Chapter (34): Recede

Ryan pursued his way to where his father was leading him. Miguel strode to the library made Ryan more curious about this issue. He rarely had set their conversation in private.

He opened the door and stood before it.

"Get inside!"

Ryan had no idea if his father's face was like this before otherwise, he left the house if he wore such a stern face. The outburst of curiosity was hiring his heart, making his blood boil.

Ryan went inside and halted, looking back at his father who locked the door behind them.

Miguel strode to a bookshelf and put out a book with a green book cover.

"Remember this book, Truce in Hell!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. That was Elizabeth's favorite book, a tale of faerie folk full of combats and poems. He approached his father and then he saw the brick that had a mark on it. A carved vial!

"Father!" Ryan was speechless.

"I know! I will tell you everything."

He pushed the brick and the bookshelf moved. He had to let his son know about his past. He hated to speak about it but he was dangled to them.

"Wow!" Ryan couldn't even imagine that there was such a hidden place in this mansion.

Miguel went inside the room that was behind the bookshelf. Ryan couldn't wait more because it was tickling him that what his father was going to confide.

Miguel went to the torches and lit them up. Ryan's gust in his lungs was locked and when the light offered him the need, his mouth dropped.

The room was large, the walls were full of weapon cases and of course, swords, bows, daggers, and... The pistols were the rare ones that could hold silver bullets and could live no vampire-type enemy alive. All of them were made of silver.

A table was in the middle of the room, many maps and files were on it. But none of them could drop his mouth except the uniform inside the dusty glass box.

"Were you a knight?"

Ryan uttered the words slowly, his accent was revealing the astonishment, never had he believed that his father was a woodcutter nor a regular blacksmith man. He is instinct was speaking the fact to him.

"Yes, I want to tell you about a long tale."

Miguel dragged a chair back and took his seat.

"Why? Why now! Did the Princess or this beast prince frighten you?"

Miguel's eyes grew wide, he knew it and yet was calm. Finally, he had learned to control his emotions.

Ryan gave his father a sly smirk as he hit the right point. Now, he found it more interesting because first, the princess had put a finger on his father, and now that prince came. He saw how the greedy eyes of this Nobel man were chasing after Luna.

"I hear you father," he mentioned as he noticed him being mute for a while.

"In firsthand, scream and yell at me here but no words would leave this place, swear now!"

Ryan gazed at him blankly, "I swear, tell me." He just wanted to listen, it didn't matter how hard it was, he had to listen. Lisa advised him to give a chance to his father, so now, here was a chance.

"I was young just like you but my head was more bloated. My dream was only one thing, becoming a Knight. I was an only son of my father, the only one who dreamed of being a combatant and my grandfather was the third minister of the court. For his position, it was also an immunity that one of his grandsons could reach the title of an eagle, so did I."

He paused, drawing a file out.

"This file is all of the missions that I finished successfully. No storm, no sharp blade, no magic nor the magical power of faeries could force me to recede."

Ryan grabbed the file. He opened and turned the first pages and saw how the collectors drew his father's triumphs. He felt that his knees were trembling and had gone numb, a knight? He was a real knight. At first, it was understandable but these honors occurred from a very young age, he was only fifteen when he joined the knights! A kid!

"I didn't let frustrations beat me. I fought, I kept my eyes open and every mission was a new beginning, a new start. I passed the test of knights and joined the next level of my life then I saw Livia. She was the most beautiful and wise woman that I had ever seen. I have a heart and lost it to her, it was the only downfall and the last one. This forbidden love had killed my dream and my honor."

Silence fell, Ryan put down the file as he reached the last paper of the file. He was fried from his troop after earning many achievements in the knights' gang. This confession wasn't easy for any man, not even Ryan, himself was very dignified to do so.

"You ran with her!"

He nodded, "yes, but she returned as we lost our first child, at least..." He took a deep breath, it was hard for him to let put the next announcement. Ryan studied that face, he was not going to say something pleasant.

"She thought we missed him."

Him! A boy! Ryan closed his eyes, something just exploded in his head. That couldn't be possible. He didn't want her to be his mother. Even the stray cats of Riva knew how cruel she was and he didn't want her Nobel blood running in his body, feeding his heart. He barely could breathe out his rage, if he was her son then he would rather die.

"Tell me that she is not my mother," Ryan said under breath, didn't want to open his eyes and just wanted to believe that was a nightmare and when he would open his eyes everything was erased from the world he threw down in. He cried out, Miguel closed his eyes, letting his son blow out his wailing.