The Fires of Cerran

Chapter Eighteen

Neriel relaxed herself against the headboard of her bed as she sang tenderly to her child. Wrapped tightly in thick woollen blankets, she held her child close, with her hand lightly touching his own tiny hand. She often sang to him, songs from her homeland, songs that she hoped one day to hear again. These were joyous songs, ballads of love and glad tidings that warmed her soul beyond anything she had known. On occasion, she would sing these songs with her maids, teaching them the words, though it often amused her when they tried to pronounce some of them. She found solace in these words, it was a part of her truth, a part of her that could never be taken from her. And as the baby snuggled against her bosom she smiled, and with her heart she knew that one day her son would grow to be King, with blood of the East and West flowing through him like fire, burning to unite those distant lands which for too long had been locked in civil unrest and destruction against one another.

 

The Queen was not out of touch when it came to the politics of which her husband presided over. In fact, on most occasions, he sought her council in the privacy of their quarters. For years now the two had been bound by not only the love that they shared but by the promises they had made to one another on the first night after they had wed, that they were equal, and that the rule Brodon held over these Kingdoms would be one of truth, of justice and of prosperity for all. In truth her marriage to Brodon was one of convenience above all else, an easy way to bind the Kingdoms of the West to Dai. However, love grew strong between the two and still it stood strong after so many years.

 ‘You seem troubled.’ Said a voice from beyond the darkness of the doorway. It was a familiar voice, and she barely let her gaze escape her child as she smiled at the words.

 ‘And you seem tired.’ She replied. Brodon stepped forward, smiled and slowly closed the door behind him. The latch was quiet as it closed.

 ‘The High Lords offer me little rest.’ The King said with a yawn.

 ‘And neither does this one.’ Neriel replied, now looking up to her husband as the child squirmed in her hands for a moment. Brodon smiled as he sat beside his wife and softly held a tiny finger against his own palm.

 ‘I would rather have council with him than with those fools.’ He said softly, Neriel laughed at this.

The two sat beside one another, as if in a dream, perfectly quiet and content for that moment. Brodon held his wife’s hand, stroking the inner palm in small circular motions.

 ‘You believe the beast can be destroyed?’ She said after a moment of silence. The motions stopped, and Brodon’s eyes fell to the edge of the bed.

 ‘Perhaps, though at what cost I do not know.’ Brodon returned, his voice quiet and unsure.

Neriel felt the cold air brush against her, and in that moment, she could have sworn she heard the far-off whispers of men long dead. The moment passed and the room was quiet.

 

The halls were oddly quiet, and though a few rogue squadrons of men sat together at tables or rested against stone pillars, it was all so peaceful that night. The High Lords had been seen to their respective quarters and the servants, maids and men all had been shown to equivalent rooms. In the darkness of the night, with the flickering candlelight the only beacon of hope against the blackness that surrounded him, Ser Lenren of Garth tread lightly. Climbing the spiralling stairways, the knight’s mind was drawn suddenly to the true intentions of the High Lords. He knew most of them well enough, some he had seen grow into their role as Lord, others he had seen whither with age. Much like Ramon, Lenren cared little for the political games that these men so often found themselves involved with. To Lenren these were decisions that would alter the lives of thousands, whether it be the distribution of grains during the colder days of Winter, or the heightening taxations of fish during the Summer. He did not fancy himself as one who should be privy to these conversations, and it burned within him to get rid of each and every one of them.