Chapter 20

"Is everything in place?" Aymeri must have asked that question at least twenty-five times in the same hour. After the events that transpiredthe night before, she had barely gotten any sleep. When Drystan returned from the prison, he informed them that three of his elite assassins were taking care of the man who brought food to her sister that night. The man wouldn't talk to the king, no matter what tactics he used. He hoped the assassins would get something out of him, and if not, he ordered them to kill him.

At first, Aymeri was surprised by such a harsh punishment. but given what her sister had been through at the hands of their own mother, she felt it justified.

I've been queen for barely one month and there is already so much blood on my hands . She knew this was only the start. She had yet to deal with Dimia and the impending war. Sooner or later, their troops would march.

"Everything is in place." He assigned three of his assassins to guard the room where Kumud had been staying and one of them, a female, took Kumud's place last night. Unfortunately, no one showed up. "The men must rotate," Drystan pointed out. "That's probably why she can't remember. But don't worry, my assassins will get to the bottom of it and the truth will be revealed. It's just going to take time."

Time was something they didn't have. Whoever the mastermind behind this was, they would come looking for Kumud themselves sooner or later. Aymeri wanted it to be sooner, so they could dispose of them once and for all.

"How will we know when to carry out our plan?"

Just as Jorlyn asked, Kumud tapped her gently on the shoulder and slowly formed words with her hands. "She says that he comes on the fourth night."

Aymeri stopped pacing near her window and turned to her sister who was sitting at the desk. She was wearing one of Aymeri's anharis—a gold one with lace trimmings—that was a little too big for her. But now that she was eating properly, and regularly thanks to Madam Bheva's cooking, she knew her sister would be healthy in no time.

"When is the fourth night, Kumud?" Drystan asked, his dark eyes wide with the same hope Aymeri felt.

Kumud began to count on her fingers and signed again.

"Tonight," Jorlyn responded, then continued to translate more of the gestures. "She says the guy who came last night was the third guy who came to her. Tonight, the one who is behind it all should be the one to visit."

Drystan placed his hands on his hips. "Then he must find Kumud there. As of now, he probably has no idea she's gone."

Jorlyn and Aymeri nodded in agreement.

"I should be in her stead," the queen responded. The thought of it kept her up all night. It was a constant debate of whether it should be her in the bed or Kumud. At least she was trained with a dagger and bow and arrow, and understood how to summon her fire magick. Anger seemed the best way without proper training. Kumud on the other hand, had powerful magick she couldn't control yet. Aymeri had seen that the night they let her go. The magick had restored some health upon her but could only do so much.

On the other hand, Aymeri didn't know who she was dealing with. They had kept her older sister locked up in the castle for twenty-three years. They had to be as skilled as Drystan's assassins, otherwise their plans would not have worked for so long. Even her mother was likely scared of them, considering she did nothing to rescue her own daughter. If they were as skilled as she thought, it would be better for her sister to be in the room with them listening in on the other side of the bookcase. Her magick was more wayward than Aymeri's, it was highly probable she could apprehend them herself.

But if Aymeri was wrong and they killed her sister instead, everything up to now would have been in vain. She had spent so much time trying to figure out what was on the hidden floor that she neglected so many of her other duties. She had never laid out plans for war. She wasn't ensuring her army was training. Her whole life she pined for her sister, now that she had a chance with her, she didn't want to risk it.

It had to be her.

"It's too dangerous," Drystan responded, concern written over his face.

It warmed her heart to see how much the king cared about her. Even though he was right, it was too dangerous, she knew she could handle it and it was about time she let him know. "Seems like you don't know as much about Treoles as you thought you did." Aymeri had a smug smile on her face. "Maudlin women are warriors. When we come of age, we have a series of tests we are to undergo. We choose our weapon, train in it, and once we pass those tests with our preferred weapon of choice, we are branded with the mark of our weapon. Though I chose a bow and arr—" Even before she finished speaking, her bow appeared next to her and made a loud clunk! on the floor, startling her and everyone else in the room.

Drystan's arms dropped to his sides, his eyes wide with fright.

"What's gotten into you?" Aymeri asked.

"That's the same thing that happened the night you caught Jorlyn outside of your room and placed a dagger to her throat. How did you do that?"

Aymeri and Jorlyn exchanged glances and the queen shrugged. "Let me see your mark," Drystan asked.

Aymeri would have shown it to him if it hadn't been immodest of her to do so. The mark lay between her shoulder blades, concealed beneath the dress that hooked up her back. Maudlins bore a mark, yes, but not to be flaunted unless to prove identity. Having a warrior queen was not something other kingdoms would take lightly. The Maudlins were never to be perceived as a threat. Instead, they were to be underestimated as a war tactic. It was the exact reason the kingdom had stood the test of time. Why the Maudlin name continued to remain through countless generations.

"No," Aymeri replied.

"Then let Jorlyn see it. I am betting fifteen volatil that is a rune carved into your skin. Weapons do not appear out of thin air, Aymeri!"

Her bow and arrow had for as long as she could remember. While it was strange for the dagger to do so that night, she had never questioned why her bow and arrow had. She just assumed it was because it had chosen her, though admittedly she wasn't sure she understood what that meant.

Jorlyn stood up and grabbed her shoulders. "There's only one way to find out…" She twirled Aymeri around and sucked in a deep breath. "Forgive me, Aymeri," Jorlyn muttered seconds before Aymeri felt her start unhooking the back of the dress.

Aymeri took a deep breath, hands flying up to hold the top against her chest. "Jorlyn! What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I need to take a closer look at your mark," Jorlyn responded.

"And how do you suppose looking at the mark will help?" Aymeri scoffed."What is a rune anyway?"

"Well, for one, it'll give Drystan the view he's been looking for," Jorlyn mumbled.

Aymeri's brow shot up. "Excuse me?" Her head whipped around so fast, she felt a crick in her neck.

"Forgive my sister for her droll humor," Drystan apologized. Aymeri pointedly ignored the mumbled "I'm not sorry" she heard from behind her.

"And you, Jorlyn, need I remind you that you have a wife at home," Drystan warned his sister.

Aymeri couldn't help but smile at his sense of humor. If she was being honest with herself... No! Don't you dare think about that right now.

"I will leave you ladies to it. I'll be in the kitchen with Madam Bheva for further discussion when you two are done."

Aymeri suppressed a giggle at the feigned pain in his tone. "Can you please hurry up with your examination of my mark?"

Jorlyn chuckled. "Eager to get back to my brother?"

Aymeri felt her face flush crimson at Jorlyn's remark. She certainly wasn't wrong… "No!" Aymeri defended herself. "Remember the plan we have in place? We need to make sure we're not a second behind," Aymeri reminded her. The relationship she and Drystan shared would have to wait until everything else blew over. She could only focus on one thing at a time and right now, her priority was taking care of anything and everything that put her kingdom at risk. After, she would deal with Dimia, and eventually her feelings and relationship with Drystan.

It was true that she was in love with him and she knew he felt the same about her. It was also clear to her that her mother wanted to see them marry and while she wanted to honor her mother's wish, she also didn't feel the same way about her mother anymore. There were just too many lies. How would she ever be able to get passed them and love her mother the same way?

Silence fell upon them as Jorlyn ran her fingers over the rune, as she defined the mark. "You said every Maudlin female carries one?" Jorlyn asked. Aymeri simply nodded. "So then, your mother had one, too."

"Yes, a sword, what are you getting at? Are you going to explain what a rune is?"

"A rune is a marking. Sometimes it can be used with spells, other times it can be used for protection. In your case, it is the third kind, the type of rune that binds magickal objects to their owners."

"I thought you didn't know about magick," Aymeri pointed out.

"I never explicitly talked about magick but I truly don't know much. Runes, however, are very common. My wife is an Elf from a kingdom on the continent of Keiyora. Her kingdom used to trade with us before Dimia shut off all access. Luckily enough, we married beforehand. She was just a mercenary, then, but I trained her to fight like an assassin. Now she is among the highest ranks and continues to climb them."

Jorlyn sighed, probably remembering her wife and missing her. They had been in Treoles for so long, they were neglecting their own kingdom and duties. There would never be a way to repay them for all they were doing, but she hoped winning the war and restoring Dramolux to its peace would help.

"If your mother had a rune for her weapon, why wasn't it summoned when she needed it?" Jorlyn inquired, her voice thoughtful.

Aymeri shrugged. "I was talking about mine when it appeared. Maybe it can only be summoned if it's called?" Aymeri tried it and held out her hand to catch the bow this time and it immediately levitated into her hand.

"Place it down again, think it."

Aymeri nodded and did as Jorlyn asked, placing the bow on the floor. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself holding the bow, using it to fight her enemies. Again, the bow levitated to her hand.

"Why didn't your mother summon her sword?"

"Because the threat was the tea?" Aymeri asked.

"No," Jorlyn responded. "It wasn't just the tea. She could have gotten help, but she didn't. She trusted whoever gave her the tea. She had no reason to question it. Who did she trust more than anyone?"

Aymeri refused to believe Ser Parzival knew anything about her mother's murder. He couldn't have been the one in the room with her that night. He seemed just as upset by her death as everyone else. Lately, he'd been shut off in his study mulling over ways to help her run the kingdom effortlessly. Even if he did know about the magick and kept that secret from her, he wasn't malicious enough to orchestrate all of this with her mother. There had to be someone else.

The desk chair scraping across the floor pulled them out of their conversation. Kumud began to sign and Jorlyn translated. "I want one of those. I'm a Maudlin, too."

Aymeri smiled. "When this is all done, you'll have your own rune, too."

Kumud nodded, a huge smile spread across her face. She signed again.

"I'm sorry," the assassin translated. "I know killing the evil queen was wrong, but I…" Her words trailed off and tears poured from her eyes like tea out of a kettle.

"But you wanted to free yourself. If you would have never poisoned her, we wouldn't have known about your existence," Aymeri finished her thoughts for her. "I understand."

When Jorlyn finished fastening Aymeri's top, she excused herself to bring Drystan and Madam Bheva to the room. They needed the old woman to know they found her sister and to see if she knew anything about it. Afterall, she claimed to be close with the late queen. If anyone knew her secrets, hopefully it was her.

As they waited, Kumud walked across the room to the window that took up half a wall with its floor-to-ceiling panes. She pressed her finger to the top of the glass and turned to Aymeri.

"Sun," the queen responded. "It is warm in the springtime and summer. Right now, it is winter."

Her sister made a circle with her index finger then opened her hands toward her face.

"Sun?" Aymeri asked.

The girl nodded.

"Were you ever able to speak, Kumud?"

The girl turned around and stared out the window for a long time. As she watched her older sister, she wondered why she had to suffer so much. She seemed sweet and harmless and, in an instant, the whole world was ripped out from beneath her. Why?

Why before my birth? Why was it so important for us to be kept apart? Is that why my memories were erased? Do some of them include her? Did I see something I shouldn't have?

Jorlyn's signature knock made the skin on the back of her neck stand on end. After taking a moment to compose herself, she stood and opened the door.

"Who is the beauty standing by the window? Is she another relative of yours, Jorlyn?" Madam Bheva asked as they entered the room.

Kumud turned around and her soft features became droopy and tears flew out of her eyes. She ran across the room and hugged the old woman.

"Kumud?" the woman breathed. "Is that you?"

Her sister clutched onto the woman's blouse with all her might, her shoulders bouncing as he sobbed and heaved.

"I thought you were dead. How is this… no!" The old woman gasped, her lips quivering.

"Madam Bheva?" the queen questioned.

"I knew your mother could be cruel and ruthless in battle. I didn't think she could be stone-hearted with family."

She rubbed Kumud's back and soothed her until she finally calmed down and sat at her feet. The old woman ran her wrinkly hands through the girl's hair as she spoke to Aymeri.

"There was talk of Kumud being magick touched. Her anger called upon lightning, the kind you only see in the sky. I didn't believe it at first. There had been no known births of magick-touched babies for centuries. Your mother and her mother and even her mother before that were not able to summon their own magick, they were only able to guard the magick passed down to them."

Is she saying…

"You mean to say my sister was chained up in a room and secluded for twenty-three years because she is able to summon magick?"

That was the most ridiculous reasoning Aymeri had ever heard. Nothing could excuse a parent—or anyone for that matter—from the atrocious selfishness of locking a child in a room because they were different from everyone else.

"As a guardian of magick, as you all say my mother ," she never thought she would say the word which such vile hatred, "was, she couldn't figure out a more humane way to deal with my sister's magick? If she was able to guard it herself, she couldn't have taken it away or, oh I don't know, help her summon it the right way? "

She didn't care who heard her. She was furious with everyone who let this happen. That familiar heat took over her body and just as the Jorlyn screamed for her to calm down, flames engulfed the carpet she was standing on. Her entire lower body was covered in angry blue flames. They were significantly hotter than any of the orange flames she had held in the palm of her hand.

"You too?" Madam Bheva's forest green eyes were wide with astonishment.

Aymeri closed her eyes in an attempt to control the flames that ate away at the fabric beneath her feet. All at once, the flames ceased at her feet and crawled through her skin to her hands. A large ball mixed with blues and oranges formed. She didn't know how she did it but suddenly she felt more control over her magick. "I still can't fully control it, I don't understand how."

Kumud closed her eyes and a humming sound filled the room and bent forms of lighting wrapped itself like vines around her hands and coiled up her arms. Aymeri's heartbeat immediately sped up. She had heard this sound almost every morning when she visited her mother's room. Of course, her mother would be flailing about, trying to tidy up before she got in. Was the flailing about all a fa?ade? Was she just trying to mask the sound coming from upstairs?

She snuffed out the fireball in her hands and before Madam Bheva could utter a word she said to Kumud, "Every time I entered mother's room I heard that humming. Usually I tuned it out after she shuffled her furniture and papers around. Never once did I think there was something else, let alone someone else. But how? When you were in the shackles, your magick didn't make a sound until I began to break them."

Kumud began to move her hands slowly to explain. Jorlyn translated, "One of them, the woman I told you about before, took off my shackles and said the medicine should be enough. They would lock the doors from the outside, even the evil queen's hidden staircase."

Aymeri's emotions whirled around inside her. It pained her to know that her sister was alive all this time, confined to a life of solitude and for what? What did their mother gain by telling everyone she was dead? What did Aymeri gain by believing her sister was dead? Tears flowed out of her eyes, no longer for grief over the mother who died, but for the sister who lived in death every single day. For the sister whose heart craved love, and whose arms were cold and lonely at night. For the sisters whose hope turned into a hatred so poisonous that poisoning her own mother was the only guarantee at freedom.

How could she ever hate her for this? How could she allow her to be imprisoned again? No. For defending and saving her own life, she deserved to be pardoned. She had suffered enough.

"Gods, Kumud, I am so, so sorry!"

Kumud's deep blue eyes shone with tears as they slid down her face. As her lips quivered, she signed and Jorlyn translated. "I know you loved the evil–our mother. I am sorry I took her from you. I didn't know how else I'd survive."

Neither did she. If she were in the same situation, she didn't know what she'd do.

She crossed the room and wiped her sister's tears. Gently gripping her bony shoulders, she touched her forehead to her sister's and closed her eyes. "It is our mother who should have been sorry for the injustices that have been done to you."

"Everything happens asthe universe wishes, dear girls. It is the universe that has brought this old mage to you," Madam Bheva interjected nonchalantly.

Aymeri's eyes widened as she turned away from her sister and back to the old, wrinkled lady in the seat. "I thought you were only able to cast spells like the glamor spell we spoke about earlier. Is that not the same thing as a mage?"

Madam Bheva smiled broadly and shook her head. "Mages are the highest class of spell casters. Born, raised, and trained in Adrana, a kingdom in Keiyora, mages are the ones who have perfected spells of the elements, of healing, of summoning strength. You name it, we know it."

Of course she was. Aymeri wasn't even surprised at the number of secrets that had been kept from her her whole life.

"I am the very mage who trained your mother. That is why she wanted me to stay in the castle. She knew she would be unable to use her magick around your father and Ser Parzival."

Aymeri shook her head. Ser Parzival had stopped her from doing so much and yet her mother held him in the highest regard. Why? Why did she not put her foot down? What did he have over her head? Aymeri wanted to ask but she also needed Madam Bheva to explain. It was almost time for them to get in their places.

"It was why she wanted me here for you. Your mother knew her death was imminent. She confided to me that she was going to break the spell on your magick. I told her it was the right thing to do."

While Aymeri was grateful that her mother had confided in Madam Bheva, it was too little too late if she was being honest with herself. Maybe if her mother listened to Madam Bheva previously, none of the events that transpired would have taken place. But none of it mattered now. Her mother was still dead. Her sister had still been locked up for at least twenty-three years. They were both born of magick like their mother—and all of the Maudlins—had been. There was no way this could get worse.

"The same way I taught your mother, I will teach the two of you. Let this be over first."

Aymeri nodded and gave Madam Bheva her thanks. She was by no means ready for what was going to take place, but she had to protect her kingdom at all costs. It was likely that whoever kept seeing Kumud was the same person who had murdered their mother.

"My queen, a word?" Drystan had been silent the entire time and she felt guilty for momentarily forgetting his presence, but she welcomed his well-timed distraction.

She nodded and walked toward the bedroom she had given him. Once inside, she closed the door behind her but left it unlocked. She crossed the marble floor and sat in one of the chairs at the round table.

"Are you okay?" Drystan whispered, leaning against the door, resting his foot at the bottom.

Aymeri nodded. "I'm more concerned about Kumud." She stood up, anger getting the best of her. "Did you know my mother was capable of doing something like this?"

He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. "She was not what I was expecting to find on that floor."

"Me neither." She sighed, suddenly feeling suffocated by all the secrets and betrayals housed within these walls. She almost wanted to burn it all down. "What am I going to do?" she asked. "There is a war brewing in all of Dramolux. My mother is dead and left so many secrets behind. Someone in this castle is trying to kill my family—and has succeeded thus far. Magick, forbidden magick, runs through my veins, and Kumud's veins." Aymeri held out her hands to Drystan, a fireball dancing in her hand. "How am I going to cope with all of this?" She immediately snuffed out the ball.

Drystan pulled her into him and she allowed herself to be comforted by him. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of his heartbeat, an odd sound of comfort that reminded her of days when she would fall asleep to the rise and fall of her mother's chest. Please let this be real, she begged. Out of everything that had happened, the only thing she was honestly happy about was the fact that she had found a friend in all of this. At least that was how it started out. Now, she wasn't so sure.

The touch of his hand rubbing her back sent a jolt through her body. All at once she wanted to kiss him, wanted to cry, wanted to sleep . She had been overwhelmed by all of the information she'd uncovered and all she wanted was a decent night's sleep when this was all over.

"What if this is all my fault?" she whispered against the strings hanging on his tunic. "What if my birth set everything into motion. If I hadn't been born, then maybe Kumud–"

Drystan gently pulled back from her and she refused to meet his gaze. "Don't you dare do that to yourself, Meri. You are better than that. Than this. I'm not going to tell you that I understand what you're going through, because I don't. But what I do know is that none of it is your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself. Your mother didn't lock Kumud up because you were born. There is someone else pulling the strings, controlling your mother. I hope Kumud is right and the mastermind reveals themself tonight."

Aymeri knew Drystan meant well, but she wasn't completely sure she would be able to figure it all out. Up until her mother's death, she had never even looked at paperwork concerning the kingdom. She didn't even know of the impending war and Queen Dimia claiming to be Empress Dimia of Dramolux until his arrival. If Drystan hadn't come, who knew what might have happened? No, she definitely did not feel that she would figure it all out.

"We underestimated you because we didn't understand why you had no knowledge of the events happening within, and outside, your kingdom." Drystan swallowed the lump in his throat. "Upon being here with you, we've learned that wasn't a choice of yours but rather a choice of your mother—or her advisors. Now we know exactly how strong and wise you are. You will get through this and we will be here to ensure you do."

Aymeri smiled and would've thanked him but she wasn't sure how they were all going to handle this. "Your sister and you have a kingdom of your own to run. How often must I remind you of that? You cannot battle for mine and forget about yours. We are to be at war soon. I cannot keep—"

Drystan cut her off, squeezing her hands gently. "Neither my sister nor I will leave you without support. Even if we both can't be here indefinitely, we will leave our people with you for as long as you need—or want—them. If that happens to be for the duration of your reign, then so be it. They are happy to serve such a queen as yourself. None of us are going to leave you alone."

So this wasn't going to last after all. In the end, he would leave her and her kingdom and go back to his own life. Their love blossomed and ended with her mother's death and her sister's life.

"And yet somehow I feel I will be."

Drystan's eyes softened as he locked gazes with her. "Say the words and I will forever keep you as mine, Aymeri."

"You say all of this like you've known me forever."

"Because I have," Drystan whispered.

Finally. After hearing it from Jorlyn, she wanted to hear it from him, too. "I am sorry I don't remember…" she whispered.

Drystan pulled away to look at her. "Don't remember what?"

Aymeri looked into his eyes. "Jorlyn told me you came with your parents when my father died. That you had been here so often. That you and I… I'm sorry I don't remember spending time with you. Honestly, the only thing I remember is finding my father, dead on the floor."

Drystan cocked his head to the side. " You found your father?" Drystan asked. Aymeri nodded, her brows knit together in confusion. " And your mother?" Again, Aymeri nodded.

"Is there something wrong?"

Drystan nodded. "It almost seems like whoever is orchestrating this knew you'd find your father, knew you'd find your mother, knew you'd find your sister."

Now that she thought about it, Drystan was right. It seemed too convenient that she was always the one to find what she shouldn't have. "I thought you said I am not responsible for what has happened?"

Drystan instantly shook his head. "Gods no. I don't think you are. I do think, however, that the mastermind behind this wants people to think so."

Surely if someone were spreading lies that she had been the one to murder her sister, her father, and her mother, everyone would have been acting differently toward her, right? But when was the last time she interacted with anyone except Jorlyn, Drystan, and Ser Parzival. What if the whole time she had been occupied with other matters, someone else was twisting her absence into something it was not.

"But I haven't heard anything."

Drystan shook his head, a smug smile on your face. "My lady, do you really think they'll say anything to your face? It's time to speak with the servants."

Aymeri didn't like where any of this was going. What if her own people decided to turn against her? She couldn't lose her kingdom. Not after everything she had risked. "They're not going to speak directly to me."

"No," Drystan shook his head. "But they will speak to an elderly woman who likes to bake and talk…"

Now Aymeri really didn't like where this was going. Madam Bheva was not one to lie and talk bad about people. She wasn't sure how well this was going to go.

A banging on the door, followed by Ser Parzival's loud request to be let in, interrupted the silence in the room. "Take her and go to the study. I will call up when he's gone." Drystan nodded and immediately fled the room back into Aymeri's. She followed closely behind and took a deep breath before she opened the door.

"Ser Parzival, what is the meaning of all this?" she demanded, her voice loud and laced with irritation.

"Who gave you permission to hire new royal guards, Princess ?" There was a menace to his tone that made Aymeri's heart leap for cover in her throat as her stomach quivered inside of her.

" Lower your voice ." Aymeri inclined her head to him and squared her shoulders with a confidence she did not feel. "You forget, Ser Parzival, that I am no longera princess. I am the new queen and you will address me as such."

Aymeri forced herself to be forceful since she was everything but. She was not going to allow anyone to step all over her. Treoles was her kingdom and she was going to protect it at any cost to her morals,like never being cruel to her elders.

"If any change has been made to the Royal Guard," she continued, "it is because I have noticed many whose loyalty was to be questioned. There seems to be a lot of chatter around here that I have somehow gone insane and murdered my own parents."

She wasn't sure if it was true, but if anything Drystan said held merit, she was sure to find out from Ser Parzival. "I do not take kindly to it, nor will I stand for it. Anyone who even thinks about speaking ill of me will be ousted from this kingdom immediately and I expect you to help me do so. Do you understand?"

Several emotions passed his facial features, but one constant emotion remained in his eyes: anger. " I am your Royal Advisor, Queen Aymeri," he spat. " All changes to this kingdom are to go through me or have you forgotten the meaning of ‘advisor'?"

Why was he venting his anger on her so suddenly? He had never been so harsh with her, even when she was being childish. Sure, he had raised his voice when she questioned the forbidden floor upstairs, but that was to protect her from what he believed killed her sister. So where was this tone coming from?

"I have not forgotten the meaning of what being an advisor means," Aymeri stated, trying to keep her tone even with the man she considered a grandfather. "It seems you have forgotten your role. While you are an advisor, your only role is to advise me, not to give me orders that I must carry out. What has gotten into you? I have never seen you so angered. This is not how we treat each other."

Ser Parzival straightened his tunic and stood up. He clasped his hands behind his back, regaining his composure. "I apologize, my queen, it seems I have some emotions I have not properly disposed myself of . It is…your mother and I have certain agreements that I expected to remain in place with you."

She was sure they did. They knew each other for ages. He had always been her mother's close companion. It made sense that there were agreements between them. But she was not her mother and after her mother's unforgivable actions, she no longer wanted to be like her. "Then it is time you understand that I am not my mother. I will not run this kingdom the way she did. I thought we had that sorted out. Isn't that a vital part of our meeting with the royal council?"

Ser Parzival looked at the floor and then back up at her. She held his gaze. If she was going to make changes, she needed him to understand that she was no longer a child and she would not stand for the betrayals of her mother's reign.

"It is, Queen Aymeri. My apologies, I did not wish to upset you or make you feel incompetent or inferior. Just please confer with me on changes that involve your safety in the future."

His need to protect her was great, it was evident in the loving look he gave her like he would be shattered if any harm were to come to her. "When it comes to my safety, Ser Parzival, I think it best that it is left solely in my hands. Mother could not protect herself from death because she trusted everyone appointed to her after taking your words and her royal council's vote of confidence in the people who surrounded her. I would rather put my life in the hands of people I know and have personally put in charge of my well-being. I'm sure you understand."

The old man nodded. "Spoken like a true queen," was all he said before he exited the room leaving the queen with anxiety the size of a castle on her chest. She didn't know what she was more anxious about, the royal council's reaction to the sudden changes, or laying in Kumud's stead tonight.