Quick notes: Chaise means chair in French, but I am taking it more as a chaise lounge.
Chapter name notes: Hunny named this chapter! Per wikipedia:
Meaning: The Hanged Man is the card that suggests ultimate surrender, sacrifice, or being suspended in time.
Upright card: Breaking old patterns, Circumspection, Letting go, Metamorphosis, Suspension
Reversed card: Egotism, Inability to change, Missing an opportunity.
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Chapter 59:
The Hanged Man
As Silas stood next to Holland, there was a short pause in the room before either one responded. "Well, don't stand there. Take a seat." Eva said shortly, gesturing towards the rickety, wood chair across from her as she sat languidly on the only chaise in the room. Saoirse quietly trailed to Eva's side, standing beside her on the side of the chaise, and Neema stayed close to Silas, standing next to him as he nervously made his way to the seat. He sat with a small creak from the seat under him, and he almost laughed, but he held his tongue, attempting to seem determined and steeled to the situation. Still, Eva's glaring brown eyes shook him slightly, and the anger that radiated from her was palpable.
As Silas cleared his throat and looked around, Holland grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over near Silas, dropping it with a small thump as he moved to the front of the chair and sat down. As he sat, the weight of his armor made the wood groan and whine, leaving an awkward sound to reverberate through the empty room.
Silas knitted his fingers in his lap and stared towards Eva with new-found confidence, understanding the weight of the situation at hand. "Thank you for meeting me, Eva." Silas said shortly with a small bow of the head.
Eva did not acknowledge Silas's bow and held her fierce gaze to the elf. "So, why did you want to speak to me?"
"I want back on your team." He said directly, his eyes unwavering.
Eva laughed, "You must be joking."
"I am serious." Silas said, meeting Eva's heavy glare with a determined frown.
"And why would I do that?" Eva asked with a cold voice, sitting forward in the chaise, her short, blonde hair leaning forward with her, "Did you somehow forget what a disaster it was to have you on my team? Or did you just forget that we had to drag your limp body out of the Yursear kingdom? You are a liability." Her words carried a heavy bite with them, making Neema and Saoirse stare towards Silas with sympathetic stares.
"It's true, I was a liability." Silas said with a nod, looking unruffled by Eva's words and tone, "But you were never after me from the beginning, were you? You used me to get to Adora. You know about her high standing in the military, and her father's position and proximity to the king."
Eva smiled lightly, amused by this revelation, "So what if I did? It doesn't change the fact that you failed me repeatedly."
"Or that you are trying to use me as a pawn again." Silas responded back immediately, which made Eva roll her eyes with a dramatic snort, "Why else would you have decided to speak to me again? You would have no reason to meet with me if you didn't have a plan in mind."
"What is your point, child?" Eva shot back, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.
"My point is that I know you want Adora to help you, and I know you can't get her. So, she and I are willing to offer you a deal." Silas said, gesturing his head towards the door. As if on cue, the door knob turned and the door opened, revealing a steel-faced Adora standing there, donning her casual uniform like before. Eva's eyes widened in surprise, and she turned to Holland in anger.
"I told you not to let anyone follow you." Eva seethed, her eyes darkening as her eyebrows lowered dangerously, looking ferocious.
"What can I say? She was so quiet, I didn't notice." Holland said with a nonchalant shrug, his lax expression maintained on his face. Neema and Saoirse looked at each other, then at Eva, whose face had dropped to a calm frown. Yet her eyes were glowing with an unmistakable anger directed at Holland.
"Is that so?" Eva said, her face changing to a sweet smile, "Well, this is something we will have to discuss later, Holland." She then turned towards Adora, the corners of her lips twitching, "And you. You may as well join us then, since you have become a key bargaining chip." The tone of her voice was almost dismissive, but Adora ignored it and moved closer to Silas's side with a steady step.
"Oh, I had planned on it." Adora said gruffly, walking up next to Silas in solidarity. Holland, seeing this, hopped up and offered his seat to Adora, who took it with a nod.
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin." Eva sat back in her seat, her spine resting against the back of the chaise languidly as looked at the two of them, "Since it seems the two of you have been talking to each other, I don't think I need to discuss what my plans were." She rested her hand to the side of the chaise, looking unruffled from the discussion earlier.
"I think it's clear enough, thank you." Silas stated with a solemn nod.
"Good." Eva smiled, her rouged lips turned into a smile, "I want Adora to work under me, and you want your family's location. So let's trade."
"What do you want me for anyway?" Hearing Eva's straightforward demands, Adora immediately asked, the hairs on the back of her neck up, "I won't directly help you with this rebellion of yours. It would go against the Falfier kingdom, and I won't do that."
Eva shot a languid glare at Adora, as if glaring at a misbehaving child, "I need someone I trust to help train soldiers from the Falfier kingdom. I'm beginning to build a base there, and I need someone to help organize them. With your background and training, there is no doubt in my mind that you would be the perfect person for this." Eva began, stating the terms clearly in a straight voice, sounding calm.
"And if I accept?" Adora asked with a frown, her face still shadowed with mistrust and doubt.
"I will immediately take Silas to his family." Eva replied, which immediately caught Silas's attention. He felt a swelling of emotion build in his chest at the thought of seeing his mother and siblings again, he did his best to squash them quickly. His hand gripped his chest above his heart as he kept his thoughts and feelings to himself, swaying his emotions back to Adora and what Eva's terms meant for him and Adora.
I need to focus. I can't get emotional right now. Silas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steadying his frantic thoughts as he spoke up, "And what happens to Adora?"
"She begins working for me immediately." Eva turned her gaze to Adora with a steady gaze, her smile still standing, "And you will be well compensated for it."
Without a moment's hesitation, Adora responded firmly. "Alright, I'll work under you." Adora said, meeting Eva's sharp gaze. "After you and Silas return with his family. And only for three months." She added her own terms, her eyes blazing with new found determination at the thought of helping Silas find his family.
"Oh?" Eva raised her brows in surprise, "What makes you think I will only let you work for three months? This is quite the monumental task. And what guarantees you won't turn on your word once I bring them back?" Eva asked with a saucy grin, tauntingly.
"That's all the time you will get from me. I know how badly you want me on your side, Eva, so take it." To Adora's and Silas's surprise, Eva smiled naturally. Through her surprise, Adora continued, "And you have my word as a proud elf from the Falfier kingdom, and as a commander. I will not break my promise."
Eva pursed her lips and fell silent for what felt like a century until she took a breath and gracefully held out her hand, like a swan stretching out its neck. The gloves on her hands covered her hands entirely to her wrist, making the deal seem cold, "Fine, we have a deal. I will take Silas to his family, and Adora will work for me for three months following our return with his family. With this verbal agreement, it is a deal." She motioned for the two to take her hand as she looked to them, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions of satisfaction, even victory.
Silas and Adora looked at each other with a pause, thinking without speaking their thoughts, before they nodded, and Silas took Eva's hand with a firm grip of resolution. Holland watched the exchange with a sour expression, and Neema and Saoirse sighed in relief, wiping away the cold sweat that had collected on their brows.
After shaking hands, Eva waved her hand back towards her subordinates with a heavy tone, "Holland, go get Silas ready. We're leaving immediately." Eva said, signalling towards Holland with a hostile smile as she continued, the chill of her voice surrounding Holland's tall, armored figure. "I hope this is something simple enough you won't mess it up. And don't worry, Silas, you'll have a moment to say goodbye before we leave, so go get your things together." Silas glanced at Holland, who kept a steady, sure smile on his face.
"Follow me, Silas. Let's get you ready for the road." Holland said with a gentle nod of his head, motioning for Silas to follow him. Before he left, Silas shot a look at Adora, confirming their intentions before he quickly followed Holland out of the room without looking back.
"Neema, Saoirse, will you please go get my things together?" Eva turned and looked at each of them, smiling at both of them as she had done so naturally before. They immediately understood Eva's meaning and nodded before exiting the room with hurried, quiet steps, closing the door behind them with a dull thud of the door. Now it was only Adora and Eva left to bask in the awkward silence of the room.
"Do you have something you want to say to me?" Adora asked, noting the emptiness of the room with a cold gaze.
"You know, when I was a young girl, I read a story. It was about a young elf that sacrificed his life for his ungrateful village. He sacrificed everything, and he was not given anything in return." Eva smiled as she reminisced in a distant voice, her heavy gaze turning towards Adora,"You remind me of that elf. That martyr elf."
Hearing Eva's words, Adora snorted. "No," Adora said, shaking her head, "The true martyr elf here is Silas. He's sacrificed so much, and he hasn't gotten anything for it. If I can do this, if I can help him even a little, then I'd gladly give everything to do it." Adora said knowingly, thinking of Silas's sacrifice to save his wife, and even the prince of the Yursear Kingdom. If anything, all of the sacrifices he had made only hurt him in the future, but he continued to sacrifice himself for the better of others. It was painful to watch him, Adora found, but it was something that drew her in to Silas when she first laid eyes on him, just as he had entered the Faelfierian Kingdom as an elven refugee.
He was always one to put others ahead of himself. Maybe now, Adora would give him a chance to take his destiny into his own hands.
"What a lucky young man." Eva said, staring at the closed wooden door with a knowing look, "Not many people would be willing to give their everything for one person."
"Sounds like you are speaking from experience." Adora said quietly, just quietly enough for Eva to hear. Eva looked down with a sad smile at her gloved hands before she looked up to Adora with a measured tone.
"Maybe. Maybe a long time ago. But not anymore." Eva turned her gaze out to the window, where night had finally begun to set. The dusty, ripped curtains were lying lazily at the sides, letting the light from the moon illuminate the window sill with a bright white light, making the night even lonelier as they sat together, distantly, in the empty room. "Just a word of advice, one woman to another: treasure this time while you have it, because it will be gone before you can truly appreciate it, if not."
"Now it really sounds like you are speaking from experience." Adora said with a small smile. Eva laughed lightly in response as she stood up from the chaise, dusting off her dress with the back of her hand as she motioned for Adora to follow her with a small wave of her hand. "You should say goodbye to Silas now. It will be some time before you see him again." Though Eva's words were cold, Adora appreciated the thought. She nodded her head to Eva once more before she stepped outside of the room, hastily walking to catch Silas before his departure.
The wooden floorboards creaked aloud as Eva sighed, standing by herself and gathered herself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her as the dull sound of the damaged door met with the door frame, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the flecks of dust, dancing around the room like aimless souls lost on their journeys.
…
As Adora stepped into the small room down the hall, opening the creaky old door with a loud screeching sound of the wood floorboards, Holland and Silas turned to look at her. Adora smiled at them, and Holland quickly took the cue and left the room, giving Adora a quick wave as he slipped out without looking back. After he stepped through the doorway, he carefully closed the door behind him. Adora watched the door shut with a pensive expression before she turned back towards Silas, who had already messily stuffed the last of the supplies on the table into his bag. She chuckled quietly to herself and then walked over to Silas's side. Silas was fumbling in his attempt to tie the thin leather strings of his travel bag together, his hands shaking.
"Are you okay?" Adora asked gently, her eyes watching Silas's hands. She lifted her hand to Silas, but pulled it back before she reached his hand with a quick flick of her arm, missing Silas's attention.
Silas laughed shakily and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I'm just excited. I know I shouldn't get emotional, but I can't help it. I thought I'd never see my family again, but now..." Silas trailed off, his eyes gleaming with excitement and nervousness. The green hue in his eyes was light, and the area around his eyes was red. The smile on his face was sweeter than anything Adora had seen in such a long time, and it made her feel more secure in her decision. Even before, she had known she had made the right choice.
"I'm glad for you, Silas, I really am." Adora began, splaying her fingers out on the table in front of them, "But please be careful. We might have gotten the upper hand on Eva this time, but keep a close eye on her. She isn't someone you can trust." Her voice carried a low tone as she looked at Silas, her eyes narrowed.
Silas closed his eyes and sighed, "You're right. Eva can't be trusted. But I think I can trust Holland a little. And I have a feeling Meredith won't be far behind us."
Adora furrowed her eyebrows, then turned to face Silas, "Just please be careful. If something happens, prioritize yourself above all else." Silas gave Adora a look, but she continued, "I mean it. You are walking into the lion's den. Just because Eva is helping you right now, doesn't mean she always will." Adora reached out and tugged at Silas's sleeve, "Just promise me you'll come home safe, okay?"
"I pinky promise." Silas said with a smile, holding up his pinky finger. Adora laughed and released her grip on his sleeve, wrapping her pinky around his with a gentle tug, "So you be careful too."
Adora rolled her eyes, "Of course, you're the one that's running straight into danger, and you're worried about my safety."
Silas and Adora released pinky fingers, and Silas grinned, "Why wouldn't I? You are family to me."
Adora smiled weakly in response, and they both turned when they heard a knock at the door.
"Sorry guys, but everyone's ready to go. Silas, are you ready?" Holland's voice resounded through the thin wood door.
"Oh, yes!" Silas said, grabbing his bag. Adora looked at the sad attempt at tying it shut and grabbed it, tying it efficiently in a few seconds. She passed it back with a melancholy smile.
"These goodbyes are becoming too common." Adora said with a weak smile. Silas nodded in response, a sad smile hanging on his lips.
"But this time it will be different." Silas said reassuringly. The door creaked open, and Holland stuck his head in.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Eva wants to get on the road while it's still dark."
"Right." Silas said with a sigh. Adora looked at Holland, then back at Silas. She then pulled him in for a quick hug.
"I'll see you soon." Adora said.
"You will." Silas replied with a brilliant smile.
Adora watched as Silas's retreating figure hurried to the door, where Holland met him warmly. Without wasting another moment, the two of them began walking down the hall, leaving Adora in the quiet solemness of the emptying inn.
…
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Huge thanks to Hunny for all her hard work, and to all of you for reading! Things have been so stressful, but all of your sweet comments make us smile greatly ♥ Writing this chapter made me feel so much like Silas. I enjoy his ups and downs, and it reminds me of the mistakes I've made and come out from. He and I both have sucky lives. You validate me, my son ;;
Just a note, as far as side projects go, Hunny has suggested I take a look at my novel Death's Disciples, which is by far my darkest novel (teehee). YMtK pales in comparison to this bad lad I started in 2014! It faces a female MC named Alice who joins a network of assassins, pulling in supernatural themes as she disguises herself as a man. It's BG, more of a seinen, but very gory and crass, and I love it. It's 30 pages rewritten, but I'll post WIPs of all of my projects' first chapters so you all can see what will come after YMtK, and pick what you'd like to see! (づ￣ ³￣)づ
Thank you all again for reading. Your kindness comments mean a lot, far more than I can express. You guys can see a sketch I've been working on of Silas too as a small thank you~ ＼(≧▽≦)／ Much love, all. (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡