The Ocean Hearth (A "Hymns of Evermorn" Story) by Lionelson NY
Chapter 17: The Lady in Green

“Please, sire. Grant me your pardon!” a peasant was pleading to Velron in the throne room. The peasant’s wife held their young son tightly as they watched him from the end of the chamber, weeping. The wrathful king looked at him sternly with Lady Quella, in a green silk dress, sitting by his side.

“You supplied the Reds with grain yet you are shameless enough to ask for my pardon?!” The King shouted. “What puzzles me more is how you parasitic lot escaped the mass burial!”

“Now, now, my King” Lady Quella intervened as she saw him losing his temper. She took her turn to ask a question. “Mister Philip. I believe if you could provide us with a location or at least a name. Than perhaps his highness may show you mercy”

But the peasant in rags looked confused and afraid, unable to speak up.

“Do you have nothing for me?” the King questioned with an indifferent face.

“I’m sorry, your highness. I never went to them myself. They sent strangers to my house every fortnight. And I swear by the name of All-father Sirium, I did not join the riot. I did not send them any grain ever since. I saw what happened to those who oppose you and I do not wish to be like them.” The peasant was shivering. The King just stared at him.

“Very well. I will send two knights two protect your house and your family. I can assure you their safety”

“Thank you, sire” he cried.

“But I cannot give you a royal pardon.” Velron said, sternly. “You still owe the kingdom for your crime.”

“Your highness!” the peasant begged more, his face was as desperate as a hound was for a bone.

“You will serve in our military as a foot soldier.”

“But I do not know how to fight” the peasant trembled.

“I don’t need you to fight. I just need people at the front lines to make way for the real army. That much, you owe Eleazar.”

“But sire, that is death sentence already!”

“Guards! Take this man to General Edoras. He will deal with him personally.” The king ordered, ignoring every plea.

The peasant screamed and begged for mercy as he was dragged out of the throne room, his family pushed away to the side. The poor wife and child watched in anguish, wondering if they’ll ever see him again.

The King then turned towards a minister.

“Is that the last of them?” he asked.

“The last of those we caught, sire.”

“Very well. Let’s call it a day” Velron said as he stood up and went away to the corridors, heading for his chamber. The anger that runs through his veins was making him fatigued. But as he was marching away, he noticed Lady Quella followed close behind.

“May I escort you, my Lord!” the lady called him.

Velron turned to see the pretty maiden and nodded.

She quickly fret towards him, lifting up the skirt of her dress. But the king’s expression was not as vibrant. His eyes sulk deep, his lips barely even smiled the last few days. They took a long walk along the castle hall without uttering a single word.

Finally, they reached a balcony with the view of the city. It was a rather windy and sunny day. It should have been a fine moment to cherish with a little joust or hunt. But this was not one of those times.

“You shouldn’t trouble yourself, Velron.” Said Quella.

“King…Velron. Address me by my proper title” he grunted, immediately halting by the balcony.

“Oh please, Ron, we knew each other since we were children! I knew you before Lorraine ever did.”

Velron bit his tongue and gave a loud sigh. Pressing the temples of his head, he went to lean on the balcony’s ledge. The fresh air in Eleazar should have been a magical reliever of distress compared to the snowy winds in Rodenheim. But he couldn’t appreciate it at that moment.

“A soldier returned from Dalhar last night.” Velron mentioned, his voice muffled. “He said the battle was lost. The siege was a failure.”

“Oh my. May we see our fallen men in the All-father’s court” Quella said, her face filled with pity, hands clasped together.

“We even lost Commander Torren! He was a strong asset and we lost him.” He shook his head.

“Well…we couldn’t possibly have known it would turn out this way.” The beautiful lady said as she joined him at the ledge. “You and General Edoras already planned out everything. And Torren is a strong commander, who by the way have fought alongside your father in the Conquest. So you know we already did the best we could.”

“That is true. But I still bear the guilt of the loss. I made many wrong decisions these past couple of weeks…I even begin to doubt if the Mass Burial had served its purpose.” He wondered.

“Of course it did! Did you even see how terrified Mr Philips was just now? That single show of strength eliminated many men of treason. If you were to act late, the city would have been in civil war. You should know that it was the only way to bring order to this kingdom”

“Order?! I took fathers away from their children! I turned wives into widows! My conscience does not agree with my ideals.”

“Your ideals are for the good of the kingdom, Ron.” She said, pulling Velron’s hand onto the emerald laces on her chest. “If you didn’t kill those men, you would have a divided kingdom. How then could we win against the Dalharians in that state?”

Velron could feel the soft contours of her breast on his palms. His racing heart was about to persuade his already distressed mind while his fingers were starting to linger. Even her green eyes and luscious lips were so inviting.

But as much as he wanted a quick relief from the lady, he wouldn’t dare fall into temptation and slowly pulled away his hand.

Suddenly Queen Lorraine just happened to stroll by the balcony and saw them. She felt suspicious of the two being so close in such a secluded area.

The doe-eyed Lady Quella immediately noticed her and quickly gave a curtsey to the king. Guiltlessly waltzing away, she even glanced at the queen as she passed her. But the queen just shrugged.

Lorraine walked up towards Velron.

“When will you see that the woman is trying to poison your mind?!” the queen, trying to keep her temper.

“I’ve noticed for quite some time, my dear. But what can I do? Dismiss her from court? She is the princess of Meridia and next-in-line for the throne! If I do so much as exclude her from a council meeting, how would that impact the fragile relationship between Rodenheim and Meridia?” Velron’s voice started to shake.

To be honest, the queen had always been jealous of his scandalous relationship Quella Meridith. Rumours of them sleeping together was not an unfamiliar story. She tried to dismiss most of it as mere gossip; but no sane woman would be happy to hear such news no matter how fake it may be.

But Lorraine had always been kind-hearted as well. She knew Velron better than any other woman in the city. And right now, in this time of turmoil, she knew that he really needed someone to rely on. So surely but hesitantly, the good wife had to neglect her own jealous emotions just to comfort her distressed husband.

“You need to be strong, love.” The Queen said as she placed her hand on his cheek. “Remember the Nazarian siege? Wasn’t she the one who took you away at that dire time of need?”

Velron gulped as she mentioned that sorrowful event. It was a failure of his that he just could not let go. The queen went on to say.

“What of the high taxes that she said was necessary? If I’m not mistaken, the Mass Burial was her idea too! Every meeting in the Blade, every bad decision you ever made. All of it came from her! And now, she is convincing you to wage war with Dalhar! Don’t tell me you can’t see the correlation!”

Velron immediately broke down and cried on her shoulder. His pathetic sobbing made the queen’s eyes teary as well.

“I am so confused, Lorraine!” he cried. “You were right. You were always right! I should have listened to you a long time ago!”

“Well listen to me now!” the queen spoke up. The king gently leaned back and looked at her brown eyes. “That woman is a snake dressed as a maiden! I understand that her beauty can persuade you but-”

“I was not persuaded!” the king rebuked, sobbingly.

“But you have to regain control of your own mind!” the queen continued anyway. “She already turned a wheel which you cannot stop. All you can do now is to be strong against it. Survive it! Then you can turn the wheel back against that seductress! Only then will Eleazar see who their king really is. And believe me. When that day comes, even the Reds will return to glorify you!”

Velron gave a smile towards his queen amidst his tears. He reached for a hug and kissed her forehead.

“I spent years listening to the counsel of lords and ladies. When the only counsel I ever needed was that of my own wife and queen.” He said as he stared lovingly into her eyes.

Lorraine just gave a teary smile as she wiped off the tears on Velron’s cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. They held each other in embrace.

Little did they know that Lady Quella was eavesdropping on them the whole time! She was furious! Angrily, she left the corridor and stormed out of the castle.

Huffing and puffing her breath with every stride, she found herself in the royal courtyard. But in the midst of her rage, she noticed a handsome young knight whom she was familiar with. The sight of the dashing blonde man made her instantly knew what she had to do.

She fixed her curled, red hair and straightened her posture. Then she adjusted her dress to reveal more of her cleavage.

“Sir Alan!” she called out, faking a smile as she does it. The knight immediately marched towards her.

“My lady. How may I be of service?” The knight bowed and kissed her hand.

“Oh skip the formality.” She blushed while twirling her hair. “You know what I want. Come to my chambers for dinner tonight”

“I see a special request coming out of this” he smirked. “What would it be, milady?”

“We shall discuss about what I want after I give you what you want.” She said while brushing his forearm. “But in the meantime, could you find me a ship to Meridia?”

“You’re leaving?!”

“Don’t fret, Sir Alan.” She turned her head and smiled. “You’ll see me again”

The knight bowed and kissed her hand as she walked away.

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