Roy inwardly groaned. He’d been hoping to avoid running into him, but of course, the sadistic cockroach would come looking for trouble. Rolling over onto his back, he had to suppress a grimace as he stared up into the cruel eyes of Shah Koya.
2
“I apologize for getting in your way, Shah Koya,” Roy said, keeping his anger in check as he tried to get back to his feet. “I was careless. Please forgive me.”
Just as he managed to get his crippled leg braced, Koya’s foot lashed out, splintering the wood, causing him to topple over once more.
“I must apologize for that,” Koya’s voice said from above him, followed by the sniggering laughter of the rest of his friends. “My foot seems to have slipped and accidentally broken your brace.”
Roy could feel blood trickling down his cheek where he’d scraped it against the ground with his latest fall, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and indignity and forced himself onto his back once more.
“It is quite alright. Please forgive me for getting in your way,” he said, forcing an apologetic look onto his face.
It ate at Roy from the inside to have to apologize for something that was clearly not his fault, but once again, his self-preservation kicked in.
“But it’s not alright,” Koya said allowing a false look of concern to come to his face. “Please, allow me to help you to your house. After all, I did break your brace.”
Roy was about to refuse, but two of the boys in Koya’s group heaved him up off the ground and began dragging him in the direction of his small house, set near the outskirts of the village. This was quite a walk, as the Shah clan village was enormous. The clan itself boasted well over ten thousand members, all of which lived in the village. It had also been spread out to leave room for future growth.
The entire time they marched him to his house, he kept insisting that he was fine and that he could manage it on his own. Each time, Koya said that it was his duty to help the village cripple home. Roy wasn’t fooled easily and knew that Koya had something planned. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have deliberately tripped him, then broken his leg brace.
He got his answer soon enough. Just as they were passing near the dining area, where most of the clan had gathered for dinner, one of Koya’s friends kicked him in the rear, sending him sprawling. Koya had been walking directly in front of Roy, while his two friends had walked behind, supporting him between them.
Roy let out a groan as Koya cried out in feigned surprise. He knew that the kick hadn’t done a thing to the Yellow-Belt. His body was too tough for that, but he could already see where this was going and prepared for the fallout.
“I offer my help, even after you so rudely bump into me, and this is how you repay me?!”
Everyone turned as Koya rose from the ground, anger painting his features, but Roy could tell it was an act. He could see the malicious gleam behind the boy’s eyes and knew that this would not be pleasant.
“What is going on here?” a female voice called out.
Roy felt his heart sink even further as Shah Lynn separated herself from the crowd.
Koya put on his best hurt expression.
“Honored Lynn. This cripple was shirking his duty near the cultivating pools today, so we went to help him. He insisted he could to it himself but didn’t lift a finger to help while we did all the work. He claimed he couldn’t work as his brace had been broken, and though we could clearly see that he’d broken it himself, we still did his work for him.”
Roy could feel his rage building with every passing second.
This was too much, even for them. Sure, he’d slack off every once in a while, but he never left a task uncompleted, and Koya had certainly never helped him with anything!
“We then offered to take him back to his house, even going so far as to carry him there. I don’t know why, but he just attacked me out of the blue! Perhaps he was looking for a way to redeem himself in the eyes of the clan, or perhaps he’s just bitter because he’s a cripple and a drain on our clan’s resources.”
Lynn’s face had grown harder and harder as Koya had told his story, and by the time it was over, she was practically glaring at Roy.
“Herald Leroy, I know that you’re less than half a man, but this behavior is unacceptable, even for you! What do you have to say for yourself?”
“It’s not true!” Roy exclaimed, looking around to all the clan members gathered there. “Koya just made the whole thing up! He and his friends were training in the Dungeon all day, and I’ve never shirked my duties!”
Everyone likely knew he was telling the truth. They knew as well as he did, that even if he had kicked Koya, it would have done nothing to him. But all the same, they all glared at him, ignoring his pleas of innocence. In their book, he was guilty, not of the crimes Koya claimed, but of the crime of simply existing.
“So. You have been caught red-handed and try to lie to save yourself? Disgraceful!” Lynn said with an angry glare. “All of your earnings for the next three months will go to Shah Koya for the hard work he did in your stead. You will also formally apologize to him before the entire clan. There will also be a hearing with the clan elders to see if further punishment is required. For now, go to your room and do not leave. You are a disgrace. Both to yourself and to the clan!”
She turned her back on him and marched off, leaving Roy dumbstruck.
How could this be happening? His life had been unfair, but this was just ridiculous! Everyone here knew that he was in the right, but they wouldn’t say a thing. They would spit at his feet and turn the other way.
“Despite your rude behavior, we will still escort you to your house, as is befitting one of my station,” Koya announced.
Roy felt his face burning in anger and shame as he was marched past the majority of the clan, many of whom clapped Koya on the back and told him he was truly honorable. None of them even spared a glance for Roy, who hung limply in the grasp of the other two Yellow-Belts.
It took another ten minutes for them to reach Roy’s house, a small shed that had room for a single bed and table. When they reached the step, Koya turned around, a wide grin plastered on his face. With a nod to his friends, Roy was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. It had rained earlier that day and the normally dry dirt before the entrance had been turned to mud.
Roy, of course, fell face-first into it. He could hear the laughter of the others as they walked away, but Koya crouched down near him, his voice lowing so that only he could hear him.
“You’re a disgrace to our clan, cripple. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be gone within the week. Maybe the wild Beasts won’t think you’re a disappointment.”
He sniggered to himself, rising to his feet and purposefully treading on the back of his head and pushing it further into the mud as he did so. Roy could feel the cold mud entering his nose, mouth, and even ears, but he lay still, as Koya and his friends walked away.
Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he pulled his face free of the sucking mud and he crawled up the small step to enter his house, dragging his lame leg behind him.
No one should be treated this way, he thought bitterly as he dragged himself inside and pushed the flimsy door shut behind him.
He had no way to clean himself, and since his brace was broken, he couldn’t even limp over to the bathhouse to wash off. Even if he could, he didn’t think he could bear the shame. He was completely and utterly miserable. There was not a person in this world who cared for him, and every day was a living hell. If Koya could get away with something like this, then who knew what would be next?
Would they allow him to be attacked outright? Dock his pay permanently, making him beg for basic necessities, like food and clothing? Or would they perhaps just turn him out, as they’d been threatening to do for his entire life?