Queen's Throne

Chapter One

Chapter One- A History Lesson

"What can I do?" the King asked his closest advisor. The short, middle aged man took a deep breath.

"If you would allow me to speak my mind," the advisor waited for the King to nod. "I...I think we should let them have it. The kingdom of Küvett cannot stand any longer."

The King sighed; he had already known what his advisor was going to say.

"Yes, it seems so," slouched on the throne, the King dismissed the advisor with a wave of his hand. Once he was alone to himself, the King sat upright and walked down the steps of his throne. At the foot of the last step, he took the bejeweled crown off his head. He looked up at the two lavished thrones. Upon scrutiny, one was covered in a light layer of dust, and the other, worn and beaten.

"Let those five fools take me as they did my wife!" he shouted. He hurled the crown at his throne and walked away. He did not see that the crown had ricocheted off his chair and landed neatly onto the Queen's throne. 

~~~~~~~~~

"Lord Amnar, Lord Conlis, Lady Sylva, Lady Harena, and Lady Balta," Zari stated, "were the creators of the five clans that overthrew The Heartless King two hundred years ago."

"And who constructed what clans?" Zari's father, Lord Ander inquired.

"Lord Amnar created the steel clan, Amnar. Lord Conlis created the mountain valley clan of Conlis." Zari paused for a breath. "Lady Sylva created our forestry clan of Sylva. Lady Harena created the sand metropolises of Harena. And Lady Balta created the sea port clan of Balta."

"Quite right, Zari," Lord Ander smiled. "We are Lady Sylva's descendants." Zari nodded.

"Father, why am I reciting this? I am a decade-and-seven, not seven." Zari complained. Lord Ander looked at his daughter. She was ready for this, wasn't she?

"Why was The Heartless King overthrown?" he asked instead of answering her. Zari sighed and turned to face the open window. The sun was high in the sky, and she should have been with the Master Gardener, reviewing wild flower etymology. Shrugging the thought away, she turned to face her father.

"He was overthrown because he had neglected to take care of the kingdom- that had once been all the five clans- after his wife died." To Zari it was a tragedy that their clan had been built up from. It was a two century old tale that seemed to lose its meaning with every passing year. Especially since the King had lost so much: his wife, then his kingdom.

"Do you agree that the entire monarchy should have collapsed because of him?" Lord Ander's question threw her off guard. Zari hesitated to answer. She, and everyone in the five clans, was taught that a monarchy would repeat itself, with another Heartless King.

"Father-"

"Do you or do you not agree?" Lord Ander interrupted.

"Disagree." The word escaped her before she could hold them. Zari closed her eyes in anticipation of her father's harsh reply. After no rebuke, she opened them to see that he was smiling.

"You are right, Zari, it should not have been taken away because of one man," he replied. He stood up and motioned for her to follow him out of his study. Zari trailed behind him, puzzled by response, watching his dark green cape billow as he led her out into their private garden.

There, they waited only moments under the sole cherry blossom amidst the various trees around them, as her mother, Lady Sursa arrived. She was tall and elegant, her honey tan complexion suggested she was not Sylvan-born, but from the sun kissed deserts of Harena. Also coming out from the shadows, was Zari's private guardsman, Korumak.

"Amma? What are you doing here?" Zari asked. Lady Sursa was the Clan Ambassador, the representative who negotiated on behalf of Sylva for business outside of its borders. She was rarely seen walking in the private gardens in her own free time. On the other hand, Korumak was always with Zari, though he didn't always show it. It was his duty, of course, but he also served as a close friend to her.

"My flower," Lady Sursa smiled, stroking her hand against Zari's black hair, identical to her own. "Let us sit down. We have plenty to discuss with you."

Zari did as she was told and stole a glance at Korumak. His youthful and handsome, yet stony expression gave nothing away as he settled himself against the trunk of a nearby cedar. Zari sat on a wooden bench next to her mother while her father stood in front of them, hands crossed over his chest.

"Now, Zari, what clans are allied with us?" Lady Sursa asked. Zari suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Was her mother going to interrogate her, too?

"Balta and Harena," she replied.

"And what are the other clans to us?"

"Amnar and Conlis are not strong allies with us like Harena and Balta are," Zari answered. "Please, what is this about, Amma? Father? Why all the questions?" Her parents looked at each other, unsure of what they should answer with. Her mother sighed.

"We may be at war with them soon, Zari, and it would not look fortunate for us," Lady Sursa's voice was just above a whisper. "The council advisors have decided to send you to the Council of Clans in a fortnight's time to observe and extract information about Conlis and Amnar's military plans." There was a long pause as the words sunk in.

"War? How is that possible?" Zari asked dumbfounded. "Who would call for violence? We have iron ore, steel, coal, and gems because of Conlis and Amnar!"

"Trading has kept us from it escalating thus far," Lord Ander explained, "we trade our lumber, Balta's seafood, and Harena's fruits as a show of peace."

"And why all of a sudden I am to be a... spy?" Zari didn't quite enjoy the idea of doing something dangerous but it did sound exciting.

"This trading is wearing thin. We have received news that one of Balta's trading caravans was ambushed. One of the many we've heard of," Lord Ander responded.

"Witnesses say they saw a dozen or so men wearing the insignia of Conlis and Amnar attack and escape with the merchandise." Lady Sursa added.

"And what if it were a... hoax to instigate the people of Balta to do something foolish?" Zari said. Lady Sursa and her husband smiled.

"That was quick thinking, Zari; a good trait to have for the Council," her mother replied. "And, yes, that was our first thought, as well. However, we cannot keep Balta calm for long with the evidence displayed in such an obvious manner. They have given us one chance to investigate before officially declaring a state of war."

"And that is where you come in," Lord Ander indicated, then added somewhat hesitantly, "no one will suspect you, the untrained replacement and daughter of Sylva's Clan Ambassador."

"But why do they not seek peace with us in the first place? What have we, or they, believe that make us not trust each other?" Zari's question slowly faded the smiles from her parents' faces.

"We..." Lady Sursa looked at her husband for help. He cleared his throat before answering Zari's question.

"We are going to bring back the monarchy."