Chapter 207: An Arrow In The Dark
"What is Father like?" Julian continued to ask, and Rebecca sighed softly at the question. She didn’t know where to begin or how she could explain the kind of man his father had truly been because, despite everything that had happened, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. Looking at the innocence in her son’s face, she knew she couldn’t fill his heart with hatred, nor could she deceive him with a false image. Taking a slow breath, she finally nodded. "I’ll tell you the truth," she said quietly, and Julian returned the nod, waiting patiently for her to continue.
"Your father was a kind person, at least to me in the beginning. He was always there for me, and he made me believe that I mattered to him." Rebecca’s voice softened as memories she had buried long ago surfaced one after another. She had truly believed she had found the man she would spend the rest of her life with. "And I genuinely loved him. I believed he loved me just as much, but then he left. He promised he would return because he wanted to build a better future for us, yet he never came back. No matter how many times I tried to reach him, he never answered me, and that was how it remained until I heard that he had died." She spoke calmly, although the pain beneath her words was impossible to hide.
Julian watched the tears gathering in his mother’s eyes, and his own vision blurred almost immediately. Seeing her cry made his chest ache in a way he had never experienced before, and Rebecca smiled faintly despite her sadness before drawing him into her embrace. She rested her chin lightly against his head and held him close. "There’s no need to worry," she whispered gently. "We’ll be alright."
"But... why did he leave us?" Julian asked, his voice trembling as he looked up at her.
Rebecca lowered her gaze for a moment before shaking her head. "Honestly, I don’t know."
She wished she had a better answer to give him because, while she and Julian had struggled every single day just to survive in their little village, Alaric had been living comfortably inside the palace. Not once had he returned for her, and not once had he come looking for his own child. Rebecca knew the truth better than anyone else. He had abandoned them without a second thought, yet she still found herself telling Julian about the man Alaric had once been instead of the man he had eventually become.
"Do you hate him?" Julian asked quietly after a long silence.
Rebecca’s lips curved into a sad, uncertain smile.
"I don’t know," she admitted truthfully.
Julian looked at her for a while before reaching out and holding her hand. "You don’t have to be sad, Mother. I’ll always be here for you."
Rebecca felt her heart tighten, and she smiled more sincerely this time as she stroked his hair. "Sweet child," she murmured under her breath before leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I’ll always love you."
"I love you too, Mother," Julian replied with a faint smile, and although it was small, it eased some of the heaviness inside her heart.
After hearing everything Rebecca had told him, Julian’s thoughts only became more tangled. If his father had truly been the king, then why hadn’t he lived with him? Why had he left his mother behind? Why had he never returned for either of them? Those questions continued to pile up inside his young mind until he could barely separate one from another. Had his father stopped loving them? Had he simply forgotten about them? Or had something else happened that no one had ever told him?
He didn’t know what to believe anymore. Part of him wanted to admire the father his mother had described, while another part wanted to resent the man who had left her carrying so much pain all by herself. Seeing how much mentioning Alaric still hurt Rebecca only strengthened Julian’s resolve. More than anything else, he wanted to protect her and make sure she never had another reason to cry.
Rebecca brushed away the remaining tears from her face before looking back at him. "Do you have any more questions?" she asked gently.
Julian shook his head slowly. "I’m still trying to understand everything you’ve told me."
She nodded in understanding before giving his hand another reassuring squeeze. "If you ever think of anything else, you can ask me. I promise I’ll answer you honestly." A small smile appeared on her face before she rose to her feet. "Until then, let me see if I can get this door open."
Julian watched quietly as Rebecca crossed the room and crouched beside the heavy wooden door once more. Taking one of the pins from her hair, she carefully slid it into the keyhole and began working as patiently as she could. Waiting for Griswold to return was no longer an option because she had no idea what he intended to do to them next, and she refused to let her son’s fate rest in the hands of men like him.
Minutes passed, and every failed attempt chipped away at the little hope she had left. She was almost ready to give up when she suddenly heard a faint click. Rebecca froze instantly, hardly daring to breathe as her fingers slowly wrapped around the handle. She pushed it ever so slightly, and the door swung open without resistance.
Julian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"You did it," he whispered.
Rebecca immediately pulled the door shut again before hurrying back to him. She knelt in front of him and held both of his shoulders firmly. "Listen to me, Julian. We’re leaving this place right now because we can’t stay here any longer. If those men come back before we escape, they won’t let us go again."
"But... Mother, that man said they’ll catch us," Julian reminded her nervously.
Rebecca nodded because she remembered those exact words as well. "Maybe they will try, but we can’t keep waiting here. If we stay, they’ll only hurt us even more." Her voice softened as she looked into his frightened eyes. "Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Julian swallowed hard before giving a small nod.
"Good. Now stay close to me, follow my lead, and don’t make a sound."
Fortunately, night had already settled over the forest, and darkness would help conceal them if they were careful enough. At the same time, it also made every step more dangerous because they could easily lose their way or run straight into one of Griswold’s men.
Rebecca took hold of Julian’s hand, gave him one final reassuring nod, and quietly eased the door open. Together they slipped outside into the cool night air, keeping their heads lowered as they moved through the shadows. A short distance away, several guards sat around a blazing bonfire, laughing loudly while eating roasted meat and drinking without a care in the world. They were convinced the prisoners were still locked inside the cabin, hidden deep within the forest where escape seemed impossible.
Rebecca’s brows drew together as she watched them. While she and Julian had gone hungry, these men were feasting without concern, but she pushed the thought aside because escaping mattered far more than anger. Carefully leading Julian in the opposite direction, she began moving as quickly and quietly as she could through the trees, her grip tightening around his small hand.
They had almost put some distance between themselves and the cabin when Julian’s foot caught against a large rock. He stumbled forward with a sharp cry of pain before collapsing onto one knee.
Rebecca dropped beside him immediately. "Julian, are you alright?" she whispered urgently as she examined his leg. His knee had split open against the stone, and blood was already beginning to trickle down his skin.
"It hurts, Mother," he whimpered.
Before she could comfort him, one of the guards suddenly shot to his feet. He lifted a burning torch high into the air and narrowed his eyes toward the darkness.
"Who’s there?" he barked.
The rest of the guards immediately turned in the same direction, and the torchlight swept across the trees until it landed directly on Rebecca and Julian.
Rebecca’s heart sank.
"It’s them!" one of the guards shouted. "They’ve escaped!"
Several others stared in disbelief, unable to understand how the woman and her son had managed to get out of the locked room.
"What are you fools still sitting there for?" the first guard roared furiously.
"Go after them!"
The men sprang to their feet at once and charged into the forest.
Rebecca quickly helped Julian onto her back despite the pain already beginning to spread through her own body. "I’m sorry, Julian," she whispered breathlessly, "but we have to keep moving."
She tightened her hold on him and ran as fast as her legs would carry them, branches scraping against her arms while Julian clung tightly to her shoulders.
"How is one woman carrying a child outrunning all of you?" another guard shouted angrily behind them. "Catch her!"
Rebecca forced herself to keep running even though every breath burned in her chest. Carrying Julian made each step heavier than the last, but none of that mattered because their lives depended on reaching safety before the men caught them.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
The lead guard finally came to a halt, frustration twisting across his face as he watched the distance between them continue to grow. Without wasting another second, he pulled an arrow from his quiver, raised his bow, and took careful aim.
The arrow sliced cleanly through the night.
It wasn’t meant to kill.
It was only meant to stop her.
Rebecca never saw it coming. The arrow struck deep into her thigh, and a cry of agony escaped her lips as her leg gave way beneath her. She crashed to the ground, and Julian tumbled from her back beside her.
The guard’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Now," he ordered coldly, "bring them to me."
