Convincing my parents
As we reach the palace stairs, we were welcomed grandly by Gerrard, Miranda, mother and my other young and rebellious cousins. They were already informed of the King of the Eastern Palatinate, that he dropped his declaration of marrying me.
Mother runs to me, holding my shoulders. I was sure I'm smelling like moss and grass, but she hugs me nonetheless. I gasp softly... I never allowed her to hug me nor did she allow herself.
She was what I call a tough lady, someone who wouldn't budge and would always put up her tough front for the best.
"I'm so glad..." I hear her silky voice say.
"Y-yeah..." I was malfunctioning. Chuckling, mother parts from the hug and looks at me with her dewy eyes.
"Come on. Let me correct my mistakes. Will you accept me as your mother, princess? I know I've always been tough on you." She says, her soft hands caressing my face. I couldn't forgive her so quickly, but I was opting to forgive her one day or the other in the future.
Hence, I nod.
"Thank you, my darling." She hugs me again. Our intertwined hands aware seen by my father who stood at the top again. He dare utter a word...
"I thought you'd be happy for me. I was wrong." I say to the man who takes a deep breath. He lifts his head up in pride again, and i thought I had enough of him. Suddenly, his glare turns to Aaron who's done nothing.
"I was so wrong about you all the time, father. I guess you can make decisions by yourself now. I won't be a bother to you." I say to my father.
Without a second wasted further, I follow mother and disappear into the royal residence in the palace.
All through the late afternoon and evening, I and mother paint on many canvass, laugh at silly jokes made by our ladies in the room and soon, we begin to play with colors.
My father walks inside in the middle. It definitely ruined my mood as I watched him with disinterest.
"Ravine, I have to speak to you." He says. I wasn't ready to hear him 'speak' to me. I wasn't allowing myself.
But, as mother pats my back and encourages me, I thought of giving the old man a chance.
The maids quickly wrap my body painted freshly with water colors, my boots changed to rubber flip flops so I don't soil the wooden flooring too.
"Yes, father?" My voice suggested that I was annoyed to even be here. He sighs, looking at the maids who were quickly scattering away to give us privacy.
"I do not know how you've managed to save yourself, but... I'm glad." I slowly straighten up, looking at him. Was he sure?
"I never liked Prince Rhys as my son-in-law too. He would be a terrible King. But that night..."
[FLASHBACK...]
"Oh, my daughter..." my father held my unconscious body and wept for the condition I was put in. The medical staff were ordered to cover me up like a mummy, to never show the blackish blue bruises I was forced to take against my stomach. My father however knew why I was here. A mere tumble across some hard stairs weren't good enough to take me out.
He knew... he knew what happened with me.
"If I may disrupt you, King Versalis..." his name was called by the other King. The brutal King of Eastern Palatinate, the father of Rhys.
"Your daughter must not raise hands on my prince. If that shall happen again... then I cannot guarantee your daughter's safety from Rhys." Says the male.
"How cruel..."
"This is how we are, Versalis. Our ancestors were vikings! The best of them all! And you're... just a peasant who rose from the dust. Never forget where we come from, Versalis. We're stronger than you," Saying, the King whispers against the other king's ear, "stronger in more ways you think." Threatens the beast to the King.
My father sobs loudly when the brute King disappears. He holds my unconscious body and seeks forgiveness from me for a million times.
He should've never said yes to be entrapped by them.
[FLASHBACK ENDS...]
My mouth falls ajar.
Father was threatened by the King.
He claimed to destroy the border city and blow up the palace where his ill brother, his deficit brother was taking rest. Before his death, my father's brother was too close to my father. They grew up together, until a terminal illness struck the younger brother and he was bedridden for the rest of his life... with schizophrenia.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know..." I say to him.
"Till date, even your mother in unknown of this incident. I'm telling you this now, because I find no reason to fear them now. With your courage, you broke the deal between yourself at that vile King of the Palatinate. I'm glad... I'm so glad..." he says, but it was only one side to the coin.
"But I never understood your distaste with me being a pornographic practitioner, father. Why do you—"
"Don't cross your line now, Ravine. Preserve this emotion, don't let me be angry on you again." Saying, he disappears.
Stunned beyond words, I stay there numbed and statued.
What the hell goes on in his mind...?
Having enough of this, I follow him to the court and begin yelling behind him.
"Father, wait! I can't understand you at all!"
"No commoner is allowed in this household, Ravine. Be glad I at least let him inside the castle. He has no right to mingle with the royals like us." Says the man.
"What!? Are you fucking kidding me!?" I scream on top of my lungs. I'm sure I've alerted a lot of people right now. I don't care.
"Mind you tongue, Ravine. You're talking to the King—"
"To hell with your title, father! Don't you understand!?"
"Understand what exactly? That you've downgraded yourself so much that you sell videos of yourself to people for money?"
"That's not how you put it, God!!"
"Then what do I—"
"You were a commoner too, Father! You were a fucking peasant before you married mother!!"
There it goes.
I've said it. I've said the words hidden in me for 25 fucking years.
