The Fall of Vequera

Chapter fifty | Nikolai

LOCATION: ARCADIOS, VEQUERA

YEAR: 622 C.E

THE SAINTS HONOR THE WOMEN.

In the books of Mary, Margaret, Clement, and Edith, their bodies were burned to honor them. So, Aeyar could find them in the afterlife. To keep up with the custom, women who were followers of the saints bodies' were burned. Nikolai didn't mind the custom, but House Lamonia weren't followers of the saints or Aeyar. He needed the Koridar to get off his back, so he had his mother's funeral in the way of the saints. He stood with the rest of his house as her body which was wrapped in a tannish cloth was placed on a wooden pyre with a stone base. Prince Erato had to force him to wear black to show he was actually mourning his mother. Erato said the nobles would be watching him closely now that he was king.

Once the nameless ones placed her body on the pyre, they turned to face Nikolai waiting for his command. His stare was vacant and cold as he looked away from them, his eyes on the small mountain behind them. The King jumped slightly when a hand was placed on his shoulder. It was his uncle, his eyes red from crying. "May your descend to the place of Aeyar be a worthy one, dear sister. Your soul will be graced by the saints. May father rest with you in the heavenly above with Aeyar. You will be missed dearly." Erato spoke in Dethiaen with love and admiration. Nikolai wondered if his words were true as he turned to the nameless ones, nodding his head. The torches in the hands were placed on different parts of the pyre. On the body, on the wood, and under the wood.

Fire rose from the pyre, dancing as it burned. Nikolai felt nothing as he watched his mother burn. His eyes burned from the night before. A night of drinking didn't do him any favors. The night was a complete haze. He remembered seeing his father but everything else disappeared from his mind. The dowager king had disappeared with the babe and a wet nurse in the dead of night. It brought him no comfort knowing the babe had survived. Sir Aleixo had informed him that the babe was a boy. Turning to his side, he saw his wife. Her eyes were dead and lacked any life. Like she was dead to the world and her own mind. Her blinks were slow as she stared down at her hands. She would be queen now.

Amren hadn't spoken much. Not that he cared if she did anymore. His eyes wandered to her ladies-in-waiting that stood behind them. Lady Katlynn of House Eurouin, Lady Enola of House Blackmore, and Lady Elvira of House Harbottle. Elvira and Enola were of low birth. They had their heads lowered in respect to the late queen. Their gowns were black and so were the gable hoods on their heads. The headdress wrapped around the heads and draped down their shoulders. They dressed quite similar to Amren.

"How long do we stand here?" He turned to his uncle with a bored expression.

Nikolai was met with a glare from both his uncle and his aunt, Helena. Which surprised him. He had never seen her annoyed before. Henry rolled his eyes from behind his mother. Nikolai stared back at the pyre as the wood started to collapse. Her body hadn't completely burned just yet. The daughters began to pray over her body. The funeral ended an hour later after his legs had begun to cramp from standing. A feast had welcomed them in the great hall. The head of the table was the first thing he saw when he entered the hall and he walked to it, sitting down. Amren sat on the left of him and to his right, his uncle.

There were many dishes in front of them, but he seemed to only want to eat the lamb stew. They waited until he began to eat before they started to. As they once did with his mother. The feast was silent expect for the occasional question from Ella or Erato. His younger cousins could not understand what happened to their aunt. "Where is aunt Isabella?" Dimitri stared down at his daughter with kind eyes before he whispered a response that Nikolai could not hear from his end of the table. Ella nodded as her large eyes stared at the wooden dragon in front of her.