Chapter 42
Caedmon’s face darkened, appearing to absorb the heat of the surrounding lanterns.
"Listen closely to what I’m about to tell you, and never forget it. Those of House Silverkin place value on strength and ability above all else. It was my father’s hope to sire many male heirs, and to charge them with overseeing his lands in place of the previous lords, my uncles with whom he had strained relations. He did just that, only, my mother passed away during childbirth, and the last child that she bore was your mother. Since Father is a devout follower of the faith, he had sworn himself to a single woman, as I have, and thus couldn’t remarry.
"He...wasn’t pleased about the situation, and things only became worse when he learned that Laisha’s talents in the arcane were limited to the healing arts. He was more upset about this than losing my mother, just as he’d been when he learned that I preferred fine arts over the study of battle magics and swordplay."
Alistar remembered how hurt his mother had been after his father’s death. She was never the same. Suddenly, he felt sorry for his grandmother.
"Frankly speaking, Father didn’t like us. We weren’t allowed to attend social gatherings of any sort, or to leave the capital, regardless of the circumstances. When he learned that I preferred the arts over swordplay, he had all of my possessions burned, and forced me to watch while he and my brothers laughed at my misery. Since then I have been all but disowned."
Alistar found it difficult to believe that people could treat their family members so poorly. His father and his uncle Raidon had been the best of friends, and neither had been anything less than kind to him.
"Once, Laisha had become stricken with the son of a lower nobleman that he disliked, so Father had the poor lad drowned in the lake outside of his home. He was never fond of me, or your mother. My point is that, revealing your existence to the family is more likely to put you in danger than anything else. Your other cousins will look at you as competition for my title, and so will your uncles."
What kind of family was this? His existence alone was a grievance for them?
"Uncle, you said that you were all but disowned. How can that be? You’re the count of Distan!"