Lord Roviaryn looked up from his paperwork with his usual frown on his face. He had been sitting at his desk for almost the entire night and was only slightly exhausted. He stroked his chin with his thumb and pointer and noted that he needed to shave soon, but that wasn’t why he was frowning.
A strange, uneasy feeling filled him and he tried to figure out what the source was.
He found this utterly important… because his senses were almost always right.
He let out a breath and then found himself looking across the room at where a bouquet of withered roses sat.
The roses were the welcome gift that Maryryna had given him years ago, when he first arrived at the palace.
They still sat there on the same spot on his old desk, across the room from his newer one. The only difference now was that they were brown and withered and no longer as beautiful as they once were.
Maryryna had offered to replace them countless times over the past twenty-something years but Roviaryn had refused. He found there to be something beautiful about withered roses.
And as he stared at the roses, the uneasy feeling in him grew.
Suddenly, there was a knock at his door.
He blinked before he straightened himself up. “Come in.” He said in his low voice.
A Lumynos knight walked into his room and bowed low when he reached the Advisor.
“What is it?” The Advisor asked as he leaned back in his seat.
“The Maid of your household informed one of the knights on watch that… Avaryn… is with your wife.”
Lord Roviaryn just stared. “Thank you.” He simply said.
The knight hesitated before bowing and leaving the room as fast as he could.
Roviaryn leaned forward, placing his arms on his desk and clasping his hands together.
His frown remained but now his eyebrows furrowed.
He looked back at the withered roses and stared for a long time before he stood up.
The Lord had decided to go see his son.
Avaryn wasn’t sitting next to Lady Maryryna anymore. He stood in front of her and stared at her with shock. “Lord Roviaryn…”
Lady Maryryna’s lips quivered as she stared back at the young man. “It was him,” she whispered, “he organized the murder of your father.”
He stared in start the plan… it wasn’t his idea… it was Lyryn’s… but he did all the organizing…” She suddenly shook her head, “that doesn’t justify his actions though–”
“Why are you telling me this?” Avaryn asked. He didn’t understand her intentions. Why would she turn on her husband?
The woman swallowed back her tears. “Because… I…” she took a breath and looked down at her hands. “My father died… right before my eyes. I was there and could not do anything to save him. Then, the man who replaced him died the same way. I was there… but I could not do anything about it.”
He continued to stare at her, feeling his heart sink deeper and deeper.
“The truth is what is killing me, Avaryn.” She put her hands on her head and shook it, “it’s why I’m dying. The gods are punishing me for not speaking out!”
Avaryn shook his head. “It’s not your fault.” That’s what his father would have wanted him to say.
She continued to shake her head. “I’m telling you this because… because I can’t allow myself to die with this secret! I… I cannot fail Kyryn again.”
“But why?” Avaryn asked, “My father did nothing but good for that man and your family. Why would Lord Roviaryn do this?”
“His desire for power ruined him.” She said. “He wanted you and Kyryn to be dead so my son could take your place. It was because of his love for his son but also his love for power.”
Avaryn was horrified. He knew the Lord was a man who reached for power but he never knew he would do it in such a dishonest way.
And for Seliaryn?
Seliaryn would be even more horrified than he was if he found out the truth.
But what worried Avaryn more was that he really should have known… especially with the recent events… he should have known that Roviaryn had a role in it.
“Roviaryn needs to be punished for his crimes.” She said, looking at her hands, “It’s what he deserves… that’s why I’m telling you. He’s my husband but… he is also a criminal. A traitor. A traitor that killed my best friend and your father and the best King our nation has ever had.”
Avaryn watched the woman.
It was strange to him…
He had longed for this truth for years and now he had it.
But more than being angry, he was sad. He pitied this woman and all that she might have been put through to keep this secret.
It was obvious that she loved and cared for her father.
But it was also obvious that she loved her husband.
She must have been so torn up by all that had happened.
“You must… punish him. And you must punish me too.” She said.
Her voice was filled with so much sorrow and guilt and relief all at the same time.
“But please… protect my son. He did nothing wrong.” she looked at him with eyes that were begging him as much as her words were, “he is noble and kind hearted and you know it.”
Avaryn took a breath.
“You can punish my husband and you can punish me but please don’t allow him to suffer for our crimes.”
“You did nothing wrong.” Avaryn said.
She didn’t.
He could see it now.
He could see why this woman who had once been so joyous and lively had suddenly lost all of it.
The truth had truly been killing her.
It had ruined her.
And it only made Avaryn pity her more.
“It’s not your fault.” Avaryn said as he stepped forward and knelt down before her. “I will do what must be done, but this isn’t your fault. Please… don’t think that it is.”
Lady Maryryna looked at him.
“My father would never have wanted this to happen to you.” He said, “the fact that you feel this way must have upset him a thousand times more than the betrayal of Lord Roviaryn… you know that, Aunty Mary.”
She swallowed back her tears and held his hands tightly.
“I will protect your son and I will protect you. I will protect you both from him–”
A small smile suddenly grew on her face. “You don’t need to protect us from him. Ro would never hurt us.”
Avaryn hesitated but nodded his head. “I will do what needs to be done.”
She pulled his hand up to her lips and kissed it.
“Please don’t be wary.”
And before Lady Maryryna could say anything to him, he disappeared.
Because the truth was that Avaryn needed to get away.
He needed to get away and figure things out.
Avaryn appeared in front of Master Red with a deep frown.
Master Red, who knew he was coming and was waiting for him in the usual dark room, was also frowning. “Your identity may have been revealed, but I still think it’d be a safe idea to keep your mask on, Avaryn.”
“I know who killed my father.”
Master Red’s eyes widened immediately. “What?” This was the last thing he had expected to hear.
In fact, he had been starting to think that Avaryn’s hunt for his father’s murderer had been put on pause because of all that had been going on.
“Lord Roviaryn.” Avaryn said.
Master Red’s eyes widened more. “What?” He hissed it this time.
“Lady Maryryna told me the truth. She said that she couldn’t take keeping it a secret anymore.”
“That’s… impossible.” Master Red said. “Roviaryn working with Lyryn? The two hated each other. Lyryn had been dying to marry Roviaryn’s wife, hadn’t he? They despised each other.”
“But Lyryn died long before my father died. Their hate for each other is irrelevant.”
Master Red clearly couldn’t seem to believe this. He was one of the best spies in Raffyre and it seemed obvious that Master Red did not think at all that it was Lord Roviaryn. “How did he not leave a trail? Not even at all.”
“Nothing?” Avaryn asked.
Master Red shook his head, “none. The only reason why I suspected Roviaryn even slightly was because he was so power hungry… but there were never any other clues. Are you sure that Lady Maryryna–”
“You didn’t see her face.” Avaryn said. “She’s telling the truth. She’s devastated. This knowledge is what’s killing her.”
“Huh.” Master Red said. “I always thought it was simply the fact that her best friend died. I didn’t realize it was much more serious.”
“Well it is much more serious.” Avaryn said, starting to pace. That was very unlike him.
“Why do you seem so confused? All you ever wanted to do was kill the man that killed your father. Now you know who it is. Go kill him. Avenge your father’s death.”
“Master Red, I want to do that, I really do…” Avaryn stopped pacing and looked at the man, “but this man is not just any man. He’s the father of my old best friend and the husband of my father’s best friend. And on top of all of that, he’s a powerful figure in Raffyre. I can’t just simply kill him.”
“So you’re going to let him go?”
“Of course not.” Avaryn said, firmly. “But I can’t… kill him.”
“Then what are you going to do? Arrest him?” Master Red asked, “that’s not going to work. He is not going to sit around and let you make a fool out of him.”
“But that’s what I have to try… I can not kill him.”
‘”It’s not that you can not,” Master Red said, more to himself, “it’s simply that you will not.”
Of course, Avaryn heard that, but he chose to ignore it. “Maybe it would be better if I told Seliaryn–”
“Will he believe you?”
Avaryn frowned. He had no idea.
He didn’t know much of the relationship between Seliaryn and his father.
Were they close?
Or did Seliaryn hate his father?
Could he really risk telling Seliaryn the truth?
“I’m not going to kill him.” Avaryn frowned, “I’m going to go talk to him. I’m going to try and get him to realize that he made a mistake.”
“That’s not going to work.”
“I’m going to try.”
“And if Roviaryn attacks you?”
Avaryn looked at his Master. “Then I’ll attack back.”
And with that, Avaryn left before Master Red could say another word.
Master Red had a deep frown on his face before he too vanished to recruit his entire group.
He had a feeling that something very bad was going to happen.
Seliaryn was bored. The council meeting was always boring but he always tried paid attention to everything.
He knew he had to, especially if he wanted to be a good king.
He wasn’t going to do what Dukaryn did and zone everyone out while he played with his jewelry.
He’d listen. And try his best to do a good job.
But to his surprise, the meeting was interrupted by his new right hand woman, Ameryna.
Am walked in in her usual getup, which received the stares of all the men in the room. She ignored everyone else and kept her eyes on the King.
Seliaryn, who was watching her expression, gave her a small smile.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said after bowing, “but I need to borrow the King for just a moment.”
The men looked at each other for a moment but didn’t say anything.
Seliaryn hesitated before he said “excuse me,” and stepped out with the Lumynos woman.
He crossed his arms when the left the room, “this couldn’t have waited?”
“I’m not sure if it could or couldn’t have waited. So I decided to take the safer option and pretend that it couldn’t have waited.”
Seliaryn raised an eyebrow.
“Apparently Avaryn was seen near your home. Possibly with your mother.”
Now both his eyebrows rose.
“Originally I would have been worried.” She lifted her shoulders slightly, “but you two seemed like you were trying to work things out so I didn’t know if him visiting your mother was a act of making peace or not–”
She cut herself off when she saw Seliaryn smiling. “You need to mind your own business.” He said with a rather amused tone.
The truth was, he was surprised that she knew what was going on between the two of them. And though he was surprised, he was pleased.
She was doing a good job.
She returned his smile. “It’s my business to not mind my own business. And it’s especially my business to mind your business.”
Seliaryn shook his head with the smile still on his face. “Alright,” he said, “but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. You’re right… Avaryn is not really on top of my list of things I should be worrying about anymore.”
“Well then, in that case, I’ll leave and continue to not mind my own business while you go hang out with the old, perverted men.”
Seliaryn let out a short laugh before Am bowed and walked away.
And he returned to his meeting feeling a little lighter on his feet.
Things seemed to be brightening up these days, and the thought made Seliaryn smile.