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Post by Val on Jan 27, 2020 1:23:38 GMT
Nadia blinked at him, feeling as though she were staring into a mirror at her former self. She could remember being so convinced that her one true purpose had been to serve Yasmin selflessly until the end. Not because she had been trained to, but because she wanted to out of love for her friend. But Alister had removed the blinders from her eyes and allowed her to see the truth; that she had been trained to be a subservient slave with no thoughts or feelings of her own. But she could see clearly now. She was free.
Seeing Knox now only made her more sure that she was right. And she could prove it. She just had to make Knox see the light. That would solve everything. Determination stirred within her as she gazed at him.
"No one is asking you to lie," she reminded him, "But you will not make contact with them. Not yet. You have no facts or evidence. Running to them now with useless information will only create conflict. Do you want to start a war?" she inquired, shaking her head, "Please. Speak with the King. Find out the truth."
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Post by starrea on Jan 27, 2020 3:07:33 GMT
Knox was obviously growing more anxious by the second. Despite his high position, he wasn’t used to improvising or making decisions. He had been trained to follow, not to lead. And he hadn’t prepared for any of this, least of all the nonsense Nadia was spewing.
“Are you imprisoning me, Nadia?” He snapped coldly, “Because if you do not allow me to make contact, then you are imprisoning me, and that is an act of peace.”
The idea of being imprisoned scared him shitless. Flashes of times spent in a dark cell bombarded him, pieces of memories he tried to keep buried. The unwelcome memories did not help his rising anxiety.
The idea of starting a war sent another shot of anxiety through him. He had never had to deal with the fallout of his declarations of truth or lie for this very reason. His only job was to determine truth and nothing afterwards was his fault. They had assured him of this many times. They hadn’t been lying. But still, the idea that his actions could have such a dramatic effect was dizzying.
He needed to stay diplomatic. He forced himself to deep a deep breath, unaware that he had been breathing quickly. “I need to talk to the king regardless,” He murmured, and that was the truth. He hadn’t even entirely planned on talking to Nadia to begin with. Now, the idea of talking to the king scared him a little.
He wished he had some sort of guidance right now. He obviously wasn’t handling the situation well and immediately felt shameful at what the Royal Family would think of his performance. By now he was sure he didn’t want to hear the truth. All he wanted to do was go home and send someone else to deal with this mess. But it didn’t matter what Knox wanted, it never did.
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Post by Val on Jan 27, 2020 5:31:28 GMT
Nadia pitied him as he grew visibly fearful and restless. She didn't ask for this either. It wasn't her fault that Knox had been sent, but now he was entangled in the scary web of deceit. She took a long drink of wine and regarded him calmly, not wanting to incite the panic she could see rising within him.
"I'm not imprisoning you. You will be provided accommodations within the castle and will be kept under guard until we have decided a plan of action." It sounded better worded that way, at least. She wasn't so heartless to have him shunned to the dungeons with the murderers and monsters. She wasn't sure he could handle it.
"I'm sorry, Knox. Truly. But I promise you will not be harmed. King Alister is a reasonable man." And he would do just about anything to please her. Rising, she gestured to the guards to enter the pavilion.
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Post by starrea on Jan 27, 2020 17:24:19 GMT
Even if Knox didn’t have his ability to detect deceit, it was easy to see that even Nadia didn’t believe what she was saying. He scoffed, glaring at her hatefully. Had he any doubts before, there were none now. This was no longer the girl he used to know. She was wrecked by sin, completely unredeemable.
His accommodations put him at ease a little. However unpleasant this situation was, he was somewhat grateful that she wasn’t making it worse.
His eyes followed her gesture to the guards, and he shot another icy look her way. He stood, smoothing out his suit. He was a diplomat, not a barbarian, and he would go without a fight. The fight would come later in the form of a war.
Even though she meant it, her apology meant little to him. “I hope you feel as though you’ve made the right decisions.” He moved towards the guards and let them escort him away without a second glance back at her.
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