33 Chapter 33: Is it War? (III) New Goals
Kilian looked down in confusion, unsure what to say, but finally uttered a few words.
"Yes..I am... I mean I was".
He stuttered some, but this time it was not an act like it had been in the Heathgrave mansion.
The man on the chair seemed enraged, and this time he was at a loss at what to do if this man did not take him in.
"How dare they treat you like a cripple!".
His grandfather stepped down from the chair and helped Kilian to stand.
"Jasper!...Jasper!".
The voice rang through the big hall, and within seconds a man with short light brown hair came running.
"Yes, my Lord?" was the winded reply from the man that had entered.
"Get a doctor, a healer, a herbalist by tonight".
The voice was firm, and the anger in the tone was still evident to Kilian.
'So he is not mad at me…but Count Heathgrave?' Kilian thought to himself.
"How are you walking now, the rumors said you could not walk?"
The voice was still angry sounding, but Kilian faced the big man.
"I trained…"
That was all he said.
It was true, that was all he had done, he had trained every day to regain proper circulation and feeling in his legs, reducing the pain from the scarring, except for when he had overused the muscles in the leg.
Jasper was desperately catching his breath, compared to the many knights Kilian had seen in the estate already, this man seemed to have the stamina that barely lasted him to get across the hall.
Kilian forgot his grandfather while watching the man scratch down on a notepad while nodding back at the older man, before he bowed and proceeded to skip over the floor again to leave.
"I don't think I have ever seen that man on the training grounds…"
The words were more of an afterthought, that Cratos spoke out loud, and Kilian just watched the brown-haired guy leave the hall.
He had forgotten how nervous he was, and the small intervention had calmed him down somehow.
A big hand, covered in many old scars was placed on Kilian's shoulder and tightly squeezed him.
'Is he trying to comfort me?'.
Kilian was unsure what was going on and looked up into a pair of gentle-looking light blue eyes.
The hand held him tightly and Cratos pulled him up standing with no effort.
"What happened to Mela, why is she not with you?".
Kilian swallowed hard, unsure what he should share, he did not know the history between the father and daughter pair, and why it seemed as if the North did not know what had happened to her.
'Don't they have that convenient magic to send messages'?
He felt the little bird under his shirt shuffle slightly, and it made him smile as if the bird had acknowledged what he was thinking'
'I need to send a message to Rayden when I get a moment', he thought.
Kilian wanted to figure out if Rayden knew what had happened in the cave, and thinking back on it made his cheeks flustered.
"She has been…better".
Kilian seemed nervous again, unsure how to approach the subject of his neglected mother.
Cratos looked down at the young skinny boy, seeing a smile finally forming on the face that had been mostly looking like a scared rabbit since he had been found.
He looked so much like his mother.
Slender with golden hair and ice-blue eyes, which even for their family seemed to be more luster and shine brighter.
But overall he did not have a build that seemed to be able to survive in the harsh cold North.
He had been proud when he had sent his daughter further south, to be pampered by a Count, and mingle with other noble ladies her own age.
Some color made it into Kilian'scheeks and Cratos was satisfied that at least the young man was not scared of him like most other people were when meeting him.
He was a grandfather, and it had been forever since he had seen any of his children, some had even already left him.
He cleared his throat, which ended up sounding like a deep growl.
Kilian heard the growl, thinking the man was unhappy with the vague reply and continued.
"She is not well, She has been neglected and reduced to something lower than a servant."
The hall went dead silent, and Kilian was sure the old man was holding his breath when he almost missed the sound of the reply.
"What?"
The word was deep but like a small whisper, and Kilian saw the veins in the man's arm pop, and the tightness of the hand holding his shoulder became almost unbearable, as the man's face turned red, like he was holding in a rage that was about to explode.
Instead in contrast to how Cratos was looking, his voice was still low, but the words were concise.
"How dare that man".
Kilian shifted under the hand, which seemed to startle Cratos, who immediately let go of Kilian.
"And you?".
The eyes were no longer gentle, it was as if a storm was behind them, and they felt cold and stern, like the color, had shifted from blueish to white in anger.
"I… It was because of me, I have no magic like my mother, it seems like the Count did not like that."
Cratos did not say anything sympathetic but instead continued like he was interrogating someone, his eyes were looking at Kilian, but the anger in them was directed at something further away.
"And your crippled legs?"
Kilian replied in a lower voice.
"They did it". He did not need to explain more than that. It was clear what he meant.
Even if this man was not directly his grandfather, and even if this man was currently seething with rage, it was comforting, cause he could tell it was not towards him, but on his behalf.
He wished the Kilian that had disappeared could have known of this, that he had family that cared, even if it was a rugged giant bear-like grandfather.
Even his mother had been extremely kind.
'I will make sure they see me live well'. That was all he could do for the Kilian that had died alone in a room.
"Why are you here?"
Cratos had asked the question that Kilian needed to answer the most.
The reason he had come all this way to the North.
He had thought about it during their travels. What he really wanted was not just getting some sort of refuge in the North, or being taken care of.
He smiled up at the man, a knowing and devious smile.
"Grandfather, I respect the name Valen, but I want to be the only Heathgrave in this Kingdom".
A burst of laughter rang through the halls, a loud chuckling deep laughter as Cratos Valen let go of his seething rage as soon as he heard the young man's words, knowing exactly what he had meant.
This was indeed his grandson.
The thirst for revenge.
The perseverance against all odds and the stubbornness to see it through.
"Kilian Heathgrave Valen, I welcome you to the family".
The man seemed almost amused, and Kilian was surprised how this grandfather switched between all those mood swings but nodded as thanks in return.
"I will help you with what I am able to, however, I need to head for the capital soon, the King has assembled a war council, and as the only member of the Valen family, the old crook wants me to come and keep an eye on the young barking dogs".
Cratos smirked and looked down at Kilian.
"Lord… I mean G..grandfather" Kilian changed his words, as soon as he saw the corners of Crato's smile turn down.
"I need to tell you about the metal feathered birds in the cave".
Kilian cleared his throat and continued.
"I saw creatures that looked like humans but with a bird-like lower body and the feathers made of metal".
Kilian was sure the man would think him crazy now, but Cratos looked like he was suddenly lost in thought, not seeming too surprised at Kilian's description.
"Sounds like what you saw were Harpies".
Cratos named the creatures like it was a name long forgotten, or impossible.
"They spoke", Kilian continued.
"What? They can speak?".
"Yes", was all Kilian replied, it was not as if he could explain how the creatures were able to speak, but in this world, he assumed most explanations would be based on some kind of magic.
"I will have some people look into this, you just need to worry about healing up, I will have the best healers in the region visit you tonight".
Kilian could see that his grandfather was deep in thought like he was forgetting Kilian was still present.
"Oh".
Suddenly Kilian felt something picking him up, and found himself getting carried across the hall.
He did not dare to ask to be let down, as his grandfather had a calm soft expression as he carried Kilian out of the hall and down the hallway Kilian had come from.
Cratos Valen the Archduke of the kingdom, walked to the room that Kilian had slept in and stopped in front of a surprised redheaded young man, handing Kilian over to the other man's arms, like he was something precious, and Kilian was received as if he was.
"My grandson seems to trust you with his life. I will trust his choice".
Dante nodded deeply, as he was unable to bow with full courtesy, and proceeded to carry Kilian into the room, placing him on the bed with utmost care.
They were alone again, and the faint fragrance from the morning bath lingerie between them, as Dante removed Kilian's shoes to make his feet more comfortable.
Kilian leaned against his cane while watching Dante bend down to help him out of the shoes.
Then Kilian finally spoke.
"Tomorrow you start training".
Kilian knew even without asking for permission, he was now regarded as a member of the Valen family, and he was no longer a guest.
This was his home, and he would give his people every opportunity to grow.
He could finally give Dante and Stella a place to stay.
