I wasn't sure where the others had run off to, but as one of the few party members who knows their way around a castle I had found my way to one of the rooms where nobody was normally. Seeing that I was out of eyesight I rolled up my sleeve and canceled my skill before my last 3 mutation faded. My arm grew, and changed to its purple, and black color. I took a moment to just stare at it as I had done so many times over the years, the silent question of why always on my face.
I walked over to a nearby seat and sat down. When I was 10, 12, or even 14, the arm was a hindrance, but not actively in the way. Even as I traveled, it lead to some complications and some tense explanations, but nothing bad ever came of it. However, be it traveling with a group for a time, or even just the recent dance lessons, I had been forced to confront a reality.
I am stuck with my arm for life, I can't get married, have kids, all of it is out of my reach as long as this… THING is stuck on me. I continued to stare as the thought I had started having weeks ago resurfaced.
You can use mutation to regrow limbs, what is stopping you from losing your arm for a bit and just growing it back, it's a curse with benefits, sure, but it is primarily a CURSE!
I tried to push the thought back, but visions of dancing and my arm returning to this kept playing in my mind no matter how much I tried to push them down.
"Hey, have you all seen Selene, Jax was asking everyone to meet up in the garden, and he's acting weird, so I was wondering if you saw her come this way?"
Liora's voice came from the hallway as I snapped back to reality. A handkerchief was in my mouth as sweat ran down my face, my hand was on my left shoulder, my hand in pain from the pressing into the rough jagged material of my left arm's skin, and my left shoulder sore from where I had been trying to rip my arm off. I took a moment to stare at my hands for a moment before Liora opened the door.
"Selene, are you in, oh, there you are, Jax wanted us in the courtyard."
I looked up at her and quickly stood.
"S-Sorry, didn't know you all were looking for me, l-lets go."
I said, my usual stutter making me sound more anxious than I intended, all from this stupid body of mine. A part of me wishes I was born with something el-.
"Hey Sal, you, ok?"
Liora asked putting a hand on my shoulder as she put the back of her other hand against my forehead.
"Fine, fine, just… always thinking."
I said, trying to brush it off before Liora starts to worry. I started towards the door as Liora followed me.
"Yea, I get that, apparently guys can just turn their brain off for a time, like no thoughts just silence, I mean have you seen Jax spacing off, I swear, his eyes seem to point in two different directions, it's so dopey."
I nodded along, still thinking back to what I had almost done when outside I could see Kaelen, Thalia, and Jax. Kaelen was sitting oddly far from the main table, and I saw Aiden start to run over, however he seemed to pause as if surprised by Jax's face before walking over looking worried. Looking out the window ourselves we saw Jax's normal grin and mischievous look was replaced by a cold simmering anger. It was the kind of look one had when they were prepared to plan out a murder.
Liora and I exchanged a glance before opening the window. Liora drifted down as I landed with a loud crash, my legs absorbing the impact as we jogged over. Jax sat, his glare pointed to Kaelen who sat, refusing to meet his gaze with a guilty expression.
"Heeeeeeeey Jax, you good dude?"
Liora asked probingly as she looked Jax over.
"You will want to sit down to hear this, and I ask that you hold off on attacking Kaelen until after I finish."
Jax said coldly as Liora and I grabbed seats around the small table.
"Y-you say attack like you think we are going to kill him."
I said worriedly, glancing at the others.
…..
I'm gonna kill him, Aiden held me under the arms, as small dirt trails were formed where his feet dragged. Kaelen was already sitting in a nearby bush due to Liora's attack, and Thalia was currently suspending Kaelen in the air like a punching bag for me.
"Selene, Selene! We are actively at his family home; there is no getting away with murder here!"
Aiden pleaded. I had seen Aiden's reaction hearing what Jax explained earlier as his expression went from surprise to coldness as well. It was only after Kaelen started trying to justify himself that Thalia, Liora, and I had sprung into action. Jax had stayed seated, seemingly uncaring if Kaelen lived or died, but Aiden seemed more worried about the consequences. However as Kaelen yelled Aiden seemed to try less and less to stop me.
"You act as if I left her at the altar out of cruelty! But isn't it crueler to live a lie? To pretend love for the sake of appeasing families, nations, or court gossip?"
"What's cruel is you lying to her that you wanted the marriage when you had no intention of going through with it!"
Liora yelled as she pointed a jabbing finger at Kaelen. I glanced behind Kaelen and I saw the Duchess and Duke standing in the doorway. A part of me expected them to emerge, and come running out to stop us, instead however, they watched, looks of tired sadness on their faces.
"I told her what she wanted to hear because everyone wanted the union to happen, but not one of them saw me. Not truly."
Kaelen yelled as the white and golden flames burned away at the strings that bound him as he landed to the ground.
"Kaelen, your family and everyone here almost died because you couldn't just tell the princess you didn't love her."
Aiden said with a surprising sadness to his voice. A part of me was confused as to why Aiden was sounding like that with what Kaelen did, but as I took a moment to think I realized. Kaelen had been one of Aiden's first friends, Aiden, Kaelen, Liora, and Jax had been the dynamic 4 for a bit before I joined up, so in a way Aiden was seeing a new ugly face on a friend who he had literally risked his life for.
"She didn't love ME. Not really. She loved the idea of me, the priest, the noble, the ornament on her arm. I waited, I prayed, I begged for clarity, and Freyungen answered when everyone else acted like I should be excited. Do you know what she gave me? A blessing. Not to bind me, but to free me."
Kaelen yelled as he pointed a finger at us like we were responsible for it all.
"S-So you couldn't even act the part, nobles aren't always in marriages where love is there at the beginning, but you nearly got your siblings killed because you couldn't even put on an act."
I yelled, fury in my voice as I could feel mutations trying to occur, but lacking the energy for them to happen.
"True love is not a performance. It is divine recognition. And none of them, not a single suitor could look through my charm, my mask, and see me. The goddess sees me, she chooses me. So yes, I left, I left because settling would have been sacrilege."
Kaelen yelled as he stamped his foot like he was trying to pound something into the dirt as if it would make us understand.
"Kaelen Thenrindor, you have betrayed the trust of myself and the rest of your party members, it is for this reason I will hold a vote to expel you from this party, those in favor raise their hands."
Jax said walking over and holding a paw up as he stared at Kaelen.
"If anyone feels betrayed, perhaps they should ask why they needed the marriage more than I did. I will not apologize for choosing truth over comfort, no matter how inconvenient it is for your sensibilities."
Kaelen hissed with an amount of venom in his voice that startled me. However nobody backed down, we all stood next to Jax, hands raised as he looked around in bewilderment and surprise as if he couldn't have imagined we would dare to kick him out.
"The vote is almost unanimous Kaelen, you shall no longer be a member of our party, my association, quest, or otherwise."
Aiden said shaking his head.
"On what ground Hollowcreek, we all know a party member can't be kicked out unless there is a reason, and emotions isn't one of them."
Kaelen yelled as he started stomping towards Aiden. Aiden didn't step back, instead he stood there staring Kaelen down, and despite their height gap of a few inches, they seemed like they were eye to eye.
"Cowardice, cowardice towards your family, cowardice towards those who relied on you and co-"
Aiden was cut off as Kaelen's hand whipped around and struck him across the face, Aiden's head jerking from the slap as Kaelen pointed a shaking a finger at Aiden, his glasses had flown off, the left lens breaking on the cobblestones as Aiden looked back at Kaelen.
"You don't get to lecture me about cowardice Aiden. None of you can, your all more cowards than I ever could be!"
Kaelen yelled as he gestured to all of us.
"If I recall our fight with the Blood Trent, you were so scared you stood watching Jax bleed out! Jax is so preoccupied with his greed and alcohol that he almost let Liora, and I die, Liora is so desperate to prove herself as competent, but she couldn't see through the mask either, not that any of you could!"
Liora flushed red at this comment, a hint of rage and regret on her face as I remembered back to the bathhouse, where Liora had confessed to wanting to ask Kaelen out, but worried that inter party romance would just lead to trouble.
"Thalia is so STUPID that she got tricked by that pompous brat Ymer and only got to join our party because I voted for her, because I convinced you all! Let's not forget the freakshow over here, screaming from a dream and needing Aiden to talk her down. I am no coward, IF ANYTHING YOU ARE THE COWARDS AND YOUR LUCKY I DESCIDED TO GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DA-!"
Kaelen was cut off by a hand grabbing the back of his head and slamming his face into the ground. His father and mother stood behind him, both with sad expressions as Kaelen laid on the ground unconscious. The duke turned to us, and as everyone stepped back in surprise. The duke silently dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
"I wish to apologize to each of you for the insults and lies my son has told you."
We all stared in Suprise and bewilderment at the duke, a single blue system announcement appearing before us.
Party member Kaelen has been expelled from your party
Ex party member Kaelen will no longer receive the benefits of being in a party with you