Verita - The Guardian of Darkness

28

"They must be right", affirmed Elanthin with mild surprise. It was  true that there was an incredibly potent poison which some of the Deep's  monsters carried, but that didn't explain ... "Why am I alive then?"

She  met Aetrian's pondering gaze and knew instinctively that he'd asked  himself that question every day. His incredulousness upon her awakening  made a lot of sense in that case.

"Speaking of physical state, you're in very good shape, Your Majesty", the doctor stated seriously.

Of course I am; my body is my main weapon, Elanthin answered silently. Outwardly, she only stared at him until he continued on with his point.

"I'm trying to say that it's possible – if unlikely – that your body was simply strong enough to fight off the poison."

Elanthin  didn't entertain the possibility for longer than a split second. Not  one or two but dozens of proficient soldiers had fallen victim to the  Deep's poison so why should she have survived? She'd seen others  struggle in vain. They'd died within minutes, choking on their own blood  – as if their insides had been liquified.

The cold look in  Elanthin's eyes made the medic by her bedside flinch. "I'm afraid I  don't have a better explanation yet. Calling it a miracle would be ...  there are some theories but they're not quite ..."

"If that's  all you can do for her, you're excused", cut Aetrian in. His mouth was  smiling but it didn't reach his eyes. Had something happened between  them, while she'd been out?

After hurrying to gather his  utensils, the medic scrambled to leave the room. When the door closed  behind him with a low creak, Aetrian raised the water jug from the end  table next to her and Elanthin let him top off her silver cup quietly.  It wasn't the first time he'd served her and just like before, he didn't  seem the least bit bothered by it.

"I have no excuses for our  incompetence. At least you're looking better now. How are you  feeling?", asked Aetrian softly, while she was nipping on her water.

"There's nothing you could've done, even if you'd known more about the poison."

"Still."

He didn't seem content with her absolution, so Elanthin shrugged.

"I'm  glad to be alive, despite the mystery behind my recovery", she spoke  on, keen on changing the topic. Her body felt weak and sluggish now that  the prickling in her skin subsided and she didn't want to give herself a  chance to ponder about the state of her health. If she had, she  would've had to ask herself if she'd really been cured by a miracle or  if the worst was yet to come. "But I'm concerned about the effects that  this ... my attempted assassination ... had on the public."

Elanthin tried to gather her thoughts, which threatened to scatter like leaves in autumn.

"Moreover, the treaty's completion ... it has ... has it been delayed because of me?"

"I've  made sure that the Veritan arrivals have been ongoing, while you were  out. You didn't delay anything", promised Aetrian earnestly. "And while  we couldn't improve the public image of our cooperation with your  compelling speech, everyone saw how you got rid of the monster when you  didn't have to. You likely saved a lot of lives."

Sure, and now the Gratians will bring flowers and get-well-soon-cards to my bedside, thought Elanthin sarcastic. Not even her own people would have considered these efforts to be any more than her duty.

"Be  honest", she pleaded with Aetrian. Tired as she was, she had no  patience for his pretty words. "Has the Grace ... and the overall  situation ... has it gotten worse?"

"There are some rumors  spreading", Aetrian admitted hesitantly. "The Grace of Gratia are  implying that the monster was part of some evil scheme the Veritans have  concocted. Some of the commoners also claim that neither I nor my  guards tried to protect you from the assassin."

Elanthin  didn't remember much; thinking back to the moments after she'd slain the  monster her head started to hurt. However, her last memories revolved  around magic; more specifically, a magic light which had felt strangely  familiar to her. Aetrian must have used it to push her out of the  arrow's flight path.

She didn't feel it now but she remembered the burning wound on her upper arm. Barely a scratch, she reminded herself. If Aetrian hadn't helped, then, just maybe ...

She frowned. "But that's a load of –"

"Of course. I hope you know that ... I tried." He broke off, looking like a kicked puppy.
Elanthin sighed deeply. She was aching all over so why was he making a face as if he wanted to cry?

"I've been careless. Next time, this won't happen again."

Careful with promises you can't keep, she thought. "This is all part of our agreement, so don't apologize."

There was a discontent in his eyes, which she couldn't quite categorize.

"You getting hurt was never part of the plan. Don't go thinking on your own that I'm willing to sacrifice you."

Suddenly,  Elanthin knew his motif for pushing the reunification. It was clear as  day as she looked into his amber eyes. Aetrian was kind; much kinder  than his position as king allowed him to be.

"You're too  soft", she murmured. Someone like him would never survive on the Plains.  Some of the Deep's creatures liked to play games with you, so you had  to learn a hard truth: Sometimes you had to kill before you were sure of  the opponent's malicious intent; just in case it would attack you later  on.

If it had been her in Aetrian's stead, would she have killed the queen of the Forlorn Plains on sight?

"I'll never be willing to accept avoidable losses."

Aetrian's  statement brimmed with a ridiculous amount of decisiveness. Nothing in  this world was certain but he seemed to like the word never a bit  too much. Then again, she'd used the word before her departure as well.  There were a few things in this world which one could confidently  decide for themself – disregarding whether it would be easy or  incredibly painful to follow through with that decision.

"Why do you think I was expecting to be executed when I came to you?", she asked with a calm voice.

The tension was visibly rising in Aetrian's body. His shoulders straightened as he met her gaze directly. Does it bother him that much when I speak about our misunderstanding?

Elanthin  took a deep breath before she continued: "Have you ever considered that  our people won't be reunited until one of our houses is completely  gone?"

"Injured people shouldn't talk this much", replied  Aetrian quickly. He rose to his feet with an unnatural abruptness,  nearly swiping the water jug from her bedside. "I'll come see you again  after I'm done with my duties."

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