Road of the Heavenly Light

17-2: Bitter Cold

When they finally arrived at the courtyard, they were quickly attended to by a group of footmen, who took their luggage and helped them out of the carriage.
"Will we be received at the palace?" Elizabeth asked as the group entered the building.
"From what I know, my whole family is coming to greet us," Apollo explained. He had missed them a lot, and exchanging letters had hardly been sufficient.

Right after turning a corner, Apollo's words were confirmed. Standing at the bottom of the stairs stood his entire family. His mother, his sisters, and his grandparents were all there to greet him and the guests he had brought along. His grandparents came forth first, with his grandfather warmly embracing him.
"There are more guests than you had reported to us," his grandmother commented.
Apollo let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head.
"They were interested in Fayiron and its culture, so I saw no harm in bringing them along."
"And right you are. The more, the merrier," his mother chimed in, hugging him tightly.

Apollo introduced everyone to each other, applying titles where necessary. That immediately led to some friction when it came to Elizabeth.
"Do you wish to be addressed as queen? It is the position you hold, is it not?" his grandmother asked.
"I would prefer not to, Your Majesty. Not until I have had my coronation."
"How proper," was the sarcastic reply of his grandmother.
"Don't be unkind, granny," Cynthia, the middle sibling, chimed in.
Apollo could only hope his grandmother would be tame during their stay. She was a fierce woman with a sharp tongue, known as the ice queen for a reason. He pitied the people in her household, as she seemed to have a new ladies' maid almost every month.

"Anyway..." Apollo said, hoping to end the awkward silence that had followed.
His grandfather seemed to catch the hint and spoke up.
"Daphne will guide them to your rooms. Feel free to entertain yourselves and look around until seven, when dinner will be served. In the evening, you are all invited to come with us to the Fystaria Opera Hall, where we will watch The Duchess and The Mirror from the royal box."
Apollo then watched as the others followed his mother, while his sisters dragged him off.

"Tell us everything about Royale High, brother! The people, the teachers, the rooms, the food, the lessons..." Delphine exclaimed, ever the enthusiastic youngest sibling.
"Calm down, Delphine," Cynthia scolded her, before turning back to Apollo, "but please, do tell us about Royale High. I want to know if I want to go there too."
Apollo smiled at them, resisting the urge to laugh at his sisters' enthusiasm.
"I like Royale High. The people there are really nice," he explained, "a lot of them are more relaxed and informal than here at court, though some people are mere elegant refined. There are people who could even match granny," he remarked, the crown princess of Falmar on his mind.

The three of them made their way to a nearby drawing room and sat down to talk more.
"Is it really true you were held hostage by the king of Theros?" Delphine asked.
Apollo nodded.
"Almost everyone at Royale High was. Even the teachers."
"The family was quite in a state after hearing about it. Even granny seemed quite vexed," Cynthia explained.
"If our father had been there, he would have showed that King Richard a thing or two," Delphine joked.
The three of them laughed, but Apollo couldn't help but think that his father probably wouldn't have allowed himself to be captured if he had been in his place.

"Are you nervous for your trial?" Delphine asked.
"I am, but I think most people would be," Apollo answered.
That was not entirely true, of course. His father did the trial easily without any fear. His trial had been the fastest in Fayiron's history.
"We should probably get back to our lessons," Cynthia said, looking at the time.
"But I don't want to!" Delphine complained.
"Do you want granny to scold us?"
Apollo had never seen someone rise from their seat as quickly as Delphine upon hearing those words.

With his younger sisters busy with their lessons, Apollo decided to head into the gardens to see his father's grave. The late Crown Prince Orion had never wanted to be buried with the generations before him in the royal mausoleum, as he preferred simplicity and nature, and those wishes had been respected. Apollo liked it better, as that made visiting the grave a lot easier.

Seeing the grave made a feeling of sadness overwhelm him. His father just as beloved by his family as he had been by his people. When he had become ill and passed it been a great shock because he had been such a strong and incredible man. Even though he would one day watch over and wield one of Iola's two strictly defensive weapons, he was a ferocious warrior who could best any foe. Yet despite that, he also possessed a kind heart and was actively involved in charity and the development of Fayiron.

His father had been so beloved that when he passed, people came to Fystaria to mourn him for weeks on end from even the most remote parts of the country. The front gates of the palace had become so loaded with flowers and tree branches that they had been opened, with more room made in the palace gardens. It had been perhaps the most intense display of mourning he had ever seen. The wide public sympathy had also helped the family process their own grief.

"I had a feeling I would find you here."
Apollo turned around to see his mother approaching him, a fond smile on her face.
"We all miss him every day," she added.
"He meant so much to the people, and to me too. It's almost like the way Divinians talk about Saint Divinia."
His mother chuckled softly before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps, in a way... but your father was not perfect, even if it may have seemed that way. He never liked to listen to other people's opinions, as he always thought his way was the right one; he never really thought things through, always diving into things headfirst; and he never had a talent for diplomacy, unlike your grandfather."
"I suppose granny must have scolded him a lot for that."
"She did, and so did I. But Orion would not have been the way he was without his flaws. No one is perfect, no matter how beloved. Our flaws are what makes us special and unique," his mother told him, "you must not forget that."
Apollo nodded and looked at his mother.
"Thank you, mother. We should go back inside, it'll be time for dinner soon."