The Eternal Queen

Chapter 16: Ardele

Down in the town's pavilion square, Lady Coralie was wearing a cape that covers her face behind me. In the back of my head, I know that it probably is not the best idea to take the princess with me. She is bound to get herself into some trouble.

The day is crisp and clear, the vast blue sky over us all. The sun streams through the sky, and I see some children run down the streets. They are pushing on one another, laughter ringing through the area. Their happiness contagious as their laughter spreads to the shopkeepers nearby. The pavilion is lined with shops, and the market is busy. Fruits and accessories, among other things being sold along the lively shops.

I heard that there was a siren selling mood stones for a living here. Nora was telling me about it the other day. Most sirens are reclusive, but this young lady seems to be a delight. Sirens have the ability to call water and a voice that could bring anyone to their knees. They are rare, and mostly reside in the South rather than the North.

In Arcana, I have only heard of two living here. Sirens are a huge component to the antidote. Not the sirens themselves, but their tears. I need siren tears, because the uliope root needs special water to dissolve the root particles as the roots are usually crushed so finely. Siren tears have unique properties of healing if used correctly, but if used incorrectly, can cause blindness.

Most creatures do not know about the secret of siren tears as sirens are already really rare creatures on their own. I have encountered a siren in my life before when I was traveling down South for a mission from King Maximus back from Clairemont.

We crossed paths when I stopped in a remote village for rest. She was lovely and gave me the gift of her first tear when she died in childbirth. The child sadly died as well. The siren was living in a small nomad-like community that my men and I took refuge in on the way back to Clairemont. I have never used it, kept as a testament to her hardships. I could not use her loss for my own gain.

I briefed Lady Coralie on this important information earlier, so that she understood the importance of a siren's tear before leaving to the market. She was brought to tears by my personal story, and she promised that we would never use her tear. It was a bittersweet moment. Justice for one, injustice for the other. But who was to say who is who?

The market is teeming with creatures. And the amount of diversity in the kingdom is shocking. It still shocks me regularly. Everyone here seems to be living harmoniously. But the same went for Clairemont if a person looked in from the outside.

I grab Lady Coralie's arm to make sure that I would not lose her. Being jostled by people is not enjoyable, and it is easy to get separated in such a populated area. Looping my arm with hers, I weave through the crowds, inspecting all the shops. I don't know where the siren's booth is located, so it is a tedious task.

Lady Coralie points at a booth wedged in between too tarot card readers. "I think I see a stone sign."

Going on the tips of my toes, I can barely read the sign. But sure enough, there was a small sign with the words stone and mood plastered on it. We weave our way through the crowd, shoving people if necessary, and we stop at the mood stone shop.

The booth is filled with beautiful colorful stones. And some stones look to be glowing, looking like a trick to the eye to a regular creature, but I can feel the magic swirl in them. Lady Coralie picks up a turquoise rock, looking at them in awe. I pick up an amethyst stone it glows brighter in my presence. The magic feels odd, it is something I have never felt before. The magic almost has a calming sensation.

"That is an Equilibrium stone, miss."

I look up meeting her gaze, and the siren stares at me in curiosity and caution.

"It is beautiful. I will take it," I say, trying to calm her nerves, as I see her eyes darting behind me.

Lady Coralie comes over to join the conversation. "Good morning, miss. I love your booth. The stones are truly magnificent."

The siren glows under Lady Coralie's praise. "Thank you. Have you found anything that has caught your eye?"

Lady Coralie smiles. "Yes. I love the pink quartz."

The siren nods. "Ah. Good choice, miss. The stone represents purity. It will cast a good aura over your home."

As we pay the siren, I put a calming spell on her. Her eyes relax, and her mouth tilts up into a dazed smile. Lady Coralie immediately sees the change in her demeaner and looks over at me.

"I put a calming spell on her," I explain quietly, twirling the amethyst in my hands.

"Okay, good. I did not know what to do as I could sense her panic," she pauses. "Now, how are we supposed to get her cry?"

Scanning the area to see if the booths next to her were busy, I shrug. The tarot card readers next to the siren's shop look to be asleep as no one has approached them yet. The siren is smiling at us as if we had given her the love of her life. Humming, I think of our options. We could try to get her out of here to a more private place to talk deep matters with her. Or we could scare her, bringing her to tears.

I also need to get Lady Coralie back to the castle as fast as possible, as the crown prince does not know she is with me. Lady Coralie would obviously choose the first option out of those two, but maybe the siren already has a vial of siren tears she is keeping. We should probably check that first as bringing fresh tears to a siren's eyes would take an excess amount of time. A siren only cries when she is extremely scared, heartbroken, or happy. Lady Coralie seems to know of these matters, and I can see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"I am going to have the siren lead us to her home. Hopefully, she has a vial of her tears there."

Lady Coralie looks confused. "Why would a siren keep a vial of her own tears?"

"I am sure she knows the value of her tears. Siren tears are very sought after. It would only be logical that she has a vial of her own tears. If not, she lives a very bland life."

I take the siren's arm in mine, and I lead her out of the booth. The siren is like a drowsy child, her body swaying back and forth. Lady Coralie flips her sign to around, the closed sign bright and big. The tarot card readers regard us with suspicion, but Lady Coralie takes care of them.

She smiles at me and speaks loudly for the spectators to hear. "Our dear friend is working herself waaaaay too hard. We should treat her to a cup of tea at my humble abode."

My eyes light with silent laughter. "Ah yes. I am sure she would love to try some of your exotic tea imported from the South."

The siren opens her mouth, before drowsily saying, "I love tea."