Varheiman Myths: The Dragon And Her Fire

Alistair’s Quest.

Alistair dwelt on the infinites of possibilities from where Rhineas might learn the truth. The motivation behind his quest for the magical elements has not been for golden, they had been more than that, all these labours had been for his love Pysenia. They’d always been for her no matter what are the consequences, and how big the menace had been, he’d always jumped into it.

After the great war the king Edgard they once knew was lost somewhere in the depths of oblivion. Alistair remembers his queen's misery and despair hemmed in with abundance of solitude, not the pleasant one, the frightening one. He remembers the moment when he had lastly been closer to his love.

‘What am I supposed to do?’ Pysenia sobbed.

She let herself sunk into the steel chest of Alistair, her friend and her guard. She knew that he love her, and been in love with her since they were their younger selves. The motivation of his Knighthood had always been Pysenia, also the motivation of his becoming commander of the queen's regiment has always been her and she knew it all.

‘Do not grief your majesty.’ Alistair said rigidly, his jaw tightened and fist clenched.

‘Oh, damn it Alistair, I ask you to be a friend.’ Pysenia yelled. She moved away from him.

Alistair had always fulfilled his duties strictly, and he was in an armour, standing in the private chambers of the queen at the middle of the night when he was supposed to guard her chambers from outside. He hates the actuality that he couldn’t even hold his love.

‘I am in your faithful service, I am yours to command, my queen.’ He said firmly.

‘I command you to leave my chambers and keep your duty outside.’ She swirled around, lighting the candles, her face gleaming in all the glorious beauty against the dim light of the candles. ‘And enter back as a friend, Alistair.’

Alistair sighed deeply, and said ‘Pysenia – ’

The queen broke his sentence and yelled, ‘Now, Alistair.’

‘At once my queen.’ He said reluctantly and left her chambers.

 Thinking of that time Alistair wished that if only he'd prescient a threat coming his way and his friends Edgard and Pysenia, he would've never visited back the chambers of the queen, but at that time he didn’t know what was it ,he did just as the queen ordered.

Alistair was back in Pysenia's chambers. A brown bruise had circled her eyes, by the ceaselessly streaming tears, yet she was beautiful, as ever.

‘Alistair, tell me did you know that Edgard had a son?’ Pysenia asked swallowing her sob.

How could he lie to his queen, of all Alistair would never, but he couldn’t break the oath of secrecy with his king either. ‘Oh Emone where have you brought me.’ Alistair prayed in his mind, he knew no one in this city prays Emone anymore, but he had his faith in the light, not in the dark after what he'd seen.

‘It was just a one time encounter, Pysenia.’ Alistair looked down he couldn’t face his friend. ‘Edgard had never seen the boy or that woman since then.’

‘No, he hadn’t, he took the right from my son. Now my child wouldn’t get what he was supposed to get.’ She cried.

‘Its all right. No one knows yet.’

‘How long will you think before the kingdom knows.’ She sobbed. ‘The would be warded the  great Emone.’

‘I will not take this. I’ll drag all the darkness in his kingdom if that’s what it takes to crown my son as king after Edgard.’ She pledged.

‘You know, that to be wrong Pysenia.’ Alistair dabbed her shoulder gently.

‘The king is just waiting for him to come, he is doing nothing. He's not even seeing his only son, or me. It has been years since he’s been back from the war.’

Alistair knew the king was frightened, certainly he was sorry for what he did, but love blinds us. ‘He’s in a great daze.’

‘He loves more than he loves me. Our marriage was just a negotiation, you know that.’ Pysenia cried savagely.

She had lastly broken into tears, which she’d been holding back solemnly as a queen, but now she had who she was and broke into Alistair’s arms.

‘Now I understand how it feels to love someone, without being loved back. Alistair how do you do it?’

Alistair knew what she was talking. ‘I don’t do it. It simply happens and I can’t stop that from happening.’ He said. That pain of being close to your loved ones all the time but never getting the love back was brimming from both the souls. The breeze played it’s part blowing their emotions through each other's heart, and the dim candle lights flickered in the little whirlwind gathering in Pysenia's chambers. She looked at Alistair with vulnerability, and Alistair looked back at her with empathy. These two of the forces collided and the duties, rationalities and reality all faded.

Pysenia kissed Alistair softly, his hands traced back in her hair trailing from her collarbone and neck. Pysenia flung her leg across Alistair and sat on his lap astride, soft kisses has turned into deep and passionate havoc. The whirlwind had now become a giant tornado spiralling around them, as their love making set afire every emotion.

Alistair’s conscience had died for those moments, he'd no thought of what had gotten into him, he laid naked with his queen under the warm furs, in her chambers. He stared far into the predawn dark violet sky, hearing the slow and relieved breaths of Pysenia, her hand laying limply across his chest. He couldn’t sleep after the love making, he felt constant awful strikes of thunder hitting him. He gently placed her away from him and climbed down the bed to get clothed and leave before anyone would notice.

‘Sir Alistair, our queen had summoned you in the fire gardens.’ A soldier's voice had extracted Alistair from his contemplation.

Alistair was in his cabin, fumbling with his stamp trying not to ponder over last night’s events. All his struggles proved to be worthless.

He nodded perfunctorily to the soldier.

In the garden amidst the greenery ,Pysenia sat under the marble roofed patio with a golden chalice of wine in her hand.

‘Your majesty, I've had a summon from you.’ Alistair bowed.

‘Please be seated sir Alistair.’ She said glumly.

Alistair peeked around surveying the perimeter of the gardens, no one but a dozen of guards over the rampart at the end of the palace. ‘Do not strain yourself sir.’ She noticed Alistair's anxiety.

Alistair exhaled deeply and sat on the chair facing her. ‘Whatever happened last night – ’

Alistair interspersed. ‘You will have my confidentiality, your majesty.’

‘Oh holy flame, you are utterly annoying when you are on duty, Alistair.’ The queen didn’t try to hide her exasperation.

‘What do you expect of me, Pysenia?’ Alistair asked coldly.

‘What do you want me to expect of you?’

‘You are the queen, you could quench all of your expectations.’ He snapped.

Pysenia buried her face in her palms and sighed heavily.

‘I knew you love me. And I ask for pardon about last night.’

‘I am not sorry for it Pysenia.’

She gazed up at him, her eyes shining behind the scarce moist.

‘Talk to the king. I don’t want that boy and woman in my kingdom.’ The politeness on her face had disappeared instantly and arrogance had filled in.

‘You know he wouldn't approve.’

‘Then I’ll do it myself.’ She smiled, iniquity  glinted in it.

Alistair stared widely at her in disfavour. ‘What is the trouble with you and the king? He is just a boy, you will dishonour yourself by murdering an innocent child.’

‘Then perhaps, when the innocent child becomes a man, s*******r all of us then would be the appropriate time to execute him sir Alistair.’ Pysenia hissed behind her gritted teeth.

‘That wouldn’t happen if you accept the boy, and undoubtedly if I propose this thought to his majesty he wouldn’t deny. He is the rightful heir, the first born –’

‘Out of illegitimacy.’ The queen completed his sentence.

‘Out of love. Only he will be taken as a ward by Emone, not prince Aeron.’ Alistair snapped.

‘Then I'll wipe Emone from this kingdom.’ Pysenia determined in resent.

‘Oh, Pysenia, may the lord forgive you but you’ve gone mad, blinded by the detest and jealousy. You are not completely aware of what you are saying.’ Alistair growled.

‘If no one man can save my son, then I may have to ask a god for help.’

‘Do not consider this ridiculous intention of yours. You will turn the kingdoms into ashes.’ Alistair warned.

‘Anyway, that is going to happen.’ She concluded and stormed out of the patio.

Alistair was trapped in the labyrinth of thoughts in his head. He'd not even the slightest knowledge of how Pysenia learned about the king's first born. Edgard had asked him to make a promise that he'd kept he didn’t tell Pysenia by himself. The other major worry was the worship of dark forces, king had already started it, Alistair was afraid if Pysenia would proceed on that path, there would be inevitable chaos, and then no one would be able to stop the wrath of the fire god if his will was not to be respected. The king didn’t wanted the boy dead, he knew it would be a vain of efforts. King had fortified the villagers from the city, permitting only the merchants to enter. Alistair didn’t see any threat from this boy any sooner, after all just a peasant boy he is.

The clammy stone walls of the palace were not as remotely pleasing. Alistair caged himself in them feeling the grievance casted in them along with the chants of dark forces echoing around. He'd lost his faith in Edgard as a king, he wished Edgard wouldn’t disappoint him as a friend.

A knock on Alistair’s chamber's door had ceased the chain of his thoughts. He was not surprised to see Pysenia in her white flax chemise, so thin, Alistair could see her underneath beauty, her sharp edged curves slicing any man's heart.

‘What are you doing here?’ Alistair asked holding the door open.

Pysenia hasted in closing the door behind her, staring up at Alistair, his towering frame casted a shadow upon her. She slid the strap down her shoulders and the chemise fell, she stood against Alistair bare. Alistair was always amused by her beauty, as he was now. He closed his eyes in dismay, Pysenia stepped closer placing Alistair’s hand on her waist.

‘The king will know.’ Alistair said trying to make Pysenia see the consequences of the king’s outrage.

She embraced his hand around Alistair's neck lifting herself up on her toes, and whispered softly in his ears. ‘Let him know.’ Her soft whispers and warm breath streamed to Alistair, covering him in gooseflesh.

The queen had already left, she'd told Alistair that the king had never loved her since he was back from the great war, after Aeron was born. It had been a year since then, all his abundance of time he'd devoted to studying the dark forces, finding a way to lift Emone's curse. The curse was anonymous, solely known to Edgard.

Pysenia tried to lure Alistair into her alliances, but he'd been firm on his thought. On one night he'd told Pysenia that he would tell Edgard about bringing his son home, that would be in favour of all. Pysenia had argued on that thought of his mind, she'd told him if the king brought the boy into the palace, then her son the royal blood would hold no claim.

‘I don’t want a bastard to take my son's throne.’ She’s said.

‘If you accept him, he wouldn’t be a bastard.’ Alistair propounded.

‘You have to promise me you wouldn’t make this counsel to the king?’ She urged.

‘You know very well I cannot make any such promise.’ Alistair denied half heartedly.

Pysenia left without expressing herself verbally, but her actions and eyes shouted out her disappointment. He'd never expected of Pysenia what she'd done the next day.