by Alia Johnson
A guardian waited nearby to open the sealed opening. Mar quietly ordered her to send Dramon to him. He would need to warn Dramon to prepare for tonight’s celebration. Baklan hadn’t had a queen in many years. The Kings of the past hadn’t wanted to share their throne. Mar didn’t mind sharing. Vashti would help ease the burden of being a ruler. He would finally have someone he could share the secrets of Baklan with.
Vashti yawned. “Where are we going now, Mar?” He could tell she was trying to be strong for him. Her back was straight, but her eyes looked tired, and she was walking slower than she normally did.
“Let’s go up to the rooms to rest before we visit the people. They can wait a little longer.”
She nodded. “That sounds good. Rest. Lotle worms. People.” Turning to look at him, Vashti smiled sheepishly. Mar was glad she had such a fondness for his friends. It was more than he could have ever hoped for in a mate.
Magnamar led Vashti through the intricate tunnels created by the worms. His rooms were hidden in the tunnels, in case of attack. Only Gorius and Dramon had ever visited him in his secret place. Dramon had entrusted several guardians with cleaning the area but never told them who lived there. He only hoped that Vashti would approve of his home.
His Queen’s opinions were starting to mean everything to him.
Vashti was ready to take the nap that Mar had offered. She had tried to remember the way they were going but knew it was going to take a while to get used to this part of Baklan. When they took a sharp curve, a massive doorway blocked their path. Mar moved forward and grasped the handle, jerking the door backward with a hard pull.
She hadn’t expected the inside of the room to look so golden. Satin sheets were covering the bed, cloth hanging from the sides of the twisted metal railing of the bed, and chests lining the walls of the large room. Everything was trimmed in some type of gold. A fireplace was roaring with life on the far side to chase the chill from the room. It was cozy and majestic.
“You really like gold,” Vashti remarked, tracing her hand over the bedsheets.
Mar answered, “More than you know, my Queen. Your eyes are my favorite. Then your pussy.”
“Mar!” Vashti gasped. She turned to look at him with mock outrage. He was busy unbuckling his armor and placing the pieces in one of the chests. Vashti was going to love going through each one to see what treasures they were hiding.
Mar laughed. The sound didn’t happen nearly enough, but it was becoming more frequent for him to show joy, especially after their time in Baklan’s glen. “Get some rest, love. There is a pitcher of water I keep on the other side of the bed that the guardians change out daily if you would like to freshen up. A bath can be ordered if you would rather have that.”
“No, no need. This water will do fine for now.” Vashti found the bathing area where Mar had indicated behind the bed and splashed some water on her arms and face. She had bathed in the pond before they had left, but the passageways had been slightly dusty like they weren’t used much. She removed her shoes, pulled back the covers, and climbed into bed to wait on Mar. Watching him remove his armor and the lull of the fire put her to sleep before she could pounce on him like she had wanted to.
Magnamar watched Vashti sleep in his bed with satisfaction racing through his veins. His queen was by his side, in his bed, in all her golden glory. He was about to climb into the bed to join her when a sharp triple knock on the door told him Dramon had arrived as he had ordered. Mar had thought it would take longer for Dramon to join him, but it didn’t matter.
Moving to the door, Mar opened it and gestured for Dramon to come inside the room. Dramon smiled like a proud father and slapped Mar on both shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. “And when do I get to see my Queen?” Dramon inquired, looking about the room. When he noticed Vashti asleep on the bed, he lowered his voice to not wake her.
“I wanted her to rest, Father. The journey from the glen took a toll on her.”
Dramon raised his eyebrows. “I thought that was our secret spot. I should’ve known you would’ve taken her there. Did she enjoy the night flowers? Their glow is beautiful this time of year.”
Mar folded his arms across his chest and listened to Vashti’s soft snores with pride. “She seemed to like the spot very much. I had to promise to take her back as soon as we have free time before she would let us leave.”
“The elders will want to meet her soon,” Dramon reminded him softly. The elders could be set in their ways, but the good of Baklan was always strong with them.
Frowning, Mar’s eyes turned thoughtful. “I will introduce Queen Vashti to the people tonight. They will be happy to know their champion won their King. Ask Gorius and Vashti’s friend Medorah to attend if they are back from the Hunt. I need the council there and the entirety of Baklan. Everyone will know who their Queen is.”
“What are you worried about if Romule was defeated and Charon is dead?” asked Dramon quietly. He tried to search the King’s eyes for the answer, but Magnamar had always been mysterious. He kept council with no one, and the people of Baklan always had to guess his reasons for the decisions he made, even if they benefited everyone.
“Vashti is a strong person. The council is strong. Baklan is strong. I want her adjustment to be easy, is all. The guardian Cassira will help you plan the night. She was Vashti’s guardian during the trials.” That was all the information he would give to Dramon.
Dramon shrugged, not wanting to push him until he was ready to explain. “I will have everyone there and waiting. You should get some rest with your Queen,” he advised. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Mar nodded and hugged his father. The Horde King would return to his people tonight.
If they didn’t accept his Queen, there would be hell to pay in Baklan.
Mar would make sure of it.
The whispers coming from the walls told Edger it was time to put his plan in motion. Vashti had finally returned to Baklan. Grabbing his head, he leaned against the cool rock trying to control the urge to see her. He only needed to wait, and everything would be as it should. Then, he would look at his wife as much as he wanted, when he wanted.
Edger paced through his small living space, his head screaming at him to retrieve her from the King, but he knew it wasn’t time yet. No, he would wait. There would be a moment when Vashti would come to him willingly.
He just needed the right bait.
The softly spoken words from the side of the bed woke Vashti up. Several guardians were milling about the room to her shock. When she noticed Cassira whispering with the strange faces around her, Vashti calmed. Mar wasn’t in the room any longer, which disappointed her. She knew he had slept beside her, but hadn’t felt him leave the bed.
“How long have I been asleep?” she asked grumpily. She had wanted to wake up in her husband’s arms, no matter how happy she was to see Cassira.
Cassira smiled brightly, moving around the two other guardians. “Just a couple hours, my Queen. King Magnamar had several items that were needed to be handled and left a short time ago to address them before the celebration that begins soon.”
Vashti rubbed the sleep from her eyes, trying to gather her foggy thoughts from just waking up. “What celebration?”
Cassira clapped loudly causing the other guardians to jump. Vashti was used to her eccentric ways, so she didn’t budge. “Your coronation! Baklan gets to experience the first Queen in many years, and the King wants to show his bride off to everyone! Isn’t that romantic, Your Highness?” Cassira dreamily sighed and put her hand to her head as if in a faint.
Vashti gasped, looking down at her tunic with dismay. “I can’t wear this to a coronation. Especially mine!”
Snapping her fingers, Cassira ordered the other two guardians, “Show the Queen what we have brought her.”
Vashti, suddenly suspicious, asked, “These aren’t the dresses of the fallen guardians that you keep, right, Cassira?”
“No!” Leaning forward as if to impart
a deadly secret, Cassira added, “I am to be Queen Vashti’s personal maid from this moment forward. I’m very happy with this new position. I wasn’t very good at being a guardian for the trials.”
Vashti blinked innocently. “You don’t say.” Before she could say anything else, each guardian held up a gown. One was a dark red ensemble with beautiful stones weaved into the fabric. The large billowing skirt looked heavy to hold up. The second dress had gold scales moving down to create a reflecting pattern that bounced across the stones in the room. It was form-fitting and flowed in a long train. The open back would show off her scars to the world. At one point in her life, Vashti would have felt apprehension to wear something so revealing, but now all she felt was peace. Vashti instantly knew that was the one she needed.
“I want the gold one.”
Cassira smiled. “I thought you would. We brought in a tub to wash you up in. I’ll start getting everything ready to fix your hair.”
Nodding, Vashti got out of bed and moved to the tub. She was used to maids helping her get ready in Merdi and knew it was pointless to argue with Cassira. The guardians were so excited to be helping she wouldn’t refuse them this simple task. The smell of the flowery bathwater helped Vashti to relax in the face of her coronation. She didn’t remember much of her coronation when she was a child in Merdi, so this would be a new experience for her. Luckily, her father had taught her how to speak to her subjects with ease and confidence. Cassira pointed out a chair for Vashti to sit in so she could fix her hair while the other guardians began to draw designs on her hands and arms.
Vashti did have one question for the guardians that she had forgotten to ask Mar.
“There was a man in the Hunt that tried to take me before the King could,” she remarked, carefully choosing her words. “The King killed him, but before the man died, he said something that made me curious. He mentioned he would share me with his brothers since their wives had left them. What happens to the wives that leave their husbands?”
Cassira paused and stared up in the mirror to meet Vashti’s eyes. Hesitantly, she answered, “It depends on why the woman left the man and who he was. For example, if a woman were to leave a General for another male lower than him, she would be put to death or sentenced to the lowest forms of labor for a guardian as punishment. I have seen both in my lifetime. Sometimes women leave because the male is not of her expectations or is unkind. This is usually a smaller offense that is decided by the council, as Petri is in charge of the guardians. They join the guardians and the male can join the next Hunt if he finds a woman worthy of his interest.”
Vashti found herself getting angry. “And who is in charge of the needs of the married women?”
Cassira blinked, obviously thrown by the questions. “Their husbands, my Queen.”
“And if they are being tortured and held against their will? Who looks into that?”
Cassira’s eyes softened. “No one, my Queen.”
Just like there had been no one to check on Vashti when she was being tortured in the heart of Romule. Her only friend there, Rainey, had been away. Here, Vashti could make a difference. “We’ll see about that.”
Cassira gulped, sensing the menace emanating from Vashti. The coronation was going to be interesting, and the guardian wouldn’t miss a moment of it.
Chapter 21
The halls pulsed with the echo of music from the celebration. Vashti walked beside the chattering Cassira. There was a guard in front and behind their group to give them safe passage. The other two guardians, Lydia and Talia, helped maneuver the train of Vashti’s dress so it wouldn’t tear on the smaller rocks. The glow from the candlelight cast shadows around the group making people walking by harder to see. Vashti was thankful for the guard’s presence since there were so many strangers she wasn’t sure who was foe or friend in Baklan. She hadn’t been named the official Queen of Baklan yet, but after tonight, she hoped that she didn’t have that worry.
Vashti missed the man turning the corner in a connecting hall that the group took. She was distracted by a question posed by Cassira and had turned her head to answer when she felt the man stumble into her opposite side. Vashti didn’t scream but did move out of the man’s way. The smell coming from him wasn’t pleasant.
The man straightened quickly when the guards closed in on him. “Pardon me, Miss, I was just going to the celebration.” He was missing several teeth, and his clothes were baggy on his body like he had recently lost weight. “The name is Edger. What’s yours?”
Cassira gasped. “You speak to the new Queen of Baklan, Edger! Show proper respect to Queen Vashti.”
“Many apologies, Queen Vashti.” He hung his head with shame and held up his hands in a pleading expression. Vashti didn’t notice he never lowered his eyes as was proper in the greeting of a ruler. She was busy reassuring the guards she was alright before they did something to the man she didn’t order.
Vashti said quickly, “It’s alright. You can let him go. He didn’t know.” Politely, she added, “It’s nice to meet you, Edger. I wish you a good celebration.”
The guards released Edger and waited until he moved away from the Queen and continued toward the celebration.
“That man is no good, Your Highness.” Cassira tried to brush off a small piece of dirt he had left behind on Vashti’s arm, while leaning in to whisper, “Rotten to the core. My friend in the kitchen was married to Edger until he tried to share her with his brothers. Each one of them more despicable than the next. When she refused, and they nearly beat her to death, she claimed the guardianship. There was nothing they could do to her after that. I truly think it saved her life.”
Vashti whispered back, “Why wouldn’t the King stop the brothers?” Gut now churning with dread, Vashti had a bad feeling she had met one of his brothers during the Hunt.
One of Edger’s former brothers.
She didn’t believe Mar would overlook his subjects that were suffering, but she hadn’t been around him making decisions such as these to know the truth. When Cassira had told her the issues with the married women, Vashti knew the guardians would be honest with her. Seeing the disgusting demon, Edger, made Vashti even more determined. The guardians were waiting patiently for their group to continue while the guards moved back in place, more alert this time.
“The King never knew. The elder Petri that sits on the council is tasked with overlooking the guardians, but he doesn’t ask many questions. If the kitchens are running to his satisfaction, he doesn’t make a fuss. To reach the King’s ear, the council member would have to bring it to his attention. I fear many wives and guardians in need of rescue have slipped under his attention. If we had someone… anyone for the woman of Baklan, it would help.” Cassira sighed and moved out of Vashti’s way so they could continue to walk together, lost in their own thoughts.
Edger scratched at a sore growing on his arm. The bugs back at his home he shared with his eldest brother were starting to get bad. When his eldest brother’s wife had left, there was no one to pick up the chores. He would be damned if he started. There was no one to cook, either. His clothes were hanging off him, and they were starting to look ridiculous. He refused to learn how to cook. It was a woman’s job.
Edger knew his brother must have had the first claim to the woman, queen, or not. That means Vashti was theirs.
And he would get her back.
Didn’t she realize? Vashti was late for supper.
Chapter 22
The celebration in the training area under the hive was filled with the flowers from the arch of the garden of Baklan. Giant swaths of cloth were hanging across the ceiling to give the atmosphere a cozy feel. Wooden tables had been set up on one side of the area. Food was steaming hot as people filled their plates, enjoying the sumptuous affair. There was music and dancing on the far side that Vashti had heard when she had been walking through the hallway.
When Vashti spotted Mar wrapped up in the darkness of his wings on his large throne, she stopped walking
and waited for him to give her a signal on where to go. The guards dispersed to stand at her sides and guard the hallway, leaving Vashti with the guardians that accompanied her.
“Where do I go, Cassira?” whispered Vashti softly, trying not to call attention to their procession before she was ready. She didn’t get her wish. The hush moved throughout the crowd, silverware dropped to the tables, and people turned to look at either Vashti or the King to witness their reunion.
This was the first Queen in a long time, and it showed with the people’s reactions. The guardians at her side bowed to her.
Cassira whispered frantically, “Walk to the King, my Queen.”
It was better than standing around looking like she was at the wrong party, so Vashti decided to do just that. She began to walk to Mar, with her hands relaxed at her sides, and her head held high. Vashti knew she looked regal with the scales of gold and her golden hair flowing down her back. It was the impression she wanted to give — a proud Queen for the Horde. Her scars would be easily seen, but it didn’t bother her. It was a map of the trials she had been through, and she was proud that she had survived.
In the hall, when she had first noticed Mar, she had seen that he was tapping on his leg as he had been doing in the trials like he waited for her to join him.
Now that she was near his throne, the tapping had stopped.
His wings opened gently as if he welcomed her. The pulses of light shot across his wings, showing a breathtaking display of golden magma. He was dressed in a lighter suit of armor that looked to be ceremonial for the Horde King. The golden armor on his darker skin shone brightly, casting a glow around him. The crown he wore had many smaller white horns decorating the top, surrounding his two larger ones, a clear indication of who the ruler was of the people.