Sweet Waters Throne

147 Chapter 14Twenty dirty and scary looking criminals arrived in Blackmount just days since Lord Akirbus took the task to fetch them. The city went mad seeing marching criminals in shackles, their faces had huge scars and they also looked like they didn’t take a bath in ages.

As they kept on going everyone was stunned at to what did they do, or where were they from? Most of them were foreigners, some were black of skin and others red – brown skin with long hairs. Artemis was informed of their arrival by Lord Angun, and from there he gave an order to have the criminals being brought to the arena.

The same arena where Artemis gave his first speech as King, he used the same place to burn the criminals and attain his silver hairs. He wanted to do it in front of the mass so they can see how powerful the dragons are — of course yet again, it was always about power with Artemis. While Aurora was inside the dragons cave looking at the other three dragons, nursing them and readying them for their first departure since Jahery was still young to claim one.

The legend of House Morrow has it, the choosen one can ride all the dragons since they are all bound to her. If Aurora liked it so, she could even take Artodo to the skies and he will obey. But Artemis can only ride Artodo and not other dragons.

Torgo was present with Aurora, he was giving instructions to her about the three other dragons. He even advised Aurora to take them to the skies when it’s dark from time to time, “That way the folks won’t notice the difference in color between Vizoro and these ones, they need to be ridden so they can be accustomed to flying” he advised Aurora.

Just when they were in the midst of conversation, Artemis walked inside the cave. “Aurora! Aurora!” He called out.

“Yes, I’m here” Aurora replied and left Torgo, she raced to Artemis who sounded like he had something to tell her.

When she reached him, Artemis was quick to say “The criminals are being sent to the arena as we speak. We must ride there and do it right now”

“You mean burn them? In front of masses?”

.....

“Yes, isn’t that what... we agreed?”

Aurora raised her eyebrows “We?” she inquired, more like to let Artemis know they didn’t discuss about that.

“This isn’t the time my love, let’s go” Artemis then turned to Torgo “Release Artodo and Vizoro, bring them to the light”

Torgo as usual he only listens to Aurora, he was a Morrow descendant and he shared blood with Aurora. He wasn’t a Maldonian and hence Artemis wasn’t his King, he only worshipped Aurora as the promised seer. Hence he turned to Aurora as if to ask for her permission.

Even though confused by Artemis’s decision to have the sentence carried out in front of the masses, Aurora nodded at Torgo and allowed him to do as Artemis commanded.

Then Artemis led the way to the outside where it was morning and the sun had risen high above the sky, it was a pretty hot day. Aurora followed him behind, he was wroth with the way Torgo didn’t obey his orders. “Why does he always have to look at you when I give him orders?” He said it while maintaining his pace, so eager to get out of the cave.

“He’s not a Maldonian”

“Does it matter? I ride a dragon” he shouted.

“But you are not a Morrow” Aurora corrected him.

Suddenly Artemis came to a halt, but they were already outside the cave. What Aurora said was harmless and she didn’t mean it for him to be offended, unfortunately he was.

“Am I being disrespected just because I don’t have Morrow blood running in my veins?” he asked with a grin, but that’s how usually he is when he’s upset. Instead of growing his anger, Artemis usually smiles as a way to justify it and preventing himself from erupting.

“Torgo isn’t being disrespectful. He’s being careful, that’s all”

“Careful? Oh I see... So I’m the bad influence here, ain’t I?”

Aurora crushed him with “We all know who wrote to a mystery princess and offered our dragons to her. The same dragons who aren’t yet grown, pardon me my King but Torgo needs to be taking orders from me, and only me” Aurora said with a straight face.

The dragons came outside growling silently, Artodo and Vizoro so close to each other as their riders were. The tension between Aurora and Artemis was felt by their dragons too, Vizoro came so close to Aurora and squeezed her using her right wing — Aurora smiled and laid her head on her back. Then she climbed Vizoro and said the word “Valar” and from there Vizoro took the skies of Blackmount once more and this time it was a short flight to the arena.

Artemis turned to Torgo, he didn’t utter a single word. Torgo stood tall looking at him, and he also had no words to say to him. Artodo was ready to fly and Artemis climbed on his back slowly, he was so eager to fly today but what Aurora told him earlier sort of degraded his morally, even the word “Valar” came out like a sort of whispering. Although Artodo was well aware of his rider’s wants and he flew anyways.

The arena filled to the point where even the main stage was about to be flooded with people, but the soldiers were strong enough to withdraw people from climbing there. Lord Balrus, Angun, Akirbus and several other nobles and lords were present. Visenya stood close to Lord Balrus as she expected to witness the history of House Morrow once again come to light. She was full of excitement and Lord Balrus noticed it.

“Is there something you are not telling me, my sweet magnificent?” Lord Balrus asked with his hands on the front and looking around at the huge crowd of people who gathered to the arena without even knowing what exactly they were waiting for.

Visenya took a hold of Lord Balrus’s hand and squeezed it softly “Today we shall witness history Lord Balrus. House Morrow will be reborned this day, and the gods will bear witness” she said but her eyes glued at the people down the main stage screaming and cheering.

“What history?”

“Once the dragon rider makes her first kill, her hairs will turn to silver. My ancestors all had silver hairs and they haven’t been seen for thousands of years” she looked at Lord Balrus.

“Even dragons hadn’t been seen for thousands of years, but here we are...”

“Here we are Balrus”

“Will this be applied to only the Queen, or also the King? We all know he’s not a Morrow” Lord Balrus expressed his concerns.

“Let’s wait and see, but if he doesn’t grow his silver hairs... he will be furious. Artemis has really changed ever since he took the skies, he thinks he’s on top of the world”

“What do you expect when you make a twenty five year old a King of Maldonia, and then give him a dragon? Of course he is on top of the world” Lord Balrus explained but he was cut short when Vizoro came growling and screaming from the clouds.

Everyone looked at the sky and their eyes were once again stunned in seeing a dragon. Even those ones who had once seen the dragons, seemed to be shocked again because the sight of a dragon can never be used to. Aurora took her time in riding the dragon as she took the screams and cheers from the folks as a good sign.

Sooner rather than later, Artemis appeared also on top of his dragon. The screams grew this time as Maldonians showered their King with more praises. Aurora and Artemis stood side by side high above everyone else, the dragon wings battling the air and fighting to stay steady.

“Should I go first?” asked Artemis.

Aurora smiled “You are the King” she replied and Artemis also smiled this time, it seemed the fight they had early on was over.

Hence it was indeed Artemis who flew down the arena and landed at the centre of it. Artodo made a high thumping noise when he landed to the point the earth was shook — the crowd gasped at the power of the eight feet tall beast with black huge wings. Then Aurora followed and landed Vizoro just close to Artodo, they looked like two fairytale couple who shouldn’t exist in such times because they belonged in imaginary word.

The people who witnessed this grand day in Blackmount later on chronicled how happy Aurora and Artemis looked that day when they realized the crowd was cheering for them. They even held hands and waved to their people, this was before they carried out the sentence to the criminals. The King and Queen wanted to suck all the joy and praises from their people.

Then twenty of the criminals from the Mines were brought to the centre of the arena, and they stood opposite looking at the huge scary dragons. Not even criminals who have endangered lives before stood a chance against dragons.