Chereads / THRONE OF THE WRETCHED / Chapter 3 - CHAPTER 3. ACQUAINTED

Chapter 3 - CHAPTER 3. ACQUAINTED

The great hall had tremendous loud utterances. It was as loud as the flight of death. Men and women threw loud curses on the woman that was demeaned by Lord Grigor Nigelle. The pleas of the feeble soul were loud enough to shatter the hearts of even the most tenacious men.

Osiris, the chief councillor ordained the silence to be maintained.

Vernados averted his gaze on Eiddwen, and glared like a hawk. He brought his right hand towards her, knelt and asked her to brace his hand. She arose by grabbing his hand.

He made a stern glare at Grigor and ordered Eiddwen in a gruff speech," Eiddwen Greyson, on account of the accusations laid on you, you are condemned to leave this kingdom by today itself, and never to come back".

Grigor had an expression of utter disbelief and felt dejected ; Eiddwen seemed quite pleased with the outcome of the trial. Eiddwen and Arsenio gawked at each other with pleasantness. Vernados read the emotion reflecting in Eiddwen's eyes and declared, " Your brother will not be accompanying you. He is the commander of the Royal guards. Letting a skilled soldier waste away could never be the appraisal of a fine leader".

Eiddwen's eyes widened with despair, and Aresnio had an expression of exasperation. Vernados made one last assertion before leaving, "Don't let yourself be seen in this kingdom again or there will be consequences".

Displeased with the outcome, Grigor tried to intercept Vernados, but was interrupted by Ilana. Feeling defeated , Grigor left with a resentful look.

Meanwhile, Arsenio handed some alms to Eiddwen and handed her to his acquaintance, François Blanc. He was an honourable knight, best known for his valour and fortitude. Noble in nature, equitable in his temperament, and beholder of one of the five great swords of Estailux. She gathered all the clothes and goods in her baggage which was provided by the other domestic helpers that she had been living with.

Before emigrating, Eiddwen was assured by Arsenio that he will get to her once the cause of their appearance in this world becomes clear. Eiddwen bided farewell to all the domestic workers and began walking towards a new destiny with François Blanc. She was convinced that this will prove to be a juncture in her story.

The outcome of the trial was proven to be the cause for dissatisfaction of many, two of them were burning in the flames of agony and disgrace.

A loud gasp broke the silence of the massive room. She roamed back and forth with undeviating steps, crossing her hands and engaged in formidable aspect. Her brows were furrowed, and lips were muttering things of some sort. Abruptly, Grigor entered. A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return.

He made sluggish steps towards his sister and asserted, "Do not blame me for the unexpected sudden oddity that pursued our arrangement".

Ilana glared at the man with utter disbelief and claimed, "If father was still alive, he would have disowned you. If this will continue to persist, then 'our arrangement' will persist as nothing but the fragment of our imagination".

Consequently, she drove him out of her away, and began making steady steps. Bewildered by the baffling behaviour of his sister, he followed her.

"It does not matter if it didn't work at the present moment. There will be a war soon. Many chances would be begotten by then ; Serving as the mere advisor to this kingdom? No sir, that will not do. I will be the bearer of the title of the Emperor. My dear brother would perish with his name which will be nothing but writings on a dry leave which will eventually wither away. No, the recollection of memories of stains of the blood splattered have not been abandoned yet. The adversary in the guise of the forbearing friend is as perilous as vermin", declared Grigor.

A sudden crisp voice acclaimed, " Your actions contrast your will redundantly. Behold this failure as a castigation for your trivial devising. Your mind is illiberal because of your resolve for revenge. This will bring forth the wreckage on you".

IIlana and Grigor positioned their gaze upon the shadowy figure which seemed to simper. It was Edor. While approaching Grigor, Edor claimed, " The boy does not have the recollection of any sort yet, I will escort him to his misery, and guide him to bring forth the catastrophe".

Ilana exhaled a deep breath and divulged, " If the assault made by me would have worked, then we would have reached conveniently quite closer to our objective. I followed her, pushed her, and locked the door and made sure that she would be rightfully accused of being responsible for intruding a lord's privacy. The direct outcome should have been her execution, but her pleas hindered the desired result. After her demise, the boy would have been alone. Therefore, the accessibility of controlling him would have been ours. At the present, he knows nothing of the past and is aiding the enemy. This is unbearable".

"Don't fret, Dear sister ! That will eventually be the reality in the anticipated times", assured Grigor.

In the meantime, the formulation and scheme for the great battle were discussed by lords in the 'Chamber of Lords'. Arsenio had never been a part of such an important discussion ever. The jitters inhabited his mind, but he tried to maintain a stern visage. Vernados began by discussing the formation that he will be following in the battle. His argument was followed by Lord Valentinian and Lord William's discourse on the prevailing affair. After the discussion, Vernados glanced over to Arsenio and inquired, " Are you satisfied with the arrangements? As the commander of the royal guard, the position that has been endowed upon you by the crown, your opinions regarding the matters of war are acceptable".

" Yes, my lord. I am pleased with the arrangements", complied Arsenio.

Although Vernados had never been concerned with the matters of any insignificant person, he was curious about Arsenio's roots, ancestry and the part of the kingdom where he came from. Something about him was unusual and it caught his attention every time. His semblance was overbearing for for a common man.

Lord Valentinian and Lord William made their final arguments, and the three monarchs reached the satisfactory arrangement.

On the bank of a river called 'Quiet Rill' which was situated towards the end of Estailux kingdom, Eiddwen and François decided to stay at a near cottage for the night. After settling in the modest hut, Eiddwen lied down to sleep. Both of them were lying at a distance from one another.

Eiddwen rolled over to the other side, in order to face François, and then she inquired, " Why did you choose to help us ?"

François peered at her and responded, " Your brother told me everything. Although I was a little sceptical at first, but his mannerisms and disposition were very foreign to me. I have been at many foreign lands, met many strange people but something about you both was very unsettling. I didn't quite fathom in the beginning why he decided to put his faith on me, but witnessing his adversities brought a change over me. I felt like I could trust his words".

Eiddwen curled her lips into a smile, and asserted, "Do you consider the possibility that we would be able to return? Since it is evident that we do not belong here, it will be feasible and reasonable for us to return back. My parents would be really worried. It has been four whole days since we were gone".

Francois saw the worrisome expression and distress lingering in her eyes, so he calmed the petite lady by telling her about the story of a fairy and brute. The story was about a fair fairy who fell in love for a brute. The fairy was as alluring as a dove and the brute only knew war and bloodshed. Even the word, 'LOVE' was foreign to him. The only thing interested him was power and wealth. While men and supernatural beings were equally charmed with fairie's elegance, Brute couldn't care less. One day, Brute went for a hunt, the beautiful fairy trailed behind him. That day, she witnessed a nightmare. In the forest, Brute met a nymph and professed his love for her. Disheartened by Brute's action, the fairy left the lovers in each other's company. The fairy drifted back towards the land of fairies, and vowed to never return. On the other hand, Brute and the nymph were planning to get married. The nymph's name was Amara. She vowed to always love him. During their marriage, the whole town rejoiced as it was the first time for the union of a natural and supernatural being. They recieved the blessings of the people, and gods alike.

On the night of their wedding, Amara held Brute in her arms and acclaimed, "At last, I have thee".

She pierced his chest and took his heart. After this deed, she ran away. Brute lied on the bed lifeless . The next day, it was clarified that Amara was actually a witch in the guise of a nymph , and she had given lover's potion to the brute. Brute was a direct descendant of sun god . She stole his heart for her witchcraft.

When the revelation reached the beautiful fairy, she wept and held herself responsible for the unfortunate disaster. Thus, giving up too easily is not always a wise decision.

Their conversation lasted for an hour, and then Eiddwen began drifting to sleep. The last words she heard before dozing off were "Sweet Dreams".

The next morning when she woke up, she heard a loud roar. It was very distressing. It resembled the roar of a wild animal. Bewildered by the disappearance of François, she woke up hurriedly.

After making her way out of the cottage, she saw an unexpected sight.