Truth

Chapter 4 - Truth

I stood at the entrance of the dining hall. It seemed like everyone had moved out into the rest of the palace or called it a night. The music had died down, and the food was slowly being removed from the tables.

It was always intriguing watching the behind-scenes of events. I used to sneak away all the time as a kid to watch the solstice celebrations be prepared. The magic it took to put everything together was always astonishing. I always wondered how they did such amazing work in such a short amount of time.

I felt faint, so I leaned myself against the doorway. I knew I was already at the end of my energy limit for the day, but I knew what I had to do to clear the air between Balor and me. I had to let him know what I was feeling and what had happened to me.

Life as we knew it was about to change. Once everything was set into motion, we wouldn't have time for much else.

I looked around the hall, spotting Balor sitting alone at the head table. He seemed to be lost in thought, which was nothing new for him. He was always lost in thoughts and visions as a kid. I hadn't realized how much I missed that until now.

He had changed so much in the last six years. He wasn't the same lost teen anymore. Instead, he was a man who he'd finally found his place in the world, and it showed. But something about him never changed, and it brought a smile to my face.

Even with all the years of corrections and training, he always seemed to add his own flair to whatever he did, making sure everyone knew he didn't give a shit about anyone else opinion but his own.

His long scarlet hair was pulled back into a bun, and his dress shirt buttoned at the too revealing his chest. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, too, showing all the tattoos he had gotten over the years. His fingers were covered in rings.

"Balor, out of all of your siblings, will understand the most," Ahmes reassured me, and I felt a bit of weight lift from my shoulders at her words. 

I slowly entered the room, watching as he stared at the floor, tapping his foot against the ground as he lost himself in this thought. Finally, I let out a deep breath and started walking towards him.

It was now or never.

"I see this much hasn't changed." I mused as I moved the chair beside him and sat down.

Balor looked up at me, a shocked look on his face before he gave me a half-smile.

"Yeah, and what's that?" He quizzed, arching a brow at me—a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Oh, you being a loner. Even being mated, you still find time to be alone." I teased, trying my best to keep myself together. But, if he sensed that I was nervous, he didn't give way to knowing as he nudged my shoulder playfully.

"Not true. I'd rather be with Rey than by myself these days." He scoffed, and I nodded, understanding that need all too well. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously. His demeanour had changed so much from when we last had a heart-to-heart it gave me a little hope to see a different outcome to all of this.

"So maybe you have changed after all," I teased. A serious expression took over, causing his smile to fade, and I knew I had said the wrong thing. There was no going back now. He leaned forward and rubbed his hands down his face.

"A lot has changed, Nes. And not just with me." I pursed my lips, trying to think of what to say next.

"That's the understatement of the century, Bal." I instinctively started fidgeting with the hem of my dress to distract myself from the rush of emotions that's seemed to take hold of me.

"You know I don't hold any of it against you. I mean, in the beginning, I did. When I needed you the most, you weren't there for me. But over time, I grew to understand why you had to leave. I guess I got so used to you being able to predict my future and help me when I asked that I was so lost when I needed to do things on my own." I explained as I kept my gaze on my dress.

"I mean, I guess, what I'm trying to say is. It was okay to want to feel normal and actually have a life of your own. I did the same thing in my own way. I kept secrets and got into a lot of trouble just to protect someone I loved. So I understand why you hated the bond so much. I hated it for a bit too." Balor's hand gripped mine, and I looked up at him then. His brow pinched together as his eyes frantically searched mine. I could see the regret and pain in his features.

I felt like I was looking at the kid who had just punched Cedric Jinx in the face for teasing Imelda once again. A need to understand swirling in his eyes.

"Nes, what happened to you?" He asked, a plea in his voice begging me to tell him.

I bit my lower lip, letting out a sigh. If I was going to do this, it had to be now; I wouldn't get another chance.

"It's a long story, Bal," I warned. I half expected him to get angry or annoyed, but he didn't. Instead, He gave me a tight smile.

"It's a good thing I got time," He scoffed; I rolled my eyes in response.

In return, I gave him a forced smile, the scar on my face aching more than usual. Everything in my left eye was nothing more than a blur since I had almost completely lost vision in it a couple of years ago.

My heart raced in my chest as I forced myself to remember the nightmares I tried so hard to forget—the shadows whispering quietly in my head. The excitement of reliving my past seemed to fill them. I let out a heavy breath.

"I guess I should start from the beginning then." I mused. Balor's expression didn't falter as he waited patiently for me to relive my past. I could see the tension in his posture. I could see the guilt in his eyes as he looked over the scars on my face. He was always one to take the blame when something bad happened, especially when he hadn't seen it coming—even being the youngest. He had taken it upon himself to be our protector.

But I wasn't that girl anymore; I wasn't someone who needed to be protected or pitied. I had seen the monsters and lived through the death of everything inside me. And what arose from the ashes and brought light into the darkness wasn't the same thing which had entered them.

I had been broken and damaged more times than I cared to admit, but I wasn't going to let my past continue to haunt me. He needed to know the truth of it all. It had to happen this way in order to prepare him for what was to come.

I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the vaulted ceilings of the dining hall.

Everything seemed too bright and loud all of a sudden. The feeling of being overwhelmed threatened to consume me. I forced myself to focus on the way the golden petals of the flowers that were wrapped around the beams in the ceiling seemed to glow with the sound of the music. The knots in my stomach easings as I reassured myself that I was here and this wasn't a dream. I blew out a breath, my fingers twisting in the hem of my skirt.

"It all started with dragons..."