Brewing Emotions Pt.1

The mourning silence of the Stygian people felt much more solemn during the day of Baron's funeral when the news her father's death finally became public. It carried on throughout the nation, echoing through the solemn halls of the palace, making it all the way to Zeya's study, where she drowned herself in a sea of work for two whole days as an attempt to distract herself from her own sorrows.

She had anticipated the reaction and yet, she couldn't help but feel the impact that her father's death had on the nation. As she would work, the thought of uncertainty often overwhelmed her until she could no longer focus, making her even more frustrated.

This vicious cycle of overworking continued until the very day of the funeral, until Claire had no choice but to drag Zeya out of her chair to get the sluggish Empress ready for the event.

Now, Zeya sat in front of a mirror, patiently waiting for Claire to finish doing her hair for the funeral. As she stared at her hollow reflection, she began to notice the little signs of what her countless nights with little sleep has started to do to her complexion.

'I look ill.' She thought, noticing how pale her natural skin had become although she had some makeup on to conceal her dark circles.

Zeya had on an extravagant matte black gown that was suitable for the cold autumn evening. This was paired along with simple yet distinctly designed obsidian jewelry to match her outfit.

Everything about the day was dull and gloomy except for her golden eyes, glimmering brightly against the amber lighting of her bedroom. Despite her shimmering exterior however, Zeya felt almost as gloomy as the black outfit she had on.

'At least I resemble Father in some ways.' She concluded, closing her eyes tiredly. '... Not that it's a good thing.'

"I'm almost done, My Lady." Claire announced while her thoughts continued to wander. "Just give me a few more minutes."

"Take your time, Claire." She assured, feeling the maid's expert hands move swiftly across the back of her head. "I don't think the funeral would start without me being there."

"But you still have to go pay your respects to His Majesty, no?" She asked, pining down a few stray hairs. "Wouldn't it be appropriate to have some time alone with him before you get busy greeting the guests?"

"... I suppose that is true." She agreed lightly, not paying much mind to the current conversation. "Though I still don't get why we have to go an almost an hour earlier."

"It's always better to be early than late." Claire advised, putting on some final touches to Zeya's jet-black hair. "There, all done. Now, let us be on our way, shall we?"

Several other maids followed Zeya as she made her way out to the north court, where yet another dozen soldiers awaited to escort her to the place where the funeral was to be held; That place being the royal gardens.

'More like a royal forest if you ask me.' She corrected internally, recalling how massive the place was.

The streets were devoid of any people, the roads free from congestion that was usually a frequent occurrence during that particular time of the day.

The carriage eventually halted at a narrow passage that greeted them at the door of the garden. From here, Zeya was to continue alone on foot due to the ancient laws that forbid common folk from entering the sacred garden. It was said that this was the birthplace of her ancestors, who honored the land by planting rare and beautiful flora and fauna, making it the most beautiful garden known to all.

Not giving it much thought, she swiftly jumped out of the carriage, much to the surprise of her handlers who glanced at one another with worried expressions.

"At least wait for Arius to arrive, Your Majesty." Claire tried to convince Zeya but the monarch's mind was already made up. She didn't falter once as she gently smoothed out her slightly creased dress, before gazing straight ahead, ready to go.

"I believe he has some more, important matters to deal with for now." She explained while she waited for the gates to finish fully opening. "But do not fret, he will be back by my side after he resolves his little issue."

Without another word, she began her way along the little track, her destination being the opposite end of the garden. Just like his will, the funeral will be held in private, with only the people he deemed to be his closest being allowed to attend.

'We must always respect the requests of the dead, my dearest.' Zeya recalled the words her mother said to her once when she was much younger. 'We as the living should grant them peaceful passage so they don't linger and cause chaos.'

"I doubt she'd say the same if it was Father we were talking about." She muttered to herself, enjoying the light breeze that gently kissed her skin. "The man is literally causing mayhem because of the crazy requests he had written in that will of his."

As much as Zeya hated to admit it, her old man was smart to have made his funeral the way he did, especially when the Emperor of Exousia was invited.

Despite the treaty between the two nations, he was still a largely disliked figure among the Stygian people, many still blamed him for the fall of their great country that occurred centuries ago. Zeya herself being a part of that group.

Halfway through her walk, she came across a little bench that overlooked the still lake that sat in the middle of the whole garden. She momentarily decided to sit down and enjoy the tranquility, filling her lungs with the fresh, cool air.

The view was breath-taking during the grey evening, with large clouds of fog floating above the water. The sun was mostly covered by gigantic umbrae until its orange tint was barely noticeable but it still exhibited its beauty all over the skies and lake. Slowly, the exhaustion of the sleepless nights crept up Zeya, resulting in her eyes fluttering closed.

 The weight shift of the bench was the only thing that prevented her from falling asleep right then and there.

"... Is that you, Arius?" She asked out loud with her eyes still closed.

"Do you miss your dear knight that much, Your Majesty?" The familiar honeyed voice filled her ears, causing a frown to rule over her face. "Why is it always him that you think about when a stranger is close to you?"

"... No offense Your Majesty but you are just far too easy to pursue." The familiar voice continued. "Why does that minister of yours keep leaving you all alone I wonder?"

"You ask that as if it's any of your business." She replied curtly, much to Varen's amusement. "You're an hour early for the event. Why is that?"

Varen said nothing as he fished the breast pocket of his black suit, in search of something. Finally, he pulled out a small piece of paper folded in half handing it over to the reluctant Empress.

"In exactly five days, that monster will make a move towards the southern village, right between the borders." He explained finally when Zeya opened the paper to read it.

"You think you can handle that monster by yourselves, don't you?" He stated, his tone not playful nor was it sarcastic. "Well, this is me giving you a chance to see what that thing is capable of doing... just to prove why we both need each other's forces."

"Surely your court is unaware of the help I am receiving from you." She assumed, rightfully suspecting Varen's unusual kindness. "I'm assume they are already nervous with the news of my return; I wonder what they'll say if they ever hear of all these information you've given me."

"I am at my wit's end as well, Your Majesty. I was not planning to go this far but you give me no choice but to do otherwise." He was unusually serious, no signs of the playful demeanor he used to exhibit during their past interactions. "Just, don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"I think it's time we head to the funeral sight." She announced abruptly, getting up from her seat. "It would be rather rude to keep the dead waiting, wouldn't it?"

Varen stared blankly at Zeya's back as she continued to walk away from the seated Emperor, not caring if he followed her or not. A mysterious grin began to form on his lips as he swiftly got up on his feet, getting ready to go after Zeya.

"I suppose so... I mean, it is a funeral after all."