The Blood of Alchemy

Chapter 14: Spilt Milk

Edmond was just settling down for the night, and could not find Ariana. She has been distant lately, he thought. He had not seen her around her usual spots, mingling with the other ladies, or practicing her piano or stitching. She was truly a splendid stitcher. She made beautiful drapery, embroidered with fierce animals, like lions and manta wolves.

She had of late been quite tired of her husband. He had stopped letting her receive private letters from her brother. On the advice of his council, mainly Mallard, the King had forced all letter from all lords to be searched in passing, if the pigeons happened to be spotted, and in the case of private letters to the city as well.

Many lords wrote private letters to merchant lords and suppliers from Oros. Oros was where anybody who wanted to make the most they could off their goods went. They knew the locals had the money to spend, and if you had to source it by ship, they could charge even more. They had all been intercepted, and a notice had gone up only two days prior that anybody caught disobeying would be considered abiding treasonous actions, and hanged.

Edmond decided that tonight, he would rather enjoy her company, so he waited up for her, instead of passing out like he usually did. He poured himself some wine, and started peering through some books, before getting quite bored with that, and fiddling around with some of his swords which he never had used.

It was late when Ariana came back in, and he had nearly nodded off with his fourth glass of wine in hand. The candles had gone out, and the room was black.

"You were out late." Edmond said, out of the darkness of the room.

Ariana was startled first, but looked back at Edmond calmly. "I was. I have had a few cups, I admit. I was with some of the ladies, and we must have let the time slip." She said, giving herself a check in the mirror, adjusting her dress, and pulling the pins out of her hair to let it down quite quickly. Her hair had looked tousled, but Edmond hadn't noticed in his dreariness.

"Well, I had stayed up hoping to go to bed with my Queen, but I am afraid the tired has caught up with me." The King said, giving a wide yawn and stepping from his chair to to bed.

"That is alright, we can catch up with that soon." Ariana said. She seemed to be relieved, Edmond thought. It gave him a rotten feeling in his gut, and he leaned in to smell her breath to make sure it smelled of wine. It did, so he could not argue. He would keep an eye opened to her whereabouts more often, he decided. He didn't like not knowing where his Queen was.

The two slept far apart on the bed that night, and Edmond couldn't help thinking that Ariana seemed different. She even smelled different.

Edmond woke to Mallard at his door, suggesting that he summon an urgent council meeting. They had just received the first letter back from the scouts they had sent West. It was fantastic news. It was war.

Sure enough, Mallard had been right. Edmond's letter - proposing that this new council of lords, must decide on their king - who must then be okayed by Edmond and his council - had set of a storm of righteous contenders. Even the lordships were being questioned. All sorts of people, claiming old blood rights had come forward too. There was a man named ___ who was leading an army from Milkwater, said to have quite a few followers, who had just raided the neighbouring city of Leech, and then set off fury in another nearby city called Selton.

It put a smile on Edmond's face to hear this, and forgot about the night before and Ariana's late arrival. She had gotten up too when Mallard arrived, and said that she would be in the dining hall, having breakfast.

The king summoned the meeting to see their next step. Mallard proposed that they offer the lands help, and show their loyalty to their people, and make them question why they would rebel against Edmond in the first place. Edmond had not wanted to sent them any help, but decided it would be best to take Mallard's advice.