Love and Vengeance

He smiled a little. "You really don't know what's going on, huh? Your parents were overthrown because they are king and queen. The people don't want another. You think the people would let your uncle get away with the same or worse crap than your parents did? They're planning reformation, not looking for a new king." He said with a sneer, returning his attention to his breakfast.

---

I smiled a little, looking at him. "Not childish. You can't help it if it isn't what you want. But it is a responsibility that you were born into. Of course, it would go to your sister if you refused it, but it's what you were born to do. What you were raised for."

"Then why was it my uncles bannermen who attacked and not civilians," she asked him seriously.

---

He nodded,"I guess, but none of that matters now," he told her sighing a little.

He shrugged at her. "If they were a part of it, then so be it. But the people have been planning this for months. If it was just your uncle and his people, you should be able to walk the streets just fine without getting killed. In which case, I expect you out by noon." He said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair.

---

I nodded a little. "If you really wanted to go back and live your life the way you were meant to, it does matter. You could take back over, and be King if you wanted. Do you want to live the rest of your life poor?" I asked curiously. "What do you want to do?"

"If I had a way to leave with my brother I would be out of your hair by noon, I'm done talking to you," she told him as she sat away from him. She was tired of being treated like this was her fault, she had lost everything she had ever owned.

---

"We would never be able to take back over, you know this," he told her.

I sighed. "Of course it wouldn't be easy, but nothing is impossible. But you said yourself, being King doesn't seem like fun for you, so you should do what would be fun for you. Maybe you'll find you're an excellent farmer, or blacksmith." I smiled a little.

---

He made a face as if he was hurt by her leaving. "You just don't want to see the truth." He said after her, finishing his food and standing to go get more to drink.

She rolled her eyes as she ate her food then washed her plate in the bin before putting it away and walking back to her brothers room. Once he was better they'd have to leave this place she couldnt stand to live there any longer with that man there.

---

He laughed,"Maybe we'll see," he said to her smiing as he looked at his sister when she walked in ,"Whats wrong? You can't hide anything from me, you show your emotions in your eyes."

"I don't want to talk about it," she told him softly.

I turned to look at her, frustrations clearly etched on her face. There could only be one reason why she looked like that after eating breakfast.

"What did he say to you?" I asked seriously, standing up from the chair. I left the room without waiting for an answer, already knowing what the conversation was along the lines of.

"Robert, they are at a disadvantage. The least you can do is be decent. Not polite but decency would be nice." I said angrily.

He stared at her. "There's no reason for me to be decent. They won't be with us that long."

I shook my head at him and crossed my arms. "I checked his wound. The muscle was torn through. He won't be able to walk without pain for at least 4 months. Depending on how fast he heals."

He sneered. "Then he can limp off somewhere else."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Robert. They need to stay. There isnt a place within walking distance that would take them and you know it. On top of the fact that they're going to need to learn how to live. They're in uncharted waters, this house is probably the size of one if their ballrooms." I said seriously.

"They can't travel forever and how well will that do them, if they have no skills to survive? The girl, all she can do is sew and I don't even know if the boy has skills. If they want to leave they can, but you know they need this place to figure out what to do. Stop being such an arse to them for something they couldn't control." I said seriously, heading back up the stairs. "Go do something, you're wasting energy around here."

He growled slightly, but didn't respond. Despite not being related, he saw Lucy as a younger sister. He raised her after rescuing her, her family were slaves that were sold off and she would have been too, at just 3 years of age. He knew she was right and was intelligent enough to make smart decisions. It was mainly her safety he was worried about.

He decided that he'd let her figure out what to do with them, but the second she got put in danger they were gone, even if the boy had to hobble out the side door.

"Once you're better we should go," she murmured to him softly as she licked over her lips, "We'd manage just fine, we could join the church we be safe there," she told him softly, "I'd join the nunnery and you could be a priest," she told him gently even though she never wanted to swear her life to that kind of style. She wanted a family, and children one day - she'd never have them there.

---

"I know as well as you do that you'd be miserable we can't do that. I can't allow you to be unhappy, it's my job to - "

"It's my job to make sure you're looked after," she told him seriously, "What are we going to do Ryley, we don't have anything we have no usable skills we were raised to be rulers not farmers or workers. I don't want to be a burden,"

I went back to their room, hearing their conversation through the door. I knocked lightly and entered a second later. "I hope I'm not intruding..." I trailed off, looking at the floor.

"I spoke to Robert, and he shouldn't be as rude to you anymore. I wanted to talk to you both and see what your plans were. I know that despite my best efforts, Robert has made this place seem like a terrible option, but you're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like. We have the room, and I could use the company. I could teach you things and help find you a husband, provided you wanted it," I said to the girl. "And you a wife." I added to the boy. "You could have families, and still be able to see each other if you wanted to... Assuming you would want to stay." I shrugged a little towards the end.

"A husband? I've never really given marriage a though, I was always expected to just... do as I was told, my father was going to chose a husband for me," she told her,"I don't even know the first thing about deciding on a husband,"

---

Ryley nodded,"We were sheltered if you can't tell, we weren't allowed to make our own decisions," he told her gently, "IT will take some time for us to warm up to this, but eventually we'd like our own homes if possible,"

I nodded. "I know that this is completely new to you. But I'll help you to the best of my abilities. We marry for love, not for social status or treaties. So, you can go out and fall in love, and in the meantime, I'll teach you what you need to know for wives, and I can find someone to help you with what you want to do, whether it be farming, welding, whatever."

"Eventually I'll won't be around either, and Robert will find a wife himself. You both can do the same." I said with a shrug.

She nodded a little as she thought about it,"In time then," she said to her softly.

---

He nodded,"Give us time to think it over," he murmured softly.

I nodded. "Of course," I said lightly. "Like I said, I could understand if you refused." I said with a shrug before closing the door behind me, and heading back downstairs.

He nodded a little as he looked at her,"I know but.. we don't know much about ourselves not like everyone else knows what they want," he murmured.

I nodded. "I know. But that's fine, you aren't the first high status people to have this life. Some choose it. Finding an established woman for you and husband for her is also possible. But I'll let you decide for yourselves." I said with a shrug.

She nodded,"Most established people will know our faces though wont they?" she asked her softly.

I shook my head. "They might, but they don't want to bring attention to themselves, so they'd keep quiet. Knowing your faces would bring light to who they once were, which wouldn't be good for them." I said seriously. "And most people don't know your names or faces. Like myself, I still don't know your names. I only recognized you from your clothing."

She nodded a little,"I see, well.. "she murmured, "We'll stay here for a while til I can get maybe get a house built here in this town, itseems nice maybe we can learn how to farm and what not then have our own lands," she told her.

I nodded a little. "Well... You'd do better building your own house. Actually, Robert is excellent at it. He built this one." I said honestly. "But that's assuming farming is what youre good at. Or want to do."

"We're going to need our own food wouldn't it be more practical to grow it ourselves?" she asked her softly,