PARTINGS.
It has almost been a week since we returned here in Grantzæl City.
I waved at the remaining two children that we arrived with as they rode an airship together with their parents who came all the way here in the central kingdom to get them.
Slowly, the airship began to hover up.
The royal crest is seen on the sail flags as the wind drew around it.
The sky is pale today, and snow kept on pouring down incessantly, gathering down the grounds to cover a roll of blanket of frost and ice everywhere in sight.
Everything seem just white and blue now. Summer has ended and winter greetings began with a morning departure.
"Bye bye!!!" I yelled, waving both my arms in exaggeration. "Bye bye Aerra!!! Stray!!! Aeron!!!" sang the two kids in chorus as they ran to the line of the deck to follow our direction in contrast with the ships own rotation.
The other eight children had been reunited with their own families earlier this week. And today, with all the snow around, and the breath clouds that emits as I puff warm air out of my mouth, days from the deserts will begin to slowly turn as a distant memory. Like a dream perhaps that we could only see as either a good one or a bad one.
All their parents even ours agreed to cut all connections with each other, such that the younger ones can eventually learn to forget the abduction. It's a harsh decision for me but I have to agree. They do need to forget.
But not for me.
Reminder of our freedom is Nora's tribute.
I will always remember that.
However this conclusion means everyone can return to their normal lives...
—except for one.
I look at Stray as he kept waving at them, pacing few steps forward as if running after them but then he halted midway when the airship was too far from sight. "Ahh, I'll miss those kiddos!" he snickered as he rubs at his nape before turning about to face me and Aeron. This separation must've been harder for Stray, I thought to myself as I side glance Aeron and saw him blankly watching Stray.
I figured, just like me, Aeron is holding back his tongue too. We both refuse to ask when Stray will be taken away as well, despite being curious about it.
After all we've been through, there's a part of us that honestly wants him to stay for a little bit longer. He became one of our closest ally and friend during all those days in the deserts. But we know, sooner or later he needs to go back home too.
"What are you two staring at me for?" he grumbles, walking towards us.
"Nothing." Aeron replied as he turns his head away and focused at me, grabbing my hand as he spoke, "Let's go back inside, Aerra."
He began to head back, dragging me with him even before I could say anything.
Stray just followed us in silence.
We walked across the castle grounds and back to the portico where two distinct individuals wearing breast plates and armors waited for us in patience. They are assigned to watch over us closely. I try to recall in my mind their names again. I wanted to greet them but Aeron spoke even before I could acknowledge their presence, "I'm planning to play with our cousins today, you wanna come?"
"Where will that be?" I replied, as we finally reach the portico and few butlers that idly stood by opened the door for us. We stepped inside the anteroom.
"The gardens!" Aeron says cheerfully, I can sense his excitement. "We'll be by the gardens today to play" he repeated.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, your graces —but I don't think it's wise to play outside today. It's snowing heavy outside." Says the lady in armor as she walks up to us, a little behind her is the man that accompanies here. The lady has a fine silky hair of chestnut color perfectly tied in a ponytail, not a single strand of hair out of place, broad forehead, pointy nose, thin but prominent brows that are now creased while her dark eyes studies us for a moment and then she opens her thin lips to add, "You both might get sick!"
"Oh, we're not going outside, Lady Mirel." Replied Aeron, facing the armored lady. "I meant the inside gardens by the west wings. The one that has glass ceilings. So there's nothing to worry about."
"Ahh, I see. Forgive me for being crude." says she in a bow. Now I remember, Lady Mirel Agetha. She was introduced to me after the celebration of our return. I hadn't spoken with her at all because she's constantly talking with her subordinates even if she has been following me around lately. They told me, Lady Mirel is a Commander of one of Grantzæl's brigades and a Marquis's only daughter from the Eastern Nation. But right now, she's my personal body guard while I'm here in the Kingdom.
"It's alright, Lady Mirel. And good morning!" I greeted, beaming at her to reassure her. The creases on her forehead finally eases when she heard me and manage to smile in return. The man behind her finally reach us and stood tall beside her and my eyes met his gallant ones. "Good morning, Sir Richel." I greeted. I honestly don't know why I easily remember his name better even though he's Aeron's personal body guard. "Good morning, miLady." He bows down courteously. Sir Richel Hamnon is also a commander of one of the King's brigade. He's tall as he is handsome for his age. I'm guessing he's around his early thirties.
But I do wonder, how is it that I regard him as handsome when he's not even my type. I studied him as he greeted Aeron and Stray. He has dark brown eyes, blonde hair and a week old trimmed beard. Perhaps it's just his aura that I like. Confident but not too overbearing unlike Giles.
I cringed remembering how loud the mouth of that guy is. Especially when he laughed, it rung my ears like a firecracker going off.
"Is something wrong, miLady?" asked Sir Richel.
Oh. I've been rudely staring at him for a while. I even cringed at him. I immediately looked down.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something. So umm...." I wonder if I have to explain why I made a face. Perhaps not. I'll just digress. "Have you eaten breakfast yet, Sir Richel?"
I'm being random.
He nodded with a gentle smile. "I have actually. I trust you have taken yours as well?"
"Yup!" I nodded, beaming. At least he goes along with it regardless.
He just patted my head.
Aeron suddenly squeezes himself between us. "I also ate breakfast! Thanks for asking!!!" he says sarcastically and then he added "So are you coming with me or what?" He narrows his eyes. His brows furrows greatly at me. He looks somewhat conflicted and upset. Makes me wonder if he really wants me to come or not.
"I actually want to talk to uncle." I replied as he loosens his tight shoulders down but throws his hands on his waist. "About what?"
"I was hoping to meet the Sage. I already tried asking around but nobody knows his whereabouts. I'm hoping the High King knows at least."
"Okay then, if you're done, you can join us."
"I will!" I replied as Aeron walks the opposite direction while Stray just nods once at me then followed Aeron and Sir Richel.
Stray is surprisingly reserved today, I wonder if he's okay?
"Lady Mirel, can you lead me to where my uncle is?" I faced her and she bows briefly. "His Majesty is at the throne room. Right this way."
"You're not with your subordinates today?" I asked, sounding more rhetorical than a question while she began to lead the way.
"Today is little less busy especially now that all of the children had been finally reunited with their families"
"Oh, so you were also in charge with that."
"Not precisely. My men just aided with what help we can offer with the investigations."
"Investigations?"
"Err... It's just about something His Majesty has ordered for us to do for safety reasons for your friends, my Lady. It's nothing to be concerned of really."
I tapped at my chin. Why would my uncle ask for an investigation just to send my friends off?
Ah.
"Investigations...like background checking you mean? Just to make sure the children will be safe with their own families, I assume? That would make sense why it took almost a week just to contact each of their families when uncle is fully capable of sending all the children to their homes instantly. But I guess it's wiser this way so to assure before handing them back blindly. Who knows if they might have been sold out instead of kidnapped, right?"
She halted and looked at me surprised. "My Lady is very sharp! I'm impressed! I underestimated your ability to comprehend matters like such because of your young age. I just assumed you might not understand so... but I'll be sure to talk more openly next time."
I just grinned at her. "Please do. I'll ask if it's beyond my comprehension."
She then went on to walk ahead preceding
as I followed her.
If uncle had them all investigated. They might already knew something about Stray.
He's our friend and yet I never really had the guts to ask him directly anything about his background. Then again, he never really opened up as well. Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it or— he can't remember anything about them anymore.
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
Soon we reached the throne room.
They called it better as the audience chamber than the former. I've never seen the place that's why I'm also eager in stepping inside it.
I stood before a colossal double door as Lady Mirel spoke, "We are here."
I had to pull my head back just to see the entire doors. It makes me wonder what's the function of such overly sized door.
Guardsmen that stationed opened it for us at Lady Mirel's request. The door opens in an eerie noise as the hollow echoing sound emanates.
I expected red rug rolling across and towards the throne, huge chandelier and golden gleaming room but I was wrong. Very wrong.
The room stretches in an elongated hallway like chamber that had glossy black mirrored floors. Supporting columns stood side by side with open balconies that went on from end to end while statues stood in between the columns below it.
On the far end of the room, several golden light beams emerges from the floor towards the seven-storied tall ceilings that curved in arches. While two giant stone statues of knights stood looming in entrance of a rotunda like space at the farthest end of the room where a throne can be seen on top of two steps elevated flooring.
All windows were tall and arching parallel types, where thick draping curtains covers them almost entirely. Only lights coming from the windows of the second and third floor balconies drew brightness. There weren't any chandeliers nor rugs at all. No plants or any ornaments to suffice a child's easy eyes.
It definitely fit as a throne room for a High King of Seven Kingdoms.
But three words comes to mind despite all the austere grandeur...
—it looks stiff, cold and gloomy.
I walked forward and towards the throne where my uncle sat while a small council sat at a court in a corner nearby the rotunda,
Soon, as I stood before him, uncle regarded me kindly. "Aerrandria, and to what do I owe this pleasure?" He stood up and walks up to me. The small council went silent and bowed their heads when I glanced at them.
"My apology for the interruption, your Majesty," I uttered as I curtsied before him.
"Not at all. I'm far more delighted to see you here! Come, walk with me."
Lady Mirel bowed her entire torso down as the King walked pass her. Uncle took my hand and we began to walk off.
I looked up at him as he smiled at me when our eyes met. "Your Majesty..." I spoke,
"Uncle is better" he corrected.
"Umm, uncle— I was just wondering if you know the Sage's whereabouts. I had tried asking around but no one can tell me where he is."
"Well, Aerrandria..." he replied, looking ahead. "No one really knows where the Sage goes.He travels whenever wherever he wants. And returns at his own volition."
"You don't know where he is?"
He nods, "Despite being King, he never informs me about his destinations and clandestinity's. He's a free soul that come and goes."
"But will he ever return soon?"
"There is no certainty but perhaps next year. I will inform you right away if ever he returns, alright?"
I sighed in dismay. "I just assumed that since the Sage is old, he will be locked inside a library or something."
Uncle laughs heartily. "Well yes! The Sage is older than my grandfather. In fact, my twin sister— your mother and I used to listen to his stories of adventure back when I was about your age. But you might be surprise how he looks like."
"What does he look like?"
"He maintains an image of a young boy and sometimes acts like one. When I was a young boy, I used to despise him in fact! Well, not despise, I suppose— just a dislike."
"Why?" I gazed at uncle as we went on walking very slowly just around the chamber.
"A childish reason. Estheria spends more time with him than with me." He replied, laughing mildly as his eyes stared blankly at midair, as if in deep reverie. "But I eventually forgot about it when she got engaged to your father. That was the time I was also crowned as the scion to the throne."
Estheria is my mother's entire name which I rarely hear. While Papa prefers calling her Esther or plainly 'Mama', like how Aeron and I call her.
I found my lips curving in a smile as I study uncle. He reminds me of Aeron. The attachment he has with his twin sister is similar to how Aeron treats me before.
Aeron is changing now though, and I'm glad about it. He can now turn away from me without pouting and sulking, as if always hoping I'm around. He can now initiate conversations especially with other children and can go about without having the need to drag me with him or shadow me to wherever I go.
But I wonder what kind of childhood did uncle and my mom had?
For me, Grantzæl is a big gloomy city just full of splendors and glory but no colors... not even warmth.
—not a place where walls can share stories of laughters from yesteryears.
I'm just assuming it is one of the reasons why they decided to have us live in separate land away from the throne.
"Aerrandria, I heard you met another pure blood aside from the Nilfeim boy named Stray." Uncle uttered as he turns his head to look at me.
Surprised from the sudden digression, I just nodded.
He's talking about Nora.
"I'm assuming you plan to return her family crest to her parents, correct?"
"Yes uncle, but I want to personally han—!"
Uncle pats my head in a smile, "I know" he cuts me off even before I could finish. "However you're only ten years old and to travel at that age is..."
"But uncle—!"
He got to his one knee and places both his hands on my shoulders, "I had tried looking for her parents because I want to help you but... it seems like they migrated to somewhere else. But I still sent some of my best trackers to locate them."
I stared directly at uncle's blue crystalline eyes, similar to mine and saw sincerity in them. "I already figured you're a very special child from how you talk and how your reasoning goes. I also heard what you did for the young Lord at the Eastern nation, Osteell. All the State Lords favors your betrothal very well because of it!"
I crunch my brows unknowingly, trying to discern what uncle is getting at.
"At such a young age you are achieving great things, surpassing the mind from an ordinary child of the same age. So... I decided, I will be allowing you to travel but!" He pokes my nose lightly when he saw me beam at him in delight at his words, "Promise me to wait for another two years before traveling out on your own adventures! Your parents had been worried sick from these ordeals."
He stood back up and added, "I will provide you with what you might need for your travels as long as you comply to my terms."
I nodded vigorously but immediately retreated a grimace realizing two years time is too long. It feels wrong to hold on to Nora's brooches for such a long time.
"If I do find her parents, I'll make sure to inform them about your plan to travel so that they can wait for your arrival. Any other stories to tell will be yours to share once you meet them. I'll only spare enough information needed for them to know what to expect.
Would that be enough?" He asks as I slowly nodded.
"Promise?" I asked back.
He nods and offers a pinky at me, "I promise"
I took it and smiled at him.
"My sister's children are like my own. You and your twin brother Aeron are my precious family. Your safety and happiness matters to me. So rest assure I will do my best to keep my word." He says pushing a hand on his chest to express his sincerity, as he knelt down before me while he wraps his pinky finger with mine in a pinky swear. He smiles warmly at me and felt how his gaze was the same... Like how a father looks at their new born child.
I took a deep breath and watch him stand back up as he took my hand and guided me back towards the throne area where Lady Mirel stood waiting beside the small council.
"Come visit me again whenever you like."
"Thank you for everything, uncle!"
He nods in a smile, "The pleasure is all mine."
And went to sit back down to his throne, watching me under his calm and steady gaze as his council began to talk to him regarding political matters.
I curtsied one more time before gesturing at Lady Mirel as we walked away and finally left the audience chamber.
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
The moment the door closes behind me, I tried to replay inside my head everything my uncle just said. It felt like he somehow manipulated his way to turn me down as nicely as he could. But I never felt malice in it. Although it did somehow bothered me that amidst being very well informed, he fails to say anything regarding the Sage's whereabouts.
I curled my fingers in a countdown
—plan to talk with the Sage: FAILED.
Although uncle successfully made me indirectly agree to not look for the sage and blindly wait for an empty promise that I will be informed if ever the Sage do return.
—planning to travel for Nora's brooches: also FAILED.
Plus, he cleverly made me promise to never travel within two years time.
Honestly, what good did my visit with uncle bring me?
I'm starting to believe he knew what I was going to ask for even before I opened my mouth.
Surprisingly, what a cunning King.