The King's Messenger

Chapter 31

The guard found someone else to see to King Richar's corpse. Eden retired to his chambers, excusing himself to mourn in private.

Messenger was waiting at his desk, foiling his plans for solitude.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Eden said. "He deserved it."

Messenger regarded him solemnly, Eden's mask turning to glass under his scrutiny. "You're a liar, Eden. I don't fault you for it, but you needn't be one with me."

Eden held his breath, then let it out slowly. "I... no."

"Do you wish to speak of it?"

"Ha. No," Eden said.

"I'll just sit with you, then," Messenger said. Eden sat on his bed with a sigh, opposite Messenger.

"I... What if I'm no better? What if I killed him for nothing? What if I was... wrong?" Eden finally asked. His unspoken fear clung to his throat: what if it wasn't the man, but the throne that was corrupt? What if his crown sent poisonous tongues into his veins, whispering him promises of power and strength until he was more a monster than the man he murdered?

"Eden, I know you. I've known you since you were just a boy. You... are not your father, nor will you ever be. And no matter what happens, well... you don't just have me. Adrian, Lord Charere, Alyssa, Captain Torre, Kaeda... they're all good people. I know you won't stray from the path you've set for yourself, but if you start to turn, we'll be here to straighten you out," Messenger said.

Eden gazed out the window into the starlit night. "I'll hold you to it, Ire. You have my faith- as always."

Ire smiled. "It seems we have faith in each other."

The night seemed brighter than usual. "We'll fix her," Eden promised. "Valina, I mean. Together."

"Together," Ire said. He raised an imaginary glass in a toast, and Eden did the same.

The next few days were a flurry of logistical nightmares. Eden scrambled to ensure Adrian and Alyssa would receive leadership of their respective houses and promoted Janke to an established name, not just one rich enough to temporarily buy nobility.

The nobles who'd travelled for the holiday started returning two days after the assassination. Eden accepted their condolences with a twist in his gut. Lord Bahk abysmally failed to hide his incredulity and hurt when he returned to see his son taking his own position; Eden soothed his hurt sensibilities with the ridiculous notion that it was simply a temporary measure, as he personally knew Adrian better.

Lord Carinen was simple enough to placate, though once Kazya came, his excuse would be eviscerated. Eden simply told him he preferred to court the head of a house.

Eden didn't give Lord Charere a specific role in the nobility, but he knew that would change. With his willingness to act and experience with assassinations, he would be a valuable asset in fighting subtler wars.

Kazya arrived in Amar in time for his father's funeral and Eden's coronation. When her carriage clattered up to the palace, emblazoned with the Estisian crest, he ran through the palace and burst through the gates, shocking the guards posted outside. He slowed once outside, stepping forward as the carriage rolled to a stop. Before the coachman could, he opened the door, offering the lady inside his arm with a dazzling grin on his face.

Kazya graciously accepted his hand with the same smile on her red-painted lips. Eden helped her down from the carriage. "Kazya," he breathed.

In response, she pulled him into a kiss, which he gladly submitted to. A brief thought, that he hoped Lord Carinen wasn't watching, evaporated like morning dew.

All too soon, Kazya drew back, then embraced Eden, her lips moving next to his ear. "You did the right thing, Eden." They separated. "I hope I'm not late?"

"No," Eden said, drinking in the sight of her, the sound of her. "You're just in time."

King Richar's funeral was a grander copy of Maleh's. Dressed in black among a thousand mourners, Eden listened, the candle in his hands burning away, as a priest intoned last rites over his father's body, clothed in the finest robes of richest purple and gold jewelry. He'd never been much for religion- he wasn't faithless, he just chose to place it in people rather than unseen hands. He didn't even recognize the priest, who must have been important if he were overseeing his father's funeral.

The words dissolved in the wind before they reached Eden. He looked over the sea, the blue expanse his father would be sent into as a final goodbye. It sparkled in the setting sun, the air comfortably warm. It wasn't a day for a funeral.

He wore his golden circlet, the crown of a prince, for the last time.

Kazya stood beside him, fingers intertwined with his. He chose to focus on that instead of the priest. Wasn't it sacrilegious, anyway, for the murderer to grieve at the victim's funeral?

"-can reign once more in the heavens," the priest finished. The coffin- more of a boat, really- was lowered into the water and pushed to sea. Eden stepped forward, lowering his floating candle into the water. Kazya and hundreds of others, all along the shore, did the same thing, sending an army of lights to escort his father into the next life. Once the boat was decently far from land, a trio of archers- in case one missed- sent flaming arrows into the boat. All three sunk into the wood with an audible thunk, sending licks of flame into the air as the planks caught. Sparks flew through the air, dancing amidst smoke and ash.

It was wasteful, really. There was real gold in there, and purple dye was rare and expensive.

Messenger heard Kaeda call out to him at King Richar's funeral. He turned, looking through a sea of black to find her green eyes glinting at him.

"Ry!" she called out. He'd asked her to keep his true name subdued, so she'd returned to his temporary alias. She was escorting someone behind her, a man with blue eyes and brown hair, much like Ire's own.

"This is my friend," she said the man. "The one I told you about, who was interested in glassblowing."

Ire tilted his head. "Glassblowing?"

The man, not much older than a boy, looked at Kaeda with excited shock. "He's a Messenger? You didn't mention that!"

Kaeda gave Ire a meaningful look. "Ry, this is Navan Lier. He's a glassmaker by trade."

Ire extended his hand automatically, though his thoughts were whirling. "Navan Lier," he said. "It's good to meet you. Better than you know."

If Navan found Ire's words odd, he didn't let on. "Please, call me Nav, my lord. It's an honor to meet you, truly. I grew up hearing stories about Messengers from before- my great-something-grandfather was one, you see. It's an honor."

Messenger smiled. "The honor is all mine, Nav."