Killing a Godking Chapter 3 (Patreon)

“She looks older,” a gruff voice said, loud enough to come smashing through my senseless dreams. I woke slowly, keeping still as my heart raced into overdrive. Someone was in my room, someone I didn’t know.

I’d woken a handful of times now, each time for longer and with more energy. I hated being bedridden like this, but when I’d pigheadedly insisted that a maid help me out of bed and I’d promptly collapsed, I’d learned my lesson. This body was incredibly weak, each movement a minor strain on long dormant muscles.

The now recognisable soft and commanding tones of my mother followed, much more quietly than the other person. “That’s because you haven’t seen her in a year, despite being her father.”

There was an answering grunt, followed by silence. Then the man spoke again, closer this time. I could feel his breath just barely as it rushed across my closed eyelids. “Thinner too. When will she be walking again?”

I heard mother take a slow breath before she replied, “I wrote to Lady Lamwin, asking for advice. She had a son afflicted in the same way. It took him months before he was running around as a child should again. We must be patient with her, much as you wish to throw her to those Pitrenne wolves you are so intent on allying us with.”

Pitrenne wolves? Was that the house that I was meant to marry into? Shit, I really didn’t want that. I really didn’t want to be stuck in some awful marriage to some shitty man from this world. I hadn’t been able to find a guy I was interested in back on Earth, how could one from this place be any different?

“Mind your tone,” the man who was my new father growled, although it seemed more of a formality than an actual chastisement. “We need House Pitrenne if we are to secure the iron and teralus contracts that our factories need. Ever since we lost that dispute in the council of lords we haven’t been running at capacity.”

“I am aware,” my mother replied dryly, the rustle of her dress next to me letting me know that she’d sat down at the chair there. “I am your wife, I handle your books, remember?”

His reply surprised me, a chuckle, followed by an exasperated sigh. “One would think you were a man with that brash attitude.”

Wow, what was that meant to mean? That right there set all sorts of alarm bells ringing in my new child’s skull. Was I about to get involved in a world where views on women were similar to those a few hundred years ago? It took all of my willpower to keep from freaking out in that moment. I had studied what had happened to women during that time period, and I did not want it.

“You married a woman who is less afraid to show her inner fire than usual,” mother said, a smile in her voice. “And as for speaking with fire, you will treat Photie well, you hear me? She is still our daughter, regardless of her illness.”

Father made another noncommittal grunt and there was more rustling as I heard him move over towards the window. “We’ll see. The children of the Thanlan line have always been taught to excel, to perform their roles to perfection. If she does not…”

The silence in the room as he trailed off was heavy and filled with meaning. I needed to be the perfect daughter or he would… I don’t know. Disown me? That didn’t sound so bad, I’d rather go my own way than be forced to marry some man I’d never love. Well, except I didn’t know what the world out there was like for young girls. My fate might end up being far worse…

I had this new mother too, who didn’t actually seem that bad. She even seemed to have some sort of sway over the man who was my new father. I couldn’t pin down the strange dynamic between them. Mother seemed to both bow to his wishes and tell him what he should do. This was all so confusing and I really wanted to know more. In fact, I needed to know more.

With that in mind, I feigned a deep sigh, the kind that someone makes when they are first beginning the ascent back to consciousness. Then I shifted, a tensing and untensing of my atrophied muscles, then a gentle movement of a leg.

“We’ve woken her up,” mother murmured and I felt a caring hand come down to cup the back of my head.

“Mother?” I asked, not really needing to pretend to feel a bit groggy. I perpetually felt like my head was swimming just a little.

I opened my eyes to find her smiling down at me, her hair woven up onto her head in a series of braids that looked really good on her. She wore the now familiar heavy multilayered dress that I was starting to understand was in fashion with the ladies of the nobility right now. I wonder if I could get them all into skinny jeans?

Judging by the warm light that was streaming in through the open windows, it was mid to late afternoon. The curtains had been thrown wide, presumably by the man who stood silhouetted against the sky beyond the windows. He was tall and broad of shoulder, wearing a greatcoat, waistcoat and pants that accentuated both of those qualities. There were small accents here and there across his clothing done in gold and silver that glittered subtly when he moved.

He took a step closer to my bed, gazing down impassively at me with eyes of hard obsidian. Clearly I took after mother, given the blond hair and black eyes. Pretty much the opposite of what I had, dark hair and burning eyes.

“Aphota,” he grunted, cocking his head slightly as if inspecting livestock for disease.

“Hello… um, sir,” I squeaked. His eyes were scary, the same way staring into the eyes of a wild bear might be. If I’d ever seen one. That gaze would be how I imagined it to look like until I met a real one, that’s for sure.

“She didn’t forget her manners at least,” he snorted, and a bit of warmth entered his expression.

Mother was quick to voice her agreement. “She has been a delightful and inquisitive little treasure so far, haven’t you dear?”

“Um, yes ma’am?” I agreed, although it came out sort of like a question. I’d been asking a lot of questions when I was feeling up to it, so I guess it was true. Delightful was a stretch though, definitely not a word I’d use to describe myself.

That seemed to amuse father, who gave a light, rumbling chuckle. Mother smiled over at him and with a gesture she introduced him, “This is your father. Nerrik Thanlan, and my husband.”

I studied him openly then, trying to get a gauge as to the type of man he really was. He had darkness in him, that was definitely true. Strength as well, but not without a cunning to match it, if I had to guess. He was the type of man that my previous father had thought himself to be. The type that pot bellied middle aged conspiracy wackos on youtube had thought they were. I desperately hoped that he had some kindness in there too.

“N-nice to meet you, father…” I mumbled, dropping my gaze. Then I felt ice form within my stomach as I realised I’d forgotten it and quickly added, “Sir!”

“Fearful little thing, aren’t you?” he rumbled, and I couldn’t tell if he thought it was a good or a bad thing.

Timidly, I raised my eyes back to his. “You’re big.”

Another smile from him, this time it properly reached his eyes. “Yes, yes I am. Men are often larger than women, and stronger of mind and body. It is right that you hold fear for us, it is healthy.”

Mother’s hand stilled where it still rested on the back of my head, but she didn’t speak. I felt something kindle in me as I watched him so confidently state his bullshit. I’d died crying and begging at the hands of my last father, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to go through that again. For the first time since that brick had ended me, I felt anger, just a flicker of it mind you, but it was there.

I wanted to make him eat those words. Yes, I was a little ten year old girl and sure men had more strength on the whole… but there was so much more to the world than simple brute strength. I’d heard talk of magic in my times with mother, whether that was real magic or just science, I didn’t know… but still. There was something there.

For now now though, I just needed to bide my time. Pretend to be a good little daughter, do what was required of me and thus survive through it. Just like last time… except I wasn’t going to be a pushover when the brick came for me again. This time I would not lay helpless on cold concrete, this time I would get a brick of my own and I would pummel it into whatever dumb fuck who tried to mess with me.

He must have seen something of my thoughts, because his smile turned truly pleased, giving a slight nod. “I will take my leave for now, business to attend to. Aphota, I expect you to work hard, do not disgrace our family name.”

“Yes father, sir,” I said, nodding quickly. I needed him to like me. I had a feeling that if he didn’t, he would be worse even than my previous father, but he might also have the capacity to be something far better than he had been. Time would tell, but I was going to try to both impress him and maybe, just maybe… make him see what I could truly be.