Lendri awoke with a start, her
dark dreams fading from her memory. The sunlight streamed in through the open
window, a light breeze blowing wisps of hair off her face. She closed her eyes
again, recalling the day before in the cemetery. Tears began to slide down her
cheeks again, her heart anguished. Her parents were dead…she was all that was
left of the royal family. The burden of responsibility suddenly felt extremely
heavy. A soft scraping sound reached her and she opened her eyes and sat up in
her bed. How did she get into bed? Someone must have carried her up here, but
she had no memory of it.
Vaydros was carefully and quietly
entering the room carrying a tray of food. Her nose caught a whiff of the
delicious meal and her stomach rumbled. When had she last eaten? Vaydros was
giving her a sympathetic smile and he brought the tray over to the table.
“I’m glad to see you awake, Highness.
I took it upon myself to go get you some food. I thought you might wake up soon.”
Vaydros set the tray down carefully and then went to her bed and sat down on a chair
next to the bed. He looked down at his hands, and looked uncertain. Finally he
quietly spoke, “I am really sorry about your parents, Lendri. I know what it’s
like to lose parents, but not suddenly like that. And…well, to be the new
Queen…that must be a real pain in the…uh, well…it must be tough to deal with
that responsibility right now.” Vaydros coloured, but Lendri didn’t notice.
Her eyes were filling with tears
again. No, I can’t cry now. There is too much that needs to be done, she
thought. She blinked quickly a few times, silently begging the tears to
retreat, and said softly “So how did your parents die?”
Vaydros looked up at her and
spoke. “They both took sick and were ill for a few months and then finally
passed on in the spring. There were many from our village that died that
spring; my folks, the blacksmith, the baker’s wife, and Ella’s father too. Ella
was…uh, the woman that I wanted to marry. After her father passed, I decided to
wait with proposing until after her time of mourning was over. I would have
waited anyways, which was my downfall, I suppose.” Vaydros barked a stiff
laugh. “So much for being a thoughtful guy…the next spring, I was all set to
propose, but couldn’t find a moment alone with her. Turns out some wandering
rogue was fooling around with her and they got caught together and were married
that day. That was when I left.” Vaydros sighed and stood up. “Your food is
getting cold, Highness.”
Lendri stared at Vaydros with
disbelief as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Wow…that must have been
a tough time for you. I hope those two found a flea-infested bed somewhere, but
just in case they didn’t, I shall have him imprisoned for you, just tell me the
man’s name.” Vaydros chuckled, and Lendri managed a smile.
“Please do, My Lady. His name is
Armon. Armon…uh, Torin? Toril? Something like that.” Vaydros said, his lips
curving up in a smirk.
Lendri went white. “wait…who? Armon
Toril? What on earth is he doing so far up north?” Lendri frantically climbed
out of her bed and found her boots. She quickly walked over to the table and
gestured to Vaydros to sit. “Tell me everything about this man named Armon…”
Lendri paused, and seeing the look of surprise on Vaydros’ face, she explained.
“He is Lord Tedren’s son and hasn’t been seen in the city in a few years, which
was strange, since he loves the city and all its ladies.” Lendri rolled her
eyes and grimaced. “Now tell me everything you know…who he talked to, what he
said his plans were…as much detail as possible, please.” Vaydros looked even
more stunned, but sat down at the table. Lendri sat down and started eating,
listening to Vaydros tell the little he knew of the man who had stolen the
woman he loved.
They talked for over an hour,
Vaydros sharing every shred of memory of the man. Lendri nodded often, occasionally
filling Vaydros in on some information or asking for some clarification, and
finally at the end, leaned back in her chair and sighed. “It must be Lord
Tedren. He is the one trying to take over the kingdom. He must have sent his
son to be his eyes up north to make sure the Northern folks were kept oblivious
and under control. Maybe even to garner support for Lord Tedren without even
realizing it was treason. Perhaps he sent the brigands and the Ghubleks to
cause trouble to make the King look bad?” Lendri rubbed her eyes with her
thumbs. “And that strangeness in the prison…I actually remembered you
kidnapping me, but I knew that wasn’t right.” Lendri buried her face in her
hands, “By all the gods in all the worlds…what do I do?” Lendri looked bleak. I
can’t very well march into his chambers and accuse him of treason and using
black magic. I have no proof of anything. I guess we will have to find some
proof somewhere…”
Vaydros looked at Lendri, troubled.
If this was true, Lendri was in danger, especially now that she was Queen. She
might as well wear a fancy dress with a large target embroidered on it! And now
she was on a hunt for evidence of treason against a powerful man? He added a
crown with a target to his mental image of her in the target dress. He sighed, knowing that Lendri was about to
suggest something foolish and dangerous.
“I think we should go snoop in his
chambers after he leaves to meet with the Advisory council.” Lendri said
casually, tapping her finger on her chin.
Yup…foolish and dangerous.
Vaydros tried not to smile. She was headstrong, in mourning, and a new ruler,
and yet she seemed so…normal. “Every day is an adventure with you, isn’t it?”
he mused, flashing a half-smile. “But we are not going snooping in his room. He
is hardly a fool…he wouldn’t exactly leave a map out with his notes for taking
over the kingdom lying around where someone might see it. Besides, if this man is trying to take over
the Kingdom, he would want you out of his way, and that makes going to his
quarters that much more dangerous for you. What about his servants? Perhaps we
could talk to them and see if anything interesting comes out?”
Lendri stared at Vaydros and then
smiled. She pushed her chair back and rose purposefully. “That is….a much
better idea. Let’s go.” She summoned her maid and spoke softly and quickly to
her, then strode past Vaydros towards the door. He was surprised at how fast
she moved and he called out to her as she breezed by him. She paused at hearing
her name and turned. Vaydros shook his head gently and murmured “Lendri, you
just got knocked on the head, were jailed and starved, and now lost your
parents…we don’t have to go right this moment.” Vaydros gave her a sorrowful
look. “You can take a few days to mourn, you know.”
Lendri walked slowly back to him,
blinking away tears. “No, I can’t. Yes, my parents are dead, and yes, I am
hungry and achy and would love nothing more than to sleep for a week. But my
parents were murdered in a plot against our kingdom, and I will indeed mourn
them, but later. Taking time for me right now and allowing someone to usurp my
father’s throne and steal our kingdom is hardly a way to honor them and what
they died for. Besides...my parents trained me well to lead and Rule 1 was,
Don’t ever let some power-hungry thug take over the kingdom without fighting
him with every breath.” Lendri smiled sadly, and then turned and left the room.
Vaydros followed Lendri through
all the corridors with their twists and turns, stairs and doorways. She paused
a few times to talk to one of the servants who quietly gave her directions.
More hallways and stairs and finally, she came to an abrupt halt in front of a
worn wooden doorway in a lower level of the palace. Vaydros nearly walked into
her and she glanced over to him, looking apologetic.
“Here we are…the room of the
personal manservant to Lord Tedren. If Lord Tedren is up to something, this man
will know. His name is Berinar.” Her voice dropped and she murmured “a creepy
man, as I recall…don’t be startled by his appearance…he is an odd man.” She
knocked loudly and called the man’s name. They heard a soft shuffling inside, and
finally the door creaked open.
A hooded figure was hunched over
and all Vaydros could see was the glittering of the man’s dark eyes under his
hood. A raspy voice greeted them with a sweeping bow. “Good afternoon, Queen
Selendriel. What a pleasant surprise to see you down here in my humble
quarters. Please, come in.” He stepped aside to allow Lendri and Vaydros to
enter. As he stepped into the man’s small room, he took note of its details.
Not much furniture, only a small wooden table in the alcove with a couple
rickety chairs, a shelf with some food items on it, and a small wooden bed and
straw mattress with a thin pillow and blanket. Not very comfortable, even for a
servant…especially the personal servant of the First Advisor. Vaydros frowned at that thought as he leaned
against the cool stone wall. He absent-mindedly fingered the hilt of the small
dagger tucked into his belt, preparing for a long, and likely boring,
inquisition. The hooded man slowly moved to pull out a chair for Lendri and she
sat down, making her movements look regal, despite being dressed in breeches
and a brown leather coat. Berinar moved sluggishly to the small shelf and
grabbed a bottle and a goblet.
“May I offer you a little
something to drink, my Queen? It would be an honor to serve you a beverage”
Berinar bowed his head in reverence, and Lendri nodded, accepting his offer.
Berinar poured some spiced wine into the goblet and Vaydros saw a slight
grimace on Lendri’s face as she looked at the less-than clean cup. Vaydros
smiled wryly at the thought of her being a gracious queen, even when she
clearly would rather not.
“We have come on a matter of
grave importance, Berinar. We have some questions that we would like answered.”
Lendri spoke with authority. The hooded man froze, his dark eyes glittering
coldly beneath his hood. “It is regarding your master, Lord Tedren. We know
what he is up to, and we will put a stop to it. Tell us what you know, and I
will see to it you are properly thanked” She glanced around the room and its
starkness, and then murmured “perhaps a more comfortable room to start?”
Berinar regained his composure
and brought Lendri the goblet, bowing very low as he handed it to her. She took
the goblet and carefully sipped the wine. She shifted cautiously on the chair
and looked pointedly at Berinar. “Your Majesty, Lord Tedren has always been a
most faithful Advisor to the Crown. I can think of nothing that he might be…ah,
up to.”
Lendri blinked a few times
quickly, and then stared down into her goblet. “Berinar, what is in this wine, exactly?
She set the goblet down on the table, then stared at the tabletop. “And why is
your table covered in water droplets? That is…very…odd…Oh my, this wine
is…making me…dizzy.” Lendri’s speech became garbled, her face blanched, and she
tried to hold on to the table as her body flopped back. She looked up to
Vaydros with a beseeching look, and Vaydros stood quickly, alarmed. Before he
knew it, Berinar whirled around and extended his hand towards Vaydros, a wave
of purple arcane haze leaving his palm. Vaydros was forced hard against the
wall, the indigo vapour pressing into him so hard he could barely breathe.
Berinar stood up straight and
pushed his hood back off his head. He was tall and pale, but his eyes
were…strange. Vaydros gaped at the man, now seeing the man’s black eyes, rimmed
in red, and full of hatred. He glared at Vaydros, then turned to give Lendri a
frighteningly ominous look. Vaydros heart filled with dread…this was bad.
Berinar slowly walked over to
Lendri, pushing her back into her chair. Whatever was in the wine turned her
into a ragdoll, but at least she was still awake. Vaydros struggled against the
force holding him, but it was useless.
“Did I forget to pass along my
condolences regarding your parents, Lady Selendriel? Hmmm….must have slipped my
mind, most likely because I am not sorry…oh no, I am not sorry at all that I
murdered them in their sleep” He cackled in raucous laughter.
Lendri was stunned, and then
anger flashed across her face. “It was you? Well….aren’t you a good little
servant, even murdering people for your master.” Lendri glared at Berinar. “You
will hang, you treacherous scum!” Lendri scowled at Berinar, trying desperately
to move her arms and legs, all to no avail. Berinar scoffed at her attempts and
pulled a small silver dagger out from beneath his cloak.
“Oh, I do not think I will hang
at all, dear Queen. You see, I tried very hard to keep you in the Palace for
that night, but you snuck out somehow. You were supposed to die that night too,
but you were missing. I sent my men after you, but wouldn’t you know? Lord
Tedren’s men found you first.”
Lendri blinked and tried to wrap
her mind around this revelation. “Lord Tedren…didn’t have my parents murdered?
I thought…he said his men brought me to the prison by accident…that was the
truth?”
Berinar laughed “of course not!
He was planning to have the king and queen declared unfit to rule by reason of
insanity and was going to secretly keep you in the prison for awhile to allow
himself time to garner support from the people. Bah! The man changed his
plans…I believe he was arranging to have you kidnapped and held somewhere else,
since word leaked out you were here. Once you were gone…well, a kingdom with no
ruler would need someone to lead…who better than Lord Tedren, the advisor to
the King? Once he had secured his authority, he would create your rescue with
some story about you being held prisoner by some crazed man. He would claim you
to be a broken woman, tortured by those who imprisoned you, and have you
declared unfit to rule. That, however, was foolish. I knew that was too many
loose ends…too many things to go wrong. I eliminated your parents, and now I am
going to remove you as well.” Berinar stepped forwards towards Lendri, his
blade gleaming an eerie glow in the torchlight.
“I don’t understand…what is it
you stand to gain? Why are you doing all of this?” Lendri asked, terrified and bewildered.
“You are a servant. It will be Lord Tedren who will become King, not you. You
will still be a servant and nothing more.”
Berinar smirked “you think only
of the immediate future, Highness. Yes, Tedren will become King, but then he
will raise me to nobility and promote me to First Advisor, and as you know,
should something…untoward…happen to the King, the First Advisor will rule in
his place. Someday, when he is nice and comfortable and oblivious, I will remove
him as well, and I will take over. And then….then will I be able to lift this
ridiculous ban on magic! Black magic is a powerful and jealous mistress, and
she does not like being cooped up and restricted. I taught Lord Tedren a few
little tricks to help him secure the throne. The King was the recipient of a
great many suggestions from Lord Tedren. I believe you experienced that for
yourself as well? A little bit of compulsion woven into your mind?”
The look on Lendri’s face told
Vaydros she recalled the moment in the dungeon when she actually believed
Vaydros had kidnapped her and she nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t really work. The
memories he gave to me faded.”
“Hmmm…yes, he never was very good
at it. He really should have kept at the smaller suggestions. Oh well, it does
not matter now, does it? I opened up one portal to allow the Ghublek’s in, but
when I open the remaining portals, all sorts of other minions…loyal to me, of
course, will come through, and there will hardly be anyone left in the kingdom
to oppose me! And then we will move on to the Kingdom in the North…that shall
become mine as well.”
Vaydros could hardly believe what
he was hearing. An entire Kingdom filled with Black Magic evil? It was madness!
He had to break free of this power…Lendri was helpless. If only he could reach
his dagger…He strained to reach down to his boot where his small throwing
dagger was, but it was no use. The force holding him was too strong.
Lendri gave a snort of derision.
“Really? You can’t be serious! That honestly is the most ridiculous plan I have
ever heard. Even if you do lift the ban on magic use and all those who practice
black magic band together, there are still far greater numbers of white magic
users out there who can stop you.”
Berinar’s face bloomed crimson in
rage. He shouted “You DARE to speak to me that way, you little whelp? You don’t
think I have already planned for that? You think I am STUPID?!” He brought his
fist down on the table and the wood cracked loudly. Vaydros and Lendri both
jumped, startled.
Vaydros was alarmed by the man’s
rage, but then he felt it…the power holding him loosened. He strained again.
Come on, Lendri, he thought, break his focus. Distract him, keep him occupied,
keep him angry!
Lendri’s eyes had grown wide at
Berinar’s outburst. The man was seething, and he started pacing. His attention
was completely on Lendri now, and Vaydros prayed that he had forgotten about
the unknown Wanderer pinned against the wall. Berinar paced back and forth on
the cold stone floor, muttering to himself.
“How else do you think I could
get support for bringing back magic, you silly girl? I will appeal to the white
magic users. I will remind them of all the amazing things they did, and can do
again. Healing people, helping those in need…and they will be happy to bring it
back. Little do they know that black magic is far stronger.” Berinar giggled manically.
“there is a little spell I discovered…it creates nearly imperceptible ripples,
so small not even the most sensitive magic user could sense them, ripples of
black magic for every spell of white magic that is performed. All those caring
people, trying to heal and help, and each of them unknowingly causing chaos and
destruction. They will not realize it until it is far too late to stop it, and
then black magic will be everywhere in the kingdom, permeating everything.
There will be no escaping it. Not that you will have to worry much about it…you
will be dead.” Berinar stopped his pacing finally and stared at Lendri with a
look of triumph. He sauntered arrogantly towards Lendri until he stood before
her.
“Well, enough of me talking, it
is time to make way for the true power in the Kingdom.” Berinar raised his
dagger over his head and grinned victoriously down at Lendri. She stared up at
Berinar, pity in her eyes.
Berinar stopped. He was still
looking down at Lendri, but a look for confusion had replaced the look of
conquest. A crimson pool began to form in the center of his chest, and Lendri, her
jaw dropping, could see the tip of a blade sticking out of his robe. Berinar
collapsed and grabbed onto the table for support, then fell to the floor.
Lendri looked over to Vaydros in time to see him collapse onto the floor, the
power that had held him failing. He picked himself up off the floor and made
his way over to Berinar, who gave one last angry groan, and then died. Vaydros
pushed the man over and retrieved his throwing dagger, and then turned to the
young Queen, bending down in front of her. He searched her face and glanced
down at her torso, ensuring she was unharmed.
Lendri wanted to throw her arms
around the Wanderer, but when she tried to move, all she could manage was a
slight finger wiggle. She gasped, eyes wide. “However did you manage that,
Vaydros? You were pinned against that wall so tightly that you wouldn’t have
been able to sneeze!”
Vaydros gently picked Lendri up
off the chair and said “It was you, actually. You distracted him enough that
his focus was drawn from me. Finally I could move a little and I managed to get
my dagger from my boot just in time.” Vaydros grinned at her and gave her a
little wink. “You couldn’t have thought to distract him sooner, huh? What kind
of Queen are you?” Lendri smiled and he grew serious again. “Now let’s get you to a healer. I suspect he
put some kind of herb into your wine…I don’t think he was strong enough to hold
you and I with Black Magic at the same time. He needed something else to keep
you in place.”
Lendri nodded and frowned,
looking back at Berinar and her eyes grew wide “Look, Vay…look at his body”.
Vaydros glanced back over his shoulder and saw the old man’s robe disintegrating;
his flesh rotted so it hardly looking like flesh anymore. She paled and finally
murmured “I guess all that black magic took its toll on him to deteriorate so
quickly. Let’s get out of here. I will send someone down after to clean up
whatever is left.”
As Vaydros turned to carry Lendri
to the healer, two members of the Royal guard arrived. They bowed low and told
the pair that Her Majesty’s maid had mentioned their plans to visit the manservant
and sent them to accompany them to Berinar’s chamber, and then glancing at his
remains, said “It appears we arrived too late. My humblest apologies, my Queen.
We were responsible for your safety and we failed you.” Lendri shook her head
quickly and looked to Vaydros. She explained what had occurred there, and
absolved them of any wrongdoing. Lendri begrudgingly allowed them to escort her
and Vaydros to the healer, and when she nodded, he carried her from the room,
leaving Berinar’s rapidly decaying body behind.
Epilogue
One week after their incident
with Berinar, Vaydros found Queen Selendriel on her large balcony that
overlooked the Palace Gardens. She was basked in sunlight, pale hair cascading
down her back, and wearing a decidedly un-Lendri type gown in pale blue, making
her sapphire blue eyes even bluer, if that were possible. A delicate silver
circlet graced her brow, and she looked…queenly. Lendri smiled at him as he
approached and he bowed formally. She motioned for him to sit on the chair
across from her and she poured him a cup of tea and smiled at him.
“There is no need to be so formal
with me, Vaydros, at least not when we are alone. I might be Queen now, but I
am still me. I am still the same Lendri who saved your skin and punched that
Pirate.” She grinned with the memory and Vaydros laughed and nodded. “We are
companions, not simply a Queen and her subject, alright? So stop feeling as if
you must kiss the floor I walk on. I get enough of that from everyone else.”
She turned to watch a couple butterflies flit through the air and she sipped
her tea, and Vaydros did the same.
It was a perfect spring day,
complete with fresh green leaves budding on the trees, a warm breeze, and birds
singing and darting through the air. The two people sat quietly for a moment,
and finally Vaydros spoke.
“So how was Court with Lord
Tedren? What did you finally decide, Highness?” After the Palace Healer had
cured Lendri’s paralysis, Vaydros and Lendri had discussed at length what
should be done with Lord Tedren. He had been plotting against the throne, and
Lendri was unsure of all the laws regarding the specifics. She had many
meetings with various advisors all week, some suggesting one thing, other
suggesting the complete opposite. He was a traitor, but it had not been his
commands that took the lives of the King and Queen. His servant had acted on
his own, but they were actions designed to aid Lord Tedren in securing the
throne for himself. The evening before, Lendri had locked herself in her room
with food or water, refusing all visitations and servants, still trying to
decide the proper course of action. She met privately with Lord Tedren and her
advisors this morning, and Vaydros was curious what she had finally settled on.
Lendri glanced over to him, a
pained look on her face. “After much deliberation, I decided executing him as a
traitor wasn’t quite right. He plotted against us, but it was not him that ordered
my parents’ assassination, and he never harmed me. Despite all the chaos in the
kingdom and the use of black magic, I am not so sure all of this was even his
idea…as slimy as the man was, I believe he was only a puppet. I stripped him
and his family of their titles and positions and he will be imprisoned for a
time, and his family will be put out of the city and made to work on Crown land
planting and harvesting crops. When he is released from the prison, he will
join them. It was the fairest thing I could think of…he and his family are
punished, but I also showed mercy by allowing him to live. I decided to
imprison him for a while, just to ensure that all thoughts of being king are
driven from his head. Besides, he imprisoned us, so its fair turnaround. Besides,
that stew alone will make him repent very quickly.” She chuckled and Vaydros
grinned. Lendri turned back to stare out into the courtyard, the smile fading
from her lips. “I miss my parents…all I could think about was how I wished I
could talk to them about this…they were wonderful teachers, though. I remember
many lessons and I feel like they would agree with my decision.”
“I am glad to hear that. I think
you did the right thing, for what it’s worth. People will think twice about
crossing you, but they will also know you are fair and just.” Vaydros smiled
over at her and she sipped her tea, trying to look like his compliment wasn’t
what had her beaming.
“Speaking of good decisions, I
have another one that I have made…and I hope you think it’s a good decision as
well” Lendri looked to Vaydros, and though she looked confident, he could see a
hint of uncertainty as well. “Vaydros, I would like to name you my personal
Guardian, a Knight of the Queen. I might have saved your life once, but you
saved mine many times after. I can see you are a good man, and I know that I
can trust you with my life, as I already have. Berinar would have succeeded if
not for you…I always prided myself on being able to take care of myself, but I
was nothing more than a ragdoll in his room, and I would be dead now if it
weren’t for you. I…well, I need you. By my side.” She began blushing, and hoped
Vaydros didn’t notice. She didn’t want to admit that she had ulterior motives
for this decision…she really did trust him and want him as her Guardian, but
she liked him…both as a companion and more. Of course, Queen’s rarely married
peasants, but she was promoting him into nobility, and perhaps one day…
Vaydros stared at Lendri in
surprise. This was unexpected. He had been about to say goodbye to her and
leave the royal city to continue doing what he had always done…wander. He had
been dreading saying goodbye to her. He liked her and wanted to be able to stay
near her, but this? The thought of being so near to her every day was stirring,
but to be her guardian? He wasn’t much of a fighter, or a hero. Yes, he had
saved her a couple times, but the thought of being a fighter and protector was
daunting. However, he longed to keep her safe, and wasn’t sure he could trust
anyone else in such a position.
Lendri must have seen the uncertainty
in his face, and she knew why. “We have some trainers here in the palace who
trains our military, I would most certainly send you to them to increase your
skills and get you accustomed to all types of weapons. I wish to ensure our
survival” Her eyes twinkled and the corners of her mouth curled up into a mischievous
smile. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and he smiled.
“Well, I guess I can’t think of
any reason to say no, then” Vaydros laughed. Lendri’s slight grin widened into
a beautiful beaming smile. She really was striking…being near her may end up
being far for difficult than he thought. But perhaps one day, she might share
the feelings that were beginning to grow inside him. And if not…well, he would
worry about that later.
“So, Mr. Wanderer, I guess you
are going to have to set that title aside now” Lendri smirked. “I suppose we
could call you Mr. Guardian, or Mr. Life-Saver? Perhaps Mr. Hero?” she was
giggling out loud now, and Vaydros laughed.
“I’m not much of a hero,
Highness, but maybe Mr. Right-Place-at-the-Right-Time?” Lendri leaned back in
her chair and laughed loudly. “No? OK, how about just Lord Vaydros then?”
Lendri smiled widely as she took
a sip of her tea, then replied “I think Lord Vaydros works very nicely…for now,
anyways”. The Queen reached over and took her guardian’s hand. He gave her hand
a quick squeeze, and they sat in silence, enjoying the remainder of the
sunshine. Danger would find them again, most certainly, but in this moment, there
was peace.
The End (for now)