1217-02-25
It had been a month or so since Jay left the campus, and my mind wouldn't stop asking questions. What happened to him? Where is he? Why did he leave?
Did he go back to Tobe? Did he leave us for good? Was he okay?
Agatha didn't seem much better. It was like she knew something. She was a noble, after all—maybe she had some idea of what happened. If he truly returned, she would know.
Would I even understand if she told me? Should I understand?
These questions rang endlessly in my head, filling me with uncertainty. My thoughts, my actions, everything felt clouded.
Did someone find out what he told me? About what he believed in—Adrian Kundra's words about dragons, his opinions on Maranona? Did someone overhear?
The lake.
My mind flashed back to that moment by the lake. Agatha was the only one who knew we were there—or so I thought. But there were others around. Maybe someone overheard. And yet, why did nothing happen to me? I was just as involved in those conversations, just as certain as he was about Soul, inheritance, and pacts.
Class.
I sat in class, trying to focus on the lesson. We were going over history—a history I wasn't sure was real, a history I wasn't sure I trusted. Why did all of this happen? Why did I grow close to him? After all, who am I?
The sister of the perfect one. Nothing more. That's why I wasn't taken—or so I assumed. My sister had always been a quiet shield, standing between me and the world.
I thought back to her words. Don't do anything stupid, she had told me.
Part of me hoped Jay had returned to Tobe. I knew that wasn't the case.
"Valen," the teacher called out.
I blinked, focusing again. To my right sat someone new, a man with light brown hair—Jay's replacement.
"Why is 1215 called the Year of Peace?" the teacher asked the class.
"Because the whole world held its breath," someone replied.
"Not a bad answer," the teacher said, nodding. "But can anyone elaborate?"
Agatha raised her hand and answered, "The whole world was at peace. Rali and the United Islands of Khiz agreed to a temporary truce that year."
"What about Ghar?" the teacher asked.
"Ghar was also at peace, thanks to King Milton," Agatha replied.
"What did King Milton do?"
"He provided his allies with food, weathered their struggles, and supplied whatever necessities they needed," she said confidently.
My mind began to flutter again. Was this real? Was King Milton truly the person I thought he was? Had he really done all that to bring peace, or was there more to his actions than met the eye? My thoughts spun in circles as uncertainty gnawed at me. The idea of peace, of alliances, all seemed so fragile now. Could I trust what I had learned ?
At the end of class, I gathered my things and walked up to the teacher. He pushed his papers and notes together. He looked up at me with a hint of excitement. Pleased that I wanted to speak with him.
"Do you know where Jay went?" I asked, my voice steady despite the swirling uncertainty.
"Jay? Oh, you mean Jude?" the teacher replied, his words floating in the air with an odd, airy sense of untruth. "I heard that he returned to Tobe, but I'm not certain."
I nodded, though I felt no clearer than before. "Thanks," I said, mustering a smile, trying to appear confident. But inside, the questions kept building.
The rest of the day blurred together. Time moved faster than usual. It's almost too fast.
"Hey," she said, her voice warm. "Sit with me?"
I nodded and walked over. I sat down beside her. The weight of the day slowly started to settle.
"I know what happened to Jude," she said quietly.
"How?"
Agatha hesitated, clearly weighing her words.
"My family... and things tend to get around." She paused, her voice dropping even lower. "Someone overheard what Jude and you had said. Word spread fast."
My heart raced. "What happened to him?"
She took a deep breath.
"Lucia—she saved you out of the same punishment."
I stared at her. "Punishment? What kind of punishment?"
Agatha shifted uncomfortably. Her gaze avoided mine for a moment before she spoke again.
"Going to Eleanor."
"Eleanor?" I repeated, confusion seeping into my voice. "Isn't Eleanor allied with us?"
"I don't know when but…"
She shook her head. "Eleanor is a prison meant to torment you until you break. It's cold and frostbitten."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
She looked me in the eye. Her gaze was steady.
"Because we're friends."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I demanded. "Why didn't you warn me?"
Agatha's face softened. Her lips pressing into a thin line.
"There's not much I could do. I tried to save him. Jude... he…."
"Lucia could get him out! Why didn't she?"
She sighed deeply. "Lucia is powerful, but even she couldn't change what was happening. Eleanor is a place that breaks people."
Why?Why did this happen?
I had always believed that we were allies. That we were on the same side. Fighting against Shatar. Fighting for the same cause. But now, it seems like a lie. Eleanor wasn't an ally. It was a prison. A frozen wasteland.
Why lie to us? Why make us believe something else?"
Agatha was silent for a moment, her face softening with pity.
"Once you make a pact," she said quietly. "You're told the truth, eventually. But by then, it's too late."
I stood up suddenly, my voice breaking.
"I can't—!"
I stormed out of the room. Tears streamed down my face.
I slammed the door to my room behind me. I tried to block out the world. But even as I did, I heard Agatha's voice from the other side of the door.
"No one survives in Eleanor unless it's by the will of the king. There is no hope there."
"I thought I had a diplomatic relationship with them."
Her throat tightens.
"That's a farce," she says. "Eleanor holds the worst of the worst. Killers,murderers, terrorists. We bring them food, but that's the extent of it."
"No, that can't be true. My father—"
"He's a soldier. He wouldn't know." She interacts.
"No, I refuse. Even if what you're saying is true, why did he go there?"
"It's for the—"
"The best?" she sighs.
"What?!"
"He refused to join our kind. He refused to pact—it's for the best.'"
"He's our friend!!"
" And now he's an enemy."
"What?"
"Anyone who doesn't agree with Maranona doesn't deserve to take advantage of our materials or schools. He hates us but lives here. He fled from a... a heinous nation? And then he complains..."
"He did nothing wrong!" she shouts.
"Don't say that again.."
"I'm doing everything I can to stop them from taking you as well."
"Your sister's doing everything she can! Don't make it worse."