Chapter 11 #2
“Triad bless the sun of Aureum,” she said, her voice devoid of any emotion.
His heart hurt as his mind raced. She was not his queen. Given the events of the past few hours, he doubted she would accept it now. That left her his legal wife but without a title in his court—aside from that of concubine.
She would hate him for this next bit of maneuvering, but he couldn’t risk giving her extra powers in front of his court until he was certain she wouldn’t use them to abuse and undermine him.
He held out his hand and she took it.
“The sun of Aureum welcomes the star of Aureum.” He kissed her knuckles, leading her back to his throne. “Be seated at my feet, Your Highness.” Theron passed his sword back to Batea and seated himself.
Was the twitch of Aurora’s brow and that momentary glimpse of a grimace just his imagination? Whatever her feelings, she refused to show them openly as she took the position at his feet—a place for a concubine. Not a queen. Not an equal.
Lady Ino stepped forward, not a single strand of her perfectly coiffed black hair out of place, sizing Aurora up with a predatory glint in her grey eyes.
No doubt she thought the seat of queen was still hers to claim.
She looked down her long, fawn-coloured nose at Aurora, judging his fairy as beneath her.
“Your Majesty, am I correct in assuming you are currently taking petitions from your people?” Aurora asked.
His gut sank to his knees. Merciful triad, she was about to make his life more difficult.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Then perhaps you will be so generous as to consider mine. As we discussed when we entered Aureum, you vowed to grant me a boon. I would like you to present me the heads of all General Batea’s serpents, including Drakon’s.”
The calm before the storm was brief but piercing.
Aurora finally met his gaze, hers sharp and uncompromising.
She knew exactly what she’d done. Undermined him in front of his courtiers after he’d just worked to get them back in line.
Demanded he weaken himself before those calling for war.
Humiliated him as a despised Viridian in the heart of Aureum.
It seemed he should have denied her entry into his throne room after all.
Chaos erupted.
“All my serpents?! This is outrageous!” Batea cried. She looked to Theron for confirmation that he, too, considered the request a step too far. After all, she’d only agreed to kill Drakon.
With that, the courtiers were emboldened to hurl invectives at Aurora and demand he punish her for her demands. Others demanded he divorce her and send her back to Viridis. The courtiers surged forward, stopped by both the Viridians and the palace guard.
“Silence!” Theron shouted above the din.
Goddesses preserve him. It seemed there was to be no civility between them after all. And no one had deemed it appropriate to warn her what undermining him at this juncture could do. Because without him in full control of his kingdom and his people, she was in danger too.
As the shouts died down to grumbling, Theron kept his cool. He could still spin this to his advantage.
“I must deny you your petition, my star. As you can see, my courtiers know of your mother’s disdain for Aureum.
Many remember well her unsuccessful invasion.
I am certain that in time our marriage will allow Queen Flora to prove her change of heart.
Until then, I cannot allow General Batea’s serpents to be slain. ”
“You vowed, Your Majesty,” Aurora pressed.
“I did. And in time, I will honour that vow. But not until Queen Flora proves that she is no longer intent on expanding her queendom.”
That seemed to mollify his courtiers, at least. Batea’s anger was like a blaze of flame, branding him from his side.
“I was concerned you might think this way, Your Majesty. So I have decided to show the people of Aureum what will happen if Drakon is allowed to live,” Aurora said, holding out her hand. Leukos approached, revealing a mind’s eye stone. Theron’s gut sank anew.
“What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty?” Lady Ino asked, red-painted lips pursing in bewilderment.
Before Theron could interrupt, Aurora cut him off, staring at Lady Ino with a fiery determination.
“I am an oracle. What I show you now is what will become of Trisia with Drakon on the loose.”
Aurora took the mind’s eye stone and relayed the horrors of her past for all the court to see.
Air choked by ash, a sky of roiling black clouds, the scene of a landscape fully cloaked in an unending army of monstrosities.
Above, lightning streaking through the sky, the flash of red scales winking in the clouds, until Drakon was revealed, hurling threats and insults down from above between blasts of purple fire and molten rocks.
Theron’s hands gripped the armrests of his throne as he witnessed it, this time with new understanding.
As much as he hated her for upending the delicate balance of his court, he couldn’t help a pang of pity.
This wasn’t the future, but her past. The horrors she’d suffered in her homeland had blended with visions of the future until she was no longer able to tell the difference.
He hated what he had to do next, but he couldn’t allow her to spread these misconceptions unchecked.
When she ended the horrifying vision, his court was caught between terror and denial. Murmurs of disbelief competed with calls for Drakon to be slain.
Theron swallowed back heartsickness. Today he betrayed her trust once more.
“My star, when you first showed me this vision, I, too, was convinced of its truth. You have since proven yourself capable of seeing the future. But when you showed it to me, you told me that this had already happened, that this was a glimpse of your past and the destruction of your homeland. You said you had come to Trisia to stop Drakon from doing this again. That was more than two months ago. Except Drakon has not existed for more than a month. Tell me, my star, how can that vision be both of your past and our future? Is it not possible that your visions have confused you?”
Her eyes widened in shock. He’d hurt her again—in public.
But only by doing so could he prevent her from bringing chaos to his court.
And if she could never accept the impossibility of the situation he had just confronted her with, he might never break down her barriers enough to begin healing her fractured mind.
But before she could reply, Lady Ino made her move.
“Triad bless the sun and star of Aureum. Your great accomplishments will no doubt inspire songs, for you have not only come home bearing two ancient artefacts, you have also secured an oracle. Her visions will undoubtedly bring great benefit to this kingdom. It is simply a tragedy that she has such difficulty interpreting those visions. If there is anything I can do to assist either Your Majesty or Your Highness in this regard, I would be honoured by such a task. But you must be tired from your long journey home. You have graced us with your presence, your wisdom, and your judgement. I, for one, cannot think that we, the noble houses of Aureum, have anything more pressing to ask of you this day. Please, allow us to adjourn so that we might prepare for a proper celebration to rejoice in both your return and your marriage.”
No doubt this olive branch was coated in poison.
Lady Ino never did anyone favours that didn’t require a great deal of recompense.
But Theron was eager to end this sorry display, and Lady Ino had given him an opportunity for a graceful exit.
She had also subtly declared herself his staunch ally.
And no sane man or woman ever wished to be that woman’s enemy.
Theron bit back a sigh. He would pay for this, he was certain.
“How gracious of you, Lady Ino. Are there no further petitions from the court?” Theron asked.
When none of his courtiers dared speak up, Batea spoke.
“Court has concluded for the day.”
“Triad bless the sun and star of Aureum,” his courtiers replied before seeing themselves out of his throne room.
Except Leukos remained.
“Lord Leukos, you are dismissed,” Theron growled.
“No, Lord Leukos stays.” Aurora rose to her feet. “Since he is the only person here I trust.”
Theron fought back a rising tide of anger.
“Was that your idea then, Lord Leukos? To try to meddle in my court?”
“You vowed to compensate Her Highness. She made her petition and demonstrated to your court why such a request was necessary. Does Your Majesty consider that meddling?” Leukos asked, a brow raised, expression unreadable.
Damn this Viridian dog.