Nocturne

☼ Chapter Twenty ~ Aurora ☼

The king was not smiling.

In fact, he was quite mad.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Aurora stepped in front of Nocturne, frowning angrily. "How dare we what?"

"You barge into my home, steal the most precious item in our possession-" There Aurora cut him off. "Chrysos is not a possession!"

The king snarled and whirled on Nocturne. "And you! You have no right to be here! Hand over that sword and begone!"

Aurora snarled and readied to pounce on her king to protect Nocturne, but Nocturne laid a reassuring hand on her arm to stop her.

Nocturne stepped forwards, shadows seeming to swirl around her, weaving through her hair and shining from her purple eyes, which were clearer than frosted moonlight. The room stilled as she offered the sword to King Arun, hilt first. But the king failed to notice the ice in Nocturne's gaze or Aurora's held breath. He snatched it, greedily grasping at the ancient silver xiphos.

Then he screamed.

He dropped the blade, shrieking in shock. After just a second of direct contact with the metal, his hands were already swollen and turning purple at the tips. He clutched his frostbitten hand to his chest and cried out again with pain at the warmth of his body and clothes.

"H-how dare you! Witch!" He stuttered.

Nocturne lowered her head and retrieved her blade from where it lay, almost seeming pleased at the damage it had done to the cruel Light King.

Nocturne, however, was clearly sorrowful.

Aurora stepped forwards, concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked Nocturne, the king spluttering in the background.

Nocturne gestured to Arun, still cradling his blistered hand. "I'm fine, but... I think he needs a medic, and a bath of cool water."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Cool? Why not warm his hand right away?"

"Well, I don't know if it's different, since it's magic-induced, not cold, but all the old textbooks I found say you have to immerse the hand-or foot, or whatever it is- in cold water first and slowly increase the temperature because you don't want to heat it too quickly. Though by old, I mean, 100 years old. And from people who weren't exactly famous for their medicine- though I guess it comes with the fighting arts..."

Aurora laughed and shook her head. "You would know that."

The king grunted. "You two-" he growled. "Amora-"

"Aurora."

"Whatever! You're my high priestess now aren't you? Kill this traitor!"

Aurora's eyes widened. She stepped forwards, not towards Nocturne but towards the King.

"You want me to murder my friend and countryman‽ My girlfriend?" she said, hissing in disbelief.

"Your girlfriend tried to murder me! You will execute her, or be executed yourself as a traitor!"

"No!"

The king snarled with rage, some mad beast long confined in a cage. "Fine! GUARDS!"

The double doors swung open, but it was not guards or soldiers who stepped through. It was Prince Aelius, his mother following behind her.

Arun seemed shocked for a moment, but then his face twisted with perverted glee. "Aelius! My son! You, my blessing from above! Execute these traitors!"

Queen Surya's hands flew to her mouth at the sight of her raging husband. "Arun- please, without fair trial?"

"You dare contradict me!? I am King, I do as I please! These fiends have attacked me!" He waved his frostbitten hand in the air for emphasis. The queen shrunk back, her morals and mind overtaken by the brute force of her husband. But the prince was far from cowed.

"Father! Mother is right- What would the people think, what would they say? A revolution could be on our hands if you dispatch the high priestess and her...friend without trial! Especially since they have claimed the divine swords that burn the hands of all others who grasp them!"

The king swayed, but he wouldn't let go of his bluster that easily. "How should they know they are not some peasant girls who snuck in here to attack me?"

"That's easy," said Aurora. "Elios told them."

The king seemed to swell with rage, anger turning his face red. "Then- then let there be a trial! Arrest them!"

Aelius stepped forwards. "Aurora is still High Priestess, and the one who claimed the Holy Sword of Fire. The people would not stand for her arrest. Besides," he added, "Aurora never attacked you."

The king humphed. "Fine! Then let her go. But this brat shall be tried and executed, publicly and humiliatingly!" Feeling the need to grasp onto whatever vestiges of power he had left, King Arun uttered one final command.

"And bring the heretic too."