The Truth. The Whole Truth (2)

Edwoyn~ Sunday afternoon, 2:18 PM – Cerfontaine Forest.

What game was she playing? Who was she, really?

I didn’t want to know.

Did she truly want to be my friend, or was it just hatred that fuelled her actions towards me? Aurora claimed to see an ally in me. But what did it truly mean to ‘become her ally’?

I would never be her accomplice. So, I didn’t need to know.

Can the past excuse everything? Would I have become the same monster if I’d experienced the same trauma?

I didn’t care. Knowing wouldn’t change a thing. Absolutely nothing.

So why did these questions gnaw at me from the inside? Why had it only taken a small story—one likely exaggerated—to shake all my convictions? Aurora was a murderer, selfish and a traitor. That was enough to paint the picture of that monster. Asking more questions was falling into her trap.

"Oh, my little Edwoyn, it ain’t the species that makes humanity. If you only knew, sometimes it’s better not to be human when you see what they’re capable of."

How would you define a creature as vicious and malevolent as Aurora?! I wanted to respond.

I swallowed the sound of my thoughts by slamming the entry door shut behind me. I found myself face to face with an unbearably empty living room. I immediately stepped outside again, knowing I couldn’t bear the silence for another second.

Driven by the urge to flee my own body, my feet carried me deep into the forest’s heart. After passing the illusion spell that protected the cottage, I had to admit I’d made the right choice leaving. Oddly, the chaotic chirping of birds created a harmonious melody. I tilted my head back, searching for a sign of life, but the birds were hidden in the vast forest canopy. The foliage was dense enough to trap the warmth but spaced out enough to let in a few rays of light, creating an intimate cocoon that reminded me of the royal gardens.

There, I wasn’t watched by courtiers judging my every move, and Delphine wasn’t constantly on my heels. In nature, I was free to be myself. Not a prince like Nathan, not a prisoner like Edwoyn… just me.

Unfortunately, despite the beauty around me, a small voice whispered that at the end of this walk, harsh reality awaited me.

Dreams never lasted long.

I looked down at the flowers at my feet. A colony of irises had nestled among the tall grasses. They looked like a swarm of butterflies fluttering in the breeze. Each one was a coppery red.

Why that colour, among all the varieties that existed? Justine had explained to me once that a flower’s shade could sometimes depend on the soil composition. I found myself imagining that so much blood had been spilled on these lands that the irises’ roots had absorbed it, adopting its hue.

Wherever I went, wherever I looked... Aurora was everywhere. I even found her in these irises, as if she had become the center of the world. Or more precisely, the center of my world.

It was impossible to escape her since she had invaded my mind. No matter how far I ran, living my life as if she had never existed, the chain around my neck wouldn’t disappear.

It was true. The life I’d built with Justine wasn’t reality. It was just a brief respite. As long as I was bound by the ownership seal, stuck in the mercenaries' den, forced to repay my debt… one day or another, Aurora would return to my life.

Justine was right—the Killer Wind couldn’t put her activities on hold forever. I was behaving selfishly. But thinking about survival wasn’t selfish. The real selfish one in this story was that monster, Aurora.

I resumed walking, clenching my fists in the pockets of my denim jacket. It was slightly oversized, but apparently, looking like a rebel had become trendy since the Revolutionary attacks. Needless to say, this garment suited me perfectly, as I was fighting my own battle against oppression. Still, it wasn’t my wardrobe that would turn the tide of this war… The battle was being fought on enemy ground, and by her rules. My fight seemed lost from the start, but her ally had turned against her, revealing her secrets to me. As Father often said during military strategy lessons: information was the most formidable weapon. Justine had given me the key to read Aurora. That’s where I had to begin crafting my counterattack.

"You’ll only know her true intentions by watching her actions."

Since our mission at De Ritella’s estate, the viper had chosen to retreat. That’s when I realized: Aurora wasn’t the type to feel fear. She wouldn’t have fled for so little. I’d misunderstood her actions.

In fact, I think she was waiting. Waiting for me. We were in the middle of a positional war. That changed everything! The winner wouldn’t be the strongest but the most patient. The one who could go the longest without needing the other. If Aurora had changed the rules, it was because she was counting on Justine to pressure me.

My eyes lingered on a few ivy-covered trees. Justine was like that ivy. Aurora had planted her at my feet, and the more time passed, the more her guilt would strangle me.

What a twisted mind! Using her partner like a poison to get to me! This whole charade to avoid facing her own mistakes? Did she not care about the suffering of the one who had saved her, raised her like a mother? Why was it my place to ask for forgiveness when I’d done nothing wrong?!

This was absurd. Justice seemed to vanish as soon as you strayed a little from the capital... And what even was justice? Taking matters into your own hands? Relying on royal trials and executions? Letting the strong devour the weak because that’s the natural order of things?

"Justice. That’s what you inspire in me, Edwoyn. I want to go on this journey with you for no other reason."

Yeah, right! You have no sense of justice and never will because you have no heart, Aurora.

That’s what died twelve years ago. Her heart stopped beating. So behind her masks of kindness and cruelty, behind all her contradictions, I searched and searched... But truth is: there was nothing to find.

No matter how often you shed your bark, the trunk is hollow, Aurora. Yet, your roots remain firmly planted in the ground.

Why hold on? You’ll never be who you once were. You’ll never know innocence again. What’s the point in hunting down the makers of prohibited weapons? They’re just paper enemies, a temporary excuse, and once your revenge is complete, you’ll have no more orders to follow. Justine won’t always be there to keep you in line, and you know that all too well.

"She’s like us, exactly like all of us: lost."

Why did you tell me that, Justine? How could I keep hating her, knowing that?!

I didn’t know what to think anymore... She hadn’t chosen to be a monster, but at the same time, she seemed to enjoy playing the part. She tore out hearts as if it would bring back her own. She risked her life on missions, hoping to lose it, yet returned to the headquarters thinking only of victory.

Everything this creature did was contradictory. And as for me, I was the result of that contradiction. A hostage, trapped between life and death. I guess she saw me as both the problem and the solution since she destroyed me just as much as she preserved me. I was the grain of sand that had jammed her gears, one way or another.

"You still have influence over her. You’re the only one who can fix this. Please, do something, Edwoyn…"

In reality, you never made a mistake at Hiven Palace, Aurora. Nor did you have a crisis of conscience. No. You just couldn’t bring yourself to kill me.

Why? What do I mean to you? Do I have to guess that too?

At this point, the only thing I could say for sure was that she hesitated. Otherwise, she wouldn’t keep me on a leash with the ownership seal.

The upside was that by doing so, she gave me some form of power. The power to influence her. It was almost as if she handed me the reins to guide her because she had no idea where to go.

Either way, I didn’t have much of a choice. I wasn’t going to regain my freedom anytime soon, so I might as well focus on improving my situation. Making Aurora more human? Was that even possible after all the crimes she had committed? Was that what she expected of me? Was that what would finally resolve this conflict once and for all? Was her icy silence a cry for help, or was I fooling myself, driven by despair?

"I’ve obviously put everything on the line by giving you a chance... and I don’t regret it for a second."

Help her? What Justine was asking of me was utterly impossible. Her perception of Aurora was completely skewed.

In an attempt to make me reconsider, Justine had gone all out. And she had succeeded, because now I doubted myself. Yet the moment I recalled the lies, the poisonous whispers, her indifference, the butterfly knife in my hands... all uncertainty vanished.

My body began to tremble, the fresh forest air suddenly becoming suffocating. There was no way I would go through that again. Aurora destroyed everything she touched.

One more contact, and my heart would shatter into dust.

“Don't believe me if you don’t want to, but you'll see for yourself soon enough. If you stay kind and naive, they'll exploit you until the last fif. You need to understand—you can’t win the friendship of everyone you meet. Don’t even try. Run...”

Danéma's warnings made sense, even though it was a little late to heed them: How had she known? Why bother to warn me? Couldn't she have intervened herself and pulled me out of this misery? What interest did she have in helping a stranger? What was I to her?

No matter where she was hiding, it seemed Danéma wasn't available at the moment. I was left to my own devices in this harsh environment. Having spent some time in this sweetly named Cerfontaine Forest, I realized that it wasn't as hostile as it seemed. The forest was indeed chaotic, but that chaos was what made it beautiful. It was just a matter of learning where to step to avoid stumbling.

In fact, I had never felt as free as I did here, especially since criminals were ill-placed to judge me. This meant it was the perfect opportunity to make my first real decision, cut off from all external influence.

After careful consideration, my conclusion was that a discussion was necessary between the viper and me. A discussion as deep as the one I had just had with her superior.

No more dodging, no more doubting. From now on, if I had questions, I would confront her in person.

Aurora thought I could change her? Why not turn that into a reality to my advantage? A manipulator as experienced as my mentor wouldn't let herself be manipulated without a word. It was clear that I had to play by her rules, meaning I would have to manipulate her without her knowing, just as she had done to me.

However, backstabbing wasn't my style. Even if it went against all logic, I preferred to remain honest, regardless of the circumstances. If I wanted to obtain something from her honestly, I would need a bargaining chip: become her friend, hold her reins, help her in her revenge, make her heart beat again, entertain her, offer her a new vision of the world…

Although I had no idea how to go about it, I was ready to accomplish the impossible if it meant freeing Mother faster. My suffering was nothing compared to what she had endured, locked in silence for years.

I was terrified of falling back under the grip of that monster, Aurora. But I also had to move forward, or I would never see my family again. I then imagined Mother, a red iris in her hair and a tender smile on her lips. My love for Mother and the hope of a bright future by her side far outweighed my most visceral fears.

The worst is behind you, I tried to convince myself.

I had held on this far; it would be foolish to give up so close to the goal! The roles would soon be reversed; just hold on a little longer, Edwoyn…

All my efforts would be rewarded by the sight of her face when she saw her Machiavellian plans turned against her.

I could feel it; the wind was shifting in the Cerfontaine Forest. If Aurora was unable to do without me, as Justine had suggested, she wouldn't be able to refuse my demands. After all, it wasn't the end of the world to save a distressed queen and show a little more respect to her pupil.

‘Nothing is free’, isn't that your motto, Aurora? In that case, you'll understand that I'm raising my prices. It's take it or leave it.

My solitary walk came to an end. The serenity of the small grove had chased away all the defeatism and dark thoughts from my mind. It had been like the friend I had never had, the well-meaning confidant without whom the hero of an epic could never make the right choices.

That was all I needed to regain control.

With determined steps, I retraced my path through the ferns and dead branches. I now had a very clear idea of how to win the war. The enemy's intentions were no longer a secret to me, and better yet, Aurora was allowing me to make the first move without suspecting it would be fatal for her.

Let's see which of us is the cleverest.