Sweet Waters Throne

203 Chapter 20Artemis refused to listen to neither Lord Balrus nor Angun when they tried to tell him that Aprophil wasn’t violent in nature, and that he would never do anything to take the throne from him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. “You have dragons Your Grace, no one will dare challenge a Dragon King” Lord Balrus assured him.

Then Artemis barged outside of the manse and his palanquin was waiting for him. This time he instructed the servants to take him straight to Aurora’s Hill, and that’s when he had the idea of riding his dragon to Prophis.

He found Aurora playing with Jahery and Haisa in the gardens, she was surrounded by her servants and wet nurses. She was happy and contained, while he was frustrated and worried. Artemis took a handful of his silver hairs and brushed them back, then he sighed softly trying to calm himself down.

Aurora spotted him from where he stood and she waved. He waved back with a forced smile, and then proceeded to Aurora.

“You missed Jahery’s first word. Can you guess what it was?” Aurora was excited.

“Um... a dragon?”

Aurora busted out laughing, “No, it was Ma. He said Ma...”

“Ma?”

“Yes, as in mother” said Aurora and right there she noticed that her husband was frustrated. She reached out to touch his left cheek, and then kissed his lips. But still Artemis wasn’t responding to the kiss as he usually does.

.....

The servants and wet nurses were excused from the gardens. They took Jahery and Haisa with them while the King and Queen talk.

Aurora asked straight away what was wrong with Artemis, it had been a week ever since they threw a tournament and a feast to celebrate their daughter. During this week Artemis was absent in most cases, his obsession with Aprophil took most of his time and attention.

“I... I just want to fly, and... clear my head” he stuttered to speak while his face was cupped between Aurora’s hands.

“Will you tell me what’s going on after you come back?”

“Yes, I promise” he said knowing too well that he was lying.

“Alright, and take the pink one too. She can use flight lessons here and there, and she needs to mate with Artodo as soon as possible”

“Don’t you think Vizoro will be jealous?”

Aurora managed a smile, then she told Artemis, “Dragons know they need to multiply inorder to survive, I’m sure Vizoro understands” she said and pulled in Artemis for a tight hug which felt like a relieve to both of them.

It was a relief to Artemis because he was unrest and he needed that moment of calmness, and also to Aurora because she missed her husband and wanted to feel his body against hers. It lasted for three minutes, no one was ready to break it.

Later on, Artemis mounted Artodo, the black beast and flew him over the skies of Blackmount while the she-dragon flew behind them. Aurora didn’t ask where was Artemis going, all she knew was he wanted to fly in order to feel good and she had nothing against that.

There were times she felt depressed and lonely, flying her dragon made her feel better and energized. It’s the power that comes with battling the wind and riding such magical creatures that creates a sense of calmness inside.

Artemis had only one thing in his mind, and that was to fly North and see his half brother for the first time. The rumors that he looked exactly like their father, enraged him because he wanted to be the one who looks like him, yet it had to be the bastard one.

Artodo felt his rider’s feelings, dragons were blessed with such talent to notice their rider’s wants and desires. That’s why Alienor Morrow burned his enemies sometimes without even saying a word, his dragon noticed his needs before he can say “incendio”.

Even when Artemis was riding his dragon, it’s as if Artodo knew that Artemis wanted to go North and that’s where he took him. The she-dragon followed behind flexing her pink – maroon wings, those who witnessed Artemis riding this day, spoke of the dragon’s beautiful wings making her look like an angel flying out in the open.

The flight from Blackmount to Raven took a whole day and few stops along the way. The winter was harsh and it came with snows and strong winds, especially during the night and that’s when he rested the dragons inside a cave he found amongst the abandoned villages in Prophis. That night Artodo mated with the she-dragon under the moonlight as Artemis watched.

It’ll only be a matter of time before Vizoro lay out the eggs, and soon it’ll be this pink dragon who was yet to be named. Artemis looked at the possibilities of having ten or more dragons in his kingdom, currently there were four dragons since Visera took the blue one to Forewater to see her daughter. She was yet to return since then, however that didn’t trouble Artemis. What he wanted was power beyond reach, and his power came from dragons.

Came dawn and Artemis mounted his dragon once again, this time he was close to Raven. When he was out in the sky he saw the crowds and the huge number of people outside the Holly Sept of Raven. It was during this time he knew Amabel was sworn in as King of Prophis and the people gathered for a coronation ceremony.

Artemis dispised Prophisians five gods, he thought they were primitive and the fact that they don’t cremate their deads but bury them inside mummies and vaults, sounded like torturing the dead. In Maldonia, the young men are taught that fire releases a dead man from his sin and makes him pure. If you don’t burn the dead, then you risk them going to hell and not to the afterlife as they are supposed to.

The coronation ceremony was conducted by a High Septon, and possibly the High Septon would anoint Amabel in the eyes of the five gods. But that didn’t concern Artemis, he only wanted to see his half brother with his own eyes. To look at him and see for himself what other men saw in him, and to also know if Aprophil knew who he was, or he didn’t.

Henceforth, let’s go back to that morning when Artemis landed in front of the Holly Sept and climbed down from his dragon. He made his way towards the new King while passing his men who carried Amabel Taelin’s sigil — a grey flag with a spear piercing through a brown moon sigil. But in reality he was just making his way towards his half brother.

Katarina, Lord Howsley, Sir Thomas Buken, Rush, and the other new Lords of the Bellward and Claydall curtised before Artemis when he approached them. The good folks of Raven bent a knee when Artemis was passing through, and they did this not because he had a dragon. But because he was a King, and kings were respected even outside of their kingdoms.

With an exception of Sir Tyriol, the Lord Commander of Kingsguard and Aprophil, the Hand of the King. These two neither curtised nor bowed before Artemis. Amabel was a King, Tyriol the Lord Commander of Kingsguard hence he only bows before his King.

But Aprophil, he was supposed to show his respect to Artemis, but he didn’t.

Artemis asked him, “Why didn’t you curtsy before me my Lord?” he knew exactly who he was, his father’s face on Aprophil was enough for him to know that he was indeed the half brother who clouded his thoughts for many a nights.

“I am the Hand of the King, Your Grace. I recognize no power than that of my King” replied Aprophil calmly with his head down.

“Look at me” Artemis commanded him.

Aprophil managed to raise his head and locked eyes with Artemis who stood so close to him in such a way it made him uncomfortable. They were both tall and of the same height. Just two years apart but they looked as if they could be twins, Artemis silver haired and pale skin, while Aprophil black haired and ebony. Yet they had the same blood flowing in their veins, the ancient blood of House Arteides dating back to the glorious days of King Ayman.

“I heard tales about you bastard, in streets and in taverns. They said you look exactly like our father, and I refused to agree” said Artemis and then he sighed softly.

Amabel was amazed, Aprophil never told him that he was a bastard. And not only was he a bastard, but the King’s bastard. King Luca Arteides’s bastard and Artemis himself confirmed it in front of everyone. Even Rush was caught off guard, so much for being Mistress of Spies while she didn’t know Aprophil was Luca’s bastard.

“I never knew our father that much, I can never tell if I look like him or not” said Aprophil.

“You do look like him, and I had to fly here to see it for myself”

“Is that so, you flew all the way here just to see if I look like our father?” Now this was a question out of curiosity and Artemis didn’t like the tone Aprophil delivered the question with.