Page 85 of Courting War
“Who scarred you?” he asked, subtly curling his arms around himself in a protective gesture, almost like he was trying to fold in on himself.
Theo inhaled sharply and stared at the fingers she wrung together. She didn’t find it easy to share herself with anyone, and barely knewEmmett.
“My first love,” she finally said. “And yours?” She motioned to his entire body.
“My father.”
Theo cursed inwardly. There was nothing worse in her mind than abusive parents. Parents were supposed to protect and cherish their young, not destroy them.
“Why is it always the parents?” She laughed harshly.
“I take it you don’t have great ones either?”
“It depends on the century, I guess.”
He chortled. “You have to stop with your jokes.”
“Ah, yes, my jokes . . .” she bit the inside of her cheek. “Tell me more about your father.”
“What is there to tell?” He struggled. “He would beat me when I wasn’t enough for him.”
“And you were never enough.”
“Precisely.” Emmett grimaced.
“I understand that.”
“Never bringing enough honor to the family, never holding up to his legacy . . . but could he truly expect me to rise to the same levels? He’s the top general in all of Theoden.”
“I’m sorry,” Theo said, the hollow words she would have hated to hear, but what else was there to say?
“The sickest part is that I still wish to prove myself to him,” Emmett said. “I know it’s foolish, but if I’m the best, he’ll love me.” He ran a finger down a scar. “Maybe then I’ll be enough.”
“What if you’re already enough?”
“I’m not special,” he said softly. “I’m not chosen.”
Theo tilted her head, examining. “You don’t have to be special to bespecial—you don’t have to be chosen or possess magic or be the fairest in the land, or the smartest or the best.” He let out a noise like a scoff, but she continued. “I have lived a long time and seen so many things, and I know that what makes someone special isn’t what others think of them. What makes someone special are the choices they make with the obstacles they’re given.”
“Even in that, I’m not special.” His nearly perfectly sculpted features sank. “I have done nothing with my life.”
“Perhaps what makes you special is that you choose to help your friend, and possibly save his life even after he stole your place in the Sacrifice. Despite stealing your honor.” Theo stood up and ran a finger along one of his chest scars. “Forgiveness can be honorable, too.”
He grabbed her hand, forcing her to lean slightly more into him. “I wish I could.”
“If I could take your pain away, I would,” Theo whispered, “but not even the gods could truly take it from you. Your body would still remember even if they erased your memory and scars.”
They stared at each other momentarily, Emmett still holding her hand over his bare chest and pulling her closer. It wasn’t romantic. Theo had no feelings for the boy, but she understood.
It was baring their souls.
“Oh,” Kellyn gulped, walking up behind Theo and eying her closeness. “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“You aren’t interrupting anything,” Theo said, trying to pull away, but Emmett pulled her closer and whispered into her hair. “Let’s make him jealous.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
KELLYN
