Blood and Roses.

With his hands trembling and shaking uncontrollably, sweat dripping down the furrows of his brow, the guard fidgeted with one end of his robe pleading “Mercy my king mer...cy,” his voice breaking as he cried out. “My father has served this kingdom for years my fore…” while the word was still in his mouth Saturn, the king’s second lifted up his eyes fixing them towards the top right corner of the castle where the king was seated, awaiting the conclusive judgment of the king. Aria noticed how the king, her father gave a flick unobserved nod that caused his chin fall bearish. The transmission occurred in a second that only sensitive subjects in the hall noticed the gesture. Fulfillment spread across Saturn’s face as he proceeded towards an instrument that resembled the pillory, only this time specifically designed for chopping off hands of defaulters. Its operation was pretty simple; traitors were to be chained firmly to the ground to avoid insignificant movement. It had two Round openings able to fit the hands and legs with an inner blade like steel that reflected any infinite opening of light indicating how sharp the tool was. Having received the permission from the king he shoved the right hand of the guard into one open end of the instrument playing deaf to the unending wailing and howls of the guard with no trace of remorse in his eyes. She watched as he took two steps backwards then reached for his scabbard she could hear the cry of the guard soar high considering he had sensed what his fate holds – the whole crowd could hear− as Saturn unsheathes his sword, leaned backwards once again, this time to get a good alignment. Even with her eyes closed it didn’t hinder her ears from hearing the rustle hissy sound of the sword as it renders its clean cut. She could also hear the pitch of the guard rise as he writhe in pain. A collective feeling of distress grew amongst the crowd- massive jaw drops from folks who weren’t familiar with the occurrence- as they watched the right hand of the guard collapse to the ground with a thin red river gushing out of his hands, In crayons it would be called ‘brick red’ but coming out of his hands everyone could see it wasn’t crayons. As chaos continued amongst the crowd Saturn remained numb ignoring the turbulence he just created without pretense. The way he carried himself one could tell he wasn’t a first timer on these kind of events. She observed him as he gently pressed his eyebrow signaling two knight to remove the wounded guard from his sight. There was a sense of fruition in his face as he watched them exit the hall in scurry with the wailing guard in their possession. Aria stared with disgust as he retrieved a piece of torn surcoat from the opposite side of his scabbard, then swung his sword skillfully causing its apex to face upward as he wiped blood out of his sword. On certain occasions it was almost impossible to tell if he derived joy from this type of bloody show considering the neutral nature of his facial expression – his eyes were Icy like the wolves he had a massive thick black bush hair that flapped in the wind whenever he rode his horse, plus he was tall and stout. Even with the crowd in the hall anyone eyes would still single him out because his stance held power and poise. After cleaning she observed as he raised his upper jaw it was almost certain he was about to let loose his long held tongue. “Silence”, he snapped his voice reverberating to the end of the hall, calm but still firm. “Tomorrow before night fall we strike Chaldreon”, he proceeded with an intense voice as he notice the crowd pledge their loyalty with uttermost silence in the hall. “It’s been three years since our last battle, we march tomorrow with a different target”, he vocalized, swinging his sword once again this time replacing it to its origin. He must really love this sword, she thought. Still rummaging her thoughts her mind trailed back to the details of Saturn’s announcements. It wasn’t the first time she’s encountered such proclamations. It has literally been a part of her since she was a kid. She understood perfectly well what most kingdoms longed for. She knew why battles between kingdoms were fought- most of them took a dual nature of either battling for supplies, slaves, armours which a large number of insignificant kingdom partook of. Or the nasty circumstance of bloodletting ascribable to questing for dominion and revenge for stained reputation. Unarguably House Caspian held a firm honour for the latter. Since the last visit of the marauders they’ve acquired a stunning record of over forty two battles won. They had the most equipped armoury, thousands of trained soldiers armed to teeth plus enormous supplies. “We march we the intent of taking the kingdom”, Saturn continued shaking her off from her thoughts. On hearing his final words ‘taking the kingdom’ Aria heart raced a little because she perfectly knew what that meant. Blood shed was not far away. She tilted her head towards the right making the view between her and Harp her half-brother switch places in other to get a better view of her father’s facial expression. Hoping to read the efficacy of the situation through his eyes. Her hope was shattered when she looked at him. His face seemed fixed and cold, his eyes were frozen and unmovable like it was castrated just before the announcements. I mean she was a royal herself. A princess, she could easily ask her father what they were about to ride up against, but she recalled how every time that conversation emerged it led to copious argument. In the most recent argument he had attached little importance to how much she understood politics, kingdoms, provinces and the reputation of her fore fathers. But she was stubborn struggling to comprehend how her father used the alleged reputation as a decoy that caused great slaughters toward kingdoms for insignificant reasons. She had zero doubts on the balance politics held in the survival of kingdoms but never made peace with how a whole kingdom flooded with children, wives and mothers had to suffer retributive bloodshed owing to miniscule clashes their king had with her father. It was like understanding why they were killed with a sympathy to spare but at the same time not been able to do anything. However as she drifted in her thoughts she concluded this to be the reason her father had displayed so much facial pretense avoiding eye contact with her all evening. Clearly he had no room for any emotional interceptions. “That would be all for now, “Saturn concluded, squeezing his dramatic voice into her thoughts yet again. He had always been swift with announcement. Everyone knew. He was a very busy fella that knew the ill fare of how making lengthy announcements would affect his productivity. The hall began to rattle with boots as citizens prepare to sail there ship. Just before conversation began to break among the humans, Saturn turned with a flick with his eyes boring thick holes initially on the skin of the knights before dragging them down to the crowd Aria watched as the intensity in his eyes birth tension on the knights. “One last thing, ” he said with his eyes still burning but calm. It was a kind of calm that would still trigger you to jump off a cliff. “The laws of the land remains the same, you steal you lose a hand, speak ill of the king you lose two hands - for as long as this additional statement lasted only the cooing of babies was heard the hall was dead silent like grave yard allowing his voice hit the four corners of the building - you give vital information out to foes I would be happy to have your head”, he ended straining his last words. Even the dumbest person in the hall could tell he was revisiting the earlier scenes of today. Just as quickly the final words from his mouth dropped. The king stood up from his throne the action causing a large number of knights to pledge their allegiance by bowing their heads as he made his way towards a large wooden door that led to the Royal Chambers. Saturn following behind. Aria continued to sit still at her chair- it looked like a non-adjustable threadlike wood having strong texture at first glance. She figured it was fine for her to dissolve the debate whether Saturn enjoyed imputing these punishments or not, because after today she concluded he did. It wasn’t just his job. He loved it. And irrefutably she worried he was quite good at it. The moment the king and his accomplice were out of sight, conversation stroked between commoners. Like an assemblage of peacocks at the opera the hall was filled with dissatisfaction. Couple number of people review the episode of the guard featuring Saturn. While a vast number converse about the final words of Saturn “we march to take the city” they perceived quite well what he meant but just couldn’t settle their hearts on it. Aria scanned the room with her eyes, trusting to catch the presence of her brother maybe she could get something out of him. She eventually stood up, giving her leg the chance to help her eyes as she tried to get a better view. As she peered with her eyes filtering the numerous heads obstructing her hunt, she pondered on how fast Harp had disappeared after the departure of their father.it made her worry a little considering It was not in him to act like that. After multiple trials of straining her neck, she decided to relax her muscles but her eyes were yet filled with curiosity even in her relax state. It couldn’t be he stomped of because he knows something or maybe he had a lead on the upcoming battle or maybe… As these thoughts grew in her mind, she remembered the default nature of Caspian been tensed. The city was dark and quite gloomy but still not every day did this type of heat arose. Not every day did the king, his second and predecessor scurried away at the same time. Something didn’t feel right and she knew it. She tried to derail her mind off the option of approaching her father for answers. She had just witnessed the scenario of someone losing his hand and had no spare energy for arguments or fatherly lectures. Still battling with curiosity she decided to hunt for Harp at all cost as she snapped into motion, jumping off her chair ignoring the squeak sound the wood let out. She rip open the door that led to the chambers of the royals. Each doors were heavily guarded by trained knights that pledge there homage as she approached them. While she continued to rush down towards the hall way it was almost impossible for knights to keep their eyes unobserved. Some of them quickly took in her appearance, seeing her long blonde hair weakly fall down cascading her shoulders that were covered with a relatively milk gown. They also took in the fact that she appeared so casual and calm for a princess even though her facial expression at the moment was perturbed. She deliberated as she moved in haste on journeying directly to her father’s chambers realizing her mind still proposed on that motion. Just as she pondered internally she noticed from her peripheral vision one of the doors halfway closed with no guard standing in front of it. It was enough to draw her attention since doors in this part of the city were always closed and heavily guarded. But she chose to storm off trying to ignore any occurrence that might hinder her from her hunt. Then suddenly she heard a voice. A feint familiar voice. It was the voice of harp. She moved slowly and carefully towards the large door her ears still trying to filter further. As she moved closer she realized he wasn’t alone, she heard broken voices of her father and another familiar voice. Saturn’s voice. She figured jumping into the conversation would only produce a new wave of silence so she decided to eavesdrop. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she leaned against the large door making sure not to exact too much pressure on it refraining from any unwelcomed motion. Whilst her heart raced she could feel her stomach churn because she had a strong intuition held up in her guts that something didn’t feel right. First of all why was this part of the announcement kept from not only commoners but also few royals? Why did ‘The king’ even communicate in such low tune in the first place? She faced difficulty hearing their conversation considering they spoke on a low voice so that no one might hear but she could tell that the words said where incisive and had distress in it. But still her ears managed to scrape few words off her father’s deep voice. “The prophecy would be fulfilled soon, we need cities to fend what w…” then he stopped abruptly. From the way he paused it was obvious he just noticed one lose end; the door. She read his mind like a book connecting the dots internally she knew Harp was going to come get the door. Which at this point she wished she had missed a dot. Unfortunately she didn’t, her analysis was right as she heard the large boots of Harp punish the hard wood on the ground as he approached her. She quickly took a swift move towards one of the large pillars. It was obvious her dancing classes were paying off, considering how her pace and flexibility occurred in a clean flash locating the nearest pillar to conceal her presence from harp. The whole thing had happened quickly which indicated she already laid the plan internally. She knew it was not in Harp to obey instructions precisely without tweaking it─ He was a careful and meticulous fella ─so she decided to extend her stay in her hideout. He walked out through the door causing the metal rings of his armour attached to him to clang with one another as they made a ringing noise. He moved his right hand towards his scabbard like he was about to unsheathe it peering around with uttermost focus, retrieving his hand he turned towards the opposite part of the hallway facing the pillar where she hid. Aria could feel her heart drop for a second, the gentle gushing wind now stroked her face harshly causing her cheeks to redden. She tried so much not to make a sound each breath taken was like calculus considering they were calculated before they were released. Harp eyes continued to spy down to the far end of the hallway hoping the wind would scream ‘yeah someone just stole vital information’ After what felt like forever he returned to the door, then walked back inside the room, this time making sure the doors were shut. She breathed sigh of relief as she closed her eyes with her face facing up. Her blood pressure starting to return to normalcy as she heard the large door latch kiss the hook. She immediately retrieve herself from her camp, trying not to make any clumsy motion as she trailed down the remaining path of the hallway. What prophecy? Why do they need more cities? She couldn’t help but struggle internally with these questions as they clouded her brain. Simultaneously as her thoughts raced, she could feel her palm grow sweaty. Unknowingly she began to fidget as she contemplated on what she just heard. Certainly she faced the burden of having been intrigued by these things, her father have never been supportive of her been a part of kingdom dirty plays even though he knew how smart she was, he still worried that her smartness just couldn’t replace the ruthless nature of kingdoms. Over here it was only the option of been both smart and ruthless to survive, if you stay one sided you serve the ruthless. If you stay neutral you die. Well too bad now not only has she discovered there secret meeting he had also given her a new puzzle to fix. And surprisingly she felt thrilled and scared at the same time. Just as she approached large doors leading to her room she rubbed her sweaty hands on her milk gown allowing it get stained. She was quick to realized the guards standing few feets away notice the redness on her cheek without straining their eyes. She pretended to toughen up her face resting her mind on the fact that they were in no position to question her. Been a royal at Caspian came with its curse and blessings. On most occasions she was forced to put her private life on hold, a quest of doing what it’s best for the kingdom. Her father has even made the moves of talking her into how much merging with possible suitors would strengthen the economic growth of Caspian. A request she had always declined. It was in the nature of princesses from insignificant houses to want this kind of life but it had its stain and blessings which at his moment in her life she wanted the blessing to answer to her as she approached the guards. While these default laws existed she still manage to find closeness with Hannah a peasant she had known from birth. As she walked into her room─ her maid who had already see her from a distance trailed behind her sticking close yet also trying to maintain a distance in other to avoid bumping into her from behind. On a normal day the setting of the sun reflecting to her room would lit her up just as it strikes her face, but not today. She ignored it just this once making her way to the bed. She weakly travelled up the big wooden mattress. She laid with her head facing the ceiling allowing a large chunk of her blonde hair find rest too, as they spread over the bed. She marked the puzzled look on her hand maid face but chose to ignore her as the maid took action to lose her shoes maybe that would ease the tension choking the room. Unwilling to torture her further Aria eventually spoke without agitation. “Please I need to be alone”, she said politely. At least for a Caspian princess she was polite enough. Considering most Caspian’s royals were ruthless towards commoners. For that reason many hand maid have had working under Aria on their wish list because of her big heart. The hand maid nodded as she kept the unbuckled shoes before heading for the door. Truthfully she wanted to be alone. She let out a mild groan as she heard the maid shut the door. The solo play of dealing with her thoughts on matters like this was not a new thing. But still a large part of her felt the urge of spilling everything she just heard to Hannah, Considering she was obviously the only person she could possibly tell. She subdued the thought considering it would have a dual effect of not only been stupid but dangerous for Hannah to have such data in her possession. Besides Saturn already made himself clear this morning While she ran her hands through her hair she suddenly realized she still had her gown on her. Her brain played on the stressful path she would travel to take the large material off of her. While calculating, her mind suggested she stick to the bed a little longer which her body helplessly obeyed. Just before her eyes started to fail her she flashed back to what - who they were going up against by tomorrow nightfall. She imagined what the books have told her of this mysterious snowy place. Flash banks on the winter land. She imagined the harsh sting of the cold air, the snow covering the tress, ground and house. Aria was an avid reader considering the taint of been a royal which limited her social life, it didn’t take so much time to find proximity with historical books in her father’s chambers. She took deep dive into studying the marauders, their origin and existence, their breeds, offspring and other relevant kingdoms with Chaldreon not been an exception. She recalled the detailed elucidations of the writer, reviewing the cruel cold winter breeze that existed there. The review of how fingers moved slowly and careless citizens almost dying of extreme cold played in her head as if she had read the book yesterday. The snow blazed in the sun seeming to radiate heat that tempts one to step outside yet saps the warmth the moment you do. Chaldreans wore Ghati─ a collection of clothing designed solely for the unpleasant weather. It came with thicker surcoats, mechanical materials for covering the earlobes, cheeks and other relevant part of the body with a sole purpose of grasping any trace of warmth. The snow sparkles brought good memories of the place but didn’t fail to keep their imperfections far away. They had the ruthless form of punishments among all kingdoms, observed mysterious deity sacrifices that cost the life of blasphemers in the city. From her study she learnt they had relentless spirit. They were not strong enough to hold Caspian but they were skilled enough to try. There will be no room of going down without a fight. As she recalled everything her eyes began to wear off, clearly sending a message it had reached its limit. Her knee slowly failing her as they grew weak. She rolled feebly to the far end of the bed slowly grabbing her pillow along the movement as she eventually yielded to the calling of sleep. Bearing at the back of her mind that tomorrow not only did they face a significant kingdom, they war against nothing terrestrial. They faced the ice kings. If you hold back you lose. If you stay cold feet you freeze to death.