Chapter 66

66 Chapter 6The news of the King’s show amongst his people reached Princess Aeryn, and she went crazy. She immediately rushed to her window and looked down, he saw the procession coming to an end. The folks were taking their leave when the main gates of the palace were opened and her brother walked inside holding hands with Aurora and laughing as they chit chat.

“What is wrong with him?” Princess Aeryn hissed softly.

The princess’s lady, Misenda asked if the princess said anything but Aeryn ignored her and walked outside. It had been many moons Misenda felt the friendship she had with the princess was slowly declining. The girl she once knew went from being a sweet person who wore colorful frocks, dyed her hair brown and sometimes would sing in the rain.

To a woman who wore black all the time as if she was a widow or a grieving lady, and that beautiful smile which made her comelier and approachable had vanished. The royal wedding between her brother and the woman she hated so much turned the princess’s heart cold, Lord Balrus would compare Aeryn’s heart to be as cold as Prophis or the Freezing Sea.

At court the princess didn’t love anything, anybody and nor did she seemed to be entertained by anyone not even the musicians and the dancers who she fiercely adored once. First Aurora takes her brother from court and hides him from everyone else, at this point Aeryn felt as if she should be consulted about the whereabouts of her own brother.

Hence she walked slowly towards the main entrance of the king’s chambers with an aim of getting a word from him and clearly criticizing his actions. Upon reaching their chambers, King Artemis and Queen Aurora were holding hands while going on with their jokes, and it is said the way Princess Aeryn looked upon them then if looks could kill... Aurora would have fallen at that very door.

“Aeryn...” Artemis was stunned seeing his sister standing outside his chambers. Princess Aeryn neither bowed nor curtsied to Queen Aurora and that’s because she didn’t acknowledge her as the Queen of Maldonia and nor did she respect her.

“What... brings you here?” continued Artemis.

“Have you forgotten what happened to your namesake? How could you take the streets without the royal wheelhouse?” asked Princess Aeryn by all means ignoring Aurora.

.....

“The folks love me”

“They are not supposed to love you. They are your subjects, and only a fool King will think a crowd of common born loves him” and this time Princess Aeryn made sure to look at Aurora when she mentioned “common born” as if referring to her. “They all want to see your head on a spike!”

Aurora disagreed “They love their King” she said. “You should have seen -”

Princess Aeryn turned to Queen Aurora with a frown look on her face “I have seen enough in one lifetime alone, and I will not stand to be schooled by a common born”

“Aurora is your Queen” Artemis intervened.

Princess Aeryn didn’t seem to be in any position of accepting nor respecting Aurora as her Queen, and with that Aurora retired inside the chambers leaving the siblings to argue alone, and she didn’t feel like she belonged in their fight.

“Our uncle needs you and you are here taking walk amongst the poor folks and waving hands. If it isn’t for him, at least do it for our mother” pleaded Princess Aeryn.

“The crown isn’t at war; I will not repeat myself”

“So you will watch him die? He is our uncle Artemis... and let’s say he wins the rebellion. He will come for you, with the whole of Prophis army behind him. Are you really planning to destroy the realm?”

Exhausted and seemingly bored by his sister’s claims which he heard them on daily basis, Artemis sighed softly without saying a word for a few seconds. “Is there anything else?” he asked in an attempt to end the conversation. At this point he was done with his sister’s eroticization

“I am leaving in two days” said Princess Aeryn. Then she paused before continuing “I sent letters through a raven to Lord Petrus Octavianus of House Octavianus. He must have received it by now, I’m to wed him. You remember him don’t you?”

A shocked look on Artemis’s face as he digested the news his sister was telling him. Then Aeryn continued “I shall take a title as Lady Octavianus and Princess of Blackmount, the heir apparent of Maldonia”

“What about King Vaith of Santagar?”

Princess Aeryn groaned and rolled her eyes “He is a traitor didn’t you say so yourself? You branded him a traitor to the crown just because he is a man enough to fight for the kingdom while you stay here bedding your servant”

Artemis couldn’t take it anymore, he grabbed his sister and pinned her to the wall. His face red like a ripe tomato and his blood fueled with anger. He could take disrespect from anyone but not his own sister, especially when he worked too hard trying to create peace with her. Sir Dante Lucan, his lord commander of the kingsguard was looking on but he didn’t dare interrupt.

The fight lasted for just seconds, Artemis let his sister go and they stared at each other like roosters waiting to fight.

“He is penniless, unworthy of the princess and you would give him this honor”

“I think it runs in the family wouldn’t you agree brother. We both get to wed unworthy people beneath our stations... my guess is father must be turning over in his grave right now. At least Petrus is a lord and I will be happy with him... I’m sure of that” said Aeryn.

Artemis was awestruck and he didn’t seem to have any more words to say. He could have stopped his sister, betroth her to someone more powerful and rich in the kingdom but Artemis knew better, there was no stopping Princess Aeryn once she’s decided her fate.

Therefore, after two days a royal wheelhouse carrying Princess Aeryn, her lady servant Misenda, three other servants and five armed guards were at the gates of the palace ready to leave. Artemis and Aurora stood close to each other holding hands as they looked upon the princess, Lord Balrus was also present and Lord Balon stood beside him.

“We should stop her” whispered Aurora “She is your sister, I wouldn’t wish to stand between you and her. I understand the importance of family...”

Artemis cut her sentence “She chose this for herself, I wouldn’t want to be the reason for her somberness” he said while his eyes glued at the royal wheelhouse.

There were no goodbyes between Princess Aeryn and King Artemis. Those who were present say the king suddenly had a long face when the royal wheelhouse passed the main gates of the palace and took the left route. He may have pretended not to care about Aeryn but she was his sister, the only person he spent his childhood with and many days to follow.

A sigh of relief from Artemis clearly showed he would miss his sister and he doubted himself if he made the right choice. Just before the wheelhouse disappeared from view, King Artemis turned to his lords and in specific Lord Balrus. “I need twenty of your best riders and rodents following that wheelhouse, and I also need weekly reports of my sister’s wellbeing at Octavianus, they are not to leave her side do you understand me?”

Lord Balrus bowed softly “At once, Your Grace” he replied and quickly took off to summon his rodents and riders.

Then Artemis looked upon the wheelhouse again, he took a step from Aurora as he wanted to stand alone looking on at his sister. First it was his mother who left him, then his dear father and now his sister. Artemis knew the only family left at his side was Aurora, and he didn’t plan on losing her.

Hence the next day Artemis sent out guards to search the market square, and the streets alongside the Silent Sea where many fisher folks resided to search for Visenya – Aurora’s grandmother. Artemis didn’t want to lose Aurora again or put her in danger that’s why he summoned Visenya to the palace.

When the royal guards finally found her, Visenya had a huge smile on her face “I knew she will find me” she said. “The king does me great honor inviting me to the palace” and she went on to speak a lot of things while being escorted to the palace.

Artemis and Aurora were inside the council chambers waiting on Visenya, it was just the two of them and the council seemed like a good place for them to talk to Visenya and ask all the questions Aurora was dying to know.

When Visenya was brought inside the council chambers, the doors were closed and from there Aurora sat her eyes again upon her grandmother who tried to kidnap her once. But she let bygones be bygones and offered her wine and a seat, then they all sat on the table ready to discuss the future of Aurora’s powers.