Taryn “It is helping me to take back the north” Taryn smiled. “But could a king ever consider an idea maybe possible? If I were to decide, I would choose a more concrete option, not just a future possibility. If Aeris needs gold, he will need it immediately. We cannot present ourselves only with promises.” “Your Majesty, gold mines are scattered throughout the north, some are in castles of allies. The north has much more gold than it is minted, we can use that as... dowry.” The room burst into chaos again. Taryn rested on the back of her bench while the Lords were fighting again. Taront had dared to touch the most precious thing for those men: their hidden reserves. The men raised their voices, shouting at each other, and as usual, Taryn could not understand how it was possible that they could talk to each other while understanding each other in that way. After several minutes of racket, Taryn turned to Lord G
Taryn knew very well what advantages Locrand would bring, but she knew the disadvantages much better. Dealing with a man like Kyros was the worst ruin for anyone and would have marked the end of Elder, she would not have wished it even to her worst enemy. That man was scum, he couldn’t forget the way Kyros treated her when he tried to tell Athelstan to expect a son; the hatred he felt toward his own daughter; the way he treated all those who had no royal blood or who simply were not him. Taryn remembered the words of disgust spit at anyone.But most of all, she remembered how she had been treated and forced to escape from that Summit before Kyros’ killers got to her and killed her.“Only the west remains.” Taront pointed to the map. “The Ackards rule Aeris.”“Elhiàs Ackard has been on the throne for some years and has not yet taken a wife,” Grander said.“How are the relations between Aeris and
AthelstanHe awoke with a sudden sensation of a great commotion outside his rooms, his head was beating, and his eyes were heavy. The night before, on his return from his long hunting trip he had stopped in a tavern in the city, yielding perhaps a little too much to wine and distractions.He turned to his side. The sun was already high in the sky, the light of the rays entering from the wide-open window, illuminating the whole room, while a sea breeze pulled away the white curtains that adorned the open windows. The sound of the harbour, the sailors’ noise, the crates of the merchant ships unloading the goods, and the cry of the seagulls flying high in the sky of Waterfall Bay. Athelstan took a deep breath and stood up, making as little noise as possible. He stretched as his bones crackled and turned to the bed, but his night companion did not seem to be disturbed by his movements.The girl slept blissfully, covered only by the wh
AthelstanHe left his room and saw that the servants were agitated, there were people running from one side to the other in frenzy. Athelstan was forced to move to the side to avoid being run over by a servant who was holding a basket in her hands.He had come back less than a day from hunting and already wanted to take his horse again and leave. He felt oppressed inside those walls. Surely the creator of all that chaos was his father, King Kyros was known for his misunderstanding and insensitivity to anyone outside himself. Surely his father at that moment was rattling orders everywhere, and certainly, sooner or later, he would have summoned him, and Athelstan had no desire to listen to what he had to say. He wanted to get as far away as possible before he sent someone for him.The corridors were illuminated by the large windows on the side that faced out, the windows were open, and there was no curtain to adorn them, the king did not like the colors or decorations very much, not as
AthelstanHe got up and approached him too. He pushed people to the side to make room. He looked at the sea.The ships that had just passed the open gate of the bay were sinking, sinking, destroyed as if they had crashed into a rock of gigantic proportions.From that distance, he could see only the sails of the big fishing boats that slowly went down below the water level while the cries spread around the port. His mother caught up with him and stood beside him, looking out over the bay.“Go down to the city, they may need help,” she said with a little excitement.“He goes back to the castle and waits for my news.” he kissed his mother on the cheek, then nodded to one of the guards who came there. The guard approached his mother and escorted her into the palace.“Now everyone calms down and go back inside,” he told the people that it was crowded on the balcony by now.&ldqu
SumonNathan gave one last push and then walked away from her body, panting, his body sweating. He lay next to her and put his arm over his eyes, trying to catch his breath.Sumon took a deep breath as she turned her head away from her husband, looking at the wooden cabinet next to the bed. On the surface was a necklace with a cord of black cloth, to which was tied a small blue stone that seemed to light up when the dim light of the torch hung on the wall hit it.Nathan took it off before he got naked and went to bed with her. Since they were married and spent the nights together, Nathan always took it off, but he never kept it away from himself. He never separated from that object.Sumon wasn’t sure if that gesture was out of respect for Sumon or his old lover. Even though he never said it, Sumon knew that object belonged toher.Sumon saw it from how he carried it and protected it as if th
Sumon“Lady Castel invites you this afternoon for tea with other ladies,” a maid said, standing at the door of her chambers.Sumon rolled her eyes while Claire, her servant, tied her dress laces behind her back. The last thing she needed was to deal with the lady of the fortress. She had neither the time nor the desire.Claire finished with the laces and smoothed her blue skirt. Sumon turned to allow her to place the rigid band under her breasts, raising it slightly and making it look bigger than it was. Claire turned around and tied it behind her back. When she finished fixing it, Sumon sat down so Claire could fix her hair.“Thanks, Lady Castel, for the kind invitation, but unfortunately, I am forced to decline for today.”And forever, she thought.“There are urgent matters that require my presence,” she smiled.The maid nodded and bowed, then left the room. Sumo
TarynShe opened the window, and the morning frost hit her face, making her shiver pleasantly. The sun was already shining in the sky, peeping out from the snowy mountains. After almost a week, the storm had stopped, and the days had finally brightened, allowing people to leave the castle walls. Taryn breathed deeply, letting that cold air into her lungs, filling her and giving her chills all over her body. The landscape around the castle was completely snowy, she did not know how high the snow was after such a storm, but she could see part of the trunks of the trees buried by the white winter mantle. Even the bare branches were covered. From the window of her quarters, she saw the walls of the small town, outside of them, there was a small river that flowed all around, heading west towards the mountains and glaciers.Taryn observed the landscape calmly, that would be the last time she would see the snow. That