A Royal Obligation
Chapter 268: You’re Forgiven

Chapter 268: You’re Forgiven

Eirik nodded as he motioned for the guard to step aside. He gripped the cold iron bars of the small window, and he peered inside. The stale air reeked of dampness and despair, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes.

His breath hitched, a sharp, involuntary reaction.

The torchlight flickered against the damp stone walls, casting fleeting shadows over the figure slumped in the corner of the cell. Sadiki. The name felt foreign as Eirik stared at the broken man before him. Once a proud, sharp-eyed Sadiki, was now reduced to a mere shell of himself.

Eirik’s fingers tightened around the bars, his knuckles whitening. Sadiki’s frame was gaunt, his skin stretched taut over sharp bones. His clothes, torn and stained, clung to him like rags. Bruises in various stages of healing marred his face, while dried blood crusted along his temple and lips. His hair hung in unkempt strands, hiding the expression Eirik was almost afraid to see.

The only sound was the faint, uneven rasp of Sadiki’s breathing.

Eirik’s chest tightened. Rage burned beneath his skin, but it wasn’t directed solely at the man inside the cell. No, this was something different, more complicated. Sadiki had betrayed him, shattering trust and loyalty, yet the pitiful sight before him twisted the anger into something heavier, sharper. Was it pity? Resentment? Regret? He didn’t know, and it infuriated him.

The tense silence was broken by the guard’s hesitant voice. "Shall I unlock the door, Your Highness?"

Eirik didn’t respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on Sadiki, who hadn’t even flinched at the sound. Was this truly the man who had orchestrated so much pain? Was this all that remained of someone he had once called a friend?

Finally, Eirik turned, his voice low but cutting. "What happened to him?"

The guard hesitated, his unease palpable. He avoided Eirik’s piercing gaze, his hands trembling slightly. "Your Highness, I..."

"Answer me," Eirik snapped, his tone like the crack of a whip.

The guard flinched and stammered, "A few days ago... some of the guards... they..." He faltered, his voice growing weaker with every word.

"Speak clearly," Eirik demanded, his patience fraying.

Swallowing hard, the guard continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "Some guards began taking out their frustrations on him. They blamed him for your misfortune, for the war, for the soldiers being sent to battle. They... they beat him. Said he deserved it."

Eirik’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing into a glare so cold it could have frozen the air. The guard recoiled slightly, visibly shaken.

"And you allowed this?" Eirik’s voice was dangerously quiet, a sharp contrast to the fury blazing in his eyes.

"I... I didn’t know what to do, Your Highness. They... they threatened me, and even said worse would happen if their families didn’t come back from the war, I didn’t have a choice." The guard stammered.

Eirik stepped closer, his presence looming. "So they took it upon themselves to deliver justice? Without the crown’s permission?"

The guard nodded reluctantly, his head bowed.

"And you stood by and let it happen," Eirik hissed, his voice low but brimming with menace.

The guard’s head snapped up, his face pale. "Your Highness, I was fo..."

"Enough," Eirik cut him off, his tone like ice. "You and everyone involved in this will face the consequences. I will not tolerate insubordination or barbarism from anybody. Now open it."

The guard fumbled with his keys, his hands shaking so violently that the metal clinked loudly in the oppressive silence. As the lock turned with a metallic click, Eirik pushed the door open.

The creak of the hinges echoed through the corridor, and Sadiki stirred faintly. His head lifted, his movements sluggish and weak, as though the simple act drained him. His dull, sunken eyes met Eirik’s, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Eirik stepped inside, his boots scraping against the rough stone floor. Sadiki’s gaze didn’t falter, but there was no defiance in it, only a hollow emptiness.

Eirik’s voice was low, yet it cut through the oppressive air of the cell like a blade. "Look at what you’ve become," he said, his tone a mixture of accusation and pity.

Sadiki didn’t respond immediately, but a flicker of emotion crossed his battered face. Recognition, shame, or perhaps resignation, it was difficult to tell.

Eirik stared down at him, his emotions a storm of anger, sorrow, and confusion. This was the man who had betrayed him, who had caused untold suffering. And yet, standing here now, all he could see was a broken soul, a shadow of the man he once trusted.

"...Your Highness." Sadiki’s voice was hoarse, barely audible, as if it had been days since he last spoke. His gaze flickered with something unidentifiable, regret, shock, disbelief. "You came by."

Eirik crossed his arms, taking a step closer, trying to mask the tumult inside him. "I had to," he replied evenly, though a slight tremor betrayed him.

Sadiki chuckled weakly, a bitter, hollow sound that echoed off the stone walls. "I didn’t think you’d ever want to see me again. After what I did... I wouldn’t blame you."

Eirik’s jaw tightened, his voice hardening. "I didn’t come for your apologies, Sadiki. I came because I needed to see you. To face you. To understand why."

Sadiki’s head fell forward, his hair obscuring his face once more. For a moment, he was silent, the stillness stretching between them. Then, with a shaky breath, he began to speak.

"Why?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "Because I was weak. Because I was scared. Because I thought I could save her..." His words faltered, his shoulders trembling. "But I didn’t. I failed. And in trying to save her, I destroyed everything else."

Eirik’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white. "You betrayed us," he said, his voice laced with quiet fury. "You betrayed me. You left me to suffer in Carl’s hands, knowing exactly what he would do. You let innocent lives be lost. Was it worth it? Was saving her worth all of this?"

Sadiki flinched, as though struck. He lifted his head, his hollow eyes meeting Eirik’s. There was a flicker of defiance in them, but it quickly gave way to a sorrow so deep it was suffocating. "No," he said, his voice cracking. "It wasn’t worth it. None of it was. And I would give anything, anything, to undo it. But I can’t. All I can do is live with what I’ve done. And I...I don’t expect forgiveness. Not from you. Not from anyone."

Eirik’s chest tightened, the conflicting emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, to make Sadiki feel the pain he had endured. But as he looked at the broken man before him, who had tried to redeemed himself, bruised and barely holding himself upright, he found himself unable to do any of those things. Slowly, he took a step closer, his voice low but steady.

"I forgive you, Sadiki," he said. The words fell like stones, heavy and unexpected.

Sadiki’s eyes widened in disbelief, his lips parting as if to speak. "Your Highness, I..."

"But that doesn’t mean I’ll forget what you did," Eirik interrupted, his voice sharp, brooking no argument. "I forgive you because I need to move forward. Because I won’t let what you did keep me trapped in the past. But you are no longer my burden to carry."

Sadiki’s shoulders slumped further, his entire frame trembling. "I don’t deserve your forgiveness," he murmured, his voice breaking. "I don’t deserve anything after what I’ve done."

"You’re right," Eirik said coldly. "You don’t. But tomorrow, I’ll make sure you’re released. Your service will no longer be needed by my side."

The finality of his words struck Sadiki like a physical blow. His head dipped, and for a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Eirik. "I understand," he whispered, his voice hollow. "Thank you...for sparing me. Even though I don’t deserve it."

Eirik stared at him for a long moment, the weight of his own words pressing down on him. The silence was thick with unspoken pain. Finally, without another word, he turned and walked toward the door. Each step felt heavier than the last, but he forced himself to keep going. As the cell door clanged shut behind him, he exhaled, the cool dungeon air hitting his face like a slap.

The guard stood at attention, looking expectantly at Eirik.

Eirik turned, his gaze piercing. "Get him some water and a healer. Now."

The guard hesitated for a heartbeat too long, and Eirik’s voice dropped, cold and commanding. "Do not make me repeat myself."

The guard snapped to action, scrambling down the corridor. Eirik watched him go, his expression unreadable.

For a moment, he remained there, staring into the flickering torchlight, before turning and walking away, leaving the echoes of his footsteps behind.