Chapter 14: The Oracle
"Step aside!" Queen Olympias yelled as she made her way through the ocean of people heading out of the palace.
"Where is he?" She asked, storming into king Philip's room. "Is it true?"
The king lied still in his bed. An arrow through his chest. Alexander standing by his side, grim-faced.
"Mother…"
Olympias face relaxed when he saw the king's chest slightly moving. Alexander couldn't tell if out of relief or disappointment.
"Will he survive?" She asked
"He is very weak…" Said Alexander, trying to keep calm and collected
The king suddenly moved his arms and groaned as he tried to sit.
"My lord! You shouldn't move!" said Attalus
"I'm… I'm f-fine…" the king said, breathing with trouble, holding onto Alexander's shoulder. "Help me up, boy"
"But-" Protested the prince, yet he obeyed, nonetheless.
The king paused to catch his breath.
"W-we need to call a-a council meeting…" He finally said.
"What?" said the prince "A meeting? Now?"
At that moment, Eurydice, entered the room in tears with the news of his deadly injured husband.
"Please," Olympia scoffed, "Can you be more ridiculous? Stop being so dramatic. For once, this is not about you"
The young woman broke in tears and left the room as fast and sudden as she came.
The king shook his head and sighed, too tired to even disapprove of Olympia's attitude. He tried to speak, but only a dry cough came out of his mouth. He grabbed Alexander's arm tightly.
"Somebody help him!" Yelled the prince
"King Phillip!" Cried Orestys. The bodyguard had not moved one moment from the king's side.
"Now you are worried?!" Said Attalus, close to tears, "This is all your fault! If you would have done your job as a bodyguard, he wouldn't have-"
"Attalus! Enough! Now is not the time for this!" Yelled the prince "He is dying, go get help, somebody…. get Waver!"
Oretys turned to the general, raging with anger.
"If you would have done your job as a general and had a better strategy, we shouldn't need to come save you!" Pointed out Orestys "And now he is dying!"
"Enough!" Suddenly yelled the king, still panting. "I am still alive! And if you don't stop arguing I will lock you both in the dungeons, I have enough with my wives fighting… and now you too! Now, do as the prince said and go get that mage boy!"
With his last bit of energy left, he lied back again and passed out.
Attalus and Orestys exchanged looks, then they both rushed out the door to find help.
The old court physician placed a cloth soaked in cold water on the king's forehead. He did as much as he could to stop the pain, but there was little he could do to remove the arrow, impregnated with magic.
Alexander waited impatiently, his eyes became watery watching his father barely breathing, too scared to look away, he felt Olympia's hand on his head.
In the other end of the palace, Waver ran from one place to another, restless taking care of his new patients.
"Cleo!" He called the princess, who had been supporting him during the whole siege, "More bandages please!"
"Coming!" The princess said, helping a boy up to drink some water
"Cleo!" Called Ptolemy from the other side "More water here!"
"I'm coming!"
"Cleo!" Called Waver again
"I heard you! I can't be in two places at the same time! Wait a minute!" The princess said, bringing some bandages for Waver in haste.
She had been running from one side to another, there were only three of them and many injured. On top of that, Waver and Ptolemy had been arguing and decided not to talk to each other.
"The water!" called Ptolemy again
"Can you tell him to leave some water for the younger ones too?" Asked Waver
She rolled her eyes and rushed to grab some water for Ptolemy
"Here" She gave him a bowl with water. Their hands slightly touched, and Ptolemy almost dropped it. She didn't seem to notice.
"I-I'm ok here. Go help Waver" He suddenly said without looking at her, "And tell him that he can stop being a child and he can't be mad at me forever because I smacked him. And also tell him that-"
"You tell him… I am getting tired of this already" She sighed and walked away.
They continued like that until the siege finished, and the news of the triumphant battle arrived to the palace gates, along with the news of the king being injured.
Waver, Ptolemy and Cleo listened to the servant who brought the bad news.
"We won the war, but the king has been seriously injured"
Ptolemy discretely observed Cleo's reaction. Her hand was shacking. He felt the sudden desperate need to hold it.
"Is he alive?" She asked, taking a deep breath
"Y-yes, I understand he is. Although, we are not sure in what conditions…"
She slowly bent down. Ptolemy and Waver looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
But to their surprise, Cleo stood back up with a bowl of water in her hands and turned her back to them.
"Then… there is nothing I can do about it" She said as she walked.
"Cleo…" Ptolemy said, gently grabbing her arm
She kept walking, kneeling beside a boy who lied injured. He was burning in fever, missing an arm.
"They need us. There is still work to do here" She said, placing a wet cloth on the boy's forehead. "Going to see my father and cry at his bed won't help anyone. Here I can be of more help…"
Waver followed her in silence
"Hand me over those potions, Ptolemy" He said. Then smiled at him.
Ptolemy nodded, acknowledging they were no longer arguing.
He grabbed the tiny bottles that Waver pointed and passed them to him.
"Thanks"
"No need to thank me"
Suddenly Attalus and Orestys stormed in.
"Waver Velvet!" They both called for him in unison
"The king needs you!" Said the general
"Me?! But… I don't…I'm not…" Waver panicked
"Come with us immediately!" Begged the guard
Waver entered the king's room, feeling everyone's eyes on him at the same time. Alexander was there. By the king's side. His father's side. His armor was completely teared apart, his ankle covered in blood. His mother held his hand.
Became suddenly a kid to Waver's eyes. Defenseless, helpless. A scared little boy who feared for his father's life. And it struck him that, despite all he complained about the king, he still loved his father.
"Please" Asked Olympias. Her deep blue eyes begged him. Not for her, but to stop her son's pain.
Waver walked slowly closer to the king's side. Orestys removed the covers, revealing an arrow through the man's chest.
Waver gulped and reached for it carefully to remove it. But something did not allow him. A stinging feeling pierced through his hand as he did. Yet he couldn't see anything touching it.
"It's impossible to remove it" Said the old physician, who had been standing by the king's side. "I've tried multiple times."
Waver nodded, aware of the situation. He gave Alexander a quick glance, and took a deep breath.
Then he closed his eyes as he recited a spell, bringing his hands to his face, fingertips touching his eyelids.
When he opened his eyes, his iris had changed to a bright purple color. The people in the room gasped. All except Alexander.
"The arrow is cursed" Waver said, his eyes following the dark energy swirling around the arrow. Nobody else in the room was able to see them.
Waver placed his hands on the king's chest, making him groan slightly. He looked down at his own arm, and his bracelet was emitting a bright blue gleam. With that same hand, he reached for the arrow. The blue glow casted away the shadows around it. He pulled the arrow, but it was not enough to take it out. He used his other hand, but again the dark energy rejected it. Alexander observed this, anxiously, then something occurred to him
"The bracelet…", he thought out loud, noticing his bracelet was glowing too.
He ran towards Waver and helped him with one hand.
They pulled and kept pulling but the arrow didn't move, until it suddenly crashed into shards, vanishing in the air.
The king coughed as he felt the air back into his lungs all at once.
"Father!" Said the prince, smiling with relief.
Olympias instantly held the prince in her arms.
"The king lives!" Announced the old physician, and the whole room cheered and jumped in excitement around the king.
Waver sighed, relieved, a little overwhelmed by the commotion.
He used that moment of distraction to slowly exit the room in silence, making his way back to help Cleo and Ptolemy.
Half-way in the corridor, he heard fast footsteps running behind him.
"Waver!" Called Alexander, limping as he ran towards him
"Hey you shouldn't be-"
But before he could finish, Alexander had pounced over him, holding him tight
"Thank you" The prince said, his emotions overflowing
"What are you-"
"Thank you!" He repeated, this time burying his face into Waver's shoulder
Waver thought of many things to say, but felt like none of them would have come out as he wanted them.
Instead, he just stood there. His hands waving on his sides, hesitant, until they found their way around Alexander's waist.
"Is he crying?" Waver wondered, too scared to move away. He turned his face only a little, just to subtly look at him. Alexander did the same, and their cheeks touched.
"Oh, there you are!" Called a voice all of a sudden.
Both instantly parted and turned, as if they were doing something wrong. Hephaestion was standing there in a corner, smiling. None of them heard him coming. For how long had he been there standing?
"Sorry to interrupt you, boys, but the king is calling…" Said Hephaestion, gesturing with his head in the direction of the king's room
Alexander chuckled, but Waver was not amused.
"Hey, you should go with Waver and get that leg checked…" Said Alexander
"Maybe I'll stop by later" he said, winking at Waver
"S-sure. I better go back to work" Said Waver, somehow uncomfortable, "See you guys later"
He walked away in a fast pace and an awkward feeling.
Hephaestion headed back to the throne room first, followed by Alexander.
"Wait! You are walking too fast!" Complained Alexander, trying to catch up with him, but the closer he got the faster Hephaestion seemed to go.
"Slow down! How the hell does your leg not hurt! Look you are still bleeding! Can't you just-"
"I said I'm fine!" He yelled, without turning or stopping
"Why are you yelling? Are you mad at me?"
"I'm- No… I'm not mad…"
"Yes, you are"
Hephaestion scoffed. "Did you do anything to make me mad?"
"No, but-"
"Then I don't have any reason to be mad at you"
"Then why are you-"
"Can you just leave me alone for a minute!?" Hephaestion suddenly turned and grabbed him, violently pinning him against the wall
Alexander frowned, grabbing his wrists gently
"Never…" He said, staring into his deep blue eyes, apologetic.
Hephaestion sighed. His face and hands relaxed. He slowly turned his back and begun walking again.
Alexander followed him in silence.
When they entered the room king Phillip was already conscious and sitting in bed.
"Son" He called for the prince, still short of breath "I need you to call an urgent meeting"
"What? But father, you are too weak"
"Alexandros" The king paused to gather the strength to move his legs to the side and get up, with Orestys' help. "Do as I say"
Everyone in the room looked at Alexander, who quickly left to the throne room. Everyone else followed.
A few minutes later Alexander had gathered all the council members. In one corner, Attalus argued with Parmenion and the other army's members of the council. The lords of Pella discussed the business of war and their loss in the back of the room, while the priests prepared for the oracle ritual in the middle of the room.
The king joined them in the middle of the meeting, when he was finally able to get on his feet.
The room was noisy, and Alexander stood in the middle with his arms crossed in sign of discontent.
"Your highness," welcomed him Attalus, "we were just debating-"
"Everybody quiet now" He said in a high yet calmed voice
"You grace, if I may-" Said the oldest man in the room, the sage who led the priests
"You may not right now"
Everyone suddenly went quiet
"How many men do we have left?" Asked the king as he sat on the throne.
"We are still working on the numbers. The injured are a lot but… it seems that with the help of the new physician and the princess has significantly increase the number of soldiers available for battle"
"My daughter?" He asked, skeptical
"We need our allies, your grace," said the old general, "if we could call the lords for help-"
"The lords…" the king scoffed. "Where were the lords when we needed them against the Persians?"
Parmenion, who never used to be very active during council, stepped forward to talk.
"That is right" he said, and everyone turned to him, "Most negotiations have already failed. Your grace, the other cities' army will flea and hide like rats as soon as they see the Persian alchemists. The only way to create a loyal army is from our own people. Give the men money and a land to fight for and they'll be invincible"
"My king." The head of the wealthiest lords of Pella stepped in. "It is true that in the past the lords from other cities and us have had some differences, but right now we have a solid commercial exchange, and I am sure they will come to our aid if they see the kingdom threatened"
The king sat back, rubbing his beard, thoughtful.
"And what does the oracle say?" He asked the old sage.
"It is unclear yet, your grace…" He said, looking at the oracle. A young priest sat on a chair in the middle of the room, his head down, breathing heavily, sign of his trance state.
"I will have to, for once, agree with them." Said Attalus, "With all due respect… my dear Parmenion, but do you not see the urgency of the situation? We do not have the time to train more men"
"Well, what do you suggest then?" Asked the king
"Political alliance" He said, and most of the people in the council murmured in agreement.
"In other words, marriage" Said Parmenion, giving Alexander a quick look.
"Don't you dare, Attalus…" jumped in Olympias "How dare you decide over my children's future"
"Then I would love to her your alternatives, Olympias" Said the king in a severe tone
"My son is a prince! He will never marry the daughter of some greedy lord who sits there, safely counting his filthy treasures, never fighting a war in his life! My son is a prince, a warrior, born to conquer! He will marry nothing less than a princess or empress! My daughter will be queen one day! I will not let any of you-"
"Enough!" the king yelled. "We need to invade Persia now! Don't you understand? The whole kingdom is in danger and you worry about something insignificant like this? I am sure even Alexandros and Cleopatra are willing to put their kingdom before themselves. You should be ashamed to call yourself a queen…"
Alexandros, who had been observing quietly the whole time, now clenched his fists.
"Father! Do not speak to her like that!" He said, standing next to Parmenion. "We cannot invade Persia now! The men are tired, wounded. They are too weak! You cannot-"
"Silence!" The king turned to him, "The next time you tell your king what he can or cannot do, you will no longer have a place to speak in this council!"
The king had to lie back, out of breath, grunting and holding his chest in pain, coughing.
Alexandros bit his tongue in shame.
After a deep breath, the king spoke again.
"Alexandros…we need to attack, before they attack us again. We were lucky this time. Next time we may not survive…"
"Father-"
"We will leave tomorrow" The king continued
"Can't you see that you are dying!? The men will die too! We need some time to-"
"There is no time! What is my life, or any man's life worth if there is no home to go back to? If there is no kingdom to protect? One day, when you are a king, you will understand"
"You are wrong! That is stupid! There is no kingdom without its people! There is no kingdom without its king!"
"I am warning you, boy! Speak to me like that again and I will put you in the dungeons!"
"You can put me wherever the hell you want! But if you go to Persia tomorrow, you will die! There will be no kingdom left to protect! The only thing you are protecting is your pride!"
"Parmenion! Take him away!" He ordered, and looked away with despise.
Parmenion gave Alexandros a sorry look, shrugging.
"Sorry, kid" He said, grabbing his arm to take him. Alexander fought a little, panting in rage, silently glaring at the king. Parmenion moved his head in disapproval and whispered. "Come on, don't make this harder. Let's go…"
They slowly begun to walk out of the room.
Olympias suddenly walked up to the throne and slapped the king's face.
"You are the one who should be ashamed…", she said with disgust.
The people in the room observed in silence. All except one.
The oracle now laughed hysterically from his chair. Everyone turned to him, murmuring.
"Orestys" The king called his guard, without even looking at the queen, "Have one of your men escort my wife to her room, and make sure she stays there"
The guard signaled with his head and a tall man grabbed Olympias to take her away.
"You coward!" She yelled as she struggled against the guard. "Is this how you treat the prince and the queen?! Is this how you expect people will respect their future king? Shaming an old woman and a kid? You are pathetic!"
The murmur from a moment ago became now loud chatter, the screams and cry of the queen fading as she was taken away.
Only one person in the room smiled.
"What is so funny?" The king asked the oracle
"Nothing…" He said in a low voice and exorbitant eyes. A voice that sounded nothing like the one of a young man, but the deep, inhuman voice of the gods. "Nothing… none of this matters… kings, queens, Persians… nothing. In the end there is something- a greater evil- coming for all of us… it is already here among us, his spies closer than we think…The one who loves but is not loved will bring betrayal. The three pillars will destroy their own foundations letting the palace fall into pieces. And then it will come… to punish us for our sins. Us, the abomination of its own creation. They are here to take what is theirs, to destroy the world as we know it…as we have known it and will know it. Empires will succumb before they rise, heroes will die before they are born. And there is no way to stop it… no one can stop-"
The young man collapsed in his seat.
The council members looked at each other in silence, confused.
The sage went to help the oracle up, but the young man fell unconscious on the floor. The old man held him in his arms, and instantly turned to the king with a horrified expression.
"He is dead…"