Chapter 56:
The Healing Flower of Náv
“WOW! THE GREAT Healing Flower of Náv is so popular! I came early to catch a glimpse of her, but both sides of the street were already filled up when I arrived!” I smiled up at Fabian.
The people of the royal capital learned beforehand of Queen Dowager Hyacinthe’s return. She was immensely popular among the people, being not only the queen dowager but also the current head saint, and thus a grand welcome awaited her.
I arrived thirty minutes early to try to get a look at her, but people were already lined up along the sides of the streets. I attempted to squeeze my way into the crowd and up to the second row, but the mass pushed me back and I found myself at the back of the wall of people.
“Oh no! I won’t be able to see anything from here!” I lamented.
I jumped to look for open spots when I happened to make eye contact with Fabian in the front row. He waved at me, then looked down at the women standing around him and smiled all Prince Charming-like. Then, just like magic, a path opened up for me, and I managed to reach him.
I reached Fabian, who was surrounded by smiling women, and asked, “Are you a wizard or something? Or do princely pretty boys come with special powers? I’ve never heard of anyone parting crowds of women with a smile!”
He laughed and said, “Nothing like that. Everyone around me just so happened to be a kind soul and allowed a good friend of mine to pass through. That’s all.”
There was definitely more to it, but cheers rose nearby, distracting me. I followed the exclamations.
“Eeeek! It’s Her Majesty, Head Saint Hyacinthe!”
“Aaaaaah! She’s so beautiful! Look at her red hair! Never have I seen someone so picturesque!”
“And her eyes are golden! Just like the Great Saint’s! Oh, how wonderful!”
“She’s like the second coming of the Great Saint!”
Hyacinthe slowly came into view. The sunlight shone on her red hair. She rode an open-topped horse-drawn carriage and waved at the crowd as she passed. Members of her royal guard in smoky-purple knight uniforms surrounded her, as well as the blue-uniformed knights of the Black Dragon Knight Brigades. I also recognized a few familiar faces in white: Quentin, Clarissa, and Zackary.
As Hyacinthe neared, the crowd’s fervor intensified.
“Aaaaaaah! Wonderful, wonderful! Head Saint Hyacinthe! Just look how red her hair is!”
“I can see her! Her eyes are so golden! Eeek! My hangover from yesterday has vanished without a trace!”
From my spot in the front, I got a good look at Hyacinthe. Sure enough, her hair was a vibrant, unmixed red. I could only see one of her eyes under her bangs, but it was as golden as the rumors said.
Fabian spoke as the queen passed in front of us. “I don’t know whose idea it was, but her hairstyle is ingenious. It makes her seem all the more divine. Her Majesty Hyacinthe generally keeps one eye hidden, but the wind always happens to lift up her hair and show her eyes during important events. Her golden eyes and red hair are reminiscent of the legendary Great Saint. Seeing that rare coloration gets everyone all excited.”
I took another good look at her red hair and golden eyes from up close.
“Red hair and golden eyes, huh?”
“Yeah. Just like you, Fia.”
“Oh yeah.” Fabian’s words reminded me of something Saviz had said a while back about the color of my hair and eyes being one-of-a-kind. “Commander Saviz told me my combination of red hair and golden eyes was something only I had, but that’s clearly not true if the queen dowager looks the same.”
I doubted Saviz would forget the hair and eye colors of his own mother. I guess he was just trying to flatter me! How unlike him.
Overhearing me muttering to myself, Fabian said, “The commander might be right in a sense. There are various shades of red. Her Majesty Hyacinthe’s certainly differs from yours. You match in the sense that you share the same colors, but I doubt there is anyone with golden eyes and hair a red as vibrant as yours.”
“Really?” I didn’t think it was that deep. Red was just red to me.
Fabian smiled wryly, then leaned down to whisper in my ear. “When I first saw Her Majesty Hyacinthe, I was beside myself with admiration for her splendid red hair. But after seeing your hair, hers seems lackluster in comparison. The vibrancy doesn’t even begin to compare. And though it may be impudent of me to say, when I look at portraits of the Great Saint, I can’t help but think your hair is the exact same color as Her Holiness.”
Come to think of it, Saviz had mentioned my hair was the exact same red as the red on the flag of Náv. I didn’t understand what he meant at the time, but I learned some days later from another knight that the red of the flag was meant to recreate the Great Saint’s hair color.
In other words, Saviz probably thought my hair looked like the Great Saint’s. Which made sense, given that my hair color now was exactly the same as three hundred years ago.
“Most who see your hair probably think little of it, but it would be a problem if it got out that it was the same exact shade as the Great Saint’s. Certainly, many would envy you for that,” Fabian warned.
It seemed like a bit of an exaggeration. “Oh, I dunno about that. From what I’ve heard, the queen dowager brought a red-haired saint with her. I don’t see her in this parade, so I can’t confirm how red her hair is, but it does show that red-haired women aren’t that uncommon.”
He shook his head firmly. “Even so, I sincerely doubt she has the red of the Great Saint.”
After Hyacinthe passed, the crowd began to disperse. I was reminded once again that everyone came here just to see her.
“Wow! The head saint’s real popular!”
That was a good thing, of course, as it indicated people felt close to and liked the saints.
Having no reason to linger, I headed for the royal castle with Fabian. We walked for a while before Fabian suddenly spoke up.
“Oh, right. Captain Cyril wanted me to pass along a message to you.”
“Huh?” That stopped me in my tracks.
Fabian held up his hands to reassure me. “He said that if I happened to spot you at the parade, I should talk to you afterward, so I doubt it’s urgent. There’s no need to worry. He just wants you to come to the First Knight Brigade captain’s room when you have a spare moment.”
“Whaaat?!”
Oh no. What could he possibly want with me? Did I do something wrong?
I racked my brain, trying to remember recent events, but I couldn’t think of anything he could possibly be mad about, and so, without any worries, I parted with Fabian and made my way to Cyril.