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Chapter 7
Monster?

“What do you and the others want from me?” Arachne asked after finishing her bowl of water.
“It’s not me who has plans for you. It’s Lord William who wants you,” Felix answered still seated on the ground, cross legged, a safe distance away from the white line that divided him and the giant seven year old dridder.
“Lord William? What is a Lord William?”
“Lord William is the person who owns this castle and everything in it including all the guards, soldiers, and slaves. Lord is his title. He’s in a lower position than the King, but he holds dominion over this mountain and a large portion of land. Apparently, not even all that land is enough for him. He wants the entire kingdom.”
“But what does he want with me? Why am I here?” Arachne swung her right arm and the thick chains clanked against each other and the stone floor.
“I think you’re part of his plan for ruling over the kingdom. He already has a private army and he already has other lords as his allies. He also has the element of secrecy, because his allies have taken an oath of silence for his plan, and it would be a death sentence for a slave or a guard to even mention it. But all that is not enough for him. Apparently, he needs something else. He wants you, Arachne. He wants you to be his secret weapon.”
“A weapon? But, I don’t understand. Why me?”
“Because of what you are and where you’re from. You’re a dridder, you’re a giant, and you’re from a world of giant monsters that eat people. Because of all this, he thinks you’re a monster like the others and he’ll want you to kill his enemies, maybe even eat them.
“Kill people?” Arachne started to back away. She shook her head frantically. “No, I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t hurt people. He can’t make me.” Her voice grew louder and closer to screaming.
Felix shot up. The dridder was getting flustered, distressed. He had to calm her down before her voice turned into screaming, because the guards would surely hear the full blown screams of a giant. “Arachne, please, calm down,” Felix said while motioning his arms as if trying to physically push down her voice to a quieter volume.
But Arachne didn’t hear Felix and continued her fanatic mumblings that were rapidly getting louder. “I-don’t-want-to-hurt-anyone-I-don’t-want-to-kill-anyone-He-can’t-make-me-It’s-wrong-It’s-”
“Arachne, please.” His feet walked towards Arachne without his knowledge.
“I’m-not-a-monster-I’m-not-a-monster-I’m-not-a-”
“Arachne!” Finally, Felix yelled loud enough to get through to her. Those large teary eyes finally looked back at him. “I know this is hard take and I know that you’re upset, but you have to calm down. Do you want the guards to hear you?”
Those eyes widened with fear and she quickly shook her head.
“Then please, try to keep you voice down. Otherwise, we’ll both probably be in trouble.” Felix glanced back at the door, and it was still closed with the guards still on the other side. Not even the panel was open. He let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the dridder, but something was off. Things seemed darker. He looked down at himself and could barely see his own outline. No, it can’t be. He quickly looked back and saw the white line behind him. He heard the chain, signaling him of the dridder’s movement.
Felix ran across the white line, back to safety. Only once he was over the line did he turn his attention back to the dridder. He stared back at those eyes and saw more tears seeping out of them. Felix just stood there stunned at the amount of tears he was seeing. This reminded Felix that this was a child he was talking to, not just some mindless monster. This creature, this girl had feelings. Those eyes pierced his heart and planted even more pity within it.
“F-Felix, do you think I’m a monster?”
Felix didn’t know what he should say. Part of him screamed, yes, of course she’s a monster, while the other part of him said, of course you’re not a monster. Felix couldn’t figure out which side he believed the most. “What makes you think that?” Felix asked.
“You look scared.” Arachne sniffed and Felix could tell she was trying barricade the sobs within her building up and on the verge of overflowing.
Felix hesitated and thought carefully about what he should say next to the giant dridder child across the room. But the conflict within him kept him from forming anything to say.
“Felix, why are you scared of me?”
“It’s just because you’re so big.”
“Because I’m big?”
“And maybe it has to do a little bit with you being a dridder from another world.”
“But what did I do to make you scared? I’m not scary. I’m not a monster.” The dam bent from the increasing pressure of the sobs Arachne was holding in; it was on the verge of snapping. Felix could tell from her quivering voice.
“It’s not because you’re a monster. It’s just that people are normally afraid of big creatures and things they don’t understand. It’s an instinct in us that makes us fear things that can hurt us.”
“But I would never ever ever hurt you.”
“It’s not that you will hurt me, it’s just that because I’d be powerless against you if you should decide to hurt me. If you met a creature of a different species that was bigger than you, wouldn’t you be afraid of it.”
Arachne paused and fear reentered her eyes. She must have been imagining being in such a situation.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, it’s scary, but I won’t hurt you, Felix. You’re safe around me, I promise with all my heart. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I really want to believe you, Arachne. You seem like a nice girl. But it’s hard. Maybe, I just have to get used to you. Maybe if I get you know you more and understand you, I won’t be so scared.”
“Could we be friends, Felix?”
Felix couldn’t say no to those pleading eyes and eventually said that it might be possible.
“Good,” she said. “I’ve always wanted a friend.”
“You’ve never had a friend before?”
Arachne shook her head.
“What about family?”
“I’ve always been alone.” Arachne looked down at the floor.
It continued to surprise Felix that with every new information he learned about the Felayran, the more empathy he found towards the creature. He walked to the cart and said, “Well, I should probably leave now.”
“You’ll come back tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll come back in the morning. It’s my job to feed you.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise I’ll come back, and I’ll see you three times every day.”
“You promise not to break that promise?”
“Yes, I promise not to break that promise.”
“Good.”
Felix turned the cart and began to push it to the door.
“Goodnight, Felix.”
Felix turned and said, “Goodnight, Arachne.”
He then pushed the cart to the door, asked for the guards to let him out and walked through once the door opened.