The Duty of a Secret Regent

Chapter 2

I knew not how far or in which direction I rode, or even for how many hours, I had lost all sense of sanity or direction or plan by then. But when I came to a stop because of my thoroughly exhausted frothing horse, the first light of a new day was illuminating the eastern sky, and I found myself in the royal hunting grounds at the far end of the kingdom, just a few miles off the borders. 

While trying to scour my surroundings to get a hint about my location, I found myself standing within the complex of the nature goddess' temple of the previous dynasty. The previous king Leonard was a noble man of a benevolent heart. To his countrymen, he was known as Leonard the wise or sometimes as Leonard the pious, not because of his extreme fanaticism for religion or something, but because of his devotion to his kingdom. He saw his kingdom in the form of God, and believed serving his country would mean service to the almighty. 

I was cautiously surveying throughout the area, searching for a place to stay, preferably inside the thoroughly dilapidated temple, when I heard faint sounds of chatter in the vicinity. 

My eyes widened in shock as I realized the danger I was in. The king had come hunting in the grounds, feigning he had nothing personal to do with the assassination of my family to the rest of the citizens, and dispatched orders from here. And I just had to find myself in the clutches of my enemy so carelessly!  

I quickly grabbed my horse, shushing it with a slight slap on its muzzle, which the intelligent creature immediately understood as the command to stay quiet and walked inside the ancient, once endorsed and beautiful temple, hiding us effectively in the pitch darkness behind the huge granite figurine of the nature goddess. 

My heart was bitter, I felt an acidic taste in my mouth as the last encounter with my family and their fatal cries replayed again and again in my ears. I was desperate into craziness now, no matter what happens, I will die only after I put an end to this tyranny. 

Minutes felt like hours, as I waited in agony to face the tyrant while waiting behind the figurine, unarmed, except for the scimitar hanging on my scabbard and an ivory dagger under my breast plate. Regardless of my status now, I was determined not to go down without a fight. Cold sweat of fright and anticipation was dripping down my head down my neck, and my clothes, wet with perspiration seemed like mere hindrance against free movement, but I waited on for my prey to arrive in my clutches, provided he was alone, or I'd be the prey and he my predator. I saw him come down his horse, scouring the area, with his sword drawn, his dark eyes radiated nothing but thirst for bloodshed as he sniffed the air, plucked a leaf, observing it close, even look towards the temple once, where I had taken cover. 

But all was in vain! The company even though initially approached the temple, fell short in front of it and as leisurely as they had come, had faded into nothing. The king's men had receded back towards their camps. 

Minutes later I heard the gong of the kitchen, as breakfast was announced by the chefs. 

Mayhap I was crazy with hatred and revenge, or maybe I had gone insane with last night's trauma, or perhaps I had always been a madwoman, but a devilish idea formulated in my mind the more I agonized over my revenge. 

The meal time would go on for a whole hour now, the soldiers and guards and everyone concerned will be busy, and the king would be alone. 

I had to kill Miron, and I knew what I would do next. The gong for meal had given me a deadly chance, my only chance to survive and put an end to this dynasty. 

I had never killed a single soul, man or beast, and I knew it was impossible for someone as me with a scholarly base to even think of such horrific ideas, but I was bloodthirsty now. Every time their last cries rang in my ears, every time Vasi's face appeared before me, I felt the sharp pang of survivor's guilt. I had promised my family to put an end to this man and I would do it regardless of my future status. 

Also while meditating over my strategy, I had another devilish plan in mind, I would become the next monarch, by impersonating him!

Reader, perhaps you laugh reading such an obnoxious and cliche idea from me, but I knew a quirk about myself, which I had in common with the king: my black hair was extremely uncommon in the kingdom, same was true for my tan skin. And since as a lady I never went out much, not many knew about my appearance; specially not the king's allies, so I realized even if I was impersonating the king, disguising myself as him, nobody would really know.

I rummaged through my baggage with the grace of a madman, and found among them, my brother's clothes, some sponges, and a cloth belt with the crest of my clan drawn on it. To personify the king, I had to first pass as a man. My mother definitely knew what sort of things I might need to disguise myself as a man, thus I had these oddities handy now. My only disadvantage was, I looked strikingly feminine physically. And I knew I had to get rid of that. Introducing the sponges around my curves, before long I could easily make myself look flat and masculine. Now came the real difficulty: I had to hide my breasts, and the only way was until now to wear an armor of my brother, but while disguising this way, I couldn't wear that, and here the cloth belt came in utility. Even though after completing my disguise, I was out of breath, the cloth belt hindering my chest from breathing healthily, but I felt immensely accomplished. 
With the blade of my dagger, I had smoothly cut off my hair into shoulder length and soon, I tied them in a ponytail style I often saw my brother and other men tie their hair, and nobody could have been wiser about me. As for my feminine countenance, the cape would have to do for now, before I found something better.

By the time, I was done with my disguise, it was time for lunch, and sure enough, when I carefully came out of my hiding, I heard the lunch gong sound in the distance, and it was time. It was finally my chance to play.

I left my baggage in the temple, after hiding my appearance with the cape present in my belongings, I walked cautiously towards the settlement, hiding within the thickets, and approached the tents situated in the nearby clearing, following the voices of the men.