บท 28: Chapter 28
The conversation between Artemis and his sister, princess Aeryn got heated up and Aurora could sense the heat from where she stood. In an attempt to cool things down, she decided to leave the gardens and walked to Mrs. Gibillis kitchen, although Mrs. Gibillis was already aware of the upcoming engagement.
"Good heavens Aurora! What are you doing here?" asked Mrs. Gibillis. The girls who were busy making dinner turned to look at Aurora. Some whispered slowly for the fear of being heard by Mrs. Gibillis.
"I just need a place to be alone, can I stay here?" She asked softly, almost as if she was whispering.
Mrs. Gibillis wasn't aware of what Aurora meant by that. "But… the King is leaving at first light. Wouldn't he need you by his side?"
"I'm not so sure if his sister would want that?"
Aurora excused herself to the store room. When she came back, she had an apron and she was ready to bake ─ her favorite, lemon cake.
The one who felt like he was being suffocated was Artemis, and the princess made sure to remind him what she called, "The Order of Things" exactly as how their father practiced it. Artemis left her at the garden and walked away. Aeryn knew she would rather be hated by Artemis but protect the realm.
The next day at first light, Artemis woke up with Aurora by his side. It seemed the things his sister said yesterday didn't really have a meaning to him. They kissed, made love again and said goodbye to each other with a promise of a marriage once Artemis returns.
"Five months, just five months. They'll pass like a shadow when the sun rises." Artemis gave Aurora hopes before his departure. He was fully dressed at this time. A golden robe made of silk with a black trouser from cotton fabric and a red cloak with a sigil of House Arteides attached to it. His crown on top of his head and a token of love in form of a bracelet made from sapphires; a gift from Aurora.
Aurora reached out for Artemis's hand. "They will drag horribly."
"Why don't you spend more time with the master of spies, Lord Balrus. He seems to like you and he is never short of interesting tales."
"Lord Balrus? You trust him?" asked Aurora and that's because early on, Artemis talked about how he didn't trust Lord Balrus. All of a sudden, he was requesting him to be her companion.
Artemis smiled and bent down a bit to reach out to Aurora's lips. "Well, he doesn't have scrotums and I may have heard some of the servants say he doesn't have a cock either…" and they all laughed.
The King's guards outside of Artemis's chamber heard everything and so did Lord Balon. It seemed like every time he wanted to have a conversation with the King, somehow he seemed to be occupied.
The door was opened abruptly. "Oh, Lord Balon?" Artemis was amazed, it was too early for his Hand to be up, but then he remembered he has to go with him to the tour of the ten houses.
Trembling and unstable, Lord Balon greeted Artemis with a soft bow instead of a curtsey. "Your Grace!"
"Um… what are you doing here my lord? Shouldn't you be waiting for me outside with the wagons and carriages?"
Aurora saw to it that she wasn't supposed to linger more on that particular conversation, hence she excused herself. "Safe travels my King." She kissed Artemis on his lips, the kind of kiss which had Lord Balon not believing what he was seeing. He expected the two to be lovers but he wasn't aware that their relationship was that serious.
"I appreciate it, Lady Kholin."
Aurora bowed before Lord Balon. "My Lord Hand." She said and walked away. Both Artemis and Lord Balon took pleasure in looking at Aurora walking away, the aroma she left behind at the King's doorstep could never be forgotten.
The gates of the palace were opened. Ten wagons fully packed with supplies of weapons, food, explosions and mostly importantly medicines and servants. Some of the good folks claim King Artemis traveled with a host of three hundred people to visit his lords, while others say it reached up to five hundred.
Lord Akirbus and Lord Angun traveled on the same carriage as Artemis and his Hand, Lord Balon. The golden carriage was huge enough to fit all four of them comfortably while being pushed with two white stallions adorned by two pieces of red scarfs with Maldonian banners on their backs.
Princess Aeryn was still asleep when her brother took off to his tour of the houses. She was just waiting for him to leave so she can have control over the kingdom for five to six months. And within that time, she planned to exile Aurora or do anything to keep her away from her brother.
While Princess Aeryn had her own agenda in Blackmount, Princess Thelma had fallen into a trap in her own kingdom of Prophis. The moment she saw her father's dead body with a cut on his throat, she knew he didn't fall off a balcony and someone murdered him. Instead of keeping it to herself, she went on and ranted it to her brother — Prince Castellan, the king's slayer.
Prince Castellan was sleeping in his chambers when Thelma came knocking, "Brother, brother…" and that shocked him.
His wife, Lady Katarina asked. "Is that your sister?"
"I'm not sure." Prince Castellan got dressed up quickly and opened the door. He saw a very scared, panicking and confused Thelma. "Sister, what is going on?"
Thelma pulled her brother outside of his chambers and then she led the way to the temple. She could have told her brother right there, but she had to show him. The corridor of the palace was filled with servants each attending their own tasks, however, they were all shocked seeing the princess dragging her brother towards the temple.
"Thelma, what is wrong with you?"
"Just follow me brother, I have something to show you."
"What is it?"
The walk to the temple was brief. The moment they arrived, Princess Thelma went after King Taelin's tomb and opened it.
"Thelma… have you lost your ─?" Castellan's eyes widened with amazement. It was forbidden for the King's body to be looked at after it has been buried inside the tomb.
"I have something to show you brother, come and see."
"Good gods! Thelma. Do you want us to be cursed by the frozen gods for breaking hundreds of years of tradition?"
Thelma pulled Castellan and showed him their father's throat and right there, Castellan's heartbeat raced. "What is this…?" he asked. As if he wasn't aware of what it was.
"Someone slit our father's throat and threw him off the balcony. He didn't fall brother; this was treason."
The prince pretended to look at his father's throat carefully, while all that time he was contemplating on whether to kill his sister right then and there, or to let it pass.
"I think Sir Goliath did it. " Princess Thelma said and she was so sure of herself. "Why would he want to resign and leave the kingdom so fast if he was innocent. He was father's sworn protector and the last man to be seen with him, he did this."
"I knew Goliath wasn't a wise man, I should have place his head on a spike!" Castellan shouted and he was angry, or at least he performed better because his sister believed him to be hurt and angered. "How could he? He was sworn to him? This is how he repaid him? He's a coward." He kept screaming and started to break things, whether they were candles or chairs.
Princess Thelma stopped crying and turned to her brother. "We can still catch up to him brother, and bring him to justice."
"I am on it sister, I'll send my best men after him right now. He will pay for this." He assured Thelma and then he asked, "Who else did you tell about this?"
"Just… Father Henry was here last night when I came. I couldn't sleep and I wanted him to give me an essence of nightshade, he said he didn't have any…"
"So he knows about this?"
Princess Thelma nodded with tears flowing down between her cheeks. Castellan took her in his arms and made sure she was calm. He used his charms and soft words to speak to her and assured her it will all be taken care of and the culprit will be brought to justice.
The next day, Father Henry was brought to trial under Castellan's order to answer for the murder of the King. By then, all Prophisians were aware that King Taelin was murdered by a coward who then threw him off the balcony. Thelma had no idea why the High Septon was brought to justice by her brother and the team of lords, but she was ready to hear what he was accused of.
Prince Castellan sat high above everyone else in the ancient and beautiful Silver throne with his father's crown on his head. He wore he crown daily as he awaited his coronation which was delayed by the High Septon. To Castellan, Father Henry was a type of a Septon who he couldn't control. He believed in justice, he followed rules and he was one of the good ones.
But as King Taelin always told his son, "The good ones always find themselves to early graves," and indeed they do. Being a good person in a kingdom which is on the brink of a war is like being a deer passing through the group of lions.
"Father Henry, lord of the gods and defender of the Faith. You are in the presence of His Lordship, crowned prince of Prophis, Prince Castellan of House Taelin and the lords of the council. You are charged with treason against the crown for colluding with the murderer of the late King Taelin. His sworn protector, Sir Goliath of Andreie. We believe you were in charge of the King's final bath and dressing before he was buried. We also believe you saw the cut on his throat yet decided to keep it a secret. How do you plea?"
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