"Moon?...you mentioned his name before...he was your lover wasn't he..the one Pope killed in front of you," the man asked carefully.
Iris closed her making tears fall down her face while nodding in confirmation.
"Why did he kill him, Iris?"
She opened her eyes slowly too look at him blankly while leaning herself forward.
"Because he loved me and that disgusted him..." she told him.
"Why would he be disgusted by that?"
"Because Moon was an Ape..." she said grimly.
The man's eyes widen in bewilderment at this information.
Ape Village 3 years ago
"I'm fine...just tired," she said to him then quickly putting the rock back into her pocket when she noticed Caesar was looking at it.
"Where's Luca?..." he asked her.
"Aren't you suppose to know after all your the one who made him my warden..." she said bluntly to him while trying to hide her inner turmoil of what happened earlier.
Caesar huffed deeply trying to control his frustration with her, she then started to rub her sore hands to release some of the discomforts
"Was everything alright today...was the work too hard...did anyone harass you?" he asked her trying to break the tension.
"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle," she said plainly.
"What does that mean?..." he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It means just what I said"
The ape huffed deeply and then walked over to sit down on the log next to her, neither one turned to look each other. Iris looked up from her hands to the fire pit that was somewhat away from them watching the flames dance, she then started to feel the chill so she zipped up her jacket and put her hands in her pockets for warmth and Caesar noticed this.
"Why are you are away from the fire?..." he asked.
"I don't like fire the that much...I know you didn't come here to make small talk...what do you want Caesar?" she said quietly but never turning her head to look at him.
He huffed deeply and turned to look at her.
"We need to talk Iris..."
She rubbed her eyes in frustration.
"Caesar now's not a good time-
"Then when?...do you really hold that much resentment towards me Iris?..." he asked clearly showing his own frustration.
This made Iris snap her head to look him.
"Me? If anyone is holding resentment it's you" she said raising her voice in irritation
"What are you talking about?..." he asked her.
"Your eldest son didn't even know I existed and he didn't find out about Dad, Grandpa or Caroline until about month ago and the only reason he found out about me is that Maurice told him" raised her voice clearly becoming angry.
Caesar glared at her.
"The past is...hard for me talk about..." he said trying to keep his calm.
She scoffed then glared at him.
"Are you really that ashamed that you were raised by humans, or are you afraid what others will think if they find out!" she said no longer able to keep her temper in.
Caesar stood up to tower in anger over her feeling his authority being threatened.
"I think anyone would be ashamed in being treated like a pet..." he said as he glared harder at her.
By then the other apes who had been around begun to stop what they were doing to pay attention what was happening between their king and the human woman. They looked at her in shock when they saw Iris instead of cowering under the kings gaze in fear like most would she slowly stood up straight emotionless and looked the ape king straight in the eyes unafraid, she is one the very few were able to do so.
"Is that what you really thought?...that you were a pet...if you did then I'm really disappointed in you.."
His glare softened at little her comment.
"Tell me, Caesar... Can you honestly look me in the eye and say you don't hold a little resentment towards me just because I'm human..."
He looked away from her.
"I didn't think so..." She said quietly while she still faces voided.
He then looked back her his glare still there but not as hard as before.
"Your a cold and bitter woman..." he told her plainly.
"And you're a prejudice asshole...when it comes to the end of the day humans and apes are exactly the same..." she told him bluntly then walking off past him.
Caesar didn't try to stop her and didn't even turn around to look at her, he looked to the side to see the apes that were watching quickly went back to what they were doing before, emotionally exhausted he sat down on the log.
When she knew she was far away from anyone in the darker part of the village she found a rock to lean against collapsed onto the ground putting her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries she looked to the side to see her father next to her this time not bloody.
"Just go away..." she said weakly.
"He just wanted to talk Iris..." he said sadly.
She scoffed.
"Yea! and look how that turned out! Doesn't help that I ran into...him ethier.," she said choking up.
He looked at her with sad eyes.
"You both got heated and said things...your his sister sweatheart...he loves you."
"I have a hard time believing that..." she said quietly.
He just stared at her.
"You need to tell him about Onyx..." he told her seriously.
"I can't dad...it-it will just make things worse..." she quietly then resumed sobbing no longer able to keep today's events bottled in.
Blue Eyes who had walked by had noticed Iris and smiled about to call out to her but stopped his action and his smiled lowered when he noticed her state.
Caesar had come back to the royal family's hut solemnly, Cornelia who carrying Cornelius smiled and went to embrace him which he did weakly, Cornelia notice this and pulled away to see her husband's solemn expression making her face turn to concern.
"What's wrong" she signed to him.
He looked at her and then to his infant son who sleeping on his mother's chest, he brought his hand to head and stroked him gently.
"Something happened today that I'm not proud of" he signed grimly.
"What do you mean?" she signed confused.
"Mother... Father..." a voice interrupted them.
They turned to see their oldest son had come in looking a little unsure and distressed and Cornelia and Caesar noticed this right away.
"Son, what's wrong?" She signed to him.
"I saw Iris...She was crying..." he said softly.
Caesar's eyes widen at this and then he brought his head down in shame.
Cornelia looked at her husband than to her son.
"Go to sleep we will talk about this in the morning" she signed him as she led him to the best.
He tried to protest but his mother promised they would talk about this tomorrow, when she came back she saw Caesar was sitting down on a rock and holding his head with his hand while gritting his teeth.
Cornelia went over and sat down on the rock next to him.
"What happens today?" she signed to him seriously.
He huffed deeply and began to tell her today's events, once he was done he looked ar Cornelia disappointed expression.
"I didn't...want it to turn out this way..but Iris is..." he huffed more deeply turned his head away from her.
"She's in pain Caesar..." Cornelia said to her husband.
He turned his head back to her.
"You don't have to look at her body to see if you just have to look into her eyes" she signed to him.
"She hates me..." he said depressingly.
Cornelia frowned at him.
"She loves you just like you love her, I saw it back then and I see it now, not only that, our sons have grown to love her as well" she signed sternly to him.
He brought his eyes to the sleeping Blue Eyes and then to Cornelius at her comment.
She then put her hand behind his head and brought his head to hers making him huff in content.
"Instead of talking..try listening to her," his Queen said to him.
Yea it got pretty heated...I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :)