Chapter Text
Maximillian Croyso hadn’t touched the ground in three years. That was of course, a stretch of the truth, she still walked the halls and the stone courtyard of Croyso’s castle, but she hadn’t been strong enough to walk in the gardens for years.
The truth was, Maxi hadn’t been allowed to walk outside of the castle by her father for years. There had apparently been an accident, and then she had been locked up, not allowed to leave her room except for banquets. She spent most of her time reading, and trying to stay away from her father.
That didn’t always work. She had reached the age of 20 only a few weeks before, and it seemed that her father’s hatred of her only grew worse. Her vice of stuttering brought her down further in his eyes, making sure that his attention towards her was always negative.
She saw the difference in treatment towards her and her sister Rosetta. Where she failed, Rosetta rose, being left in her shadow and scraps even though she was the older one. Even her stature was smaller and more frail, leading more to the reason why she was such a thorn in the side of her father. No one was interested in her compared to Rosetta, why chose the frail stutterer when the beautiful Rosetta was there.
Maximilian sighed while looking out the window, the gardens being lit beautifully in the sun, and the only thing she wished to do was walk in them, something impossible for her to do.
She heard footsteps approaching as she daydreamed, straightening her posture, she expected her father to walk through the door as she turned, but was incorrect, it was one of the mercenaries that her father had brought in after an increase in monsters, and as a response to the Wedon citizens fighting over her father’s land, which they believed to be theirs.
It seemed that no matter where she was in the castle, --and it was not that many places—she could not escape him, not sure if he was sent by her father to watch over her, or to make sure she would be at the proper places. Her strength had been starting to extremely fail her, sometimes not able to make the walk to the dining room and back.
“Maximilian,” he began, and she understood. Her father had called for her once again.
Something that had not happened in a while, he was probably too busy trying to keep Wedon out of his land that he had forgotten about her until her incident yesterday. The plate breaking had been her fault, even though she hadn’t understood how she had dropped it, or even remember it happening, just the feeling of being put back on her seat, and a maid moving around her.
She raised herself from her chair, black spots filling her vision that she shook off as she began walking to the hulking mercenary. Riftan, she believed his name was, it was what she had heard when she saw them training outside the window, and how her father had once referred to him when he was talking to the mercenary.
Thankfully, she was able to regain her sense of balance fast, and followed the mercenary to her father’s office, entering with her head down. The mercenary stayed outside as her father walked towards her, his cane hitting the ground harshly.
Maxi froze as he neared, the harsh sound of his cane inducing a reflex to freeze and draw in on herself.
“Maximilian,” his voice drawled. “Do you know how disappointing it is to have a daughter who stutters, is frail and sickly, and most of all, cannot even hold a plate?” His voice got angrier towards the end, causing her to take a step back.
“No sir.” Her voice stuttered out, bracing for the hit of the cane to come.
She collapsed as a sharp pain hit her shoulder, covering her head as her knees hit the ground, trying to hide her face from the remaining hits as they rained down.
Even when her father finished, she kept her eyes toward the ground, trying not to make any noise as her father walked away. She stayed down as her father called the mercenary in, who helped her stand up and begin walking. Her head spun again and her body ached, but the mercenary took most of her weight for some reason, most unlike the normal guards who forced her to walk by herself.
“Make sure not to embarrass me again, Maximilian. I will make your life worse.”
She could hear the mercenary beside her grind his teeth, and glanced up to see him clenching his jaw, and the muscles in the arm around her tightened.
“Riftan,” her father added. “Make sure she’s locked in and then come back to me.”
The mercenary paused, seeming to debate something, before continuing to walk her out the door.
She stumbled as he led her down the hall, her legs failing her again, but this time she never fell on the ground. Instead, she was lifted into his arms, left to glance up at his face in shock, seeing a gloomy expression, before moving her gaze back to the ground, caving back into herself.
“Maximilian,” he said, voice low as the reached her chambers. “Why do you stay here? When was the last time you went outside?”
She couldn’t answer him, instead, silent tears ran down her cheeks.
He opened the door to her room, walking in to place her on the bed. He seemed to freeze when he entered and saw the room properly, the small bed, enclosing walls and almost broken furniture. The window stood open, letting in a small amount of air.
“This isn’t healthy.” He said, and almost seemed to not want to let her go, but he eventually did, putting her down gently on her bed.
He gave her one last look before leaving, but she didn’t hear the lock of her door.
Instead, Maximilian tried to fall asleep while her body ached.