please Setanta I want you to tell me what’s wrong, you’re making me worry.”

Φ In response to Minagrain's words Setanta grips his fists and bites his teeth. Then turns to her and says, “Speak.”

She pauses for a moment, and then gestures, “What do you mean?”

“I DIDN’T STUTTER!” Setanta says while raising his voice.

Minagrain jerks back shocked and spooked by Setanta’s actions.

“Minagrain right now if you want to help me, if you want to do all you say I need you to prove to me you can speak.”

Minagrain worried facial expression, turns to one of disbelief and desperation. Then she says, “Setanta, I can’t,” with a pathetic and dejected tone.

“Why not Minagrain? We have already had you checked multiple times, nothing about your body is wrong in a way to prevent you from talking, it is purely in your mind.”

She stares at Setanta as he speaks, but then lowers her head as if she is ashamed, and tears start to form in her eyes as this continues.

Setanta then says, “So I guess you don’t really care about me then.” Setanta then looks away at the moon, and says, “I guess you were all talk then.”

Minagrain raises her head and grabs Setanta to turn him towards her, then she gestures, “I do love you, I want to speak, I really want to, but I can’t.”

She moves her hands in a desperate way as if she is scared that the floor would disappear from under her, and in response to this Setanta says, “Minagrain it seems your love for me is not enough motivation, then let’s see if your love for you family is enough.”

Minagrain makes a confused expression, but it soon becomes one of fear as Setanta says, “Minagrain as the future king of Gorias I order you to speak, or from this moment I will arrest your prostitute of a mother and banish Ferdiad from my court.”

His expression has no hesitation or doubt. His body movements, tone of voice, and visible rage would make it clear to anyone that he isn’t joking. In that moment it looked like Setanta was a man void of affection.

Minagrain makes a shocked expression and then lowers her head to the ground, and in response to this Setanta returns to his normal self and says, “I was just kidding, but if that is your reaction to my question, don’t bother thinking you could handle the troubles I deal with.”

Φ Noticing the Minagrain hasn’t peered her head up I turn to her, and say, “Maybe I was a little too harsh, forgive me.”

But as the anger I feel in my body subsides I start to pay attention to Minagrains body, and I notice her body is sweaty, her heart is racing, and her breathes are rapid and quick.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I pick her up and I notice her eyes are moving strangely as if they are not looking at what’s in front of them. “Minagrain, Minagrain!” I say as I try to get her to focus back on me.

But she just continues to like this, so I pick her up and start to move her as fast as I can.

Then upon re-entering the castle, I shout, “HELP!”

-Break-

Location: Apothecaries room

Φ Sitting outside the door, Setanta looks broken, and as he does, he hears, “Setanta I hear about Minagrain, judging by your actions I can guess she is still in there.”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“The words I said to her caused her to go into a state of panic. It is common among soldiers, but I didn’t know Minagrain could experience it too.”

Setanta slams his fist right into the ground, and says, “The only thing I am is the king of the idiots.”

Scáthach looks to the left and sees a crater on the ground, filled with blood and says, “Hurting yourself won’t fix anything.”

“I wish it would, I wish I could piece myself into a million pieces and die thousands of times over and over again. But even then it wouldn’t be enough!” Setanta slams his fist into the ground again.

Then from the Apothecaries room, a Fanalis emerges, and says, “She is awake.”

Setanta jumps up and says, “Can I see her?”

“Young lord, I don’t think it would be a good idea. Right now, I think the person she needs to see the most is Ferdiad.”

“WHY IS THAT, ISN’T LAEG IN THERE WITH HER? SO WHY CAN’T I JOIN” Setanta says like a ravaged wolf.

Scáthach then smacks him on the head, and says, “Don’t take that attitude with him. You already know that soldiers who experience strikes of panic from the battlefield can’t return to it.”

Setanta makes an expression full of despair and says, “So she won’t ever be able to talk to me again.”

Setanta runs off into the distance, and as he does Scáthach says, “I will send my shadows to grab Ferdiad, just keep an eye on her.”

-Break-

Location: Gorias rooftops.

While on the rooftops of Gorias castle, Setanta who sits on top of the roof says, “Please go to Minagrain, it will make her feel comfortable to have a hero there for her.”

“I am sorry, but I have selfishly decided to help the spoiled brat who has been given everything in life.”

“Everything but a functioning brain?”

“Setanta, why did you say such a cruel thing to Minagrain after all she has been in.”

“Because she embarrassed me.”

“Embarrassed you?”

“She saw right through me. I try my best to be strong when Minagrain is around. I don’t want her of all people to see me as weak, so more than ever I cannot let her know things are bothering me.

But when she saw that I think it rubbed me the wrong way. So, I lashed out at her. She is one of the strongest people I know so I thought she could take it, but it seems I did too much, and now she may never want to see me again.”

Scáthach picks Setanta up with her shadows, and then says, “So what?”

“Huh!? What do you mean so what? This is a big deal for me.”

She flicks me on the forehead, then says, “See Setanta that’s how words can come off. I meant so what are you going to do about it, but you didn’t understand that, and it caused an intense reaction.”

Setanta lowers his head, and says, “I want to make Minagrain come near me again.”

“That’s something you simply cannot decide.”

“Then master what am I going to do?”

“Wait and see if she wants to come near you again, and when she does be honest. Tell her what’s truly bothering you, that’s the only option you have.”

“But what if, I am still unsure? What if the thing that is bothering me is something I still haven’t found an answer too.”

“Then go and find it and show Minagrain that you won’t allow such a thing to ever bring her harm again. Little lover boy.”

Getting cheery, Setanta says, “Right!”

He then moves and runs off the rooftop saying, “Please look after her master!”

A large shadow forms at the end of Scáthach's feet, and she falls into it. Then that shadow moves throughout the castle until it ends up in Minagrain's room.

From the shadow, she listens, and sees Minagrain on a bed hugging Ferdiad, who is saying, “I am sorry for this, it was my fault for not fixing the dents in that idiot's head earlier.”

Minagrain moves back from Ferdiad, and then gestures, “It isn’t Setanta’s fault. I just couldn’t take it, it seemed he had something annoying him, and I bothered him. I shouldn’t have done that, I was a fool, it was my fault. Setanta has always been good to us, and I was just a bit too arrogant.”

Minagrain continues to gesture, and as she makes countless expression that reminds him off the past. The words she communicates and the way that she does them is something Ferdiad has seen countless times before, with his mother and father. Minagrain speaks as if she is one moment from breaking down.

Ferdiad struggles to say something and looks like he is about to explode, but then from the shadows Scáthach appears, and says, “Minagrain how are you doing.”

We are all shocked by this and my sister manifests a big smile on her face. She starts to surge with life, and points at Scáthach which causes her to smile back and says, “Scáthach in the flesh.”

Laeg says, “Why are you hiding in the shadows?”

With a playful tone, Scáthach says, “I am hiding everywhere including under your bed at night.”

“PERVERTED HERO!”

Scáthach quickly moves to Laeg's ear and whispers something that makes Laeg turn red and shut up, so Ferdiad asks, “What did you just say?”

“Oh, I informed her that after her activities last night she has no right to call me-,”

Laeg grabs Scáthach’s face and interrupts her, which causes Scáthach to giggle.

Scáthach then moves to Minagrain and says, “Mina, do you love Setanta?”

She hesitates for a minute, then nods her head.

Then using her hands, Scáthach says to Minagrain in her unspoken language, “Now I ask you, was what he did last night acceptable?”

Minagrain immediately gestures back, “Yes, I provoked him too much even though he asked me to stop. I shouldn’t have done such a thing, I should have just listened.

Setanta has always been far kinder to me, than anyone else, if I managed to drive him to such an ugly state it would be my fault. He has a lot on his mind as the next ruler, and it is my job to put those fears to rest.”

Minagrain cannot say a word, but her desperation, and erraticism are fully communicated by her actions.

Scáthach then says, “Minagrain I ask you again, was what Setanta did last night acceptable?”

Minagrain prepares to say something, but then Scáthach says, “Minagrain there is no value in a person who takes too little blame for their own actions, they are nothing more than scum.

But a person who takes too much blame is the same type of scum. If you love Setanta and want him to be the best, he can then you will be honest about his actions. Minagrain was what Setanta did last night acceptable?”

Minagrain pauses for a minute then lowers her head, and with tears in her eyes she shakes them it left to right.

“Did it make you feel scared?”

She nods up and down.

“Do you still love Setanta?”

She nods her head up and down.

The Scáthach says, “Well he is a lucky boy then. Next time you speak to him makes sure you tell him all of this, and as punishment for his actions I will make sure to impart great amounts of fear within him also.”

Minagrain smiles a bit, and Scáthach hugs her.