Connor crossed the tall wooden doors and then went down the steps. The coachman was waiting by the carriage with the door held open.
He went through the door and sat down. The coachman closed the door and went to his porch. "Move," Connor commanded through the curtains. Whips were struck, the horses whined and the wagon rolled forward with the carts behind them.
Connor enumerated the things he was going to report. He was going to report the time they left and the time they arrived at Everville. He was going to report the warnings that he gave. He was going to report the early arrival of the monsters. He was going to report about the death of the men he took with him. He was going to report the death of both his brother and his wife.
Thoughts raced through his mind and so he closed his eyes and tried focusing. Black cloudiness murked in his mind.
'If only I had gotten there earlier,' Connor felt a pang of guilt inside.
He had hated his brother. Viktor went off adventuring, married a woman of another caste and went off to another nation leaving Connor to hold the family alone.
Connor thought Viktor to be selfish, but still, he was sad. Sad that a part of his memories will slowly fade away.
He was his brother.
The wagon came to a halt and Connor jumped out. They were at the town hall in The town of parting. A man and a white horse stood near the entrance.
"Get in the wagon and take these slaves to the estate," Connor said pointing to the carts.
"Yes sir," The man said. He entered the wagon and told some instructions to the coachman.
The stallion was a stark contrast to Connor's earlier horse. "Come Snow," he called the horse and pulled its reins.
He rode fast. He rode so that thoughts will not cloud his mind. He focused only on the road and the reins.
It was near noon when Connor reached in front of the castle gates. He crossed the two portcullis and reach the bailey. Women carried water from the well on his left side. Tomatoes and apples hung red and ripe as before. He heard hammering sounds from the blacksmith on his right.
He went to the stable and Ronnie took Snow to a stand.
Going through the doors of the keep, Connor saw the court to be in progress. He walked over the white marbled floor. Light came from the windows on the back, the sides and the golden chandelier hung above. Sylphear the fairy, Entine the great tree, Undine the mermaid and Salamander stood on the four corners of the chandelier.
A farmer and his wife were pleading their case when Connor walked in. Their clothes were shabby and grey. Their hands and legs were riddled with blisters. The bald patch around the man's black hair reflected the light from above. The woman let her hair down, covering her face.
"Boars and wolves are coming from the forests and destroying our lands, Oh great King." The man said and wiped his tears over the linen towel on his shoulders.
The King lifted his head and saw walking along the aisle. He was donned in a golden doublet with silver ropes hanging from the pockets. The four great beasts were embroidered in red on his left and right. Diamond buttons scattered the light like a thousand rainbows.
Over his shoulders, he wore a white cape bordered with red, blue, green and grey. His golden brooch was a flying hawk.
"What is it that you are expecting of the throne, my subject?" The King asked the farmer.
The woman shed her tears and the man consoled her. "My king, we lost our son when he tried to kill these beasts. We are old and weak and we couldn't help. If an adventurer had come... this wouldn't have happened." The woman couldn't control her tears.
Alexander looked at the two and felt a load in his chest. He was their king, yet he had failed them. He went to the throne and sat down.
It was a sight to behold. The throne stood high on the dais, taller than the tallest man. Swirling snakes and rising dragons bordered the backrest. Two mermaids poured from golden kettles at the end of the armrest. Red velvet cushions supported the back and the seat. A hawk flew high from the back, its yellow eyes glowing.
The King rubbed his white beard. "What you had was a tragedy," his voice broke. "And I plan on making it the last." A fire burned in his white eyes.
Their eyes shone like obsidian. "Thank you, my king. We just hope... No one has to suffer what we had," they wiped their tears.
They left the court, garnering the stares and pity of its members.
"Next," the court speaker's voice boomed across the hall.
Connor walked to the front with his eyes glancing at the court. He saw Hamilton, a man with blue hair and eyes who gathered complaints and compiled them. He saw Radcliffe, a trans-man who taught dance. He saw Austin, a shrivelled old man with a bald patch in his white hair, who sent hawks far and wide. He saw Troy, a blonde man who calculated and brought the coin to the castle. He saw an empty chair; a chair reserved for him.
Connor went in front of the dais and knelt. "You may rise," the king's voice was smooth.
Connor stood up without losing grace. "Austin's birds have told me about the disaster, yet I want to hear it from your lips. Tell me, what happened?" His voice was kind. He knew the man who stood in front had lost his brother.
Connor gathered his thoughts. Every time he thought of it, he felt the stupidity of his brother. Yet, he was now in front of the king. He needed to stay calm. "My grace, I had departed from the castle gathering ten Mansabdar for the task," he straightened his back.
"We reached Everville on the day before the attack. We warned them, but since there were no signs of a sudden attack, the preparations were slack.
"The monsters came on the next night. We were attacked when we least expected it. They burned the whole village to the ground and many were taken as food or hostage or things I cannot say.
" Louise Ward died protecting her son and Connor Ward stayed in the village taking his last stand.
"Because of fate or luck or both, I was able to escape that place with the boy."
Alexander's eyes widened. "So, the boy is alive."
Connor did not understand the importance of that. "Yes, he is and staying at an inn in the town of parting," he replied.
"What of the monsters- the destitute?" Troy asked from the court.
Connor turned around. "According to my calculations, they will reach here in three weeks," his voice fell on all ears.
Alexander's eyes were grim. "That matches the reports from the temple of Caladrius and the reports from Austin."
Connor turned around and walked forward. "My grace, the time is dire. We must gather troops from all the houses under the throne. I don't know how many that will be, but I am not planning on fighting naked," he said.
The King smiled. "Your honesty is always a welcome addition to my court."
Connor looked at his empty chair. My grace, I will always be at your arm's length," he said.
The King nodded. "'Connor, write letters for sending troops to all the troops with your seal. Austin, make sure all the letters reach their destinations at the earliest. Troy, gather funds for the war. Make the people know the importance of this fight.
"I know what I said to that couple were just empty words, but I am not planning to make them stay that way. We need to survive this first."
"You may now leave Connor," Alexander dismissed him.
Connor bowed. "Thank you, my grace," he said.
He went through the tall doors of the keep and back to the stables. He got back over Snow and rode. His mind was running and a thought struck him.
"Why was the king curious about the boy?"
It hung on his mind like a piece of meat stuck between his teeth, like an itch he can't reach. His thoughts kept on churning.
"What is so special about the boy?"
And then it struck him. He pulled on the reins and slowed Snow.
"He looks different."
His brother, sister, him, his mother and every Centurian he knows had red shades of hair. He had known the Caladrius and their hair was always shades of blue.
The boy's hair was golden and his eyes were blue.
"Why?"
He didn't see this or care for this before. But there is something about that boy. The royalty cares for him and they have powers he couldn't understand.
"The king has now given me a new duty," Connor thought.
He raced his horse to reach the town of parting as quickly as possible.