Arillia by Illuminati Architect

Chapter Seventeen, Lessons

On the evening of Monday, the 6th of Befur, 23rd year of my father, King Peter III Angleland of Ioa, I sat next to his younger sister, Duchess Ulyana Angleland Jalo, for a dinner her husband, Duke Gustav Jalo, held in my honor and picked at my food.

“Is something the matter, Your Highness?” My aunt asked me.

“My apologies, Duchess, but seeing young love reminds me of my broken heart.” I nodded over to Miss Amelia Amadev who was woofing down her dinner while paying no attention to her fiancee Oliver Olmec who sat next to her or his parents seated across from the young couple. Her appetite and my feigned listlessness were helped by the stimulant potion she had taken an hour before and that my silently cast Cleanse spell hadn’t reached to bland her meal, covering just mine and those of my other two warrior women. However, I doubted the ability of any potion to dent Elizabeth’s stamina or escape the animalistic senses of Rebecka.

“First Lord Simon Glister, and then Lord Wayne Duenits, how you have suffered.” She turned to her husband. “Dear, do you know of any suitable candidates, perhaps a slightly older nobleman who would be more considerate of Princess Arillia’s fragile heart?”

Uncle Gustav took the opportunity to look me over again as he apparently silently nominated himself to be my suitor and then shook his head. “Dear, I think it’s best to give Princess Arillia’s bruised heart a chance to rest.”

At this point, Amelia leaned back from her empty plate and belched loudly. “Oh, excuse me.”

“Now, please don’t let me be a damper on the celebration of the engagement of this young couple.” I held up my goblet of magically gathered carbonated water towards them. “Let them dance!”

“Your Highness!” Amelia glared at me.

“Oh, no. Please enjoy each other’s company and pay no attention to me.”

“Miss Amadev?” Oliver rose from his seat, bowed to her, and extended his hand.

Seeing no escape, Amelia allowed herself to be led into the cleared center of the hall. Other couples from the minor nobility of the duchy of Awato and the guildhalls of Port Linton gave the couple of honor plenty of room as they all started to dance.

I played with my fork with my head bowed, as I carefully watched Amelia and Oliver.

He seemed a reasonably skilled dancer, but Amelia was clearly much less practiced. She struggled to keep up with him and seemed to grow increasingly off balance. On the third dance, the moment I was waiting for arrived as Amelia collapsed into Oliver’s arms, coughing up blood all over him. I studied his face and saw no horror or disdain but a deep and apparently genuine concern. At that moment, I decided to ship the couple, to use Greg’s term.

“Amelia!” Oliver held her up and escorted her back to her seat as all the other dancers returned to sitting with their families.

I stood to examine her. “Oh dear, she’s had a relapse.” I wielded my wand and made a show of casting Heal on her, with the full chanting and everything.

“A relapse?” Oliver’s mother asked.

“It’s something she picked up along the road. You know how she runs off the moment I take my eyes off her.”

“She runs off?” Oliver’s father asked.

Amelia coughed up some more blood into her napkin, then took a drink from my offered goblet to clear her throat.

“Your Highness,” Oliver turned to me while still supporting Amelia in his arms, “Is there anything that can be done for her? Whatever the price, I will do anything for her.”

At the mention of the word ‘price,’ his parents jerked back slightly.

“The Queen has hired a healing woman from Suskan. She hasn’t done anything for me, but the healing powers of the Blessed Girls is said to exceed those of we mere wizards. Mister Oliver Olmec, will you escort your fiancee back to Kristophoro and oversee her recovery there while you train to be a squire under my knights?”

“It would be my honor.” He released his fiancee, then knelt before me to kiss my offered hand. “Praise the gods for Your Highness!”

“Now go, Master Oliver Olmec, clean up and prepare, for we depart in the morning.”

At this, he glanced down and noticed the blood on his fine clothing, but his response was to look over to Amelia in renewed concern before bowing and departing.

His parents looked at each other in confusion, attempting to calculate if they had gained or lost on the transaction, then followed their newly esquired son.

“Duke, Duchess, honored guests. Please excuse me, for I must treat Miss Amadev as best I can.”

“Please excuse me as well.” Uncle Gustav bowed to his guests. “I will add my alchemy to help in her treatment.” He picked up Amelia and followed me and my team back to the room set aside for us.

I did not object as Uncle Gustav had Amelia stripped naked to examine her. I watched him carefully and saw only professional concern, not his usual lechery.

Even his unwitting mistress, Miss Justine, seemed to show only professional awe towards him as she assisted in the examination. Perhaps he had imposed a second personality on her to cleanly separate devotion as an assistant from a devoted lover, as in the stories Greg had told me. Perhaps addressing her by her alternate name would switch her over?

He used another potion to put her into an enchanted sleep, then entrusted me several vials of each of the two kinds with instructions and warnings on their use.

I took off and packed away my dress, then lay on the next bed. I told Elizabeth to wake me an hour past midnight or sooner if Amelia showed signs of worsening and for Rebecka to be ready to act at that point.

Elizabeth woke me at the allotted time, and I dressed in my traveling clothes and put on the swordbelt, then followed Rebecka out the window with Lord Sparot’s spirit at my side. I directed Rebecka over the rooftop to the window of Uncle Gustav’s study. I used reverse Holddoor to unlock this, then had Rebecka withdraw the rope and remain out of sight on the roof until I was ready to leave. I closed the window, drew my wand, and looked around Uncle Gustav’s study, using Sparot’s undead vision to see in darkness and spot enchantments.

I found something magical about one of the drawers on his desk and used Magescan to analyze this. Then, I carefully cast the variant of Holddoor I had been working on to bypass his hold without canceling it.

I withdrew a book that seemed important and, from what I could glean, appeared to be a tally of various accounts. Then I pulled out Koching’s jewel and imbued this with a drop of mana.

Are you ready to memorize these documents?

If this is the evidence you require to dispose of another one of my troublesome descendants, then I see no harm in helping you turn on one another.

I closed my eyes and ‘looked’ through the jewel as I rapidly turned the pages. I was almost done with that book when I heard Uncle Gustav chanting the Sleep spell from the now open doorway. I turned just enough to put him in my line of vision then silently cast the same spell back at him. His spell stuck first, and I felt all of my strength fade away, but I remained standing, thanks to Sparot’s undead strength. Then I cast from my wand mana and ran up to catch him as he collapsed. I carried him with Sparot’s strength to the bed he had in his study. I suspected he’d told Aunt Ulyana that this was just so he could complete late-night work without disturbing her, but it was big enough for two, and even had two pillows.

I then closed the door and scanned a few more documents before returning all of these to where I had found them. Making my way back through the window up over the roof, I went back with Rebecka to our assigned room.

The next morning Aunt Ulyana apologized that my Uncle wasn’t there to see us off, but that when he worked late in his study he wasn’t to be disturbed until he emerged the next morning. I would need to be gentle when reprograming my soon to be widowed aunt, but if needed I would order her to accept Miss Justine and Gustav’s bastard child she was carrying as part of her family.

Oliver arrived even better prepared than I expected. He had a sword, dagger, horse, two mounted men at arms, a driver and a wagon equipped with a straw mattress for Amelia, which was also packed with his things, along with a nurse to look after Amelia on the road.

It took a glance to see that Elizabeth and Rebecka agreed with my assessment that Oliver and his guards would be more hazards for themselves than for any foes we might face on the road. Still, if they soaked up one arrow that would otherwise be aimed at my heart, it would be worthwhile. I resolved that it would be Oliver who would be paying for any accommodations along the way home.

On the road, Amelia sat next to the wagon driver and looked at me, but I pulled ahead just behind the guards and next to Rebecka while Elizabeth guarded the rear.

Oliver rode his horse next to Amelia and attempted to strike up a conversation with her, but she said she was tired and retreated inside the covered wagon to sit on the straw mattress.

Oliver seemed nonplussed and rode next to me to ask about Amelia. I sent Rebecka to ride next to Elizabeth at the rear of our little column and loudly told Oliver embarrassing stories about Amelia from our childhood. She must have been listening because she started coughing loudly.

I had our column stop by the shore of Murky Creek Bay and told the nurse to remain in the wagon while I took Amelia some distance away to “examine her mystic vibes.”

“Why did you bring Oliver?” Amelia glared at me.

“Miss Amadev, have you ever considered how your disobedience makes me look?”

“What? I’m the one who’s suffering, Your Highness. And now you pile the insult of Oliver over this injury I suffered for your sake.”

“I told you not to charge in. I carefully explained why you shouldn’t do that many times beforehand and yet you paid no heed to what I said. Imagine what your father would have said if I returned to him with a broken daughter and a missing horse and did not have this potential son-in-law in tow? All I am asking of you is that you treat Oliver nicely enough for now so he doesn’t lose interest in you. Take another look at him; if you like what you see, you can keep him, and I will ensure that he remains devoted to you. And if not, then I will find somebody better for him, a woman who can keep her word.”

“Does this injury mean that I am to retire after a single adventure?”

“Just because it is beyond the power of wizards or alchemists does not mean that we have lost all hope. If there are miracles in this world, they are in the hands of the Blessed Girls. I have seen Polly treat in minutes an injury that would have taken days of my time to do a much less complete cure. Now get back in the wagon so we can hurry you to her, and please, for my sake, smile at Oliver and listen to what he has to say.”

Amelia rode in the front of the wagon and nodded as Oliver talked to her about his life. She even managed a smile at one point but then coughed up blood into a cloth she had carried on her lap.

We made it to Tinfin that evening and stayed at an inn with which the Olmecs had some sort of connection.

On Wednesday, 7th Befur, we set out early and made it to Martion at sunset.

We finally reached Kristophoro castle at noon on Thursday, 8th Befur. I barely had time to dismount before Polly leaped into my arms.

“Arillia, you’re okay!” She kissed me.

I turned towards the wagon, where Amelia looked wide-eyed at us for a moment, then bent over coughing.

“Polly, please follow and see to Miss Amelia Amadev.” I put Polly back on her feet, then picked up Amelia and carried her to her father’s house next to the stables.

“Your Highness!” Sir Amadev opened the door for us. “What happened to my daughter?”

“She had an incident along the road. Let’s get her to her room so this Blessed Girl can treat her.”

“Blessed Girls exist? How is Your Highness carrying Amelia? And why is mister Olmec here?”

“It’s Master Olmec now.” I put Amelia in her bed and stepped back to let Polly lean over her. “He is to be your squire unless you have some objection.”

“What is she doing?” Sir Amadev looked at Polly leaning over with her hands on Amelia’s chest, but without Sparot’s undead senses, he couldn’t see her power at work.

When Polly collapsed, I picked her up and carried her to the chair in Amelia’s room. I glanced at Amelia and saw that she was sleeping peacefully and naturally. Her life essence seemed a little more substantial to Sparot’s undead senses. “Sir Amadev, please let Polly rest here and look over Amelia. It may take her a few days, but her power seems to be working. Master Olmec can fill you in on all the details unless you’d rather have a different squire?”

“No, young Master Olmec should make a most suitable squire. I didn’t see my horse with your group?”

“Goldeneye carried Amelia away from danger with his last breath.”

Sir Amadev fainted, so with Oliver’s help, I took him to his bed and left Oliver to look after him as I walked back to the keep, where I caught a glimpse of Elizabeth carrying Carnel up the stairs. I followed the reunited couple and then collapsed in my bed until dinner.

During Carnel’s science lessons on Friday, 9th Befur, Sage Reltuc revealed his mistake that I’d been waiting for.

“Princess Arillia, I have spoken to my colleagues at the Academy, and they are intrigued about the subjects you have raised.”

“Did you give them my name?”

“No, I have told them it’s a new source I’ve uncovered and are still working on verifying. They have asked for a lecture series, but I feel greatly unqualified to present this.”

“Have Carnel do it.”

“What? Me? At the Academy again?”

“You only really know something when you can answer the questions of another. Perhaps you’ve been too accepting of what I’ve said because it’s ‘Big Sister Arillia’, even though you’ve already found I was mistaken about where the magnetic north pole is. You won’t find a better source of questions than the students at the Academy.”

“How can I face them?”

“You don’t. Prepare a lecture, read that out in front of the students, then withdraw and have them submit written questions for the Reltucs to review.”

“I guess.”

“So Sage Reltuc, tell your colleagues that a lecture will be presented on Saturday the 17th and to reserve a hall at the Academy for this. In the meantime, Carnel will choose a topic, and we’ll all help her with her script.”

That afternoon, I went to Jahead Jewelry to get the Jewel of Koching set in a silver necklace. I saw that the quote for the chain was fifty percent more than I expected, and as I signed this I gave instruction to present it to Treasurer Farland for payment.

I presented the necklace to the Queen in her study. “Mother, imbue a drop of mana into the stone and ask to see Uncle Gustav’s documents.”

She did this and then dropped the necklace to the table. She blushed as red as her hair. “Arillia!”

“Mother, tell Koching that he will either behave himself, or I will have him locked into a hidden crypt beneath this castle where his unknowing descendants will walk past him repeatedly until the end of time.”

Mother tried this again and was soon writing down a copy of the documents.

“Mother, please hide the necklace away when you’re around Carnel.”

“Yes, the last thing we need is for Koching to get into a conflict with Carnel or, even worse, an alliance.”

Polly returned to the keep at sunset on Saturday, the 10th of Befur, to collapse instantly and fall asleep when she reached my bed.

The next morning, we finally had our vigorous wake-up sex, and after breakfast, I dropped in on Amelia at her house and found her sitting at their kitchen table, reading a book. “Hi, are you busy?”

“What is it, Your Highness?”

“Just wanted to see how you are doing.”

“Polly said that I should rest for one more day. Then Father will have me training alongside Oliver.”

“So, no longer Master Olmec?”

“That’s what Father calls him, and you told me to be nicer to ‘Oliver.’”

“So Polly’s treatment of you is complete?”

“I’m no longer coughing up blood and can breathe much easier. Polly is really amazing but not nearly as amazing as her wondrous prophet Princess Arillia, and how blessed she is to be your lover. Makes me wish she’d introduce me to the version of Your Highness that she sees.”

“So what is this Arillia that you see?”

“You’re a monster.”

“Yes, which leaves only the question of whether I am the monster that Ioa needs or merely the monster Ioa deserves.”

“How many lovers has Your Highness had?”

“Well, I teased Alice a bit, but first Polly, and then you are the only women I’ve had my fingers in. Other than myself, of course. Still looking for a suitable prince to be our king, my husband, and the undisputed father of my children.”

“How is Your Highness completely without shame?”

“A side effect of our system of government. Our queens need to wear different masks when talking to different groups. I’ve made some notes about splitting up areas of responsibility, but we’re stuck with the unitary executive for now. You haven’t seen the worst parts of Arillia. My love life should be the least of your concerns about me. Ask Rebecka about my council meetings sometime. Not that I’ll invite an innocent like you to those.”

“So what am I to Your Highness?”

“You’re Amelia the Lancer for as long as you have the ability and inclination to be so.”

“What good is that? I’m nothing compared to Elizabeth in combat or Rebecka’s handling of the horses.”

“I haven’t met anybody else with Rebecka’s well-trained animal empathy, and I don’t expect to. I will make full use of everything and everyone I can get, past the last drop of my blood and over the threshold of death with Sparot’s assistance. No matter how ruthless I may appear to a mere stable girl, I fear that I am too soft and will fall far short of the need.”

“What good am I then?”

“I need you to fulfill the Lancer trope. To be the insider who questions my answers but is loyal to my cause. I need you to cover my blind spot in the Unknown Knowns quadrant. What are the questions I should have asked whose answers are near at hand?”

“Huh?”

“Just be yourself, Amelia. It will all come naturally to you. Now, put on a coat and follow me.”

“I’m supposed to rest today.”

“You can rest in the courtyard. Just your presence will cheer Oliver on in his training.”

“And what is Oliver to Your Highness? Why did you change your mind so suddenly when you met him? He’s a nobody.”

“When you two danced, I watched him and saw his genuine concern for your well-being. That’s another treasure I can’t buy with gold. It would be helpful to me if you two were married.”

“Oliver doesn’t excite me. No man does. But I guess you’ve got Polly to warm your bed again.”

“I insist that you give Oliver a chance before returning to my bed. Have you taught him how to excite you?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, ignorance is a treatable condition.”

“I don’t want to have his children!”

“None of the techniques I’ve taught you should lead to that.”

“And what do I do when he needs release?”

“Use your mouth. You seem to like flapping your tongue, and I bet he’ll like that, too. Now come along and watch as I humiliate him. Then, you can offer feigned sympathy to win points with Oliver and your father.”

“I shall accompany Your Highness to see the humiliation, but I give no promises about the sympathy.”

Amelia leaned against me more than she really needed to as we walked to the courtyard. After I seated her on the bench, I walked over to where Sir Amadev was playfully sparing with Oliver.

“May I?” I took Sir Amadev’s wooden practice sword and then bowed to Oliver. “Master Olmec, may I have a match?”

“I wouldn’t want to hurt Your Highness.”

“You’ve seen what Polly can do. If you kill me, just fetch her before I get too dead.”

“As you wish.” He bowed to me and took a stance with his wooden practice sword held out towards me at arm’s length.

I stood with a close guard and didn’t have long to wait as he lunged towards me.

I batted his sword away, then swatted him on his offered hand before he could recover. I didn’t have Lord Sparot on me, but I didn’t need undead strength against such an amateur, even one who was at least a quarter bigger and stronger than I was.

“Ow!” Oliver dropped his sword and wrapped his left hand around his injured right hand.

“Let me take a look at that.” I handed the practice sword back to Sir Amadev, directed Oliver to sit next to Amelia, and made a loud show of casting Heal on his hand. “Give that an hour to rest, and then Sir Amadev can start to train you properly.”

As I walked away I heard Amelia point out the many errors in Oliver’s sword technique. I risked one glance back and saw that he listened attentively to her.

On Friday, the 16th of Befur, the Reltucs and our parents joined us in the castle library as Carnel did a practice read-through of her lecture notes.

“Good afternoon, students and faculty of The Royal Academy. I’m the second princess of Ioa, Carnel Aurora Angleland. I know that words were said when I was last at this academy, and I apologize for what I said at the time and I pray that you forgive me as I forgive you. What happened cannot and should not be forgotten, but we must not bind ourselves endlessly to the past. I am here today at the invitation of the academy to present some theories of mine. Anybody who isn’t interested can leave now or later, but I ask only that you not disturb others who are more interested in what I have to say. Please write down any questions you may have and submit these to Sage Reltuc, and we’ll get answers back to you as quickly as we can. My topic for today is on the basics of Chemistry. As you all know, Alchemy is magic working on Chemistry, but what is Chemistry? We’ve provided some copies of a sheet for you. Please share with the person next to you if we run out. You can see that on one side of the sheet is a periodic table of the elements, and on the other side are some useful formulas.”