I sat in silence as our carriage rolled toward home, Alaric's arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders. The rhythmic clatter of hooves against cobblestone filled the space where words should have been, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. My mother's revelation had left me hollow, as if someone had scooped out my insides and replaced them with cold, heavy stone.
"Are you alright?" Alaric's voice was gentle, his breath warm against my hair.
I managed a small nod, though we both knew it was a lie. How could I be alright after learning that my very existence began with violence? That every time my mother looked at me, she saw only the worst moment of her life reflected back at her?
"She told me how I was conceived," I finally whispered, my voice barely audible above the carriage sounds. "My father... he forced himself on her."
