Light from Aphelion 2 - Tears of Winter

by Martine Carlsson

  “You’re leaving tomorrow?” Pembroke asked with disbelief. All the ministers stared at Louis as if he had lost his mind before falling back in their seats with headshakes and worried mutters. “You’re abandoning us?”

  The words fell hard on Selen. He knew everyone would see their departure as a flight, as a treason towards the people. It could not have been more wrong, but they could not justify themselves in length. Therefore, their mission could not fail. They had to come back with a cure or die trying to redeem their decision.

  “I told you not to see it like that,” Louis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. To have to explain his decision made his friend gnash his teeth. Selen made himself as ethereal as the air around, a safeguarding reaction the ministers hadn’t learned yet.

  “The palace is a secure place,” Kaeden said.

  Louis ignored the Chamberlain. “There’s nothing I want more than to stay here with the people, but if I can help finding a cure, I want to do it. I won’t come back on my decision,” Louis carried on, bridling his temper. He turned to Pembroke. “During my absence, I want you to act as regent. Josselin will assist you.” Pembroke nodded yet did not hide his disapproval and kept his brows frowned. Louis outstared his ministers. “It is crucial to keep the city running and avoid any movement of panic,” he snarled so nastily that Selen glimpsed the crown of his teeth. “Urian, Mauger, I want no violence against the population, no martial law or any transgression of the people’s right. At the same time, riots and crimes will be severely punished. Kaeden, in our absence, no one is to take refuge in the palace. Send the extras home and have the kitchen distribute the surplus of food to the ones in need.” Done with his speech, he leaned back and nibbled a nail, curling down his fat lower lip against his thumb. Though the counselors simmered in discontentment, no one ran the risk of a bite, and not a single huff of outrage leaked out.

  “Every one of us will do his best to be up to the task, Your Majesty,” Urian said, bringing obedience to a whole new level.

  “Your Majesty.” Kaeden cleared his throat. “May we know where you will be?” Groping his way along, the Chamberlain put forth the sensitive question.

  Louis glanced at Selen. “We will ride to Embermire.” Selen saw in his eyes that his friend was uneasy to reveal too much about their mission. “We have some reasons to think that answers may be found in the Ebony Forest.”

  Selen hoped no one would ask more questions and looked at Pembroke with pleading eyes. Pembroke met his gaze and nodded slightly.

  “Whatever your quest, we are sure your reasons are justified,” Pembroke said. “I am pleased to hear that you will halt in my city. It is long now I haven’t received news.”

  “I will ask the servants to fold and pack the royal bed early in the morning,” Kaeden said.

  Louis leaned forward. “Excuse me?”

  “Yes, there is much to prepare for the royal journey, Your Majesty,” Kaeden pursued. “The trunks, the tableware, the furniture… But I should get enough wagons…”

  Louis outstared him. “Me, the queen, Lissandro, and the royal guards. On horses.” Kaeden nodded. Louis sighed. “We will contact you as soon as we reach the place,” Louis said. “My lords and ministers, if you have no more questions, I will close the session.” He waved them free.

  The men around the table shook their heads. Some whispered their approval.

  “We wish you good luck, Your Majesty,” Mauger said.

  One after the other, the ministers got up and took their leave. Selen turned to Louis. His hands resting on each other across the table, his friend looked melancholic. The decision had been hard, and if the ministers barely understood their choice, the people would not. As they rose, Selen took his hand. “You made the best choice. Though the moment is unfortunate, it is also an opportunity to see if the people can manage without you.”

  Louis gave a faint smile and followed him out and along the halls. Despite the contact of their hands, Selen’s gaze was lost through the windows and the details of the inner garden. Some would have called Louis’s silent behavior quirkiness. Selen knew it was discomfort brought by tumultuous thoughts. Therefore, he knew better than to stare or speak. Should his opinion be needed, the words would come. Eventually.

  “It is not how I had imagined it. Now, I feel more like a traitor,” Louis said low as if forcing the words out of himself.

  “You do not leave to save yourself,” Selen responded in his softest tone. “You leave to search for help. You take your responsibility.” Selen opened the solar’s door and entered the room. A fire had been lit, and a tray with food stood on the desk.

  “I am scared that everything goes wrong once we are gone. There is no enemy. If violence burst out, innocents will perish,” Louis said, halting in front of the desk. He unbuttoned his blue woolen coat and tossed it on a fauteuil.

  Selen took a slice of bread filled with cheese and garlic from the plate. “You trust your ministers. They are wise men. They will control the situation,” he said while eating.

  Louis picked an apple, took a bite, chewed, swallowed. “No one can control a desperate mob, my love,” he sighed with sadness.

  “No one means not even you,” Selen said, laying a hand on Louis’s shoulder. “So, do not think about it and let’s concentrate on our mission.”

  They sat at the desk and shared a bowl of pumpkin soup and a pike pie portion in silence. With Lissandro organizing their journey, they would not need to worry about the catering. Selen was glad that Folc would accompany them. The more of their friends they could drag out of here, the better it was. He finished his wine and got up.

  After he stretched his arms, Selen removed his belt, his green houppelande, and his shirt and lay down on the bed. In the comfort of the solar, the thought to take the road again did not enchant him. I have turned as lazy as a lord, he thought. He calculated the distance between Nysa Serin and Embermire. “What if the tree does not talk?”

  Louis approached the bed and lay down on his side next to him. He smiled. “I thought you tried to stay positive.” Louis caressed his arm.

  Selen crept closer against Louis’s shoulder. “You’re right. All will be fine. We have been through worse already.” It was not the first time the land was on the verge of falling into chaos. They had saved the day once in the past. Maybe they would come back triumphant and distribute the cure to everyone. Selen imagined himself returning to the hospital, the cure in his hands. This time, he would bring hope, he would bring joy. He would go up the stairs and save the children, all of them. He would hear their laughter again. All those little heads with a bright smile on their faces. One of Selen’s hands caressed his firm abdomen.

  “If I were a woman, I could give you an heir,” Selen whispered. He realized he had said the words out loud and looked at Louis. His face fell, and his heart missed a beat.

  Louis stared at him, shocked rigid. “What did you just say?”

  Ill at ease, Selen tried to explain his thoughts. “I… I don’t want to be a woman, of course,” Selen stuttered. Louis’s frozen eyes gave him shivers. “But I have been thinking that a child…”

  “Do not finish that sentence,” Louis hissed. His friend was breathing hard and tensed like a threatened cat.

  Selen felt hurt in his feelings. He only tried to explain himself. “But why?” Louis raised a hand to ask him to stop talking, yet Selen carried on. “Won’t you even listen?”

  “I am also with a man precisely not to have these kind of conversations,” Louis said sharply and moved back. “I know you had a rough day, and that a lot happened recently, so we will just do as if nothing happened.”

  Though he saw a glimpse of fear in Louis’s eyes, Selen could not stop anger from growing inside him. “How can you show such a lack of respect towards my opinions?” he wailed.

  “For God’s sake, Selen, shut up!” Louis yelled so loud, it made Selen start. Louis jumped up and strode to the front of the bed, one hand grabbing his head.

&n
bsp; Selen froze with shock. Never had Louis been mad at him before. Don’t shout at me, Selen heard his heart scream with pain. But he was right, and his face was only anger.

  “I saw it from the start. I saw how it corrupted you,” Louis snarled. “Are you not happy with me? Why do you want to destroy everything we have?” His lips trembled as he shouted. His bloodshot eyes burned with rage. Selen’s fists clenched with fear on the sheet as he expected the worse. However, Louis backed away and left the solar, slamming the door behind him.

  “I did nothing wrong,” Selen whispered. “Why wouldn’t you listen to me?” Tears came to his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He didn’t know what to do. He had never argued with anyone he cared for, especially Louis. His heart told him to run outside and say he was sorry. Still, it wasn’t true. He was all but sorry. Why wouldn’t he have the right to express his feelings? All this must have been a misunderstanding. Once Louis was back and calm again, all would be over. He dried his tears, looked at the nature through the window, and waited.

  It was getting dark when Louis entered the room again. Selen’s broad smile faded when he saw his friend’s stern face. Louis barely glanced at him.

  “It’s late, and we need to rest before tomorrow,” Louis whispered as he walked towards the bed. Louis sat as far from him as he could. “I hope you are done with your nonsense.”

  Nonsense? Is it all I am to you? Selen had brooded over his thoughts for some weeks now, and never had he imagined to have them rejected this way. No, not only the thoughts had been spurned but the whole of him. He felt a distance between them he had never felt before. Sorrow invaded Selen. After all I did. His face tensed. Gagging his heart, he got up. “Allow me to make it easier. Good night.” Louis did not even turn to look at him. Selen opened the door on the side of the bed and left the solar.

  11

  Lissandro cupped his goblet of wine in his hand and looked at the fire burn in the hearth. All the preparations had been done for their departure. It was a relief to know he wouldn’t need to die in the city and neither would his friends. To convince Louis to come with him had been easier than he had thought. The argument of the greater good and a touch of adventure still worked. Lissandro didn’t believe they would find something in the Ebony Forest. Why would the spirits care about an epidemic? With chance, they could find information. Yet, to create a cure, they would need scientific material, labs, and doctors in epidemiology. They might be in a fantasy world, but Lissandro did not believe they would find a magic spell in a hollow tree.

  He finished his wine, took off his tunic, and lay down in his bed. A last night in a warm feather bed before freezing my ass on my saddle again, he thought, and this should have been holidays. He sighed. The door opened and slammed. Half-dressed, Selen strode to his bed and lay down next to him. Lissandro stared at him, speechless.

  “It’s not what you think. Good night,” Selen mumbled, huddling under the sheets away from him.

  “And Louis?”

  Selen did not speak but uttered a sob.

  In a second, Lissandro’s blood froze in his veins. He jumped up from the bed, pulled his tunic back over his head, and grabbed his pillow. “Imbecile,” he whispered to Selen. In a hurry, he left the room, ran through the aisle, and entered the solar.

  “I left at once. I don’t want to know the details,” he exclaimed. His eyes riveted on the floor, he tiptoed to the couch on the other side of the room and lay down on it, facing the back of the seat. Behind him, he heard Louis’s interrupted breathing. What on earth did you do, Selen? The situation was desperate enough to add ludicrous arguments. Lissandro pulled on his tunic. I should have taken a blanket, he thought. Now I will shiver through the night. However, his body was still exhausted from the last days, and he rapidly fell asleep.

  The first lights of dawn appeared in the sky as they rode the way down from the palace to the city gates. It was cold, he had not had a breakfast, and it was way too early. From a stone in the path of his horse to the loud clanging of the guards’ mails, Lissandro grumbled at every annoyance.

  “Had a bad night?” Askjell asked him, cheerful.

  “You could say so,” Lissandro mumbled. He had slept badly on that stupid couch. Yet, he probably was not the only one to have a backache. When he had woken up, he had seen that Louis had slept on the floor, on the carpet in front of the bed.

  “Cheer up, Lissandro. We are going on an adventure.” Askjell gleamed with optimism. “Think if we can save all those people.”

  Save yourself, Askjell. Run back to the Frozen Mountains, Lissandro thought. We have not even left Nysa Serin, and it already smells fishy. Talking of smells… He sniffed. There had been some laxity in the street cleaning. He pulled on his hood and grumbled.

  A blue cloak cast over his tabard, Urian waited for them in front of the gates. Braving the harshness of the morning frost, a crowd of curious had gathered on the sides to watch them leave. Lissandro tried to perceive their emotion. Except the promise of chapping, he did not see much on their faces. He had expected anger or deception, but the people stared at them with resignation.

  “We wish you a safe and successful journey, Your Majesty, and hope to see you soon among us,” Urian said. “Open the gates!”

  “No!” Louis shouted. Urian looked at Louis with surprise. “Before we imposed complete quarantine, the law said that everyone crossing these doors had to pass strict controls. I am not above the laws.” Louis dismounted and, to everyone’s stupefaction, undressed.

  The crowd broke out in whispers. Taken aback, Urian hesitated first to react. “Form a line around the king!” he shouted to his men. Facing the crowd, the soldiers circled Louis, who soon stood naked in front of the commander. Louis put his hands behind his head to expose his armpits. Sadly, Lissandro saw only the shoulders of his friend, but he saw the respect on Urian’s face. The commander stepped forward and controlled Louis’s skin and neck.

  “This is a brave gesture, Your Majesty,” Urian said.

  “There is nothing brave in following the law,” Louis said, slightly irritated. “May I pass now?”

  “Yes, of course.” Urian picked up Louis’s clothes from the ground and handed them one by one as Louis dressed up again.

  After Louis got back on his horse, he turned towards the retinue behind him. “Everyone will pass the test. No exception.”

  Selen dismounted and approached Urian and the circle of soldiers. More whispers spread through the crowd. This, however, was a bad idea. Now they will all have the confirmation that the queen has a cock, Lissandro thought. As Pembroke had said, it was not because they assumed something that the people were ready to see it. Even Urian showed signs of uneasiness in front of Selen’s luscious body. Above all, the first function of the queen was to warm the king’s bed. Their naked, slim bodies should not have been the last image the king and the queen had left to the population. They must come back with a cure or never come back at all.

  “You can dress now, Your Majesty,” Urian hastened to say. Selen put his pants on.

  “Wait.” A rider in robes approached them and pushed his hood backwards, revealing Kilda’s face. “I want to go with you.”

  “It is no place for a woman, Lady Langdon. Go home to your husband,” Louis ordered.

  No, it is her only chance. Lissandro kicked his horse and halted alongside Louis. “Louis, her baby is dead. She wants to help. Let her come with us. I will watch over her,” he whispered.

  “Not without Josselin’s consent,” Louis said.

  “I gave her my consent.” Josselin stood on the side of her horse. “My wife knows the way through the Ebony Forest. She will be your guide.”

  Deeply displeased, Louis scowled at them. “She will have to undress as well,” he snapped before he kicked his horse and passed the gates.

  “Ride safely,” Josselin said to Kilda, squeezing her hand. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. Please don’t get sick.” She let go of his hand and rode towards Urian.
>
  One after the other, each rider passed the controls before joining the king outside the gates. Once the gatehouse’s heavy doors closed behind him, Lissandro trotted towards Askjell. The squire wrote a note in a leather notebook he held in his hands.

  “Making a list of the party members to reckon the survivors?” Lissandro said.

  “Oh, I could do that too. No, I have considered writing a chronicle of our journey.”

  Lissandro sighed. “Chapter one. How the king and all his retinue showed their asses to leave the city. Make something epic out of that.” He kicked his horse and followed the company northward.

  12

  The landscape in the west was mostly endless acres of bare fields where ploughed, frozen soil crumbled under their horses’ hooves. Though they had passed the solstice for some weeks, no snow had fallen yet. Some trees even had red leaves left on their branches. To protect their faces from the ice-cold wind, the riders covered themselves under woolen hats or capes rimmed with furs, while the soldiers had heavy linen hoods pulled over their barbutes. Only the king wore a plain, blue coat and had his hood pushed from over his head most of the day. Askjell turned to the rider next to him. While barely older than him, the man bore on the coat over his plate a silver insignia shaped in a unicorn. Askjell deduced that it must represent an important function.

  “Why is the king less equipped than all of us?” Askjell asked.

  “It’s in solidarity with the common folk. The king can’t forbid the use of luxury to others as it’s in their private rights and the trade brings money to the realm. Yet, he makes a point to forbid it for himself. Therefore, you won’t see him with expensive furs or ostentatious jewelry.”

  “Is he like those monks who preach poverty and abstinence?”

  The man laughed. “No. Not at all. The king wants to eradicate poverty. Therefore, he thinks the rich, and especially the Crown, should not use their money for themselves but for a generous aim. The Crown’s money is not invested in jewels or saffron but in music, sculpture, books, and urbanism. Everything the people can enjoy. We who live in the palace have learned to dine on vegetables so that there is enough meat for the people. You see?”