Realm of Dragons

“We have received information that Princess Nerra has the scale sickness,” Earl Fontaine said.

“What?” Rodry demanded from the side. “How dare you make such a claim!”

He stepped forward as if he would fight the man, and on another occasion, King Godwin would have let him. Instead, he had to raise a hand to stop his son, because to do anything else would be to go against the most powerful men in the kingdom.

“That’s enough, Rodry,” Godwin said. He looked to Earl Fontaine. “Do you have evidence of this claim?”

“A boy saw her in the woods,” the earl said. “Her arm bears the mark of the illness.”

“A boy’s word?” Greave said from the side. “Where is this boy? The laws do not permit someone to be condemned on the basis of rumor. I will show you the places in the legal tomes, if it helps.”

For a moment Godwin was grateful for his son’s time in the library, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Sure enough, Earl Fontaine spoke again. “The truth is easy enough to establish, my king. Let us see your daughter’s arms. If the mark is not upon them, I will bow down and beg her forgiveness, but if it is… then this is a serious matter; one that has been kept from your nobles.”

“You dare to demand that?” Rodry asked. “Should my other sisters strip for your amusement? Should I?”

King Godwin wished he could stop this. He stood to do just that, but he could hear the voices speaking up around the hall…

“…trying to hide it…”

“…all helping her…”

“…why won’t they check? Does he already know?”

He knew then that he couldn’t dismiss this. To do that would be to confirm in the minds of his nobles that he and his other children were all in on the secret of Nerra’s illness.

Even so, he tried. “If there is no evidence of this claim, then we must dismiss it as the foolish rumor that it is. I will not have my daughter treated like this.”

“With respect, your majesty,” Earl Fontaine said, “we must insist.”

“Insist?” Godwin shot back. He knew he shouldn’t. “You wish to insist?”

He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, that it put the rest of his children in danger. Arguing made it look as if he had been a part of hiding his daughter’s illness, which of course he had been, but showing that to his nobles risked bringing his whole family down. They might rebel. They might kill all of them. Even so, he was willing to stand there and deny them, for Nerra’s sake.

“It’s all right, Father,” Nerra said, stepping forward. Apparently, she understood what was at stake too. She pulled up her sleeve before Godwin could stop her. “Here, is this what you want to see?”

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the scale mark all over her arm. There was a gasp around the room at the sight of it. King Godwin knew it was too late now. Some things couldn’t be undone, couldn’t be unseen, or unsaid. Looking around, he knew he had to act, or his family would die. He knew what he had to do, even though it hurt more than anything to do it.

“She bears the mark of the scale!” Earl Fontaine said. “She has the sickness!”

He stepped back from her, pointing in obvious horror.

“She has to die!” another noble said.

“Take her and behead her!”

Rodry was there with his hand on his sword, ready to fight anyone who came close. Godwin wanted to leap forward with him, but he knew that was how the destruction of his whole family would start. He would leap down and fight, and in moments, his kingdom would be torn apart. Depending on who fought and who did not, his family might even be slain there and then.

He had to find a better way. “There will be no killing here,” he said. He made his voice stern, because it was the only barrier stopping them from hearing the heartbreak he felt.

“The law requires it,” Earl Fontaine said. Those around him nodded.

“Father,” Nerra began.

The next part broke his heart. “I cannot be your father, Nerra.”

“What?”

“Those with the scale sickness have no families, have no friends. They are outcasts.”

Godwin heard the intake of breath around the hall.

“King Godwin, the law calls for death,” Earl Fontaine said.

“The laws say that they must no longer be a part of the world, that they may be killed if found,” Godwin shot back at him. “Do you wish to argue with me on this, Fontaine? Here, and now? You will not call for my daughter’s death.” Even what he had to do was enough to hurt like his heart was about to leap from his chest.

Aethe moved to him, gripping his arm.

“Husband, you can’t—”

“I can,” he said, raising his voice to stop her as well. “I must. A king must protect his people from this scourge. Nerra, I… I wish there were another way. You must go from this place. You must leave and not come back.”

“Father,” Rodry said, storming forward. “Nerra is my sister and your daughter. You’re going to send her away just like that? She should stay here. She is no danger to anyone here.”

“The scale sickness is a danger to everyone,” a noble called out from further back in the hall.

“Aye, they say those with it herald a time of death!” another called out.

Godwin made a mental note of which people they were. He could not act now, but he would find a way to pay them back for their part in this. How he would ever begin to repay his own part in this, he didn’t know. Still, those voices confirmed the truth of this: Nerra could not stay.

“You do not get to gainsay me in this,” he said to Rodry. He looked around at the others. “None of you do. I take this on myself.”

How could Rodry understand that he was already doing all he could for Nerra? That he’d kept her as safe as he could for years? That anyone else would have sought to have his daughter killed out of hand?

“Nerra,” he repeated. “You will leave this place. You will be gone from the city by the turn of the next month, and if you are seen again within the kingdom, your life…” He paused as he forced the next words past the wash of emotion that threatened to overwhelm them. “Your life will be forfeit.”

“I…” Nerra looked down. There were so many things that King Godwin wished he could say to her, so many ways he wished he could have prevented this. “I love you, Father.”

She turned, with more dignity than should have been possible, and started to walk to the door. People stepped aside for her, partly because of the fear of what she was, and partly because Rodry was there, making sure that none came too close. He saw Lenore going with them, obviously not wanting to leave her sister’s side.

“Call her back,” Aethe said by his side. “Please call her back.”

“I can’t,” King Godwin said, and he saw his wife turn her face from him. That hurt even more than the rest of it, because she of all people ought to know that he was trying to protect his family.

Then some idiot tried to start the dancing again, the music coming loud and happy and jarring.

“Silence!” King Godwin called out. “Do you think this is a time for joy and feasting?” He couldn’t let out all the things he was truly feeling then at the loss of his daughter, but he didn’t have to stand there and pretend that all was well. “The feasting is over! The wedding harvest will commence, and we will be done with this!”