Hiya guys sorry for late update but EXAMS are on now, grr :( luckily I have study leave 2mrw so i can stay up&do this! :D Yay!

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Chapter 10- Forgiveness

Karik

'When do you think he'll wake up?'

'Soon.'

'How soon?'

'I don't know!' a voice snapped. Was it...Chess?

'He is going to wake up, isn't he?'

'You should rest.'

'I don't want to rest! I'm tired of resting! Let me do something, let me help!'

'If you want to help him-and us- then be quiet, and do not pester us with silly questions!' another voice said sharply.

Silence. Then; 'I think I'll make him another shirt.'

Tentatively, I opened my eyes. The depth of my exhaustion surprised me. The light seemed too bright. I blinked a few times before turning my head to see the source of the voices that had woken me.

I was in the cottage; lying on the sofa, my head propped up on a pillow, and blankets piled over me. In the corner of my eye I could see my mother at her workbench, and Chessur floating in the air, staring anxiously out the window. But I didn't focus on them. Instead I started wide-eyed at the bright blue butterfly calmly sitting-or standing? - on the pillow by my head. He was regarding me with wise, almost contemptuous eyes. After a few moments, my slow moving brain finally told me who this must be.

'Absolem?' I whispered.

'That is correct,' he said, then calmly announced; 'The boy is awake.'

'What?' both Chessur and Mother said at the same time. Mother whirled around while Chess evaporated, and then reappeared again in front of me. 'It's good to see you awake again,' he drawled, grinning. 'You were starting to worry us.'

'Nothing could worry you Chess,' I said with a weak smile.

'You'd be surprised,' he said, his wide smile faltering slightly/not looking as confidant as before.

'What happened? Why am I lying down? Why was I asleep?'

'Hypothermia,' Absolem said calmly. 'You caught it up in the mountains. Though what on earth possessed you to go up there in weather like that is a mystery.' He sniffed disdainfully. 'You've been asleep for most of the day.'

'How do you feel?' Chessur pressed.

'I feel-confuddled,' I answered truthfully. What had I been doing up in the mountains? Then it all came rushing back. 'Oh. Oh.' I looked up to where my mother was standing hesitantly. Our eyes met, and I knew that she knew that I remembered all that had happened.

'Before you tell me to get out of your sight,' she said quietly, 'Let me say something first.'

I nodded slightly, and she stepped forward to kneel at my side. 'Karik...' she began. 'First of all, I wanted to say that the Knave of Hearts is not your father.'

My head shot up. 'He's not?'

'No, Ilosovic Stayne is your father.'

'It's the same thing!'

'No it isn't!' Mother pleaded urgently. 'They are different people. I know-knew-your father and he was not the cold blooded killer back then that the Knave of Hearts is now. He was not always bad. You are not the Knave's son. You are Stayne's, and you would be proud to be the son of such a brave, courageous, exceptional swordsman as he, if it was not for his latest deeds, the first of which occurred before you were born, I'm afraid. But the second thing I wanted to say is that you are not your father. You may inherit some of his physical features, and his bravery certainly, but you have none of his-less admirable qualities. The blood of the Hightopps flows strongly in you, and that us what you should focus on. Do- do you understand me?'

'Yes,' I whispered, my eyes fixed on hers.

Gently she reached out and held my hand. 'Can you ever forgive me?'

Tears swam in both our eyes as I replied; 'of course I can, Mother.' I leaned forward and kissed her cheek as Chessur purred contentedly and Absolem looked away, bored.

When I had completely recovered, my mother told me the whole story; how she had met the Knave-Stayne, I told myself- and how he'd been a good man at first. Then she'd told me how she'd decided to visit her family when she realised she was going to have me. How Stayne had had to go on another 'trip' for his job, that same week. How she'd found out he was responsible. Throughout the whole sad tale, she never shed a tear, nor got madly angry. Her eyes would occasionally flicker to orange or blue, but green was still dominant. When I asked her why she didn't cry, she told me that she'd already shed enough tears for Stayne, and did not think he deserved anymore I agreed with that. I told her what had happened in the Outlands. She was shocked and surprised that I'd already met him, and curious to know what he was like. Very curious. But when I told her she did not look any happier, if anything, sadder. When we'd finished talking we sat in silence for a while, until she suddenly said;

'Do you want to meet him? As- as your father this time?'

I looked at her in amazement and surprise. She was actually in earnest! Even though she knew it would endanger us, and cause pain for her, she was still willing to meet the man who'd ruined her life, just for me. 'You would do that?' I whispered.

She nodded seriously. 'For you, anything.'

I tried to gather my thoughts. Did I want to see him? To see him as my father, and yet still knowing all the atrocities he'd committed? No, I thought. I didn't want to destroy our fragile family life, and position in the village maybe later, much later we could see him. But not now. 'No,' I said. 'I don't.'

'Oh,' she said, seeming partly relieved partly disappointed.

'At least not now,' I amended. 'In a few years maybe. Is that okay?'

Mother smiled warmly. 'It's perfect. Now I'm afraid we've both been abandoning our work, and we've been getting behind schedule!'

'That won't do at all!' I said with a grin. 'We'd better get started!' And so, smiling and laughing, we settled down at our workbenches and began to tackle the growing list of orders. We shared them between us; not equally, for having had barely a years worth of experience I couldn't hope to work as fast and efficiently as Mother's fingers did. We worked mainly in comfortable silence, occasionally sharing a joke or a tale, or asking the other's opinion. After a few hours of peaceful working, Chessur turned up, and began to give us the daily update of how things were going in Underland. . After a few hours of peaceful working, Chessur turned up, and began to give us the daily update of how things were going in Underland. Yes, things were thankfully back to normal. For now, anyway.

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