Sweet Waters Throne

246 Chapter 24Aeryn’s words made Aurora feel so guilty for criticizing her husband. Artemis wasn’t just a husband to her, he was the best friends she’s never had, a close confidant and someone very important to her. And now she felt like she lost him, Visera told her she hadn’t lost him yet, “He’s waiting for you, Artemis’s heart only beats for you”

Hence the next day Aurora took a palanquin all alone without her children, she left them with Visera and the servants. This day she wore a red silk long dress from Doha, it was adorned with white pearls and threaded by gold. Her silver hairs were scented with heavy oils and braded beautifully, they fell effortless behind her back, and her eye lashes and eye brows were full of K’ohl.

If you thought K’ohl was only made for Prophisian, or it was the culture of Prophisians, then if you had seen Aurora this day, you would have sworn she was a Prophisian and she looked like an angel. The good folks saw her when she boarded her palanquin outside of Aurora’s Hill and most of them couldn’t recognize her, they said Aurora was beautiful but that day she was more beautiful than any other day.

The palanquin passed through the calm streets of Blackmount, so rare for a city which was in turmoil for months to be so calm on a Sunday morning. The good folks were on their businesses, and even the market square was crowded with vendors and buyers alike, all looking to buy or sell things. Aurora peeped outside just to look, and her people would wave and scream as she passed through ─ Aurora waved back with a smile between her lips.

Suddenly, as they kept going, a man in a red hoodie stopped the guards who carried the palanquin. There were twenty knights guarding Aurora, the lead knight asked him, “What do you want? Show yourself” he blurted out.

Aurora peeped outside to see why they stopped, “What’s going on?” she asked with a concern look on her face. The man walked straight to her and he revealed himself only to Aurora.

Aurora gasped, “Lord Balrus?” she asked.

“I have news, very important. Will you let me in?”

After a few seconds, Aurora agreed to let Lord Balrus inside the palanquin and requested the men to take a break. Hence they stopped in the middle of the streets, the twenty guards made sure no one came close to the Queen, they stood firmly with their swords on their hands looking on every direction, as if daring anyone to approach and create chaos. The street may have been calm, but the guards didn’t forget how their fellows were killed by these same people they tried to protect during the riots.

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Lord Balrus lifted off his red hoodie and looked at Aurora, it’s been a minute since they last saw each other and they sure didn’t leave things good between them.

“If he sees you, you are a dead man” said Aurora to Lord Balrus. “Why would you take the risk?”

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Lord Balrus didn’t waste time, “Leoric has your dragon eggs, two of them. He is on his way to Iron Falcon as we speak, probably to make a deal with Lord Finnian. Aryan Squire is his ally, she has been staying in his castle for weeks”

Aurora’s widened with amazement, “Aryan?” she asked, her heartbeat racing and feeling terrified by this information. “I was in the Mines not long ago; I didn’t see her” she said.

“Did you look? I hear you only grabbed Leoric’s head and flew away”

“I forgot, you have rodents all over the world” Aurora made a critic.

“This isn’t the time Aurora, he has your dragon eggs and he is travelling with heated coal stones. He wants the eggs to hatch quickly so that he can get his dragons, Leoric with dragons is the most dangerous thing in the world. He will burn everything that we know”

The information was a lot for Aurora, she sighed softly and placed her face inside her arms. She was well dressed for Artemis today, she wanted to feel loved and reignite her romance relationship with her husband. Yet, she was struck with this.

“How come I didn’t see anything when I grabbed his head, I suspected he was hiding something” she said.

“My rodents tell me he hangs out with a red headed woman named Lysene, she’s a whore who he found on a brothel. She is the one who makes him portions and whatever else she makes for him, she can’t be trusted. I think she is a witch”

“A witch?” Aurora’s eyes widened with amazement.

“Listen to me Aurora, you have seen the flames in your dreams. You know what’s next, and it’s clear Aprophil will never sit the Sweet Waters throne nor will he even get close, I shall get to him soon because he thinks Leoric will fight his war”

“Leoric will fight a war for himself, if those eggs hatch, he will come for Artemis’s throne”

“Then it’s time you do something about it” Lord Balrus held Aurora’s hands, “I know I have wronged you Aurora, and I did know about tears of the fire but I never thought not even once that it could work. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you early on, I made a mistake, Artodo’s death is on me and I shall spend the rest of my sad days feeling guilty for that. My advice, take the Mines while he is away”

“Lord Balrus, do you even hear yourself? You want the people to hate Artemis even more, they still hate him for what he did in Old City. Maybe we don’t have to worry about Leoric, our own people will make sure they kill us”

“Fuck the people!” Lord Balrus found himself losing his touch. “The people know nothing about legacies and power, they pray for rain and endless summers, they have nothing apart from their children and maybe crops. Artemis was meant for greatness, you told me that yourself. Take the Mines from Leoric and you will break his source of strength”

Aurora refused to accept this, she shook her head softly.

“Will this bring back my dragon eggs? Maybe I should fly to Iron Falcon and burn the city to the ground” she said, her eyes fixed on Balrus.

“I wouldn’t advise you going to Iron Falcon, Lord Finnian has the tears of the fire and he is just waiting for the right time to strike” Lord Balrus watched as Aurora’s eyes widened with amazement, she didn’t expect for any Lord to have the portion apart from Aryan’s men.

“Where did he get it?” asked Aurora with a concern look on her face.

“From Aryan’s men, he hasn’t forgotten Artemis’s inability to help his dear departed friend, Lord Aethelind. I wouldn’t go there and provoke him, if I were you” then Lord Balrus reached out for Aurora’s left cheek and held her softly. “The big war is upon us already, I’m sure you can feel the flames getting hotter. It’s now or never, your enemies are getting stronger each day. If you don’t act now, your dream may come true” he said.

“Artemis’s death?” Aurora asked him.

Lord Balrus nodded, then he pulled over his red hoodie and covered his bald head and walked out of the palanquin, he didn’t look back.

The guards pulled the palanquin up again and they continued with the journey towards the main palace. The excitement Aurora had towards seeing Artemis suddenly evaporated, she was well dressed and her body smelled good because of the best perfume from Doha, yet her heart was heavy and she was worried.

Aurora was always worried ever since the first time she met Artemis. She worried when the elves attacked the kingdom and Artemis had to stand up and defend his people, then King Luca Arteides fell ill and Aurora had to worry how will Artemis cope with his father’s death.

She was worried if they will ever wed, the Battle of Stonendance and even the first day Artemis flew his dragon, she was worried what if he falls and breaks his skull. It seemed all she ever did was just worry about this one man who she loved more than anything, and now the war was upon them.

“Balrus is right, the war is here” she said to herself and gave herself two options. “Either I sit and see the man I love die, or I do something to save his life” and right when she thought about this, Aurora stopped the guards.

She shouted, “Stop, stop, take me back to Aurora’s Hill” while they were just a few steps away from the gates of the main palace.

The guards who carried the palanquin didn’t ask questions, no one dared to question the queen about her decision. It wasn’t their place to ask, it was their place to do as they were told and instructed.

From the fifth floor, Artemis stood with a glass of wine on his right hand and he saw the palanquin from far. At first he was excited because he knew it carried Aurora, but his heart was broken when the palanquin made a turn back.