All Things New: Chapter Thirty

Soooo.....um, maybe this will make you less sad?

CHAPTER THIRTY: THE KINGS COUNCIL

“You can do this, Esben. I know you can,” Emerald said a few days later. Esben had been coronated and now he had to address the courts regarding his brother.

“I don’t know what I can do without him. And this…this might be too hard.”

“I believe in you.”

She reached up and gently kissed his cheek. “You will do good, Esben.”

Esben smiled at his sister and then walked into the courtroom. He nodded as professionally as he could to each lord and lady. When he got to his appointed seat, he remained standing and began his speech.

“Good Lords and Ladies of the council, I come to you with a heavy heart, as I am sure most of you share. My brother is gon- “

Esben was interrupted by the main doors opening, and all heads turned to see who would have the blind courage to rush into the council room of the king. With many gasps and murmurs, the crowd saw that it was-

“ARTHAM!” Esben shouted, tears of joy filling his eyes. But if his brother heard him he made no sign. He was walking straight for someone, with such a ferocity in his walk that Esben did not feel the moment was right to embrace his brother. And he could see that Artham was injured. That limp was more than ever pronounced.

“Bonifer,” his brother seethed, and everyone could see him walking straight for the old man, whose face had turned white as a sheet.

“Bonifer. Squoon. I have one question for you.”

“Yes, my l-lord?”

“Are you disappointed to see me alive?”

Bonifer looked like he was ready to choke. “No no! Of course not! I am filled with the same amount of joy all of our council- “

Artham seized him by the shoulder, and Bonifer stopped speaking. There was a terrifying silence as Bonifer was the victim of the legendary Throne Warden wrath.

“Did you start the war?”

“My lor- “

“Your name, spread like wildfire in the Doonish camp, old man. I’ll ask you again.”

Artham slightly shoved Bonifer back against the wall. “Did you start the war?”

“No!” Bonifer half squeaked, terror in his mind. “My, my sister,” the old fool stumbled, “she is Doonish! Perhaps she had some dealings with the wicked men. I have never met a Dooner in my life!”

Artham scowled. “You…lie…so…easily,” he slurred, as his grip on the old man weakened and he collapsed to the ground.

When Artham awoke, he felt better than he had. His wounds were slowly healing, and he felt clean and bandaged up for once. He looked around and saw that he was in his room in the castle. He was home!

“Artham?” a soft voice asked. His head whipped around.

“Arundelle!” He sat up in his bed as best he could and she ran to him and embraced him tightly, kissing his face and telling him how much she missed him and how much she worried.

Once she released him, she began to tell him of everything that had happened in the months. The baby was not born yet, which was a huge relief to Artham. Wendolyn had never arrived, and she did not even send a letter to explain. She did hear from Nia that there was a bit of an issue in the Hollows. Artham remained quiet, though his brain was thinking of millions of things that could have stopped her, and every thought chain led back to one man: Podo.

He told her of his trip, every detail, even about Ronin and the mystery of Scale Raker. And of course he spoke of the deaths of his two guides, which pained him, but he tried to keep it in. Arundelle knew that.

A little later, his brother came in and hugged him and cried tears of joy and relief, and then, when he wiped his eyes, he (very gently!) thwacked his brother in the shoulder and told him never to do something like that again. “As king I forbid it,” Esben said, smiling.

Artham laughed. “That is a rule I could follow!”

Madia came and saw him, and so did Emerald, but Madia was crying slightly, and that always made it hard for Artham to understand her, and Emerald was happy, but there was still that hint of rigid coolness in her attitude toward him that made her greeting less pleasant.

But Artham was home. And that was more than he could ever want.

See!!!! He's okay!!! Everything's fine!!! Mostly 😅