Chapter 189 What is Necessary
Two days after the War of Succession.
In the private meeting room of the Queen, three days earlier.
Yegor: What do you need, my queen?
The Queen: This concerns what you need.
The Wolf: I need nothing. I have coin and a place to sleep. I have a good friend who has promised that we could be together for the rest of our lives. I bear a very good name of a hunter from the North. And I serve a strong and brave queen. I need nothing.
The queen had read everthing of what her great-grandfather, Gutierre the Wise, had written. Monika had made sure she had learned from his wisdom.
At that moment, she remembered one thing he had written in his final days: At times, a king needs to decide what his people need. This decision determines whether the king is good or evil.
The rooms of the Count of Arms.
The queen entered with the page. She sat in a chair facing the count, who lay on a recovery bed. His wife was sitting beside him. The red-haired page began to leave, but the queen spoke.
Olivia: Page, please stay here with us.
The page bowed and looked at the ground while the nobles spoke.
The Queen: Count, are you recovering well?
Esteban, with a grunt: Yes. Thank you for visiting me.
Olivia took out a small parchment with a black string wrapped around it. She untied the cord and opened it.
The Queen: Certain members of my court committed acts that bordered on treason. I promised to decide upon certain punishments after the war, provided that I remained on the throne. This scroll holds the punishment for the two of you.
The warrior looked into the eyes of her husband: We accept your decision, my Queen.
Olivia read from the parchment in a very strong and clear voice: By order of the Queen, Esteban of Colina Verde and Tatiana of the North are declared guilty of acts against the throne. Nevertheless, they rendered great service to the kingdom during a time of peril. Their punishment shall be service to the throne as detailed by the Queen.
She stopped and touched the shoulder of the page. She showed him the parchment and pointed to a specific section. The twelve-year-old boy read slowly and then nodded vigorously at the queen.
The Queen continued: Esteban and Tatiana, husband and wife in the eyes of the law, shall serve until their deaths as parents to Yegor the Wolf of the North and of Costa Lunas. They shall provide for him until he reaches the age of twenty and shall provide their wisdom thereafter. Any failure in this sevice will reuslt in a new punishment being decided. Do you accept this punishment?
Tatiana could not speak; she merely nodded slowly. Tears began in her eyes. The count looked at the queen, and then into the dark brown eyes of the boy.
Esteban: Yes, we are proud to have such a good son. Thank you, my queen.
Tatiana finally found her voice: Yegor, are you sure?
The young man approached and knelt. He struck his chest twice, in the greeting of the northern warriors: You are as brave as my father, and the Count possesses great honor and intelligence, like my mother. I would be proud to serve you as a page and, in the future, as a warrior. But I would be far happier to be your son.
The Puma, with tears: Yes, my queen... yes we accept.
The queen rose and left the rooms of a new family. The three remained in shock and joy.
The young man reached into his vest and took something out. He handed an elegant hairbrush, made of teak and silver, to his new mother. He looked at her and spoke in a tribal language.
Yegor: I am sorry, Mama. My gift for you for my birth is very late. I will do better next year.
Tatiana fell to her knees and embraced him tightly. She kissed the top of his head. Both wept softly, for profound reasons. Esteban took the hand of his son and wept with his family, as a good father should.
In the air over Costa Lunas Bay.
Lupe rode the All-Mother, flying in the clear evening air. The two exchanged mental images. The Pegasus ate a tremendous amount every day, and her body seemed larger each morning.
All-Mother: Soon, the large moon will pass in front of the Sun, and the small moon will pass in front shortly thereafter. This event will trigger a strange occurrence. Our memories tell me that a great danger is about to descend upon both humans and Unicorns.
Lupe: We need to help them. I feel this in my heart.
The Pegasus: Yes. Because a great danger will descend upon the Pegasi. And if they do not help us, we will vanish from the mountains forever.
The woman: How long?
All-Mother: Three or four suns.
Lupe: A few years to prepare ourselves. May the Goddess help us.
Far to the north, in a frozen land.
The land was covered by centuries of snow and ice. Few human beings had ever approached this place. Only the strongest animals inhabited this fierce tundra. In a tale told to children, King Gutierre and the war Unicorn Azure Death fought against a powerful and dangerous beast in these lands. Many considered it to be an invented story or, at the very least, embellished and intended solely to entertain the young. However, the horn of the Unicorn was broken by something.
It was always cold here, but it began to grow colder than usual. Deep within the ground, immense forces tore a wound in the land and the ice. The cold air penetrated deep into the rugged crevice. The air found large eggs that seemed made of ice. They had stayed hidden for centuries. Inside them, beasts began to awaken. Only the magic of the Pegasi allowed these forgotten creatures to be remembered.
End of Book One.