For countless nights Briar had embraced a man who wasn't the one who wedded her. She had faith that if she continued to obey him, letting Lycus take control of her life, that he would one day treat her as his wife.
She stared at the mirror, tracing her fingertips against the bruises and the hickeys on her slender neck. She felt filthy. Her skin was dry and dirty. The sweat that merged with hers was not her husband's.
Slipping on her robe, she exited her chambers and found Tallulah, her friend, sleeping on the floor. She walked past her, making sure that her feet did not make noise. The hallway was empty. The servants were asleep. She could vividly see one of the knights turn to another hallway with a torch in hand, not noticing that she had gone out of her room.
Her legs carried her into another room, a place that she had spent her time, dreams, and hopes in. The ocean was painted on the walls, the carpet was blue with a wooden whale that their future offspring would ride on placed at the corner. The crib was in the middle of the room, with more whales dangling above it that their child would gaze upon before he sleeps. She painted the walls herself with the help of Tallulah. She invited her spouse to come visit this room but he would dismiss her the moment he'd see her shadow nearing his office. She didn't even have her throne beside his. It was as if Lycus was a bachelor.
He never even planned on having a child with her.
She trudged towards the crib, her legs trembled and weakened. She hadn't cleaned herself yet after the cardinal left her. She could still feel the fluids trailing down between her legs. The queen gripped on the wood, seeing an empty crib that was never used. The only thing that laid there every night was her tears.
She had been a good queen, hadn't she? Even before becoming one she went out of her way as a noble to help the poor. Her charitable works made King Lycus choose her to better his image to the people who criticized his harsh ways of ruling.
But if only he didn't help that young dying boy in the streets then perhaps Lycus would have tried loving her.
Maybe, their marriage had a chance.
Aamon, the boy who seduced Lycus…It was all his fault.
A few months after their marriage King Lycus and Queen Briar left Hiraeth to see a newly built village a few miles away from the capital. In their carriage, Briar could only admire Lycus' handsome face. Some of the king's dark brown hair glistened underneath the rays of the sun that managed to get through the gaps of the red curtains. His eyes were sharp and cold. The golden color of his eyes were in contrast with his brown skin. The skin around his left eye was tattooed with golden swirls. His earrings were made of auriferous materials and diamonds. He truly was a majestic being.
"My king, what would you name the village?"
Lycus continued to peek outside of the moving carriage. Briar couldn't tell what was running in his mind. He always seemed to be in deep thought. He was never expressive towards her. He threw well-thought short answers for economical, spiritual, and political issues yet also gave nerve-wrecking questions whenever someone failed to accomplish his commands.
"I'll let the newly appointed chief figure it out. I'm not the one who's going to live there anyway."
Briar smiled. "How about Swangate? It is a village known for its giant lake where many swans swim."
Lycus gave her a half smile which made Briar blush and squirm. "I don't mind. You are my queen after all."
"Thank you, my king."
The carriage made a stop. Briar opened the door, peeking out to see what was going on.
"Why did we stop?"
One of the knights at the front stepped down from his horse and went to inform the royal couple of the situation.
"There is a child sitting in the middle of the road, Your Majesty. Please give us some time to move him."
Briar waved her hand, getting down from the carriage which made the knight panic.
"Your Majesty! I would encourage you to get back, it is dange–"
"Do not worry, sir knight, I trust that all of you will protect me if someone were to attack. Let me take a look at that child."
"Your Majesty?" the knight asked Lycus who remained looking at the window.
"Let her be. She's more than capable."
Briar's stomach fluttered. She would never hear her father praise her like that. She was always the dispensable goods. He never expected anything from her as she would likely be married off to a noble to strengthen their family's status and to enrich their wealth further.
The queen felt like skipping to the moon yet she maintained her poise, lifting her dress up and walking to the malnourished child with tattered clothes stained with blood. He was severely malnourished. He seemed no more than 12 years old. His bones protruded underneath his thin skin. His feet were swelling. Gashes scattered all over his pale skin. His pink hair was unruly and appeared to be unwashed for months. Flies coursed around him yet he was not at all pestered.
Briar knelt beside the boy sitting sideways with his legs sprawled on the floor, his back curled forward with his head downcast. The knights were on the edge. They were impressed with the queen's altruism and it was no wonder why the king chose her.
"Hello, what's your name?"
He didn't spare her a glance yet Briar was determined to help him to impress King Lycus.
"What are you doing out here? Is it okay if we tend to your wounds?"
If she wasn't traveling with the king, she would have invited the young man to the carriage. Indeed, the child gave off a foul stench. His wounds must be infected already judging from the pus.
With a few more futile attempts to encourage him to talk, the knights moved away, saluting to the figure sauntering their way.
"What's holding us up?"
Briar straightened, fidgeting in her place. She still wanted to stay and convince the young man to get help, but Lycus had lost his patience. He had his mouth and nose covered with the mesh. His yellow eyes gleamed like an entity deserving to be worshiped.
The boy looked up, his dead eyes held the colors of the rainbow.
"Either get off this road or get run down by a dozen horses, choose your faith, boy."
Briar gasped in horror. "My king!" He was known for his harshness which was the one thing she desired to change gradually. Everyone obeyed him out of fear but how could he win Canaan's hearts with his ways?
The boy sluggishly moved to kneel before him. Every movement he made was delicate, as if he would break at any moment. He placed his hands on the ground, bowing.
"It would be my greatest honor to die in your hands."
Lycus' eyes narrowed. He unsheathed his sword, creating a sharp metallic sound and raised it above the boy's head.
"If that is your request."
Briar ran towards her husband, taking him in a tight embrace.
"My king, please wait! He is only a child!"
"He is a child with a dim future and with no will to change his predicament. I shall end his agony. Canaan has no space for the hopeless."
Briar released Lycus and ran in front of the boy. "No, I will not accept that! He is a victim of misfortune. He must be given a chance to lead a fruitful life! As a king, won't you give him that chance?"
All of them held their breaths. They feared for the boy's and the queen's life. The king disliked people questioning him.
Lycus re-sheathed his sword, turning away from Briar. "I will let you do what you want but remember this, Briar: not all of them need salvation. Know who is in need of saving and recognize who desires for an end. Not all of those you saved will return the favor."
The queen wanted to argue back. This was a child they were talking about. How could she let him strike him? The boy rode with one of the knights. They continued their journey to the village with an awkward silence between the king and the queen. Well, Briar felt awkward. She had answered against him in front of many people. Lycus must be upset. If she wasn't the queen, he would have slashed her in half. Even if she was the queen, there was a fifty-fifty percent chance that he would cut her head. He could always remarry.
As soon as they arrived in the village, the chief was pressured to call for a doctor. The young man was to be treated first before Pope Uri and King Lycus could give their blessings. Pope Uri went ahead of the royal carriage days before to set up a protective barrier.
The boy was treated like royalty as she was under the direct care of the queen. No one questioned who he was or where he came from. Queen Briar made them run around like madmen.
Nightfall came and it was too late to commence the initiation. It was tradition to welcome new things in the presence of the sun as the moon was connected to evil.
There were individual tents assembled for each figurehead. The king and the queen never slept in one room as Lycus preferred to rest on his own. Briar wanted to suggest that they should try one night together but she didn't want to impose on him. There was a right time for everything.
She ate dinner with the people, mingling with the women and their children. They were fond of her. Pope Uri kept himself busy by tending to those who were ill. Soon the night got deeper, everyone's eyes grew tired and they returned to their homes in the warmths of their beds.
Lycus went out of his tent, dismissing the knights with just the flick of his hand. The castle could be stuffy. Since he already had a queen, there was no need for him to be going into these tiresome tasks, but this was only the time he could get some fresh air and distance himself from the ludicrous amounts of paperworks waiting for him back in the capital.
There was a lake not far from the village. The pope would scold him for leaving without taking knights with him but what could those fools do aside from being a meat shield?
He removed the mesh concealing his features, strolling through the dark forest. The tattoos on his hand glowed, he'd be easily spotted but that didn't mean he'd be taken down if engaged.
The moon was full. The lake reflected the sire of the night as if having a moon of its own. In the midst of the wide expanse of water stood a boy Briar insisted to save. Donned in clean clothes, his wounds have healed considerably fast because of Uri's power yet he shouldn't have enough strength to be able to stand on water.
The boy spread his arms to his side, raising his one leg backwards until his head nearly touched the surface of the lake. He straightened his body, spinning elegantly before leaping from one point to another. He danced gracefully in the calm water. He sprung up like a water sprite and carried a whirl of lake water underneath him. As soon as he dropped back on his tiptoes, droplets of water rose from the lake and glowed like crystals. The boy opened his eyes and glanced directly at the king admiring him from afar. He slipped off his robe, exposing his bare body in front of him. He smiled prettily before he submerged with the crystallized waters.
Lycus' eyes widened. He was expecting the young boy to come up but as moments passed and he didn't see a head, he sprinted and dove into the icy cold waters. The tattoos covering his arms, legs, chest, and face glimmered bright, illuminating the dark lake and scaring away the fishes near him.
The light in the lake died down before two bodies emerged. Lycus carried the unconscious boy in his arms, the king's clothes sticking to his toned and broad body.
The boy's eyes opened; he stared at him with amusement.
"You had the options, Your Majesty: walk away and stay dry or become a savior to a person who wants an end and get wet."
Lycus rolled his eyes to stare up, slightly regretting his decision to lift a finger for a peasant.
"You dying before this village could get blessed would curse this place forever."
The knights were alarmed by the king's disheveled state; however, they didn't make a ruckus as that would wake the villagers. The king placed the boy in his bed, waking the doctor who had slept on his sick patient. He appeared like he would vomit from the fear of neglecting his duties but the king did not even say another word before returning to his own tent. The squeeze that the king gave on his shoulder felt like a gift and a curse.
Morning came, the king and the pope gave out their blessings. King Lycus staked his sword to the ground, releasing yellow lights that zigzagged throughout the village. The pope blessed every house with his staff, sprinkling holy water on each doorstep.
Briar had given out the name Swangate to which the villagers accepted with much gratitude. After having another great feast, they decided to return back to Hiraeth in the afternoon. The villagers saw them off. Briar took her time saying goodbye to all of them. When she saw the pink-haired child walking out of the doctor's house, she immediately bid him farewell.
"Please take care of yourself, I have told the chief to watch over you."
He bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am in your debt."
Briar wanted to puff out her chest in pride and rub her achievements on Lycus' face. The child was grateful. She had helped another poor soul. He would have been dead by now if she didn't intervene.
"Take him with us."
Briar's smile fell. All heads turned to Lycus. Even Pope Uri was lost for words.
"Are you sure, King Lycus? We don't even know where he came from," Pope Uri queried.
Lycus' expression grew irritated. He didn't like being questioned. Briar was a stick up his ass and Pope Uri reached the deepest parts of his ass.
"He owes his life to the royal family. I won't let him go until he repays his debts."
Briar and Uri stared at each other before shrugging. If they continued to prod his intentions, there would be bloodbath.
"We–Well, you heard him. You're coming with us," Briar sheepishly laughed.
The boy bowed. "Understood, I am ready to go at any time."
Well then, wasn't he submissive? He was way different than yesterday.
"Do you have a name?" They couldn't keep calling him: "Boy," all the time. No doubt, Lycus would use his lack of name to his advantage and call him "peasant" or "insect."
"Aamon. My name is Aamon. I will do my best to be of use to His Majesty the king."