Chapter 157 Tears
Costa Lunas.
The royal wagon makers had joined two carts together and used six wheels to slowly transport the wounded Pegasus to the castle. Four large horses were needed to pull it. Men walked ahead to cut away bushes and move aside stones, thus making the journey less painful. These men, like most of those who worked in the royal stables, loved animals. To them, a horse was a symbol of beauty, and its death, a tragedy. The mere idea of the death of a messenger of the goddess of the air was appalling to them.
The Pegasus had severe injuries to both hind legs, but they did not believe the delicate bones were broken. With time and care, it was possible that she would walk again. No one could say for certain if she would ever fly again. The procession moved along the main avenue under the gaze of many people. Thousands of people prayed for the elegant animal. Merchants offered free bread and drink to the workers. In that same week, they would have witnessed a law against their religion, an inspiring flight of Pegasi, and an injured messenger from their goddess traveling near their homes. Part of the royal stables were prepared for the great animal, and her rider awaited her after the ritual of mourning. The small man stroked the head of his mount. She wept with pain in her body. Corsino cried from the pain in his heart.
Corsino: We will fly again, my beautiful red.
Red Sunrise: If we never fly again, we saved our family from death. We were instruments of the All-Mother. Only that means our lives mattered.
Sorcha: Do I need to be jealous?
The rider turned his head: Lady Sorcha. Yes, she will always be my red beloved.
The red-haired woman knelt beside him: Fine. I hope there is room in your heart for two large women.
They kissed and sat next to the wounded Pegasus through that day and night.
The room of a royal page.
The group of friends searched through the entire castle for Marco. The count told them that the young man had captured Octavio but had disappeared after the battle. Yegor and Antonio were one couple, and Gunther and Frieder were the other. It was the latter two who finally found him. The tall young man lay on the floor near some empty beer bottles. The chamber pot smelled of vomit. It was obvious to both what had happened.
Gunther: He is drunk, and I think he has been like this for a few days. I know a lot about it from my father and stepfather.
Frieder: Yes. I have an uncle who loves wine more than his family. What do we need?
The delicate young man: A large bowl of cold water and another of hot water. Strong tea with willow bark and a few pieces of raw cabbage.
The tall young man kissed him on the cheek and went to get things from the nearby kitchen. Then, between the two of them, they lifted him up and submerged his head, first in the cold water and then in the hot water. When the temperature of both containers was similar, Marco was completely awake and felt his mind somewhat clear. After two cups of strong tea with large amounts of willow bark and some pieces of cabbage, he felt much better in his head and stomach.
Gunther: Can you understand me now?
Marco nodded, his eyes red: Yes, I think so.
Gunther: Do you remember the queen, your friend? She asked us for a service for her secret court. And we need you.
Frieder: Yes. There is a fight to save some women. We need our hammer.
Marco got up with great difficulty: Of course. I need a weapon.
The blond page: Frieder, take him to the meeting room while I find the others. We will meet you shortly.
The strong young man helped the other one walk through the less-traveled corridors. The thin young man ran off to find his other friends and others.
The two fourteen-year-old boys entered a small meeting room and found a short, bald man, a woman of similar age, and a ten-year-old girl.
Frieder: This man is Nestor, the Master Rider of the Pegasi. These are his wife and daughter, Marcela and Bonita. Are these familiar names?
Marco: Bonita...ten...Pegasi.
The woman stood up with tears in her eyes and hugged the young man tightly: You saved my daughter.
Néstor leaned over the table, took the hand of the young man, and spoke with sincerity: As long as I live, I will not be able to repay this debt. But if you need anything from me, just ask.
Marco: But...the others...
The rider: You would have been hanged for saving the five women. If they had not received the other scrolls, they would have discovered your actions and killed you and the women.
A different voice came from the doorway: Yes. Your actions were braver than those of the soldiers in battle.
Gunther, Yegor, and Antonio were standing next to a woman and a girl.
Selva: Marco...we came to see if you were dead.
Marcela released him from the hug, and the young man slowly stood up. He walked silently toward his family and knelt before them.
Marco, in a voice that was hard to hear: Mama.
The woman and the girl hugged him. The young man cried more than he had ever cried in his life.
Vega: Everything is fine, Marquito.
Antonio: He must have felt so alone. He will need us.
Gunther: We will not let our friend fall.
The neighborhoods of the city.
The stories were passed on in whispers, in overheard conversations, and amid tears at burials and funeral pyres.
The young queen had cried for common soldiers. She wept inconsolably for a servant as if she were her own mother. The most powerful woman in the kingdom mourned for people like them.
Kings and queens had many names. King Reynaldo was known as the Conqueror in Costa Lunas, but as the Cruel in Puerto Blanco. Queen Esmeralda was known as the Beautiful until her infidelity nearly destroyed the kingdom. After that, she became known as the Whore.
Olivia was already known as the Bastard Queen, the Pure, the Intrepid. In inns, taverns, and brothels, the queen received a new name: The Queen Who Cried.
The stories reached an inn in the quarter of hunters. Tears have power. They can calm an angry person and restore compassion. They can heal broken hearts. They can ensure a person is remembered even after death. When Fausto and Birgit heard the stories, they understood that the tears of a queen could have great power.