A few days before the Allegra and Frey arrived at Para, Faelwen had tucked herself away for a moment of peace from her life as Queen of Paramecia. She sat with her profile against the reflective light of the fountain. Her flawless pale skin and golden braided hair shimmered like the surface of the lake during sunset. She turned slightly, her golden eyes calm and controlled, to her chancellor who had just arrived, standing a few feet away from her.
“Is something the matter, Samus?” asked Faelwen.
Samus strode over, hands behind his back, to an empty chair across from Faelwen. “Everything is fine your majesty,” he said.
“Is that so? Hmm, I thought you had come here to drag me off to some new meeting,” said Faelwen.
“My Queen, there are times when you do need to relax,” smirked Samus. He produced a teapot and two cups from his back. “A special tea, courteous from the head chef.”
Samus placed the cups on the table and poured the tea into each cup. Then he sat in the empty chair. He couldn’t help but note how strong the Evengreen family traits were. She looked nearly identical to her younger sister save that she is slightly taller.
Faelwen had bent over to take a cup when she spotted the runner boy weaving in and around her courtiers in the distance. She sighed as she recoiled and held the cup at her lap. Her eyes still pinned on the boy.
Samus turned and looked at her direction. “I hope it is not another childish complaint from the House of Fir. Lately they’ve become quite vocal,” he said in disdain. He took the remaining cup and lifted it up at Faelwen. “I drink in hopes the news is something mundane and requires not of your attention, your majesty.”
He swallowed down the drink.
Faelwen grinned and shook her head. The hint of fine liqueur waffled to her nostrils from her cup of tea. She figured Samus had probably requested the head chef to lace the tea with alcohol for her. Though not prohibited, the Elders looked poorly on her if she drank on duty.
“Your majesty,” cried out the runner boy. The boy collapsed before them.
Samus immediately stood up and held the boy upward. “Breath boy! Here, drink this,” he said and handed the boy his empty cup. He took up the kettle and poured the arm tea into the cup.
Faelwen raised an eyebrow and Samus humorously shrugged. The boy gulped down the tea in one shot.
“Speak young one,” said Faelwen.
“There’s an envoy from Bastile, Captain Winster is her name. She says she needs to speak to you at the square, your majesty,” the boy trembled, “and there’s a coffin with her!”
The word coffin made the Queen stand up, her stomach sinking.
“Who’s in the coffin and is Arilyn with them?” she asked.
“I dunno, your majesty. I just saw the coffin before sergeant Markov told me to go tell you the message,” said the boy.
Faelwen sprinted off. That was all she needed to hear. “By the Goddess, please let it not be what I think it is,” she thought frantically.
“Wait, your majesty,” cried out Samus. He turned to the boy and shoved the teakettle into the boy’s arms. “The rest is yours,” he said and ran after the Queen.
% % %
When she had arrived at the square, her braided golden hair had come undone and her face flushed from both the liqueur laced tea and the running.
“Queen Faelwen is here,” shouted an elven soldier.
She slowed down, watching the rows of elven soldiers departed as she walked to an one-eyed human female. The human woman bowed respectfully.
“Greetings, your majesty. I am Captain Winster of Bastile,” said the woman.
“Where’s Arilyn?” asked Faelwen. She didn’t see Allegra around the human soldiers either.
Captain Winster lowered her eyes.
“I am sorry to say but Princess Arilyn has passed onto Yaaru, your majesty. I am here to bring her body to you,” said Captain Winster.
Faelwen felt the wind had been knocked out of her. “What did you say?” She needed to hear it again, just in case she may have misheard it.
“Arilyn is dead,” said Captain Winster.
The words rang painfully in the Queen’s ears. She griped her chest and felt her throat tighten. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she turned to see a Samus.
“Samus, she’s gone,” said Faelwen hoarsely, tears streaming down her face.
Samus said nothing and only pulled the Queen into his arms to let her cry.
% % %
Faelwen sat on her throne, her hand clenching and unclenching repeatedly as she listened to Captain Winster.
“The woman is taunting for us to make the first move! Why else would she put on such a show at the square?” whispered Samus to her in Elven. “I do not believe the reasoning that she was abiding to the ancient custom to why she did not present herself in the castle.”
Winster stopped talking and smiled sweetly at Samus. “I can understand Elvish too,” she said and continued with her speech.
Samus lips tighten. Along the sides of the throne room were dignitaries from their allies and representatives of each Elven House. At the end of the row on the right side, the head of the House of Fir paled like a ghost.
“I thought you said that my sister killed herself out of guilt. Now you’re telling me that Allegra killed her?” said Faelwen, her golden eyes like bronze daggers.
Winster pursed her lips. “With all due respect, your majesty, but Allegra killed our king. It wouldn’t be too farfetched that she may have killed Arilyn too. I suspect to keep her treacherous plans a secret if she did.”
“Do you know where Allegra could be?” asked Faelwen, barely hiding her anger.
Winster shrugged. “Who would know? Perhaps she is with her only living family,” she insinuated something darker.
The head of the House of Fir stood up abruptly. “We have nothing to do with this or Allegra! We had cut ties with the half-breed years ago. We only let her keep our house name as an honor to her mother—“
Faelwen raised her palm. “That is enough Elder Fir,” she said. The Queen turned to Winster. “I need to grieve, Captain Winster. Please understand. Anything else, I will deal with later.”
“I don’t think I can oblige by that, your majesty,” said Winster. She pulled out a scroll from under her black cloak and tossed it at the feet of the elven Queen. “The testimony that Arilyn had wrote. By his majesty’s words, ‘We can not tolerate such aggression. We of Bastile declare war on Paramecia.’”
Along the rows, people gasped and there was a small outcry. Faelwen kept her harden eyes on Winster’s haughty stance.
“You come here to tell me that? We can kill on the spot and dump your bodies at the doorsteps of Bastile,” said Faelwen.
“I’ve taken that to account. I doubt her majesty will do in the presence of the dignitaries of the other kingdoms. Surely, they can see this is hardly Bastile’s fault,” said Winster.
“Get out now! Out of my kingdom,” raged Faelwen.
“Will do, your majesty,” smirked Winster and bowed out of the throne room.
“Your majesty, we can’t go to war right now! It will crush our progress for the United Trade and the agreements we have so far,” said Samus.
“I don’t care right now!” said Faelwen. She was suffering and raging. A combination that was making her lose herself. “Everyone, just get out! Just leave me alone!”
Faelwen slumped her shoulders and, for the first time in her life, let herself be vulnerable. Arilyn was her all she had ever since their parents had ascended to Yaaru on mount Meru a hundred years ago. They had asked her to take care of her younger sister and now she can not fulfill that promise.
Samus bit his lips and turned to the men and women at the court.
“Today is adjourned. The next session will be postponed as well until further notice,” said Samus.
There was a small rumble of squeaking chairs but no one dare to make conversation, well at least until they were out of the throne room. They filed out of the court with their minds on today’s turn of events. Elder Fir lingered to leave and approached the Queen, “My condolences, my Queen,” he said and then left the court.
Samus watched the last person leave before going over and picking up the scroll that Winster had tossed. He placed it in to the Queen’s lap. “Whether or not this testimony is true, Paramecia is doom to war. I know your heart is suffering and so is min, but you must prepare for the inevitable,” he said gently.
He gave the Queen a gentle hug and then left the throne.
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