Life in a new Kingdom

"Do you think you took it too far with Gale?" Julia comments.

"Might have, but facing the past is up to him. He needs to stop running away from himself. Otherwise, he will find that death is cold and lonely."

"Maybe you should not speak to them for a bit."

"I'll give it a day. For now, I need to return home for the night."

"Have a good night, my Lord."

"You too, Julia."

Leaving the Guild Hall, I loosely followed behind the Phantom Blades. I would have otherwise returned to the manor. Not this night. I had some business to take care of with them if I wanted to ensure a future for them in this town. Wondering down the alley, a drunk Gale shouts at his team. Throwing out insults and blaming them for their abilities. Their voices try to reach and calm him, but he continues his barrage of gripes and insults toward them.

"Leave me be!"

"Gale, if you just calm down, we can talk-" Lukia tries to interject but is cut off by his intense stare.

"If you want to drink, let's go back to the Guild. Not some cold street." Herk approaches Gale.

"I don't want to see that little Nix bastard's face."

"While I agree about not liking him, Gale, he has been respectful toward us ever since he beat us." Ivian tries to explain.

"Gale, enough is enough. Let go of that grudge. Let's go back." Yann places his hand on Gale's shoulder. Gale reacts and pulls away.

"I don't want to see another Nix for another lifetime... Those fucking bastards... They are the reason she's dead!"

"What?" Lukia takes a step back, confused by his words.

"My sister, my little sister, was murdered by a Nix when she was barely twenty years old. Beaten to death, she was almost unrecognizable. I FOUND HER lying in a ditch in a puddle of her own blood!" Slamming his fist into the wall, blood pours down his fist from a fresh open wound.

"So, it was true then. She was killed." My voice echoes as I take a step to reveal myself. Gale and the Phantom Blades turn to stare, surprised.

"What the hell do you want? Leave me alone, Nix! Or do you want to torment me more seeing my dead sister when I look at you!" Gale approaches but is held back by his friends.

"I just want to confirm one thing with you, Gale. Did you see the Nix that killed your sister? Did you witness what they did to her? If so, did you know what happened to them?"

"How the hell would I know? They were gone before I could find them. Nowhere to be seen, I failed to avenge her!"

"When I found out about your sister, I spoke around the town about what they could remember of her death. Many said the same as you: a Nix had killed her. They found Nix children covered in blood and the authorities took them away. What you don't know is that those kids were trying to save her.

"What..!" Gale's eyes explode, a mixed emotion of rage and stress swimming inside his mind.

"Caleb, what do you mean?" Lukia spoke.

"I talked to some of the oldest figures in town to help me recall of those events. They claimed the children did it, but their answers were filled with doubt. Until I got information from the mayor. Guni told me that she was young herself when it happened. The Nix children didn't kill her, but a drunk adventurer. He was infamous in the guild for backstabbing and causing trouble for others. And so it happened that your sister found something valuable one day, and he saw her with it. Luring her to a lonesome spot, he beat her close to death, venting out his frustrations, and stole whatever she had with her. Not before a group of orphaned and homeless Nix children siblings had witnessed the girl being assaulted. They went to her side for aid and tried to move her to some medical expert. But she was in so much pain. She wasn't going to survive what he did to her. And so, they showed her mercy. What people saw was a mercy killing, thinking it was them who attacked her in the first place."

"...No"

"Three innocent boys, white of hair, were imprisoned and forgotten until they starved to death. No one told you because the people believed that they killed her; the real truth was buried. You were an orphan with no real standing in this place. Guni saw you take care of your sister's remains while the people forgot about it. I don't blame them, seeing as the scapegoat was there; no one needed to talk about it and move on. Most of the people of the village who knew of that incident are either dead or have moved to different towns. And any knowledge of any incident was told to the rest of the people that it was some Nix who killed her. Since they weren't there to witness any of it, they were unaware that the boys starved to death and the adventurer was killed by some bandits not too long ago. Karma caught up with him, and he died to some lowly thugs and thieves."

"So, this entire time... My sister's death..."

"Yes, all this time. The killer died a horrible death; the ones you blamed were falsely accused and were starved until they died as well. And that same hatred you held for so long nearly killed me."

A moment of silence creeps into the atmosphere. Gale is speechless and dumbfounded. Losing the strength in his legs, Herk and Yann hold him up. Sweat dripping from his face, he lowers his head, silently muttering to himself. Lukia looks at him, a sad expression shared between the party.

"I've said my piece. I thought you should know the truth. I don't hold a grudge against you, Gale, not anymore, at least. Your hatred... I have felt that. I am sorry for what happened to your sister. I am sorry for the sorrow it has brought you. And I am also sorry for taking your eye. I'll be at the Guild for the next few days if you wish to speak. Take your time, think it over, and make your decision. I'll be waiting, either a sword in hand or a chair next to me. Good night."

Stepping away from them, I held a neutral expression as it took some thought to give such information to him. He needed to know, but it might have been too shocking to learn. But it is done. And I will be waiting for him.