August led Artemis into a small room to the left of the large Palace entryway, where a dozen guards had been stationed in front of the small doorway. They bowed reverently to August as they passed, who smiled in their direction and nodded his head.
"Mr. Petrow, Ms. Laylen, please address his Grace properly in the future. A half-assed bow won't suffice." A calm, gravelly voice emanated from behind the two. Artemis turned to face a man with slicked-back grey hair and a golden monocle on his left eye.
"Xerandes, why aren't you out enjoying the festival?" Artemis asked the man curiously.
Xerandes patted each House Guard, smiling at them. "Someone has to keep an eye out around this place."
"We have the guard…" August raised an eyebrow.
Xerandes shrugged. "Someone has to keep an eye on the guard."
"Fair enough. Good work, Xerandes." August conceded, hurriedly leading Artemis through the doorway. It was clear he wanted to keep Artemis all to himself.
They appeared in a fairly simply room, considering they were in the Palace of the Witch-King. The walls were lined with red satin and wallpaper painted with intricate golden swirls, and the floor was carpeted in crimson. It was regal, but it wasn't over-the-top, at least by Naasis's standards…
What immediately caught Artemis's eye was a small marble pedestal in the center of the room. There was a glass case positioned atop it.
Inside of the glass case, a small bracelet sat on a thick bundle of harsh cloth. The beads, petrified, were gnarled, sharp, and vile. They had intricate runes carved into them, which had been painted over with pitch-black ink. There was something about the bracelet that made Artemis nervous… it was unsettling to look at, as if it wanted to worm its way into his mind and stay there.
The image of it… even when he turned away, it stuck in his head.
"It's… quite strange." Artemis muttered, laughing nervously as he approached.
"Strange…? I suppose." It seemed that August didn't get the same feeling from it. Of course, this was a man of immense power. He certainly had seen many odd things throughout his lifetime, this was likely far too normal to him. Artemis was sure there were many mystical things he often overlooked, things that would send Artemis spiraling, such as the Spinner they witnessed in the City of Lingering Light. While it was terrifying to Artemis, it was nothing to August.
Or maybe there was nothing strange about the bracelet at all.
Perhaps Artemis was just crazy.
"This is a very precious artifact, or so scholars say… those scholars that I am forced to pay to stay in Naasis so that others don't think me against their religious ways…" August sighed, rolling his eyes. "This bracelet once belonged to Saint Cyro, once again, as the scholars say…"
"You believe otherwise?"
"I believe it is too in-character for an ascetic to wear a bracelet made of… wood. If anything, wouldn't a perfect ascetic be against wearing jewelry of any kind? Isn't the whole point to be gaudy? But this is tradition… it does not really matter what I think or believe. This is for the people, Saint Cyro is the common-folk's Saint."
"Do other Saints get such celebrations?"
August nodded his head.
"All Saints are celebrated. Saint Cade and Saint Sonetto… mostly Nobles who celebrate them, I believe. I know the Summerrich House is outstandingly fond of Saint Sonetto, we would certainly expect their attendance at every celebration regarding him…"
He let out a sigh.
"Soon, I'll take this bracelet and ascend the tallest anti-mountain in the Blackbaast… if I don't abide by this tradition, there will be many who will act angered, and I'll have to appease them. It's easier just to do this now, even if I think it's silly…"
Suddenly, bells were heard, their ear-biting chimes reaching even the halls of the Palace from the garden. August's head perked up excitedly. He clearly knew what this meant.
"Come, I hired a performance troupe. They'll be performing in just a moment." August said in a flirtatious manner. It was clear that he wanted to please Artemis, even make him smile. But he didn't need to hire any performers to do that. Just being with the man was enough to stir his heart greatly.
Artemis grasped August's open hand, grinning.
"Take me wherever you wish."
"If I could do that, I would take you to our room this very moment. I would not bother with those who have gathered outside."
Artemis shrugged. "You are the King. Who could demand you act otherwise?"
Still, in the end, the two made their way back to the garden, watching as a bounty of people made their way atop the stage at the edge of the garden, carrying a multitude of items with them.
Ah… this is the group that arrived earlier…
Then, does that mean that the girl who was staring will also appear…?
A Clown stepped out onto the stage.
This person wore a pitch-black top hat, the gleam of its bow wavering under the crystal-light. They wore a classical suit and tie, and carried a cane along with them. The Clown raised a hand, grasping at the edge of the hat before pulling it away, bowing towards the audience as they extended their hand outwards.
Seeing this figure, Artemis was surprised. Although she had tied back her messy blonde hair, and painted her face with colourful makeup, those glimmering blue eyes were something he couldn't forget. This was indeed the girl he had seen earlier!
But what was she doing in this attire? Was she one of the performers?
She was once again staring at Artemis. She seemed utterly fixated on him.
Then, a figure in a crimson long-coat stepped out on the stage ahead of his performers, a warm smile bathing over the audience.
August let out a suppressed, hollow laugh. "Is that the girl from before? She's still staring at you. How silly."
"I wonder why… does she know me from somewhere?"
That wasn't likely. After all, it wasn't like he had made any friends in Margraves, much less his very own District of Lirae.
"Look at my lovely husband… he's been getting around in my absence, hasn't he?" August teased, grinning. "I didn't think you a playboy."
Artemis blushed slightly, glancing away. "Don't tease me like that. You know it's not even close to being true…"
The crimson-coated figure clapped thrice, gathering the attention of the Nobles in the garden. In unison, each person turned towards him, curious as to what kind of disturbance could be taking place in the Palace of the King.
What they saw was certainly not what the prissy Nobles had expected.
The man brushed back a stray strand of bright-blue hair, reaching out his hands as he greeted the Nobles.
However, as they looked at him, their eyes filled with wonder.
"Isn't that… Maester Wolf's brother?"
"The brother of the strongest Archknight?"
"I thought he had disappeared for good… why has he returned?"
However, despite these murmurings, the figure bowed his head, saying only one line before returning to the back of the stage.
"Enjoy the show, my dearest guests."
August frowned. "How odd. I reached out to Maester Redansia personally. I wonder why he's lost his theatricality…"
"You know him personally?"
August nodded his head. "He's the brother of one of my greatest senior Archknights, Wolf. He was also raised in the Institute, but had no mind for being my guard… I thought him quite interesting because of that. I didn't need another guard, but a troupe leader… now that's the sort of person I like…"
The first to step forward was the Clown, the girl from before, and another man, one with slicked-back hair and a disapproving look on his face. While the Clown wore fanciful attire, this other man wore billowing sleeves of satin, striped red and black, fabric wrinkled and sagging. Over-sized buttons ran down the front of his outfit, and there was a great white ruff around his neck, showcasing his face full of… well, he wasn't wearing makeup.
Why was the Clown not wearing makeup?
"Ah!" The man in silly attire suddenly exclaimed. "You stole my clothes! My Magician's clothes! Give them back!"
He turned dramatically towards the woman, pointing his finger at her. She shook her head adamantly, waving her hands, but the man continued to berate her.
She looked sullenly up at him, frowning through the Clown's makeup. There was the idea that she was a Clown, that was the point of painting her face. So, it intensified this emotion, that was the entire point of a Clown. It was dramaticised, brilliant. This emotion, these fake tears… this was the act of a Clown.
The woman raised her hand, snapping her fingers. Instantly, two figures walked out onto stage, a red-haired woman holding a bunched-up bundle of cloth in her hands, and the other another man with a strangely-painted face, black tear marks pouring down his white-painted cheeks.
They immediately raised the sheet between them, obscuring the Clown and the man from view.
The audience was filled with an aura of suspense for a moment, holding their breaths as they watched the curtain with anticipation.
However, when the curtains fell, they let out a collective gasp.
The Clown and the Magician had switched outfits!
The Clown shrugged, nodding her head without saying a word. Of course, shouldn't this dispute between them be settled now?
Artemis, who had raised his perception, noticed a key difference in this.
While the Magician's attire was exactly the same as when it had been worn by the Clown, the outfit the Clown was now wearing was a bit more ragged, further on in age.
Were they wearing another set of clothes more suited to their roles underneath? But where did those clothes end up?
Artemis watched as the red-haired woman walked forward and picked up the bunched-up curtain, carrying it off of the stage.
Ah, perhaps they tucked it underneath the curtain as it fell… now, the former outfits are in the red-haired woman's hands. So the woman was really the Clown, and the man the Magician. What a wonderful way of storytelling.
This is a really fun form of entertainment!
Something like this was nothing that he had experienced throughout his lifetime. While his father had taken him to the Festival of Saint Cyro a few times before he had become reclusive, he didn't ever remembered seeing performers, only these sorts of Noble events.
Of course, that had been in the time of Jehellius Lunastre, so perhaps these sorts of events were far more suited to his kinder, fun-loving son, August.
There was now a small stool beside the two of them, the Magician's hat placed atop it. While the Magician turned to face the crowd, beginning to introduce his trick to the audience, the Clown ran to the back of the stage, holding up a small metal bucket in a dramatic fashion so that the crowd could see it.
It was filled with water.
She quietly- ephasising her grand steps- snuck up behind the Magician, placing the bucket of water in place of his hat.
Casually, the Magician reached towards his hat, moving to place it atop his head. But it had been replaced with the bucket by the Clown.
The water poured all over him, drenching his fanciful attire and soaking into the wood of the stage. He let out a scoff, turning towards the Clown, who placed a hand against her mouth as she snickered at him, pointing and laughing loudly.
The audience, too, joined in, raucous laughter emanating through the garden.
Artemis watched this event with great endearment.
These Nobles were all figures who often fought with one another about many things. Whether it was origin, wealth, business, or simple familial matters, there was always strife.
But in that moment… before the performance troupe… they were just a crowd, enjoying the show.
And the performance only continued to ramp up in excitement.
It was only when the Clown pulled out a handful of knives, strapping the Jester to the back wall of the stage, that the crowd felt something other than excitement.
They felt nervousness, anxiety.
Wasn't this a little too much for a fun performance?
The Clown picked up one of the knives, flipping it in her hands before chucking it madly towards the Jester. It seemed like she used her bounty of strength, letting out a loud grunt as she hurled it over her shoulder.
It flew through the air at high speeds, but there was something clearly wrong.
The first knife pierced through the Jester's ear.
He let out an ear-piercing cry, trying desperately to grasp at the knife that had pinned his bleeding ear to the wall behind him, but he had been bound by rope. The red-haired girl seemingly wanted to run to him, but was hesitant.
They had all noticed the Clown preparing her second knife.
She hurled it towards the Jester without hesitation. She clearly wasn't aiming! The Clown was only trying to throw the knife as hard as possible!
"How odd…" August murmured beside Artemis. "Well, it's about time anyway…"
A flash of light burst through the crowd. In an instant, August appeared before the Jester on stage, grasping at the air. The blade slide across his palm as he caught it, causing crimson to pour down his wrist, seeping into the cuff of his coat.
August looked back towards the Jester, raising his hand. A bright, brilliant light flowed through his fingertips, shooting outwards towards the man. It washed over his entire body, the blood that had begun dripping down his cheek fading away, the wound on his ear dissipating almost immediately.
What a weird performance. What kind of strange sh-t have you been brainstorming, Maester Redansia?
"I'm quite sorry to interrupt such a spectacular performance, but if I don't act now, I'm afraid we'll miss the opportunity to celebrate the life of Saint Cyro!" August yelled out towards the crowd, grinning.
A massive, looming shadow quickly overtook Naasis's gardens.
Overhead, a gigantic mountain that hung from the cavern ceiling emerged. It had only been obscured by the Palace, and so they had not seen its approach.
The Blackbaast's movement cycle had finally brought them directly underneath the largest anti-mountain of the cavern ceiling, Lyre.
This was where Saint Cyro had been entombed.