Chapter 9

Taryn

“It is helping me to take back the north” Taryn smiled. “But could a king ever consider an idea maybe possible? If I were to decide, I would choose a more concrete option, not just a future possibility. If Aeris needs gold, he will need it immediately. We cannot present ourselves only with promises.”

“Your Majesty, gold mines are scattered throughout the north, some are in castles of allies. The north has much more gold than it is minted, we can use that as... dowry.”

The room burst into chaos again.

Taryn rested on the back of her bench while the Lords were fighting again. Taront had dared to touch the most precious thing for those men: their hidden reserves.

The men raised their voices, shouting at each other, and as usual, Taryn could not understand how it was possible that they could talk to each other while understanding each other in that way.

After several minutes of racket, Taryn turned to Lord Grander. From her gaze, the man understood and began to knock his fist on the table, trying to silence the men. After several blows on the table, silence fell again.

Taryn looked at Taront, who was starting to feel uncomfortable. She nodded, giving him permission to speak.

“It is a great sacrifice on the part of all but necessary. Everything we lose now, we will regain from our enemies when we win.” Taryn tried to hide the grin that had appeared on his face by bowing his head. She looked at the streaks of the table as she reflected on the young lord in front of her.

“A small sacrifice today for a great reward tomorrow,” Taryn adds, stroking the smooth wood of the table. “Once this war is won, the goods of the defeated will be divided among you, my lords. It will be the just reward for so many years of loyalty. The reward for all these years of toil and work.” Taryn’s voice grew, and the tone was as confident as possible, although she really was not at all, her lords did not notice, but they nodded and began to bang their fists on the table, creating a constant rhythm.

“We immediately send a messenger,” Arien intervened.

“No,” Taryn replied promptly. “I must be the one to talk to him. Face to face.”

“Majesty, it’s too dangerous. If your uncle found out you were traveling, he could send assassins or spies”, Arien continued.

“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t know,” she said confidently.

“If I may, Your Majesty,” Taront again intervened. Taryn nodded, giving him permission to speak. “A small expedition, formed by a few men, would attract less attention during a trip. You can get to Althea in ten days at a fast pace, taking the fastest and least frequented route.” And with the index marked the path on the map, from their location to the capital, Althea, passing through the woods of the border and then through small villages of Aeris.

“Lord Grander? What do you think?” Taryn asked the man sitting to his right. The old lord looked at the map thoughtfully.

“It is a very dangerous path, your Majesty. The border is full of bandits”, the man said, massaging his beard.

“It is the only route we can take without being too conspicuous.” Taront sat calmly on his bench, resting his elbows on the armrests and crossing his hands under his chin.

“Grander?” insisted Taryn. The man remained silent for a few minutes observing the map. Then he breathed deeply and spoke.

“If we send the army to the coast, you can move west. The usurper will think you are with the army, and we will try not to deny it.”

“Well.” Taryn looked at Lord Taront. “Aiden will look after my escort. Ser Arien?”

The man looked at her, caressing his grey beard.

“You will lead the army towards the coast, towards your territories. Taront and Grander will come with me. You can leave”, Taryn concluded by waving her hand.

“Your Majesty, I did not...” Grander seemed uncertain and fearful. Taryn looked straight into his eyes in defiance.

“I need my advisor and Taront’s mind. Will you come with me, or will you disobey me?” The lords all shut up.

The silence was such that he could hear the fire crackling in the fireplace. She swore she could even hear the angry heartbeat of the old lord, who swallowed his saliva nervously. After a few minutes, Grander bowed his head and shook it in denial. “Well. Prepare everything. We will leave after the end of the storm.” Taryn nodded her head.

The guards posted outside the door moved, opening it. The Lords calmly rose one by one as they left the room, but not before they made a weak bow before her.

Taryn saw her brave knight appear at the door. Aiden moved to the side to get the Lord through. His red armor sparkled when the torchlight struck it. Once all the lords were out, the knight entered the room. Taryn nodded to the guards, who immediately left the room and left them alone. Her knight approached and sat down next to her. He took the jug and a cup and served himself some wine. The wind was still banging against the windows, and the fire was creaking in the fireplace, in addition to those two sounds, there was total silence.

Her brave knight looked at her without saying a word, waiting for her to give him a command. After a few minutes, Taryn decided to talk.

“You have to organize a small group of trusted men for an expedition,” Taryn told him, looking ahead.

“What is the mission?” he asked her calmly.

“It must be a few men, but trust me,” Taryn continued. “You will have to put someone you trust blindly at the head of our garrison.”

“My Queen,” Aiden sighed, “if I do not know where we are headed, I cannot choose the best men.”

Taryn closed her eyes and breathed deeply. A sense of terror pervaded her, she could afford to let go of her emotions only when she was with her knight, she could falter because he would never judge her.

She was terrified, she knew she was getting closer to her target, which scared the hell out of her. Her whole life had struggled to reach that moment, and now he trembled like a leaf under the force of the strong wind.

Elhiàs Ackard was her only chance to take back the north, without her help, she would remain a rebel forever. Or at least she would have stayed that way if she had managed to escape the clutches of her uncle’s murderers.

“Your Grace,” Aiden called her.

“You must accompany me to Aeris, Aiden. I must convince the king to help me.” Taryn narrowed her eyes and rested her head on the back of her bench.

Taront’s plan was very good, but she wasn’t convinced she could convince a man like Elhiàs. Taryn knew that her proposal was worthless, and she would refuse if they made a proposal like that. She was terrified that Elhiàs could do it too, she was convinced of it. She opened her eyes and turned her face towards Aiden.

“I must convince the king to accept my proposal.”

Aiden remained silent. He had turned the chair towards her. Taryn turned to look at him while he watched the silent fire. She needed him to tell her that everything would be okay, that she would make it, that she would get that army, and that she would sit on the throne that belonged to her father, but Aiden shut up. He said nothing. He watched the flames reflect on his shiny red armor. His eyes were fixed on the fire, his jaw was clenched.

Taryn turned again in front of him. He took the cup and drank. He felt her face burning, the fault of too much wine.

The wind had taken to bump more violently against the window, the storm was getting worse. That night it would have been very cold.

Taryn breathed deeply. Aiden was still silent, watching the fire.

“I’m terrified,” she admitted, “and desperate, Aiden. If I don’t get enough men, I won’t be able to see Eldhia even from afar.” Her tone was low for fear of being heard by someone, even though no one was in the room beside her and her knight.

She closed her eyes again. “I would never give up or share the crown, but what other choice do I have?” She rested her head on the back and raised her face towards the ceiling.

“It’s a tough decision, Your Majesty. Only a wise person knows when to make sacrifices.”

“It is not a simple sacrifice, it is the north. Sell the north, the people in exchange for a few more men in the ranks of my army.”

“Decisive numbers to determine the outcome of the battle. Numbers that could overturn the results in your favor.” Taryn shook her head.

“If he said no? I would have made a trip for nothing, I would have lost precious time. I myself would not accept such a poor offer” Taryn said in a gloomy tone.

“The north is not a poor offering, Your Majesty. Anyone in their right mind wants to get their hands on your kingdom or the mines that belong to you.”

“My body, my crown and my kingdom.” a hysterical chuckle came out of her.

“Elhiàs Ackard is not like all other men. Do you remember when we met him?”

“Elhiàs was not the object of my attention at that time,” Taryn replied calmly. Aiden laughed.

“I know very well who the object of your attention was,w your Majesty. This raises a spontaneous question. Why Aeris? Thanks to Prince Athelstan, you’d have a better chance with Locrand.”

“It is not Athelstan who worries me. He is King Kyros. There is something dark about him, something sinister. I think he’d get along much better with my uncle than with us. If Athelstan were in power, I would have gone to him long ago” Taryn sighed. “We will have taken our child back together.”

“But not Kyros, right?” Taryn nodded softly. “If you believe that Elhiàs Ackard is the right person, then I trust him.” Aiden got up. “I will organize the small garrison. When will we leave?”

Taryn smiled and calmed down.

Having him by her side to support her always made her remain firm without collapsing in front of the thousand obstacles. He got up close to the window but couldn’t see anything beyond. It was all dark and clouded. She laid a hand on the glass, the ice attached to the opposite side had made the glass cold, and the contact with her skin made her shiver.

“As soon as the storm is over, we will leave. Lord Taront has proposed a fast and even dangerous route. I trust your knowledge of the place, Aiden.”

Her knight put his hands behind his back and his chest out. “I hope to live up to it, your Majesty.” He bowed and left the room, leaving her in the company of the roaring fire and the immense silence of the castle’s great hall.

This helped her to concentrate. She had to think and come up with a strategy. She had to convince Elhiàs at any cost, she needed him. If the priestesses were right, Taryn didn’t have much time left. The North took precedence, and she had to find a way to convince Elhiàs.