A War of Queens

Scorpios & Verreas: Part 13: The Scorpion, the Viper and the Dove

The Great Wall of Alfsol stood mightily before them all. An imposing and infamous structure in the land of Solaureus it was, made of an uncommon black stone once commonly utilized in ancient practices and rituals of the east, serving as a protection against the dark ones of the unknown world. Awe-inspiring to all those who set their eyes upon its oily-smooth and shining surface, yet it had a dire and ominous presence to it that made Ramses feel uneasy to the point his stomach churned. Even so, it was a sight of wonder to behold; a wonder that many a man have come from far beyond to gaze upon its glory and learn of its rich history.

Once I saw you at a time of favour, now we meet again during one of civil unrest, Ramses thought, recalling the time he arrived there when the family had been on a royal tour. That was before the uprising, before the strife and disarray that drove their realm to madness. If things could be as they were back then, mayhaps I would be a different man today.

The closer they got to the Great Wall, marching through forgiving foothills of vibrant greenage, the higher the wave of black stone grew into the beast everyone knew it as, and the foliage slowly withdrew itself as though all but death's spell was warped around its being. If the tales and songs could be trusted, the Wall of Alfsol stood hundreds of metres high with a width spanning five hundred metres thick. In the time of the Wall's construction, the gigantic bricks were stacked tightly together by the backs of slaves and as legend has it, heavenly fires of the Vazdarthian Hundred Gods had melted the stone together, forming one solid piece of mighty pitch-black stone surrounding the entirety of Alfsol.

Myths and legends were wrapped around the structure like a serpent around its prey — even it could not escape the tales and falsehood that have been exchanged and sung about in times past. But myth or no, all knew this to be the wall of impregnability, for not one army in all its existence was able to penetrate it, save for the day the golden king marched to its northern gates in the days of the wars of many kings, and outsmarted the Alfsonian king's men.

It is no wonder the Gunish were beyond their limit of power when they tried to force down their walls. And rightly so, he thought.

The arched stone gate was made of pure gold and white marble, contrasting to the black, oily stone the wall was constructed out of. Ramses pinched his eyes and saw that the arch of the western gate was made to have the appearance of the legs of a god he knew very well. And when he gazed his eyes up and about, he found the titan sized statue growing out of the wall, holding a fiery sun in one hand and in the other a massive sword made of fire pointing northward to the direction of Yyquars. Grōzonoah was known to all who served the Vazdarthian gods as the god of gods, the creator of all things and the one who reads hearts.

Were that true, the god of gods might be sitting above upon his golden throne and laughing at me at this very moment.

Each time the horse took him closer, the sun slowly hid its face from them all as though shunning them, and he could no longer seem to find the top of the wall that reached heights of impossible measurements. The closer his mare took him to the massive western gate, the more they were engulfed by the wall's great shadow and coolness that dwelled there, and the more he felt his stomach sink as though the wall had not welcomed him. Even his poor mare could feel the uneasiness in the shade that Alfsol's Wall cast over them, refusing to take another step. Only after he put a caring hand along its neck and spoke words of gentleness did the horse comply.

Ramses had ridden beside Nailah, while Zephron took her left side. Though the princess Iniyla had wished to ride along with them, Nailah had forbidden it, reasoning that it may upset the child that grew within her. It had not even been a full month of their marriage when Iniyla's flowering had been skipped, and she had started feeling the pain in her breasts. The nuns had made a quick examination that day and praised that the princess was with child, glorifying that viper and scorpion have ended their feud as a result of this joyous occasion.