Silent Treatment

  Once Elizabeth had fully recovered, the small girl from before arrived to collect her and bring her back to her bedroom.

  She was still grieving for Rei, but tears weren’t going to bring her back. 

  Maximus was still out there, she didn’t know why he hadn’t returned from his for the goblin’s nest but according to Pamela, he was still alive.

  He would have saw the burned remains of her cabin and he’d know what had happened.

  It was Maximus who’d predicted that Midas had planned to kill her after all, while she didn’t know if that was his intention, she wasn’t planning to find out.

  Midas kept the small girl watching her at all times, she was only allowed to be alone in her room and if she left without the girl’s supervision she’d take her own life.

  There had been a moment where she’d considered doing the same, the thought of see Rei again almost made it worth it.

  But that’s not what Rei would want, she’d want her to keep fighting and keep living.

  Rei had believed that seeing the good in people when no one else did was what a hero does, but I’m sure even she would agree that there was no good in the people she called her family.

  The only exception being Pamela, though Elizabeth doubt she’d raise a hand against there family. Healers had sworn to never take a life and so she was duty bound to continue serving the royal family even as the bodies began piling up.

  Maximus had spoken in detail about his master plan to help her kill Midas. He’d told her that Midas wouldn’t just kill her immediately, he’d want to make a show of it.

  Somehow Maximus had known more about how Midas’s brain worked than even she did. Hopefully he was in the process of enacting his side of the plan.

  Any day now, he’d arrived having assembled so kind of army. As a hero, he’d accuse Midas of withholding dangerous intelligence from the other kingdoms and would threaten to break the peace treaties between kingdoms and declare all out war on Dulciena, if Midas didn’t step down as king.

  Once he did she’d have her chance to kill him once and for all. 

  All she needed now was to endure whatever her family through at her.

  In the morning she awoke to find Elaine sitting on the edge of her bed.

  “Good morning cousin, did you sleep well? I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  Elizabeth had refused to speak to Elaine, she could endure everyone else except for her.

  “Aw, please don’t be mad! I said, I was sorry for killing your stray.”

  Elizabeth remained silent, she had nothing to say to her.

  Elaine made her face puffy, she did this when she wanted people to feel sorry for her.

  “If this is about the punch, look!”

  Elaine punched herself so hard in the chest that she threw up all over herself.

  Elizabeth wondered how her and Pamela were even sisters. 

  Pamela was calm and quiet, she was the hardest working person in her family despite always looking tired and unkept. Elaine on the other hand was loud and cheerful on the outside while bing cruel and sadistic on the inside.

  Their father was Elizabeth’s uncle on her mother’s side. He was said to have been a great warrior before retiring to become a warden of Dulciena‘s biggest prisons. 

  He did this so he could continue his passion of torturing people. 

  Elizabeth was starting to see where Elaine had gotten her twisted personality from.

  “There, we’re even now, right?”

  Elizabeth turned her head and shut her eyes, she didn’t even want to look at her anymore.

  “Hey! Stop ignoring me, or I’ll break your arm like when we were kids.”

  Elizabeth extended her arm as if offering for Elaine to break it, then she’d have an excuse to go visit Pamela. 

  “What’s wrong with you?! Did you seriously think I would break your arm?! Cause I would, but it’s no fun if you want me to break it.”

  Elaine thought for a moment before a wicked idea came to her. She hopped off the bed and ran into the hallway, when she returned she was carrying the small girl who’d been assigned to monitor Elizabeth.

  She could endure whatever Elaine would do to her but she was done letting her hurt others.

  “Okay, I forgive you.”

  “Oh I don’t care about you anymore, I’ve got a new friend to play with. Isn’t that right…what’s your name again?”

  “My name is…”

  “Elizabeth! From this day forward your name is Elizabeth.”

  “Yes, your highness.”

  “See old Elizabeth, I’ve got a new Elizabeth and she’s a way better friend than you ever were.”

  Elizabeth was disturbed at how deranged Elaine had gotten since she was gone. 

  “Come on new Elizabeth, why don’t you and I, go play some of the games me and old Elizabeth used to play together.”

  This was her chance to look around the palace, Midas had suspected there was more to the goblin attacks. He’d instructed her to find out anything she could if the opportunity presented itself. 

  If Elaine took the girl with her then she’d be able to move around the palace freely.

  “Let’s go new Elizabeth it’s been so long since I’ve had a chance to play with anyone.”

  Elizabeth felt conflicted, should she allow Elaine to torture the girl just so that she might learn so information to help Maximus later or should she convince Elaine to play with her instead?

  Before she could choose the small girl spoke. “I’m afraid I can’t go with you, your highness. I’ve been instructed by his majesty to watch over Elizabeth.”

  “What’s there to watch? She’s not going anywhere, come on it’ll be fun!”

  “I’m very sorry your highness but as I said, I must stay and watch over Elizabeth.”

  “Sooo, what happens if I were to force you to come with me?

  She wouldn’t.

  “If I were to leave her highness’s side, then I would have disobeyed my instincts.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And the punishment for disobeying instructions.”

  “Yeah”

  “Is death.”

  “Aw yeah! Alright, new plan. Let’s take new Elizabeth far away so that she disobeys her instructions and is forced to take her own life.”

  “Stop! You’ve made your point already!”

  “Point? I just wanted to see new Elizabeth would actually end herself.”

  Just then the dinner bell rang.