Chapter 36: Rei's Past: First Kill
- Flashback 15 years Ago, 6 years after the wall was built -
When Reia woke up, she was in the bed of the king and queen. Her father was crying next to her. She blinked a couple of times, her eyes were sore from crying. Reia usually never cried so the outpour from her mother's death definitely was something her body wasn't used to. She had even cried through her sleep. She looked at where her mother was last but Rosa wasn't there anymore. Now it was just a big black fabric to temporarily cover up the blood stains on the floor.
"Dad," Reia whispered quietly, alerting her dad to her consciousness.
He lifted his head and he looked at his daughter, smiling through his tears, "Reia! You're awake!"
Reia's little mind flashed through the events and she tried to make sense of it all. "Who were those men in the fields?"
Her dad was startled by his daughter's question. He didn't know how to answer her. What would Rosa do? he thought to himself. And then as if a soft voice entered his head, he knew the answer. Tell her the truth.
"Hunters," he said his voice shaking a little, "They were bounty hunters."
"They said they wanted you," she said staring at the ceiling above him.
"Yes," he said tears falling back down on his face, "Yes, they were looking for me."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I used to be a pirate," he said as the feeling of guilt ripped through his gut.
"But pirates are welcome on this island," she said.
"Yes but outside of this island, there are people who do not want them," her father explained, "And they pay a high reward to anyone who captures them."
"So they wanted to take you away," she said quietly.
"Yes," her father whispered as he weeped into the covers.
"For money."
"Yes."
Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted the conversation and the king walked in. He coughed and struggled to find the right words to say.
"Reia," he said gently, "I need you to do something for me. But it won't be easy."
"What do you want?" Jeffrey cried, "She just woke up. She's just a child. Leave her alone!"
The king put a hand on Jeffrey's shoulder. "I am doing what's best for you and the child. I am trying to protect you."
At the word 'protect', Jeffrey lost it. He grabbed the king by the collar and lifted him high up the ground.
"DAD!" Reia cried, alarmed at her dad's strength.
"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE TRYING TO PROTECT ME," Jeffrey thundered, "YOU SAID TO TRUST YOU. THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE NAVY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTERS. YOU SAID WE ONLY NEEDED TO HIDE TEMPORARILY AND YOU COULD HANDLE IT. IS THIS YOU HANDLING IT?"
Jeffrey threw the king towards the black cloth on the floor. "TELL ME IS THIS PART OF YOUR PLAN? IS THIS YOUR WAY OF PROTECTING US?! IS THIS WHAT A SENSIBLE KING DOES?!"
The king, who had remained calm and the only stable mind during Rosa's death, finally broke. Tears streamed down his face as he gathered the cloth in his hands. "I never meant for this to happen," he whispered.
He turned to face Jeffrey and Reia, still kneeling on the ground and he put his head on the ground, bowing to them.
"I'M SORRY!" the king shouted at the father and daughter, his tears hot and wet against his cheek, "I can never make up for what has happened. I can only try to make things right. I will set things right. For you and the rest of the island."
Suddenly, he felt a small hand on his back and he looked up to see little Reia, looking at him with a blank expression on her face. "I can help."
"Reia!" Jeffrey cried, reaching out to his daughter, "Reia, come back. You don't need to! Let's go home. You'll need rest."
Reia ignored her father and continued to stare down at the crying king. "I can help," she repeated, "Just tell me what to do."
"Can you promise me that you'll protect your father?"
Her mother's words echoed through Reia's head
"Promise me that you'll grow up strong and protect the ones you love."
"Reia," her father said softly astounded at how resilient this tiny girl was given the circumstances.
The king looked up at the girl. Her green eyes shown with determination. Besides the tear stains on her cheeks, there was no sign of sadness on her face anymore. In fact, there was no sign of any emotion.
"I need you to tell me what the men looked like," The king said, gaining control back into his voice.
He wiped the tears from his face and slowly got back up on his feet. He looked down at the girl. "Can you do that for me?"
Reia nodded.
A few hours later, the king requested Reia to help him again. This time to identify this man the Green Cloaks had caught using Reia's description.
"This is going to be harder than you think," the king warned Reia as he walked her down the hallway. Jeffrey stayed behind in the queen and king's room with the queen, herself, who had been put on strict bed rest. The less attention Jeffrey drew the better. Something they all agreed upon.
"I'm ready," Reia said as they walked to the king's throne.
He sat down on his throne with Reia standing closely by him while he motioned for one of the Green Cloaks to bring the man in.
Reia's body went numb as they dragged in the slim man from earlier that day. Two Green Cloaks held up each of his arms. He was looking face down and his body was partially limp. It was clear he tried to fight them but was unsuccessful. Images of his sneer, his gloat, and even of the knife he threw at Rosa passed through Reia's mind.
"Hey, pretty girl," the slim man said with a sinister smile when he saw Reia.
She gritted her teeth and she clenched her fist. "DON'T COMPLIMENT ME OR I'LL KILL YOU," she cried unable to contain herself.
The King put a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "So you are the one who attacked this little girl and the Royal Chef?"
"I'm not admitting to anything, you lousy King!" the slim man shouted holding up his head and looking defiantly up at the king, "Your days of being in power are over!"
"Is that a threat?!" King Tannenbay barked.
"My brother is getting closer," the slim man said with a smile, "Tarantula is gaining more power. He's too clever for you. You will fall and so will this stupid wall, and this stupid island with it's STUPID POLICIES!"
He then directed his attention to Reia, "And you, you little brat, will watch everyone around you die. We'll kill every person that you hold dear to you right in front of your pretty little face."
Suddenly, a flash of red flew past the king. He blinked to clear his eyes and when he opened them he saw that Reia had stabbed the slim man in the belly.
It happened so quickly that none of the adults even saw it coming. She had rushed over, taken a knife from one of the Green Cloaks, and plunged it hard into the slim man.
The slim man spat out blood while Reia stayed where she was, holding the knife firmly into his belly and then twisted it to inflict more damage.
"I told you," she seethed, "I'd kill you if you complimented me again."
She pulled out the knife, unleashing an outpour of blood. The slim man fell flat on his face, dead.
"Reia!" the king shouted.
She looked over at the king, a splatter of the man's blood on her cheek. Her face was calm but her green eyes glaring.
"He threatened my family," she stated before dropping the knife and walking away from the group, "I did it to protect my family."
Her tiny footsteps echoed as the king and the Green Cloaks stood shocked at what they had just witnessed.