126 Chapter 12Lady Allysa arrived at the capital wailing and screaming, she’s been crying ever since her son in law, Jon Grimwald informed her of Petrus’s passing. “He was slit by mad men in the dark in Smoke street, the street is well known for bandits and outlaws” said Jon sadly trying to hold onto his mother in law.
Ursula wept for her brother, but Daella didn’t seem to share the family’s grief ever since it was her brother who forced her to wed a fat old man for shilling, now he was dead, she knew it was time for her to disappear once and for all and leave her husband. Maggie was heavily pregnant and she couldn’t make a long journey to the capital – her husband Matthew Hofun travelled on her stead.
The funeral was set to take place in the capital where the King and Queen will say their goodbyes, and then the body will be carried back to Storm Town. Lady Allysa insisted they don’t burn their dead, they bury them in the storm and sunshine for their gods to see and guide the dead to the new life.
Hence the short burial ceremony was done inside the Sept of the King, the nobles and lords and ladies pitied Princess Aeryn for her loss. They talked of her unfortunate turn of events, it hadn’t been long since she lost her son and now she lost a husband. They shared her grief and made sure to stand close to her as she wept hysterically and seemed so lost.
At this time Lord Leoric had already fled the capital, he took his slaves and servants with him to avoid being exposed as per what Lord Balrus warned him. Also as Aeryn suggested “Let’s whether the storm for now to avoid any suspicion, I may stay in Storm Town for few months, when I get back we will get married” she assured him.
Aurora’s nerves were all over the Sept the day of the burial ceremony, she stood close to Artemis but it was like she sensed danger and betrayal bouncing off the walls of the Sept. She looked at Petrus whose eyes were covered with two black stones and he was in his finest silk robe ready to depart to his home town, yet something was off.
Hence in between the High Septon service, she leaned on to Artemis “Something is going on” she whispered.
“What do you see?”
“That’s the problem, I can’t see... I need to get close to him” Aurora’s eyes met Artemis’s, both of them worried but also yearning to know what happened.
.....
“We can’t” said Artemis.
“I sense danger and betrayal, he was murdered by one of our own and not a mad man” Aurora kept on whispering, and that’s because she and Artemis stood a little bit far from the rest of the guests, this gave her the liberty to speak without fear of being overheard. “If I don’t go now, we will never know” she warned.
Artemis sighed softly and looked on at everyone inside the Sept. The number didn’t exceed thirty guests since it was a more private ceremony, the public one was to be in Storm Town. Three minutes passed and still Artemis was unaware of what to do, the body will be taken to Storm Town in the next twenty minutes and they will never know what happened.
The High Septon, Father Balyron was on his last words dedicated to the dead. Artemis was very well familiar with the words because he was there during his father’s burial ceremony before he was bound to a pyre and set on flames as per Maldonian tradition. Aurora warned him using her eyes, the clock was ticking and if he doesn’t do something then that will be it.
So, before Father Balyron finished, Artemis stopped him and walked towards Petrus’s body. “I need to say a proper goodbye to my friend, and a few words before he departs” he said. Aurora was still close to him, and she was so eager to touch Petrus’s forehead and see it for herself what really happened – but she wasn’t in a hurry.
Artemis lowered down his eyes to look at Petrus, and when he rose them tears were falling between his cheeks. “Petrus was a brother I never had. He was a good husband to my sister, a good son to his mother and a great brother to his sisters. But to me he was more than a good brother, he was my friend” this made Lady Allysa weep loudly and she depended on her daughters for comfort.
“Today we stand here while our beloved has fallen under the hands of a mad man, as claimed. As a King and your sovereign, I promise to dig and find out whoever did this to my friend and bring them to justice. I pledge this promise to Lady of Storm Town, my sister Princess Aeryn and to Petrus’s mother Lady Allysa and all the Octavianouses in attendance today. Your tears will not be forgotten” Artemis finished and sighed.
Then he reached out to Petrus’s forehead and then he kissed him softly, he felt Petrus’s cold body against his lips. Aeryn stood there shaking and worried of whether will Aurora also touch Petrus or not, she was well aware of her powers to see the future and past just by touch, and it was Artemis who told her the day he informed her about the dragons. Artemis spoke of Aurora’s powers as a seer and how the dragons came to be, now she was afraid Aurora may see everything.
Aurora bent over to kiss Petrus too and then she touched his forehead, she remained intact with the dead for over thirty seconds and during these seconds Lord Balrus was staring at Princess Aeryn and how she suddenly seemed to be worried. They both knew of the Queen’s powers in finding out the truth, and if Lord Balrus couldn’t figure out what happened, then Aurora will definitely see everything.
Instead of reacting in the presence of everyone, Aurora remained quiet and proceeded towards the outside leading the way which Artemis went, but she made one drastic turn to look at Aeryn. No one saw her except Lord Balrus, and this assured him something was going on even though Aurora refused to show it in front of all the guests.
Lord Petrus was then carried in a royal wheelhouse where Aeryn sat beside his coffin, so did his mother and sisters. A caravan of other five carriages pulled by ten horses escorted Lord Petrus as he was considered the member of a royal family, practically the Lord of the Kingdom. Two hundred knights joined the procession on their horses, one hundred on the front and another one hundred at the back.
Aurora looked on, she hadn’t said a word ever since she touched Petrus’s dead body and Artemis didn’t hasten her to talk. They all waited in silence and allowing the caravan to make it out of the palace. When the main gates were closed and the caravan was lost in their eyes, Lord Balrus joined them silently.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” asked Lord Balrus, then Artemis and Aurora turned to him. “I saw the princess and Lord Leoric last week in the gardens, they seemed distressed and anxious. I knew something was wrong but too bad I couldn’t hear, tell me what you saw”
Aurora sighed, Artemis said if she wasn’t ready to talk yet then she shouldn’t, but Aurora insisted that she was ready. “Leoric killed him. I saw him thrusting his sword on Petrus’s throat, I didn’t get much information as to why”
“We both know the princess was sleeping with both of them” added Balrus.
A very stunned Artemis widened his eyes with amazement “She was?” he asked unaware of what was going on inside his very own palace. “When?”
Aurora reached out for Artemis’s left hand “My love, it’s been going on for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if Aeryn already told the lord about our dragons”
“She better not!” Artemis was angry.
Lord Balrus decided to intervene “I’m afraid she has Your Grace. Lord Leoric knows about the dragons, and he did try to sneak inside the Queen’s castle. He told me he wanted to see the dragons for himself but I don’t trust him, he’s a sneaky young man and well informed. It’s better to keep him away from the capital for now and the princess needs not to see him anymore”
Artemis agreed “I will forbid her from seeing him, let’s hope she listens to me”
The Lord of the Mines who seemed to trouble Lord Balrus so much was far away from Blackmount and making his way towards Raven. He wanted an audience with Lady Aryan, Leoric would never allow the dragons to grow old and big and he needed support to take them out. Gandalf was King but he was rather not as political as his sister, Lady Aryan was the one who made all the calls. Rush welcomed Leoric to her manse and the night he arrived she showered him with five whores of his choosing for free, a kind gesture to an old friend she said.
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