The Fire Queen

Chapter 42

Before returning to the palace I decided to travel with Bandor and the others to Chief Kendor's village. I was eager to tell him how the battle had gone and to ask him what he thought about the changes that I had planned for the kingdom. It had only been a few weeks since I had last seen Chief Kendor but in those weeks he looked like he had aged a few years. He now needed two sticks to walk with and his eyesight had gotten a little worse. The Okwari that had returned ahead of Bandor had already informed the chief of our victory and of the fact that no Okwari had been killed in the battle.

"Thank you for keeping them safe," the chief said to me after I greeted him in his hut.

"They all came back safe because of what excellent warriors they are, without them we couldn't have won the battle."

"They told me all about the battle, about how well your troops were organized and commanded; you would have found a way to win without them."

"That's not true, the teewahs' speed allowed us to get the better of their cavalry and by using the longbows we were able to protect our troops from their archers, so it is in fact the case that we couldn't have won without all of the help that you gave us."

"In that case I will accept that you are being sincere."

"My coronation is going to be taking place soon, I hope you'll be able to attend."

"I'll be there, I may not look like it but there is still a lot of life left in this body."

"My first proclamation as queen is going to be to recognize the Okwari as full citizens of Aseron invested with all of the rights that are enjoyed by citizens of Aseron."

"That is very kind of you Alegra, but there is no need for you to do such a thing, we help you because you are a child of the Okwari, and if we did not help you then we would be failing you as our child."

"It's not just about all of the help that you've given me. You were all the victims of a terrible injustice, an injustice that I now have the power to correct."

"A simple proclamation is not going to be enough to achieve that."

"No, but it's a start, and it comes after the soldiers have gotten to see with their own eyes how much the Okwari have to contribute to the kingdom."

"Even so, there is no need for this, we are happy here."

"In addition to my proclamation I will be declaring all of the lands north of the Bronden mountains the domain of the Okwari. You will have your own state within the kingdom and a representative on the Governing Council to make sure that the Okwari are being taken into consideration when decisions are being made about the kingdom's future."

"Alegra, this is too much."

"This is just the start, I'm going to transform this kingdom into a place that is unrecognizable from what the nobles built."

"Your father would be very proud of what his daughter has become."

The chief's words brought me to tears. For all of my power as queen I could do nothing about the losses that I had suffered. The chief understood my pain and he placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me that he was still here for me and would be for as long as he lived. With my father gone the most important thing to me was that Chief Kendor be proud of me and what I was doing, and it was his pride in me that inspired me to continue pursuing my plans for transforming the kingdom and improving the lives of its citizens.

I spent the night in the village and returned to Glendale to find a frenzy of activity taking place within the city. Preparations were being made for my coronation, and from the looks of things Ferland was sparing no expense.