GRAY

CHAPTER TWO: A king or nothing

The following morning, loud sounds of the main city bell echoed through Igneafus, cautiously alarming every man, woman and child within the great city. Queen Sierra could clearly hear the ringing from where she stood, staring through her bedroom window, from high up the royal castle.

Two rings for the inception of a royal event. Three rings for the death of a royal family. Seven rings for a foreign attack on the city.

The queen hissed after she heard the third ring. The ringing had stopped after that, only three. The last time she heard the bell ring three times was just yesterday, after her husband, the late king Gandor Escanorr was murdered. And now today's bell was suppose to tell every man, woman and child in Igneafus that there next king, and her own son, the crowned prince was also dead.

Any noble wife and mother would mourn in tears at the thought of it, but not the Sierra. She wasn't any noble wife or mother, she was a queen. She had neither the time nor need to mourn. Even at the age of 50, with her long golden hair and aging face, she was still a strong pragmatic at heart. And the thought of losing both husband and son only made her question her choices and the motives of those around her.

She hissed again at the thought of it. Then came a knock at her door. She ignored.

"It's me, your grace." A frail male voice said through the closed door.

She knew the voice. "Come in." She said in an audible tone.

The door open and she turned around slowly to see a young man walk through the door. He was her nephew, Isoul Escanorr.

Isoul had only just clocked twenty and he was already captain of the royal guards. She had managed to convince her late husband to appoint him such a prestigious position, giving that he was the only living man in the royal castle she trusted. He was too good-natured for his own good and equally naïve, but he was faultlessly loyal to her. That singular quality made him very valuable to her. For in her world, loyalty was a rare thing.

As usual he was dressed in his regular light brown leathered pants and darkish brown braided sleeves. He was never fond of dressing like a true appointed knight, something the queen always stressed on, and he was too stubborn take heed. He was a blonde good looking man, except for his exotic hair style, which to Sierra opinion, made him seem like a dry joke.

The queen frowned at the sight of his hair. "I thought I made it clear that no one should be allowed to ring the bells." She said sternly.

"I did give the order, your grace." Isoul replied apologetically.

The queen gave him a questioning stare, waiting for an explanation.

"It was the high council." He added, "They gave the order to sound the bells."

The queen hissed in anger, turning towards the window. "Those venomous snakes!" she spat in disgust, "I am sure they must be celebrating with wines by now."

"Your grace?" She heard Isoul call out in a low tone from behind.

"What ?" She replied sternly, as if annoyed by his voice.

"Why would any member of the high council celebrate on such a day." He asked innocently. "Their new king just died."

Queen sierra turned towards him, giving her nephew a hard glaring stare. And Isoul swallowed hard. "For a seemingly obvious reason nephew." She said, calming her tone. " They ordered the sounding of the bells to tell the people that my son is dead. I don't have another true heir and If the people eventually believe that the greatest sorcerer in all of the ironlands is truly gone, then by law, the high council gets to choose the next king." She paused briefly, "And our family line loses its name as Escanorr."

"Oh." Isoul muttered at sudden realization. "You really think he's still alive?"

The queen was silent.

"But how can that be, your grace?" He asked seeming lost already. "They found the dead bodies of the Prince, his kingsglaive and eleven of his royal guards."

" 'They' huh?" Her murmur was full of doubt. "Oh my dear nephew." She said with a disappointed tone as she walked away from him, to her wine table that stood nearby. She took a glass cup and one of the wine bottles from the table. "Do you always have to be so naïve?"

Isoul replied by looking away sheepishly.

Queen Sierra filled up her glass with wine. "In Igneafus, there are two gifted kinds of people." She dropped the wine bottle as she continued. "The liars and the critics." She turned towards Isoul. "Everyone is a liar but not anyone can be a critic. To outsmart them all, which do you have be?" She gave Isoul an impatient gaze. Holding her wine filled cup with both hands.

"I have to be a critic." He replied, nodding boldly.

"Wrong you fool." The queen snapped. "You have to be both." She corrected, finally drinking her wine till it was half empty.

"Oh." Isoul muttered in agreement.

The queen sighed and turned away, towards the window this time.

"If prince Hagridon is indeed alive, then where is he?" He asked, wondering within himself the answer to his question.

"I don't know." She replied in low voice, as if musing over an idea. "But Igneafus needs a king and so I will give them one."

Without saying another word, she walked up to her work desk, sitting comfortably on the chair beside. With daring caution, she dropped her cup of wine and pull out a small piece of paper from a filing. Picking up an ink pen from the side, she began writing. Isoul watched her, drawing up a few tentative answers as to what she might be up to. She wrote briefly on the paper and when she was finished, she stood and walked up to Isoul.

"Take this." She said handing him the piece of paper. "I want you to send your most trusted men to that location outside the city and bring to me the man who resides there. He goes by the name of Erik Hornwill, and he has a wife with two young twins. Now listen very carefully Isoul, under no circumstance are they to try and force him. They should beg him if need be. With the king dead, I believe he should be more willing to come."

He took the paper from her, carefully reading the content. There was a flicker of confusion in his eyes after reading. "Erik Hornwil?" He said the name with a dry humor, trying to make sense of it. "If I may, your grace, but who is this man?"

"Someone very important." She noted. "Remember, you are not to go with them. I want you to head into the city instead, see with your own eyes where they claim to have found my son's body and find out the actual truth."

Isoul nodded slightly. "Yes of course your grace." He was still staring at the paper, trying to hide his vague facial expression. "But I still don't understand. How exactly is this man supposed to assist us?"

She let out a devious smile, turning away from Isoul. Her loosely worn velvet gown shimmering elegantly as she strode towards her room window. Her cousin might be too good for his own good, but the too good man, she trusted.

"You are to tell no one of this." She said without looking back at him.

"I wouldn't dare."

And she told him her plan.