Varheiman Myths: The Dragon And Her Fire

Blooming Love.

‘Oh, Pysenia you want me gone I’ll go away never show you my face, but please do not humiliate my honour in the court. Tell them how lonesome you were.’ Alistair's pleas went deaf.

Pysenia slapped him, that slap had shattered Alistair's pride and his heart into tiny pieces. ‘I take away all of your titles and banish you out of the kingdom.’

Alistair stared deeply in cold and hostile eyes of his love, he'd never seen this hostility in them for him, he'd never expected he would see it.

‘I’ll honour the promise that I made to you, Pysenia. I'll give you what you've asked  of me, for the love I still bear in my heart for you.’

Pysenia breathed hard, moist had settled at the corner of her wistful eyes.

‘Sir Alistair of Bustia...’ She sobbed vaguely. ‘I, the queen of Halem and the princess of Bustia, Pysenia, take the fire and the wise lords of the king’s counsel as witness, I sentence that you've been undeclared from on as the commander of Queen’s regiment and disanointed as the knight of Bustia. If you were ever to be sighted in the kingdom you shall pay the penance of lifetime imprisonment.’

She passed the sentence reluctantly, brushing off the tiny teardrops before they poured out ceaselessly streaming down her cheeks. Alistair looked in her cold eyes, his great gaze of affliction stabbing Pysenia in her heart. He looked at Edgard promisingly, and mumbled, ‘I shall wear this mark of betrayal and humiliation as an armour of honour.’ His voice broke in several sobs. ‘You are not permitted to wear the armour with the kingdom’s banner on it.’ Pysenia said coldly suppressing the emotions of a friend reminding herself that she's to do the duty of queen, she grabbed the white silky cape dangling behind Alistair, affixed on his shoulders and ripped it off.

‘You shall never wield a sword with the pommel of the flamed Dragon, or you shall never bear this banner in your lifetime, if did so you will be charged with the violation of queen's command.’ Pysenia pulled Alistair’s sword from the scabbard.

Alistair stood lifeless, and numb from the cold pangs of pain vibrating in his muscles.

‘Sir take off the breastplate, of the Dragon's breath.’ Pysenia ordered.

Alistair tugged the breastplate with mighty force, it ripped off from it’s laces tied around his gambeson and tossed it down at Pysenia's feet. Never averting his gaze off Pysenia, Alistair knew she is in great remorse, but hiding it greatly, above all she was the queen and he was just a mere soldier of her regiment who'd just served her from the day he'd wielded a sword.

‘You may leave at dawn, Sir Alistair.’ Edgard rose on his feet, with him every soul had got on their feet bowing their heads down. ‘Till then you could bid your farewells, you've done a great service and we offer a humble gratitude towards it.’ The king left and so did the queen. Alistair stood alone captivated in relentless misery.

He remembered the retrospect fresh before his eyes, still feeling the hostile gaze of Pysenia prickling in his chest. The emotion twirled in his stomach making him weak.

‘Alistair...!’ Rhineas’s voice had lapsed him back in the contemporary world.

He didn’t remember collapsing down from his horse, choking and gasping for breaths. Rhineas helped him back on his feet.

‘Where have you been, friend?’ Rhineas asked with hearty concern.

‘I've drunk a lot I suppose.’ Alistair chuckled.

Rhineas was not blind to neglect his friend’s sorrows. He popped his flask open and placed it in Alistair’s hand, ‘Here, drink some water.’

Alistair felt mortified for lying to Rhineas, he'd made a promise to himself that he'd tell Rhineas what he deserved to know the truth.

‘Nice of you, boy.’ Alistair mumbled, gulping down the water desperately.

They’d halted across on side of the bristling street which ended in an arch ahead merging with a ascending spiral staircase.

‘Enough of lazing around. We're here.’ He said looking at the path ahead.

Rhineas smiled and walked to his horse, his armour clanked. Alistair propped his hand in the little pouch of cotton, drooping down from his scabbard. He pulled out a tiny raven.

It read as:  

I am ashamed and greatly sorry for what I did. It took me long to deliver this letter discreetly to you, I have been bearing our child. I learned this on the third dusk from the dawn you'd left. I'll see you when you come to get the Dragon’s Breath. I know you would. I'm certain after reading this you would want to see our child.

Love, Pysenia. I hope you would forgive me.

Alistair had wept in brief joy, then he wept in grievance. He couldn’t hold his child, he'd heard that the queen had given birth to a princess, and named her as Sanlysia, which means blooming love, in Varheim. He was certain his daughter had all the grace and beauty of Pysenia.

‘Where shall we head?’ Rhineas cried.

‘Tail me, boy.’ Alistair kicked the horse into motion.

He thought of Tesaynia, the dame of the queen’s regiment Pysenia's most trusted guard, appointed by the king himself. She could help, like she'd helped in delivering the message of Pysenia.

They halted against a great tower, the staircase spiralled around it's exterior ,climbing up to the top.

‘The tower of swords.’ Alistair said.

‘They forge swords here?’ Rhineas wondered.

Alistair glared at him in disbelief and spat,‘ The knights and dames live here.’

Alistair hoped down his horse, Rhineas imitated and tethered his horse around a plank where other horses were arranged.

Tesaynia was shorter than Alistair, but would tower most of the ladies in the kingdom. She had no delicacy of a woman, she was lofty and muscular, behind her fit gambeson.

‘What brought you here, sir Alistair?’ Her voice was thick but hinted the softness of a lady, somehow.

She offered a tankard of ale to Alistair, Rhineas had said no politely, stead he was offered the fruits.

‘How is the queen?’ Alistair began.

‘How would you expect her to be?’ She curled her lips inward after a sip. ‘Her majesty is in ruthless pain.’

Alistair nodded forlornly, expressing his sorrows for the queen. He sighed and spoke, ‘I seek a help from you, Tesaynia.’

Tesaynia face had shuffled in imperceptible wariness, ‘What help do seek from me, sir Alistair.’ She said unwelcomed.

‘I want a map for the royal palace which would take us furtively to the Dragon’s lair.’

She laughed sardonically , ‘I am afraid I would have to send you back with a denial, good sir.’

‘You are the last person I could trust, Pysenia puts all of her faith in you, don’t she? That is she sent you to deliver this.’ Alistair flashed the carefully rolled piece of parchment between his fingers.

Tesaynia's sardonic smile had ebbed away into grim. ‘What your are asking of me would be an act of treason.’

‘The queen had asked of me, I am fulfilling her job.’ Alistair said profoundly.

He extended the parchment to Tesaynia. She took the parchment from his hand tentatively.

Tesaynia unfurled it and read pensively. Her face had changed, her eyes widened startlingly.

‘This is the same message I delivered?’ She gaped.

‘Indeed.’ Alistair told her, ‘this is the queen's order you have to help me,dame Tesaynia.’

‘If this is what the queen wills, I'll honour her will, sir Alistair.’ She announced.

‘How do we proceed?’ Alistair asked.

‘Sir Alistair, I was wondering why do you have to get the Dragon’s breath? Can’t the queen herself get it.’ She asked suspiciously.

‘How long has been since last Edgard mounted the Dragon, dame Tesaynia?’ Alistair gulped his ale.

‘We’ve seen him only once on the Dragon.’ She surmised.

‘There you have your answer. The Dragon has been in captivity for a ten years now, would you dare to go near him?’ Alistair smiled crookedly, ‘They didn’t feed it since then.’

‘I would’ve to look into the palace for its map. I'll get out of thin for you, but I’m afraid that’s the only thing I can promise. I can’t take arms against the royal guards, and if the time came I would have to battle you alongside them, when you break in.’ Tesaynia declared.

‘We’ll wait until the nightfall in the city. Seek us at the old temple of Emone.’ Alistair rose from his chair stumbling slightly in effect of  the ale he had gulped. Rhineas wondered about the parchment which Alistair had showed to Tesaynia, what was written in it which changed her mind and convinced her for a treason, he asked Alistair.

‘The parchment is for the queen she’s expecting to see me, when I come to get Dragon's breath.’ Alistair knew this would raise countless questions in Rhineas’s mind.

‘What?’ Rhineas was started.

‘Look boy, there are so many things that you don’t know yet, and let it stay this way a little longer. Best in your interest.’ Alistair grumbled.

Alistair had to tell Rhineas the truth when the time comes, he cannot keep this hidden forever, this he knew. The foremost trouble lies ahead ,more consequential for Rhineas to know, than of Alistair's miserable past. They had reached the place where Alistair had promised Tesaynia, they would be at ,till the nightfall.

Edgard was flurried, unpleasantly. The recent events which had been happening disquieted him. The first, it was on the ship and Sarylet was killed. Now, the news brought by the sorceress of the moon, about his son being in the city gates accompanied by Alistair had driven Edgard into great fury.

The sorceress had told him about his son resembling fire more than Edgard himself does, she had told him the flame in the boy is so bright and warm that she'd felt it from the stretch of a great distance between them.

‘Alert the city rangers, inform the guards and bring them alive.’ Edgard had announced a warrant against them.

Pysenia praying in her heart for Alistair, she knew why Alistair had returned to the kingdom. Pysenia knew solely Alistair could fulfil her will, as he promised he would.

Tesaynia and the queen traded nervous looks, Pysenia wondered if her most trustworthy Tessa knew something, indeed she did.

‘I  met sir Alistair this morning.’ Tesaynia whispered carefully.

‘Why is he here?’ Pysenia mumbled.

‘For Dragon's breath, your majesty.’ Tesaynia looked straight ahead into the court.

Queen’s face had lightened up with a hope, and great affection towards Alistair. She thought maybe it was the time when princess Sanlysia ought to meet her, she thought.

Edgard tilted his head towards Pysenia and whispered bitterly, ‘I am going to have Alistair’s head on a spike and tell your daughter who her true father is. I've taken her and raised as my own daughter so one day I could use her against him.’

Pysenia swallowed hardly, she had become a little more stronger than she was.

‘The princess is a good warrior in Halem, some say even better than Aeron.’ She whispered back sipped her wine as she smiled wickedly at Edgard, ‘I’d made sure that she trained daily. I've made her just how a blacksmith makes his best sword, forged, beaten and sharp. My finest blade she is.’

Edgard chuckled softly, ‘You just hope I won’t wield your finest blade against her own father. Could you imagine what would to happen if she’d realised she killed her own father.’

Pysenia shivered, she hid her timidity from Edgard, and gulped a big sip from her goblet to push down the anxiety which may choke her.

Pysenia looked across the courtroom above in the gallery where the princess leaned against the balustrade. Princess winked at Pysenia, when she caught her mother’s gaze and smiled mischievously. Pysenia observed, her daughter was almost a woman now beautiful and fierce. Sanlysia was dressed elegantly in a velvet tunic draped around as a blouse and fastened below her ribs with bands of leather. Two swords dangling down from ether side of her waist, and a cape across her one shoulder in a golden pin. Sanlysia hit Aeron on his head from the other side and dived furtively across the balustrade, sliding on the railings down the staircase, while the prince wondered where his sister had disappeared after hitting him.