Chapter 7 - Cold Tidings

"At least I'm still ahead in something." Emeria tipped her nose to the air. Her own map of Arcaeus Peak's interior was slightly nearer to completion than Elizia's.

"Yes. But only by one room and a hallway by the looks," Radis said. Emeria gave him a knowing scowl. Radis Draumen was the Queen's Guard's —or Lotus Knights as they were more commonly known— second in command. He'd been sent to the garrison to escort Emeria back to the capital city of Exaltyron.

"I'll catch up in no time," Elizia said. Her tone was all confidence. "You'll come back soon right? Mother is sure to have stories for us when she returns!"

"Radis, can't I stay a few more days?" Emeria pleaded. She put on her best pout that'd worked to sway the man a dozen times before. "Please?"

"Your highness, I've already been here for several days. Your mother ordered me to bring you home in time for a diplomatic meeting that she wanted you to attend. It's already too late for that and I'm sure she'll have my hide for it."

"It's okay. I'll keep you out of trouble." Emeria bit her thumbnail. "It just isn't fair. As soon as Lady Sar'tara is out of the garrison, Lord Serene decides to send me home. I know I was summoned a while ago and all but it's hardly the first time I've ignored a summons."

The knight shook his head.

Drat! "You promise you won't cheat on the maps while I'm gone, right El?"

"Of course not. On my honour as the first born of High House Serene, I solemnly swear not to cheat," Elizia said with a straight face, right fist upon her breast. Her lips twitched and she burst out laughing a moment later, Emeria laughing with her.

Emeria flung her lush royal blue cloak around her shoulders, pinning it with a silver eagle brooch. She checked the rapier hanging from her belt as she turned to leave Elizia's chambers. It was mid-harvest and though daylight hours brought mild temperatures, nights were oft accompanied by winter's iron edge. Radis followed after her. He was dressed from neck down in polished dark plating. The lotus flower of High House Lakris was carved into the breastplate and a diamond shaped shield was attached to his left arm. A scar on his left cheek joined the other lines stretched along his face, dark cropped hair showing hints of grey at the sides. He had been Azurus' mentor for a time, and had also humored the former king's request in teaching a then seven year old Emeria how to swing a sword.

Lord Serene was waiting for them at the gates of the garrison with an escort group of a few dozen soldiers as well as a closed carriage for Emeria to ride in. She protested, stating that she could ride a horse, but the complaints ultimately fell on deaf ears. Azurus kept his large black horse trotting alongside the carriage at all times once the escort had descended the incline of Arcaeus Peak. He was also garbed in dark plates, though it was missing the diamond shield as well as the lotus crest. He was expected to join the ranks of Queen's Guard knights at the age of nineteen —the youngest in history.

Emeria stared out her carriage window and admired the dauntless armor, its smooth polished surface void of any blemish. Her gaze trailed up his powerful neck, tracing the sharp angles of his smooth shaven face before meeting his eyes. He turned away almost instantly. "Say, what're you getting me for my fifteenth birthday?" she asked. "It's on the first day of winter. You didn't forget, did you?"

"No, of course not," Azurus said quickly.

"So? What are you getting? You gave me a bunch of roses and lilac flowers last year. Flowers. What's it going to be this year?" Emeria thought heard him grumble something. He was doing his best to avoid eye contact whilst she was speaking loud enough for surrounding members of the escort to hear her voice. The flowers had been pretty. Enough so to keep one in her hair until it'd withered. But every girl gets flowers for their birthday.

"It would ruin the surprise, your highness, if I made mention of my gift now."

She snorted. "Drop the formalities. You said something similar last year and your gift turned out to be a disappointment."

"It will be different this year. I promise. I'd never forget your birthday, Emma."

She saw his lips curl into a genuine smile. Some of the others amongst the escort muttered to each other and his face colored. He stole a glance towards her and instantly snapped back when he realized she was still staring at him. Emeria felt as if she could sink into his pale blue eyes. She put her hand to her cheek and continued making him uncomfortable until nightfall. The company halted their journey and made camp under an aged oak with a golden canopy. It stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the scattered formation of young deciduous trees surrounded by swaying brush.

Emeria was glad to be using her legs again. She leapt off her seat, ignoring the steps of the carriage, high boots landing on roadside gravel with a crunch. She stalked off with a few familiar faces of Lord Serene's escort in search of firewood. Radis shadowed her every step from a distance. She had half a mind to tell him off. Her deep blue cloak was near black in the fading light and she tried many times to crouch in the brush or hide behind a tree to lose him. The seasoned knight was not so easily fooled.

Emeria eventually found Azurus' dark figure hunched over a bush, examining something small in his hands. She glanced behind her to see a few of the escort soldiers stopping Radis in his tracks, allowing her some free time with the young squire.

Azurus dropped whatever it was he was holding and gripped the hilt of his sword as she approached. He relaxed when he saw that it was her.

Emeria beamed. "Always so serious. Am I that important to you?"

"You know the answer to that, Emma."

"I do. But I want to hear it from your mouth regardless," she whispered into his ear, kneeling beside him.

"You are the most important thing in my life."

"Thing…"

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, lips pouting.

She knew. Emeria gave him a hard shove and he fell over, metal plates clinking loudly. She let herself fall on top of him, careful to avoid the sharp defensive points of the black armor and held her face inches above his. She could barely make out his blue eyes with her own shadow masking his handsome features. "Why is it I'm always the one making the moves? A girl has expectations. Why can't you push me down like that?"

"It wouldn't be appropriate. And there's our age difference to consider. There are some who would shun our relationship. I am just an orphan after all."

"Excuses this. Excuses that. I'm not telling you to push me down in public. And a two year difference will mean nothing when I come of age in a few short years." Azurus opened his mouth to respond but closed it. She drifted through his eyes for a long while. "I'm still waiting," Emeria whispered, slightly annoyed that he still didn't get the hint. He finally pulled her closer, gloved hand to the back of her head, and her lips pressed against his. They rolled over until she was beneath him, his hands pinning her wrists against the dirt. The dark armor he wore was cold to the touch. Emeria tilted her head away as he kissed her jaw. "Better," she whispered, briefly fingering the straps to his armor. "Let's return to camp before Radis starts cutting down trees looking for me." He pulled away and she ran a hand through his hair. "What were you looking at before I got here?" she asked.

"Berries. I can't tell if they're edible or poisonous in the dark. I was going to bring them back to camp." Emeria looked over to the nearby bushes and found that they were filled with what appeared to be wild blueberries. She unpinned her cloak and began picking them one by one, using the cloak as a makeshift bag. "Aren't you cold without that?" Azurus asked.

"No. Nothing feels cold with you at my side." She blushed as the words escaped her mouth, realizing how silly of a line it was. Goosebumps formed beneath her sleeves with the passing of a chill breeze. She shivered. The young knight removed his own dark grey cloak and wrapped it around her. It smelled of freshly oiled metal but she didn't mind.

The two of them carried the large bundle of berries in her cloak back to the encampment. Radis was walking back and forth. He pulled Azurus to the side and gave him an earful. The soldiers from amongst the escort teased with improper comments. Most were from commoner families of cities. They lacked knowledge of the court, and thus thought nothing of Emeria's relationship with Azurus. She opened her bundled cloak and held one of the berries to the campfire. "Well that's a shame. They're elderberries."

"So it would seem," Radis said as he sat down beside her. Was he frowning or were those lines of age? "Your highness, might I have a word?"

"If this is about Azurus and I, I will—"

"It isn't. Well, it sort of is. My main cause for concern is the lack of respect these soldiers show you. And me for that matter. This isn't how an escort of Queen's Guard would behave. I was under the impression that Duke Kalin's soldiers are among the most disciplined in the realm."

"Casual treatment is not a lack of respect, Sir Draumen. They treat me as such because I asked it of them. I've lived at the garrison long enough to be on familiar terms with many." She lowered her voice. "I've also bested quite a few of them in a duel. They sort of have to listen to me unless they want the entire garrison to learn of their defeat at the hands of a fourteen year old girl." Though duels were all those were. Her rapier was little use against armored foes and tight formations —which was what the soldiers were trained for.

"I …see. I didn't expect you to continue training in the sword. I was only entertaining Lord Madrivall's wishes when you were just a child."

"Well, I have father, you, and Commander Rask to thank. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"And Azurus? Can you beat him too? That boy's far beyond me now. A once in a lifetime talent. He'll surpass Captain Aegis one day, no doubt."

"We fought once when I was mad at him. I think he held back on me." Radis eyed her curiously. His expression was asking an obvious question. The same one the escort soldiers were pestering Azurus about. "Is there a problem with how my appointed knight treats me, Sir Draumen?"

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"Not at all. House Draumen is at the bottom of the nobility ranks. I'm at my position because of my effort. The boy is talented but he is also an orphan. Just know that there may be unsavory obstacles standing between the two of you."

"I'm sure mother will approve. And father would have too. Do you miss my father, Radis…? I wish he were still here. I miss hanging from his great beard and being tossed in the air like a ball," Emeria sighed. She rested her chin in one hand and stared at the crackling campfire.

The man coughed. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I think you're too old for such things. But yes. I miss Madrivall dearly as well. He was a good friend to me and always had my back when others from higher nobility questioned my status. A shame for such an honorable man and warrior to have fallen to disease."

"At least his swordsmanship lives on in me!" Emeria cheered. "Say Sir Draumen, would you like to spar with me?" she announced loudly so that others within the camp could hear. A few of them whistled and stared expectantly at the aged knight.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he smiled, eyes narrowed. "The usual excuses and all. I wouldn't want you to get hurt and it wouldn't do well for me to tire myself when I am charged with protecting you. Lots of unknown dangers at night. What I can do, however, is cook these elderberries along with the dried meat in my pack. Would that be suitable instead?"

Emeria rolled her eyes. Her stomach growled at the same time. "Yes. That will be suitable, Sir Knight."

***

The second day of travel brought with it thunder and rainfall. An unwelcome chill from the night afore lingered in the gathering mist blanketing the road. Azurus, wet hair matted against the sides of his head, continued to ride beside the carriage. There was something mesmerizing about watching droplets of water drip from his chin and roll down his armor plates. He didn't utter a single word of complaint at either cold or rain. Emeria still wore his cloak. Her own smelled of elderberries and she was forced to make do without it. "Are you sure you don't want your cloak back?" She asked, carriage window open.

"You would be cold without it."

"Aren't you already cold and wet? I'm in a box if you haven't noticed."

"I'm fine, Emma. Really. Don't worry about me."

The convoy was suddenly ordered to stop. Emeria snapped up her hood and poked her head out the window. She couldn't see very far in the heavy downpour.

"Hold on, I'll go ask Sir Draumen what the matter is," Azurus said. He galloped to the front. Emeria looked out the window at the other side of the carriage and managed to spot three hooded riders approaching them at fast speeds. They weren't armed from what she could tell. They halted at the front of the convoy and spoke quick words to the escort lead. Emeria saw Radis nod his head at whatever message was being passed along. The messengers had come from the direction of Arcaeus Peak but they continued forward towards the capital city instead of turning back. Azurus reined in his horse to turn it around and quickly galloped back to the carriage. Radis shouted something after him but he seemed to ignore it. He halted by the carriage and yanked the door open, causing Emeria to almost fall out. "Sorry, it's just…"

"What?!" she glared, steadying herself.

"Elizia and…" His voice was shaky as he spilled out the remainder of what he was saying in broken fragments. Emeria covered her open mouth with one hand. A sickness crawled through her insides. She jumped out of the carriage and onto Azurus' mount, latching onto his cold armor, arms wrapped tight around his waist. He dug his heel into the beast and it went off running towards Arcaeus Peak. Radis galloped towards them, shouting still, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Rainfall grew stronger. Lightning flashed in the skies. Following was a roar of thunder. Emeria's thoughts weighed on every fibre of her being. Her arms grew weak, the cold of her dampened sleeves seeping into skin. "This can't be true," she breathed. "Hurry Azurus. Please."

"I know. I can't believe it either."

***

Elizia trudged through the soggy grounds within the garrison walls. Rain pelted her shoulders. It was night. Soldiers scrambled as news spread like wildfire, uncontained even by the downpour. Messengers ran in and out of the gates. Men prepared to set out in an attempt to hunt down any Tarmian they could find, soldier or civilian. For that was what they were ordered. Hate burned in their eyes. Their beloved duchess was dead.

Elizia's mother was dead.

No one paid mind to that one extra hooded soldier wading through thickening mud, soaked trousers weighing down her steps more so than the multiple full quivers she held in one aching hand. Elizia's insignificant tears were drowned by the weeping sky. She stumbled down the Peak's decline, uncaring for her drenched clothes, hardly even shivering though her breath came out in puffs.

She stopped before a long distance shooting range by the Greyscale Lake one arm numb from carrying such weight for so long. She at last dropped the many quivers. Half the arrows spilled out. The fletching upon them absorbed moisture, increasing their weight ever so slightly. A harsh wind threw back Elizia's hood and rain battered her salt marred face, beating away at her tears as stained cloth is beaten against washboards. Each piercing droplet sent ice through her. It seemed like her grief was unwanted.

So be it then.

Elizia gave herself the same hateful rage the garrison's soldiers were being consumed by. She screamed at the sky. "I'll kill them! I'll kill all of them!" Water filled her mouth as if to silence her. She clamped her teeth shut and seethed, letting rainwater spill out her mouth and roll down her chin just as a frothing rabid animal.

She unstrapped her bow and nocked an arrow. Even through her rage filled eyes, even through the heavy downpour in the night and her cold numbed limbs, she could see the distant target boards and had full confidence in her ability to hit them. She drew back to her chin, stiff muscles flexing, and then fired, the twang barely audible with so many other noises. And then she drew again. And fired again.

And then again.

And again.

And again.

At some point, her back began to ache. Her fingertips and forearm skin had torn. At some point, even the rain had stopped. Elizia kept firing, shivering, breathing out clouds, and yet never missing a single shot.

***

Emeria's teeth chattered in the wind. Even with her knight's thick grey cloak, the cold of the night was hard to bear. Azurus never once slowed his steed, its hoofs treading with less sound upon the water soaked ground. But he didn't press it harder than it could go, knowing that it would only serve to lame the beast. Hoarfrost crested the edges of his armor. She clung to it tightly, but her hands were going numb without a source of heat. She could hardly feel each finger.

They had ridden through an entire day of miserable weather. The clouds didn't refrain until long past sundown, leaving behind the smell of moist soil to shroud the fields before them. The castle tips of Arcaeus Peak were barely visible through a lingering mist. Emeria sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs with ice. The insides of her boots were soaked. She wiggled her toes to make sure they still worked. She needed the warmth of a fire.

But there were heavier thoughts weighing her mind. Elizia had just lost her mother. The duke had lost his beloved wife. And she had lost someone she sincerely looked up to. Lady Sar'tara was a woman of every soldier's admiration. The garrison would be in a fragile state.

Colder yet grew the night. The black horse neared Greyscale Lake. Emeria thought she heard a familiar sound —the slight twang of a bowstring at the loosing of an arrow. The sound was overshadowed by horseshoes clopping against soggy soil. But it came again. The area to the right of the lake was made of flat and even land. It was used as a training area and sometimes as a long distance firing range for skilled archers. But there should not have been anyone training so late into the night. Regardless, the sound was repeated multiple times. From the corners of her eyes, Emeria saw the reflection of a flying projectile in the lake water as if a fish were leaping out to taste moonlight. It appeared shortly after the soft twang she occasionally heard. She searched wildly for the mystery archer until she at last spotted a figure firing arrow after arrow into the mist.

"Azurus, stop! Turn to the right!" Emeria cried.

He tugged the horse's reins and steered it in the desired direction. The beast galloped forward, stopping half a dozen feet from the person. A figure with disheveled wet long hair loosed shaft after shaft, empty quivers lying at her feet. Dark liquid dripped from her hands. Emeria dismounted and ran over to the girl and hugged her from behind. "Elizia, stop. Your hands are torn. Any more and you could permanently damage them."

"I don't care," came a hoarse reply. She shrugged Emeria off and knocked another arrow.

Emeria came to stand in front of her friend with her arms stretched out, barely noticing small glowing flowers beside her feet. "Stop it. El, look at me. Please stop." She couldn't stop her eyes from watering. Sar'tara had been like a mother to her as well. She noticed Elizia's face then. There were white lines along her cheeks where tears had dried. Her eyes had sunk into their sockets, red and drained of life. Emeria wondered just how long El had been crying for. All alone too. Her hollow expression said she hadn't slept in a very long time.

Elizia fell to her knees and stared at the grass. She began tearing them out, unknowingly killing the flowers around her as well. The glowing lights disappeared as soon as they were uprooted. "The state they found her in. Do you know?" the ailing girl asked. Emeria shook her head as Azurus came to stand beside her. They had only received word of Sar'tara's passing. No description of how. "It was the Wickar assassins," Elizia said. "They killed her while the others were celebrating a victory. They found my mother lying face down, a poisoned arrow stuck in her thigh. The words 'Tarmia sends their regards' were carved into her back." Elizia pressed her bloody palms against the ground. "I'll Flaming kill them! I'll kill every last one of them! I will burn the Empire to the ground!" Her rough voice slowly changed to desperation until she was wailing incoherently, weeping again.

Emeria went down on both knees, ignoring the mud afflicting her clothes, and caressed Elizia's head as she continued mumbling sayings of destruction. Azurus stood silent, head low and eyes heavy. Elizia's rambling came to an eventual end. Her hands stopped moving and she fell forward into Emeria's lap. She succumbed to fatigue and lay asleep.

"We can't leave her here in the cold. We're still a few miles from the garrison," Azurus said. His voice croaked. He was trying not to cry himself.

"Take her with you then. I'll walk on foot."

"In this weather? And there could be Silver Tails. We're better off staying here. I have a tinder box in my pack. Stay by Elizia. I'll look around for firewood."

Emeria thought for a second and then agreed. There was no way for the three of them to get to the garrison on horseback. She removed the dark grey cloak and wrapped it around the other girl before laying Elizia's head on her lap. She also tore a part of her sleeves and bandaged Elizia's torn fingers. The black horse came to sit by them and Emeria leaned back against its body, grateful for its warmth. Over a half dozen empty quivers lay around. Azurus returned shortly after with arms full of thin sticks. They were arrows. Emeria gasped. "How many are there?"

"Well over a hundred. This is all I could carry. Hardly any spare dry branches on these open plains. I'll go get more once the fire starts to dim."

Emeria wondered just how long Elizia had been here. She was practicing all alone as a way to express her emotions. Her fingers were torn and the muscles in her back had swollen from overuse. "How far are the targets?"

"Some three hundred yards," Azurus said. "Maybe more. I can't even see the targets from here in the dark. She has heaven sent talent that only Lady Sar'tara may have been able to replicate."

Emeria caressed Elizia's cheek. She recalled her ambition to surpass Elizia in archery and swordsmanship. Their petty arguments seemed so trivial now. It was hard to accept the duchess' passing. She knew her pain didn't hold a candle to what the duke and his daughter were feeling. But her chest felt as if it were being squeezed.

Azurus managed to ignite the wood and the two of them sat in silence, fire crackling between them. They were both tired but neither had a desire to sleep. Something else burned within Emeria. Elizia's words and hatred had been branded in her mind. The Empire wanted to send a message. Wanted to strike a chord within Xenaria's heartland. And it had worked. She was angry. The disrespectful state that they'd left Lady Sar'tara in was an unforgivable crime. Emeria wanted revenge as well. If not during Queen Dahlia's reign, then surely during her own. She vowed to declare war on Tarmia when she ascended the throne if her mother didn't do it first.

Elizia opened her eyes with dawn's arrival, sniffling from both cold and sorrow. She hacked out mouthfuls of phlegm but was otherwise silent. Her stomach growled often. Azurus gave her what little provision he had. He allowed her and Emeria to ride the black horse back to the garrison and decided that he would go the rest of the way on foot instead.

Fort Arcaeus was in chaos. There were soldiers running about everywhere, searching for Elizia. She had been missing for a while. They were ecstatic to see her and the royal heir arrive safely. Kalin came out running towards the fortress walls and Elizia ran towards him while crying. Many of the soldiers wept as well. Especially the ones from Sar'tara's personal unit. They blamed themselves for the loss. A glorious flame within the people's hearts snuffed out. A dark time for the soldiers and the people of Metsiphon.