Gears of Aspiration

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

    King Addard's queen Eliza sat in the parlor of the palace within the Keep of Elysium. She sat upon a sofa leaning against one of its arms, her feet stretched out across to the other arm. A matching pair of chairs sat on either side of the Queen. With her sat Tone Woodville her brother and Rhithik Grey, a son from a previous marriage. The trio discussed the condition of the ailing king, a kind and generous man whom they loved dearly.

    "Have patience. I have no doubt that his majesty will soon recover his accustomed health," stated Tone as he stood and began pacing about the room. It hurt him to see his sister so distraught. He did not like to see her grieve this way, besides it did nothing to improve KIng Addards state of mind when he saw her in this mood. He and her son Rhithik believed it would be best if she hid her grief from the ailing king.

    "To see you grieve so only makes him worse. It would be better to entertain a cheerful mood in his majesty's presence," Rhithik Grey said. He sat on one of the arm chairs, leaning forward as he spoke, his hands upon his lap. It was Rhithik's idea originally to tell his mother that they both thought a sour mood did her husband no good. If he were to regain his mind it was imperative that she maintain a cheerful mood in his presence. 

    "What would become of me were he to die?" asked the Queen. She remembered the banishment Addard himself had laid upon former queen Fayne Lelani. She remembered her tears and her vengeful curses as she found out she was never to see the city of her birth again. It had hurt Eliza to see the pain clearly evident upon the former queens face as she cursed King Addard for his cruelty. But what choice did he have? Henri Lelani had already raised arms once before in an attempt to regain his throne. Death or imprisonment alongside her husband were the only other options left to the king, so Eliza thought banishment was the most humane choice her husband could have made.

    "No detriment than the loss of a husband,"  her son Rhithik Grey answered. He did not like to lie to his mother, nor did he want to think upon what could happen to her if, for some unforeseen reason, someone with a hatred for Eliza Sarris ascended to the throne of Riverford. With Gregor in prison for treason it stood in his mind that Rikard Sarris would next wear the Amethyst Crown. It was known that Rikard had no love for the queen, but he could not bring himself to believe that that ambitious man would dare do anything to his own sister in law.

    "The loss of this husband includes all detriments," said Eliza. Try as she might, Eliza could not get the image of Fayne Lelani, her face twisted in rage, out of her mind. She too feared banishment but, unlike her naive son, she could see Rikard Sarris exiling her to the furthest reaches of the realm or worse. The Duke of Norford had let his hatred of Eliza be known time and again by his actions and the slanderous ways with which he conversed with her. 

    "You have been blessed with good and respectable sons to comfort you once King Addard is gone," affirmed Tone as he stopped pacing. He stood looking out the window behind the queen, hands clasped behind his back. He too was not so sure that the king's youngest brother would act with his sister's best interests in mind. Quite the contrary, Tone Woodville fully expected Sir Rikard to act with his own wants and needs in mind rather than Eliza's.

    "We are put into the care of Rikard Sarris, He doesn't care for us at all," declared the Queen. Thoughts of what Rikard Sarris may do to her were he to obtain the throne warred in her mind with the image of an angry Fayne Lelani. Add to that the fact that no one, save the king's wizard was adepted with the gift of farsight. No one present could foresee what truly would happen after King Addard died. Would some other faction try to gain the Amethyst Crown? If that happened all bets were off. Eliza's happiness depended upon Addard Sarris regaining his health.

    "Are you certain that Rikard Sarris has been made Protector of the Realm?" asked her brother. Tone was unsure of the laws within Riverford where the crown was concerned. He was not a legal mind and so he was not at all certain what would happen upon the king's death, even more so than the others within the room

    "It is not official yet. But it must be so if Addard were to perish," Eliza acknowledged. She knew that the king's youngest brother would gain the crown of Riverford upon her husbands death. She had read up on the laws concerning ascension within the realm. When it first became evident that king may perish, she began spending her free time reading up on these laws. There was no question in her mind that Rikard Sarris would next be king of the realm.

    Henri Stafford and Stenwulf Tomas entered the parlor and approached them, bowing low, genuflecting before their queen. Both men were trusted advisers to King Addard and were regularly seen coming and going at the Keep. Both men were friends to Addard Sarris since before the wars that granted him his crown. They both knew the man since they were boys and fought along side their king to help him gain his kingdom

    "Good day, your royal grace!" exclaimed Stafford as he bowed before Eliza. He had always been courteous and kind to her and had never said nor done anything that would make his queen think of him as anything but a loyal follower.

    "May you be as happy as ever you have been, Madam," said Tomas. Stenwulf Tomas was a bit of a different story. The man was ambitious enough in his own right and was said to blow with the prevailing winds. One did not know where Stenwulf stood on any matter from one moment to the next, but the man had always shown loyalty to Addard Sarris and his queen.

    "Rise. Have you seen the king today, Stenwulf?" the queen asked, standing to greet the newcomers. She was anxious to hear any news of her husbands recovery even though she believed the man would soon die. Wishful thinking she quietly told herself, but she still held out hope that the king would once again be his strong willed self.

    Standing upright, Tomas said, "Stafford and I have just come from an audience with the king." He tried his best to look upbeat and happy whenever her talked about his old friend's failing health. It was just his way. Stenwulf Tomas never let anyone know what it was he truly thought. That, Eliza thought, was the key to the man's success within the court of Riverford.

    "And did he look well to you?" Eliza queried, keeping a keen eye upon the two for any sign of false hope. She knew the two would say anything to help ease her mind, but she needed the truth. So Queen Eliza watched their expressions for any hint of a lie, any facial tick that may give away their true feelings.

    "His Grace speaks cheerfully, Madam," said Henri, his eyes bright and his smile wide. Henri Stafford was wise to the queens game and did his best not to give away what it was he truly thought. Though he did not lie to his queen, Stafford too thought that the reign of Addard IV of Clan Sarris was at its end.

    "Did you confer with him?" she asked, still looking for any sign of deceit from her husband's advisers and friends. She watched the two for anything that may denote an untruth. A twitch around their eyes, a sudden frown, or even an unaccustomed rise in the pitch of their voices could give them away. She saw nothin and was satisfied the men told her the truth as they saw it.

    "He wants to make peace between Rikard Sarris and your brothers. He also intends to make amends between them and Chamberlain. He commands them to his royal presence,"  Stafford said, standing straight before his queen and looking her straight in the eyes to emphasize the truth in what he told her.

    "I wish all were well. I believe our happiness is now at its height," stated the queen with all desperation evident in her voice. As much as she would like to appear upbeat about her husband's condition, secretly she knew his reign was near it's end. She just could not bring herself to admit it, especially to herself.

    Rikard Sarris entered the parlor just then, with Willem Holinshed and another of the queen's sons, Tomas Grey, in tow. Rikard was clearly agitated, and his hands flew wildly as he began to speak.

    "They do me wrong, and I'll not abide it. Who are they to complain to the king, that I am cruel and love them not? They do his grace a great injustice by filling his head with such contentious lies. Because I cannot flatter and look fair while lying in men's faces, I am to be held a bitter enemy? Cannot a man live and think no harm to others without being abused by these silken naives?" Rikard Sarris demanded as he entered the parlor. He did not take the time to bow before his queen. She would not be queen for much longer anyway.

    "Of whom do you speak?" asked Rhithik Grey as he turned to face the newcomers. He was annoyed that Rikard Sarris would choose now of all times to appear at the keep. He had just calmed his mother's mind. This would not bode well he thought to himself and he felt inclined to hold it against the king's youngest brother.

    "Why, of you, of course! When have I done you wrong? Or you, or you? A pox upon you all! His Grace cannot be left in peace without being troubled by your lewd complaints." Rikard asked as he pointed about the room. He made a point out of making sure he addressed all three of them.

    The queen spoke up, "You are mistaken. Your actions show your hatred of us all." She stood now and faced her accuser. She had never shied away from a confrontation and she certainly would not start now. Rikard may be her brother-in-law but she loathed the man with all her being. In her mind he had the appearance of a devil incarnate, and his actions only went to prove that the man was pure evil.

    "What has come of this world, that sparrows pillage where raptors dare not even perch?" Rikard Sarris retorted. A wry sneer crossed his face as he addressed his queen. He could not help but to let his contempt for her be evident in his features whenever he spoke with Eliza.

    "Come now, Rikard. You envy our betterment. I pray we never have need of you!" Eliza exclaimed. She thought she new full well Rikard's mind. Jealousy, she thought fed his hatred of her. She may have tread more carefully around this viper had she known what truly fueled his hatred of her. Had she known exactly how dangerous a man Rikard Sarris was, she would not provoke him in public so.

    "Ah, but I have need of you. My brother Gregor is imprisoned by your own lies. I, myself am disgraced and held in contempt, while you and yours are promoted in his majesties good graces," Rikard exclaimed as he began pacing about the room, hands now clasped behind his back. He listened intently to the statements and accusations that were thrown his way. He hoped they would say something he could file away in the locker of his mind to use against them at a later date.

    Eliza approached Rikard and said, "I never did try to turn his majesty against your brother. I have, instead, been his advocate, pleading his case unto the king. Rikard, you do me wrong by falsely drawing me as such a vile cohort in this imaginary scheme you have dreamed up." She could not believe that Rikard thought that she was responsible for Gregor's imprisonment. Gregor had always been kind to her and she would never do anything that would cause his detriment. 

    Rikard stopped pacing then, and turned, facing the queen. "You deny that you were the means of my brother Gregor's imprisonment?" he demanded. He had to do his best to make others believe that he himself was not responsible for his brother's imprisonment. Even though Rikard himself was the only one culpable in the matter, it would not do to let anyone else believe so. He had to maintain his accusations or else a crack would develop in his facade of deceit.

    Her brother Tone then advanced upon them stating, "She does." He had had about enough of this and was fully prepared to incur this twisted man's wrath if it would save his sister any more pain. It was not the first time that he had protected Eliza from such attack and he knew it would not be the last. He felt it was his duty to protect his sister, his queen from such unwarranted aggression.

    "She can do far more than that. She could help you to your latterly won betterments, and then disavow that she had any hand in the matter at all," Rikard stated as his sneer grew ever larger upon his face. He could not believe how easy it was to draw them in to a public confrontation. This was going far better than he could have ever planned.

    "For too long have I endured your scoffs and personal defamations upon my character. I intend to acquaint the king with these gross taunts that, far too often, have I borne. I would rather be of common folk, than to be a queen in such a situation as this. I have no joy in being queen," Eliza decried as the parlor doors opened admitting former Queen Fayne Lelani. All eyes, save those of Rikard himself, were now upon the former queen. No one had seen her in Riverford let alone Elysium, since she was banished from the kingdom by Addard himself.

    "You threaten me by telling on me to the king? Then tell him, I say, and spare not one detail! Better yet, I'll tell him myself and risk imprisonment in his majesty's dungeons! The time to speak is now! You all forget my pains," Rikard said, his tone rising in volume until he was screeching at his queen. The tension was high within the parlor and the addition of Fayne Lelani was just what he needed to escalate things to their boiling point. If he could get them all fighting with each other it would be easier for him to mask himself in innocence. 

    "Out, you Devil," shouted Fayne, "I remember your pains all too well. You did murder my husband in those very same dungeons, and you killed my poor son in battle some ten years ago!" Her face twisted in anger and it unnerved Eliza who had been haunted by that face in her dreams since her husband had vanquished Henri to the dungeons and banished Fayne from the realm.

    "Before you were queen, Fayne, before your husband was ever king, I was the man that did his bidding. I did weed out his dignified foes. I rewarded his friends with grants of title and land given to them by your Henri himself. To royalize his blood I did spill mine own. Remember what you were then and what you are now. Also remember what I was and what I now am," Rikard admonished her, doing his best to stoke the fires of hatred within the room. Now would be the perfect time to turn them all against each other, and he knew precisely what to say to set them all at each other's throats.

    "A murderous fiend, and so you remain!" exclaimed the former queen. Since her ostracism from the kingdom, Fayne Lelani had dreamed of the moment she was finally able confront those responsible. Now all of her hate and vitriol spewed from her mouth in an acid torrent. If she had her way it would burn all of those within the room to cinders.

    "Poor Gregor did forsake his own father to fight for Addard's part for the crown! And as payment for this service, King Addard has him locked away? I wish my heart were made of stone, like Addards or Addard's soft and pitiful, like mine own, I am not made for this world, it would seem," Rikard Sarris stated as he made his way toward a vacant arm chair near the queen's sofa, his back to the others in the room. His plans were falling into place quite nicely. He smiled, feeling extremely pleased with himself.

    "You, go to hell, Rikard!" demanded Fayne, pure hatred evident in her voice. She did nothing to mask her contempt for those around her. It felt wonderful to her to be able to finally to let them all know what she felt and she hoped it would be too much for them all to bare. She'd give it all she had, she decided then. 

    "In those days, Rikard, we followed the directive of our sovereign king. So should we follow you, were you to be king," Tone Woodville said, joining in on the debate as he moved to stand beside Eliza. This was where he thought he needed to be if he were to protect his sister.

    "If I should be king? I would rather be a poor beggar than king. To be king is the farthest thing in my mind," Rikard lied. He tried his best to say anything that would deflect any accusation made at him. He wanted to appear as innocent as he could in the eyes of others. He could not allow himself to slip up now, now that his plans were seemed to actually be working.

    "As little joy you would find in being king, I now find in being queen," said Eliza, walking toward Rikard, seeing him standing beside an arm chair tracing the pattern of the upholstery with his index finger, as if deep in thought. In truth he was listening intently to the conversation of those in the room with him. He was looking for anything he could use to stoke the fires of hatred within the room.

    Fayne then turned and advanced on them both. "I can no longer hold my peace! Hear me, you pirates, that fall out in sharing that which you have stolen from me! Which of you does not tremble and shake when you look upon me? If not for you, I would still be queen!" She screamed at them, her face bent with enmity. Her eyes flashed with anger, her nostrils flared. Nothing would please her more than to see these two burning within the pits of hell itself.

    "Were you not banished upon pain of death, if ever you were to return to this fair city?" Rikard demanded. He did his best to remain cool. He needed to keep his wits about him as he added fuel to the fire, and he knew this question could send the former queen right over the edge of sanity.

    "I was, but I find far more pain in banishment than death can possibly bring. You owe me a husband and a son!," Fayne Lelani screamed at Rikard. Then turning on Eliza she yelled, "And you owe me a kingdom!" Fayne Lelani was becoming lost in her anger. It seemed everything Rikard Sarris said seemed to intensify her animosity. On top of that Queen Eliza's silence further angered her. She could feel rage heating up within her and she feared it would boil her blood within her veins if she did not release the pressure she felt from within.

    "This pain that I bare is yours by right! All the pleasures you supplant are also mine!", Fayne bellowed, addressing them both. One more word from this man would open the floodgates of her anguish and she knew it would not belong before she gave full vent to her feelings.

    "My father cursed you when your scorns drew rivers from his eyes. He cursed you out of spite, before you crowned his severed head with a paper circlet. It is fate, not we, that had cursed you," Rikard said advancing on Fayne. That was it, Rikard saw something in his former queen's eyes that made him sure that she had been pushed as far as she would allow.

    "To right the innocent, so just is fate," affirmed Eliza. Rikard could not believe his ears. Eliza herself was now adding fuel to the fires of Fayne Lelani's hatred. This is going to be good, he thought to himself.

    "It was a foul and treacherous deed to crown the severed head of so noble a man," stated Willem Holinshed as he approached them. Again, Rikard could not believe how well his plan was working. Now Lord Whyteford was beginning to push her to her limits.

    "Even autocrats cried when the news was heard," Tone Woodville said, also advancing on the former queen. And Woodville too? Rikard was quite amazed.

    "We all expected revenge for that deceitful act," affirmed Tomas Grey. Rikard Sarris could not have planned this confrontation any better. Nearly all those present were now heaping blame upon Fayne Lelani, making her feel as if all her pains were deserved and that fate was truly just after all.

    "Before I arrived, you were all snarling, ready to catch each other by the throat. And now, you turn all hatred upon me? Did the late Sarris's curse work so well as that? That Henri's death, my lovely Edward's death, their kingdom's loss and my woeful banishment, should all but answer for that one act of deceit? Can curses cleave the clouds and invade paradise? Then, give way, gray clouds, give entrance to my disdain!" Fayne Lelani demanded, spite dripping like poison from her tongue.

    "Though not by war, by excess shall your king die! May you, Queen, outlive your prestige, like my calamitous self! Long may you live to wail your children's death! May you see all rights usurped from you as I have seen mine! May all happiness in your life die long before you do, and then only after many long hours of grief!" Fayne cursed.

    "Brothers Grey, you stood idly by, as did you Holinshed, when my son was killed by this murderous fiend. May none of you see my Edward's age, may some unforeseen accident cut short your life!" continued her curse.

    "Enough of this!" said Rikard Sarris, turning toward the door.

    "And leave you out? Stay, for you will hear me!" Fayne demanded of him. "If God have any calamitous pestilence in store, one worse than that I myself can wish for, let him keep it till your sins be ripest, then heap his scorn upon you! May your conscience gnaw upon your black soul! May you suspect your closest friends as traitors and take traitors for your closest friends! May you get no sleep unless to be plagued by a hell full of demons in your fearful dreams!" the former queen finished.

    Stafford stepped forward, then, "Amity, for modesty if not for kindness, Madam!"

    "I'll take your hand, Stafford, as a sign of kinship. I wish good will for you and yours. Your cloths are not stained with our blood, nor are you encompassed in my curses," Fayne said reassuringly, before pointy an accusing finger at Rikard Sarris.

    "Beware this dog, Stafford! Have naught to do with him! After he flatters, he attacks! When he attacks, his venomous fang will torment you to your own death!" Fayne Lelani shouted, before lowering her voice, stepping closer to Henri Staffod and whispering in his ear.

    "Beware of him, Henri. Damnation and Death have left their marks upon him, and all the ministers of Hell attend upon him," the former queen warned as she left the parlor, slamming the heavy wooden doors behind her.