Chapter VI

“In honor of Hadar, the Martyr King, who gave his life to save us all.” Prince Paolo read the words etched into the door of King Hadar's tomb. The tomb looked like a small stone house, with a statue of an angel, made of glass, standing on the roof, just over the door. The door was locked shut, and around the tomb violets, roses, and tulips grew.

The sun had set just a few hours ago, and the moon was just peeking over the horizon, full and bright. Milo stood nearby, as did Prince Paolo's bodyguard, Tamas. Neither of them spoke a word.

“It's a lot to live up to,” Queen Aryn said. “This is the shadow I've been living in my whole life. Every day I think about what I'm going to do with my birthright, how I can best use the power given to me, and I wonder if I'll ever live up to him.”

“I'm sure you will!” Paolo said, smiling at Aryn.

“What makes you so sure?”

“You're so kind!”

“Kindness isn’t enough. Oh, sure, a good king or queen is kind, but many people who should never have power are also kind. A good ruler must be just, strong, courageous, wise, decisive, and selfless. Kings and queens rule over the people, but they also serve the people. If they lose sight of that they are not kings or queens, they are tyrants and fools.” Aryn touched Paolo's shoulder, “I vowed to do all I can to be the best queen possible, but I already know I'll never be as good as my father was. When faced with the idea of giving my life for this kingdom...I know I'm not that strong.”

“Well, the war with Nihilus is over,” said Paolo, “So you won't have to make that choice.”

“I hope not.”

“Besides, I'll be by your side, helping you.” Paolo took Aryn's hand in his own, giving the back of her hand a comforting caress. “I'll protect you, my love.”

He was always talking like that, calling her “my love” or telling her how beautiful she was. Aryn wasn't sure what to make of it whenever this 12-year-old boy expressed such feelings for her. What was his real motive? Did he really think he had fallen in love with her so soon? Was he trying to make her think he loved her as some way of manipulating her? Or was this a simple attempt to make the best of an arranged marriage, trying to force the feelings? Truth be told, deep down she wished she could tell him that she only chose him out of all of the suitors because he was the least threatening, the least likely to try to control her, and the easiest to, in turn, control. She picked him because she knew that there was a chance to mold him into the king she wanted him to be. Compassion gave her pause. She knew it'd be hard to handle breaking the poor kid's heart, and, aside from that, certainly poor strategy to do so before the wedding vows had been spoken. At the same time, though, how kind was it to let the boy think she might return those feelings? She'd never spoken sweetly back to him, never once used terms of endearment when talking with him, but even her silence, her failure to correct him, could be taken as a sign of her returned affections.

Now, it wasn't that she hated the kid. Quite the contrary, she was very fond of him. He seemed kind-hearted and totally dedicated to her. She could even tell by looking at him that in about seven years he'd be a handsome young man, but for the time being he was still just a child, even if he was technically of marriageable age. It was only two weeks until the wedding now, so she had to decide quickly how to deal with this little problem.

“Thank you for spending time with me tonight, Prince Paolo. For now, though, let us part. It's getting late and we both need our sleep. I'll see you again tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow,” Paolo agreed, kissing Aryn’s hand. Tamas, Paolo's bodyguard, the one who had been carrying his banner when he first arrived in the capital, immediately walked to Paolo's side, placing a hand on his shoulder as he guided him back to his guest quarters.

Milo approached Aryn once Paolo and Tamas were out of sight. “You don't have to prove anything to anyone, you know.”

“How do you mean?”

“Hadar...your father, he was a great man, make no mistake, and yes, he did the most noble thing imaginable when he gave his life to save the kingdom, but when people retell the story they kinda...idealize him.”

“How dare you?” Aryn said, frowning at Milo.

“Hear me out, your grace, please,” Milo said. “Hadar was my friend, best friend I ever had, but as a king? He was a good king, but he was just as full of self-doubt as you are. He was timid, and a terrible public speaker. What I mean to say is...he was a man, just like any other, and he had flaws. Whenever I hear people telling his story they make him out to sound perfect. He wasn't.”

“I don't want to hear this.”

“Listen! Please, your grace! What I really mean to say is...I know you'll live up to his legacy. Before you were even coronated you proved yourself a great leader. And I don't want you worrying about whether or not you'll have to sacrifice yourself for the good of the people. Your father wouldn't have had to do that if I hadn't failed to protect him like I did. I will NOT fail you.” Milo's eyes were glistening, and his voice began to waiver at the end, recalling the events of that day. Though all of the bones had long since healed completely, for a moment he could still feel the pain of his crushed legs from when the house collapsed on him years ago, preventing him from being able to save King Hadar. He could still remember the sight of Hadar's headless body in the city streets, and finding Grigori, kneeling over the king's body, sobbing.

Aryn's expression softened, and she closed the distance between her and Milo, taking both of his hands in hers and smiling up at him. She could feel the hard callouses of his palms and his swollen knuckles against her fingertips. Like all paladins, his hands were as hard as bricks, but there was something comforting in knowing that she was being watched over by someone so dedicated. “You've always been a good friend, Milo. To me, to my mother, and to my father. I know that you did everything you could back then, and when I'm afraid that what happened to my father and his older brother might happen to me I just think of you, and I feel safe again. I want you to know that.” Aryn pushed herself up to her toes and kissed Milo on his scruffy cheek. “But for tonight, I want you to take a night off. Assign someone else to stand watch outside my door tonight. Get some rest. You've earned it.”

“Are you certain, your grace?”

“There must be more to your life than simply watching over me. Enjoy a night to yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Once Milo had left her side, Aryn began her way back to her room. In spite of what she'd told Paolo she was in no hurry to get to sleep, she would likely be up for several more hours yet, reading books in her room. “It's a queen's job to be well-read,” her mother always told her.

Before she could get to her door, however, Malachi, the royal messenger came running down the hall to her, holding out an envelope, “My queen! This letter just arrived for you! It's marked as urgent.”

Indeed, the seal on it indicated that it was urgent. Also, the fact that it included no family crest nor was it a clerical seal told her that this letter was from a commoner, one of the few who could read and write. “Thank you,” Aryn told the messenger, before taking the letter into her room.

“Your Royal Majesty,

“I am writing to you from the county of Laherig. I dare not tell you my name, for fear that this letter is discovered, but this matter is of great urgency. Over the course of the past few years here in Laherig children have gone missing, specifically little girls. I have found overwhelming evidence that Countess Yael of Laherig is responsible for the disappearances, and, in fact, she is murdering the children, for reasons so far unknown. I would be willing to present this evidence to you, but only at a trial, once Countess Yael has been taken into custody. The countess has proven to be extremely dangerous, and neither I, nor the many witnesses to her crimes, will speak to or present evidence of her crimes while she still has a chance to retaliate. Please, your majesty, we are absolutely certain of her guilt, but we can do nothing about it while she walks free, and every day that she does so more children will die.

“Sincerely,

“A Loyal Subject”

Aryn had probably met Countess Yael, though she couldn't remember the encounter. At her coronation she'd met a large number of noble lords and ladies, too many to keep track of. Just the thought that one of them had been a child murderer made Aryn shudder. If only this loyal subject had sent the letter sooner she could have arrested her then and there.

Now Aryn was faced with a problem. The lords were all entitled by law to be presented with all evidence brought against them before being arrested, it was a right that the nobility had fought to establish, and violating it could cause all sorts of problems with the other houses. On the other hand, as the letter said, every day Countess Yael was free she would murder more innocent girls. It wasn't as if the letter was purely fabrication either, Aryn had heard reports that there had been children disappearing in the county of Laherig, her mother had even sent investigators to try to get to the bottom of it, all to no avail.

The young queen decided to go to the first person she could think of for advice; her mother. Sarahi had ruled the kingdom of Arx for sixteen years, surely she'd faced some situation similar to this before. The bodyguard whom Milo had assigned to Aryn for the night, Shamira, met Aryn in the hall and followed her as she rushed off to Sarahi's room. Shamira, like Milo, was trained as a paladin at Caelum Academy, and wielded a short sword with a blade made of diamond. Ever since King Hadar's older brother, Amasi, was assassinated by agents of Nihilus paladins were assigned as the closest bodyguards of members of the royal family. Shamira had just graduated when she was assigned to the capital.

When they got to Sarahi's door, however, the lone guard standing watch stopped them, “Looking for your mother, your highness?”

“Aye,” said Aryn, “Is she in?”

“No, actually. She left her room a short while ago, said she had something she needed to do, and asked me to stay here.”

“She didn't take any guards with her?”

“Actually, your grace, Milo was with her.”

“Ah. Good. Did she say where they were going?”

“She didn't, and I didn't think it my place to ask.”

“I see...” Aryn and Shamira exchanged glances, shrugged, and then returned to Aryn's room. “Well, then...I guess I'll have to figure this out on my own.”

“You could wait until morning, your highness,” Shamira said, “Surely your mother will be available by then, and you could consult other advisers as well.”

“No, this is...I won't be able to sleep until I've figured out what to do.”

“What's the matter?”

Aryn explained the situation to Shamira. As Aryn got closer and closer to the end of the story, revealing that Countess Yael was likely a child murderer, she could see a look crossing Shamira's face which was a combination of disgust, outrage, and heart-break.

“You have to put a stop to this!” Shamira said, banging her fist on the end table.

“Watch yourself, Shamira, I consider you a friend, but I'm still your queen.”

“I'm terribly sorry, your highness, I forget my place. But surely, you must see, you are the only one who can save these children's lives and give the families of the deceased justice!”

“There's a matter of law, however. Countess Yael cannot legally be arrested without strong evidence of wrongdoing. All I have is a letter. If I break the law...”

“If you break the law you risk losing your power, yes,” Shamira said, “The Council may be called upon to reconsider whether or not you deserve the crown, and if they decide you don't then they will remove you from power. But consider this; are you really so attached to the throne that you would sacrifice children to keep it?”

“How dare you....”

“I know you're not,” Shamira said, “It's a rhetorical question. What I mean is...if the letter said that one of the noble houses was plotting against you that would be a political matter, but this is so much more than that, this is a matter of right and wrong! What's more, do you really think the Council would remove you from power over this? You know Arch-Bishop Livana, you know she'd support you in this. The Chancellor? He'd congratulate you on standing up for the common people and doing what's right. You have two-thirds of the Council sure to back you on this if it comes to that.”

“You're right, Shamira!” Aryn said, “Why did I even hesitate? What am I worried about? That the other noble houses will challenge me on this? That this might hurt relations with them? Well, if they'd rather I let children die in the name of their rights then the Void with them! I swore to protect the people of Arx, and that's exactly what I will do! Countess Yael will be arrested, and if it turns out she was innocent and the claims were baseless she'll be compensated for her trouble. If she is guilty, however, she will be sentenced to stoning.”