Sweet Waters Throne

116 Chapter 11Princess Aeryn’s eyes widened with amazement upon hearing this news, first it was Aprophil who she thought was a slave but it turns out he was never a slave. And then the fact that he named his son after their house name.

“His mother, she used to come to my father’s chambers when my mother died. My father told me she was a slave”

“King Arteides loved Jordy, long even before your mother came into the picture” Leoric took a pause and then he inspected Aeryn some more. She had grown so much since the last time he saw her as a little girl when he was also a little boy, now she was a wife and a mother. There was a three year age difference between Leoric and Aeryn since Leoric was the same age as Artemis, both at twenty five.

“Why are you so interested in the Lord Of Freehall and Master of the sea, thats his new title in Whitebridge. His castle is as big as Grey-Blue Mountains”

“Maybe because I’m a depressed woman who has lost everything” Aeryn started weeping. Leoric held her hands softly and pulled her in a hug. He soothed her softly as she laid calmly on his chest, a rather very peculiar situation if Lord Petrus were to walk in the gardens and see them.

After the awkward moment, Leoric gave Aeryn a small piece of cloth for her to wipe the tears off. Then Leoric led the way away from where they stood and towards the main gates of the palace. “You should come to the feast, lighten up your mood” he suggested.

Aeryn groaned “And then I will have to see her, happy and laughing while she took my son from me” she said bitterly. Just like what Visenya predicted, now it was in the open and indeed Aeryn blamed her and the dragons for the death of her son.

Leoric was a smart man and he knew something was going on, he used his charms and wit to smitten himself around Aeryn’s grief. “Who is it my princess, point me to her and I’ll put a knife through her heart” he said with a smile, clearly joking.

“It’s nothing, I should go back to my chambers”

.....

Aeryn wanted to leave but Leoric stopped her, “Aprophil isn’t a bastard” he said. “Your father married Jordy in a secret matrimony, only few of us know of it” it only took this statement for Aeryn to stay, she was so shocked she could barely stand straight.

“Aprophil is the true heir to Sweet Waters throne my princess, he is the first son of Luca Arteides and his mother wasn’t a slave. But he knew no one will accept a black king, our kind we are not meant for power but only to serve”

“He is not a bastard?”

Leoric shook his head “No, he is a true born son of Luca Arteides and Jordy, long before your mother gave birth to your brother. But worry not my princess, he doesn’t want the throe and neither does his mother. I met him in Whitebridge two moons ago, he’s flourishing in his trade and he couldn’t have asked for more”

Caught off-guard and stunned, Aeryn asked “Who else knows this?”

“Not so many people, just us in the mines. But like I said, he’s not a trouble, right now you should be in the feast. Come, I’ll be your escort” Leoric pulled Aeryn’s hand and he made her follow him to the great hall.

It’s more like he was dragging her and she had no choice but to follow, but maybe because she took a liking of him and that’s the reason she listened and followed him. Leoric was cocky, comely, rich, a huge castle, an army of trained obedient slaves and he seemed well informed. While Petrus, let’s say he was a dormant who knew nothing apart from following and attending to parties.

When Princess Aeryn walked inside the great hall dressed in all black, no one noticed it because they were so occupied with the acrobatic show and display of magic. One man was playing with a python, a very dangerous game but he seemed well trained and every time the snake got close to him, the audience feared for his life but he seemed not to be afraid.

Aeryn looked at Aurora laughing beside her brother, she grew so wroth to the point a tear dropped on right eye. Leoric saw that, “Am I seeing what I’m seeing or am I drunk?” he asked pouring two glasses for both of them.

“What are you seeing?”

“You, looking so hateful towards Her Grace, the Queen” he finished and then gave Aeryn a glass full of honeyed wine. “Drink, the best wine in the whole realm” this came as an order.

Aeryn drank the wine, and then she reached out for the mug herself and poured some more. This time she didn’t need Leoric to pour some for her. “Why do you hate her?’ asked Leoric.

“Because she is a witch! A warlock who will be the end to us all”

Now Leoric was interested in hearing more “Her, a witch?” he chuckled softly. Leoric expected Aeryn to tell him all the things that troubled her, including the secrets into calling Aurora a witch and a means to an end.

However, Aeryn knew she shouldn’t devour the secrets of the dragons to strangers no matter how sad she was, or how much she hated Aurora and that’s because her brother was already involved in the situation. To betray Aurora was something she would do in a heartbeat, but not her brother whom she loved dearly.

Petrus caught his wife chatting with Lord Leoric from a rather dark corner of the great hall, he abandoned the show and walked to them rather stunned to see Aeryn looking good and drinking for the first time in two weeks.

“My love, you are here?” asked Petrus standing in front of Aeryn and Leoric, he looked at Lord Leoric and he saw how Leoric was looking so down on him, maybe he was already informed of Petrus’s status in the capital.

“You must the princess’s husband” Leoric did this intentionally knowing it will piss him off. Then he stretched his hand “I’m Lord Leoric, of the mines”

Petrus refused to shake Leoric’s hand, he was already insulted and the last thing he will do is act small in the presence of a man who seemed to have little respect for him. He reached out to Aeryn and took her away from there, Aeryn followed her husband without looking back.

Leoric smiled as always with his evil smile, he had another glass of wine and then he walked outside of the great hall and from there his slaves brought his palanquin and he boarded it. Ten slaves carried the palanquin to outside of the main palace’s gates and towards the manse he rented during his stay in the capital.

When Lord Leoric arrived inside his manse, Rush was waiting for him. She was sitting down on a mat with her servant Uila, three slaves had brought them food and she was eating it while making jokes with Uila. Upon the arrival of Leoric, Rush got up and smiled.

“Rush?” Leoric couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Is that really you or am I hallucinating?” he continued with a small chuckle.

Rush pulled him in a tight hug and kissed his hairs, she complimented the braids and said they have grown rather too long since the last time she saw him. Leoric was rather flattered “Its been two years, hasn’t it?” he asked.

“I believe so, when I saw slaves with golden collars arriving in the city yesterday carrying a palanquin, I knew it’ll be you. No one makes such grand entrance apart from my very own sweet lemons...” this time Rush bit her lips and looked at Leoric who was already turned on.

While still looking at Rush, Leoric gave orders to his slaves “No one is to come to my bed chamber tonight, and make sure there’s plenty of wine and food and grapes...” his slaves nodded, bowed and left.

Like hungry beasts in need to feed, Leoric and Rush jumped on one another with kisses and sucked each other’s saliva. Then it was Leoric who carried Rush up high and onto his bed chambers, that night two years of absence was restored by fucking like wild animals.

The servants and slaves who were present inside the manse that night received a dose of moaning voices and screams the whole night – Rush was a screamer and she didn’t hesitate into showing that. They stopped when the sun rose and the dawn was on them, that’s when they slept. Rush on top of Leoric’s chest hearing his heartbeat while Leoric holding Rush tight seemingly very far in thoughts.

These two have always been inseparable whenever they meet up, they weren’t lovers nor were they close but they referred to themselves as “close friends” whenever someone asked. A famous courtesan red-brown skin colored, and a wealthy black skinned lord who had a whole realm beneath his feet. There hasn’t been a more perfect combo, and they knew it too.