10 Shocking discovery

After giving out the orders to his two trusted men, Alastair was done for the day. He had dealt with all the issues that needed his immediate attention and the other small matters could be handled by his ministers. So, he left the room and went to talk to his mother who he was going to miss dearly once she left after two days. She was in the middle of packing her belongings when she saw Alastair standing by the door.

"Come in, son. Why are you standing over there?" She called him as she placed the dagger she had treasured the most inside the scabbard, before placing it inside the trunk.

"What's the dagger doing here, Mother?" Alastair asked his eyes fixed on the scabbard. He had seen his mother taking it with her every time she stepped out of the castle. But never had he thought of asking about it. This was the first time he was seeing it this close and could not help but take a second look at the scabbard. His mother's name was engraved on it in a cursive design and Alastair was immediately attracted to it. He wondered how sharp the weapon would be and was intrigued by it completely. He wanted to ask Daphne more about it now.

"This is a gift given to me by your father after we got married."

"Ohh, is it?"

"Yes. Now that we are on the topic, I'll tell you the secret about it. It is time for you to know about this. Remember son, whatever I tell, you must keep it to yourself and nobody must know about it, not even your trusted men."

Alastair gave her a confused look. He could not understand what his mother was talking about now. He wondered what was so special about this dagger and why must he keep it a secret. At first glance, it looked quite ordinary.

"Every time a king marries, he has to give his queen, a dagger of this kind. These kinds of daggers are custom made and only the person to who it belongs can use them. It is cast with a spell by a powerful witch for its special purpose. Only the queen can have this kind of dagger and the most important thing is the dagger must taste the queen's blood when it is newly made for it to identify the owner."

Alastair's eyes widened for a second before they returned to normal. He had never expected something like this to be actually happening. Now, there were a few questions fighting to find answers in his mind.

"I see that you have some questions for me." Daphne could read her son like a book. She could see just by looking at his expressions that he was confused.

"Yes. How different will the consequence be if I use the dagger compared to you using it, Mother?"

"If you use the dagger, this will just inflict small wounds on the person you are attacking, but it will not kill him. However, when I use it, the person will turn to ash once I plunge it inside his body. So, if I give this dagger to you, it will be of no use to you. However, that is not the case for me. It becomes a deadly weapon when it is in my hands."

"Ohh." Alastair now understood why the dagger was so special. He nodded as his mother continued to explain more about it, his eyes silently admiring the powerful weapon before him.

"Yes." Daphne smiled seeing her boy's reaction. He might be the king to the people, but to her, he was still her little boy and her life. He showed his true personality only before her and she could see that she was the one he cherished the most after his father.

"Why are you telling me this now, Mother?"

"Alastair, we cannot give away this secret to anybody, not even to our families. Only the royal couple knows about it and now since you are the king, you should know about it too. Your wife will know about it eventually once you get married. This is a tradition the previous kings and queens have followed and we must do it too. But remember you are not allowed to tell this to your son if he is not the one chosen by the throne as the next king. You will only have to tell it to the next king. Did you get it?"

"Yes, Mother. But why do you need this dagger?"

"For safety. We cannot always depend on others to keep us safe. We never know what kind of people are lurking around us and if the people around us are even loyal to us or not. Though I cannot say that this weapon will keep me alive, at least it will help me to defend myself." Daphne replied with a small smile on her face while she caressed the dagger. Her mind immediately went back to the day when she had first used the weapon to save herself from an evil woman who had come to kill her. The memory was still etched in her brain vividly.

"What if this does not remain a secret and somebody else gets to know about the dagger's ability?"

"Though there is no harm done, people with evil intentions can steal it so that it becomes convenient to kill the queen."

"What if the king has a mistress? Will she get one too?"

"No. The king can only give this to the queen, nobody else."

"I understand, Mother," Alastair said, not noticing her absent look. He was thinking about something else altogether. It was a knock at the door that brought them out of their reverie.

The door was locked and the chambers were soundproof. So, whoever it was could not hear a thing that was being spoken inside. Daphne opened the door to see a maid waiting patiently with her head bowed.

"My Queen, the lunch is ready to be served."

"We will be there shortly. Inform Lady Eleanor about it."

"Yes, my Queen." The maid bowed her head before she went in the direction of Lady Eleanor's chambers.

"It's time for lunch."

"One last question, Mother."

"Yes, dear?"

"Can the owner kill anybody using it?"

"Yes."

"Even the king who is the husband?"

"Yes."

Alastair was bewildered by this information and stared at his mother in shock. Daphne chuckled seeing her son's reaction, but she could not help it. It was the truth. With the dagger in the owner's hands, it could be used to kill anybody. This was a shocking discovery,

"Let's go, now. You are yet to find your wife. So, this matter is of least importance to you right now."