Queen's Knight(ch2)

Heat swelled inside the Oaksbury castle where the council of nobles met. Queen Dahlia sat at the head of the table, Onra to her left. On her right, sat Taryn.

A few weeks had passed since the dubbing, and upon the Queen’s request, Taryn joined the Queen at nearly all of her meetings. “I finally have the option of being guarded by a woman,” Queen Dahlia had said, “Of course I’ll take it.”

Now, with the thrill of the news far behind her, Taryn fought to stay awake as agreements and laws were read aloud in the ornate room. Even the Queen looked slightly worn as the meeting stretched on, though she kept a strong presence. However, this could also be because her lady in waiting had chosen for her an off-white gown that not only seemed a pain to keep clean, but weighed almost as much as the Queen herself.

“I’m sorry your Majesty, but King Voss has insisted he won’t sign the treaty until we renegotiate the trade routes.” Lord Emery said. He was the stout man who kept communication with their allies.

“We will do no such thing,” Queen Dahlia pressed, “They use children to harvest their goods, with little to no pay.”

“Even so, trade with Montes has been vital to the welfare of our kingdom. With all due respect, your majesty, we ought to keep our focus on our own people first.”

Queen Dahlia leaned back, and rubbed her forehead. “I will not repeat the mistakes of my mother. Her carelessness for other countries led to disagreements, and near-wars. If we are to repair the damage to Shale’s reputation, we must take care with who we associate.”

Another noble lady leaned forward, “As true as that may be, Montes is the most powerful nation there is. We don’t want to make enemies with them.”

“We won’t,” Dahlia said, “We will tell them that we will respectfully decline their trade until they enact more stable practice.”

More objections ensued. Taryn shifted in her seat and hoped all the talking would hide the sound of her stomach growling. Breakfast had been nothing but a couple eggs, and it had been hours since. She traced the grain of the table idly.

“Onra,” Dahlia turned to face her advisor, “You’ve been quiet. I know you have an opinion on the matter.”

General Onra took a deep breath and pursed her lips. “I think this is a matter best handled with the king of Montes himself, your majesty. He may be more inclined to listen if we meet with him in person.”

Lord Emrey huffed, “You don’t think he’ll find that suspicious? After our previous queen, he is more than wary of traps.”

Onra shrugged, “If all else fails, we have the military power to back up any disagreements.”

Several voices broke out at that. Dahlia sighed, and turned to look at Taryn amidst the noise.

“It’s a mess, isn’t it?”

Not sure how else to respond, Taryn nodded. Dahlia leaned toward her, so only Taryn could hear. In doing so, she ruffled several noisy layers of her skirts, and creaked the bones in her corset. “We should leave while they’re distracted.”

“Right,” Taryn smiled, “No one will notice if the Queen of Shale just quietly slips from the room.”

“Of course not,” she chuckled, “And in this dress, I’m sure I could sneak anywhere.”

They both laughed at that, but with the storm of arguments flying across the room, only Onra seemed to notice, and shot Taryn a warning look.

Dahlia straightened, and raised a quieting hand. At the gesture, the council quickly fell back into silence.

“I believe my advisor has a point,” she said, “We don’t need to continue sending letters back and forth like school children. I will meet with the king at his earliest convenience. And, to avoid suspicion, the only means of protection I need to bring is my knight.”

This elicited a few murmurs between lords and ladies, but if they had disagreements, they now kept them to themselves. With resistance from her dress, Dahlia stood and clasped her hands together. “If you have any more grievances or concerns, please speak with Onra, or share them next week. You are all dismissed.”

Once the Queen changed into a more practical gown, she asked Taryn to join her for a stroll around the courtyard. Since Taryn was her personal knight, she was able to persuade the other guards to grant them privacy.

Past the moat on the east side of Oaksbury castle, they walked through a wide expanse of untamed grass, broken only by the occasional tree.

“This particular castle was neglected by my parents,” Dahlia explained as they walked, “It was once used as a quarantine for royals during outbreaks, so most people think it’s cursed. But they let me have it when I was a teenager, so I had a say in how they kept it.”

“You don’t like a castle to be well kept?”

“In a way, yes. This one has the least servants, and the least extravagant rooms, so I get the most privacy. I like simple things.”

“You might be the only upper class person to feel that way.”

“I know it,” Dahlia snorted, “That’s why I love having meetings here. To see the disgusted faces of every noble that enters. Except for Onra, of course.”

“Does she like simple castles as well?”

“Oh no. She likes a fortress. That’s what a castle is supposed to be. She says Oaksbury is the last real castle in Shale, and that all the others are just palaces. Built more for beauty than protection.”

“I see.”

Dahlia stopped walking, then. Taryn turned back to see her looking up at the graying sky. Then, to Taryn’s surprise, the Queen crouched into a sitting position, and lay down with her back in the grass. She closed her eyes, with her arms outstretched, like a child in the snow about to make an angel shape.

“Are you alright, your majesty?”

Dahlia opened her eyes and saw Taryn’s face looking down at her. She patted the grass beside her, and after blinking for a moment, Taryn obeyed.

Taryn was a little taller than Dahlia, with square features, and soft, almost sad eyes. Her hair was long, but kept up in a bun that couldn’t seem to stay neat. On quiet days, like this one, she wore only a couple protective layers beneath a deep green tunic. Dahlia tore her gaze away and turned back to the sky.

“What’s your family like, Taryn?”

Taryn took a deep breath, and rested her hands on her stomach. “My father is a silversmith. We live right by a port, so my little brothers and I used to work unloading ships while he sold kitchen supplies and… rather ugly jewelry.”

“Did anyone buy it?”

“Oh of course. The older women loved that gaudy stuff, and younger boys mistook them for fancy fishing hooks.”

Dahlia laughed. It was a healthy, beautiful sound. Taryn turned a little to look at her, and noticed the Queen’s hair was coming undone and splayed across the grass.

“You’re not what I expected.” she said. Queen Dahlia shifted sideways on the ground so that she completely faced her.

“I still don’t know what you are.”

Taryn shrugged. “A woman. Nothing more.”

“Nothing more?” Dahlia scoffed. “You’re a knight! And before that, you were a peasant. How did that all happen, anyway?”

At that point, the breeze cooled, and ruffled the leaves in a nearby tree.

“I think it’s going to rain.” she said.

“I don’t really care.”

Taryn turned her body to face Queen Dahlia. “You’ll catch a cold.”

“How did you become a knight?”

Taryn’s brow furrowed. Why was the queen so invested in her personal life? And why did part of her want so badly to tell her everything?

A single raindrop fell on Taryn’s head. Another one on the Queen’s cheek. Taryn resisted the urge to wipe it off. She pulled herself off the grass and to her feet, then offered a hand to the Queen.

“Please, your majesty, come inside.”

Dahlia’s eyes failed to hide disappointment, but she took Taryn’s hand. Taryn smiled as she felt the Queen’s small, warm hand in hers, and pulled her up to a standing position. Then Dahlia looped her arm through the knight’s, and they made their way back to the castle.