[Death's Queen 01.0] Death's Queen

by Janeal Falor

“Didn't you know the people when you were out among them?” he asks.

  I don't want to get into just how little I interacted with them. Just how little I was a part of anything that didn’t have to do with killing. “I didn't know them as their queen.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I think it fitting I do so now.”

  “What did you have in mind?” he says after a moment's pause.

  “A ball,” I say.

  “A ball?”

  “Isn't that what royalty does?” I ask.

  “Royalty, yes, but it doesn't seem very you.”

  “What would be more me?”

  “I haven't figured that out yet.”

  Well, that's the most unhelpful thing I've heard all day. “Well, until you do, a ball it will be.”

  “A coronation ball, I should think,” Nash says.

  “I haven’t heard of one of those. Why is that?”

  “Not all queens live long enough to be coronated, but we'll make certain you do,” he says, face serious.

  He wants me to live.

  The realization warms me to the core. Someone wants me to live. But now's not the time to grow mushy. “How much time do you think is needed for someone to plan?”

  “I haven't a clue. But we'll say a week. Preferably two.”

  “Fine. Two weeks. Use all the help you need. I doubt you've planned a ball before.”

  “No, but I do have sisters obsessed with things like this. They bore me to tears talking about them.”

  That's new. “Would they be willing to help?”

  “They'd be overjoyed. But they aren't part of your royal entourage, nor have they ever planned anything so big.”

  “I don't care about such trifles.”

  “Very well. I'll have them assist along with the servants. I'll see if I can find someone who’s thrown a ball to help.”

  “You are close to your sisters?” I wonder what it would be like to have a family. I never had one, besides Daros. Not that he makes for a real family.

  “Closer when I lived by them. They are in the city, and I live in the bunks with the guards,” Nash said.

  “Why are you still there?”

  “I'm comfortable there.”

  “Well, if you ever want a room, commandeer whichever you want.”

  “Even this one?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Except these rooms.”

  He chuckles.

  “And…” I don't know if this is the right thing to do.

  “And what?”

  “And your sisters…” I hesitate further, but if they live in the city, it is needed. I know I’d have done a lot of things—drastic things, even—to make a coin or two after leaving Daros—if I had cared about my life. “Make certain they are paid for their assistance.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. “Thank you. They will much appreciate it.”

  I shrug. “I don't know how much money the crown has, but it should be enough to pay those who work for her.”

  “There is plenty from what I recently learned. The last queen taxed heavily, and those laws are still in place.”

  The thought burns me. “We should do something about that, too.”

  His smile hides something I don’t understand.

  “What?” I ask.

  “It's great that you're beginning to care more.”

  Compliments are unfamiliar beasts. Despite that, I think I like them.

  “You should talk to the council about your coronation ball,” Nash says. “I agree that it's a good idea, but you'll get more of them on your side by consulting them, instead of plowing them over with the news.”

  I don’t want to, but— “You have a point. Will you set up a meeting? Or have a Head of Relations with the Queen do it?”

  “Consider it done. Now, why don’t we learn something about foreign relations?”

  I groan. “It's a nice thought, even if I feel like my head is pounding with information.”

  “That's the spirit. What do you know about other countries?”

  “I know they exist.” My assassin jobs didn’t ever take me to another country.

  “It's a start.”

  Despite his encouraging voice, I feel like I've failed him. “I know Torhun has a King,” I say. “Do you think a patriarchy or matriarchy is better?”

  “Am I supposed to answer that?”

  “Yes,” I say, bewildered. Why wouldn’t he answer that?

  “It's just that it's like walking with a cliff on both sides. If I say patriarchy, I'm in trouble, because I'm not supporting my queen. If I say matriarchy, I'm in trouble because I'm not supporting my gender.”

  “Ah. I can see how that would be difficult.”

  He laughs. “Not as bad as working with the King of Torhun. I hear he's a beast. So maybe a matriarchy is better after all.”

  “Do I have to work with him often?”

  “Your Head of Foreign relations, Mina, will do most of what needs done and then report to you. Honestly, you should know about our neighboring countries, but we have very little interaction with them.”

  “Good to know.” And it is. That means less that I’ll have to learn to catch up on.

  As he continues to speak, I find that paying attention isn't so bad when I want to learn. And learn I do. Nash is a superb teacher.

  If only everything else about being the queen would come a little easier.

  Chapter 19

  The lady in green stands before me. “Who are you?”

  This is getting old.

  “I agree. It is rather tiresome. Nevertheless, I need to know. Who are you?”

  “I'm no one.” Though I feel stronger than I did before.

  “That's something. Still, I need you to admit who you are.”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “It's a vital step in becoming who you were meant to be.”

  I shake myself. This sounds like nonsense. I know who I am, and I don't like it.

  “Then admit it to me. Stop hiding it. I promise I'm here to help.” Her voice is soft. Kind and caring.

  Doesn't mean I need to divulge everything, though, even in my dreams. “Are you real?”

  “As real as the Mortum Tura.”

  Which only serves to make me wonder how real the drink is. Should I really drink it a lot, like she said?

  “It's up to you. I won't force you to, but it will make you stronger. The more you drink, the more power you have and the longer you live.”

  “It's creepy that you keep answering my thoughts.”

  She smiles. “I'm afraid I can't help being in your head.”

  “If the death drink makes one more powerful, why did the last queen die after only five years?”

  “Ah, poor Deedra… She was a dear thing. I don't fully understand her death. I know she was murdered. It was a sad ending, for one so young.”

  “She didn’t seem young.”

  “Well, young to me. She was in her late twenties, so older than you are. I think. I have a hard time telling your age.”

  I do too. It's not like I have a birthday. Seventeen years of age is more of a guess. “I still don't follow. Why do queens die early if they have the power of the Mortum Tura behind them?”

  “Because people still have choices. Queens aren't always as strong as they should be. But you—you're different. Something about you makes me think you might be The One.”

  “What one?”

  “The one to rule for a lifetime.”

  No. I'm having a hard enough time with it as it is. I don't want to think about doing it for longer.

  I roll over and give a heavy blink.

  It was only a dream. Nothing more.

  Chapter 20

  The council room is full, with the council members positioned the same way as on the day I first met them. It makes them easier to remember. Except Ranen isn’t in the same spot. Instead of next to me, he sits across from me, clear at the other end of the room. The farthest from me possible. I'll t
ake it.

  Nash is on my right. His smile gives me courage.

  “What have you brought us together for, Your Majesty?” Ranen snips.

  “You shouldn’t be questioning the Queen,” Yuka says.

  “I have an announcement to make.” I center myself, ignoring their quips. “I would like to host a coronation ball for the people to attend, Kurah, Medi, and Poruah classes all.”

  To my dismay, there are scowls and mutterings. Not the response I expected.

  “I don't want to be the one to break this to you”—the tone of Ranen's voice sounds as if he likes being in charge—“but we don't mingle with peasants. The queen, especially, shouldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because,” Borkus, Head of Design, says, “it just isn't done.”

  I want to fume. “That's not good enough.”

  His eyebrows come together in a frown. “It's been good enough for past queens. Why not you?”

  Why not, indeed? Maybe because I understand the people’s plight? At least apparently more than they do. And maybe because I think it would be good for them to get to know me? Whatever the case, I say, “The people need us. We should show them that we care. That we are interested in their lives. Otherwise, one of these days, they may revolt.”

  “I think you're being a little dramatic, Your Majesty,” Timit says.

  I've had worse things said to me. Doesn't mean I like this man, though. I narrow my eyes at him.

  “I, for one, think it's a good idea, Your Highness.” Yuka, Head of Arts, lifts her chin.

  “Thank you.” At least I have the support of one person besides Nash. Still, I need more. “As for the rest of you… I need to be coronated. Why not do so in the public eye?”

  “They'll be able to see her for who she is.” Though well intentioned, Nash's words make me cringe. Their seeing me is the last thing I want. He continues. “They'll see she has a good heart and wants what's best for them. Who knows? Maybe she'll be able to bring Valcora together in a way that hasn’t been managed before.”

  Now he's being too hopeful. None of that sounds like me. Not even close.

  “And that way might just be the worst thing possible,” Kada, Head of Relations with the queen, says. “You're right that we don't know what the people will do. They could use the ball to try to topple the government. We all know what happened last time they tried to get rid of the queen.”

  They all nod, but I don't have a clue. Is it common knowledge, which I don't share because I was sheltered, or is it something only the council knows? Either way, I risk looking dumb when I ask, “What happened?”

  “It was before any of our time, but there are stories that say the very ground shook,” Yuka says. “That tempests came and destroyed lives and homes. Ruination came upon all people of Valcora.”

  “When was this?” Could the stories be true?

  “It was about one hundred and fifty years ago, Your Majesty,” Yuka says.

  Long enough that no one was around, but not so long that the truth would be twisted much. If it was the truth to begin with. “Whatever the case may be, I don't believe we will have a revolt from the Poruah class.”

  “Quite the opposite,” Nash says. “They should welcome the Queen's thinking of them and providing for them, even if it's for one day.”

  “You don't know that,” Timit says. “It could be the worst thing to ever happen to this country.”

  “That's an exaggeration.” Nash's hands are fists, but otherwise he remains calm.

  “You want the world to fall apart?” Borkus asks, voice calm despite his words.

  “No one said anything about the world falling apart,” Yuka says. “It's a simple ball for the people to come to know their queen. To see they can trust her and her decisions.”

  Ranen pounds the table. “We will not mix with peasants. If we're to have a ball, at least make it with only the Kurah class.”

  It takes all my willpower not to jump out of my seat. “Peasants, as you call them, are the foundation this nation is built on.”

  “No one is denying that, Your Highness,” Borkus says. “But there's no point in us mingling with them.”

  “Definitely not.” Kada scowls at me.

  “So we all agree the queen should be coronated at a ball only for the Kurah class,” Ranen says, voice oily.

  “No, we do not agree.” Yuka looks ready to burst.

  Ranen shoots her a glare strong enough to set her ablaze. “Those of us who matter agree.”

  “This coming from the Head of Furniture,” Monkia, the Head of Staff, says.

  It takes a great deal of control to not titter.

  Ranen slams his fist down on the table again, so hard I can feel the vibrations all the way over where I'm sitting. He wrinkles his nose. “I have connections far above someone the likes of you,” he tells Monkia.

  “Enough.” I don’t want to be around Ranen's temper any longer. It's too reminiscent of Daros's. “I understand your concerns, and I appreciate you voicing them. But I am going to hold this coronation ball.”

  I stand, not waiting to see their reactions. Nash follows me out of the room and into the halls. Guards surround us. I recognize Afet, Wilric, and Eldim. The other two are unfamiliar to me, but this is usually the case. They switch out so often, I can't be sure who is who, except for the ones that stay by my side.

  We're silent as we walk through the halls. I want to talk, but I don't want to do so in front of the guards if I can help it.

  We leave the guards outside my rooms, and I plop into a chair. Nash gives me a look, like he knows I'm not being ladylike but isn't going to hassle me about it. Thank my daggers. The last thing I want right now is more etiquette lessons.

  “How do you think that went?” I ask after he sits on the chair next to mine.

  “You handled it well. Those against the idea will come around, but even if they don't, they're bound to have new respect for you for standing up to them. And we know Yuka is on your side.”

  “That's much appreciated. I’ll take what I can get.” I relax back into my seat. So one person. Possibly two, if Monkia is not just against Ranen, but also for my ideas.

  “My sisters were excited to find out they get to help plan the ball,” Nash says, changing the subject, thankfully. I'm sick of thinking about it.

  “I'm glad to hear that.” The thought of meeting them makes me nervous. I haven’t done well with people, and for some reason, I want his sisters to like me.

  “I had them meet up with the Head of Staff, and together, they’re coming up with some good ideas to implement. Opening up more of the palace so we can fit extra people in it. Having everything, from basic country fare to more upscale versions, so people from all walks of life feel comfort in what they eat or excitement to try something new.”

  I want to choke down my fears, but they insist on coming out. “Do you really think this is going to work? Won't the Kurah class snub the Poruah class? I don't want them to feel slighted.”

  “If you are kind to the Poruah class, I'm sure the upper and middle classes will follow your lead. They usually emulate the queen.”

  “It's nerve-wracking.”

  He moves closer. “I know, but you're going to do great.”

  The warmth of his presence is more reassuring than his words.

  I can only hope he's right.

  Chapter 21

  “You've barely left your rooms since becoming Queen.”

  Nash's words echo in my mind all through my sleepless night as well as while my servants prepare me for the day.

  I don't consider myself a coward, but that one line makes me think I may be more of one than I speculated.

  The thought consumes me as my servants dance around me, hurrying from one task to another. It's excessive, but I've put up with it to this point, despite them driving me nuts. They're the familiar women, though I haven’t learned any of their names. I should change that, but it would make me feel as if I'm getting too close to
them.

  I don't want to get close to anyone. Nash already pushes my boundaries. I'm not sure I can handle anyone else.

  A pin jabs my wrist. “Ow.”

  A ripple of gasps goes through the girls as I inspect the wound. Nothing major. Just surprised me.

  But they all stare at me like they know my secrets. My chest seems to compress in on itself. They can't know my secrets from the little interaction they had with me. A prick of a pin wouldn't reveal them, either.

  Their eyes widen, like they’re horrified of what they find within me.

  “Why are you all looking at me like that?” I demand.

  No one answers.

  “Why?” I ask again.

  A girl younger than me steps forward. Her voice quivers, but she speaks clearly. “We are waiting for you to punish the girl who pricked you or punish all of us.”

  “Is that what you're used to from Queen Deedra?”

  The girl nods.

  Me too.

  “Everyone out,” I say, and then point at the girl who spoke up. “Except you.”

  The other girls flee from the room, leaving the poor girl alone to face what they probably think to be a terrible fate.

  “What is your name?” I demand.

  “Inkga.” Her bottom lip quivers.

  “Oh, stop that. You're brave enough to speak up when no one else does. You may as well be brave enough to face me alone.”

  She clamps her jaw down and clasps her hands together.

  “Good. How harsh was the last queen?”

  The girl doesn't respond.

  “Come on now. She's not here to inflict damage on you anymore. Answer me.”

  “I believe, Your Majesty, that she was a sad person. At first, she didn't take that out on us, but as she grew in confidence over the years she ruled, she grew in cruelty. Beheadings were common.”

  The thought makes me sick. “I promise that won't happen to you under my rule,” I say.

  “Your Highness, forgive me, but I believe every queen has gotten to that point at one time or another.”

  I want to rage on behalf of those innocents other queens harmed. Instead, I force out, “Not this one.”

  She nods, relief filling her eyes.