Page 11 of The Broken Elf King
“Yes. I’m sorry if I offended him. I just—”
“Don’t ever apologize for trying to protect me. I don’t care who you offend in the process.”
Oh, well, that was refreshing.
I nodded, and he picked up his fork, staring at his plate.
I grabbed mine as well, having enough proper manners to know that I needed to wait for the king to eat first. He looked… nervous.
Did he fear the food wasn’t safe? “My lord, are you okay?”
Maybe it wasn’t right of me to ask such a personal question, but he seemed to be lost in his mind right now, frozen with the fork over his plate like a man stricken.
He released a breath, shaking himself slightly. Piercing a piece of the fruit, he popped it into his mouth and chewed. I relaxed a little, taking a bite of my own food.
“I’m sure you know that the Nightfall queen killed my entire family?” His question was so blunt I actually gasped, not prepared for it.
Why was he bringing that up now? Overbreakfast. I set my fork down and met his eyes. “Yes, my lord. Everyone knows.”
He nodded. “Do you know how she did it?”
I winced. Of course not. No one asked for such a detail when they found out that an entire royal family had been slaughtered. All I’d heard was that the queen had taken them all out and left only one.Him.
He took a deep breath and looked at his food once more. “Poison. She poisoned them all in front of me.”
My entire body froze. I couldn’t move, didn’t breathe.
The king pierced a piece of fruit and placed it in his mouth and chewed robotically. “I don’t enjoy mealtimes. It’s something you should know about me.”
I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I didn’t think he would appreciate my pity, so I blinked them back and nodded. He watched them all die of poison? Clutching their throats as their stomachs burned? I’d heard his youngest sibling was six years old at the time. It made me sick. A few tears spilled over onto my cheeks no matter how badly I tried to keep them held back.
The king watched me, saying nothing as I processed his pain as if it were my own.
He cocked his head slightly to the side. “Do you cry easily?”
Embarrassment flushed through me. I wouldn’t say that, I was tough, but… sometimes if someone was in pain I couldn’t help but sympathize.
“I’m sorry, my lord.” I wiped my cheeks.
He stood, took two steps until he was looming over me, and then bent down until he was right beside my face. A wave of sadness crept into my heart, nearly crushing me, and I gasped. He gasped as well, and then stumbled backwards. I turned to face him. His eyes were wide and he was clutching his chest.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. This casual business breakfast had taken an unexpected turn.
“You’re an… empath,” he stated, stepping farther away from me, and my sadness and despair faded with every step.
“A wh-what?” My head finally cleared and I was able to focus on the now and not think of the haunting memory of his dying family.
His brows knotted together and he stepped closer again, this time coming right up against me so that his right arm brushed against my left.
My sharp intake of breath matched his. Guilt, sorrow, agony, anger, revenge, so many emotions warred within me, threatening to eat me alive. But when I stared up at the king I saw… peace. He looked like he could breathe for the first time. A contented sigh escaped him as my stomach tied into knots with all of this sudden emotion.
“I forgot what it felt like,” he said wistfully.
I was so confused I could only breathe through whatever was happening.
The doors to the dining hall opened then and he stumbled backwards away from me, taking four huge steps to create distance.
“The Farmers’ Union has assembled in the meeting hall,” a young Bow Man said.
