Chapter 36
The air in the dining booth grew tense. Fairiden didn't move from her spot but she had her head bowed and was looking away. Laris stood up from her seat and stood like a sentinel ready for action all the while she kept her sunstone glowing in open challenge to Gyser and it did not go unnoticed.
"My, my. Why is everyone standing so stiffly?" Gyser asked feigning surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Laris demanded before Tal could say a word.
"I believe this conversation is out of your jurisdiction." Gyser said letting his sunstone necklace eclipse the glow from Laris' ring.
Laris attempted to increase her sunstone glow but the light slowly went dormant. As Light Vizier, Gyser had many powers at his disposal. One of them was the ability to drain the light from other sunstones to render them temporarily useless. Gyser's sunstone necklace dimmed as Laris' stone went dark. He turned to the captain and smirked arrogantly.
Laris went for her sword but Tal intervened.
"Bartian. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Tal said moving strategically between Laris and Gyser.
"I was simply trying to bring something to your attention, your highness." Gyser said focussing on Tal.
"What might that be?" Tal asked his face devoid of any tells or emotion.
"The hunt for the red keystone has been my top priority. I have reason to believe that it is in this very vicinity," Gyser said moving to pull Fairiden roughly before Tal.
Fairiden stood before Tal and silently pleaded for protection against her abusive former employer. Tal didn't respond to her silent pleas. In fact he continued to stare at Gyser.
"Explain yourself Bartian. What does this woman have to do with your hunt for the Red Keystone?" Tal asked.
"Everything my lord. I believe she is in possession of it right now in fact." Gyser waved his hand over Fairiden's sunstone ring and the golden sunstone shed its gold for a deep crimson hue.
"Well done Bartian. You have found the stone. You are to be commended for your efforts," Tal said suspiciously calm.
Gyser bowed hesitantly at Tal's calm but proceeded to remove the Red keystone when Tal took Fairiden from him and placed her next to Milla.
"Of course. I already knew this," Tal went on.
"My Lord?" Gyser asked stiffly as his frustration turned his cheeks slightly pink.
"The day of the Vigil is almost upon us and it was my duty to make sure that the Veil stays where it is. I was just about to name Fairiden the next Red Keystone holder. That is, before you rudely interrupted." Tal said trying to sound nonchalant.
Gyser looked to Fairiden and stared at her until she looked at him. Fairiden didn't betray any feelings as she held her stoic mask.
"Is this true young lady?" Gyser asked.
"It is," she replied curtly.
"Then this is a joyous occasion. We need to celebrate your ascension to the ranks of the Spectrum Court. We should gather the court and have everyone introduce themselves to their new member," Gyser said with mock enthusiasm.
"That won't be necessary. I believe it is more prudent to dispense with such formalities." Tal said looking to Fairiden.
"Will you swear to keep your Vigil and remain the keystone holder? Do you swear to protect the stone and keep its secrets?" Tal asked as he held his stone above Fairden's head.
The Violet keystone pulsed and the Red keystone answered with a spark.
"I swear." Fairden said evenly.
"Then I now pronounce you the new Red keystone wielder. May you succeed in your Vigil."
Fairden bowed and curtsied before Tal as she offered light to him. Gyser was keeping his calm amazingly. Fairiden knew his temper and witnessed firsthand how sadistic he could be when provoked. Tal was holding no reservations and was doing as he pleased which irked the Vizier clearly. Fairiden had known the Emperor would never bend to his Light Vizier but she feared that Tal was pushing his luck.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance. I can show our new keystone holder how to take her Vigil." Gyser said making an effort to leave with Fairden.
"That won't be necessary. I believe that falls under Malachite's duties. I will need your services to plan something else." Tal said before silently telling Laris to leave with Fairiden.
"Surely the Vigil will take precedence over whatever you require of me at the moment, sire," Gyser said trying to stop the women from leaving.
"More important that planning my wedding?" Tal asked.
With a single sentence Tal managed to garner everyone's attention. Tal cocked his head and signalled for Laris to leave with Fairden. They obeyed and left before Gyser recovered from his shock.
"This is indeed news Emperor! To whom will you wed?" he asked trying to get his bearings.
"I will wed Ambassador Milla." Tal said taking Milla's hand for effect.
Gyser bowed his head slightly to Milla but didn't offer light. It was an obvious snub that Milla was surprised to notice.
"Is your majesty looking to wed the ambassador out of political purposes? Surely it would be more strategic to wed a member of the Houses and not an Icecarl," Gyser asked flatly.
"Perhaps you assume too much." Tal replied with enough threatening undertone to silence the Vizier.
If that wasn't enough of a hint, the slightly crackling violet keystone was.
"Perhaps a soiree to announce such an engagement is in order." Gyser said quickly changing the subject. "While you hold power supreme, I believe your new regime merits at least mention to the upper classes of your engagement to the ambassador. It will give them a chance to get to know the person who will spend your future with." Gyser explained.
"It will also give them a chance to object," Milla said before Tal could say as much.
"I fear it may be a reaction you will have to become accustomed to, Ambassador," Gyser replied barely hiding his disdain. "It will unfortunately be something of a constant prejudice found to be harboured among all true Chosen. Perhaps it will be best to at least listen to such objections,"
"She will when she deems them worth listening to." Tal said ending the topic.
Bartian seemed to radiate loathing but was expertly, if very thinly disguising it. Yet he relented. Making any foolish reactions would forfeited all he had planned.
"Very well. I believe it is settled. I will announce an engagement party and the upper echelon will attend. Compulsory of course. You will have to convince a few outspoken individuals to attend but that won't be a problem. I would also suggest we complete the Vigil before the party; which brings me back to another decision you've made on my behalf..."
"If you are referring to Fairiden then I will not have my judgement questioned," Tal said staring hard at Gyser.
"I would be remiss if I were not to mention her past and past occupations."
"I don't care. Whatever her past, I'm a firm believer in Keystones and their sentient nature. Keystones choose their wielders. That is enough for me."
"My lord speaks his mind with such ease. I hope you have made the right decision. This Fairiden may act like a high born but she hails from the lowest levels of the Red order and she has used her wiles to get what she pleases. How do you know she has not manipulated you to getting what she wants?" Gyser asked.
"I'm confident she has not affected me so. Perhaps you think me weak?" Tal asked in challenge.
"My lord is young. I simply wish that you be well informed. You rose to your position through strength and I admire that. I don't wish to see it taken away by ignorance." Gyser replied carefully veiling his threat.
"Indeed I am young however I have more experience than most people twice my age. Yet you are correct. I should probably be more cautious when investigating on my own. I wouldn't want to end up like poor Lokar. I heard she looked...unrecognisable...after they fished her body from the water caverns." Tal replied in mock pity.
"I would not wish that fate on anyone but as they say accidents happen." Gyser replied barely hiding his threat.
"Indeed. I suppose the official story of her suicide by hanging herself in her bathroom would be a better way to go," Tal replied not bothering to mask the fact that he knew Gyser had killed her.
"I'm sure all manner of stories and gossip will circulate after ones death perhaps, for your safety, you should refrain from anymore investigations lest you find yourself in such situations," Gyser replied coolly to Tal's accusation.
"Indeed, but what type of Emperor would I be if I did nothing when such heinous things are being done in my castle?" Tal challenged.
Tal's sunstone glowed a deep violet and was making Gyser's sunstones dim until they were completely dark. Gyser's features twisted slightly as he became completely powerless before Tal. The threat was clear and the victor was Tal. It was clear that Tal could do away with Gyser right now and no one would be the wiser.
"Forgive my insolence your highness." Gyser said barely audible as he went down on one knee and bowed his head.
"Make no mistake Gyser. I spare your life because I find you still useful. You should never mistake my mercy for kindness." Tal said as patronisingly as possible.
"I won't forget your majesty." Gyser said starting to sweat slightly.
Tal released his domination over the Vizier's sunstones and watched with a slight feeling of satisfaction as his elder stood shakily.
"Good. Now I believe you have an engagement party to plan. Send out the invitations to the Icecarl Embassy as well. Now if you have nothing further to discuss then leave." Tal said dismissing him with a wave.
Gyser left the dining booth and left Milla and Tal alone.
"What happened to approaching things carefully?" Milla asked with a smile on her face.
"No time left. I think it best to solidify my decision to marry you as soon as possible. The rumours about us have fanned the flames of war and I expect we'll be outnumbered but if I don't make things clear as soon as possible then I'll lose any credibility I still have with the Houses and peaceful solutions will no longer be an option." Tal explained.
"I see...You still want to find a peaceful solution?" Milla asked.
"If possible I wish to avoid any conflict but we both know that blood will inevitably be spilled." Tal said with a sigh.
For the longest time they didn't speak as they contemplated the near future. Their marriage announcement was going to ruffle more feathers than they had hoped. It was also sooner than expected.
Milla had only managed to spend a third of the time allotted before they had to marry and answer to the Icecarl Embassy. Milla knew that pushing the plans forward would garner the support of the Icecarls but that was a fickle gamble. They still didn't know their enemy. Whoever had pulled the strings of their assassination attempt on the Ice was still hidden. The bottom line was they needed more information before they announced a war.
"We need information." Tal said at last.
"We could always ask your codex," Milla mused.
Tal went quiet as his mind went to work on the idea. They would first have to locate it. Then they would have to ask it the right questions then they would have to keep it from running away again. They also had to do it in seven days.
"Let's do it. Ebbitt was the last to have it maybe he knows where it is," Tal said feeling relief for once.
"He is on his way. The Crones have told me he will be here before dinner tonight," Milla informed.
"Well I suppose we still have time left then. What would you like to do until then?" Tal asked removing his Emperor's facade and smiling easily.
Milla looked at her future husband and wondered how he could still feel so easy. There was a war to prepare for and while they were veterans, this was going to be a completely different battlefield. One she was ill equipped to fight. Why was he so calm?
"Perhaps we should stay here and discuss our options a little more." Milla said moving to sit by her would be husband.
Picking his brain was the best way to calm her anxiety.
"Very well. What would you like to discuss?" Tal asked still at ease.
"The war we are about to fight," Milla said seriously.
"No." Tal answered just as calmly.
"Why? Milla asked slightly taken aback by his flat out denial.
"We won't talk about things that we don't know otherwise we will spiral into doubt. The best course of action is to enjoy ourselves as if we had no care in the world. We can't do anything until Ebbitt gets here anyway so I'll be damned if I can't spend my free time enjoying everything about my fiancé." Tal explained.
"I see..." Milla mused.
Clearly he had his mind made up. He wasn't going to be swayed. She smiled at him before she spoke as she changed her tactics.
"Very well. Then let's stay here. I seemed to have grown accustomed to these surroundings. I like it here. The air is sweet and filled with the scents of Aenir. I may have not liked the fact that everything and everyone was trying to kill us there but I guess I didn't give it much of a chance. It did hold its own majesty."
"Aenir is certainly a beautiful place. I always wondered how it first formed. I know it is a spirit realm yet everything is so real. I mean we function normally there. If it truly were a spiritual plane then why would we need to rest and eat when we were there? That always baffled me. Ebbitt and I always theorised that it was what the Dark world used to be like. We always tried to find evidence to that but we could never find anything. We tried to find ancient texts or tomes in the great libraries or on our excavation trips through the towers but it turned out that anything before the Forgetting was completely destroyed. I daresay the only shred of truth would lie buried somewhere deep underneath the Ice."
Milla nodded as she toyed with such a speculation.
"I've never thought about it that way. When Icecarl begin their training to find their place in their clan, they are told various things. To be cautious of free roaming Shadows from the Mountain of Light was always a popular children's story told to us. It was always said that if you were to come across a shadow, it would take your life by slowly eating your shadow."
"An effective means of sowing seeds of distrust for castle dwellers."
"Indeed. Not an easy myth to dispel," Milla agreed.
"What do you know of the history of your people?" Tal asked. "If memory serves, you are part of Danir's line aren't you? I assume she is a matriarch or founding person of your people?"
"Indeed I am part of Danir's line. She is my ancestor. From what I was told, there were originally four Icecarl clans. They were lead by Danir and her sisters. They divided territories and were the first to navigate and chart the selski migration. Danir was the warden to the north."
"So who were the others?" Tal asked.
"There was Grettir to the south. She actually became the first Crone. There was also Astyer to the East. She was the eldest of the sisters. There was also Brelin of the south." Milla listed.
Tal listened intently. It was a rare occasion to learn about Icecarl origins. If there wasn't a castle to run and a future to usher in, Tal would have loved to explore and rediscover the history of his people. He knew there was a good possibility Icecarl's and Chosen were one people to begin with.
"What of the Chosen? Who was the first Emperor?" Milla asked.
"No idea. There is no recorded history before Ramellean's time. He was the first recorded Emperor. Before that we must have had tribes or separate covens because the use of sunstones were also not recorded until a good fifty years after Ramellean's rule."
"Don't you find it curious that part of your people's history is missing?" Milla asked.
"I've always suspected that it was destroyed but I've never found any evidence to support that either. So unless we hike back to Aenir and ask the Khamsoul or the Codex, then we are left to wonder." Tal sighed.
"I know of your love of the past Tal but it's the future we are responsible for." Milla said trying to sooth his curiosity.
"Knowing the true events of the past unfolds real caution for the future," he muttered before smiling sheepishly. "However you're right as always my dear. All anyone can ever do is worry about what they can. Even a stubborn idiot like me must allow all things to have their time."
"You've grown wiser," she said kissing him on the cheek.
"It's only because you push me to be so," Tal replied kissing her knuckles.
Milla mused at how accustomed she had grown to such displays of affection. A year ago she would have pulled away awkwardly. Now she understood the subtlety of such gestures Milla assumed this is what it meant to be 'involved with someone'. She looked up from her hand and her thoughts to find Tal giving her a curious look. For a long moment she stared back. Not in challenge but in curiosity. She knew he wanted to say something but she knew she would ruin the moment if she prompted him.
After a few more silent moments, he stood, bowed and gave light to her before he dropped to one knee and was gazing at her eye level. This time he had no hesitation in his eyes. He placed his hand over her hand and light softly glowed between their palms.
"It is customary to reveal one's feelings to your bride before you commit to her. It's an antiquated way of sealing our love and fidelity. It is not unlike a blood oath. Usually we would exchange these vows of love in front of our friends and family in a ceremony but I think it would be best if you hear them now. These vows usually end with a question and hopefully your answer will be a positive one."
"We don't exchange blood?" Milla asked curiously.
"No. The Chosen way is to exchange light from our sunstones." Tal said willing her sunstone ring to glow.
"Blood would be more binding," Milla commented before she felt stupid for saying so at such an intimate time.
Tal smiled easily as he sensed how nervous he was making her. He decided to cut to the chase and went on before Milla started to fidget.
"Perhaps. Would you do me the honour of listening to my vow?"
At this moment the light glowing from between their hands brightened and pulsed with the same rhythm of their combined heartbeats.
"I will," Milla whispered quickly before her voice failed her.
With her answer complete, the light faded and as Tal pulled his hands away, twin golden rings appeared on their ring fingers. Milla looked at it in surprise and awe. It fit her perfectly. It was a simple ring and while it gleamed with an inner radiance, she could also see that it was made of the same polished golden material.
"I can't say I ever thought a day would come that I would ever find a person who would know me better than myself. I knew the day would come that I would have to marry but I never thought I would be lucky enough to marry for love. I saw my life like it was a drawn plan. Even after our quest was done I never dared to imagine being happy. My life is for my people. As soon as I was made Emperor, this burden was placed on me and I shouldered it out of obligation. It wasn't until that day that you came back into my life that you showed me how miserable an existence it was to live for others without a higher purpose for oneself. You've given me more than I could have hoped for. So if I could be selfish once more, please give me one more thing."
Tal took Milla's hand before taking his ring off and placing it in her palm. He then took her ring and placed it opposite the other ring. Together they glimmered with an inner fire. The lustre in the golden bands shone with an ambience that could only be described as magical. Tal held his free hand up and raised his ring finger expectantly.
At a loss for words and suddenly paralysed with shock at such an intimate ceremony, Milla closed her eyes as if the sudden darkness could shield her from the brilliance of the rings that were a symbol of his love and fidelity. Why was she hesitating? Milla helplessly lost her voice. Her throat seized up and all she could do was hope Tal didn't hear how loud her heart beat was.
Tal waited for her answer patiently. His own nervousness barely contained. Tears suddenly fell down her cheeks. It was so strange. Just hearing Tal's confession made her feel so many things at once. It was hard to pin point what she was feeling right then. All she knew was that she needed to act.
Milla opened her eyes and cursed silently at her moment of weakness. She took his golden band and pushed it onto his expectant ring finger. He visibly relaxed as she finally found her voice.
"Tal I love you. When we first met, I thought you were no more than a thief. When you proved to me that you were a trustworthy ally, and more importantly a friend, I felt admiration and pride. You were, after all, my first Chosen friend. I suppose you were more to me but I was blind to that. Looking back I should have noticed the signs. You became my first for just about everything I would now consider important. You were my first Chosen ally. You were my first Chosen partner. You were and always will be my first lover. You are my one and only husband, at least by Icecarl standards. I look forward to being your Chosen bride. I love you Tal and hopefully I'll live up to all your expectations with honour."
Tal smiled a genuinely happy smile as he pushed her golden band onto her ring finger. Then to his surprise Milla kissed him. It was a sweet and loving kiss that conveyed more than her words.
She was so noble and graceful. She carried the air of nobility with little effort. She was his other half and Light willing his future bride. Tal felt so fortunate that he finally found his place in the world. It was and always will be by Milla's side.
"Let's go. I feel like we should celebrate somehow. Ebbitt won't arrive until later so we have some time," Milla said taking Tal by the hand.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Let's go to our Chambers and then after we lock the doors, I'll show you." He whispered into her ear making her blush.