Sweet Waters Throne

204 Chapter 20It would seem to be so unlikely and strange for a King to fly all the way from Blackmount to Raven just to see his father’s bastard. Bastards were considered unnatural and beasts in nature, they were always neglected and left out to the wild for vultures to have them.

Most of bastards from any point of the world were considered low of birth, they were unworthy of carrying their father’s last names or to inherit anything of their father’s belonging. It was custom for kings and lords to have bastards, King Taelin himself had ten bastards and many more which he never remembered or even cared to. Not even once did Castellan or Ambrose partook in getting to know them and nor did they try.

Aprophil asked that question while knowing very well that Artemis already knew what he was or otherwise he wouldn’t be there. It was a tricky question honestly, Aprophil stood still waiting to see how will Artemis respond.

“No, I flew all the way here to congratulate this courageous boy” Artemis shifted his attention from Aprophil to Amabel.

Amabel and Artemis weren’t enemies although they weren’t friends either.

“I got your letter, right before Prince Ambrose and Princess Thelma arrived at my city. It came at a right time, just when I intended to send them off. Do forgive me Your Grace, for my silence and lack of responding” Artemis said with respect and admiration, Amabel was charmed by it.

“There’s nothing to forgive Your Grace, I for all should thank you for not supporting my uncle. Just by doing that, you have done enough”

Amabel reached out for Artemis’s hand, everyone was waiting to see if Artemis will take it. For years Prophis and Maldonia have been in a cold war, their sovereigns have never shook hands in public or became allies. Maybe after all that bitterness, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and this could be a new beginning for the two kingdoms.

Without thinking further, Artemis shook Amabel’s hand and pulled him for a hug. The crowd erupted in cheers, this was a historical day that maesters and historians were waiting for. A day when two kings of two powerful kingdoms would become allies and friends, and songs were sung for generations to come.

.....

It turned out Prophisians needed to see that moment with their own eyes to actually know that Amabel was different and accept him as their King. From Bellward to Claydall to King’s City, all the good folks talked about was that crucial handshake and the hug between King of Maldonia and King of Prophis, they praised Amabel for ending the cold war and maybe because of Amabel, Prophis won’t be burned by Artemis’s dragons again.

The celebrations continued and Artemis was an honorary guest in Raven. He was given his own chambers inside the main palace, fifty servants to look after him and another fifty guards who followed him whenever he went. Amabel told him that he can stay as long as he wants in Raven, but Artemis declined. “My dragons are made of flames, they hate the cold. I’m afraid I won’t stay for long Your Grace”

Hence Amabel promised to make Artemis’s short visit worth it by making sure he was comfortable and he had everything he wanted.

Artemis requested a moment alone with Prince Ambrose before he was executed. Amabel didn’t know why and neither did Aprophil or Katarina, but they still allowed him to have this moment. Prince Ambrose was set to be executed tomorrow, three days after Amabel’s coronation. He was charged with high treason against His Grace and charges of trying to Usurp the throne.

The walk from the main palace to the dungeons was a short walk, and Artemis knew Amabel locked them inside the main palace because he wanted to have a closer look at them and make sure they don’t escape. One thing which troubled Artemis was why would Lord Leoric give out thirty thousand of his men, the best slaves in Maldonia to Prince Ambrose. What did he want in return?

Artemis saw the twenty thousand Killers during his three days stay in Raven. Amabel told him they were to be sold at the highest bidder to unknown King in the West, six million gold coins and he was stunned at that very moment. Why would Leoric spend this much? Obviously it wasn’t because he liked Prince Ambrose, the Lord of the Mines lacked compassion and he always do things when he knows he’s getting something in return.

That’s why Artemis needed to speak to Prince Ambrose. Fifty of his guards escorted him to the dungeons using torches since it was so dark down there. The dungeons housed only Princess Thelma and Prince Ambrose, other outlaws served their sentences outside of the main palace.

When they arrived, Artemis excused the guards. “I’ll take it from here” he told them. The guards walked away leaving the torches right there so Artemis can see, they couldn’t care less about the prisoners if they can see or not. Both Princess Thelma and Prince Ambrose were locked inside the same room, it was no place for a human to stay.

First of all it was dark, even with the five torches and the two oil lanterns that Artemis was holding, it was still dark. Secondly, it was freezing, down here it was way colder than the outside. The Prince and Princess were given heavy clothes and fur fabrics to keep themselves warm but without a good fire, that was all for nothing — after all the winters in Prophis were harsh and if they were to remain even for a week down there, Artemis feared they may die of cold.

The last time Artemis saw Prince Ambrose was inside Aurora’s Hill, he was a man of station and wealthy. Now, he looked like a peasant and in a span of just three days he had lost a lot of weight. From where Artemis stood, he could see Prince Ambrose’s bones and his eyes which shrink inside his cheeks. The same could be said by Princess Thelma, who was weeping all the time while mentioning her daughter’s name.

“You came to laugh at us Dragon King?” Prince Ambrose made a comment looking at Artemis, but he was so weak the second thing he did was cough.

“Both of you don’t look so good”

“Did you expect to see us in silks and satins, Your Grace?”

Artemis exhaled softly, “I did warn you Taelins, but you never listened. Usurpers never win”

“My father usurped the throne and he rules for thirty years, don’t tell me about Usurpers because I come from one”

“Well then, I guess it runs in the family” Artemis turned his attention to Princess Thelma, she hadn’t said a word ever since he arrived. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked.

Prince Ambrose turned to look at his sister and he was heartbroken all over again. He was hurting for letting her down, their family down and leading her to this.

His sister’s look wounded Prince Ambrose’s heart and he didn’t want to keep talking to Artemis anymore. “Say what you want to say dragon and leave us be” he said with a bitter look on his face.

“You’ll die tomorrow, you know that don’t you? Your own nephew will carry out the sentence, I hear it’ll be his first kill. Can you imagine the songs mummers will sing, the Great King Amabel Taelin, the kin-slayer” said Artemis and ended his sentence with a smirk. “Amabel will spare his aunt obviously, she’s a woman after all. You don’t have to worry about her... but I want to know something. What did Leoric want in return?”

It was as if Prince Ambrose knew that Artemis wouldn’t just visit them without a purpose. He wanted something, that’s how it’s always been, people are always kind to you because they want something in return.

Artemis kept on going, “He gave you thirty thousand Killers, the best in Maldonia. Now I hear the surviving twenty thousand are worth six million golden coins, why would he spend that much on you?”

“You are wasting your breath dragon, I’ll take it to my grave” said Ambrose, his face cruel and hard.

“Tell me what Leoric wanted and I’ll fly your sister to Loni myself, she can even climb on my other dragon’s back”

Prince Ambrose chuckled, “What do you take me for dragon, a fool?”

“You are no fool Taelin”

“Then why do you treat me as such?” Prince Ambrose was enraged, he stood up and walked towards Artemis to face him.

The only which separated Artemis and Prince Ambrose was the steel cage between them.

“I will not tell you what Leoric wanted from me, but let me just tell you this... your days as a dragon rider are numbered. You fly all over kingdoms flexing your beasts, there are people who don’t like it, and they are ready to give up anything just to see them extinct” said Prince Ambrose standing so close to Artemis, he had that arrogant look on his face. He wasn’t a person for riddles but he did enjoy this time he took to confuse Artemis with them.