Alliance

Chapter 20- Salvus

"It is." He nodded. "You will have to come disguised, of course. For everyone's benefit."

"I might. One day, when the castle stands more lonelier than it had thought it would ever be." She agreed, her words being the definition of ominous. "I have some other queries. Are you planning on telling him his heritage- his true heritage?"

The married couple shared a look.

"Look, I hate the idea of lying to him." Sanya started honestly. "But he's too young to deal with such a knowledge."

"So if we tell him- when we tell him-" Edmund corrected himself, "it’ll be when he’s older, more rational, and capable of understanding such a revelation.”

The Faerie Queen raised her eyebrow, but kept silent.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" The Rihaayan Queen asked, perturbed. In her limited interaction with her, she had learnt that the Faerie Queen always had something to say.

"You are his parents. If I approve or I do not, is of no consequence." Ivory eyes stared at them resolutely, the splenetic look hardly masked. "As it is, my next query does not consider Graeme- or James, as you people call him- but you yourselves."

"Us?"

"Show me the love, I had said." The Fae ignored the King as she spoke. "Almost three years ago, now. And while your act was praise worthy, it didn't fool me. Your marriage was a lie- a falsehood- something concocted for the sake of your nations, not for your hearts."

"I-"

She held up a hand to silence her. "It was an untruth."

Sanya and Edmund shared a look.

"What?"

"It no longer is. I can see that. The colours of ruby and rose bind you more than those of sapphire and cerulean."

“I’ve never studied or read about colour symbology.” Sanya said, feeling oddly nervous. Or- something. Something was happening in her heart. She hoped her husband could not hear it.

“Red and pink stand for positivity- passion- romance- lo-care. Dark blue- stands for sadness and aloofness. Light blue stands for friendship and reliability. Blue in general stands for tranquillity.” Edmund said slowly, looking up to the Queen, sure he was right. He was doing his best to not look at his wife, lest his eyes betray him. “Is that not so?”

Her lips curled up into a smile as hard and cold as frosted earth, "Yes, that is so. I'm glad my child is being raised by parents who care for each other."

Sanya fought a blush, and managed to say as calmly as she could, "Haan, it's always good for a child to grow up with lo- caring parents."

Edmund was rather tired of this conversation, and he was worried for Sanya, lest the Faerie Queen lose her curious composure and say something cruel.
Hiding his impatience, he asked diplomatically, “Is there anything else Her Majesty wishes to discuss with us?” 

"The rumours of those old crones and gorgons being on the hunt for fae blood." Her demeanour changed, as did her topic- from personal and familial to political. "To resurrect the White Witch."

The Rihaayan Queen cleared her throat and said, "Those rumours have some basis in fact, indeed. But there have been numerous attempts to bring back Jadis- and all of them have failed."

"They need the pieces of the Witch's wand, which are-" As the Just King spoke this, his wife looked at him sharply, wondering if he was about divulge the secret information but she needn't have worried, "lost. It has been, for- for nearly a decade now, ever since the Battle."
Almost a decade? Golly, time sure did fly.