Chapter 8

After many hours of wandering the mountain paths by himself, Achmed finally returned to the Cauldron to find that Meridion had only just arrived. He and his mother were seriously conversing in a quiet corner of the thrown room as they awaited the King's return.

Scowling as usual, Achmed strode over to the two to find out what they were so adamantly discussing.

Rhapsody was the first to notice his presence and quickly rose to meet him. Giving him a quick hug she said, "I'm very sorry about this morning, but we can talk about that another time. Something happened while you were gone that we need to talk about."

Slightly embarrassed that Rhapsody had mentioned something of their personal relationship in front of her son and more than a little concerned about what might have happened, he simply nodded and allowed her to guide him to the table that they had been sitting at.

When they were next to the table, Meridion rose and took Achmed's hand giving him a firm warm hand shake of greeting. "It has been awhile since I have seen you King Achmed. It is good to see you again."

Not sure what to make of this, as he had thought that Meridion would hate him for causing his father's death, again Achmed nodded slightly and returned the hand shake in a mildly interested sort of way before releasing the hand and taking a place at the table.

"Achmed, first off, you need to know that I have found out what has happened since I went away last," Rhapsody started.

"And what would that be?"

"That two assassination attempts were made on your life, and one came dangerously close to being pulled off."

Shock and anger flared at her words. This was something that he didn't want anyone to know of that didn't already. And the only one who really knew the details of what had happened was Grunthor. Immediately the King knew that his oldest friend had ratted him out to at least the Lady and if not to the Lord before, then he certainly knew now.

"Is this what you so desperately need to talk about? I don't see how any of this information concerns either of you," the King replied coldly.

"You don't see how it concerns us? I can't believe you Achmed!" Rhapsody started. "We have finally begun to get close and now you're telling me that attempts on your life are no concern of mine or that of my son? How dare you think like that! Not only would something like this affect me emotionally, it has the possibility to put us and the people that are coming here for the moot in physical danger. It has already put me in harms way and if you had told me from the start what had been happening, maybe I would not have been caught quite so off guard."

Anger had been building on Achmed's part throughout Rhapsody's speech right up to the last part. Suddenly his anger evaporated and left him looking back at her blankly for a moment before he was able to ask, "What are you talking about?"

"After you left the room this morning I had an uninvited visitor who was nearly able to bury a crossbow bolt through my heart, and probably would have if Grunthor hadn't seen the man enter the room and warned me just in time."

Achmed's heart felt like it sank to his stomach at her words. He had never thought for a moment that the fear and danger that had been pursuing him these last few weeks would ever bring any harm to anyone other than himself, and especially not Rhapsody. He sat in silence as he began to berate himself for not thinking all of it through. Just because as an assassin he had never mistook a mark, didn't mean that another, less skilled one wouldn't either. And even if he had been in the room and was there to take the assassin's aim, it didn't mean that he wouldn't turn the bow on Rhapsody as well to keep her silent. A rush of scenarios began to play out through his mind of things that might have or could have happened to her because of him.

Seeing the self scolding that Achmed was putting himself through, Rhapsody quickly turned her tone from an angry accusing tone to concern and sympathy. She knew that Achmed had meant to save her from worry by keeping his danger from her, but now he was kicking himself for that decision. "Achmed, don't blame yourself. You did what you thought would be best, but you made a mistake and now we need to figure out what this means for us. We don't know if I was an attended target or not. This may be an all out attack on the alliance, and with this coming so close to the Moot, there's no telling what plots are afoot."

Still angry with himself but pushing that anger aside to get down to business, Achmed sat back before responding, "Well, where do we start? We have no way of knowing what is really going on here unless Meridion here has any insight."

Mother and son exchanged an unsettled glance before Meridion turned back to the King to answer. "No, I have not been able to foresee anything of this matter. In fact, it is for this reason that I have come ahead of the other Cymrians to speak with you. Something of great importance is going to happen at this Moot that may have many different outcomes and could change the course of the alliance. But I cannot tell what it is. I cannot see the Moot or beyond it because of the many outcomes that may come of it. The future at that point is too unclear to read."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"All I can ask of you is to stay vigilant. Something big is going to transpire and there is going to have to be clues to what it is before it happens."

"And are you saying that I am not vigilant as it is?"

"Of course he's not," Rhapsody quickly jumped in. "It's just we feel that it would be better to have all of our eyes as informed as possible to what the situation is."

"What the situation is? It seems to me that the problem here is that no one knows what the situation is. All we have to go on is three failed assassination attempts on my life with no evidence left as to where these attacks came from or who hired them and some vague notion that something big is going to happen. This certainly is not much to go on."

"Nevertheless, this is what we have and it is what we must use. We will know nothing further if we just choose to sit back and ignore the evidence that we have until something that makes more sense presents its self," Rhapsody answered.

Achmed had no choice but to relent to her argument. It was true that they could only work with what they had. There was no point in arguing about what they did not have and would not have if they continued to argue about it.

So, with a little reluctance, Achmed nodded his acknowledgement to keep an extra vigilant eye out on the Moot proceedings. Satisfied with his response, Rhapsody nodded in return before standing.

"Now that we are all caught up and agreed, how about some breakfast?"

"Well it is slightly closer to lunch now than breakfast, but I am hungry either way," Meridion responded.

"And how about you, dear?" She asked Achmed, expecting him to squirm at her use of dear.

"That would be lovely, darling," He answered her in mix of sarcasm and teasing. He knew she mostly was trying to tease him and he would respond in like fashion. Achmed had decided that it was time that he stopped feeling uncomfortable with the idea of them together and allow it to happen.

A little surprised at his response, Rhapsody smiled and bestowed a quick kiss to the King's cheek before exiting the room, presumably to make or find the pre-mentioned breakfast.

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Later that night, Rhapsody found Achmed alone on their ledge overlooking his kingdom. She could sense that he had not quite finished his thoughts from his morning walk and was trying to do so now. She watched him for some time before concluding that he might still wish to be left alone.

As she turned to leave he almost whispered, "You don't have to leave. You're not disturbing me."

Turning back towards him, she asked, "Are you sure?"

Giving a slight sigh before answering he said, "Rhapsody, have you ever known me to say something without being sure of it?"

She knew that he was right. If he had truly wished for her to not be there, he would have said so. Taking his invitation then, she walked up beside him, taking his arm and linking it with her own. Leaning then on him, they stood together in silence and watched as the last rays of the sun caressed the mountain peaks before relenting the sky to the stars.

It was then that Rhapsody started her requiem for the sun. This was one that Achmed had not heard her sing in a very long time. Not since the night that she had discovered that her family and life that she had left on Serendair had been burned and covered by the crashing sea thousands of years prior. It was a haunting melody that emphasized the loss of the sun's warmth and life and feeling of being left alone without it. This song was one that was rarely sung by the Liringlas as they were the people of the sky. They loved and worshiped all aspects of it, the day as much as the night. This particular song was one that was sung either when one died at the end of a day or when the singer feared they would not wake in the morning.

It felt so odd that she should choose to sing this aubade at that time. But when she switched her song to a greeting of the stars, he began to understand. She sang of the happiness of being united once again with the lovely stars and welcoming them into her life for the night. She sang of their distant warmth and love that she had for them. But the song ended on a strange note that unsettled the King. He knew that the song did not traditionally end in the way that she had ended it and this bothered him. She closed with singing of an uncertain fear that the night would be all too fleeting and her time with the stars would be ended.

They stood then in silence for a long time. Achmed knew that she was trying to talk to him through her songs. He knew that she was trying to tell him what it was that she was feeling, but he was confused how he was to respond to her. Somehow he knew that her requiem had been a song dedicated to her former husband Ashe and what she had felt when he left her. But then a new and different light had been affirmed once again in her life. But it was the last note that hung wavering in the air that had Achmed so confused.

What worried him the most was that he felt the same uncertainty that she no doubt was feeling. That undefined sense that as things were heading to a premature end. But despite the fear that he felt, he knew that there was an answer out there that could save their union; only, what it was, he still did not know. And tonight did not seem like the night for answers. They had communicated all that they could; now they just needed to take comfort in one another. And so they left the ledge together and retired to Achmed's chambers together once again.