All Things New: Chapter Twenty-Nine

Welp...I think I'll be safer hiding in a hobbit hole till this part of the story is over... runs

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: THE FATE OF A THRONE WARDEN

This could not be happening. The war was over, the Hollish had won! But this note, with the names of the fallen, had to be wrong…because Artham’s name was on it.

How could Esben possibly explain this to his grandmother? His sister-in-law, who was getting closer to delivering every day? How could Esben believe it?

“Why?” he whispered, clutching the paper in his hands. “Why, Maker, why?”

Anything else that happened that day was a blur. Arundelle couldn’t believe it, and at first, fainted form the news. Then she became sick, so sick that everyone began to worry.

Emerald took it rather calmly, though when she did really accept it, she was far from calm.

Madia wept and wept and wept. How could—how could this be? Her oldest grandchild, robbed from her, in his mere youth?? Why??

Bonifer was shocked, but if everyone knew the workings of his mind, he would have been thrown in the deepest, darkest dungeon that could be found, and left there to rot. He had hoped that if Artham did come back, but his iron constitution would be broken, so he could pull Esben’s strings. But no, Artham was dead. While he remained sympathetic, and showed fake signs of grief, he silently planned how he would pull Esben’s strings. If the Throne Warden falls, the king is not far behind.

Esben spoke to no one, saw no one. He was a sad and sympathetic sight to behold. It broke Madia’s heart to see her family like this. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t he have just come home?

Why?

Why?

Heh... hides 😶‍🌫️