**happy tuesday everyone! so I think I'm going to stick to posting Tuesdays/Saturdays, just FYI. it works better with my schedule of classes and hell LOL anyways bye**
Chapter 5
As they entered Queen Rowena's throne room, Aveline couldn't help but feel a certain sense of déja vu.
"You too?" Ari muttered to her as she surveyed the room, taking in the glossy floors, the tapestries, the dripping wax candlesticks glowing warmly on the walls.
Aveline nodded absently, remembering the last time they'd been there. It had been daytime, and the entire court had been present. She could almost see the painted faces of the bland courtiers looking down their noses over at her and Ari, while poor, bashful Lyla Quincy strained to sit up straight beside the Grand Duchess.
Now, it was just them and the Queen, save for a few guards that stood by the door, and this time Lyla stood silently beside them.
She was clearly still upset, but her curiosity had clearly overridden her distress; Aveline watched her chin lift a bit as she approached the table where the Queen sat. Rowena disliked sitting on a throne unless on ceremony- she gestured for them to take the seats across from her, not looking up from the pile of parchment papers on the table in front of her. Lyla swept a deep curtsy, and Aveline followed suit.
Rowena seemed well. There were roses in her pale cheeks and a sort of tired regality in the wrinkles by her eyes. She looked placid, unfazed. And why shouldn't she be- all of her children were safe; the few of them that weren't married and off in different kingdoms here with her in the palace. Aveline supposed a mother was only as happy as her children.
She swallowed at the thought and squashed it down, focusing on the present situation while Ari pulled out chairs for her and Lyla.
"You asked for us?" She inquired, tossing her head to throw her curls over her shoulder.
"Yes." Rowena's mouth tightened. She pushed away her paperwork with two fingers and clasped her hands together on the table, waiting for them to sit down before continuing. "Did you enjoy the tournament today?"
"It was lovely," Lyla said rapidly. "The guests had only good things to say. Apreuna was an excellent host this year."
Aveline glanced sideways at the other girl; she'd nearly forgotten how much Lyla looked up to the monarch.
"What about the horse race?" Rowena tilted her head. "There seemed to be quite a few injuries, as far as I could tell, though," she fixed her gaze on Ari and Aveline, "I hear I have you two to thank for catching it in time."
"I'm glad you brought that up, Your Highness," Aveline broke in. "Ari and I are very concerned."
"You think it was deliberate," the Queen stated.
Ari nodded shortly. "It's too much of a coincidence, Your Highness, and if there's any reason why someone would want to sabotage the proceedings..." he trailed off.
"It's certainly suspicious," she conceded. "I will look into it." There was a brief pause that made Aveline snap her attention away from the dark skies outside the windows. Rowena drew a breath. "There's another matter that I want you to be focusing on right now."
Aveline exchanged a knowing glance with Ari. She didn't know much about their new assignment, but from the secrecy and the formalities, she figured it was something high-up, likely foreign.
(Which she'd definitely be looking forward to- if it was the latter. While she wanted to dig a bit further into the racehorse mystery, Aveline had to admit that Ari wasn't the only one who wanted to get out of Apreuna for a while.)
Aveline waited. She knew the Queen wouldn't draw the matter out for too long- it wasn't her style.
"How familiar are you with the Eastern kingdoms?"
Ooh. Aveline's eyebrows shot up.
"A fair amount." Ari leaned back in his chair. "Which one?"
Rowena slid a sheet of paper towards them; a simple map of the Detache Islands. One of the larger regions was circled in black ink. "Verignes."
Ari whistled. "Aren't they... rich?"
"More or less."
Aveline chewed on her thumbnail, already deep in thought.
Well, this would be interesting, at least. Verignes was a sizable, prosperous kingdom, known for their lush forests and colorful architecture. They also had a substantial amount of jeweling mines, which accounted for the huge, sweeping streets and expensive buildings.
Aveline tried to remember if any of the royals they'd rescued last summer had been from the vibrant island, but she couldn't recall.
She'd been there a few times. The Eastern kingdoms were all grouped together. Verignes was right next to Kaidia, they practically shared a border-
Aveline tore her eyes from the map, not even letting herself go there. Eli and his stupid kingdom were in her past- period.
"So, what's the problem?" Ari was saying.
"I received a letter from one of the nobles about a week ago." Tiredly the Queen selected another parchment from her pile and flourished it in the air with an absent wave. "Apparently they're having trouble with some of the citizens."
Aveline tilted forward, her interest piqued. "What kind of trouble?"
"Well..." Rowena scanned the letter in her hands. "Some of the townspeople have been acting... strange as of late. There's some sort of mysterious fever going around. 'These fevers in no way seem to be contagious, rather random and erratic, however causing hallucinations and violent behavior in the victims that they take,'" she read aloud.
"Violent?" Aveline interrupted. "How so?"
"It doesn't say. The physicians are baffled."
Aveline glanced at Lyla as if to say, did you know about this? Lyla shrugged, her eyes wide.
Aveline could already see the cogs working in Ari's head. "Do they know what's causing it?"
"See..." Rowena hesitated. "That's what they were hoping you could find out."
Aveline squinted at the ruler, not quite sure of what she was hearing.
"No offense, Your Highness, but I think this seems a bit above our pay grade," said Ari. "I mean, Aveline and I aren't doctors. We can't diagnose people for their fevers, or whatever it is."
"The monarchy must have desired your particular... skills for some reason. They asked for you specifically," Rowena added, her words only adding to Aveline's confusion.
"Us?" Ari said incredulously, looking the same way Aveline felt. "Why?"
"I don't know," the Queen huffed, suddenly defensive. Interesting. Aveline wondered at the reason behind Rowena's discomfort- perhaps she didn't actually have as much information as she was letting on. "Haven't you done jobs before?"
Aveline folded her arms. "Not since we took this one."
"Well, consider this task part of your emissary work here in Apreuna. Maintaining alliances, and all that." The Queen waved her hand. She was always making grand, dismissive gestures with her hands- maybe it was a monarch thing. To look commanding, and all that. "A word of advice?"
Aveline waited.
"I'd take this job, if I were you. I don't have all the details, but I'd imagine the pay would be nothing to scoff at."
Aveline didn't doubt it.
She glanced sideways at Lyla. "Would we be going alone?"
She could have sworn the Queen rolled her eyes. "Lady Quincy will join you, of course. I am sending her and perhaps one more on your journey."
Aveline wondered at the rushed way she said this last bit. Ari didn't miss it either- his eyebrows furrowed. "Who?"
"Her Highness will give us details later," Lyla interjected, a little too quickly. "At the moment she's preoccupied with the prince's return this weekend."
Ari, sufficiently distracted, grimaced. "Do we have to go to that?"
The Queen glanced up sharply, and Aveline decided that was their cue to leave.
"We'll let you know by then, if it's all the same to you, Your Highness."
Rowena inclined her head, dismissing them, and Aveline managed to tow Lyla and Ari out of the room without any further comments.
As soon as the enormous doors shut behind them, Lyla grabbed both of their arms.
"Verignes!" She squealed. "I've always wanted to see it! It's supposed to be like a fairy kingdom," she whispered excitedly, her previous agitation with the pirates seeming to have vanished in the span of five minutes. "Not to mention, this will make us rich. Not that that matters," she added hastily, and Aveline hid a grin. Suddenly Lyla gasped. "Do you suppose they'll let us stay in the grand palace? I've only seen it in paintings."
Ari eyed her as if she were a suspicious foreign object in his living room. "Well, it's nothing to pass out over, I assure you."
"I'm not going to faint, Ari! I just..." Lyla sighed (laying on the dramatics a bit, in Aveline's opinion). "I've been itching for another adventure."
"It's a punishment," announced Ari. "Because we dumped mud on that fool Guernot. Aveline, this is your fault- it was your idea."
"An idea you supported," Aveline shot back immediately. "And I don't think it's a punishment. I'm looking forward to this job."
"Didn't you hear what the Queen said? Apparently, our job is to socialize with a kingdom of deranged loons," Ari said, leading them back down the corridor. His tone turned thoughtful as he continued. "I wonder what sort of vampiric plague it is that they claim to have."
"I was thinking about that too," said Aveline, taking a left down the hall to the other wing. "Perhaps it could be some sort of shared psychosis? It's happened before."
"Folie à deux," Ari agreed. "It wouldn't surprise me."
The three fell silent save for their soft footsteps as they made their way towards their rooms.
Rowena was vague on the details, as usual, Aveline thought, but this time she suspected the Queen didn't actually know very much about the case. Which was... intriguing.
The whole situation seemed strange, in a word. She and Ari would have to ask Inez to find out more information.
Aveline laughed inwardly at herself; curious already. Like moths to flame; the only way they'd find real answers is if she and Ari took the job.
In her opinion, there was a certain flaw in needing to solve every mystery there was to decipher in the world- and she firmly believed that they had it.
"We could go to Olwen tomorrow, ask Jeckel about it," Ari suggested, quieting as they passed a cluster of nobles. "I'm sure he knows something. We could be back before next week."
Lyla shook her head firmly. "No! I told you; this weekend Her Highness is throwing a party for Prince Tristran's return. We're expected to be there."
"Fine. You can go," the pirate retorted.
"You have to come! Tristran and Ben will want to see you!"
Smart move, Aveline silently commended. No one could argue with that. Aveline herself was rather looking forward to seeing the young couple that were the cause of all the trouble last summer.
Lyla and Ari were still bickering. "Please will you come?" Lyla wheedled.
"No."
The blonde tapped her fingers on her chin. "They'll have food..."
She didn't mention Tristran and Ben's third travelling companion, who would doubtlessly be returning with them.
Aveline didn't often bring up Jamie; not because she was afraid of Ari's reaction, rather, she didn't see the use in rehashing the past. She figured when he came to it, Ari would cross that bridge- or, the more likely scenario; burn that bridge and every other one he'd ever had for good measure.
"We'll make an appearance," said Aveline, ceasing the argument- and her hurdling train of thought.
There would be food, after all.