Chapter 37 – An Old Friend
Viola disguised herself to meet with Paul. She had sent Rosha to give him the message earlier. She moved out quietly from the room to the designated place. It was difficult to walk, but she had to see him right away.
Paul was not only Edward’s friend but also the only knight that protected them, the half-blood royals. He was not a nobleman but was proudly knighted after winning a tournament of sword and skill. He climbed up from being a mercenary to knighthood and remained loyal to Koronis.
She was extremely sad when he was sent off to the border under the king’s orders. It broke her heart to see him go, especially when Edward was not there anymore. But him following her all the way to the Arpen Empire meant that he had new orders from the king. The knowledge comforted her a little.
“Paul!” she cried in joy.
He had managed to find the meeting spot and was already there when she reached. The young, blond-haired man knelt down before Viola. She placed her hands on his forearms and pulled him up. Her eyes welled up with tears. She had relied on him after she had lost Edward, so she was so glad to see him.
“When I heard the king … sent you here as a Crown Princess andidate, I couldn’t stand it. I’m sorry it took so long to follow you here,” he said. His voice was heavy with guilt and concern.
“No, no. Seeing you here now is a relief. Thank you for coming,” she tried not to cry.
It had been so long since they had spent time together. They talked about lost and nostalgic memories and laughed. It seemed like he was going through hard times. She wondered what mission he had received from the king to be sent here. She was curious as to how he had managed to get into Arpen.
♛
“I heard that the imperial palace was looking for horsemen, so I managed to come in as a fake one,” he explained as an answer to her question. “The king issued an order,” he added, as he took out the scroll with the kingdom’s seal and handed it to her.
Viola’s eyes widened as she read it. A blue flame bloomed on the parchment and reduced it to ashes as soon as she was done reading. Paul looked at her with concern.
“I have to go to the Imperial Archives and find ‘The Inception History Record’,” she said in answer to his inquiring look.
“It will be heavily guarded,” he said.
“I must somehow get to it,” she said.
She had come across a book about the first emperor when she was learning about the history of the Arpen Empire. Her history teacher had shown it to her. The sheepskin book was very thick, an effort to turn the bulky cover. It would be difficult to move it out with no one seeing. She didn’t know how she would manage to get into the Imperial Archives, let alone take such a heavy tome.
Paul interrupted her thoughts, “The king asked me to give you this.” Paul took out a leather pouch. Viola’s eyes widened when she saw it.
“This is—”
“He said that you would know how to use it.”
“Yes, I am well aware.” She opened the pouch and a few small pearls dropped out. Viola was well informed on the usage of the pearls. She put them back in the pouch and nodded to the other.
“If you order me, I’ll gladly do it for you.” Paul offered.
“No. This is something I have to do myself. I’ll get back to you through Rosha,” she said, “in the meantime, don’t worry too much and just follow my instructions.”
“As you wish.” He conceded.
She had a lot of things she wanted to say to him since it had been so long since they had last met, but there wasn’t enough time. Besides, she couldn’t leave the imperial villa often. She bid him farewell and left the cave first. She had come across this cave when she was searching for a rock that she had found in the Lake of God some time ago. It made for a suitable spot to meet Paul away from prying eyes.
The woods near the Lake of God made a good hiding spot. Lune had mentioned to her that nobody ventured close to the woods because of wild beasts that lived there. But she wasn’t scared of beasts. She had lived in an abandoned forest for thirteen years. A forest was a sanctuary for her. The struggles she had endured in the forest had made her the Viola that she was now.
Viola bit her lips tightly and looked ahead defiantly. I can deal with any beast that comes my way, she thought and walked hurriedly to get back to the villa. It was already time for Lune to return; the sky was darkening.
“I know we are married and as much as I wish I could spend the whole day with you, I have to work,” he had said, “I will, however, come back when work is done. I have to kiss you at least once.”