A War of Queens

The Mourning Queen: Part 19: The Way of Tragedy

The wet and smokey smell of the great capital of the south was welcoming, for it meant home. The rains had gotten fiercer on their march back to the south from the mountain ranges of Llihrewot to the Farling Forests to the Hills of Thernz, though the gods had been forgiving to them every now and again. But in the capital where the sun was said to rain light for longer periods of time, rained not a light of hope, rather a dullness with light showers descending from grey-black clouds.

Does evil still reside here? Why do the gods not bless the capital?

As they approached Solana, Thaerysa saw the commoners holding their flea markets outside the city's gates — traders and healers sat underneath their tents and arbours, shepherds selling their acclaimed well-bred sheep and goats, chickens and bulls. Men of Tyrish heritage selling their spices and seeing-potions. Solana was a good city, she knew it. All knew it in fact. It was the golden city afterall, the city that Midas began centuries ago and that Elio fortified and brought to hubris.

But then as they were about to enter the golden city, Thaerysa was bid to look up by her handmaidens, and there she saw them all. Mounted on spikes upon the gates were many a head already rotting into a drooping state.

"By the gods," said Lord Rhoan when Thaerysa bid them to stop so that she may look upon their faces, or what had been left of them. "We will have answers for this horror Your Grace, you can be certain of it."

Asterya, she knew it had to have been her. Only with her judgement for such a thing could it have come to pass so. My daughter. Something has happened to her.

"I will go to see my daughter now," she told Rhoan. "Kind sers Arren and Bortund, pray take me to the keep right now."

"It shall be done with haste, Your Grace," said the knight Bortund. He had always been quick to reply with an honourable and respectable voice. Bortund had been a knight serving under Astereus Helioserys, always staying beside the king until the day he was bid to remain in the capital as the castle's protector. Little he did to protect the king, yet the castle and city he saw his assignment done to the full.

"Ser Daron Krozny," Rhoan called for the man with dark violet eyes and hair the colour of chestnut. "You had the watch while Her Grace and our host made way to Alfsol. What is the meaning of this display?"

Though the queen had wished to remain to question the knight herself, she continued on the cobblestone road of Stoneyard, listening to the sound of their voices fade away as the horses galloped onward while she sat in the carriage.

"The princess, Lord Commander," he said with a hoarse voice with both arms stable at his sides. "It was the command of the Princess Asterya, my lord. She had found...and trouble in the...Old King's Tower...dragon...beheaded the filth."

The wait had at last come to an end when the sight of the Sun's Keep shadowed them all with its horns casting a gloomy presence. A large crowd had been present to welcome the queen of black when she stepped her foot out of the carriage. Many a man and woman cheered and clapped their hands with a joyful spirit, glad to see their ruler once again.

A time newly established calls for me to rid myself of my blacks. Father's ghost will not be right in this, at least.

"Hail, hail Thaerysa Helioserys. Queen of Solana and Queen of Gold. Hail, hail the newborn Prince Asteron. Praise the Goddess above, praise the Father of Light and Life."

It does not even surprise me to know that the news of Asteron's birth had reached the city before us.

Thaerysa had bid her handmaiden Sasha to bring Asteron while she raced for the doors in search of her daughter. Asteyra, I must find Asterya.