The Ruling Queen

by R. E. Steele

  However, Roxanna’s behavior did cause him to rethink his decision. He liked her, more than was probably prudent on such a short acquaintance. But he couldn’t help it. Under that hard, dutiful exterior she had, he knew she had loving, sensitive heart, and he wanted that heart to be his.

  He briefly ran through the possibility of taking back Achlys. However, he soon dismissed the idea. It couldn’t work. He didn’t have the forces, even with Roxanna’s help, to drive out Nikolos’s overwhelming numbers. At best, they would stand even with him, but that wouldn’t be enough. The Kalarians were too well trained and disciplined to fall to a force of equal size. The only thing that ever seemed to faze them was trickery, and that only went so far. No, once the Kalarian Empire took over a nation, it would stay a part of the empire. Perhaps in the future, the emperors would become indolent and ineffectual, but that day would be a long time coming.

  Vasilis hoped Roxanna would come to accept these facts as he did. It would be easier for her, and make life easier for him as her host. But he doubted it would happen quickly. She was strong-willed, and hated giving up control of what she felt was rightfully hers. In fact, he rather wondered what she would do since she he had thwarted her plans, which must have been under consideration for some time.

  She would be angry with him for a while. Thankfully, she was not the sort to rant and rave. Though no doubt capable of it, she probably thought it beneath her dignity to show so much unrestrained emotion. As her father’s heir for her entire life, she had likely been trained to be composed even in the worst of situations. Her own personality seemed to play a role in her self-control as well. So long as Vasilis didn’t do anything to set her off, she would be content to merely glare at him, even if that glare was enough to set his own mind ablaze. Eventually, she would get over her disappointment. As a queen, she had no doubt been taught to accept the inevitable, even when she didn’t like it.

  At least her sisters seemed to be fitting in. Estella and Theodoros were becoming fast friends. In time, they would probably become something more to each other. Vasilis could see their personalities were similar enough, that they would easily fall in love. Estella was a big help in the logistics of maintaining the camp, and by that means, a big help to Theodoros as well.

  Celena too, was growing more comfortable. Though shy and timid, Celena opened up when treated kindly, and she was proving useful as a nurse. She seemed content to stay where she was, without causing trouble, unlike her oldest sister.

  Ironically, Roxanna was the one who seemed to having most difficulty fitting in. All her vaunted cleverness and good manners weren’t able to do much when she still acted like a queen. It would be easier if she was taken down a peg or two, and secretly, Vasilis hoped he would be the one to do it.

  But at least with Estella’s growing attachment, and Celena’s contentment, Roxanna might become more accepting of their circumstances. It was clear she cared deeply for her sisters, and some of her desire to get her kingdom back, probably originated in her concerns for them. She was always looking after their wellbeing. With Celena in particular, Roxanna almost seemed to be another parent.

  Perhaps Vasilis wasn’t giving Roxanna enough credit. Her motives for wishing to free Oreias probably originated in more than just pride. She had her subjects to care for too, and Vasilis could well sympathize with that. Old Emperor Agrios hadn’t been known for his humanity, and it wasn’t likely his son would be any better. Vasilis tried to help the Achlysians as best he could. Perhaps he should offer to do the same for Roxanna.

  But that wouldn’t solve all their problems. Roxanna would still cause trouble for him unless otherwise employed. She needed something to occupy her thoughts. But what? Her talents, though useful, didn’t fit so neatly into the gang as either Estella’s or Celena’s did. The gang didn’t need another leader, for that would cause trouble. He could well imagine the confusion that would be caused by their contradictory orders. Perhaps Roxanna could lead those who stayed behind, when Vasilis and the men went on a raid. She had the head to keep them together even if trouble arose. But what should she do when he was present? That remained in question.

  Chapter 7

  Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

  ~ Ecclesiastes 7:9

  Roxanna was indeed furious, so much so, that she couldn’t think straight for several minutes. She marched back to her tent, where she would have some privacy from the rest of the camp. Once inside, she paced back and forth. Sitting down simply wasn’t an option when she was so angry.

  At first, all she could do was rage against the stubbornness that Vasilis had displayed. It was so unexpected. If anything, she thought he was too careless in how he went about his business. But apparently, driving out Kalarian forces was the one area where he had a spine. Had he chosen to demonstrate this determination in a different matter, she would have liked and respected him more. But since he chose to show it in opposition to something very important to her, it left her angry and puzzled.

  Finally, her temper cooled enough that she was able to think again. She was not as rational as she might otherwise have been, but she was calm enough to take stock of what options she had left. Disappointment may weigh on her heart, but she would continue to search of a solution rather than remain in self-pity.

  Could she persuade Vasilis to change his mind? No, as surprising as it was, she felt that this was one of the few things in which he would hold firm. No amount of money would persuade him to do as she wished. In fact, he had seemed rather offended that she had offered it. Perhaps as a former noble, he expected the promise of more, but she didn’t think well enough of him to consider him as a potential husband and consort. He was too laidback, and lacked the ambition to truly better himself and his people. Now that he had angered her, any chance he had before was destroyed. She would never join herself to a man whom she could only look down upon.

  So instead, began reviewing the options she had considered before. If her efforts with Vasilis ended so poorly, she imagined asking for help from a foreign king or prince would probably end the same way, if not worse. She refused to give her hand to man she didn’t love, and she wouldn’t give it to man she couldn’t respect. It was not just her happiness at stake either. Oreias’s future would be very much affected by her choice, as a king consort would hold significant power in his wife’s nation. That was one of the many reasons why she had rejected Emperor Nikolos’s suit. While he seemed to have many qualities she wanted in a husband, he also seemed too much like his father to be a just king. It was no secret that the Kalarians looked down upon those who were not Kalarian themselves.

  That left her with one option, try to reach her forces, in spite of the risk the Kalarian forces still posed. Bedros had done his best to kept her informed of their activities. While the Oreiasan Army was not in a favorable position, at least it had reassembled itself. But it did occur to Roxanna that perhaps Vasilis, who was the source of most of the information concerning the Kalarians, was overcautious in his estimation of them. He seemed to have a strange dread of Emperor Nikolos, though perhaps not so strange, when Nikolos was probably the reason Vasilis was the leader of the Lystra Gang now. But Vasilis was a coward. Nikolos wouldn’t scare her so easily.

  With that thought, Roxanna made her decision. She and her attendants would leave the Lystra Gang at the next opportunity, probably tonight if nothing else came up. Satisfied with this decision, she began packing her belongings. She tried to hide the fact she was packing, so word wouldn’t get around to Vasilis, whom she suspected would try to stop her if he knew what she had planned. But she was left to herself for a considerable time, and was able to accomplish quite a lot. She was only interrupted by the entrance of her two sisters.

  “What are you doing?” asked Celena.

  “Packing, so we may leave tonight,” said Roxanna.

  “Tonight?” asked Estella in surprise. “But Vasilis said it isn’t safe yet.”

  “Vasi
lis fears the Kalarians too much,” said Roxanna in a hard voice. “We can make it past them.”

  “But even if we did, our soldiers can’t overcome them alone,” said Estella.

  “But you were told that by Theodoros, who in turn, learned it from his brother,” said Roxanna.

  “I don’t think Theodoros is as easily influenced as that seems to imply,” retorted Estella hotly.

  “Please don’t fight, the others will hear,” cautioned Celena.

  Roxanna took a breath to control her temper. Celena hated fighting, but she was right. The members of the Lystra Gang would hear if this argument became too loud.

  “True, Theodoros is willing to follow his own mind,” said Roxanna. “To own the truth, I have a better opinion of Theodoros than I do of Vasilis at the moment.”

  Estella brightened a little at these words.

  “But he has formed his opinion on what his brother has told him,” said Roxanna. “He didn’t go out in the last scouting party. Therefore, he is ignorant of the full details concerning the Kalarian forces.”

  “I still don’t think this is a good idea,” said Estella. “I think you are angry because you can’t get Vasilis to do what you want.”

  Roxanna took another deep breath. The accusation hit a little too close to home for comfort. Was she acting this way because she couldn’t persuade Vasilis to do as she wished? But no, they had to get out of the camp. Their people were counting on them, a duty Vasilis seemed to have forgotten.

  Chapter 8

  Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

  ~ Psalm 40:4

  Vasilis was wary of Roxanna. He knew his refusal to fight for her hadn’t been taken well. While not the sort to use her feminine charms to get what she wanted, she nonetheless, struck him as the sort of lady who was used to getting her own way. It was no wonder either. She was the oldest child of a king, and recognized as his heir from the beginning. No doubt, she had been spoiled to a certain extent. Her training and natural cleverness would have provided her with the skill to persuade others to go along with her wishes, even if they had no desire to indulge her.

  Had she been any other woman, he would have expected her to throw a fit in the middle of the camp for all to see. But Roxanna, despite her fiery temper, was too self-controlled to do such a thing. She probably thought it beneath her dignity. He felt he could trust her to maintain her composure, which he was thankful for. But she seemed too composed. He would have expected more angry glares than she gave him that evening. It was as if she had some other way of getting back at him, and it was that thought that caused him to distrust her cool demeanor.

  He wasn’t sure what she had in mind. Though certainly capable of it, she wasn’t the sort to resort to malicious revenge. Besides which, she seemed to recognize that they were more or less on the same side. He didn’t fear for his life. No, if she was going to get back at him, it would be through a way that achieved what she wanted, not just something that made her feel good. But she had to know gossiping about him would only backfire on her. She must know, for she seemed to keep to herself more than usual.

  He continued to wonder as evening turned to night, what she was planning to do. Her behavior gave no indicators, nor did that of her attendants or sisters. No, that wasn’t entirely true. Estella seemed sad and Celena worried. But that could just be because their sister was angry, and they knew it. Everyone else however, acted normally.

  Vasilis finally went to bed. He tried to tell himself that Roxanna saw the sense of his reasoning, and was slowly giving up. But these words rang hollow. No, deep down, he knew something was up, he just couldn’t figure out what.

  He finally dozed off into a light, fitful sleep. The soft noises outside his tent disturbed his repose, but such rustlings were normal. He finally began to drift off into a deep, wholesome slumber, when he was brought violently awake by the sound of a clanging bell. The alarm was going off. The guards must have spotted something.

  Vasilis jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Normally, he was a slow riser, and didn’t like to rush so soon after waking up. But this was an emergency, and a big one, based on the urgency with which the bell was wrung. He found his brother just as he stumbled out of his tent.

  “Roxanna and her party are gone!” said Theodoros, out of breath.

  “Gone!?” asked Vasilis in surprise and disbelief. “Are you sure?”

  “Her tent is cleaned out, and the tents of the others are empty too,” said Theodoros. “Even their horses are gone. From what the guards can tell, it looks like they took off about an hour ago. They must have been extra quiet for no one to have noticed. It’s no easy feat to move an entire entourage like she did, without being detected.”

  “So that was what she was planning!” exclaimed Vasilis as he ran to his horse. “I knew she was up to something! But I never thought she would try something so dangerous. She must be crazy to think she can get past Nikolos’s soldiers!”

  “Crazy, I doubt it,” said Theodoros. “Distrustful is more likely. I don’t think she believed you when you said that it was too risky to leave.”

  Vasilis snorted. “So, she thinks me a coward, does she?”

  “That would be my guess,” said Theodoros.

  Vasilis growled but said no more. There were more important things to do than be hurt by this vexing damsel’s estimation of him.

  Vasilis gathered the best trackers he could get, put them on the fastest horses they had, and then covered the horses’ hooves in cloth, so they would move more quietly. He then set off with them, to find where Roxanna went. Theodoros came too, no doubt hoping to save Estella from her sister’s folly.

  “What do you suppose the chances are we will catch them before Nikolos’s forces do?” asked Vasilis.

  “A bit better than his chances of getting them first, for we know where they are going,” said Theodoros. “But the imperial troops have numbers on their side, and a stubborn woman who wishes to avoid us. Our job will be by no means easy.”

  Theodoros’s assumption turned out to be correct. Vasilis and his men were able to follow the faint, obscured trail left through the woods by Roxanna and her people. But it soon became clear that they weren’t the only ones following it.

  “A Kalarian scouting party,” said one of Vasilis’s scouts, as he got down from his horse to have a better look. “Their horses leave deeper prints, because they carry heavier loads.”

  Normally, Vasilis would have laughed at this reference to the Kalarians being tall than the Achlysians. But tonight, he gritted his teeth and urged his men forward. Why, of all times, did Roxanna choose now to be reckless?

  Chapter 9

  He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

  ~ Proverbs 28:26

  Roxanna left Vasilis’s camp with a sigh of satisfaction. Rare had been the times when she was happier to leave a place. Outside of Vasilis, she hadn’t really minded the company. His people had been respectful toward her. She would have liked to have been more comfortable, but that was perhaps asking for too much. That hadn’t irked her nearly as much as Vasilis had.

  Her satisfaction grew as they continued on. They weren’t followed, which proved she and her retinue had been successful in their escape. It was no small feat to elude the detection of a group of hardened forest dwellers, who had probably been living in the woods for years. It boosted her ego, which probably wasn’t a good thing.

  But Roxanna soon had reason to not feel so proud of herself. Bedros began to look worried.

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  “Kalarian scouts, they are nearby,” said Bedros. “I wonder if we are being followed.”

  “We can lose them,” said Roxanna confidently. “It’s to be expected that they would come across our tracks, since we are passing near their camp.”

  Bedros nodded, but didn’t look convinced. Still, he led them off
the trail without a murmur. Roxanna was thankful for his loyalty, even if his expression didn’t fill her with confidence.

  At first, her plan seemed to have worked. They went along for some time, not hearing anything other than the usual noises of the forest. Bedros even began to look relaxed. But then, his face became intense, and he called a halt to the party. He walked his horse back, just out of sight, with a few of their scouts. Roxanna and the others waited, trying to keep as quiet as possible, so their friends could listen. After a few minutes, Roxanna began to grow easy again. Bedros surely would have spotted something by now if they were in trouble. His continued absence seemed to indicate they had thrown the Kalarians off their track. But then she heard the sound of thundering hooves. Someone was coming, and fast.

  Bedros and the others broke through the trees at run. He grabbed her reigns and yelled, “Spurs to your horses! The Kalarian Army is coming!”

  Roxanna didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as she saw her sisters’ horses beginning to take off, she drove her own steed into a run.

  The whole party galloped through the forest, following Bedros, as he urged his horse to its full speed. He looked back every now and then to make sure they were all keeping up, as did Roxanna. So far so good. She wondered where he was taking them, when she heard a soft trickling sound. She realized he was leading them to the nearby Evrys River. If they crossed the river fast enough, they could disable the bridge and be safe for the remainder of their journey. Victory was so close that Roxanna could almost taste it. But so was defeat. If they didn’t reach a bridge before the Kalarians reached them, they would be captured.