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“I hope the labors were easy” said Aprophil to Miranda the moment he was on bed. He closed his eyes and sighed softly.

“They were, your mother helped me through it. I wouldn’t have survived without her” replied Miranda and went on to lay down beside Aprophil.

They were both in their furs, even though their chamber had a good fire and the windows were shut. Still it was so cold, maybe the good folks of Whitebridge were right after all. The winters there resembled the ones in Prophis.

While still looking at the ceiling, Aprophil asked. “Is it true that Maldonians are chanting my name? And that they yearn for their true King?”

“I think Maldonians are chanting in their prayers for the winter to go away. And they are yearning for endless summers” replied Miranda, she wasn’t going to support her husband’s sudden interest in Maldonians.

Aprophil wasn’t so pleased with the sarcasm. He abruptly sat on the bed, “I’m serious Miranda” he said. “Is it true?” he added.

Miranda sat on the bed too and she faced Aprophil, “What does it matter if it’s true or not?” she asked him.

.....

“It does matter to me, you wouldn’t understand...”

“Understand? Aprophil look at me” Miranda held Aprophil’s chin and turned his face to her side. “You told me once that you didn’t want it, the throne”

“I... I don’t — I just want to know if my people are yearning for me” he said as if forcing Miranda to understand.

Miranda’s eyes widened with amazement, “Your people?” she asked him.

“I am a Maldonian too”

“They are not your people. I am your people, your mother is your people and your sons. Anyone apart from us is not us, and we do not claim them as ours. Unless you take yourself for a King”

Aprophil was ashamed by that remark at the end, he didn’t know how to act or what to say.

Did he take himself as King? That he did and he always felt entitled to the throne, although he never said it out loud to anyone. This was treason to say the least, and what will Lord Balrus say if he even dares to challenge for the throne.

Everything seemed to be so much for him, and not to mention he was worn out after a tiresome journey. When he closed his eyes again, this time he slept with ease. Miranda helped him out of his furs and she went back to sleep too, whatever they had to talk, can be discussed tomorrow.

Back in Blackmount, the burning of the traitors and Matthew’s trial which was witnessed by good folks somehow slowed down the rumors that Artemis wasn’t a true King. The Septons, Faith Crones and Servants of the gods gave out speeches to crowds of people. The main thing they preach about was the marriage between King Luca and his slave, if the marriage did happen as the traitors claimed.

They said the marriage was illegal and whatever came out of that, they condemn it from dusk till dawn. They called Aprophil nothing but a bastard, an offspring resulted from unlawful sex and he will never sit on the Sweet Waters throne.

And it’s not that these Septons and Crones worked in favor of what’s right, but in favor of Artemis. Few days ago Artemis called out His High Septon and gave him instructions to assemble his Septons and gather the crowds, if he were to refuse then Artodo would gladly burn him alive to ashes.

But somehow this crowd gathering and the hard work the Septons were doing to educate the good folks of Blackmount worked. The people turned against Aprophil because they were afraid if they supported him, then they will be turning against the gods as the Septons said.

One person who didn’t like this whole shenanigan with the Septons and Crones was Lord Balrus. And that’s because he still had that empathy and love for Aprophil, he loved him like his son. He was so worried about him almost every time.

The rodents were constantly moving from one direction to the next everyday to secure Aprophil’s location. When Lord Balrus learned that Aprophil was safely tucked in his castle in Whitebridge, somehow he felt a little bit of relief because he knew he would be safe there.

But still he hated Artemis’s tactics of destroying Aprophil’s name. The wedding between King Luca Arteides and Jordy wasn’t illegal, it was real and Jordy wasn’t a slave. She was never a slave, but only few close people knew that and by that time most of them were dead.

Only one person remained, Lord Leoric of the Mines. But he was rather distracted by his obsession with Dragon Hunters and he was licking his wounds after losing his army of Killers in large number. Could somehow Lord Balrus use him to clear Aprophil’s name? Leoric was a man of influence and connection, if the Mines stand up for Aprophil, then the whole of Maldonia will because they will believe them. After all Aprophil was born and raised in the Mines.

Lord Balrus took this to Aurora, he wanted to hear what she had to say about his plan.

“Why would you want to do that? You know it will anger the King” Aurora wasn’t so pleased by Lord Balrus when she heard of his plan. “Clearing his name will make you look guilty, it’s treason Balrus” she warned him.

“It’s not if I can’t be found. I can’t just sit while Artemis destroys his brother’s character. Aprophil doesn’t want the throne, he never did. This isn’t fair to him or his mother...”

“Are we really going to choose now, between Artemis and Aprophil, my lord?”

Aurora was stunned by Lord Balrus’s change of heart suddenly. He always rooted for Artemis and his success, he wanted him to rise high above everyone else. But then suddenly he seemed to want all that for Aprophil.

“Are you on our side or Aprophil’s?” asked Aurora. Now it was “our” and she clearly meant that she supported Artemis on whatever he does.

“I am always on your side Your Grace. I just want...” He paused suddenly.

From the distant gates of Aurora’s Hill, Artemis was boarding out of a palanquin while holding Prince Jahery on his arms. He was in layers of furs, just like Aurora and Lord Balrus who were covered in layers too. The winter in Maldonia heightened and even though there was no ice or now falling, still the weather proved to be more colder than anyone anticipated.

Artemis walked straight to Aurora and Lord Balrus, he gave Aurora a peck on the cheek and handed Jahery to her.

“Did he cry?” asked Aurora looking at her son’s eyes, she thought something was wrong with him.

“Yes he did, a couple of times. I figured he needed to get fed and maybe see his mother”

Aurora turned to Artemis, “Let me get the servants and put him to bed” she said and kissed Artemis’s lips.

Then Aurora turned to Lord Balrus, “My Lord” she said and slightly bowed, then she walked away. Both Artemis and Lord Balrus stood there watching as Aurora disappeared inside the great walls of Aurora’s Hill with five servants following her behind.

This time Lord Balrus waited for Artemis to say something about Aprophil, to speak ugly about his half brother all over again. Because that’s what he seemed to do these days.

However, Artemis proved him wrong and said something completely opposite from what Lord Balrus thought he would say. “What should we do about Aryan, my lord?” asked Artemis now turning his attention to Lord Balrus.

“Aryan?”

“Yes, and the army he employed to support my half brother if he one day decides to take my throne. What do you suggest I should do?”

This isn’t what Lord Balrus expected to hear from Artemis. Hence he was caught off guard and he found himself saying, “Teach them a lesson, you are a dragon and you must be one. Unless you want to be a sheep” and he didn’t know the extent of his words right there, until later on during the day when Artemis flew his dragon towards Old City.

We will get back to what happened in Old City later on, but ever since that day Lord Balrus blamed himself for advising Artemis to be a dragon and not a sheep. He told Lord Akirbus about what he said to Artemis, and his advise which proved to be lethal.

So now who was supposed to be blamed? The advisor or the Dragon King? The one who gave out the motivation or the one who actually burned the men? Which was which?