THE KING'S SLAVE BRIDE

THE SILENCE

NA’IMAH

That moment with Jodi had been emotionally draining, and I needed an escape from all the vulnerability and emotional talk. I wasn’t in a position to break down right now, and even if I did have a meltdown, none of that would help me with everything that was happening.

A meltdown wouldn’t make the mark on me magically disappear, nor would it turn back time to the point where my people had nothing to worry about. It won’t eliminate my guilt either. It’s been two months without any idea where my parents are. A part of me wants to hope that they are still alive and Kaedyr is just keeping them so he could use them as pawns, but given the kind of Alpha he was, I doubt that was the case.

I let out a sigh as I walked deeper into the forest. My eyes slowly moved from side to side to scan for herbs and something useful. A tree in the distance caught my attention with some fresh-growing shrubs around it, and I moved in that direction. I carefully made my way through the shrubs, careful not to damage them or break any. I needed to get a feel of the tree and see if I could use the bark.

A cloud of frustration grows around me as I run my palm along the tree bark, and I am met with silence. I felt the despair coming, and in no time it wrapped around me like a cloak. This… this silence was more of a punishment than the shackles around my ankle and the collar on my neck.

I have never felt so invincible in my life, so unseen. I hated the silence, the quiet in my head; it gnawed at me and clawed at my empty soul. I cried my fair share the morning after the attack when I woke up in the cold walls of a cell and noticed that my connection with the earth was gone. I couldn’t feel a thing, couldn’t hear a thing, not even the smallest of whispers, and I had never felt so empty and alone.

The trees talked to me; they were my friends. Nature often whispered words carried in the wind only for my ears, and that was gone. The companionship and friendship I had since I could walk and talk were no longer there, and this hollow feeling was thanks to the one man I made the mistake of trusting.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I moved around the tree, my touch slow but desperate for something, a connection—something, even if it was one tiny whisper. Just an assurance that they were still here, for me, with me, that I wasn’t alone in all this, but none came.

I gave up on trying as the cloak of despair crept into my heart. There was no point in torturing myself with this, even if it was what I deserved. Heaving a tired sigh, I crouched down, running my fingers through the shrubs before plucking a leaf to chew. There’s one thing I’m certain of, and that’s the fact that the forest will never hurt me, never. I may not be connected to nature anymore, but I know for sure I am still her daughter, and she’ll never hurt me.

As I chewed the leaf, I let the juice sit in my mouth for a few minutes before I swallowed. At the very least, I knew I still had my intuition about what worked and what didn’t. It was easy to figure out which plant was poisonous from its smell or taste. Some might appear poisonous, but those dangerous toxins could also be useful if the plant were processed well.

After collecting a handful of leaves, I said my thanks to the tree and bid goodbye.

I was on my way out of the forest, almost on the edge, when I heard sounds of footsteps and voices. I didn’t get to ponder much on who they were or what they were doing in the forest when five palace guards appeared in my line of sight.

“Are you the slave princess?” one of them asked, blatantly eyeing me up and down with a look of disdain.

“She has a name,” the lady in their midst said.

“Does it look like I care for her name or even remember it?” the guard replied with a scoff.

Without missing a beat. “Are you the i***t sent to fetch me?” I asked, looking pointedly at him. The lady guard snickered beside him.

“Watch your tongue, slave,” he snarled, stepping forward.

“What will you do, slap me? Make me kneel?”

“You’ll get what you’re asking for if you don’t stop talking.”

“I am very sure Kaedyr would love to see your fingerprint on my cheeks, don’t you think? He’d love to see you hurt his favorite slave.”

“Do not address the King by his name. His Majesty has no regard for the likes of you. You are nothing but a slave.”

I shrugged, walking over to them. “I’ll address him however I want. And if you want to test that theory about how he’d react, go ahead. You’re itching to show off, to show me that I am lesser and beneath, so go ahead. Slap me for pointing out your idiocy, and let’s see if you’re able to keep that hand.” I turned my cheek to him, waiting for him to take the offer.

To be sincere, I wasn’t sure if Kaedyr would care, but I was itching to feel something. Something different from the feeling of despair and emptiness gnawing at my insides.

“Don’t,” I heard one of the other guards say to him.

He growled as he grabbed the silver collar around my neck, and he tugged harshly at it. “Just because I can’t hit you doesn't mean there aren’t better ways to put you in your place. In the mud where you belong,” he said as he shoved me and I fell on my ass.

I felt the wet, muddy earth stick to my dress as he sneered hateful words at me.

“WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON HERE?” A growl thundered through the forest; the command of it had all the guards standing up straight, and their faces paled.

I sat there in the mud, a look of indifference on my face as Kaedyr appeared in my line of sight.