Arslan Senki: The Witch

The Royal Capital Burns

A.N.
Y'all this is a super long chapter to make up for the last one cuz it was tiny. If it's wayyy too long, lmk and I'll split it.
Happy reading <3

Turns out, Gieve was not so bad.

I mean, he wasn't that great either, in Zofia's opinion. He was full of himself, and sleep around with lot of women, dreaming their hearts and stuff, but he was funny and decent to talk too.

He ranted on about himself for quite some time, then spoke about humiliating one of the Queen's handmaidens by lying to her about his identity. Something about pretending to be a prince?

His words slurred together when he drank to much, which he did. In fairness, if someone had offered her royal, well-aged wine, she would drink it too. Lots of it. Especially after the last few days...

And Zofia needed someone to talk to after losing Arslan. It wasn't as if no one spoke to her, but they didn't speak to her very nicely.

Even if you were the Prince's right-hand woman, if you were an ex-slave and a witch, it didn't change much.

———

With the lack of soldiers around the palace, and Zofia becoming fully available, she was placed under the Queen's care as a handmaiden.

A demotion in status, really.
The handmaidens had never liked her, and vise-versa.

A day after she was demoted, two days after the attack on the castle walls. The Lusitanian army was still outside, but they were particularly loud today.

Something must be happening, Zofia thought with a feeling at the pit of her stomach.

"Message for the Queen, message for the Queen!" Someone yelled. That someone shoved past her without looking back. The messanger ran up the stairs, probably going to the Queen.

Which means I should probably be around there before he gets there...

Zofia checked around her to see that no one was there, which means she could use her magic without someone judging her.

She willed the winds to pull her up, and the wind must've not fully agreed to doing this, since it flung her into the throne room in a less-than-graceful way.

"Ow." She muttered. She laughed to herself. The only way this could've been worse is if everyone saw her do tha-

"Zofia." The Lady Queen acknowledged. Zofia looked at her, but-eyed, and scrambled to her feet, dusting off her clothes and fixing the rug beneath her feet. "I am deeply sorry, your Majesty, but there is a messenger on his way, and if you would allow me to wait outside-"

"I am aware. I was just about to send someone to fetch you. Join us."

"To get me? Why would you want me here?"

"Has Arslan been gone so long that you've forgotten your duty? Your purpose, the only reason you are alive, is because of Arslan. You are still his personal guard, which would be an absolute honor of a title to hold, would anyone else have it."

Zofia blushed sheepishly, dropping down to one knee and bowing her head. She had forgotten her place. "Of course, my Lady."

Her timing was near perfect. As Zofia took her place beside the other soldiers, who were snickering at her, the messenger barged in the room.