“Should we go down in the city and visit a tavern?” Selen asked. The idea of sitting in such a place with people staring at him with contempt did not cheer him up. Besides, the king would not leave the palace without the king’s guards. It was the rule. “Yet, I’m not sure the court will see well that you mingle with the population. Maybe later.”
The maid was back by the door. Selen picked up the tray, thanked her, and closed the door.
“Hungry for salted pork in jelly or quails in wine?” Selen said. He laid the tray on the desk.
Louis raised the metal dome, uncovering a pumpkin soup, cold salmon pie, fish eggs in gravy, bread and strawberries. Selen’s mouth watered. He cut himself a part of the pie and wolfed it down until the pain in his empty stomach disappeared.
“Did you often go to taverns?” Selen asked, still chewing.
Louis had ripped off a chunk of bread and dipped it in the bowl of soup. “I did go to taverns when I was young, in my previous life, of course, but I got pretty bored of it. Unless you go there with a friend, it is not a place where you can share interesting conversations. Even then, it is a noisy place of idleness where half-drunk men display the worst of themselves. When it’s not a place of debauchery crowded with harlots.”
“I see you like to mingle with the crowd, indeed,” Selen said sardonically. He did not enjoy taverns either, but he had always considered that the problem came from his own reserved attitude, not the opposite. He poured soup into a bowl and sipped the tepid liquid. “What do you expect to talk about with a half-drunk commoner? Philosophy? Music?”
“Aren’t those interesting subjects? I want to know more of the commoner’s way of life. I could learn from their works. Masons, smiths, tanners must have so much to talk about. I could also learn of their problems.”
“I can count on one hand the number of times I was in a tavern, but I am pretty sure that if the people go there, it’s to forget about their problems. For such talks, you should walk the streets and visit shops. You don’t need to constrain yourself to socializing at a playing table.”
Louis’s eyes shone. “That sounds like a better plan, indeed,” Louis said with a hint of relief. He picked a handful of strawberries from the plate.
Selen wondered what he would do of his time in the meanwhile.
This was the first court session of Louis’s reign and a major event after yesterday’s coronation. At the call of his name and titles, Louis, followed by Selen and Lissandro, entered the great hall by the door behind the dais. Louis was clad in a long, blue brocade tunic with a sleeveless cloak of the same fabric. The royal circlet encircled his brow. He sat on the massive carved throne, proud and solemn as usual. As he crossed his long legs, his waxed, black boots shimmered. Selen and Lissandro stood up on each side of the throne at a respectable distance. The ministers stood a bit further away. Except for his long, ivory robes, it was not such a big change from Selen’s previous functions, and he considered he could manage it easily.
The air in the hall was hot. It was summer and the days were warm in the south. The nobles packed themselves on rows of benches. They looked surprisingly fresh and bright-eyed. Some wrinkled their noses. Louis had wanted the gates open to commoners who gathered under the galleries. Selen spotted Kilda in the front row. She hid herself under a cloak, likely ill-at-ease to be there. At her side stood a one-armed, blond man with a crimson doublet and a black cape. Selen had no difficulties recognizing the hero of Earthfell. He was happy for his friends and hoped he would share words with them later. The herald’s clear voice rang out again, opening the session with the presentation of the new ministers. Everyone rose.
Louis stood up and spoke. “Our country fell and bled under the tyranny of the forces of darkness, but we prevailed. Now, united in peace, we rise from the ruins, and, confident in our strength, we rebuild. A new dawn means a social reorganization. Much will have to be reformed. The people of Trevalden need to work, to eat, to live. The time of enslavement and idleness is over. To succeed in this good, patriotic task, essential measures have been already created. Minister Pembroke, would you please read the decrees.”
Pembroke declaimed a polished version of their morning discussion. Louis’s decisions on the noble’s properties had been eluded, for the time being, but the tribute and the point on Agroln’s transactions still stood. The lecture of the decrees launched vivid discussions among the crowd. The decisions were so sudden and unusual that most didn’t seem to realize their scope.
Louis was back on his throne and sat imperturbable, gazing at his subjects, ready to mow down any outward objection. Others would have had the controversial decrees proclaimed directly in the streets, but his friend always assumed his decisions. I admire my king, Selen thought, relishing on the my. He brushed the torrid fantasies off his mind; eyes were on him.
A man clad in brocade silk stepped forward. He stopped in front of the steps, pulling nervously at his pointy beard.
“Your Majesty, my name is Hallecos. I have investments in the spice trade and other exotic products. I fear that the decree concerning the taxes on the foreign trades will create difficulties in my transactions, and probably in the ones of my fellow merchants. It may jeopardize our activities, create inflation,” the man wailed.
“I would be sorry if you should lose your activities. Maybe I can ask Minister Pembroke to go through your accounts to verify your profits and loss in details? He will certainly find a solution to your problems,” Louis proposed to the man.
“Your Majesty is kind. Yet, I think I can find a solution. If I change some investments.” The man lost himself in words and stepped back into the crowd promptly.
As no more objections rose, Louis made a sign to move on to the next subject. Selen sighed and stretched one ankle. These ceremonies were always too long.
The herald called the names Selen had chosen for the king’s guard. The ten men came forward. Folc stepped out of the crowd and looked at him. Selen smiled. The boy was proud in his shiny, white armour. The soldiers aligned in front of the king. They received a cloak of heavy, white wool with a blue hem. A silver brooch representing a unicorn clutched the woolen folds. Louis had chosen the mythical animal as his heraldry. The king’s guards knelt down and were asked to swear their vows to Louis. As they pronounced their oath, Selen detected a furtive motion out of the corner of his eye.
Someone hid behind the pillar in the front row. Selen could not move from his place. He tilted his head to see. Cloth slithered from behind the stone. Should he glimpse a weapon, he would throw himself into the crowd. Even unarmed, Selen was ready to act to protect the king. A hooded man pushed his way through the crowd towards the back. His face swiveled a fraction of a second. Selen’s eyes opened wide. Segar Mills. Their gazes met. The man disappeared.
The session had been long and tiresome. Selen rested on the fresh grass in the inner garden. The sun shone bright and the temperatures rose with each day. He was glad to sit for a while. During the ceremony, he had felt a throbbing pain in his arms and chest. He wondered if it was due to the lack of air, or to the fact that he had been upset to see Segar. Selen winced. The pain was coming back. He pulled on his sleeves and looked at his arms. The skin was paler than usual. He put a hand on his brow. Nothing indicated that he was sick. He rose and headed for the bathroom. Once inside, he removed his robes. He could feel the pain like a cramp stretching from his wrists to clamp at his heart. Yet, he saw no marks. He finished undressing and stepped into the pool of warm water. In contact with the heat, the feeling disappeared, and his skin took on a light shade of pink. His arms looked normal again. Selen plunged his head into the water and swam.
The face of Segar came back to his mind again. What did the man want? Was he after them? Louis had declared him a fugitive. Should he be arrested, he would be executed. Why would Segar stay in the city and thus risk his life? Something was up, but he didn’t know if he should alarm his friend. It would probably be better to wait and see.
He swa
m to the edge of the pool and pushed himself out of the water. Droplets ran down his body as he walked towards the towels. He dried himself and put new robes on. Selen walked back to the garden. The place was empty, and no guard was stationed in front of the stairs in the gallery. It meant that the king was absent from his apartments.
Selen entered the solar. Flowers lay on the desk. A note had been scratched on one of the papers under it. Dinner with Pembroke. Selen picked up the flowers and walked to one of the windows. His book still lay on the windowsill. He opened it at the right page while breathing the perfume of the bouquet in his hand.
“I could do a painting of you. I would title it The Lady-in-Waiting.”
Selen raised his head but already knew who had entered the solar. “Do me a favour, Lilo, and remove all the robes from this aisle.”
“One must learn to live with his time. I thought the robes were fashion during your period. Didn’t you guys used to walk around with yards of sheets wrapped around yourselves?” Lissandro said.
“Toga are not robes. There were robes indeed, but I was a soldier. Soldiers have their armour on or leather outfits.”
“Leather outfits…” Lissandro gazed at him with narrowed eyes. His friend shook his head. “I see you are alone. Would you mind to join me in my, or should I say your, apartments? I am pretty sure no one is allowed to stay in the king’s solar in his absence, and we haven’t talked for a long time.”
Selen closed his book and put the flowers in the water jar. He made a few steps towards the center of the room and stopped.
“The door at the right of the bed. Your room is two rooms further,” Lissandro coughed.
They left the room. Lissandro’s apartments were of the same size as the king’s solar, but the decoration was in shades of light blue. I must bring Louis here, Selen thought. The profusion of porcelain and lace gave a somewhat feminine touch about it. Selen guessed that it must have been the queen’s chambers once. Near the window, a guéridon had been dressed. There were fried chicken legs in a bowl, grapes, and oranges. Two goblets stood by a wine carafe.
“Were you waiting for someone?” Selen asked.
“I thought we should have a discussion without our tempestuous friend. Please, make yourself comfortable,” Lissandro said with a short gesture towards the chairs. Selen sat down on the love seat while Lissandro filled the goblets with wine. “Tell me, why did you crown him? You did not actually believe it would improve your lives, did you?”
“I meant what I said when I handed him the crown. He is the best suited to be king. If someone can rebuild this kingdom, it is Louis,” Selen answered. Lissandro handed him one of the goblets.
“Pembroke could have done it. He has the experience, the intelligence, and he is from this world. Now, the truth, Selen,” Lissandro insisted.
Selen folded his legs under him, pushing himself deep into the cushions of the seat. He took a sip of his wine. “Louis lives through his dreams. He doesn’t want the power—he wants to feel alive. Without the war, there is no army, thus forcing him to face the real world. Louis sees flaws and corruption everywhere. He has ideals. He will impose his views, whatever the cost. Put the crown on someone else, and he will fight to depose the man. Louis’s golden cage is a life in the archives of Neolerim. I did not want to see him unhappy.”
Lissandro stared at him. “You took the cage so that he could live his dreams.”
“What is a cage if you can spend your life at the side of the person you love?”
Lissandro sat in the armchair on the other side of the table. “I am impressed by the insight you have of him. Would you care to know more about his previous life?”
“I only want to know what he is ready to share with me.” Selen still felt an ache in his heart to know that Louis had loved another man in his previous life, and by what he had understood, it had been as deep as what they had now. Sometimes, Selen wondered if it was the reason his friend would not tell him his full name. Selen knew it was foolish and selfish, but he could not help himself.
“You know he doesn’t use gloves to apply his ideas. How can someone as kind as you cope with it?” Lissandro asked.
“I agree with his views if it is what you are curious about. I know the process can be … messy, but as I said, he is not facing innocents. These people…” Selen shook his head. For six years, he had been a royal guard. What he had witnessed had marked him for life. So much violence, debauchery, and treachery. It was a miracle he had come out of it untainted. This palace could not be different.
“You are probably right. I have never been in a royal court, but in my world of darkness, as I would call it, there are princes. I have faced monsters beyond imagination. Yet, I have to tell you, Louis’s ideas have flaws, and he doesn’t learn.”
“Your warnings sound as if Louis tries to reproduce his tragic fate once again. I do not have your knowledge, I am but a simple soldier, but I think we all deserve a second chance.”
“I can see it pains you to talk about it, so I won’t insist. I will only give you one last counsel. Temper him, calm him down, do all you can so that he acts wisely. Louis is a wild horse. He needs a firm, but calm and patient grip.”
Selen would remember Lissandro’s words, but he would judge by himself what his love needed best. “You are one wild horse yourself,” Selen replied.
“I know. I speak from experience. Like Louis, I too grew up without a father. Except that mine did not die but turned against me for what I am. What we have, what we are, men like Louis and I built it with our will. I was stubborn and lost, but I found my master.” Selen noticed that his friend’s eyes twitched. “I look young because this is how I was when I died. My first death. Yet, I lived two hundred years. I know about solitude. At some point, you give up having friends. No one can bear to have the ones he loves die one after the other. You two are my first mortal friends. And damn, you are like water and fire.” He chuckled.
They both laughed. Lissandro poured himself more wine. He picked up a chicken leg and proposed one to Selen, who took it.
“Did you never get bored to live that long?” Selen asked, chewing the meat off the bone. The golden, crispy skin crunched under his teeth.
“There are good sides. You have powers, you are young, you can see the world, and read all that exists. Then, there are the bad sides. You have to work for eternity, you can’t eat, and you get bored to death. Moreover, a lot of people you sometimes have never met want to see you dead for different reasons.”
“According to them, you were twice a monster.” He picked up a new chicken leg from the bowl. “What do you miss the most from your world?” Selen inquired.
“Beside the toilets and my bathroom accommodations, as Louis would say, maybe underwear, and, oh, the technologies. A good movie for example.” Lissandro probably noticed Selen’s puzzled look as he explained his thoughts. “A movie is a story, like in a book, but instead of text, there are moving pictures. See. Imagine this is a rabbit.” Lissandro made a shape with his hand, raising two fingers which looked like ears. “If I move my hand in front of grass, I can pretend the rabbit is moving in a field, eating…grapes.” Lissandro put grapes in front of his hand. “This would be like theater. Except that in a movie, there is no real rabbit because it would be an image. A lot of images moving. Yet, you believe in it. It is the story of the rabbit. Like if you read a book but all that happens in your head, happens on a flat surface.” Selen nodded. It sounded fascinating. “Well, that is a movie. It is like a book but with moving pictures.”
“And what kind of stories did you like?” Selen asked curiously. He put down the bone on the plate and sucked his greasy fingers.
“Especially stories about knights, swords, and magic kingdoms.” Lissandro laughed. His friend stared at him. “I am curious. How does a man like you end up being a soldier? You must be the sweetest person I have ever met…after my rabbit,” he added, raising his hand with the two fingers. Selen chuckled.
“I had no choic
e. I was forced to train when I was a child. Many died. I wanted to live. I had no family nor friends, but I was allowed to have pets. It may sound stupid, but they gave me the will to keep on fighting. Now that I have friends and a soul mate, I am probably a better fighter than I have ever been.” Selen flushed. He knew he didn’t look fierce curled up in his white robe with his long, lilac hair falling around him and over his brow.
Lissandro looked at him, serious again. “I saw you on that hill on the battlefield. What you did that day, not even a seasoned warrior would have accomplished. Never underestimate yourself. I won’t.”
“I saw Segar today, at the session.” Selen did not know why he had said it, but he felt better to have shared his worry with his friend. “The man loathes Louis.”
“A court is a dangerous place, and more enemies roam in the shadows. In his previous life, Louis could count his friends on one hand. Don’t worry, he has dealt with many Segar Mills already. Just be on your guard. I will keep my eyes open.” Lissandro cupped his goblet, thoughtful. “You know what I miss? Music.”
“But there is music in this world as well,” Selen answered. Though he never had the occasion to hear music, he liked the new sounds he had heard during the festivities.
“No. I don’t mean classical or whatever kind of folk music they play here. I mean modern music, songs. Good hard rock, even metal,” Lissandro’s eyes sparkled.
“I fear you have lost me again,” Selen said.
Lissandro stood silent, concentrating. Selen saw that his friend had an idea. Lissandro stood up and sang. Selen had never heard something similar. He wondered what kind of instrument could accompany such a song. The story was about a place that had all he wanted and getting on the knees. Though Selen did not understand the meaning of every word, it was entertaining. He would have clapped his hands if he had not feared to cover Lissandro’s voice. Lissandro jumped and danced as in a trance, shaking his head. Selen stared at him, fascinated.
Rising from Dust (Light from Aphelion Book 1) Page 41