Chapter 11: Blood like Sapphire

It was about time for the meeting, so I exchanged posts with another soldier to inform the king. The king would regularly be in his office before a meeting to review documents, so I went there.

I must've waited for what felt like 15 minutes before I realised something was wrong. The king did not respond even though I called out three times. It's against the law for me to enter without authorised permission so I had no other choice but to search for Her Majesty and ask for her help.

I found her reading in her study not far from his office. Her Majesty graciously accepted my apologies and requested a report. I did and watched her expression sour. She ditched her book and ordered me to follow her. Without a moment's waste, we were in front of the office. I was told to wait outside in case she needed assistance.

The door closed and I heard nothing from then on.

Not too long after, she reemerged with a frown on her thin brows.

"Cancel the meeting," she said.

I respectfully bowed and rushed here with my new orders.

X

The four of us listened to his story with eagerness. The palpitations in Eric's chest did not cease as he noticed the barely concealed sinister gazes in Lord Huzein's and Lord Rozalphor's eyes.

"So Her Majesty was last seen with His Majesty?" questioned Lord Huzein.

The soldier nodded in affirmation.

"Her Majesty is a calm and serene woman, she is not one to express worry so openly. If she does, I fear the situation may be far dire than it seems," he said.

Lord Rozalphor instantly seconded his words, "Yes. As the council, it's important we spread the word to the others so we could prepare."

Lord Huzein nodded sagely. "It appears that is the best course of action. I trust the both of you to be able to do the same?" He turned to Lord Watherson and Eric.

"Of course," said Lord Watherson. Eric stammered a response soon after.

And with that, they disbanded, Eric left the palace with a bundle of anxiety churning in his stomach.

X

"That's about it," Eric concluded.

Irene was fully awake after his tale. Though she couldn't properly understand his tale because there were too many characters, she could gauge that Lord Huzein and Lord Rozalphor weren't nice people.

A yawn ripped out of Eric's mouth as he stretched his arms. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his figure as he leaned in to give Irene a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Dad's going to freshen up before bed, you take care, okay?"

Irene smothered a giggle in her hands, "Okay. You smell like dragon poop."

Eric revealed a face of mock horror as his hand clutched his coat. "You wound me! Revenge will come Irene, you'll never see it coming!" then he dashed out of the room. His darling girl responded with a peal of laughter that trailed after him even after he'd left the room.

X

After Irene had collapsed from the completion of the ceremony, Ayu returned to the palace to retrieve her collection of herbal ointments. The trip was the least taxing of the journey because when she sneaked out, Kolfor was no longer there to bother her. The most troublesome part melted down to the application itself.

She had no idea how much strength was too much. As per the saying, once bitten twice shy; she was petrified to make the wounds worse. The room was barely breathable with the human medicine that stank up the room, so hopefully, with dragon-made medicine, the wounds would heal twice as fast and the odour would quickly fade away.

Ayu applied the new salve gently over Irene's wounds. Her fingers worked methodically over the soft, supple skin with her finger jutted skyward, so her sharp nails won't accidentally graze the flesh. Once she was satisfied, Ayu considered leaving the salve behind, but the container of the salve had an imperial crest and she didn't think it was wise to leave something like that behind.

It was a short dilemma because she could just return tomorrow for a reapplication.

The real storm was about to happen on her return to the palace.

Her return was without fanfare as she snuck around the palace that she knew so well. She effortlessly hopped up her own balcony to reenter her room, however, the instant she opened the balcony's doors, she heard an unmistakeable knock followed by a deep, "Your Highness, I need to speak with you."

A wave of irritation surged through her veins as she tried her very best to not start clutching her head and whining like a child. Instead, she wore a thunderous expression on her face.

"Come in," she spat.

The irritating, busybody, far-too-strong-for-his-own-good, commander of the knights entered the room with a stormy expression of his own, stuttering Ayu's anger for a moment. What's gotten him so troubled?

"Princess Ayu, you took a long time. I have urgent news to tell you," his voice rumbled.

Ayu flattened her lips, though anxiety shone in the way her pupils dilated.

"What? Hurry, is it about my father?" she demanded.

Kolfor gave her a grave nod before elaborating, "Her lady majesty could not reach him from her subconscious, she said," he paused, "she had to reconsider other alternatives."

Ayu's heart stopped while her mind raced. As if she was trying to hide her weaknesses from the soldier, she whispered, "when?"

"In three days' time. But," a shadow of despondency reappeared on his face, "I will be here to support you, your highness... If you need anything..."

No, Ayu was not in the mood for this. Her black irises parted for a brief moment to show a speck of alarming gold.

"Are you done, commander? If yes, show yourself out. I need to think," her sharp canines, though small in comparison to Kolfor's, gnashed together in a fit of overwhelming emotions that trampled over her heart.

Kolfor stared at her with something akin to pity, but he knew where he stood in her heart. He gave her an obedient bow of his head and left Ayu to her own devices.

The princess was devastated at the news, but she refused to start crying. All those emotions were naturally compressed into bursts of anger. She started by knocking down her study chair and pushing her things off her desk. Scrolls of parchment paper and a handful of quills scattered across the carpeted floor, but it wasn't enough to calm the fiery rage. A billow of steam rose in the room. Ayu's hair cascaded midair; her crimson locks resembling the flames of the west.

Though this sort of behaviour was looked down upon, it was understandable in her precarious situation. Her father, the king was afflicted with a strange sort of sickness that made him exhausted very easily. Precious hours of his clarity were sacrificed to ensure the kingdom continues to flourish, but it wasn't enough. He could barely spare the energy to watch over his council and many problems in the kingdom started to surface as trouble bubbled beneath the sea.

Such a dangerous position for a king to be in required her mother to step in. The most sure-safe method, or believed to be a "cure-all" by dragons was known as the soul-slumber. It required the afflicted and his soul-bound mate to fall into a deep slumber where they would not wake until the affliction is cured. In a way, it was considered a way to preserve life. This method was common during the ancient times of war when a dragon would frequently take another's life.

As time flowed, this method had long faded into a folktale.

"Argh!" The princess who was nothing but a child began to scream as the gravity of her parents leaving her to fend for herself began to dawn on her. Her nails pierced her skin at her forearms, drawing blood the shade of a thousand glimmering sapphires.