Chapter 10

Aurora seemed busy arranging the fruits and the place where they can sit, but she did notice Artemis's joke and chuckled softly. Then she slowly replied, "I can't speak to the rain, even if I want to."

After he finished tying his horse, Artemis sat down on their spot and kissed Aurora's lips. The sweetest and most passionate kiss which left both of them breathless yet yearning for more. There was a white plate, Aurora filled it with red apples, grapefruits, grapes and black berries. She fed Artemis two grapes and kissed him again, the look on Artemis's eyes towards Aurora couldn't be explained, but only Aurora knew what the look meant hence she blushed and lowered her eyes down.

"I wish we could go away, very far away and live together. In a place where no one knows us, a fairytale land," said Artemis while his eyes were glued at Aurora.

Aurora giggled. "A fairytale?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Why do you want us to live in a fairy land?"

"Because they say you are a witch, and don't witches have their special place?" It was vividly clear that Artemis was joking, he even laughed.

"I'm not a witch, Artemis. I just have some optimistic powers. My grandmother on my mother's side was a seer."

"You never talk about your mother, what happened to her?"

"She and my father separated when I was a toddler. She couldn't take me with her hence, I had to stay with my father. I only saw her once, in my dreams and she told me to follow the stars on a moor land when the moon crescents. That's when I'll see her again."

Artemis was confused for a bit. "A moor land when the moon crescents? I don't think if I have seen such a place, and I have travelled all over Maldonia."

"Perhaps it's out of Maldonia."

"It could be, you said your grandmother was a seer?" Artemis went back to the topic which interested him. "Do you somehow believe that you are a seer too?"

"Let's not talk about me, how is the King?"

Artemis's mood suddenly changed, he went from being cheerful to somber. It had been a week since his father's condition went from being bad to worse. King Arteides's skin turned purple, the Grand Maester traveled to his ancestor's place in order to get a rare medicine for King Arteides. He claimed to know the cure for an elf bite, yet he never came back. Some people thought he didn't get the cure and he was too proud to admit. 

"He is worse, I think it's just a matter of time."

With warmness and calmness, Aurora held Artemis's left cheek. "I saw him on his death bed, from now on, it's just a matter of time." She said.

"I still refuse to believe that. How will I live without my father? I fear I may grow into despair and never recover from his loss. Then, what sort of a king will I be?"

"A good King Maldonia has ever seen."

"How would you know that? Did you see that in your visions?" Artemis was so eager to know if Aurora has had any visions regarding him on the throne. He wanted to know so much of his future, even when Aurora told him she cannot do that, he still insisted when she finds time she should look on him.

They sat quietly after the conversation because of Artemis's sadness towards his father's sickness. He was in denial yet at the same time he knew better than to be deceived, his father was long gone and he was only hoping for something which couldn't be reached. An hour later, Aurora was writing the speech. "After you are crowned king in your coronation ceremony. The next day you must give a speech to your people, this is the day Maldonians will speak of your legacy for generations. You give a good speech and it will live inside people's hearts, and the opposite of it..."

Artemis sighed and looked away, he was still not ready to admit that his father will die soon. But Aurora calmed him down by sweet words, smooches and hugs.

Along the way to the arena, that's all Artemis could think of, the day Aurora wrote the speech. He had that piece of paper tucked inside his golden robe, he read it again just to make sure he had it memorized and then placed it back inside his robe.

The noise and screams of the folks were everywhere inside the arena. The Maldonians came from the furthest place of the kingdom just to witness their king making his speech in Blackmount. Some travelled for two weeks on horses to get to the city, that's how huge Maldonia was. But those were Maldonians, what about the outsiders?

Well, those were the ones who entered to Maldonia in bulks carrying their goods for trade. It is believed the coronation ceremonies last for a whole moon and during that moon the folks only ate and danced. They didn't work nor participate on anything rather than luxury and spending their fortunes. That's the moment the thieves earned more because of stealing in the crowded places and getting away with it. Hence, its not only merchants who benefited from such festivities but also the thieves who maybe deemed immoral but to each his own way.

The royal stage, as they called it, was as sacred as it was the Faith. Only Artemis, his sister princess Aeryn, the king's advisers, royal guests from other kingdoms and the highly respectful lords were allowed at the stage. Artemis was yet to have a hand ─ or also known as the Hand of the King, and he was supposed to choose the hand at that day after giving out his critically acclaimed speech.

It was only viable that Princess Sansa and her husband Lord Balon were at the stage of the arena, these two were like birds. They walked together hand in hand, ate together, danced together and did everything together. One of the people who noticed them was Lord Angun, one of the King's advisers and he became suspicious after seeing the two talking to Artemis in the gardens. Angun felt so responsible of Artemis's wellbeing, that included who Artemis talked to, what he ate and the sort of people he conversed with. Angun was a close friend of the late King, hence, he was well aware of the chaos thrones can create. Heads can be slaughtered and kings can be killed in the name of throne.

Throughout his years as the lord close to the King, Angun had learned a thing or two about guests. And the major thing is that, "The guests never just visit!" they always have a specific agenda. Princess Sansa and Lady of Nemphis was exiled from her father's kingdom after she married a low life Lord Balon of Nemphis who had the same situation as Petrus Octavianous. Hence the princess had nothing but just love for Balon, even the army that she promised Artemis was all a lie, but poor Artemis wasn't aware of that since he'd never set foot in Nemphis.

Angun decided to get answers for his own sanity, he walked slowly to where both Princess Sansa and Lord Balon were standing, laughing and conversing with other royal guests. Angun interrupted them with a bow. "Princess Sansa of Nemphis…" he said with a wide smile. "Allow me this moment to personally welcome you to Maldonia." He kissed the princess's hand.

"Oh! Thank you, Lord ─"

"Angun of House Ria. One of the king's circle of lords in his small council." Angun introduced himself while all that time neglecting Lord Balon.

That was until Lord Balon introduced himself. "I'm not sure we've met Lord Angun of house Ria. My name is Lord Balon of Nemphis."

Lord Angun decided to make a mockery of Lord Balon. "The princess's husband, it's an honor to make an acquaintance my lord." He smirked. Yet, he was met with a hostility from both princess Sansa and Lord Balon. He chose to ignore it and asked. "I don't believe if the invitations were sent to Nemphis, that is a far away place indeed."

"Are you accusing us of coming to the King's ceremony uninvited?" asked princess Sansa.

"That's not what I said my lady, I am just amused."

Lord Balon intervened. "Did you send the invitations to all the kingdoms and houses my lord?"

"No."

"There you have it, now if you'll excuse us."

Lord Balon attempted to take his wife away from a very interrogative lord Angun. However, Angun hit them straight where it hurt. "What were you two saying to the King earlier?"

Princess Sansa turned back and faced lord Angun. "Why don't you ask the King himself? I thought you were inside the king's circle." She made a mockery with a smile.

"I know you are the supporters of King Mithandir's brother and his claim to the throne of Prophis. If you are here to convince King of Maldonia to join your quest of fighting Taelin and take Prophis, I fear you have approached the wrong King. This one can't be manipulated."