Lost Ones - A False King

Chapter 9 - History Lesson

After spying on their uncle to find out if he was part of the Crimson Crusaders, Emmod and Novel came home to an unexpected surprise.
Their window was still open, and they quietly climbed back into their room through the adjoining tree. But halfway there, they heard their mother's heavy breathing. Through the dim moonlight, they cautiously peeked into the room and saw their mother sleeping by Emmod's bed.
Emina had waited a long time for her sons until sleep finally overtook her.
Emmod and Novel would have preferred to turn back immediately.
"Should we let her sleep?" Novel asked, whispering tensely. "We could sleep downstairs, and we'll all have peace until morning."
Emmod thought about it. But in the end, it had been his idea to head to the Dragon's Cup to spy on their uncle. 

"I think it's better if we wake her," Emmod answered hesitantly.
He took full responsibility as he bravely faced an opponent that seemed overwhelming.
"Any last words?" Emina asked her son. In fact, Emmod had some.
He told her that Ko had taught them combat exercises and about their suspicion that he might belong to the Crimson Crusaders, which was why they had ventured to the Dragon's Cup at such a late hour. Emmod and Novel had promised not to say a word about their training, but what good would it do to come up with a lie that wouldn't help them anyway?
He only left out the part about the corpse.
Either way, both the brothers and Ko would have received a hefty punishment and a beating.
But that didn't happen.
Emina placed her hand on Emmod's shoulder.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," she said and left the room.
Novel nearly fell off the bed, and Emmod, too, was very surprised by their mother's uncharacteristic reaction.
"Wait," said Emmod, "You're not... angry?"
Emina snorted.
"It frustrates me that you keep breaking my rules. But I have to remind myself that you're still children. Children are curious and make mistakes, just like adults. That makes you human, and that's normal, even for you. The important thing is that we talk about it honestly."
They nodded at her in surprise, wondering if that was the end of it.
But Emina had one more question.
"Did your suspicion prove true?" she asked before leaving the room.
"Not sure," Emmod answered quietly.
"Don't worry," she said. "It's not."
That reassured the two a little, but whether their uncle Ko had been a member of the Crimson Crusaders in the past remained unclear.
This day, however, was only the beginning of a series of revelations.

From the next day on, the subject was never brought up again. Although Emmod and Novel still had their doubts, they trusted their mother's judgment.
There were no more problems. She let them live in peace, and Emmod and Novel didn't cause her any more headaches.
Summer had taken hold of the land with its many long, sun-drenched days since their uncle Ko had left three weeks ago.
Aside from the day of his departure, the encounter with the talking squirrel, and the explosions in the city, the summer so far had been rather uneventful for Emmod and Novel.
Still, they had made good use of the last three weeks.
The first week was marked by pure sunshine, accompanied by a gentle breeze and only a few clouds in the sky.
On those days, Emmod and Novel were quite lazy, spending most of their time in the Park of Rilgohin. At the end of the first week, they went with their mother to the Sacred Green Tree to celebrate the final night of the Nights of a Thousand Lights.

At first, Emmod and Novel wandered through the crowd with wide-eyed wonder.
The scent of roasted almonds competed with the smoky-spicy aromas of grilled meat or vegetables, along with the sharp, hoppy smell of beer.
There was music playing, and people were dancing. The chatter of the joyful visitors culminated in loud laughter and shouts, while children, including Emmod and Novel, squealed with delight as they ran through the crowd.
Performers were putting on various tricks, and every day there was an exciting play about the war, which was met with lots of applause and cheers.
The Brymbach family enjoyed their sticky, sweet cotton candy, roasted almonds, and candied apples as the lights of the fireworks lit up the sky at the end of the festival.