“No! I cannot love another! I love you! Only you, Auron,” Queen Zilithia replied, and she started to feel a heavy burden in her heart, her tears quickly poured out from her eyes.
“But we do not have a child,” King Auron said. “You must, if only for the kingdom.”
“I am sorry. I haven’t given you a son,” the queen replied, as she started to weep.
“I entrust the kingdom to you. I love you. I will always smile upon you,” the king comforted the queen, and they talked and tearfully reminisced about the past.
The fateful day came and King Auron died peacefully in his sleep. The whole kingdom wept for the loss of a great king. Queen Zilithia took over and luckily, no new enemies arose during the transition. After a year passed, the queen was remained deep in her mourning. The staff dwindled due to her odd behaviour, fits of grief and anger, being either dismissed by the queen or simply leaving. Only Jeannah stood by her through her descent into madness. Finally the day came where Queen Zilithia knew she could bear it no more, and the queen told her final servant of her plan to take her own life.
“Jeannah, I want you to take my place.”
“My queen, stop talking nonsense. Please, it had been a year since King Auron died and you keep on torturing yourself,” Jeannah replied. She had survived depression once, in the wake of her parent’s death, and then again on losing her son, and through the hard years as a slave. While the knowledge of her grief had yet to fade away, she had learned to cope, to leave the grief in her mind while her face and body told another story. She had confidence the queen would endure and come out the other side.
“I shall train you,” Queen Zilithia said.
“I cannot do that, your Highness! I am not of noble blood,” Jeannah replied.
“But you have a noble heart. I cannot serve Bristal at this state. The loss of our king has wounded me more greatly than I could have ever imagined. I can no longer sleep. I am tortured by the howls of the night when I think about Auron. I do not know if it is I who screams, my soul or some animal outside. I cannot distinguish between reality and dream. I cannot think of anyone fit to be the leader of Bristal except you. Yes, you are not of noble blood. But you have been by my side through many important matters of state, many delicate acts of diplomacy. You have learned much from me about what it is to rule, have you not?”
Jeannah made to answer, but the queen continued.
“You are the most kind and patient person I have ever known. Your wisdom is not to be underestimated either. I trust you, Jeannah. You are the only person I trust now. There are a dozen lords and ladies lurking in the court, vying for the chance to rule, they know the stories of my weakness are true, that I am… I am not fit to reign. You are the only one who has not judged me through my dark night. I have chosen you because I have seen your potential. You will be a mother to Bristal’s people,” Queen Zilithia explained. “I beg you, Jeannah. Let me train you and teach you how to be a queen.” The queen rose from her seat and knelt, bowing down with aching humility in front of Jeannah.
Jeannah gasped and quickly took the hand of the queen. “As your servant, I shall follow your every command, my queen,” she replied. She hoped by allowing the queen to train her, the queen would find it within herself once more to lead.
Queen Zilithia trained and taught Jeannah everything about being a queen. three months quickly passed by and Queen Zilithia decided Jeannah was ready. She moved with unshaken determination. There was respite at the end of the tunnel. At the end of the third month, Queen Zilithia announced she would appoint a new leader for Bristal. The whole kingdom was shaken by the news. She had told none, run the idea past no one, for the queen in her psychosis trusted none but the beautiful woman who’d stayed by her side as a friend and servant.
Many travelled to Erradia to witness the crowning of the new leader. No one expected it to be a slave woman crowned the next queen of Bristal. Yet it was as the queen had decided; Jeannah was crowned, and the city was seized with chaos. Complete and utter uproar overtook the streets upon the declaration that a slave was to rule. Riots in the streets, protests rocked the city, other factions sensed the weakness of Queen Zilithia and sharpened their knives, ready to strike and take over the kingdom for themselves in this power vacuum.
Is she out of her mind? Reighild wondered. Why would she appoint a common slave to be the queen of Bristal?
“Your Highness, may I ask, why did you make such a questionable decision?” Reighild asked Zilithia in private. It was clear the former queen was no longer fit to be a ruler if she was going to make decisions such as these.
“I can no longer continue to be queen of Bristal,” Zilithia acknowledged. “I sense Jeannah is fit to be queen.”
“But she is a common slave, is she not?” Reighild said.
“Yes, that’s true–but her heart is the purest I have encountered in my life. Trust my judgement as you have trusted Auron. It was his final wish you would serve me as you served him. I want you to serve Queen Jeannah as you have served me,” Zilithia stated.
“Your Highness, I… I must object. She is not of royal blood, the people will never accept her–there will be war! Anarchy! It–”
“Enough! Enough, sir! You are a knight, and I am your Queen, and you will do as you are told! Is that understood?”
“Yes, your Highness,” Reighild replied.
“Do you swear that you shall do all in your power to protect my heir?”
He paused, hid his initial grimace with a bow. “I do so solemnly swear it as your true and loyal servant, my queen.”
It was in this widespread dissent the previous queen, Zilithia, ended her life. Queen Jeannah then took her place as Queen. It was a troubling time for Bristal. Lower lords and ladies, distant claimants to the throne, all vied for a shot at the throne, hoping to destabilise this slave woman who had the audacity to sit and make orders as though she had the authority granted by royal bloodline. Dissident groups funded by enemy factions and rival kingdoms sought to destabilise the realm, all clamouring to chip away at the new institution, probing for a weak spot. The next few years were violent, bloody and chaotic, full of widespread suffering. Rebellion and civil wars, one after another. Multiple assassination attempts on the new queen all thwarted by Reighild. He held true to the dying wish and last command of his former queen, to whom he remained faithful even through his doubts over her incredible decision.
Those loyal to Zilithia, and by extension, Jeannah, sought to preserve the stability of the realm at all costs. While there were many who found the idea of a slave queen repugnant as those in the streets, they placed the security of their kingdom above all else. Tirelessly, her people worked to keep Jeannah in power, signing pacts, treaties, launching propaganda campaigns portraying the nobility of servitude and the simple honesty of slaves in silly government funded theatre performances. Perhaps it was in this that Bristal’s tolerance of slavery began to decrease, freeing others from the same distress Jeannah once lived. Something the majority overlooked and failed to even consider was the possibility Jeannah might actually be a worthy leader. They were one by one surprised to learn she was.
Slowly at first, then developing confidence, she began to assert herself. No longer relying solely on the advice of her close courtiers but at last making decisions for herself, and for the kingdom. Wise decisions, augmented with public appearances which were more than once marked not only by heartfelt speeches made by the queen calling for unity for the kingdom, marked by public assassination attempts, which only served to portray her in the media as a noble and innocent victim struggling to protect the kingdom.
In her scant spare time, Queen Jeannah studied magick as well. Being the medic and mother of Sanhera, she chose to learn Light magick. After she learnt about Healing magick, she immediately studied another kind of magick which she focused herself into, Protection magick. She mastered creating barriers to protect her and her people from enemy threats.
Over time, the inconceivable happen
ed–not only did Jeannah maintain her rule over the kingdom of Bristal as the new queen, she even won the hearts and minds of the people, a benevolent queen of strange but local origins, and so it was she came to be loved by many far and wide as her enemies lost power and fell before her.
Rohan surfaced from his trance knowing the truth of the matter. He opened his eyes and immediately focused on Jeannah, who sat calmly, as though unaffected by the mental explorations. Perhaps in some way her mind was stronger than her son’s, her years of magickal experience steeling her against the horrific situations he skimmed through. To be polite, he’d not taken too deep of a look into the worst of it. He focused on the important piece. “My queen, Jael indeed is your son. I saw the same scenes in your distant past.”
“Then my Shion is alive!” Queen Jeannah replied, joyfully. “Jael, please come in,” Rohan called and he entered.
“It is great news! Your mother lives,” Rohan said. “Really? Who is she? Where is she?”
The queen stood up gracefully, coming closer to him. She offered both of her hands in embrace. “I am your mother, Shion,” Queen Jeannah said. Jael was stunned by what the queen said, and he stood in shock. Without hesitation, Queen Jeannah embraced Jael, and they hugged.
Tears immediately appeared on Jael’s eyes. “M… Mother…?” Jael hesitantly uttered.
“Do you still have your necklace?” the queen asked.
“Yes,” Jael replied, and he tugged it free from where it hung inside his shirt.
“It is you! My son!” Queen Jeannah exclaimed with enthusiasm and happiness she’d not felt in some time. Then Jeannah explained what the scribble on his pendant meant; his name, though not quite in the way Artemia had assumed it.
Jael and the queen spent their whole day catching up. They had been friendly though brisk before, and now they sat together and shared the depths of their thoughts, hopes and experiences. Awash in the trust and peace of the moment, he shared with her his visions. “It was you, mother. In my dreams, there was always a woman. She was sparkling in light. In my dreams while I was in Sanhera, I remembered she said the word Belthasar. And so I decided to go to Belthasar. That is where I first met you. I dreamt of that woman once again, last night. Maybe because I was about to meet my mother.”
“I see. Did you know, when I first saw you, I was instantly intrigued. You caught my attention. I thought, if my son was alive, he would be the same age as you. And here you are, my son. I love you! I thank Artemia for guiding you and raising you up to who you are today.”
Jael nodded, clasping her hands in his. “Mother, would you mind calling me Jael? I know it is not the name you chose for me, but it is the only one I know.”
“Of course,” Queen Jeannah replied, and she embraced Jael again and again.
“Mother, can you tell me about my father?” Jael said.
“Well, your father is named Arcthrel, and he was a fire mage like you. He travelled around the world in search for hidden artefacts. A treasure hunter. He found his way to Sanhera where I treated his wounds. Sadly, I never heard from him after he left,” Queen Jeannah replied. “You must have inherited his power. I believe he was such a powerful mage that his offspring–you– absorbed some of his magickal capacity. This must be why you were not harmed by the fire in Sanhera.”
“I see. The only thing I know about my father was from another one of my strange visions. This dream I had was about a creature called Cherufe. He said he is my protector.” Jael tugged up the back of his shirt to show the scar, healed up into a richly red coloured mark. “He claims he the one in this marking at my back. Cherufe said in every offspring from the line of Agnus, there is a certain protector. Everyone protected has this mark, the mark of Cherufe,” Jael replied.
“I see. It seems you know more about your father’s lineage than me,” Queen Jeannah said.
“Oh well. I just want to meet him,” Jael replied.
“I would love that as well,” Queen Jeannah said and giggled.
After, they parted and moved to rest for the night.
The rumours spread rapidly throughout Krimmirr and the surrounding city. Jael had already made waves by winning tournaments and other displays of power; this was something else entirely. The long lost son of Queen Jeannah had been found! “Prince Jael… sounds good to me!” Draken laughed, and he teased Jael.
“Oh c’mon Draken, don’t speak such foolishness.”
“Well, you are the queen’s son. I am certain you will be the prince of Bristal,” Draken said.
“Draken is right. You shall be appointed Prince of Bristal–in fact, the ceremony will be held two weeks from now,” Helena said. “I want to apologise to you, for how I have been treating you this time. I have been treating you as a commoner and here, all this time, you have been a prince!” She rose and bowed to Jael, who immediately blushed bright red.
“That’s all right–no apology is necessary… my lady!”
Rohan and the queen laughed together, looking on from the back of the room. “I believe Jael may be fit to be the next ruler of Bristal,” he stated.
“Strength-wise, I strongly agree. He has the right heart to be a king. But for his, ah, politeness and social clumsiness, I guess I need to teach him a lot of things.” They both agreed in laughter.
Despite the imminent attacks by Malevolentiam, Krimmirr was in high spirits as the news about the queen and Jael was delivered throughout the halls. The normally strict and disciplined castle quickly turned into a large amusement grounds. For a moment or two, fun and laughter was had by the royal knights and regiments and they prepared for a big celebration.
Amidst the waves of celebration, Jael frowned, and he remembered his friend, Vaan. He broke away from the laughter and the wild party games, making his way down to the infirmary to check on Vaan again. When he arrived, Aya Kronilia, Krimmirr’s chief medic was tending to Vaan, who still slept. “Aya, how is Vaan?” he asked.
“My prince! Your friend is responding well to my treatment. If I am not mistaken, he will wake up in about six weeks,” Aya replied.
“Oh please, do not call me prince. I came to this castle as Jael. and it is only right to call me so. Please… take care of Vaan for the time being,” Jael said.
“Of course, your Highness,” Aya replied. Jael thanked her and he returned to the great hall.
“Jael, you need to be comfortable when people address you formally. As of now, you are royalty. You are the Queen’s son!” Queen Jeannah said, welcoming him up to the front of the room. She helped him up onto the stage and waved at everyone to get their attention. She didn’t need to say a word to get everyone’s eyes on her.
“All right… all right!” Jael replied with a huge smile on his face.
The queen sat down on her throne and smiled. “In honour of my son, Jael, I would like to offer this celebration to him. I want you all to eat, drink and be merry! Please, eat your fill and let us have an awesome night tonight!” Queen Jeannah declared. For times had been troubling, and there were worse things than a night of food, drink and dancing.
“Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!” the knights chanted as Jael approached the queen’s throne. He looked down at them; while some of them looked like they might have been laughing at him, most of Krimmirr’s knights appeared to be looking up at him with something else in their eyes. He had never seen much of it before. Respect? Awe? It was humbling to realise everyone here was looking to him to lift their spirits. Fortunately, there was nothing, not even fire magick, that Jael was better at. He smiled sheepishly.
“That’s right, Jael. It is best if you deliver a speech to everyone gathered. Since this celebration is dedicated to you, after all,” Queen Jeannah said.
“Do I really have to do this, mother? I have never given a speech,” Jael whispered.
“C’mon, Jael. You can do it,” the queen replied, and she encouraged Jael to deliver a speech, waiting quietly, expectantly.
“Oh… very well,” Jael agreed, still blushing a lit
tle. “Dear people of Krimmirr…” Alexa and Helena were already amused by his efforts to be formal, and he rolled his eyes at their stifled laughter. “I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how grateful I am. Let us always look after each other…” Jael drifted a little as he saw visions of Vaan being burned back in Zebu and Frekkis being killed by Aldweihen. “Let us protect each other. Let us help each other. For if we move together as one, there is nothing we cannot accomplish…” Jael stated. Various flashes of his past came to him, threatening to snatch his attention away. He feasted on those fears, feeding them into the passion behind his words. “Whatever Malevolentiam has in store for us, I am certain we can fight them off! We cannot let them take the kingdom! We cannot give up! Always push through. Always carry on. Always fight for what is right! For we are the protectors of this kingdom, we are the knights of Bristal. We cannot let her be enslaved by our enemies. Whatever happens, we shall destroy Malevolentiam! This is for Bristal!”
Everyone present chanted, “For Bristal! For Bristal! For Bristal!” Everyone applauded Jael for a great speech delivered and the celebration recommenced.
“Wow. That was quite a speech you got there,” Queen Jeannah said in awe.
“I just said what I wanted to say. That’s all,” Jael replied. Helena and Alexa remained straight faced as well. Then Helena smirked. “Now that was unexpected,” she said.
“Whoa there. It looks like we’ll make a prince of you yet, eh?” Draken said, welcoming Jael back down to the table.
“Oh that? Nothing to it!” Jael replied, and they giggled. During the elegant celebration, all the present Master Knights pledged their allegiance to Jael in the presence of the queen. “My combat strategy and war tactics will always be at your command, my liege,” Reighild, the first Master Knight uttered, but he looked nothing short of unimpressed by this so-called son of Jeannah. Still, he politely said nothing, only a little huff of breath betrayed his thoughts on this young ruffian mage being quickly escalated to the prince.
Teliko Mageia: Curse of the Frozen Flame Page 29
