Chapter 17: The Returned

Luthera Revena

As soon as the carriage makes a halt by the Northguard castle I almost leap out, giving Gregory instructions to stay with Ai. I apologize to the girl, explaining to her that I really need to hurry. There is a line of guards there to greet us, I can vaguely hear an announcer's voice making our introductions but I ignore him. I move as quickly as I can, my eyes scanning the greeting party.

When I find Commander Arthur and, thank the fates, Lindri, I quicken my pace towards them.

"Princess."

"Princess."

They each offer a respectful bow, putting up appearances. I quickly return the bow before taking a step closer to them.

"Princess Gertrude?"

I don't need to say anymore as both of their faces fall.

"This way." Commander motions for me to follow him.

I find myself thankful that I opted to wear a riding outfit as opposed to a dress. I don't think I would have been able to keep up with the Commander's brisk pace otherwise.

"Queen Samantha has been using her magic to stabilize her condition since yesterday." He explains, his voice solemn. "She hasn't had a blink of sleep or a moment of rest. We all fear that her strength is failing, she won't be able to keep it up for much longer."

"How much longer can she keep going?" I ask despite not being sure I really want to know the answer.

The commander's steps falter but he doesn't come to a complete stop. "The healers predict she won't last until sundown."

It must be the mid afternoon at the very least. Will Finn make it in time…

I'm sure he will.

Juno is a fast horse.

The commander leads me to the healing quarters where a small army of healers and servants are scurrying in and out of the room, some of them with traces of magic still flickering between their fingers. Because of how busy it is, it seems they decided it would be better to leave the doors wide open.

Commander Arthur stops at the doors, gesturing for me to enter. I pause, even though I had been in a rush to see them, would it really be proper for me to…

The commander offers a kind if slightly strained smile as if sensing my thoughts. "The queen will be happy to see you. The king has not been… the best company for her since the princess was brought here."

I stand there for a few moments before steeling my nerves and entering the room, apologies on my tongue as I brush past the servants and healers. I don't have to look around for long to find them, the queen's magic lighting up the corner of the room, Gertrude bathed under the light, unmoving.

As I get closer their conditions becoming unsettlingly clear. The queen has dark bags under eyes, her usually faint wrinkles more pronounced, usually immaculately tied hair hanging messily around her face. Gertrude doesn't look much better, her skin having turned a sickly shade of green, her chest just barely rising and falling.

"My princess." One of the servants seems to have noticed my presence. They grab and chair for me and position it on the opposite side of the bed, facing the queen.

Upon hearing the words, the queen's eyes snap back into focus, wandering around before settling on me as I take the seat opposite her.

"Luthera." She offers me a broken, tired smile. "It's good to see you."

"I would have returned sooner if I could have." I tell her. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, dear." The magic from her hands flicker. A servant leans over to lightly wipe away a thin sheen of sweat from her forehead.

I look back down at Gertrude, her deathly still form making my stomach feel hollow.

"If there was something I could do…"

"I know, dear." A warm smile somehow fights its way onto her face. "I know."

I silently sit there, watching as the queen continues to drain all of her magic to keep her only daughter alive.

"Luthera?" A familiar voice questions from the entrance.

Turning around, I offer a polite nod of my head. "King Reginald."

He takes a position by me, waving off a servant offering him a chair, preferring to stand.

"My father and mother will be here as soon as they can manage." I decide to fill in the silence, meeting the king's troubled eyes. "They extend their sympathies on the condition of the princess… as do I."

The king nods, his eyes drifting off to his daughter with a distant and lost gaze. "Thank you, Luthera."

The room falls into another long silence, no one really having anything to say. The only sounds being the sound of the queen's magic, which sounds like a first morning tide hitting the sand. The only other sound being the scurrying of feet in and out of the medical wing.

I don't know how long we all stay like this. It must have been a long time; I can see the sky outside begin to grow orange as the sun begins to set. I feel something warm on my wrist, Curiously I raise my hand and see those words permanently marked in the wrist, By Blood and Magic, faintly glow a fiery orange colour.

My knowledge of the inner workings of the mark is still somewhat limited, but I know what this means.

Finn is nearby.

It doesn't take long for chatter to be heard just outside before Commander Arthur walks in, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"My sincerest apologies, my king, my queen, my princess." He offers each of us a humble bow. "Prince Finnian and Prince Kaius have returned."

He barely finishes his sentence before the two princes in question almost burst into the room. Their eyes frantic before finally finding us. Finn meets my eyes first, I didn't know someone could look so panicked and so exhausted at the same time.

"Gertrude…" Kai breaths out, closing the distance in almost one stride.

"My boys…" The queen whispers, voice breaking.

"We're here, mother." His voice is soft as looks like he wants to reach out to her before deciding better of it. He turns to the king, standing up straight.

"Father." He nods stiffly.

"My son." The king pulls his oldest son into a brief hug.

 Finn settles by my side, I look up to find him staring down at his sister. Gingerly, I reach up to give his hand a comforting squeeze. He squeezes back almost in instinct before sharing a fond and pained look with his mother.

"Finn." She looks like she wants to reach out to him but her hands are still occupied with Gertrude.

"Mother…" He reaches into his coat before pulling out a vial with blue liquid inside. "I believe this will help her."

The room falls into a tense silence as everyone halts what they are doing. I eye the liquid curiously, where did he get that? What even is it? From the way the queen's eyes widen in recognition she must know what it is.

For what must be the first time since Gertrude was brought here, the queen pulls her hands away. The green magic from around her hands disperses as she takes the vial from Finn, opening it slightly and smelling it.

"Samantha, what is that?" The king asks.

"A purging tonic." Her eyes leave the vial and land on Finn. "Only capable of being produced by a master alchemist. Where did you get this?"

"It's doesn't matter mother." He tells her softly. "What matters is that it can heal her."

Her eyes soften before landing back on Gertrude. Unfortunately, it seems that Finn's answer isn't satisfactory enough for the king who grabs Finn's arm firmly.

"Your mother asked you a question." His tone is hard and almost accusatory. "Where did you get it."

The air immediately becomes charged, quite literally with electricity. Finn tears his arm away from his father with such force it almost pulls the king off of his feet. It feels like everyone in the room, save the queen whose eyes are still firmly planted on the unconscious form of Gertrude, is holding their breath as the king regains his balance.

"As I said before, it doesn't matter." Finn fires back, his tone equally as hard as the king.

"You dare…"

"Please!" My voice escapes me before I can pull it back. "This is not the time for this."

If anything, my tone seems to draw even more ire from the king. Just when it looks like his biting tone is about to find me, Kai steps in, blocking the king off from both myself and Finn.

"She's right father." He states. "They both are."

"Kai…" His tone is a warning but significantly less pointed than the one he directed at Finn.

"No father." Kai doesn't back down. "Gertrude first, everything else can be settled later."

 Out of the corner of my eye, I see the queen moving. Turning back to her, I see that she has already carefully unwrapped Gertrude's wound and is now applying the tonic to the gash. It's an unpleasant gash, dark green veins spreading out against the surrounding sickly pale green skin.

"Samantha?" The king questions gently, his earlier anger seemingly forgotten.

The queen doesn't acknowledge the question, simply continuing to clean the wound. She takes out a clean cloth, adding a few drops of the purging tonic before wiping it across the edges of the gash. I lean forwards, gasping as I see the dark green veins begin the fade.

Gertrude suddenly takes in a large, loud breath, her chest rising. We all quietly observe as her skin slowly returns to its normal colour, starting from around the gash and spreading around her body until even her face looks as it always has. Her breaths becoming deeper and stronger.

Shakily, the queen rests her hand on top of Gertrude's forehead, a tense breaths passing as her palm glows with a familiar faint green.

"Oh my…" The queen almost chokes on a sob, pulling her hand back and covering her mouth as tears begin falling down her cheeks. "She's going to be alright."

I release a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Everyone is going through varying degrees of relief. I can see Finn's hand shaking at his sides, I reach up and take his hand, holding it tight. He looks down at me, his eyes filled with unshed tears, it's clear he is doing everything he can to hold them back.

"I take it we should probably let her rest." I suggest to the queen.

The queen nods, immediately going back to work and rebinding the gash that now just looks like a normal injury. "Much of her strength has been sapped. It will take some time before she wakes, and even more time until she regains her full strength. I will continue tending to her."

"Mother…" Kai steps forward, concern evident on his face. "You need to rest."

"I can't…" She shakes her head.

"Mother…" This time Finn speaks up. "Please, the worst for Gertrude has passed. You need the regain your strength too. I… we need you to."

I squeeze his hand, sensing the tremor in his voice.

The queen looks like she is about to refuse until she looks up to Finn, her expression softening. With a quiet nod she attempts to stand but fails, almost falling back down.

"My queen!" One of the servants is able to catch her, supporting most of her weight.

Finn's breath hitches at the sight and I know I need to move him somewhere more secluded. The king is by the queen's side, taking over from the servant and escorting her out of the medical wing, probably to their chambers.

The King pauses just before the door.

"Our discussion is not done, Finnian." The king lets the words longer in the linger in the air before departing with the queen.

I tug on Finn's hand, prompting him to follow. Finn doesn't put up a fight, bending down to plant a gentle kiss on Gertrude's forehead just before the healers begin swarming her.

As we are leaving, Kai plops down and I remember something important.

"Ai is here." I tell him gently.

He is on his feet in an instant, eyes filled with shock and relief.

"She found you." He breathes the words out.

"She did." I nod. "She is with Gregory at the entrance of the castle. She's been waiting to see you again. Go tend to her."

He nods before almost bounding out of the door but he pauses before glancing worryingly at Finn. Finn's eyes are fixed on the far wall, looking lost in thought.

"Please, take care of him." He requests gently.

"Of course." My reply is immediate.

He nods once more time before making his leave.

"Come." I once again tug on his arm, prompting him to follow, which he does without protest.

We walk in silence down the hallways, the sound of chatter growing quieter as we move further and further away from the healing wing. I decide to take him to the gardens, knowing it will mostly likely be empty this close to sundown.

 It seems my assumptions were correct, there gardens are dead silent, not a single soul in sight. I lead Finn over to the closest stone bench and sit him down, taking the place next to him. For a long time neither of us say anything, simply sitting there as the sky grows darker.

"I destroyed the letters." He admits quietly, if it hadn't been so quiet here I wouldn't have heard him. "All of them."

Surprised, I look up to him, his eyes are focused on nothing in particular, simply staring forwards.

"Why?" I ask, no judgment, no accusation, simple curiosity.

"To save Kai, to save Gertrude… to protect you." He finally tears his eyes away from the distance and looks at me. I can see a single tear roll down his cheek, a lost look in his eyes. "I didn't know what else to do."

"What exactly happened, Finn?" I ask gently.

"A lot." He replies, wiping away the lone tear, taking a steadying breath.

I nod in understanding. "Start from right after you left Illis."

And so he does, retelling all of the events that transpired in Thaegon. Everything Queen Clementina had revealed to him, her offer, all of it. I can see how torn he is about the decision he was forced to make.

"Quite the mess I've gotten us into, isn't it?" He says with a hollow chuckle.

"You saved your brother from an execution, Gertrude from succumbing to the corruption in her veins, myself and many others from the wrath of the Sentinels." I reach out and taking his hand. "I wouldn't exactly call that a mess."

"And it the process bound myself to a queen whose motivations and plans I still don't fully understand." He argues, trying to pull away but I hold on tighter. "It's entirely possible that I just doomed us to a worse fate."

"That is possible." I nod. "But questioning yourself now achieves nothing. What's done is done, the only thing we can do now is prepare for whatever comes next. King Alistair and my father's plans are still in the works. Our focus should be on halting those plans."

He raises a questioning eyebrow down at me, frowning. "And what if I just burnt our only means of succeeding to ashes?"

"Then we will fail." I answer immediately, catching him by surprise. "But I don't believe that was our only means, our quickest means, yes, but not our only one. We still have time, and now we have Queen Clementina."

His frown returns at the mention of the queen's name. "She…"

"Her first and foremost desire to protect her kingdom, like us." I press. "She's many things; conniving, manipulative, even callous to people who are not her own, but she will be on our side as long as we prove that that we are capable of winning the upcoming war. You already know the war is coming."

He pauses, looking contemplative.

"And should this war bring you to the opposite side of the battlefield as your father?" He asks, not looking away from me.

I feel my heart wrench the question. The question I have been avoiding asking myself since I left Illis, a question that I already knew the answer to well before he voiced it aloud.

"We already are on opposite sides." I ignore the slight tremble in my voice. "I have made my choice and it seems so has he."

This time his hand tightens around mine as pain blooms on his face.

"I can't ask that of you."

"You're not asking; I am making this choice." I insist. "I have already told you once that I am still with you, I stand by those words now just as I did then."

I put aside all of my trepidation to give him a warm smile, allowing the mark to let him know that I mean every word. We both know the path ahead will be a difficult one, we will need to find resolve in each other if we going to walk it. At last he finally returns the smile, his mark humming back at mine in appreciation. Finally, it seems he seems to believe that the future isn't all bleak.

"Thank you."