Chapter 43: Let's Talk (2)

Chapter 43: Let's Talk (2)

"This mother of mine how is she like?" Leon asked.

This question was all that was needed to turn Vadim's gloomy expressions into wide, ecstatic, and excited. He felt a little hope. That's right, the Leon he knew was closer to his mother than anyone else, if this is the way he would be convinced then

"Your mother, you remember her name?" Vadim asked.

Leon took a short while to think but he took out the pocket watch he had and opened its cover, inside of it he saw the name.

"Annabelle." Leon said.

"Hah so ya have that old watch?" Vadim opened his hand to receive it from Leon and looked at it in the light, "The old thing I fixed it once."

"It is working just fine."

"That's because I fixed it once. Hehe!" Vadim returned it to Leon, "Moving on, your mother and I are friends."

"Didn't you hear that it is a bad thing to introduce yourself to a kid as his mother's friend?" Leon said innocently.

"Pffft!" Vadim spat out his vodka, "Ya damn bugger! I've worked with her once then she hired me when she got married."

"For?"

"To guard you." Vadim whipped the vodka off his mouth with his sleeve, "When you were young, I was your guard."

Even Leon had to take a halt while thinking about this. Vadim, this monster whom he can't read his status as his guard.

"Impressive!" Leon murmured.

"And why is that?" Vadim asked.

"I mean affording such a high-end mercenary such as yourself can't be easy at all."

"Hah! Ya've got a pair of good peekers, you lil shit." Vadim was happy with the compliment despite the insult he gave out, "Anyway, Annabelle was a smart woman and getting hired by her was a good choice since my people and the Dark are practically neighbors."

"So that's who you are. My bodyguard since childhood and my mother's friend."

"That I am. And damn my bones I won't be givin' up that job anytime soon."

"The pay's good?" Leon asked.

"Bah! It is the people who matter, lad. Anna, Erielle, Eleanor, I and well, we were all friends. Best people I know." Vadim said as he took out a knife from his side, "It meant a lot more to us than just relationships and power."

Leon looked at the knife in Vadim's hand and the irony was just all over the place. He also took the Mithril Dagger off the scabbard and compared it to the one Vadim's holding. On the other hand, Vadim's eyes opened widely.

"Ya have that too? I thought I thought it was lost!"

The two daggers were almost a match. The same material, the same craftsmanship, the same appearance. The only difference is that of the insignias carved on their sides.

"Those are?" Leon asked.

"Our knives hehehe!" Vadim smiled with his eyes getting a little bit tearful, "Each one of us carried one of them and each two could fit together like this."

Vadim brought the two daggers close to each other until they showed a fine pattern on the sides of the blades aside from the insignia. It didn't give off any magic but anyone can tell that there is something special about those blades.

"What do these daggers mean?" Leon asked.

"Back in the day, yer mother and I were members of the Mercenary Company. It was a famous one and we had a lot of recruits. Many Aristocrats became angry with your mother since she is a noblewoman and she joined up with the lowly mercenaries."

"What was she supposed to do then?"

"Join the Knights, of course. Common folk join the Mercenary Societies but the Aristocrats join the Knights' Hall if they want to do some fighting. That was the tradition. Your mother was the first to break the rules in public but no one could criticize her afterwards because Princess Eleanor joined as well then Lady Erielle of Skydom whom you met the other day, she used to be a Court Advisor in the time of the late king. I was a mercenary for a long time as well but I haven't revealed my identity as a Prince."

"A Prince?'

"Damn right, I am. Me ma is the Tsarina of Danadrus, an underground Empire you can go to under the mountains of Dark Duchy."

"That's impressive." Leon was a little bit humbled but still didn't care.

"Hehehe! I never hated anyone from the first glance as much as I hated Erielle and Anna." Vadim laughed when he saw Leon narrow his eyes to that one, "That was just a first impression. I used to hold some prejudice against tall folk in general, humans were alright but let me tell you this, your mother is taller than average."

[A/n: If you are having a Deja Vu, don't worry, Leon won't be 7 feet tall like some Nord half-giant from a different book I wrote.]

"Still, Lady Erielle is extremely tall."

"You usually used to call her aunt."

"I am not going to call her that."

"Whatever!" Vadim looked around and found a jar of pickled olive so he stuck his finger in and picked a few so he can eat while he drinks, "I remember your mother being taller than average when she joined in the Society back in Dark. Some complications were going on in her life and I wasn't really much of a leader back then but she was a gentle soul. She can sometimes get more terrifying than Eleanor but that's when she's provoked."

"So that gentle soul decided to leave her son in the mercy of those animals and just never ask about him in years?" Leon's question turned the warm atmosphere around Vadim's heart into a raging burst while he casually picked an olive from the jar.

"ANNA WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

She opened her arms for him, he slowly walked in and softly hugged her. She was thin, badly fed, and weak.

"I am sorry, mama."

"You did something wrong, dear?"

"I did I I shouldn't"

"Shush? My sweet boy, you always listened to your mother. You never did anything wrong."

"But *sob* you should have given him the money. It is bad *sob* don't keep it from him again." The boy cried holding his mother's dress.

"No, dear. This money is for you You need it to do good in school." She said while holding his little head up.

"But I don't want him to hurt you."

"Shush, Shady!" And she was beautiful when she smiled, "I am proud of you."

NOOOOOOOOOO!

And she slipped away!

She slipped further!

The room around him shifted! Twisted! The day became night! He was in a dark place, a tight place. He was hiding between the table and the kitchen board, shivering, hugging his knees together.

"Where's the money? Where did you hide it? WHERE IS THE MONEY!"

"No! Stay away! AH!"

" m- mom"

And it was horrible.

"I said take it out! TAKE OUT THE MONEY, YOU BITCH!"

"You're stop stop you're choking me!"

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Snap out of it, man! Don't beat the woman!*

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

And every noise in this damn hateful world was overwhelming him.

His breath was haggard and all over the place. He felt light in his head and his body was burning. He didn't know what kept happening around him with all the noises.

And it snapped.

*Clink* *Clink*

And the devil played his game.

Amidst the confusion in the bustling scene, one frail kid was enough to dramatically alter the view. He picked the kitchen knife that fell and walked with it.

Stabbing was never easy but he didn't need to put any force in with the dynamic motions were in his favor. A 10 years-old boy wouldn't understand that but a natural killer he was just given everything he needed.

And he just delivered the stab with optimal precision.

Nothing was too hard.

"No! No, Shady, no!"

And as the body fell down, his mother rushed to him with blood covering her.

And he snapped back.

"What"

Just like those movies on TV, it felt like he was just watching something unfold and it wasn't real. He just imagined it would happen and it happened. His first trance.

But the door burst right open and many people saw what befell.

"I did it! I did it!" And she kept shouting something he never really managed to react to.

He was so sluggish to the point that when he called for her, she was already being taken away.

"Shady!" She called once, "Shady!" and once again.

He saw her face and still has that beautiful smile.

"I am proud of you!"