Chapter 79 A Queen.

A loss may seem like the end.

But it isn’t.

Life goes on,

the dead are forgotten,

and the living have their goals of happiness.

Lokamesh, Father of Mortal Kind.

Although I’m exhausted, I cannot calm down yet. I find myself in the king’s former quarters, a large room in the palace that could only fit a monarch. Blue velvet curtains drape around the bed, and a small mountain of white pillows stands on the bed itself.

Vivid colors cover the four walls in various painted murals.

The west wall portrays the victories of the king. They are right opposite of the bed in clear view of anyone who rests on it. I guess he liked looking at them. That does not make me feel any better about this man since half of these murals feature a man or a woman going under some form of humiliating torture.

The east wall presents an array of beautiful busty blond and red headed women right behind the large bed. Assuming they’re all dead… I can’t imagine how the new wife felt every time he picked one…

The breath-taking tumble of a wild waterfall adorns the south wall. Contrasting it on the north wall sweeps a cityscape mural, all manmade lines and ordered squares. A window has been worked into the city, giving the impression the authentic view beyond is a part of the painting itself.

I take a seat near the large desk and unpack my saddlebags, looking for my grimoire. I’ll ask to have the west and east murals scrapped as soon as possible…

The first thing I do in order to calm down my nerves, is research. I have to find the characteristics of Luard’s teleportation spell. This is simple enough with my grimoire.

I place my hand on an empty page. I need a water spell that lets me teleport and leaves an ice statue behind.

Tolste’s Icy Escape

Names: Tolste’s icy escape, icy escape, mocking ice.

Element: water

Sub element: ice

Level: 1

Words: Numakee numali nim, oue-rissu nirissu asuli fenu! rum ni rumnum! Riss ni rissgimo

Translation: Dear lovely water, here is a flect humble flower! Split me a clone! flow me away

Swift: Rinim rumnum (ice clone)

Patterns: 18

Gestures: right or left – middle finger touches thumb in a fist > middle finger perked out. (can be used in as a flipping gesture but doesn’t have to be.)

Offering: 15 bellflower petals/sharp fish tooth/5 fish scales

Requirement: a prepared pillar of ice capable of containing the caster within range.

Range: 1 kilometer.

Target: self.

Duration: 1 day/instant.*

Effect: the spell will teleport the caster to a prepared chunk of ice. The spell has to be prepared beforehand and the prepared ice chunk needs to be large enough to contain the caster's body. The prepared ice chunk won't last more than a day.

Once activated through its swift chant, it’ll leave behind an exact ice copy of the caster. Replacing the caster with the prepared chunk.

This faulty spell will not teleport any items the caster wears or any objects they might carry. It’ll Teleport the caster naked into a chunk of ice. The caster will have to dig themselves out from the ice.

Cost: 70 water gems, 5 gravity gems.

Bound cost: 40 water gems, 5 gravity gems.

Altered cost: 10 water gems, 1 gravity gems. Per alteration pattern.

This spell wouldn’t teleport anything the caster wear or carry. This why the king had to leave his clothes behind, which I burned. I wonder if he or Drusilla had any trinkets on them that I could’ve use… I bet the fire pretty much destroyed anything or at least rendered it useless… but it’s worth a look, I should go look through their bodies…

At least I have nothing to worry about… if the king wants to teleport into my palace and attack me in my sleep, he would have to sneak a large ice pillar into my rooms beforehand and be ready to fight me naked... this is a faulty, desperate escape spell… not something that can be used for offensive… but it can’t hurt to learn… if I have to go into a troublesome situation and can prepare an ice chunk beforehand it might just save my life…

There’s only one problem… patterns… the spell requires 18 patterns… I’m not capable of that yet. It’ll have to wait… I wonder why Luard was capable of casting an 18 patterns spell, but couldn't cast anything that wasn't a water spell...

I then take time to write down all the cantrips and spells I remember being used in the two magic battles I’ve experienced. I’ll need them written down in an attempt to learn at least some of them later.

I also note down the idea of princess’ Drusilla’s bronze needles. It was an ingenious use of ‘Repulse’. After all, as long as the object had some weight to it, 'Repulse' would affect it. And if the object was lighter, ‘Repulse’ would send it flying faster. I like the idea of hurling needles or daggers at my enemies, but I’ll need proper time and practice to master all of these cantrips. And now I have a city to manage.

With my worries about the king’s teleportation abilities put at ease, I pass out somehow. The sight of Lezere’s bodiless head haunts me in my sleep.

*

{28} Nuriss (March) the 3rd

“Good morning, Your Majesty!” The unfamiliar cheerful voice wakes me up from my restless sleep. A middle-aged woman opens the blue drapes, letting the sunlight wash the room with warmth. I flinch and scan her while my eyes get used to the light.

She looks like a housewife. Round, plain tanned face, brown eyes, and a lock of graying hair escapes from her white coif. She wears a gray and white maid uniform that fits her like a glove. I am surprised to see a black horse embroidery on her chest. My father’s crest, my crest now.

The woman claps twice and a line of younger maids enters the room. They carry wooden trays, each with a different hot meal on them. From fried eggs and bacon, various soups, meat pies, and even some mutton ribs. To lighter stuff, like three types of bread, four types of cheese, and over ten different salads. The smells alone are mouthwatering.

A pair of maids approach my bed, while a few others carry buckets of steaming water to the bathtub at the edge of the room.

I recognize one of the maids near my bed. Zoe, she gives me a flattering, expectant smile. Zoe and the other maid start taking off my travel clothes, the same ones I wore during the battle yesterday. I can’t remember how or when I fell asleep. A third maid brushes my hair, untying all the knots, including my thin crown braid that held it all together.

“Hey! Put that belt down!” I call out in alarm before one of them scurries away my belt pouch with the potions and rose petals. I can bear being naked, but not unarmed.

The teenaged maid jumps in alarm and puts my belt back on the chair. She stands there, shivering. She looks at me like she expects some form of punishment. All of the girls in my room freeze, looking at me with a mixture of fear and expectations.

I sigh. “It’s ok, I’m not blaming you for something you didn’t know. Just leave that belt alone.” One maid is enough for me to manage… now I have a small army of them… and they’re all scared to death… How did Lezere call them? Rabbits? Bunnies? She wasn’t wrong… Lezere… I wish I could see her again…

“What is this?” I ask, still delirious from my sleep, gesturing at the maids holding trays with food. I only need one maid! One! What are they all doing here anyway?!

“Breakfast, your majesty.” The cheerful answer comes from the middle-aged woman.

“I can’t eat all of that!” I exclaim wide-eyed, all while the maids take away my dirty clothes, leaving me naked near the bed.

“Your majesty, eat as much as you want, the girls and I will be happy to finish the rest. Would you like to eat here after or before the bath? Or would you prefer downstairs at the dining room?” The woman bows slightly and gestures at the steaming bath.

She stands by me as I enter the bath. The water temperature is just right. A maid offers to take care of my hair, and another pair stand by with hot and cold water in case I want to change the temperature. But I can’t relax in the crowded room.

Ok, calm down. Project confidence. It’s just like being back home again. A fief to manage, a bunch of servants and knights… only, there are ten maids serving me instead of one… that’s all… I better get used to this now… It’s nice to have servants again, it’s been a while. I never had so many of them to myself… it’s way too much! One or two maids are enough. No, relax… focus! Confidence! I’m a Queen now!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

So… which one of these girls is still loyal to the king? I know he wasn’t nice to these people, but there are plenty of ways to ensure loyalty. I can’t assume they’ve all simply switched sides. The only person I can trust here is Zoe…

Damn… I don’t have time for games of intrigue today… I need to bury Lezere and plant her tree… I need to learn a few more spells… I also want to finish connecting my crown mana pool… Now I also need to manage this city… I wonder how many people live here… I hope it’s at least half of what the hag wanted me to have… hopefully all…

“What’s your name?” I ask, lifting my chin toward the middle-aged woman.

“Tasiya Keyholder, Your Majesty,” she answers with a curtsy that wouldn’t shame a natural-born noblewoman. “I make sure everything in this palace runs smoothly.”

It’s all about appearing confident, they don’t know what’s inside my head… I lean back in the bath pretending to be comfortable, side glancing at the overweight woman. “Why are you still here?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“King Luard fled, he took his household with him, what made you stay?” Your life depends on your answer… an icy spike will do…

She tenses up. “Ah, Your Majesty. I serve whoever rules the Red Cedar Palace, I have no interest in conflict. I served the king, I served the queen before him, the king before her, and the king before him. I worked here for over twenty five years. I only manage the day-to-day life at the palace, and I have no say in anything else. That’s the only way we common folk can keep our heads attached to our shoulders.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “And I should believe this is true because you told me so?”

She backs off slightly, the fear apparent in her brown eyes. “Ah, Your Majesty, please! Ask anyone in this town. I’m not lying to you. That would mean my death!”

“I can vouch for her honesty, Your Majesty.” Zoe steps forward. “She worked here in the palace since I was a child. She always brought leftovers from the palace to the poor folk in the slums…” Zoe hesitates for a split second. “To my parents too, when they’ve fallen on some hard times. Tasiya is a good honest woman, Your Majesty!”

I lean my head back and heave a sigh. I’m way too paranoid… No I’m not… This isn’t my palace, it belonged to my enemy yesterday. Basic caution is necessary if I don’t want to lose my life or lose another friend in here… But I can’t go around accusing people of plotting my murder either… I scared the rot out of that woman… out of all them… these people worship mages like minor gods… and are afraid of what they can do… of what I can do…

I sit up and look into the woman’s brown eyes. “I apologize, I jumped to conclusions I shouldn’t have without properly investigating first. I had… a rough night, and I lost a friend yesterday.”

The middle aged woman stands with her mouth agape for a very long time.

“I told you she was different!” Zoe chimes in. “She’s like the good sorcerers from the legends!”

The sudden praise covers my face with heat. I lean back, submerge my face under the water and sealing the outside world for a brief moment. By the five hells, I just apologized for suspecting the woman, I didn’t save their lives or anything! So what if I care about people’s feelings?! There are plenty of nobles who do!

They had that bastard Luard for the past two years… I’m the exact opposite… I can use that to earn their loyalty… Yet, I’m still sure that the palace has people who’re still loyal to the Luard… I’ll need to find them and dispose of them… but I can’t simply fire everyone…

And that food… if Luard has the loyalty of one of these maids, this food might be poisoned… I sit up again and move my gaze over the group of young women who still hold their trays. Different eye colors with various emotions return or avoid my gaze.

The most common one is awe. Two of the older ones see me as a cute little girl to be nurtured and adored, while a few others have fear and even hatred in their eyes.

“Ahem, your majesty, your apology is accepted of course.” Tasiya recovers from her daze. “You had every right to suspect my allegiance. But I assure you: As long as you remain the owner of this palace, I’ll serve you with all of my heart!”

“Thank you, Tasiya, I’ll trust you. I’ll eat in the dining room, you can send the girls downstairs. I want everyone to leave this room except for you and Zoe.”

Tasiya claps her hands twice. “You heard her majesty, off you go!” The girls leave the room, closing the doors behind them.

“Zoe, come closer.” The giddy girl leans closer for me to whisper in her ear. “Go to the door, open it, and slam it shut, fast.”

“What? Why?!” She wrinkles her nose at me.

“Just do it.”

She do as I ask. The shrieks and the loud giggles behind the door tells me that at least two of the girls have been trying to eavesdrop. It does not mean they’re spies, just curious young girls who wants to learn how much their lives are going to change from now on. Zoe smiles at me with satisfaction.

I nod at her. “Good, stay near the door, if you hear them get close again slam it again!”

“Yes, master!”

“Tasiya.” I turn to my Keyholder.

“Your Majesty?” The middle-aged woman doesn’t bother to hide the amused grin on her face.

“You know all of those women outside, correct?” I raise an eyebrow in her direction.

She nods.

“I want to know which one of them had been visited by Luard or one of his closest people.”

“Visited, Your Majesty?” Tasiya lifts a thin questioning eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. “Oh for the love of… do I have to say it?! You managed this palace for years, do you really want to tell me none of these young beautiful women outside had ever been snaked by the King or Prince Reynold? Or even Drusilla for that matter! Know about any guard who used to be sleeping with Drusilla?”

“Your Majesty…” the woman takes a deep breath. “The king only wanted to be with his wife, whoever that poor girl was at the time… But Prince Reynold… Your Majesty, what are you planning to do with those who have been accompanying Prince Reynold?”

“Send them home with a purse full of coin. It’s not their fault, but I can’t trust their loyalty either,” I reply without batting an eye.

Yes, I am aware that some of them were forced against their will. But I also know all too well how fiercely a maid can protect a master she’s pining for, especially if she’s carrying her master’s child. And if one of those maids outside is pregnant with Reynold’s baby, I can expect poison in my food and daggers at my back. She could also be aiming to assassinate Kolag who’s responsible for Reynold’s death.

“Then we should send all of those girls home, Your Majesty…” Tasiya’s voice is sad.

Right… never thought about that option… men are snaking venomous pigs! No, not really… it depends on the man in question I guess… there are many types of men… Not to mention Reynold was considered a powerful man here, and the opportunistic girls might’ve thrown themselves at him… I don’t have to worry about the opportunistic girls, those are the ones that change sides with the winds. I need to worry about the ones who are attached to him, the ones who’ll seek vengeance for his death.

“I didn’t realize… Tasiya, you know your girls best. Can you single out the ones who are in love with Reynold? Or those who carry his child? Send them home, give each of them fifty gold coins, ok?”

The woman nods slowly. “It’ll be done, Your Majesty, you are too kind.”

“Who else in the palace has the potential of holding a grudge and harming me or my friends?”

Tasiya shrugs. “No one that I can think of, Your Majesty. The army general who loved Princess Drusilla had died yesterday to that… demon, Your Majesty? I heard there was a demon…”

I nod silently.

She continues after clearing her throat. “King Luard wasn’t a pleasant man. I can’t imagine anyone here who harbors such feelings for him.”

I comb my wet hair. “What about others like you? People who are doing their job in the palace no matter who sits on the throne? Who are they? I need to know that ahead of time if I don’t want to repeat the mistake I made with you.”

“This includes nearly everyone who’s still working the palace grounds, Your Majesty. The servants, the chef, his food is amazing you won’t regret keeping him around. The librarian, though she prefers to be called the chronicler.” Tasiya’s voice is filled with distaste toward the name. “The treasurer, the man is mostly concerned with money and numbers. The lawmaker, he’s a peculiar sort, like to dress all fancy and associate with the rich people of this town… and the army’s general…” her voice turns sad. “As I said… he died, yesterday…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh don’t be, Your Majesty.” She gestured dismissingly. “He used to like me but then a sorceress showed an interest in him and he forgot I even existed…”

But you still pined for him… “I see, I’m sorry… I’m sure it wasn’t easy…”

“Life has a way of reminding you how hard it is from time to time, Your Majesty…” she replies with a smile.

“Are you also responsible for my daily schedule?” I ask.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll spend the morning burying my friend. Set a meeting with all of these people you mentioned at noon. I’ll meet the staff and introduce myself. Please notify my friends to be at this meeting too. Oh, and you don’t have to call your girls back in. I only need one maid, not ten.”

*~*~*

Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.

Mana pools status:

Crown-knot: Affinity 10: formed: 1 gem replenished per five minutes.

Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66

Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 6 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1

Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems

Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems

Light: Affinity 3: formed: 14 gems

Water: Affinity 6: formed: 27 gems

Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 4 gems

Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems

Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 40/41 gems

Cantrip known:

Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream.

Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite.

Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.

Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freeze.

Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray.

Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.

Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s lesser shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body.

Spells known:

Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb.

Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison.

Focus capability: 13 patterns

Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.

Wealth: 1496 Magic Gems. 1421 Golden Peas, 17 Silver Scales, 12 Copper Bits.

Items:

Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.

1 potion of lightning body.

1 potion of mana, medium grade.

An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh.

Fresh rose petals, 22g

10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.

The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 11/100

Companions:

Kolag of house Befar

Salik

Zoe

Jerro

Loyal

Ryon

Languages:

Toml’a Fluent

Sinteo Fluent

Myrsha 7/10

Felul 1/10

Injuries and scars: