Chapter Six: The Stormy Weather

The heavens cried along with the raging lightning and thunders. The earth's ground suffered as the storm turned every path wet and muddy. For sure, too inconvenient to venture for. In the midst of this unpleasant weather, the trees and plants swayed, dancing in the chaotic rhythm of the wind.

Nights like this, except for the farmers, often do not give common people any favor. But it could be a blessing in disguise for the ones who have ill intentions -well it depends- or they might be in an escape.

''Do you think the ice queen wouldn't find out?'' the jester spoke as loud as possible. His soft voice was difficult to hear against the turbulent weather. But his companion, the now coachman of their small carriage was an elite spy. His ears are trained well to hear even the secrets carefully hidden away from the walls and the wind.

''She would if we failed to reach Elvira's border before dawn,'' the coachman responded back, louder. His deep voice aided him to speak clearly despite the rumbling of the lightning and thunder and the howling wind in the background. The fast pace of their small carriage despite the bumpy road made it even harder to converse with each other.

''I hope so..,'' he whispered in the wind. His hands holding tightly to the carriage's windowsill were quite trembling.

The two, strangers to each other, tread the path of the dangerous road to Sisa, the border between Elvira and Atarrah.

However, fate had a different plan for them.

As the night got deeper, it was hard to decipher which path danger awaits its prey.

Suddenly, the carriage halted. The horse made a noise, one that gave chills to the skin.

''H-Hey! Why did you stop?'' He asked. ''H-Hey!''

''...'' his companion didn't speak a word.

''Hey! P-Please talk to me.''

''...'' Yet only the wind responded. Another lightning strike in the darkest skies followed by the booming thunder, like a large boulder of stone rolling somewhere close but unknown.

''Please, don't stop it's dangerous-''

Clang!

Then, the coachman finally responded. It was a clash between metals, the long ones. And the jester knew what are they and had a hunch on what was probably happening outside of the little box of subtle security inside the carriage.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Strike upon strike, he assumed his companion had more than one enemy. He wanted to help him but he was no use even if he go out there to battle. He thought he would only be just a burden. So, he tried to run his brain, gears inside gritting and grinding against each other as the battle outside became more intense as time passes by.

''What should I do? What should I do to help?'' He repeated under his breath.

''Run!'', his companion shouted as his sword clashed against the enemy. ''Run and never look back!''

''But- ''

However, the door of the small carriage suddenly flung open even before he could move his seemingly frozen limbs.

The jester shuddered as his gaze landed on a masked black slim figure, the terrifying stranger held a long thin sword glinting with thick killing intent through the darkness.

''Run!'' His companion shouted madly, still struggling to deal a blow against his multiple opponents.

But how could he run when the assassin was blocking the only way to escape- the small door of the carriage was now torn down with one slash of that thin yet sharp sword.

''D-Don't come...don't come near m-me,'' he pleaded, failing to hide his fear in his quivering voice and trembling hands.

Ignoring his pleas, the assassin silently stepped closer to him.

''Argh!'' The clashing of the swords outside the carriage ceased once his companion groaned in pain.

''This...this is not good. Even an elite fighter doesn't have a chance against these masked people. J-Just who...who are they?''

He thought to himself. He was an observant person. Even though, his companion didn't say anything the way he stood and moved like a black panther was enough for him to discover he was sort of a trained fighter. However, his identity remained unknown to him.

To his surprise, the assassin stepped inside the carriage, secured the sword on its sheath, and kneeled down on one knee before him.

''Rest assured. You are safe now, my lord,'' the assassin finally spoke, right hand on the chest. The voice sounded deep and melodious, obviously, the one belonged to a woman.

The jester's jaw dropped, looking bewildered at the assassin kneeling before him.

''J-J-Just what is happening?'' He stuttered. He didn't realize he voiced out his thoughts until the assassin spoke.

''We were ordered to save you.''

''W-What?'' His thoughts were messed up. Didn't his companion save him and helped him to escape from the ice queen?

As if the assassin read his thoughts...

''He was not an ally. He's a traitor,'' she confirmed.

''W-Who ordered you to save me?''

''The dark queen, Queen Vernon,'' she replied. Her tone implied it was obvious, wondering why he had asked.

''The dark queen knew the ice queen's scheme. Queen Natalia let you escape so you could be the bait. The man who helped you is serving her. He was the ice queen's elite spy,'' the assassin explained.

The jester couldn't process everything that was going on. But after pondering for a moment he suddenly realized...

''So...I was merely a pawn,'' he muttered. His tone reduced to a sorrowful one.

''But not to the dark queen. You are precious to Her Majesty,'' the assassin said, trying to uplift the mood of the court jester.

Yet despite what she had said, the jester only smiled bitterly.

He didn't know what was it. He was expecting something different - especially on the ice queen's part.

He very well knew the dark queen's inexplicable obsession with him.

Strangely, he wondered what was the ice queen's impression on him.

He clearly remembered how Attarah's queen treated him somehow nicely, although, she appeared cold and stiff. He couldn't get off his mind the queen's fragrant scent when she accidentally fell on top of him because of his clumsiness.

The assassin led him outside the carriage, and this was when he saw his companion -the said elite spy of the ice queen- lying unconsciously on the ground. He was startled when he saw a pool of blood slowly flowing, covering the muddy ground below his waist.

''Is he alive? He would die if we didn't tend his wound!'' He exclaimed.

''Don't mind him,'' she coldly said as she urged the jester to hop on the black destrier. ''We should leave now, my lord.''

''Wait...but what shall we do to him?'' he frantically asked, he put his weight on his feet and then yanked his arm away from the assassin's gentle hold.

''We'll bring him along. The dark queen wants his head,'' she instantly replied and hastily hold the jester's waist, forcing him to ride on the back of her destrier before they galloped right away.

The other assassins, three of them, chained the ice queen's elite spy's hands and feet then tied him tightly on the back of the other destrier before they followed their leader and the jester's party. Galloping as quickly as they can, they were dragging the unconscious body of the man along with them. His wounds are getting worse, fortunately, the stormy weather calmed down.

The Kingdom of Atarrah is as dull as always. But this very day is different. The atmosphere had a mix of distinct scents - the scent of death was subtle yet disturbing. Standing at her favorite spot on the Sky Tower's balcony, Queen Natalia is the only one who could smell it. Yet she was unbothered as her sight was distant and fixed on the empty white horizon, where sun and earth supposedly should meet. But even this beautiful and natural phenomenon was stolen by the winter. Fog covered the entire sky and ground, having no room for the sun to rise and shine.

''Your Majesty,'' a voice caught the queen's attention. It was one of her personal maids carrying her favorite noontime snack -osmanthus cake paired with green tea.

''It's tea time!'' The maid appeared as bubbly as ever.

Queen Natalia turned to her but he stayed on her spot while her gaze lingered on the maid.

''Your Majesty?'' The maid invited the queen as she laid down the cake and tea on the queen's marble table.

The queen didn't speak - it's the usual. From the balcony, she silently walked toward her.

The maid glanced briefly at the queen. As always, it was hard to read her current master's expression.

She smiled and a single deep dimple appeared on her cheeks. ''Your Majesty, hope you would enjoy your tea time.''

''Yes. You can now leave,'' she dismissed the maid.

The ice queen briefly looked down on fragrant green tea. Then she gently hold the ceramic cup and brought its mouth near her nose. She leisurely savor the tea's fragrance with her eyes closed.

As she did, the queen's face turned pale and a blue veins-like gradually appeared on her face crawling down to her hands.

Despite this, a smile crept up on the queen's stoic face before she gulped down all the content of the cup in her hands.

Since that day, Atarrah was thrown into a stormy mess.