72. Troubled mind

After a few minutes of discussion with the dark knight, Dev spoke to his mother, “My queen, I must take our dark knight with me with your consent. His presence is a need in the Forbidden Tower.”
“I might want you to be my side, Dev.” The white queen told him. But Dev smiled at her, “Mother, I know you are the strongest woman of all ages. Whatever you decide, you will have a deep consideration of me.”
“But you are the topic of today’s gathering, Dev, I...” Before the white queen could complete her words, Dev told her in low voice, “You take care of everything here (gesturing towards the Las Oajar). I will take care of everything there. (Mentioning the Forbidden Tower) Good sound of the deal, isn’t it?”
“Dev, Dev,” while the white queen was repeatedly calling her son, Dev smiled at her in reply. Dev and the dark knight were exempted from the court of Las Oajar after the approval of chieftains.
After the departure of Dev and Jaravles, the first chieftain gestured to the soldier to spare the common man. The white queen stated, “Crown prince will be crowned as king by the third full moon.”
The five chieftains discussed the word given by the white queen. The third chieftain stood and asked his assistant to bring the edict manuscript. They soon rummaged to the old pages of the edict manuscript which pages were made of dragon skin and the words were carved in them.
After a few minutes of discussion, the third chieftain, the middle one, the elderly man stood and bowed his head in a gesture of saluting the white queen.
The white queen nodded and the third chieftain untied the scroll and read from that, “’ King shall crown to throne bestowed with his queen’. My queen, the dragon clan’s edict manuscript says before the coronation, our crown prince must be married.”
The second and fourth chieftains too agreed and suggest, “We suggest the prolongation of the bloodline of the dragon clan is must and essential.”
All the subjects and kings cheered the words of the chieftains. And Arger Gremjac asked ardently to the white queen, “When shall I send my daughter to your kingdom, my honourable queen?” he laughed at the white queen sheepishly.
The white queen digested the words without turning them into anger and she apologized to her husband, Jaysan in her mind, “Forgive me for standing against your word of our son’s bride. The pride of Ayruzglow is weighed in the court of Las Oajar. So I must act wisely.”
The white queen gave her word, “My castle gates are open to all eligible brides from every corner of the world. Our crown prince, my son will choose his bride according to the morals and ethics of Ayruzglow.”
The common man who knelt laughed maniacally without raising his head. The soldier behind him stroked the man on his spinal bones with his sword’s handle hardly. The common man puked some blood yet he didn’t seize his laughing.
Nora Shirk contended with his act of insulting the court and the queen. She rushed towards him and yanked his hair to place her sword on his neck. “Respected nobles say the word. I won’t spare this insulting act of this filthy creature.”
“Nora! Halt it.” The white queen voiced her to halt his action of beheading the common man.
Nora came to his sense and resumed the sword to its cover. The white queen asked the common man, “What’s the intention of your foul laugh?”
“Everyone is aware that our crown prince brought a harlot from the Frozen Crescent to the castle and kept her inside his chamber doors. (Nora’s temple bulged in anger) Yet, queen giving her word that bride selection will be done according to the morals and ethics of Ayruzglow.”
After hearing the words of the common man, everyone in the court stood up in shock and their mutterings disturbed the silence of the Las Oajar.
King Arger Gremjac doesn’t react to the words of the common man and instead, he spoke consoling words, “King can have as many harlots he can, but there is only one queen is predicted in the edict manuscript. So we, the kings of allied kingdoms of Ayruzglow, agree to send our daughters to Ayruzglow castle for bride selection to our crown prince.”
Finally, the most annoying king Arger Gremjac has little fact in his words. Mirabella, the white queen responded, “I assure the dignity and morality of every female inside my castle. Rest assured.”
Nora dragged the common man to the corner of the court and hand over him to the soldiers. The soldier nodded and dragged the man to the prison.
On his way to prison, the common man laughed at her, “All know that you want to be coupled with our crown prince for ages, yet the white queen opened her gates to invite the brides for her son. Just think of your position in the castle.”
Nora ordered the soldier, “Take him to prison and mark him with the finest cruel punishment for talking against the white queen. His punishment should set an example to all the subjects to speak ill in the court of Las Oajar.”
The white queen nodded at the court ministers of Las Oajar and they pass the order. The Synker reread the verdict from the edict manuscript and agreed to send the bride selection invitation to all the kingdoms on behalf of Ayruzglow officially.
*****
Every soul was immersed in happiness to witness the wedding ceremony of the most charming crown prince, Devrit. King Arger Gremjac was overjoyed by the fact that only his daughter is going to be the queen of Ayruzglow.
But two souls were deeply worried on their way back, one was Mirabella, the white queen and the other was Nora, the night fury.
The white queen recalled her memory of a conversation with her son on his departure to the Forbidden Tower.
Dev replied to his mother, “My Queen, I am well aware of what I have to do...” with a pause thought of Akshara flashed his mind and he continued, “...I will reconstruct the energy shield to ensure the safety of our guards and the forbidden object that has been protecting in the forbidden tower.”
The white queen noticed the minuscular facial expression of Dev, “Why there is a pause?”
Dev endured being soundless. The white queen inquired, “Is that the little pause belonged to the girl you brought from Frozen Crescent?”
Dev reacted with bright eyes, “Mother...!”
The white queen sustained her words, “I am your mother... I know about my child’s desires... And I am sure that he will get only the best. But I am a little worried that my son has not acknowledged me about his unique wedding in the ice cave bar.”
Dev replied with happy filled voice, “Mother, I am aware you have gazed at your crystal ball, aren’t you?”
The White Queen smiled at him and asked, “When are you planning to take her to meet her mother-in-law? Don’t I need to see my daughter-in-law, your wife, the queen of this mighty kingdom? (Dev smiled) But, I wanted to ask her predominantly about how she could make the legendary white dragizard (dragon wizard) fall for her.”
“Wondering how she did without any supernatural powers, mother?” Dev posted the question reflecting her inner mind.
“Hmmm,” The white queen replied.
“She is human by birth, raised by a witch, walled by werewolves; abducted and married by this (he pointed to himself) hybrid dragizard.”
“Oh, she must be special to involve all the supernatural beings around her.”
“Mother, I did something terrible to her.”
“Hmm? Is she impregnated with the heir of this kingdom?” Mirabella posted a most shocking question to Dev which she too knew that her question is mere fantasy.
“No, mother, not yet.” Dev replied, “I abducted her thinking she is a witch, so, I drowned her in rivers of Fairy Tears.”
“I thought you are mindful even in your waves of anger, but you flawed my thoughts about you. What made you kill her?”
“No, I didn’t mean to kill her, I thought she was a witch and she could have by all means can survive. But when I saw her struggling...” Dev paused to recall his painful moment and he asked with a smack of his tongue, “Mother please, you saw everything in a crystal ball then why are you making me repeat?”
“I have my purpose. Continue Dev, then what happened?”
“I erased her memory in the process of saving her.”
“Why did you leave her in Frozen Crescent? Why not you bring her to our castle?”
“I didn’t know what to do with her. So I did, huh, I acted lavishly.”
“Dev, you know to handle your enemies and why can’t you deal with a girl you abducted?”
“Mother!”
“You shouldn’t have left her in the bar, since you know all female orphans are trained to please all men in Frozen Crescent. Then what made you go after her? is that guilt or something else?”
“Mother, I don’t know what attracted me to her. It was like a magnetic pull. She gets into my mind and spread over to my heart as her thoughts are as piercing as snow. I gets drawn towards her naturally and brought her here in the title of my bride. I am conscious in my unconscious state of love that tricks Me.” his face brightened as he explained to his mother that he is in love.
The white queen was very happy to see her son’s next phase in his life, “Did she have her memories back?”
“Huh. Not fully, only partial. (Dev paused and brightened suddenly) Mother, you can bring her memories back. I know you can, please help her to bring back her memories.”
“I can (Dev smiled in happiness) but I won’t. (Dev was puzzled) She is your responsibility. She is the bride of my hybrid son.” The white queen ignored her son’s request.
Dev shrunk his face and changed his glaring icy blue eyes to pity one, “Mother, it’s not fair for you to say no to your beloved son.”
“Everything is fair in love and war. I thought you the tactics to win the war. So do it yourself in love, too.”
Dev responded with a smile, “Soon... I will win in both war and love.”
The White Queen insisted to Dev, “Dev, your doings in Frozen Crescent may define as a wedding. Yet you are the titled crown prince to our kingdom and your simple wedding doesn’t consider official.”
“Mother, I am well aware...” Dev remarked but he was interrupted by his mother.
The white Queen advised him, “So, she is your bride, not a wife yet. Give her grand wedding, our people are fonder of their crown prince, though you have wedded privately in the Frozen Crescent; they are expecting a royal wedding to make your relationship officially announced and she must obtain the respectable title. I hope you are aware of our kingdom’s ethics and our allied kingdoms.”
Dev nodded his head, “Sure. I will honour her with the royal wedding and a proper title after I return from securing the object which is to be secured,” exempted him to make his route to The Forbidden Tower with the company of Ivan Shirk.
Mirabella spoke to herself, “I hope my decision is not partial to my family but the benefits of this kingdom. Though, my conscience of going against the words of my husband and my son is burning me alive.”
By the end, the white queen reached the castle gates. Nora ordered the dragon soldiers to open the gates upon the command of the white queen. When the gates were disclosed slowly, Nora indulged in the thoughts of Dev and the happenings that happened in the court of Las Oajar. Her mind of pure water lake was disturbed and contaminated by the words of the common man.
“Why does he say like that? Why my mind does gets disturbed by the filthy words of a common man? I am the only female warrior in the entire world. There is no one equal to my skills in terms of sword except Dev.”
Nora continued her lamentation, “As that man said, everyone knew that I am waiting to take Dev’s hand in terms of the wedding. Yet white queen has declared to open the gates for the allied kingdom’s brides. Am I not eligible enough to partner with Dev? If not me then who else is qualified to be his bride?”
*****