Eric, still in the garden paced back and forth. He thought hard about what he may have done to annoy Smith but it all came down to nothing.
Then he thought of Tyra.
The way she looked at him. It was just for a few seconds but he could see the fear and sadness in her swollen eyes. She even looked at him in an apologetic manner.
He wanted to go after them but he remembered the last look Tyra gave him. She shook her head in tears.
He grunted kicking the grass beneath his boots. Then he stopped when he sighted a shadow. It was Jonathan's.
"Where is the girl my Lord?" Jonathan asked with his arms stretched. Mockery evident in his voice.
"Maybe she has fallen for another man". The Prince may not be her type ". Tobey said behind Jonathan.
They both laughed but stopped soon after they noticed the Prince's mood. He walked out of the garden pushing them aside. They both turned towards each other with confused looks.
......
In Smith's quaters...
Smith had not said a word since Tyra asked a question. He kept looking at the burning flames in the fireplace. This only made Tyra more curious. She wiped her tears.
"Father I asked you a question. Why do you hate the Prince so much?".
"He is dangerous, you do not know him". He said calmly still facing the fire, pain evident in his voice.
"No, you do not know him". She stepped forward.
Smith turned to face her. He was surprised by her high tone. His throat was hurting from scolding them in the garden. He knew he couldn't change her perspective of the Prince so he decided to tell her the truth. It was too sudden but he meant well.
"Sit Tyra".
She hesitated a bit before sitting down folding her arms.
He sighed...
" Your mother was never a maid, she was born of noble birth".
She released her arms. "You lied to me, why?".
He sat beside her, voice low and heavy. " I thought you were too young to hear the painful truth about your parents".
Parents? The word kept replaying in her head. It only meant one thing, the man before her was not her father. Tyra stared at him unblinking, the word was too heavy to grasp. She let out a shaky breath then dropped her face into her hands, elbows resting on her knees. She sat upright almost immediately.
There was a stretched silence between them before Smith continued.
"Her name was Queen Shilah. The true Queen of Havans. And my brother- your father King Shebaz ruled beside her with honour. But the court, some of them grew greedy and...".
Tyra's heart pounded. "What are you saying Smith ".
He paused, then finally met her eyes.
"They were betrayed. Your father was poisoned by the Royal Advisor's wife. She wanted to end the royal bloodline and went after your mother. She escaped but immediately fell in her own death. She died after giving birth to you in the darkling woods".
Her breath hitched. "No..."
"I found you, raised you as my own, away from the shadows, far from the crown that was yours by birthright. Tyra... you are the last of the royal bloodline. The rightful heir to the throne of Havans".
"This is insane ".
She scoffed. "You expect me to believe that I'm royalty? That everything I knew was a lie? "
She shook her head slowly, fingers running through her hair. "No, no, this can't be real". She whispered, voice trembled. But deep down, something clicked.
"I wish I were". Smith said, voice heavy with guilt.
Tyra turned towards the fire. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks, she whimpered. "You've got to be lying ". She wished deep down that it was a lie but Smith's words and actions were too convincing. She stood up with her hands clutched to her dress and walked slowly to her room.
Smith watched as she walked to her room. Her back was too painful to behold, it was hunched in agony. He wiped the few drops of tears that escaped from his eyes.
He stood in front of her room for a while, hesitating to knock. He didn't want her to be by herself, agonising alone. But as soon as he heard her muffled cries, he left slowly in pain.
Tyra sat on the floor resting on the bedframe. She didn't light the candles in the room, only the light from the bright moon in the dark sky reflected, spilling across the marble floor which casted her shadow.
She didn't only learn about her identity but also the fact that Smith was not her father. Her heart ached so much. She understood his hatred towards the Prince. She was full of spite at the moment towards the royal family.
Then she thought about the Prince.
"Why him?". Her voice was shaky. She hit her head repeatedly on the bed frame then covered her mouth. Lowering her head, she cried bitterly. Even though she wanted to stop because of the headache, she couldn't. The tears just flowed without control just like her emotions.
.......
It was already noon the next day and Tyra had not come out once. Smith kept checking up on her but she wouldn't respond. She had locked the door preventing him from entering.
He tried pushing the door for the last time but it was still locked. He sighed, "Tyra, if you are not going to talk to me at least eat . I prepared your favourite meal".
He held a tray of Havans traditional cream pie, oats and fresh fruits. He waited outside her room for a while and after receiving no response, he dropped the tray on the floor.
"If you get hungry later, the food is just in front of your room. And do not be hard on yourself, please Tyra".
He came back later at night but still saw the tray outside her room. At the first attempt to push the door, it opened easily. It wasn't locked.
He quickly entered the room but stopped almost immediately. His heart pounded,the room was cold, too cold. He stood still.
There was no sign of Tyra.