Sweet Waters Throne

125 Chapter 12The duel which was later titled as “Duel of Husbands” took place in the dark and under the open sky. They were all alone fighting with no one in sight apart from stars and the bright shining moon. Petrus fought to be alive, while Leoric fought to protect his secret from getting out. If Aeryn sent men to hunt down Petrus, then he must finish the task. That’s what Leoric said to himself.

Petrus pushed back more and played defense while Leoric attacked. It only took one hit and Petrus missed Leoric’s face, however he gave him a hit on his back. If it wasn’t for Leoric to turn over he would have been dead right there – Petrus laughed. “I almost got you” he painted heavily.

“Yes, almost...” replied Leoric and went on to attack again. They depended on the shining full moon to see, from a far they looked like silhouettes about to turn into wolves if the legend of werewolves was true.

But that night wasn’t Petrus’s lucky night, the attacks overwhelmed him and he grew weary with time. Leoric noticed it and he kept on attacking until he found an opening, and right there his sword came into contact with Petrus’s throat and he slit it without hesitation.

Petrus dropped his sword, he held on to his throat with his eyes wide open as if still not believing that was the end for him. The bleeding became excessive and he fell down, still holding his neck.

“Argh Petrus...” Leoric sighed slowly moving towards him, like a predator stalking his prey. He dropped his sword and bent down to look at a fallen Lord of Storm Town.

There was a cough of blood, and then more blood came out of his throat as he desperately tried to held on to his neck. Leoric reached out for Petrus’s hands and held them tight “Let it go, the pain will be no more. Let it go” he insisted and instead of letting Petrus keep hanging on to an already torn throat, he let the blood flow and watched as Petrus took his final breath.

Born a fighter, Lord Petrus Octavianous also died a fighter. It wasn’t easy for him to give up, until he did and went on into a deep slunder from which he will never wake up from. That was the end of Lord Petrus Octavianous, the Lord of Storm Town and Princess’s husband.

Instead of being happy or feel at ease, Leoric grew somber and stayed there holding Petrus’s hands. He just killed a man, not his first, nor his second or his third but it’s not the number which mattered – it was him. Leoric was so afraid of murder and the last thing which he liked the most was killing people, even during the wars he participated he would always go back home feeling guilty for all the lives he took.

.....

Back to the main palace, Princess Aeryn was anxious and nervous especially after the three knights he sent to stop her husband came back empty handed. She was wroth with them “How can you lose him?” she screamed at them.

Artemis had already returned from his hunting with his host and kingsguards. He wanted to see his sister but she seemed to be too occupied, and then he asked for Lord Petrus and he was told the Lord wasn’t inside the palace. The only place he knew he will find comfort was Aurora’s Hill, and hence he instructed his guards to prepare a palanquin for him to depart.

The departure of the King gave a way for Lord Leoric to sneak inside as a servant. He lurked in the shadows of the great walls outside and sent a secret note to the Princess’s chamber. “Meet me outside in gardens” it said the note.

Without even knowing who it might be, Aeryn took off quickly and raced towards the gardens which laid close to the Bay. It was their secret spot especially during the night since not so many people came to this side of the palace.

Lord Leoric waited there in his wool fabrics, his face was full of blood as so was his clothes. It was as if he smashed a body and the blood came spattering all over his face, hands and body. The Princess was shocked, she gasped loudly seeing Leoric in such state.

Immediately she asked “What happened?” while trying to see if she was being followed, when she made sure no one was there. Aeryn turned her attention to Leoric “Who did this to you?”

“The question here should be who did I do this to” replied Leoric.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you send knights after Lord Petrus?”

Princess Aeryn took her time. She didn’t reply sooner, she was anxious as to how did Leoric find that out while she meant to keep it a secret.

“Listen Aeryn... he’s dead. I killed him, we had a duel and he challenged me to fight him. I didn’t want to fight him but he said he would go straight to the Queen and tell her all of our plans, I had no choice...” Leoric whispered at the end and bit his jaws, his face was clearly seen by Aeryn under the shining full moon and the lanterns from inside the palace.

Aeryn seemed confused and speechless, she just looked at Leoric unable to grasp the meaning of all that he was saying. Leoric noticed it and he decided to shake her “Aeryn, I did it for us” he said. “You sent men to kill him right?”

“No, I sent them to threaten him and bring him back to the palace. I didn’t want him to die...”

“He was going to the Queen. Do you understand what that would mean for us? Treason, we conspired against the Queen of Maldonia and her dragons. Your brother would never put you to sword but he wouldn’t hesitate not even for one second into killing me, I had to fend for myself” Leoric explained hoping for Aryan to understand, he was so eager for her approval.

This wasn’t a good time for Leoric to seek Aeryn’s approval or to hear her say he did good in killing Petrus whilst this was still her husband. She needed a moment to process all this.

“Did you bury him?” she asked still unsure of what she said.

“No, I left as soon as he died. But I held his hand... I made it easy on him, if that will make you feel good”

Leoric tried to reach for Aeryn’s hand but she tucked it away and screamed. “Don’t touch me!” then she had those angry eyes pointed at Leoric. “Do you know what you just did? His mother will kill everyone who took part on her son’s murder”

“She will never find out, no one will. They will say he had his throat slit out by a mad man in the dark”

“And what if they don’t? What if Lord Barlus saw you...” Now Aeryn was panicking. She walked away from Leoric while holding her hands and walking in circles.

Leoric went after her “He didn’t see me, he could never have” replied Leoric seemingly confident on his sentence.

“He has countless rodents all over the kingdom and across the Silent Sea. You are mistaken if you think he doesn’t know about this, and what if he tells my brother”

“He doesn’t know what we talked about, only Petrus did and now he’s dead. Aeryn, I want you to trust me... I will avenge your son and we will kill the dragons but I need you to trust me. Especially right now, the next morning news will be all over the capital about your husband’s death and I want you to say you don’t know anything. After the funeral you and I will get married, and you will move in with me in the Mines. I have plans and you need to trust me” Leoric reached out for Aeryn’s hands and then he pulled her in for a tight hug.

Aeryn wept inside Leoric’s arms, she didn’t know if she wept for her husband’s sudden death or she wept because she was afraid.

Well not even Lord Balrus knew and he was watching from the third story of the palace. He saw Aeryn took off from her chambers and he hesitated to follow her, but he knew if she was going to the gardens then he will sure see whoever she was meeting from the top – which he did. Too bad he couldn’t hear what they were saying but he was good at reading body languages.

From the moment Aeryn started going in circles, he knew something was wrong. That’s why he wasn’t so shocked the next day when he was informed of the death of Lord Petrus, and he knew Lord Leoric was the one who murdered him but he didn’t know why. “Could it be he was jealous and wanted the princess all to himself?” asked Lord Angun when Lord Balrus told him of his suspicious, they were all alone outside in the walls closer to the Bay. It was a good suspicion but too easy for Balrus and he didn’t believe it “It’s too easy for him, there’s something more” said Balrus looking around the Bay.