The Ivory Knight

Chapter 24 part i

Adeleina nervously made her way down to see the queen after having to ask a maid where the throne room was. The maid had seemed terrified, which had left Adeleina with an even worse sense of dread.

What game was the queen playing at? Where had this come from? Adeleina had known from the moment Rowan had told her that the queen wanted to speak with her that something was wrong. There was simply no way a proper queen would want to meet Adeleina a mere hour after she'd arrived in the castle. It went against common courtesy. It was  blatantly derogatory.

It was a sign of hostility.

In a castle's court, many rules were at play. This was why so many compared royal politics to an intricate and twisted game, with many stakes at hand. Adeleina had spent enough time attending court balls and listening in on her father's meetings to understand most of these unspoken rules. She knew by now that, as a sign of respect, guests would always be given one full day in the castle to themselves before meeting with the king to discuss whatever matters they'd come for. Only criminals and traitors were met with immediately. It was a blunt and outright sign of malevolent intent that Adeleina was to meet with the queen so soon. Adeleina worried about this the entire trip down.

When she entered the throne room, the first thing she noticed was the chill.

It seemed strange to her that while the rest of Dale was still a crisp, fresh sort of warm, even as winter approached, this room was bitingly cold. It didn't help, either, that the gown she was clad in was sleeveless. The air brushed at her bare, exposed arms with creeping fingers. It made Adeleina frightened.

The second thing that Adeleina noticed was that the queen was sitting on the throne. 

"Your Grace," Adeleina said, curtesying. She stood a respectful distance from the queen-- close enough so that they could still talk, but far enough to not appear imposing. The last thing Adeleina wanted was to get on the wrong side of Queen Dale, and that meant appearing harmless.

The queen dipped her head slightly, her arms resting easily on the throne's arms. Again, Adeleina wondered. The throne was a symbol of power, an emobodiment of control over the entire kingdom. He who sat on the throne was the one with power.

What did the queen mean by occupying the throne of her husband? Her wounded husband?

"Dismissed," Queen Dale said curtly, waving a hand. At first, Adeleina thought the queen was addressing her, but as the guards and servants who'd been lining the walls of the throne room hurried out, Adeleina realized that the queen wanted to speak with Adeleina alone. Adeleina tensed, wondering what kinds of things the queen would say that she didn't trust her own people with. 

"I'll skip the formalities," the queen said. She yawned lazily. "I'm going to kill you."

Adeleina froze.

"Not now, of course," Queen Dale said. "Perhaps in a few months. Perhaps tomorrow. It all depends on how cooperative you'll be, girl."

Adeleina stayed silent. 

The queen sighed, feigning disappointment. "What, no cries of terrified confusion? No angry outbursts? I'd expected more from you, Adeleina of Corandell." She leaned forward, her bejeweled fingers gripping the gold-plated armrests. Like talons. "I've heard of you. You're the one who's always playing with swords and bows. My people tell tales of your capability. Even Damien, the stupid boy, admires you. Respects you. He doesn't trust me enough to tell me so, but I can read him like an open book. Fortunately, he's not so daft as to be in love with you." The queen crossed her arms, a glittering smile on her lips. 

Adeleina fought to keep her temper and fear under control. A part of her wondered whether the queen was goading her, manipulating her with words towards anger. The rest of her was shaking with panic.

The queen frowned, as if disappointed by Adeleina's lack of reaction. 

"Listen to me three times. You are in my hold. I control you now, and I am going to use you as a pawn in my plans. I'm going to take down the Sevan bastards, and you will help me. It will not be the other way around."

"Why?" Adeleina cut in, finally finding the nerve to speak. "I thought--"

"You thought wrong," Queen Dale said, waving her hand again as if to fan away the echoes of Adeleina's words. "For all your alleged talent with swords, you're not very smart. What ever do you think happened to your mother?"

What? "My mother has nothing to do with this," Adeleina said, though the cold feeling inside her told her that she was wrong.

The queen smiled coldly. "She started all of this, actually. Or, rather, she'd been my first pawn in starting this. She was a faithless woman. Foolish. She didn't love your father at all."

"So what?"

"She loved another woman and ran off in the name of heretical romance. That note wasn't faked, you know, though it was rather convenient for me. It explained her mysterious disappearance far better than any cover I could have created."

"I couldn't give less of a damn what my mother did. She's nothing to me, and you can't hurt me by threatening her." Adeleina was surprised to hear the words coming out of her mouth, hard and clipped. However, she was even more surprised to find that they were true.

The queen laughed. "Such harsh words from such an airheaded girl. Threaten your mother? Why, she's been dead for years. I poisoned her as we laughed and ate at my own dining table, and she never knew until she was almost dead. We used to be such good friends, plotting to overthrow Seva with our dreams of glory, but I was clever. There can only be one winner."

Adeleina paused. Finally she shook her head disbelievingly. "You're insane," she said, terrified and astounded at the same time. "Utterly insane. You're not even making sense."

"Insane? Perhaps, but I'm equally parts clever. Seva's trade of bitter resin is immensely profitable. People haven't realized it, but Seva is growing stronger, and when the time comes, Seva is going to take control. King Seva has already sucessfully taken the kingdom of Acherca, and obviously, his foul son has taken Corandell."

"Impossible," Adeleina whispered. "That's impossible. We never even heard that control over Acherca had changed hands. You're lying."

"Believe what you want. The truth is, Seva is too strong already. I have been planning and waiting for many long years, and it's time to proceed. I am going to seize control of Seva and stop that vile, drugged excuse of a king from poisoning the rest of the kingdoms."

"I find it hard to believe that you're doing this all for the greater good," Adeleina said, her voice trembling. 

Queen Dale frowned. "You expect all people to be black and white, don't you? You think there's a clear line between villainous evil and heroic good? What I do may sound terrible and vile, but it is cunning. I know how to do the best thing for me and my people.

"I am not doing this for the greater good," the queen continued. "I am doing this for power. I'm going to take King Seva's place, and I'm going to build an empire from this land, starting with Corandell, Acherca, and Seva."

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Dedicated to one of the best worldbuilders/fantasy authors out there. His books kept me sane through finals week.

To those who just finished finals, as I have: congratulations for making it out alive, and happy winter break!