The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Twelve

'We all have dreams like that.'

That's what Jang would probably say if she was here. And she's right, (even though she never said that to me) so I should have not made a big deal out of it but I did. It was a weird dream but also felt very real. Maybe that's why I woke up in a disoriented and confused feeling because of that dream.

But as soon as I realized that it was just a dream I stood up and cleaned myself. It was already dawn, I could tell by the cold because at this time the cold in Aurville doubles, especially that I am here on a treehouse in the middle of the forest. But surprisingly, Mitaur's house was not that bad. There were spots that you could definitely feel the cold and immediately numbs you but in general, her house was warmer than what I expect it to be. Maybe it's because she has a lot of Heatcatchers scattered all over the place.

"You're awake," she told me from behind and I almost screamed from shock. It turns out I have still not over from those men who went to our house and tried to get me. I think I'll have trauma from that scene from now. "Come on, let us have some tea."

"Should I wake the Crown Prince?" I asked as I followed Mitaur to her dining table.

"Let him sleep. It must have been tiresome for him as he is not used to what the two of you did."

"Right." We both sat on the chairs and I stirred my tea and drank it. It was not good, but it was not bad either. This was certainly something that older people would like but younger people like me would not drink every day. But Mitaur always brews tea as she claims that as we age we are more susceptible to the cold so drinking hot cups of tea every day can help her warm her body.

It's also interesting to note that Mitaur seems to never run out of Coalstones even though she does not work anymore. This is because her children, including Kaylie's parents, give her enough supply of the hot pebbles enough for her to make tea every day on specialized Heatcatchers where you could also boil water.

"Before the Crown Prince wakes up I would like to talk to you, Rainha," she told me after sipping her tea. Mitaur's face is usually unreadable especially if she's talking like this so it's always nerve-wracking. The suspense kills me every time. "So you have been close with him."

"Oh no. It was only yesterday when he came to see me and ask me a favor to see my Aunt."

"I see. But still, he sees you more than a Court Servant, Rainha..."

"W-Well... Maybe he thinks of me as a friend---"

"And that's what I want to talk to you about," she said. "You see, it is the King who will choose who is the Crown Prince going to marry---"

"Oh no, no, no!" I immediately cut her off because I knew where this was going. "It's not like that! I think you are mistaken!"

"I'm not saying that he likes you," she said. "But that could be a possibility, Rainha that's why I want to warn you."

"W-Warn me?"

Mitaur nodded. "The Crown Prince and his father are said to be not in good terms. They may act cordially in front of people but when the two of them are alone it is said that they don't even speak with each other. It is a rumor that is as old as the Crown Prince, and they say that this is because the Crown Prince wants to immediately become the King."

"Which is good for us, don't you think?" I replied. "That's what people want anyway!"

"That might be the case but the current King does not like it. He wants to stay on the throne for as long as he wants. I think you already know about it."

I nodded and took a sip of the bland tea again. It was still not pleasant for my taste buds but I get it now why when you drink it you seem to be compelled to finish it. It is not the flavor that will make you like it but the warmth.

The current king is a traditional king and I don't like that. When I say he is traditional, I mean that he's just like all the other kings before him. He does not look like he wants to find a solution to our problem. He only wants us to adapt and adjust to the problem and that's the most frustrating thing ever being a citizen in this forsaken kingdom.

The forever winter is not only our enemy but also our lack of leaders who think ahead of this mess. Aunt Milca always said that if the Royal Family really wants to get rid of the poor state of our kingdom then they would have done everything in their power to help us improve our daily lives but they do not. They just sit there and monitor the situation and act defeated by just hoping that one day the snow and ice would go away. My aunt even doubts if the Palace had already conducted research on why are we experiencing this eternal winter because that would be the most logical thing to do.

"Right now, the current king does not worry that his son might usurp the throne, as his son, as we both saw, is not a greedy person. But once the Crown Prince gets a fiance or even just a girlfriend, it will create a huge buzz loud enough for people to anticipate a change of power."

I almost choked on my tea by that. "But like I said... I am not--- I am just---"

"Just a friend, yes," she said. "But to everybody else, a woman who becomes close to the Crown Prince is a potential Queen, and that is where the danger will come from, Rainha."

"Danger? On just being close to him?"

Mitaur nodded at me. "Exactly. By just being close to the Crown Prince you'll be in danger. Why? Because if the current king discovers that a woman becomes close to his son he would want to cut that connection, don't you think so? If he doesn't want to vacate the throne just yet then he will do everything he can to stop the Crown Prince from having a girlfriend. Or even just a girl friend."

She has a point. People would not really care whether we are just friends or something more right? All they will see is that a woman is there at his side. The fact that no woman yet is that close to the Crown Prince means that women actually fear for their lives. Why didn't I think of this before?

"The Crown Prince is a good man, but please if you can stay away from him as soon as possible, Rainha. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

I was not able to respond to that because the Crown Prince showed up after that. He was already cleaned up to but I saw that his hair was still wet and messy and I just bit my upper lip involuntarily from that. He saw that and he looked amused but did not make a comment which I was grateful for. I think I have to punish myself for what I just did. Maybe I'll run in the woods naked and let me freeze to death.

"You are okay now, right Rainha?" he asked me as he went to the table too to have some tea and I nodded. Mitaur tried to offer him coffee but he refused. I think he's trying to shake off his importance by having what we were having, but that backfired instantly when I saw his face turn green the moment he took a sip from his cup.

"I have biscuits and butter too if you want," Mitaur offered and Prince Kao was not able to decline it. I presented to get the biscuits from the kitchen so I left the two of them there at the table. And when I was about to return to them I felt an intense pain sear through my skin--- and I almost drop the tin can of biscuits to the wooden floor.

It was my palms. It suddenly went hot as if it was burned. Thinking that the tin can was hot, I dropped it and it made a clanging sound on the floor. But just as how fast it burnt my palms the painful sensation suddenly disappeared too.

That was quick. But it also confused me. So to confirm my theory I touched the tin can again but it was not hot anymore. It was so weird that I stared at both my palms and see if it was going to show me some burns but it did not. It was not even read so it made me believe that what happened was just made up by my mind. Or maybe I just lack sleep, because I do lack sleep.

When I came back to the dining table they were already talking about something and I could immediately tell that it was serious because both of them were looking at each other with intense gazes.

"But how are you related to my mother?" the Crown Prince was saying as I went back to my seat and offered them the biscuits and the butter. "No one has ever told me about you."

"I did not work on the castle," Mitaur replied, "so not everyone there knows my name. Your father probably doesn't even know that I exist, Your Highness."

"But how did you know my mother?"

Mitaur looked like she was about to drop a bomb. "When your mother was young, Your Highness, she used to work in my shop near the market. I was a potioneer back then."

"Potioneer? What's that?" I asked but the two of them did not look at me. They did not even acknowledge my question.

"I used to sell potions. You know, the traditional remedies and elixirs and all of that. Boasting aside I was one of the most prominent potioneers back in the day."

Prince Kao was very interested in this topic as he looked so absorbed by what Mitaur is sharing with us right now. "So you are saying that before, my mother used to work on your shops that sell potions and stuff like that?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Back in the day when the field of medicine was still lousy, people used to go to us potioneers to buy potions like common remedies for colds, fever, or for rashers. But we also concoct weird and out of the ordinary type of potions before like love potions and lucky charms drops. Such business was a huge business back then, which made me earn a small fortune that up to this I still are benefitting from..."

"That's cool!" I said in excitement. "But Mitaur, do you still make those love potions? And how much does it cost if I buy a dozen from you?" I gave Prince Kao the side-eye when I said that because I wanted to make fun of him since he acts like I was not here with them but he just gave me a weird look.

Even Mitaur acted like she did not hear my joke. "But your mother did not stay that long in my shop as it was not enough for her to make a living. She then worked other jobs and we only see each other on few occasions. But I could say that we were rather close. I treated her as an apprentice, or maybe as my own daughter. I can proudly say that I was one of the few people that were with her before she became the Queen. She was a kind soul. It's such a shame that she has to die."

"She died from an illness, right?" I said again, interrupting the solemn feeling between the two of them. "I don't know her personally and only read her letter to my mother but I feel like she was really an exceptional woman."

"What letter?" Mitaur asked me suddenly and I gasped, covering my mouth and stared at Prince Kao.

"I'm so sorry. I think I should have not said that out loud..."

But Prince Kao was not furious at me. At least, based on how he looked at me when I said that. "My mother also knew Rainha's mother. Apparently, they exchanged letters back then."

"'Now that's very interesting..." said Mitaur who was now deep in her thinking. "I did not know that they were having correspondence with each other. They did know each other back then because the Queen once went to see me here and Bruxan was also here. I even introduced them to each other..."

The Crown Prince was looking at us as if this was a big revelation. "Why did my mother came here to see you? She was already the Queen when she came here right? So what was it that she came here for?"

Mitaur took a deep breath and sighed before she answered Prince Kao's question. "She came here to ask me to make a potion for you."

"For me? What potion?"

"A potion that would save you from dying."