Chapter 6

Nathan

They passed the main gate and entered the lower town. The streets were crowded. The farmers kept coming and going from the countryside with carts filled with the day’s harvest. Nathan stopped to watch an old man, struggling, pull his cart full of vegetables along the way. He was very thin and wore a large straw hat.

Nathan noticed that the old man was barefoot. They were muddy, but even so, he could see the great sores on his feet. As he dragged the wagon, the old man slid and risked falling. Nathan stopped the horse, got off, and approached the old man. All the guards and Sumon stopped with him.

The old man’s wagon got stuck in a hole, and the man couldn’t move it anymore. Nathan joined him and pushed the wagon, unlocking it, the old man thanked him and continued on his way.

Nathan returned to his horse and saw that Sumon was giving a bag of gold coins to one of the guards.

“Go and buy everything that farmer sells, then take it to the royal kitchens. If I find out that you’ve kept even one coin...”

“I think a lady doesn’t have to talk like this,” Nathan interrupted her, climbing back into the saddle, then turned to one of the guards “do what she says.” Then the guard left and disappeared into the crowd.

They set off on the main road toward the fortress. Around them, people continued to flow profusely, all directed towards the market, where shouts and shouts came from.

“You Give away gold too easily,” he told his wife.

“Inside that big fortress I don’t need it and I have too much of it” she answered him quietly without looking at him.

Nathan turned, checking in front of him. They had almost arrived at the walls of the fortress. From there, he could see one side of Bochus, although the fortress almost completely covered the building.

“You must not squander too much and spend too much time in the lower town. You still are the future queen.” Nathan shook his head without looking back.

He did not understand how Sumon could be so reckless, she seemed not to care at all about the danger she might run. Yet, she was an intelligent woman who did not let herself be easily deceived.

But there she is, in the middle of the city, giving away gold as if nothing had happened. Nathan could at least hope the council wasn’t aware of this.

“What ruler does not know the needs of his people? And to learn and know the people, you have to spend time with his people.”

Sumon turned to look at him.

“These speeches are the words of King Urian, not yours. Every day that passes, you become more and more like him,” the young woman complained.

“What are you saying? My father is a good king, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a little more like him.” Nathan shrugged.

They entered one of the city’s main squares where another market was taking place. People were shouting and pushing and unable to care about what was around them.

“It’s bad when the privy council doesn’t approve of your father.” Nathan stopped the horse.

Sumon quietly passed him and then turned with the horse, finding himself face to face with her: the free locks of red hair that fluttered in front of her face went in time with the light breeze that struck them, and the purple eyes were very serious and pointed at Nathan’s surprised face.

“What are you trying to tell me” he approached her with the horse.

Sumon turned her head towards the fortress. As soon as he got close to her, she turned to him again, her purple eyes shining even more in the sunlight.

“You know that some lords’ wives like to get together for, you know... “ she made a gesture with her hand and gave again of spurs, getting back on the road. Nathan followed her, and they began to trot back to the castle. “Sometimes they talk about more and less” continued Sumon “while at other times they talk about the confessions of their husbands between bedsheets.” Then she added almost whispering: “Still more of what they hear during the private meetings of the respective spouses”.

They passed the main gate, and the guards nodded at him when they passed.

“I told you, my lord, women can be even more dangerous than men,” Sumon laughed.

“My lady, if there is one thing I have learned, it is never to underestimate women.” Sumon laughed, and it seemed to him that her eyes became even more purple, wrapped in a particular shimmer.

“Most men do that,” she said and returned to serious form, suddenly adding, “the lords do not want to have King Urian in power.”

They arrived in front of the stables, in front of which two stallmen were waiting. They stopped and got off the horse. Sumon took off her leather gloves, untied his cloak, and then took it off while Nathan handed the horses over to the stable boys. Nathan handed his arm with his elbow reclined, Sumon put her arm in it, and they began to walk arm in arm.

“Sometimes, when I’m bored, I go to one of those meetings between the ladies, and my presence is enough to make them talk. They look like turkeys that inflate the chest,” the princess said, making Nathan laugh.

They entered the courtyard inside the castle.

That space was always cared for, the crown engaged gardeners who kept the garden always in order, shearing the hedges, eliminating dead herbs, planting new flowers, and cleaning the stone paths from the leaves of fallen trees.

They walked next to each other. Between the lawns were sown here and there marble benches on which some lady of the court were seated, who, when the two young people passed, turned to them, talking and watching them with interest.

The courtyard ended with a balcony with a mosaic floor that overlooked the ravine of the waterfall.

The parapet was constructed of marble and finished with elegant handmade designs. In front of it stood a fountain, on top of which was the statue of a winged lion: the animal depicted in the coat of arms of his family, the Fannil. The lion was depicted on all four legs, had its wings open and its jaws wide open as if it were ready to flee over the whole fortress.

“A bit like their husbands at any time.”

They approached a fountain, while some court girls were sitting on the lawn talking and laughing among themselves. They passed and went towards the edge of the garden. From there they looked over the ravine and saw the waterfall on the other side. They could also see Bochus in all its magnificence from where they were.

The structure rose from the foot of the waterfall, had been built at the same time as the fortress and, was connected by a huge bridge over the years, had been covered with vegetation and green moss. It was the only access to the structure, blocked to anyone as it closed by an old gate, whose keys were in the hands of Nathan and no one else; the feet of the structure were on an islet in the middle of the lake, There was no access to Bochus from the ground.

In the beginning, Bochus was where the old sages lived, the guardians of ancient history. By the time they had filled the Bochus with old books, while the elderly had begun to disappear, it could be said that they had become an extinct race. They approached the marble railing overlooking the panorama. Sumon leaned on it with her back to the structure, crossed her arms to her chest and looked at him.

“There are rumors that King Urian is very ill and that his days are numbered,” the woman said, while Nathan snorted.

He knew that the servants chatted too much, even better if encouraged by some gold coins.

“The lords do not want you to succeed him to the throne.”

“What?” Nathan did not want to raise his voice, but apparently, he had already done it because everyone in the garden had turned to look at them. He turned to Bochus and punched himself in the marble. “I’m his only son.” Sumon looked around.

“Don’t raise your voice, even the plants have ears”, she said quietly. “The lords are convinced that you are too much like your father, too influenced by both him and some members of the council not liked. They are convinced you will not be a good king like your father.”

“The lords want a pawn to maneuver according to their needs. They don’t care about the kingdom at all, probably worse than my father.”

“They want to give the crown to your brother,” Sumon sighed.

“Damien?” Nathan turned to look at his distraught wife. Damien, his older brother, was not even there. “My brother is a bastard, my father never wanted to legitimize him. We don’t even know where he is and if he is alive. Those freaks want to put the crown on a puppet’s head to do whatever they want.”

“Whatever their intentions, they have complete freedom. Your ancestors wanted it that way. The lords don’t trust you, much less me. I still couldn’t give you an heir.” Sumon became darker.

It was true. They’d been married for five years and couldn’t conceive an heir. He knew this would become a problem in the long run, especially for Sumon. But he could not imagine the lords would use this excuse to take away his power.

“You must begin to assert your position and get hold of the lords,” Sumon nodded to two courtesans who were walking “otherwise, they will continue to feel the freedom to make demands and to manage the kingdom in your place. Are you really convinced that Damien is dead?”

“No one has heard from him since he left. My father now considers him dead.”

“I’m asking what you think. Do you really think he’s dead?”

Nathan looked up at the sky, two hawks flew free, one was Damien’s. For a long time, he had hoped that his brother would return one day. He had spent days and days waiting for his arrival at court to be announced. Then two years earlier, his falcon had returned home, but he had not. He had always wondered what had happened to his beloved older brother. If he had died, he would have wanted to have at least one place where he could cry him. The only thing he had left of him was that dagger he gave Doreon.

He would have come back if he were alive or at least sent some news. Damien has never been away too long without telling him, he’s always been, ever since we were kids.

“I remember he had his falcon carry letters.” Nathan pointed at the birds in the sky. Sumon looked up and looked at them too. “The hawk is here, and he is not. They never separated. I think the answer is obvious, isn’t it?”

“All the more reason to assert yourself. What do you think they will do after Urian’s death? If they do not consider you fit, they will not crown you. They will retain their power as they tell them to look for your brother” Sumon turned and placed her palms on the marble, looking towards the horizon.

“What do you suggest I do?” Nathan asked her.

“Will you really listen to my advice?” she asked in surprise.

“I’ve listened to you so far, and then, as I told you, I don’t underestimate you. I trust you.” Sumon smiled, then looked down. She remained silent for a while then looked up at him.

“You must convince Urian to write a will before it’s too late. A will in which he declares you as his sole heir to the throne. The lords will not be able to go against the king’s will, especially if such a will is drawn out before the whole court.”

“Clever. But the king is very stubborn, and I do not think that...”

“You will have to convince him!” Sumon raised her voice and immediately looked around. “Without a will, the lords can do what they want.”

“They will not,” Nathan firmly said “I will not allow them to meet without my presence.”

“What does it mean?”

“It means I will take my place at the council and replace the well-corrupt guards who have mine by justifying it with a shift change. They won’t even take a breath without me knowing.”

“You can’t check them even in their rooms.” Sumon was looking right at him.

“There are more ears than you can imagine.”

“The servants. I will personally take care of them.” They walked arm in arm towards the inside of the castle. “I was thinking of removing some necklaces from my collection recently.”

“The objects are too traceable. You’ll have to melt them first. With well-paid guards and some servants at your service, you will be able to have eyes and ears everywhere. Today I will try to convince my father for the will.” They entered one of the corridors of the castle.

“Yes, but you can do it later. Soon the council will meet, and you should hurry, otherwise, you will be late,” Sumon told him.

“How do you know so many things?” He was more and more stunned by what his wife was capable of.

“A woman never reveals her secrets,” she said, laughing and moving her head left and right.

Her red hair swayed with movement, the light entering from the stained-glass window to her left reflected on her hair and made it shine even more. A servant approached them and made a half bow. Sumon left her cloak in her hand.

“I have some errands and a lunch with some ladies.” She turned to him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, then walked down the corridor with the maid by her side.

“Sumon?” Nathan stopped her, and she looked at him, waiting. “Tonight, I will come to your rooms to... try.”

Sumon smiled “Try to say it again without blushing, my lord,” she replied, laughing. “I will wait for you.” She bowed and walked again.

Nathan saw her figure turn the corner and disappear. He turned away and took a deep breath. It’s time to face the beasts.