Red Snow (The Shadows bk.3)

Chapter 36: The Truth ?

Arvellon smiled to himself as his eyes skimmed over his friend's latest letter but that smile soon faded as he came to the last part.

...Oh Arvellon! If only I had more friends like you, friends who don't go behind my back, friends that don't betray my trust and confidence! Just last week I was forced to incarcerate someone whom I believed to be my friend! Never in my entire life did I ever imagine having to imprison a friend! I trusted this person and I don't trust easily! 

He has thrown my trust to the wind and yet I cannot hate him! I have tried, believe me I have tried. I even threatened him with execution but he just looked me in the eye and said, "the truth is My Lady, you can't kill me. Even if you could, you can't bring yourself to do it. You would hesitate." As much as I may fight against it, that is the truth Arvellon, I cannot kill him, I'm not an executioner! I'm not a murderer! I want to release him but I cannot, I cannot let my people believe that I am weak in matters of justice. As much as I want to believe that I have done the right thing, as much as I tell myself it is for the best, I cannot help but wander...

Although he betrayed me and the confidence I placed in him, his absence causes a strange sort of pain. I cannot explain it and I want it to go away! It won't let me sleep, it makes me sick when I eat and confuses me when I try to think.

I apologise if I rambled again, I needed to tell someone, that is all. I could not keep it to myself any longer.

Once again, my apologies,

Sairene
Queen of Irrelia

He did not know what to think! Arvellon was familiar with the pain his friend had described, but that was a long time ago.

He had become so engrossed in the letter that he did not notice Êlon. The former star had watched the myriad of emotions that had flickered across the healer's features. He wandered just who the letter was from. "Arvellon?"

The sound of his name tore his attention away from Sairene's very confusing letter. Upon seeing who it was, his lips formed a smile. "Êlon! I apologise, I did not notice you."

"A little preoccupied I see," a small smile graced the former tutor's features. "If I may, who is it from?"

Rolling the letter up, Arvellon felt heat creep up his neck. "A friend."

Êlon grinned, "a good friend?"

The healer shuffled his feet and looked down to hide the redness in his cheeks but when he finally looked up, a shy smile bloomed. "I suppose."

Intrigued, Êlon stepped closer, "anyone I might know?"

Straightening, Arvellon nodded, "as a matter of fact, yes. We both know her. You taught her."

The star felt all the blood drain from his face, it couldn't be! For Arvellon's sake he hoped he was wrong. "The King's niece?!"

The healer nodded and Êlon sighed inwardly.

"Arvellon, I need to tell you something."

"Oh?" Arvellon became curious and stepped closer.

"There is no easy way to say it so, I'm just going to say it."

Arvellon was more confused than he had previously been. Why was his friend's tutor acting so strange? "Well, alright then."

"She's been lying to you."

"Come again?" Arvellon wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Your friend, the King's niece."

"Yes? What about her?"

"She's been lying to you this whole time."

Stepping back, Arvellon regarded the elf before him, "and how would you know that? Have you been reading her letters behind my back?!" Something akin to anger flared up.

"No of course I haven't!" Êlon immediately took on the defensive.

"The how do you know?!"

"Because she as good as told me!"

"What?" Arvellon narrowed his eyes in bewilderment. "What do you mean by that?"

Sighing, the star ran a hand over his features. "Before she left Mirkwood all those months ago, she paid me a visit. She came to say goodbye. As she had finished her farewells, she was about to leave, I told her that I knew everything and that soon I wouldn't be the only one. She laughed and told me, these are her exact words, "good luck trying to convince them, they will think you as mad as you believe me to be." That was the last I heard of her, until now."

Arvellon pinched the bridge of his nose, "what did you mean when you said you knew everything?"

"What I meant was," Êlon paused, he had been planning this ever since she left. "I know what she is really like."

Raising both eyebrows, Arvellon folded his arms and lifted his chin. "Oh? Is that right?"

Determined to see this through, the star took a deep breath. "She is not who you think she is. She is cold hearted and cruel."

Shocked, the healer ran a hand through his hair, "how can you say such things when you yourself sung her praises when you returned from the journey to her kingdom?!"

"She had wiped away all the memories that spoke of what she had done and replaced them with ones that never even happened!"

"That is ridiculous! I have heard enough of this!" Turning on his heels, Arvellon began to leave.

"Did she tell you in her letters that she made it always Winter? And that the people hate it? Did she tell you about the statues in her throne room?!"

Arvellon stopped and smiled to himself before turning around. "Yes. As a matter of fact she did. She told me that Winter is her favourite season but the people would much rather have the warmth of the sun. As for the statues, she told me about them a few weeks ago, she told me that she had learnt how to make statues out of ice using her magic."

Êlon did not know how to respond! He was right! She had lied but she had put enough truth in it to make it seem believable. "Arvellon please! You have to believe me! She may have told you that she learnt how to create statues but did she tell that those statues were once her people? She froze them with the ability I taught her!"

Arvellon shook his head in disbelief, "my heart does not want to believe what my ears have heard." Lifting his chin, the elven healer left the company of the star who gazed after him with only sadness in his eyes.

Sairene's web was too intricate to be pulled apart so easily.