This time the western king did not answer immediately, carefully looking at the parchment in the hands of the advisor, as if he could tell the answer. One of the last rays of the daylight walked easily through the rubies on the cup, and then slid onto the stone in the brooches of King Anthony, immediately disappearing, as if lost there. Stark slowly turned his gaze from the sheet to the mystery man, bowing his head a little.
- Is it the sun?
A momentary and hard silence. Breathe in. Exhale.
- That's right.
Again, of course, Stark's entourage clapped louder than anybody else, and he barely sat there, so he wouldn't start nodding enough to accept that confession. Shaw had once again instructed Prince Charles to pull out the third riddle, but this time he raised his hand warningly, without taking the leaf from the young man's hands.
- It was a special mystery," Sebastian leaned over to the prince, holding back his convulsive breath with difficulty, and it seemed to me that he smelled of violets, which now bloomed so brightly on the windowsills of the palace. - You must read it, my prince.
The heir to the Central Lands looked at the advisor with surprise, but nodded at the lines to say everything correctly. He took a step forward to Stark, and he held his breath, greedily catching every word.
- She cannot be breathed in, but she can breathe,
It can't be taken away, it can't be lost,
She won't be forgotten when she's always been,
She's like the light of the night, which is scary and dark,
It's not a fire, but it can still burn,
She gives life, and sometimes death.
The Prince of the Central Lands swallowed, because his throat was intercepted at the last words - he even felt like everything inside was getting cold. It wasn't his job to guess what the advisor had come up with, but Charles couldn't help but think about it.
King Anthony also thought, as stated the rules of the third test, he had a minute to think - and a minute later he shook his head.
- Passion?
The fire in the cup flashed bright scarlet, and even before Shaw answered, the western king realized he had made a mistake. Sebastian shook his head negatively, and Stark was disappointed to exhale, leaning back on his chair.
At the counselor's behest, the prince put aside a piece of the mystery and, just like the first time, pulled the next coin out of the newly-blue and calmed flame. The four on it showed Shaw who to look to now.
- Four times in the cup, my prince, Sebastian stopped in front of the king of the Southern lands, whose hand was still bandaged.
Xavier hit the bowl four times - and gave the advisor a new riddle, which he read immediately, without hypnotizing the southerner in advance.
- It can be soft, it can be hard,
He can embrace the icy veil,
Don't let him stay cold.
At that hour, he's gonna turn to water.
Shaw turned over the hourglass, which was supposed to count down the minute he thought about it, and Houlette, squeezing his hands on his knees, was watching the grains of sand tensely, going through the options in his head. He wasn't stupid, but he was a hunter, not a reader, because in his lands you could only feed yourself if you knew how to handle a weapon and track down your sacrifice. King James was good at it, but in the part of riddles...
The last grain of sand snapped from the top of the clock and landed on the tiny hill formed below, and the southerner frowned, feeling as a painful and unusual blush of shame flashes on his cheeks, the blood rushed to his head, breathing increased, and the heart was ready to pierce his chest.
- I don't know.
- It's snow, Your Majesty.
Houlette no longer had the right to the second and third riddle, and he bowed his head low, knowing that he had failed the test with shame. Prince Charles could hardly hold himself in place, but his patience burst at some point, and the young man, who had once again broken the rules of the Tournament, took a few steps towards the king of the Southern Lands, gingerly touching with his fingers the tough, almost shoulder-down hair that was now collected in a tight tail on the back of his head. King James raised his head and the heir to the Central Lands gently smiled at him, causing the rest of the participants, all like one, to flare up with a burning jealousy.
- Your Highness, we need the next contestant," Shaw called out to him, and Charles returned to the cup in his usual movement, plunging his palm into the blue flame, once again causing his father to tremble.
- Prince Eric," the seven went to the six and four, settling on the edge of the hill, which served as a stand for the cup.