Chapter 38 - The Tale Of The Still Child

"Mother If I may?" I began, it was now or never.

She turned to me.

"I would like to know more about Lord Cedric, hope I'm not speaking out of turn Mother"

"Not at all my dear, it was high time you asked," she said with a shrug grabbing a teacup and bringing it to her lips.

I stared at her puzzled watching as she slurps the hot tea. Did she know I would ask about Cedric?

"Anyone would be curious, my son is a strange man isn't he?" she said not sparing me a glance.

"He has always been like this" she stared at her tea as if reminiscing, a faint smile pressed against her lips.

"When Cedric was born, he didn't act like a normal baby"

"What do you mean mother?" I asked with trembling eyes.

Her brown eyes met mine.

"Normal babies would cry, move, but Cedric... not one sound was heard like I birthed a dead child"

I gasp covering my mouth in surprise, the mere news of it stun me because I could only imagine what it was like for her at that moment when a mother birthed a still child.

"Yes I was scared, not a cry or a single movement, we had the doctors check his heart and then we found a.."

"Slow heartbeat" I finished for her as the realization struck me.

"You must have felt it, I suppose you would," she said with a heavy sigh.

"It turns out I didn't birth a still child just a very quiet one and calm" she continued.

"But that wasn't the only thing... yes he calls me mother and recognizes his father but he was a very strange boy, and very powerful, at the sorcery school he was very outstanding in his magic art at such a young age, the Emperor himself looked up to him in high esteem, he said we have been blessed with the most powerful warlock the Empire has ever seen" she added with a smile against her lips feeling proud by it.

"Later on his father passed on by illness, ever since then the Emperor has always seen him as a son... until when he turned 20 my son decided to become a General, although I'm convinced its the Emperor who called him to war because of his abilities, we were at dark times when war was waged by the Northerners"

"The Northerners," I asked puzzled.

I suddenly remembered the words of the wolf last night about the Northerners rising.

"Yes, Sylvia... I do not know much about wars but during war times the Northerners were one of our greatest foes, we have been at war for centuries, even when I was brought into the Empire and married to Cedric's father, those were dark times too"

"But the war ended didn't it? I mean the Empire is at peace now"

"Yes"

"But I'm confused mother how can a war for centuries suddenly stop?"

She smiled at my question, almost beaming in joy, and then I knew what she was about to say.

"Cedric ended the war, he drove them back to where they came from with his powers freeing our lands".

Cedric stopped the war, Wow, he really was a powerful warlock.

"Ever since we have known peace... suddenly Cedric retired as General, I do not know why? The Emperor was very devastated, I wonder why he quieted such a position"

That was another mystery about Cedric, about his sudden retirement.

"And then I knew it was time for him to settle down and find himself a silver-haired', she turned to me.

"And then you came along, we thought just two silver-haired was birthed in this era but turns out you were just out there in a mining town"

I gulped at her words.

"I didn't care if you were untrained as long as my dearest Cedric marries a silver-haired so that his strong bloodline shall continue" she states.

No wonder I was detested at our wedding, that I wasn't good enough, it was because people held Cedric in such high regards.

"You should know Sylvia it's not just about you being married to the wealthiest house but the man you're married to is someone great, he blessed us with peace and out-shined other warlocks in this generation"

And that also why not a word of my actions at the Eternal Garden got out, did Cedric perhaps stop that rumor from spreading?

"You should know how lucky you're to be married to a man such as he, several maidens would have killed to be in your position"

I gulped, she continued sipping her tea.

But still, in all this, I only understood why he was called the Dark General, it could be his influence in war... then the name Magnus where did it come from? Even though I have learned a few things about Cedric he was still a mystery to me and his mother, I could tell from her looks she was confused about her son even though she doesn't wanna show it.

In my opinion, a mother shouldn't be confused about her own child, she was the one who brought him into this world.

I took my cup of tea reminiscing all she had said.

☆☆☆

I gave a heavy sigh strolling the wide halls with Olivia, Cedric's story still filling my thoughts.

"Are you alright my lady?" Olivia asked worriedly.

"Just learned a few disturbing things about my husband, you can't blame me for my mood," I said sighing once again.

"I'm sure you're glad you have known a little about him, you were always so curious"

"Yes, I suppose" I state, true I have always been curious about Cedric, ever since last night, the weird things I heard made me more eager to know more about him.

I turned towards the direction of the flowers outside, beside the concrete floor.

I walked towards it staring at them with trembling eyes, there were a lot of things I still didn't understand about Cedric and I found myself wanting to know more than staying away from him, ugh!!! Will this ever end?

"Lady Sylvia"

I turned at the sound of my name.

"Lord Lawrence!"