Chapter 14: Curse of Blades: Chapter 14

Anil was enjoying the tour through the city. The sweet rolls they had gotten from Wildas's aunt were delicious, and the sights and sounds around them were exciting. She could tell Myri was anxiously watching the prince for any sign that he was pushing himself, but she was distracted from her worry when they arrived at the healers' house. Wildas explained that it was where all the healers who worked for the royal family lived and worked when they weren't at the castle. Myri was clearly in awe of the size of the place, though it wasn't nearly the size of the sorcerers' house.

Anil was intrigued by everything she saw. There were so many shops with colorful or glittering merchandise, including clothing, children's toys, jewelry, and even weapons. There were a couple of taverns, a large inn, and a stable that caught Anil's attention. There was even another massive building at the end of the street.

"That's the brothel," Wildas stated, motioning to it.

Anil wasn't very familiar with such places, but, having been in the city of Arren several times, it seemed a little too large, even for Ryal.

"Is it the only one here?" Coulta asked, probably thinking the same thing.

Wildas snorted as he turned his horse around again. "Catering to just those living in upper Ryal, where we're going next, yes. In all of the city? No. It's actually four separate brothels in one building. Two for men, and two for women, all of which do excellent business, or so I've been told."

Knowing what she did about the structure of the royal family, Anil was not surprised by this. She tried not to wonder if Wildas actually had visited either of the brothels catering to men. It truly wasn't her place to consider it, let alone ask.

They passed through an open gate and into another part of the city, one that was slightly less crowded. Anil noticed large buildings on either side of the gate that were clearly stables, but every other building looked like a house.

"This is where the nobles in the city live," Wildas explained. "We call it 'upper Ryal'. Most of those living here are members of the royal family or of other noble families distantly related. Others are wealthy merchants who live here when not traveling."

"How are the nobles related to the royal family?" Myri asked.

"Mostly through marriage. Some families are descended from the relatives of former queens or Second Kings. One of the first things every Grand King does when he takes the throne is to name his spouses' families as nobles. From then on, anyone in that family until the end of time is a noble. Typically it comes with a gift of money and a large piece of land. And status, of course."

They didn't ride down the streets on either side to see the houses, but Anil could see that they were all well-kept and that some had small gardens. They were too close together for her liking, though, with barely space enough between them for someone to walk. The space between the walls was large enough for four rows of houses on each side of the wide street, and Anil knew the road was slightly longer than it was in the upper market. The houses against the walls had small gardens in the front and narrow pathways in between, the backs of the houses completely flush against the wall behind them. The houses in the center had small gardens behind them, and narrow alleyways between.

There were a few well-dressed people in the streets, and they all gave Wildas a brief gesture of greeting - older people often nodded to him instead of bowing, while younger people tended to bow or curtsy. The red-clad guards who wandered among them gave him bows, no matter their age. Myri was the one who finally asked about it.

"Elder family members don't bow to me, not until I'm Grand King," Wildas explained patiently. "Younger family members do."

"I never knew there were so many rules," Myri commented.

Wildas smiled as they passed through another gate. "You get used to it."

This part of the city was more crowded than the first two combined, and Anil realized they were in a market much larger than the first they had seen. There were more shops and market stalls, and it was all more colorful and noisy. They rode through the crowded streets and Wildas pointed out all the different types of shops, along with all the inns, taverns, and the brothels catering to the commoners of the city. All the shops seemed larger, and Wildas explained that most of these shopkeepers lived and worked in the same building. This section of the city was also wider, providing space for more buildings.

"We don't need to visit lower Ryal," Wildas finally said after they had spent over an hour exploring the market. "There is nothing there but poorer homes and thieves. And I'm starting to feel a little tired."

"I knew it was too soon for something like this," Myri grumbled as they started back to the castle.

"Can we visit this market on our own?" Anil questioned. She had finally decided that she should find some trousers to replace skirts if she'd be working with the horses. All the other women in the stables wore them.

"Of course," Wildas replied with a nod.

---

Coulta was concerned by how pale Wildas looked by the time they arrived back at the castle. But the prince managed to dismount and hand his horse off to a groom without falling over, so he couldn't possibly be that exhausted. The way Myri was discretely watching him, however, gave him the impression that the healer thought otherwise.

"You should rest," Myri told the prince quietly.

"I will," Wildas assured her. "I'll show you to the healers and you can make sure I get some tea and sit there."

Myri sighed in resignation.

"Should I be going back to the stables?" Anil asked.

"I want to show you the important places in the castle," Wildas replied, then hastily added, "They're all on the way to the healers' wing and we will only stop for a moment at each place."

They entered through the main doorway of the castle, which was flanked by guards who bowed quickly to Wildas. It took a moment for Coulta's eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the massive stone building, but when they did, he saw that they were in a long hallway lined with statues and lit with unnatural light that could only be magic. On the wall to the right the seven statues had the same large, glittering crowns, wore long capes and held shields engraved with the leaping steed of the royal family, swords held point-down in the opposite hand. All of these statues depicted men in the same commanding stance, while the seven statues on the left showed men in various other poses; some held actual swords, appeared as though they were casting spells, or stood in commanding poses only slightly different from the statues on the right. All of the ones on the left, no matter the pose, had the same smaller crown. Tapestries hung between each statue.

"The ones on the right are all the Grand Kings," Wildas explained as they walked through the hall. "The ones on the left are all the Second Kings, depicted as they were best known. Most were war heroes or sorcerers, or both. One is known for taking over for a Grand King who died before his heir was old enough to rule. His statue is posed like the Grand Kings'. The current kings won't have statues until their reign is over."

"The queens don't have statues?" Myri questioned.

Wildas laughed. "They have their statues, don't worry. Many of the queens have been quite legendary themselves. All their statues are in the Great Hall, where we have banquets and other celebrations." He pointed to the first statues. "These are Caolan and Kian. Next are Jasper and Kemen," Wildas went on, naming the Grand Kings first. "Jasper was the reason his parents' relationship became a tradition. He wanted to continue it because he thought it made Phelin stronger. His son, Leon, didn't agree, but followed the tradition anyway. Leon and Arion had the only unhappy relationship that's ever been noted by the historians. Leon was in love with one wife, Mona, and didn't care much for Arion or the other queen, Zeta, who he married only to strengthen the alliance with Berk because she was the Berk overlord's youngest daughter. Arion ended up having a child with her, and Leon had him castrated."

Coulta saw Anil cover her mouth as she looked up at the statue that was posed like the man was casting magic at them. "Why?" she asked.

"The Second King isn't allowed to have children," Wildas explained. "It keeps the pattern of succession much easier. Most remember Arion more for the magical defenses for the city he put in place after that, though. And the child, Prince Saurin, didn't lose any station in life. He became Prince-General of the army. Aiden and Perrin had a much more comfortable reign, in comparison. Adley and Kedar didn't. They were in power when Dyrai attacked for the first time since before Caol's reign. The war lasted for five years before we finally pushed them back from our lands, and only after both kings died in battle. The soldiers fought to avenge them, and finally won. Queen Deva was so consumed with grief over their deaths that she killed herself a month later, leaving Queen Khasa to rule for five years before Adley's heir, Calais, was old enough to take the throne. When you see her statue, it's the only one posed just like the Grand Kings'."

They moved to the next statues and Wildas pointed to the Second King. "All of Adley's children were prone to illness, and no one knew how long Calais would rule. He was often ill, but still ruled for over twenty years before dying of yet another illness. Dirk had to rule in his place for another two years before their son was of age."

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The statue of Second King Dirk was posed identically to that of Calais across the hall, but the man wore a sorcerer's robes instead of the usual long coat and breeches that the statues on the right wore.

"The last two are Pontus and Binh," Wildas finished, motioning to the statues.

"Your grandparents?" Myri asked, looking at them.

Wildas nodded. "Yes. I was very young when they died, so I don't remember having known them, aside from my grandmother, Etta, who outlived the rest and died when I was six. Pontus died of a mysterious illness none of the healers could cure, and the next year it's said that Binh's heart simply gave out on him."

They paused a moment longer, but Wildas didn't seem to have anything else to say about his ancestors. Coulta was glad of that, considering how overwhelmed he was by everything he had seen and been told over the course of the day. Wildas finally turned to continue down the hall. Coulta followed, and noticed that the hallway was lined the rest of the way with tapestries and paintings in an effort to fill up the space that would someday hold more statues. At the end of the hallway were two sets of double doors, both closed.

"The Great Hall is here," Wildas said, opening the doors on the right.

Coulta looked inside and was stunned by the size of the room. The ceiling was two stories high, and a balcony ran along three of the four walls. Two spiral staircases flanked a raised platform, and a few banners hung from the railings of the balconies. Statues dotted the room below the balconies, all apparently of women in various poses.

"There are the the queens' statues," Wildas said with a smile.

"Do you know all their stories as well?" Anil questioned, looking around her with wide eyes.

"The more interesting ones," Wildas answered.

Coulta was concerned when he saw the prince's hand on the door handle tremble, and Wildas moved quickly to hide it.

"We can hear stories later," Myri said, and by her expression Coulta could tell that she had noticed.

Wildas shut the door behind them as they stepped back into the hallway. "That's a better idea, but I'll let you see the throne room before we continue."

He had to use all his weight to push open the other set of double doors, and Coulta wondered if it was because the prince was so tired or because the doors were heavier. He was distracted from wondering when he looked at the room, which was only slightly smaller than the Great Hall. There were low rows of benches set in front of a raised platform at the rear of the room, where four large chairs sat. Even without knowing the name of the room, it would have been easy to tell that the chairs were thrones by how they practically glowed in the light of the great windows behind them.

"What is that tapestry behind the thrones?" Anil asked.

Coulta looked where she indicated and saw a massive blue tapestry that covered the whole wall below the windows. He couldn't see the details well from the doorway, but it looked like the blue was covered in elegant golden script. What it said, he had no idea.

"It's a tribute to the kings and queens who ruled Phelin, until Caol," Wildas explained. "When Berk overtook Phelin, all the portraits and statues of the past kings and queens were destroyed. Somehow, written records of all the rulers of Phelin survived and Caolan was able to have this made to honor them. It names them the Kings of the First Era of Phelin and lists every king and queen, and all of their children."

"That's very thoughtful of him," Myri commented, clearly not all that interested in either the story or the tapestry. "Now, could we get you seen by the healers?"

Wildas nodded with an expression of resignation. "Yes."

Coulta stepped close and put his hand next to the prince's on the door handle. Wildas met his eyes and Coulta glimpsed gratitude before the prince stepped away. Coulta swung the door easily closed, though the door did have some weight to it. They continued on into a passageway tucked into an alcove so that it was almost invisible upon approaching the doors to the halls. After a few turns, they arrived at another great room, which was much smaller and filled with cots. All the cots were empty, but a small group of men and women were sitting around a small table talking.

One of the women noticed their arrival and hastily got to her feet to curtsy. "Hello, Your Highness. How may we serve you?"

"Are you in need of any new healers?" Wildas asked.

The woman glanced at the others, who had gotten up after her to acknowledge the prince. "We could always use more help," she told him, getting nods of agreement from her companions.

Wildas motioned to Myri, who was smiling. "This healer came from Windwick outside Arren. She healed me there and came with me to continue healing me. I thought she could use a job now that I've recovered."

"He hasn't fully recovered," Myri told the healers, giving the prince a pointed look.

The other woman smiled, then pointed to a cot. "In all respect, Your Highness, please sit a moment. We'll make you a tea." She motioned to Coulta and Anil. "You can sit a moment, as well. Would you like anything?"

"Thank you. Only water," Anil replied as she sat on a nearby cot.

Coulta took a seat on another cot and nodded. "The same, thank you."

As the healers went about their work, with Myri in the midst of them, Coulta watched Wildas lean back against the wall on his cot. Coulta could tell the prince was more tired than he showed, and Coulta wondered if he might even regret the tour of the city.

Almost as if Wildas sensed Coulta's concern, he glanced over and smiled. Coulta returned the smile with a nod.

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