Sweet Waters Throne

80 Chapter 8In an attempt to make peace, Gandalf allowed General Haul to get back to his horse and lead his men to his cause. “We have the same enemy; I say we ally ourselves together” he said to the general. Even though Lucian Mithandir lost and probably Prince Ambrose was also dead in Stonedance, General Haul decided to support Lord Gandalf.

Henceforth, forty thousand men all on horses rode back to the King’s City from the Green Mountains gates. It was a long ride but they rode faster and all day without rest, while Castellan was marching slowly towards his own city. He wasn’t in haste to meet his death, however he wished to bargain his sons lives with his.

The Battle of Stonedance filled graves indeed, bodies stretched from West to East and on to the port of Silent Sea. The stench of blood could be smelt all the way into the mines where slaves worked and they were grateful they weren’t soldiers, because even for just a minute digging became better than being fed on by vultures and crows.

Come dawn, the whole of King’s City was surrounded by Gandalf’s men. The news of Raven reached Lord Gandalf and he cursed – three times. “I shall have his head!” screamed Gandalf after being told not only did he lose Ruins Tully but also his lion.

“Send me there, I know Lord Boross and we need Raven. There’s no Prophis without Raven” General Haul advised Gandalf.

A very confused Gandalf had to sit down for a moment, there were five men inside the council chambers ready to advise him. The whole palace was ceased and no one was allowed outside the gates, not even servants. Queen Katarina was locked inside her chambers with her sons and her younger good brother Frost.

Lord Gandalf knew what he had to do, he would never be king if Amabel or Barkis Taelin were alive. “They wouldn’t be boys forever” he said to himself. At that moment he wasn’t so worried about Castellan Taelin for he was sure he would come to him, but he couldn’t trust General Haul.

“I would rather be dead than send you to defend a huge city such as Raven. The first thing you’ll do is turn your back on me and seize it for yourself, or rather give it to my foes” said Gandalf and then he demanded to be left alone but have General Haul thrown to the dungeon.

While General Haul was in heavy shackles inside a dark dungeon, Gandalf retired to his chambers worn out, wounded and tired. He may have worn the battle of Stonedance but he suffered a great wound on his back, one of Lucian Mithandir’s men brought his sword onto him and nearly cut him in half.

.....

The royal maesters were summoned in by force to treat Gandalf’s wound. They applied their medicines on him and put a bandage onto the wound, the Grand maester assured him it will heal in two days or less. “It’s not a mortal wound, Your Grace” and with that Gandalf was assured he will survive.

Later on that night, Gandalf summoned his champion Sir Tyriol who served as his current lord commander of King’s guard to kill Castellan’s sons and the younger brother Frost. But he made sure to insist “Leave the Queen to me, I want to have my way with her” and that night some of the good folks say the angel of death bathed in the innocent blood of Taelin’s boys.

However, that wasn’t the case because Tyriol walked inside Katarina’s chambers to no avail. The guards outside her chambers were dead, someone slit their throats and freed the Queen and her boys. The moment Gandalf learned of the escape he quickly called out all his men to find Katarina and not allowing them to escape.

However, one thing Gandalf never knew was his own sister was against his plans and she was the one who freed Katarina and her husband Amabel, alongside Barkis and Frost. Ayran knew her brother’s madness and cruelty more than anyone else, she would support his claim to Prophis but she would never support the murder of innocent boys.

By the time Tyriol reported back to Gandalf, Katarina and her sons were on Stormbreaker, Aryan’s ship and sailing across the Silent Sea. Katarina wept all the way at the unfortunate turn of events and she wished to see her husband one more time, but Aryan told her it was either her sons lives or her husband and as a mother Katarina knew her sons lives mattered more than anything.

“I sent a man to inform him of your escape, let’s wish he gets there sooner and preferably he turns back before my brother has his head” Lady Aryan said to Katarina as they were saying goodbye to one another, Olivia stood at the shore waiting for her girlfriend to get back.

Katarina pulled Aryan for a tight hug and appreciated her help, she promised to stay hidden forever as long as her sons will be healthy and also her good brother Frost. Aryan said her last goodbyes and walked back to the shore, the captains were Aryan’s men and she trusted them. To what city Katarina would reside, this not even Aryan wanted to know.

Olivia seemed bothered by Aryan’s love for Katarina, and it’s better to say she was even jealous of her.

“What will your brother say? You’ve betrayed him” said Olivia walking away, she didn’t even want to wait for Aryan.

“Betrayed him? He was going to slaughter those poor boys...”

“You don’t know that, they are Taelin’s boys and they will come for him when they are fully grown and demand their father’s throne”

Aryan seemed stunned by Olivia’s words “Would you rather I let them die?” she stopped walking and looked at Olivia still unsure as to what would her girlfriend prefer.

Olivia turned back and faced Aryan, they were all alone in this part of the sea. Aryan chose this part specifically to hide Katarina from folk’s eyes. “I am not blind Aryan, and nor am I a dork”

“I never thought you to be...”

Before Aryan could finish her sentence, Olivia interrupted her “You are in love with her” with tears falling down between her cheeks.

Caught off-guard by the accusation, Aryan’s eyes widened with amazement. “And don’t you dare tell me you did this because she was your mother in law, or you felt related to their house. You did that because you are in love with Katarina, for I am not blind and I’ve seen that” Olivia continued to cry.

“This is absurd, and small minded” Aryan pulled her hair backwards and fixed her trouser, then she took her coat from Olivia and put it on. She was in no mood to listen to her girlfriend’s accusations which made no sense.

“Small minded?”

“Yes Olivia, I don’t need a reason to save a woman and her toddlers. Anyone can clearly see what I did was act of charity and goodwill”

“Oh so will your brother wouldn’t he?”

“He doesn’t have to know and nor will he” Aryan proceeded to the city leaving Olivia behind, this wasn’t the first time these two fought and nor will it be the last.

Along the way Aryan started to ask herself questions, whether it was true she was in love with Katarina or her girlfriend was just being jealous. Ever since the first time she met Katarina, it was no lie Aryan was taken by her beauty.

Aryan was twenty-one and Katarina twenty-seven, both young and powerful women and maybe this is what made Olivia insecure because she was a lowborn. But to went extra and make such accusations, well let’s just say Aryan didn’t take them too well and they didn’t speak throughout their journey back to the King’s City.

The battle of Stonedance was over and his brother won, Aryan intended to stand beside him for she was the only one who knew how weak he was and he needed someone strong by his side. Castellan was at the gates of King’s City demanding the men to open the barred gates, but none of the men answered to him.

The men he had, sixty thousand were exhausted and worn out from the most cruelty battle in the history of battles. Stonedance would never be forgotten in both sides of the kingdom, both in Prophis and in Maldonia. The women lost their men to vultures and heat, some of the people travelled to Stonedance to see for themselves the work of angel of death.

The stinking smell of rotten dead bodies created a pungent that whoever visited the desert to see for themselves had to cover their noses for it was too strong, and scary at the same time. Castellan himself was tired, but he had to save his family and perhaps if the man who Lady Aryan sent to deliver him a message about his family had arrived earlier, then maybe Castellan would have given up and fled the kingdom.

But he stayed right there until Gandalf came to meet him during the golden hour of the day, and this was to be the end of the battle.