Chapter 19

Aris was more uncomfortable than he had ever been as Edrian Wolls introduced him to the leagues of dignitaries that were gathered around him in the Great Hall. He was paraded before nobles, diplomats, merchants, and more. The wily Minister of Defense spoke of Aris as if he were his lifelong friend. He was so convincing that Aris himself nearly believed it.

What was his game?

Edrian’s praises even managed to make Aris’ fainting and coma seem like a heroic act. He painted a scene of Aris Ravenscroft rushing a force of twenty all by himself, facing down their fury with a martial mastery unseen in ages. Edrian Wolls’ words were practically worshipful.

It made Aris’ skin crawl.

“What IS his purpose for this?” Aris wondered as he tried to insist Edrian was embellishing the story to the latest crowd he’d been placed in front of.

Aris knew that Edrian would somehow turn the situation in his favor, he just didn’t know how or why. What he did know though, was how many fires he would have to put out with how much he was being trumped up.

Was that what this was about? Why was this man, someone who loathed him, making him out to be a national hero?

Aris had wished for the Minister to stop, and had nearly stepped in to set things straight, but he caught sight of Emperor Evrain. The man flashed him a dark look of warning as he opened his mouth to object.

What had that been? Aris had seen the Emperor angry before, but that flash of emotion had felt different. Alien.

“What was that?” Aris thought as The Emperors eyes shifted back to Edrian Wolls. Had that look been there before? Or was it the memories of Dren infecting his mind that had caused Aris to see something that wasn’t there?

No, the memories may be causing Aris to see the world in a new light. But that didn’t change the fact that Aris had indeed seen something.

He’d been a guard for too long to mistake that look. Aris knew what he’d seen.

Right?

How could Aris know for sure?

“The Emperor is just trying to show his gratitude.” Aris thought. “He has to be. The alternative can’t be true.”

Aris didn’t want to believe the visions that’d plagued him. He couldn’t believe them. They showed Emperor Evrain as a monster. Not the hero he was. Not as the man who had saved their empire from destruction a little over forty years ago.

He had saved the empire then.

Right?

Why did Aris find himself believing the visions more and more? They had to be lies.

They HAD TO BE lies.

*****

The evening continued on and Aris was lavished with praise for the rest of the night. He hated all the eyes on him. He hated the pretenses that danced around the room like the nobles and their wives and mistresses did around the ballroom. He hated how he was being painted as a hero that had singlehandedly saved Vealand from the greatest threat to its safety since the disaster that had drove them inland all those years ago.

He had done nothing of the sort.

All Aris had done was report the rebels plans.

Nothing more.

In fact he’d tried to stop their execution. He had even failed in that. He hadn’t been able to stop them from killing the would be assassins so he could interrogate them. No, he had been overwhelmed with the visions and had fallen into a coma.

He wasn’t the hero they said he was.

Each time that Aris tried to deny the exaggerated rumors that Edrian Wolls spread, someone would be there to insist he was just being self-deprecating. That made the stories grow even larger. He was the humble hero of Fiell.

Why was he being turned into a folk hero? It was the exact opposite of what Aris expected from Edrian Wolls. He had expected open hostility not the sickly sweetness that dripped from the Minister of Defense’s lips with every word of praise that he showered on him.

Aris tired of denying the stories and soon just found himself smiling and nodding. He would ignore the looks of admiration. He didn’t care what everyone else thought. He cared about the truth.

He would find it. He would dig until he found the reason behind Edrian Wolls’ actions. He would find whether his visions were true or the lies that he hoped they were.

Aris would make it his mission.

Aris noticed the Emperor’s startlingly clear eyes following him when he finally extricated himself from the party thrown in his honor.

What had that look been?