Chapter 5 Order from the King.

 Soren came back to the Manor in the late evening. He changed clothes after he got out of the shower and went to Mordessa's room. He met his mom there, and she asked Soren to help her make a new medicine rather than staying with Mordessa.

“Your dad'll be back soon and take care of her,” his mom said, pulling Soren's arm into the kitchen.

Soren often helped his mom prepare medicine for Mordessa. His mom had studied medicine ever since Mordessa became sick at six years old. Usually, his mother invited him to help her brew some medicine because she wanted to spend time with him alone.

Of course, Soren knew that this was something his mother did out of guilt. After his sister Mordessa was born and she started to show signs of crystallisation disease, his parents' attention was split between them, sometimes focusing more on Mordessa than on Soren.

Even though he was old enough to understand, his parents still felt guilty towards Soren, so they each had their own ways of spending time with him.

The two were in the kitchen when Dragan hurriedly opened the door. Hilda and Soren, busy with their own things, were alarmed to see how pale their father's face was.

Something happens, Soren's thinking.

He got up pretty quickly and went to his father.

“Soren….” Dragan said, his voice cracking. “In the Great Hall. Now.”

His mom, seeing the situation, ran behind Dragan, while Soren led the way, tapping the sword at his waist. When the Veridian envoy stepped into the hall, they stood tall with a sense of pride. Inside the manor, seven envoys were already assembled, one of whom Soren recognized.

High Alchemist, Malakor.

They wore official Veridian royal attire. But that color...

Malakor had a scroll with the royal leaf emblem on it, and a guard had a small chest next to him. The Alchemist gave the scroll to the envoy standing next to him.

“Commander Soren Vane Delve,” The envoy started talking. His voice was loud and could be heard throughout the Manor. A few servants appeared from behind the walls.

Soren naturally took hold of the sword's hilt and positioned himself in a ready stance. "Northerners aren't big on small talk. State your business here as envoys of the king," he said coldly.

"The Mother Tree has spoken," the envoy said, ignoring Soren's coldness. "The Marrow Pear Ritual was performed during King Lucian's coronation. Its roots have spread beyond the blood of the Canopy. The Mother Tree has decided."

Soren felt a chill at this, his brow knitted. "What do you mean?"

“Commander Soren Vale Delve, has been chosen. You are the only spirit strong enough to act as the Vessel for the Royal Heir. You are the bearer for the next Royal Heirs chosen by The Mother Tree.”

Everyone fell silent as they listened to the envoy's words. Soren quickly came to his senses and turned to his dad, who looked completely shocked and speechless, with his mouth half open. Meanwhile, his mom covered her mouth with her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“The King offers the Sap as a gift of mercy for Lady Mordessa.” The envoy spoke up, putting an end to the silence.

“Wait a minute,” Soren said, trying to process what he had just heard. “You're asking me to be a bearer?” His voice sounded so sarcastic, “You want to take a Commander of the North and turn him into a nursery for a Veridian seed?”

“Please accept my sincere apologies, Commander.” Malakor cut in, giving Soren a slightly annoyed look. “This is not intended as a request. As a citizen of the Arboris, you are likely aware that the Mother Tree is said to bestow a name on the successor to the kingdom every ten years. This is similar to the duty when you are at war, in that it is a demanding task. This is an order.” Malakor said it in a way that Soren could hear loud and clear, with a lot of firmness and intensity.

He is a knight, and his pride was hurt when he heard that, “I understand that you are aware that I am male.”

“Certainly, Commander. You are a 30-year-old single man. You have chosen to abstain from relationships due to the health challenges faced by your younger sister, Lady Mordessa, who, to the best of my knowledge, is currently bedridden and coping with an illness. The Crystallization.”

Soren clenched his fists when Malakor started talking.

“This is the sap of what is known as the Mother Tree's sap, which may be of use in addressing the issue of crystallization present in Lady Mordessa's body.”

Malakor's statement shocked Soren and her parents. The servants behind the wall seemed taken aback as well. They knew full well that for years the Dalve family had been searching for a cure to free their daughter from the Crystallization disease that was eating away at her.

Malakor immediately proceeded to explain the situation further upon seeing the Delve family's reaction.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding, but the sap used for healing Crystallization is extracted from the time Marrow-Pear ripened, a fruit that only ripens once every ten years. The King bestowed this gift with the intention that, upon Commander Soren's arrival at the palace, the unfortunate events surrounding Lady Mordessa will no longer weigh heavily on your hearts.” After Malakor finished explaining, he asked the guard carrying the small chest to open it. Inside was a small, sealed bottle, filled with a thick, glowing golden tree sap.

Soren looked at the tree sap.

He remembered what had happened to Mordessa, like the hardening of the skin on her neck, chest, and fingers since she was a child. He also remembered her constant coughing, the sound of her breathing like glass scraping against each other which gets worse with age.

The disease, for which there is no cure, is in fact widespread among the North's population. The herbal medicines they brew and prescribe for it only offer temporary symptom reduction and never make the crystallisation disappear or melt away.

This tree sap was something new to Soren. He had mixed feelings about it. He couldn't forget the new king his parents had mentioned a week ago.

I'm not sure how he managed it, but he used Mordessa's illness somehow to make me agree to the Mother Tree's request, Soren gave it some thought.

Obviously, Soren had no choice. According to the royal decree, he would be executed if he dared to show any sign of disobedience.

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists again. The tree's sap could only be collected once every ten years, after the fruit had ripened from the Mother Tree, and during that span, Mordessa was really struggling with a long illness that took away her childhood. Soren took a deep breath, he'd never heard that the Mother Tree's sap could cure Mordessa's illness, but...

“No, Soren. No. Don't do that…” Hilda was half-pleading, touching her son's hand. Tears started to flow. “Soren, we can find another way. Trust me, there's an easier way to do this...Soren…” His mom's voice was shaking. Hilda only caught a glimpse of her son's face to know that he was about to make a decision.

“Soren, you can't just decide this on your own. It's not something you can just decide on a whim…” Hilda said, squeezing her son's hand tighter.

Soren looked at his mother, who was about to start crying, and then he looked over at Mordessa's room. He knew full well that Dreadmoor had no cure for this disease, and the only cure Mordessa needed came from The Mother Tree.

Soren makes his way to the front of Malakor, “If it's not too much trouble, could you kindly give the tree sap to my father? I will comply with the Mother Tree's wishes, as you mentioned, as this is an order and not a request. I will come as the Heir Bearer.”

“Soren!” Hilda screamed. It was a loud scream. It followed Soren's words. Her tears poured down her cheeks.

“As we have come to take your position as Queen of the Veridian kingdom, the sending-off ceremony should ideally be carried out according to tradition.” Malakor looked pleased with Soren's decision.

“No! No!” Hilda said, Dragan was hugging her tightly to calm her down. Soren was still on his feet, turning his back on his parents, his hands tightly clenched into fists.

“All the royal ceremonies will be prepared by the royal envoy. We will have everything ready in two days.” Malakor showed Soren his respect with a deep bow, along with the other royal envoys, and then left the manor, allowing Soren and his family some time to process what had happened.

The Delve family felt insulted by the Mother Tree and the kingdom. A war commander was asked to take a role as an heir bearer for the king. Dragan walked closer to Soren.

“Soren, I'm not sure if you realise, but this isn't something you can take lightly.” He was speaking in firm tones, even though he knew that if Soren or his family turned down the kingdom's summons, they could be in serious trouble. The Delve family would be executed by the kingdom and accused of treason.

But, who would want to see their son turned into a queen and forced to bear a child?

Soren gave his parents a stare, his mother still bawling her eyes out. Next thing, he was on his knees, lowering his head.

“Soren..” Hilda whispered.

“Father, Mother, I hope you will understand that I cannot put my ego first just because I am a knight commander and choose to act against the decrees of the kingdom or even the Mother Tree. However, it is important to note that this is not a request. It's an order, and it's not my wish for my family to experience the consequences of my selfishness.”

It was a moment of silence, broken only by Soren's quiet words. The royal order was absolute.

They both offered Soren a hug with tears in their eyes.

Mordessa, I wish you would go back to how you were before.