Sweet Waters Throne

95 Chapter 9The letter arrived and Artemis read it first but he wasn’t in so good condition since Lord Dagon died last night during the hour of the wolf. Because of the disease he couldn’t attend the funeral where the lord was burned on a pyre per traditions of Maldonia, however Lord Balrus, Akirbus and Angun were there to see their friend off.

The funeral took place in the midst of the forest and it’s because they needed the silence and privacy to bury Lord Dagon without further interference of people who could lead to more spread of the disease. King Artemis wanted to go and bury his once friend and advisor, but it was his lords who advised him against it. “He knows you loved and respected him, but this isn’t the time for you to be out. It’s dangerous my king” Lord Balrus told him.

Hence Artemis confined in his chambers with Aurora beside him, he showed her the letter from Aeryn. “She’s with child” Aurora seemed so happy. “This is good for your sister my love, why aren’t you happy for her?”

“Because she wants to brag her virility in front of my eyes by requesting a welcome back to the capital. She knows I hate her husband and his whole... corrupted family”

Aurora disagreed, she placed the letter on top of the table and walked to the bed where Artemis was sleeping naked without even a single piece of cloth to cover his manhood. A rather somber look on Artemis’s face, later Artemis agreed that he was sad because of Lord Dagon’s death.

“It’s like one moment you are here, the next you are journeying to the afterlife” he said.

“Are you still thinking about what I told you in Old City?”

Artemis slowly pulled the sheets and covered himself. Then he stood up and walked towards the window and looked outside. The palace was so quiet and it was unusual for it to be so quite like that, but it was the plague which corrupted the whole city as more sounds of wailing and tears grew more than sounds of music and drums.

The brothels have been closed for a month, the square market also and no one was allowed at the square. Also the city’s guards made sure to abort any sort of crowds, everyone was confined to their chambers and urged to stay there. Inns were also occupied with morbid silence and trade had declined since no ships were allowed at the port, these were Artemis’s orders to prevent the spread of Sunny Fever.

.....

“You said she will be the means to my end. I always thought I’d died old and gray in my warm bed with you by my side. I guess I’ll die on the field frightened and...”

“My love” Aurora intervened and walked towards Artemis. “You need to let go of these thoughts, my visions can change and I didn’t see you die”

“But she was killing me”

Artemis panicked, Aurora had to contain him and slapped his right cheek. Caught off-guard, Artemis was shocked. “Why would you do that?”

“To remind you that you are still alive, right now you are alive. I think Lord Dagon’s death has traumatized you, made you think more about death instead of thinking about living. I forbid it! You hear me?”

In order to retreat and gain his wife’s compassion once again, Artemis laid his head on Aurora’s shoulders and wept. He wept not because of Lord Dagon’s death, but because of all the things that have been happening to him ever since he ascended the throne. At first he thought being a King was the easiest task in the world, but maybe for Gandalf who just fucked his way out of it.

But for a real king, it was ought to be hard. Visenya made a medicine for the fever and she requested the guards to spread it to all the good folks who were sick around the city. Aurora replied Princess Aeryn’s letter and sent it to the maesters who instructed the ravens to deliver it to Storm Town. After a week, Sunny Fever was no more in Blackmount.

The extinction of the plague was thanks to Visenya who eradicated the disease through her traditional healing herbs and portions. Once again Blackmount rose to its’s glory, the brothels were opened and once again the good folks sinned to their fill. The alehouses, wine sinks, inns, and the streets were full a fortnight later.

The worst had passed and it was once again time for the people to unite and take part in what they thought was fun again. Also the trade ports were opened and as usual Lord Akirbus, Master of the coin worked hard to restore the realm’s treasury. All was well and everything went back to normal, even a depressed Artemis turned to a happy one and he resumed his training with his Lord Commander.

Time had come for the vault to be opened, Visenya instructed. “You are shy five months away before you start your labors. The eggs must be warmed up right now if they are to hatch at the time of your birth” and Artemis thought they were to hurry if that’s the case.

“Where will it happen?” asked Artemis.

“Right here in Aurora’s Hill, and I was thinking as we wait for them to hatch perhaps you may start to build dragons cave, and I will look for dragon keepers” Visenya advised.

Both Artemis and Aurora were stunned and they looked at each other, then they turned back to Visenya. “Dragons cave?” It was Artemis who first asked. “I thought it’s just one dragon”

“Believe me Your Grace, that vault has more than one egg”

A very shocked Artemis seemed confused “How many are they?”

“We wouldn’t know until we open it”

Aurora soothed Artemis who seemed concerned “It’ll be alright my love” she kissed his left cheek.

“Will it? These are huge creatures Aurora, and they haven’t been seen in thousands of years. They exist in folklore tales and myth bedtime stories; one was alright but to have many... they breath hot flames. What if you can’t control them, they will devour our goats and sheep and men alike” Artemis expressed his concerns.

Visenya spoke out “They would never, dragons are obeying creatures as well as they are calm. They will listen to their riders and do as commanded, it is a rider who controls a dragon and not otherwise. You can be a dragon rider too, Your Grace”

“Me?”

“Yes, if there are three eggs in that vault then it means you, your wife and your son have been chosen. Your hair of course wouldn’t turn golden pale but you have Aurora’s shadow behind you and she is a -” Visenya paused for a second. Then she finished “She is the chosen one destined to bring back the age of dragons”

No matter how safe Visenya said dragons will be, still Artemis had that nerve cracking thing inside his body. He was scared for his life and life of his people, Visenya told him the dragons have come to protect his people and not otherwise.

The spell to open the vault took four hours to practice and get it right, the sun was shining outside and it was morning. Artemis had nowhere to be instead close to his wife as she tried to open the vault, all her strength came to null when the vault didn’t open. “We’ll try the next day” Visenya instructed.

The next day also bore no fruits and Aurora grew somber, all the spells were used and still the vault refused to open. “Maybe I’m not the one” Aurora said softly and wept in Artemi’s shoulder when a whole week passed and still the vault remained close.

Back in Storm Town, Princess Aeryn and her husband Lord Petrus were busy preparing for the journey to the capital after the letter had arrived. This was the happiest day to Lady Allysa Octavianus, finally she was invited to the palace by the King himself. Of course she spread the news all over Storm Town. “A personal request, from His Grace himself” she told her friends.

In two days they were ready, the royal wheelhouse which brought Aeryn to Storm Town was used to take her back only this time it was a bit crowded with her husband, her mother in law and all the sisters of Lord Petrus. The men who escorted her once were the ones who led the small caravan, this time accompanied by Storm Town’s knights too.

What a journey! It would take them less than three days to reach the capital Blackmount and even though Storm Town wasn’t inside Maldonia kingdom, it also wasn’t far from the capital. That’s why the good folks of Storm Town were well informed as to what was happening to the capital, Prophis and other cities alike.

Daella as usual entertained her family inside the royal wheelhouse with her tales which no one knew if they were fiction or true. The laughter never ceased inside the wheelhouse, as so did food because they packed so much snacks to eat along the way. At this time, Artemis had no clue of his sister’s arrival since it was Aurora who replied the letter and not him.