Three maids rushed passed Aurelie and the guards that led her toward Alorah's quarter. Each woman carried two leather suitcases. Their faces were pale as the snow and eyes broad with panic. They looked like they would much rather have been packing their own belongings at home and finding high ground for safety from the melting water.
The portal was somehow still in her coat. God must have protected Aurelie while she clung to Valice. Pure luck didn't suffice as an explanation for how the portal remained in the loose, tiny pocket of her coat through all the commotion. Finding it beneath all that snow if it dropped outâthough most of it already started to meltâwould have been close to impossible.
Aurelie thought about using it right after Valice had flown away, but she felt the need to explain to Alorah properly that she had the ability to communicate with the dragon, just in case she was thinking of going back on her word.
Alorah was taken away the second they realized Valice was indeed alive. That meant that she could have easily not seen what had occurred and Aurelie had to make sure that she heard it from her. Rumors are easily spread. She doubted that Alorah would believe any of the guards or servants. No, Aurelie had to tell her exactly what happened. Valice would certainly make Alorah's promise to Aurelie more concrete. There were few people, Aurelie imagined, who would betray a princess that had the access to the mind of a dragon.
Aurelie's feet splashed in the water as she walked. The bottom of her skirt had been completely soaked. The castle was melting. The guards left Aurelie outside of Alorah's room and ran off to gather whatever they could save.
Bending down over her cupboard, Alorah held out a dress, looked at it for a second and chucked it onto a large pile of clothing in the corner. She turned to the sound of Aurelie's feet splashing.
"You're still here?" she asked. "I thought you couldn't wait to get out of here."
"I came to say goodbye." Aurelie lied. Goodbye was on the very bottom of her list of priorities, gloating and putting the fear of a dragon into her was on top.
"My guards said that you disappeared behind the dragon. I assumed you'd use the portal to flee. But I suppose you want to know how things will work now that we're free from the curse and about my promise to you," Alorah said. "Although, how gracious of you to stay to say goodbye." She smiled knowingly and winked.
"How is it going to work?"
"I have a few suggestions. First of all, you need influence, and influence requires capital. We have the gold, Highfire has resources. I promised you an alliance, so I will give you priority on the sales. That means that you have until the end of this month to gather lumber and seed. I will lend you some men that will assure your control of any productive land you wish to acquire. I have ties to Redayrah as well, they will be sending food. However, if you do not create resources for us in time, I will be forced to turn to them for more." Alorah turned back to her cupboard and picked out another dress.
"What about the army?"
Alorah folded the dress and put it into a suitcase. "You came here with vengeance on your mind and only vengeance. I think you've calmed down now and regained your wit. That's the only reason I tried to drag your visit here out a little longer. What you did today, you could have done on your very first day and now you'd be back at home and at war." Alorah stood with her back to Aurelie, looking for things to keep and to throw away. The conversation was not important enough to her to give Aurelie get full attention. "A careless and simple leader does not get to hold the crown for long. What if you start the fight and find half your Kingdom has taken your father's side and sees you as a traitor?" Alorah glanced back and raised her brow. "You have to gain capital, spend time with your people, and let news travel of how you fixed our alliance and how much wealth you can bring into your Kingdom. That way you will build your own army, and at your very word, I will send mine to fight for you too. Then you will be a queen and not a vengeful little girl who is mad at her daddy."
The last sentence stung and brought color to Aurelie's cheeks. Is that how she sees me? "I suppose I have been short-sighted."
Alorah put the dress she held down and turned to Aurelie. "The only thing that saved me when my husband killed my family was a month in a prison cell. You think I wouldn't have pierced a dagger into his black heart if I had the chance?" Alorah laughed. "I was a vengeful little girl too. Time gives you a chance to plot and plan. I would have taken his life and damned myself. Instead, I opted for a longer more painful vengeance."
Aurelie nodded. She regretted not spending more time with Alorah. Not having more conversations and lending her wisdom. "Can I write to you?"
Alorah walked up and embraced her. "Of course, you can but you mustn't think me selfless. Strong allies make strong kingdoms and mine always come before yours."
She cursed Lukas for being such a fiend. Alorah opened Aurelie's eyes to what it was to lead.
"I could control Valice." It was funny how much the phase had differed from the way she meant to imply it. She wanted to impress Alorah with it now, make her proud.
Alorah's eyes widened, and there wasn't an ounce of concern in them. And if there was, she didn't show it.
"Mother," Lucas came through the door before Alorah could say another word to Aurelie.
"What is it, my dear?"
He stood at the door, trembling slightly. Though his breath was slow and controlled, Aurelie knew something was wrong.
"Oh my dear boy, you're shaking," Alorah said and called the only guards that stood outside her door to fetch a cloak for Lukas.
When they left she turned back to him. "Has to cold gotten to you so quickly? How wonderful is that?" She wrapped her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder with the other.
He turned his head to look at her hand, his upper lip curling up in disgust. "Must be the chill, I didn't notice."
"What's wrong, Lukas?" Aurelie asked and wrapped her coat around herself. She took out the portal and held it with both hands, ready to turn. She was not shaking from the cold. Only a mother would have missed that.
"Everything went as planned. I don't have a worry in the world." He smiled, but it was empty. His eyes were empty of any expression.
"I'm so glad you ran in. You almost missed Aurelie's departure."
He reached around to his back, taking something out. Drops of sweat had formed on his forehead. He held his hand there and looked up to his mother. Mesmerized he stared, taking in her every feature.
"Alorah," Aurelie warned, staring at his hand.
Alorah glanced up. Lukas swung his hand around. Aurelie saw a glint of a silver blade. She jumped up. "Stop!" she yelled.
Lukas stuck the dagger into Alorah's chest. Blood soaked through her pale blue dress. With wide eyes, she looked down trying to make sense of what happened. Lukas stepped away from her and rubbed his hands on his trousers.
"It's my time now," he said in a voice so cold that it could have frozen the land over again twofold.
Aurelie summoned fire into her hand but Alorah caught sight of her and lifted her hand to signal for her to stop. She didn't want to but then she remembered what Lukas was to Alorah. If he died, Alorah would not get her vengeance against her husband for taking everything from her.
Alorah stumbled back. He caught under his arm and dragged her over to a big chair that stood near her dressing table. A thin line of blood ran from Alorah's lips.
"What have you done?" she asked him.
"I've taken what's mine!" he said and began to pace. Every so often, his eye would flick toward the door as if he were waiting for someone to enter. "You have ruled for three hundred years. When were you planning to pass the crown to me? You'd outlive us all. And her," he pointed a finger at Aurelie, "how dare you try to make an alliance with her after what you promised him?" His wet fringe fell over his eyes.
"Your time... would come. You've," Alorah lay her head back against the chair and panted. "You've... not even taken a wife."
"I am ready, mother!"
Alorah lifted her shaky head. "You'll never be ready, never growâ
Lukas pulled the dagger out of her chest and leaned over her. "It's a shame you'll never know." Grabbing onto her chin, Lukas stabbed her again and again. The sound of her skin tearing was the loudest sound in the room. Alorah's head hung over forward, and he hands fell down her sides.
Aurelie watched him tear her insides apart, losing her last bit of faith in the world. Lukas was her son.
"Lukas, stop," she pleaded. Her voice was overpowered by his huffing. Aurelie held her hands over her ears and turned away. The metallic smell of blood reached her nostril. She gagged. Bile rose up in her throat. Aurelie bent over and threw up. She should have left but she wanted to know how he was expecting.
"Lukas!" For a good few seconds, Aurelie couldn't place the voice that called out to Lukas. It was familiar but displaced. "Lukas!" Aurelie's grandfather scolded again. "You can't drain her magic if she's dead."
Gregor entered after his. His nose in there air and a smug smile spread across his face. So he had finally gotten his revenge. Aurelie watched him with smoldering hatred, but at the back of her mind, she knew that Alorah had taunted him too often.
He walked over to Lukas and placed two fingers on Alorah's throat to feel for her pulse. "You're lucky. She's holding on." Picking up a dress from the floor, her grandfather pressed it against Alorah's chest to slow the bleeding.
They were so calm about Alorah's ragged body, stepping over her blood and spreading it further along the floor.
Aurelie stood up while their backs were turned to her and moved to get a better angle. Draining magic was something that her grandfather would be a master of now that he spent all that time in The Dream Realm where he could have read everything he needed to know about the first Dragon King.
"Which hand was the mark on?" Her grandfather lifted Alorah's limp arm and pulled up her sleeve.
"The other one."
He yanked the other up and pointed at the white snowflake mark on Alorah's arm. "That's the source of the magic, it came with the curse but it's fading slower. If you can manage to extract it now, you'll be its new wielder and it will not fade."
Aurelie's heart pounded at the revelation. She had to distract them. Ever since Alorah stopped Aurelie from helping her, she had been in a dream-like state. Spectating was no longer an option. She had to distract them.
"Lukas," she said and waited for him to turn to her. She put on her smuggest smile and leaned against the wall. "I can't help but be confused by what you had to say to your mother."
Lukas narrowed his eyes, then shrugged Aurelie off and turned back to her grandfather.
"Here, put your wrist right on the mark." He pointed at the mark. "Nowâ
Aurelie walked closer to them. "You see you said you're taking what's yours. I don't remember the last time a bastard child of a castle guard had the claim to any thrown."
Lukas whirled around. "I know what you're trying to do. I don't care what some background slut has to say about me," he said. His face was covered in streaks of Alorah's blood. Some of them had already begun to dry at the ends.
Aurelie winked at him. "You don't look like your mother. I haven't seen your father, but I'm willing to bet that you have. You've heard the rumors. Stood by his portrait and sought yourself in his appearance. Just a tiny, tiny bit. But you never found anything, did you?" Aurelie knew this because she too had stood in front of a portrait of her father and searched his features, only she hoped to not find any similarities between the two of them.
She shrugged as a furious spark ran through his eyes. "Why don't I look more like my daddy?" she said mockingly.
"Lukas, ignore her!" her grandfather shouter and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around. "She's trying to delay you."
"Oh nonsense," Aurelie said. "I'm just trying to enlighten the bastard King. I bet toward the end of it Alorah regretted choosing the dumbest man of all of them. She couldn't stop begging me to be your wife so that I could rule and not let the Kingdom fall to ruins at your hand after she passed."
Lukas charged her. Aurelie withdrew one of her hands from below her coat and bared her teeth. "Come!" she screamed.
He stopped midway, his nostrils flaring.
"Good God, you stupid boy!" her grandfather said softly. "She's dead."
Lukas widened his eyes and looked at his mother. He seemed lost for once, unable to find something to say and unsure of which action to take. His head drooped over and then he lowered to his knees. He must have seen his blood-soaked reflection in the water because he erratically placed his hands on the melting floor, scooped up some water and started to wash Alorah's blood off his face.
"You'll pay for this," he said simply once he was done. He stood up and walked to the door. "Guards!" he shouted. "Help! Help! Help!"
Aurelie held out the portal and turned it.
"She's killed the Queen! Help!" she heard him yell as the castle whirled around her and melded into the wooden walls of Karah's shop.
"You gave her the portal?" he grandfather's furious voice sounded as if behind a thick glass wall. She saw his warped image chase her just as Karah's shop became completely clear and the castle faded.