CHAPTER 66: ANOTHER THREAT, YET AGAIN

Nyella’s voice broke as she stepped closer to her mother’s bed. "You did all of this, played all of these games, just for what? To bring down some lords? Are they so powerful that you must throw our family into chaos to defeat them?" She asked.

The Queen looked at her daughter with weary eyes. "You won’t understand, my dear. Not now. All that I have done, all that I am doing, is for you. Every risk, every sacrifice is for your sake. This is the length I can go to keep you safe, to give you what you want most."

Nyella shook her head, her tears falling faster. "What I want? What I want, Mother, is the truth. Tell me why. Tell me why you did all this, and how any of it is for me. Tell me what I do not understand!"

The Queen’s voice became heavier. "There are enemies everywhere, Nyella. In the east, in the west, in the north, and the south. You have seen it yourself. Till now, we do not know who attacked you in Varnmoor when you traveled north. We do not know why the Ashantis came after you directly, why they wanted you dead. So we must start with the enemy that is near, the one whose hand we can strike."

Nyella’s lips trembled, but she had no words.

The Queen continued. "That is why I did this. Because I will go to any length to remove danger from your path. I will keep you safe, even if I must die trying. And as for aeron... if I had not given those false letters, then they would have found the true ones. And if they had found the true ones, his head would already be on a spike."

The King, who until then had been silent, suddenly spoke. "You mean..."

The Queen turned to him and met his eyes. "Yes. He truly is the son of Lucian Velzorah. The moment I saw his face, I knew it. How could I not? The blood of a house as soon as Velzorah. I recognized it instantly."

Nyella staggered back a step and widened her eyes. "You mean... the House of Velzorah? The house Father ordered destroyed sixteen years ago? The house, they said, would ruin the kingdom? You are telling me that blood, that house, is Aeron’s?"

Neither the King nor the Queen spoke. They did not need to. The look on their faces, gave Nyella the answer she needed.

Her heart broke and she cried painfully. "No... no... no!" She clutched her chest because of this heavy truth. Then, unable to bear it, she turned and ran from the room.

She did not know where her feet carried her, nor did she care. She only knew that she had to get away, from the truth, from her parents. She kept running, and at last she ran into the training grounds.

Clang... CLANG...CLANG

There was the noise of steel and shouts of guards as they were training so hard. And at a distance, stood Aeron. He was watching the soldiers fight.

Nyella’s breath caught. Without hesitation, she ran to him. Before he could even turn, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Aeron, who was startled, froze for a moment, then slowly wrapped his arms around her. He held her close and felt her trembling against him. She buried her face in his chest, tears soaking his tunic.

He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she whispered, "Shh... don’t speak. Just... just let us stay like this please."

So Aeron stayed quiet. He pulled her closer and embraced her firmly. They stood like that for a long while, and at last, Nyella pulled away and wiped her face. Aeron studied her. "Are you better now?" he asked softly. "Tell me, what happened? Why are you like this? Is it... is it about your mother?"

Nyella took a long breath in, then out. For a moment she said nothing. Then, with a calm voice, she answered, "My mother is awake now. She will recover. But... it was all a game."

Aeron’s eyes widened with relief first. "Thank the stars she is awake." Then he became confused. "But what do you mean by a game? What kind of game?"

"None you should trouble yourself about," Nyella said. "I only want you to know this, whatever you find out, whatever happens in the days to come, I will be by your side. You can always trust me. Always. Even if a time comes when you despise me, even hate me... know that I’ll always have your best interest at heart."

Aeron frowned, and his face became more worried. "Nyella... why are you saying such things? Did something happen? Or is something about to happen? You know you can tell me anything."

She looked into his eyes. "I know, Aeron. I know. I trust you. And I only ask that you trust me too."

For a long moment, they simply looked at each other, then, suddenly, Nyella forced a small smile and changed her tone. "But enough of this. I see you’ve been enjoying the view of the training grounds."

Aeron blinked, caught off guard. He let out a small breath. "Well... yes. The training seems more intense than before. The guards move in set after set, training harder than I’ve ever seen. Is something wrong?"

Nyella’s faint smile faded. "You haven’t heard?"

"Heard what?" Aeron asked.

She looked toward the field. "An enemy is coming from the west. They call it the Bone Hydra. An army made from the skeletons of both men and beasts. It marches and destroys all that lies in its path. Kingdoms have already fallen. And now it is coming for us."

Aeron stared at her in shock. "What? Bones? Skeletons? How can anyone fight against such a thing?"

Nyella shook her head. "We are gathering as many forces as we can. Every sword, every shield, every ally. Perhaps, if we stand together, we might stand a chance. We might survive. Hopefully."

Aeron tightened his hands. "Another threat, yet again. It seems we are never really safe." He said.