An Oath Of Lords And Ladies (ARTK, Book 1)

Chapter 72

Noveno 21st, 3328 A.G

  Hours later, everything and everyone they were taking was ready to go. Tensions between Dedor and their near dwellers were strong enough over a trade dispute, so most of their soldiers were more than willing to fight against Sharean if it came to that.

  As always, Nara rode in front with a borrowed horse. They took as many as could be spared, leaving few people walking- though some of the stronger horses carried two people and carted the heavier things. Renard was beside her, the giants and Maude just behind- Tuyon, Lennix, Avelina, Imania, and Andre behind them. They sent a signal to the ship's crew- three flaming torches waved around, so they'd de-anchor and follow on water.

The fighting men got along well enough, from what Nara heard as she went. Uwen spoke to one of them so loudly she could hear from where she was.

  "Why do you hate your neighbors so much?" He asked. "I mean... I know there's a trade dispute but the... deep rooted hatred of each-other can't come from that alone."

  Nara knew the story. She'd heard it multiple times growing up, and it all boiled down to the men and women of Dedor being great at holding onto ancestral grudges and teaching their children to do the same.

  "We were allies during the Great War." The Dedor man said. "They fell before we did, despite our help. We lost thousands of good men fighting for them. When we were at our weakest, they did not reciprocate. They let the United lords and ladies of the continent Libera, the territories Valia and Kaeles slaughter us until we surrendered. We have never forgotten and we never will. We will always fight with anyone who fights against them. Some of us believe things were better during the time of kingdoms. Simple words for things- thrones, castles- were not banned. We had bad kings and queens, but we also had incredible ones. Far more incredible than poor ones. We've had more mad lords and ladies than kings or queens. Some have always believed royalty is just what we need. So who knows- our queen may stay the queen of Dedor for quite some time."

  "And you?" Uwen raised an eyebrow while Nara strained her ears to listen.

  "What about me?" The dedor man asked.

  "What do you believe?" He continued. "About royalty?"

  "That is a hard question. If they end up being a good king and queen, we may never rebel. If they act mad- there may be be problems. The dedor people do not take well to threats or intimidation. There is little we fear."

  Lord Amalone thought the same before I exploited his fear- Nara thought.

  "If she proves herself as a good queen, I will follow her always." The man continued. "But I do not know her well. I will not swear my sword or life to protect hers until I do."

  Nara thought that was reasonable enough. How could she expect people who'd never met her to be loyal without question? For now they were just fighting a common enemy. She would change that. She would make them see that she deserved her title if she had to kill people for it.

  She noticed then that Renard was looking at her intently, trying to read her.

  "What is it now?" She asked. Renard opened and closed his mouth a few times. She was still just as intimidating as the day they met, no matter what he told himself or how close they were as friends.

  "I thought we might... leave Sharean alone for now and come back to take it later." He wanted to slap himself the second the words left his mouth.

  Nara stopped her horse abruptly. "Why would I waste more than six weeks of food on an unnecessary trip to and back from home when we are already on the continent? If we manage to take Sharean , that's an entire continent we have control of. If the common people of Libera haven't heard of me yet, they will then. They will have time to begin fearing and loving me, since they will be sent stories of my kindness and wrath."

"Perhaps not-" Renard shrugged. "If the old books have taught us anything, it's that stories of one always prevail over the other. "

"You must not know me at all it you think I'll let that happen." She kicked the horse's side lightly, sending it back into a trot. It didn't take a genius to know what she was implying, and though Renard wasn't at all surprised- he shook his head before following.

Every time he thought she'd grown kinder, she'd say something that would remind him of what she was trying to do: create an empire that put King Jesper's Great War victories to shame.

Of course, he knew she'd have to be brutal to make it happen. He knew he'd be involved more often than not- but he'd managed to convince himself he could avoid any potential consequences if he let her do her thing.

Years later, that would be his downfall.

When the sun began to set, they'd traveled enough for the day to justify setting up camp- and the cook soldiers went to work on using up the fresh foods they'd taken with them from House Amalone. The watermelon and sweet potatoes could last days, but the fresh fish and crab needed to be eaten that night- or they would risk becoming violently ill because of the heat.

From her and Renard's open tent, Nara watched- and the giants were always close. She could at least be grateful that the cold back home made trading easier. People from snowbush could cart an open wagon of fresh ice trout and tuna to House Ashhand without it going bad, as the cold preserved it for them.

She'd asked two of the women from House Ashhand to serve as her travel handmaidens, along with one from Old Westwend- and they moved around her then. Though she would have gone months without cutting her hair or doing anything expected of women if she were a commoner- she wasn't. She was a queen and she had to look like it even if she wore breeches.

So she sat still as one of them braided her unwashed hair back in three sections, then braided the braids, stuck her fingers through the top and looped it through the hole.

She didn't protest when another washed her face and underarms with an unscented soap, then rubbed a lavender oil in.

She complied when they made her put a dress on; another she'd gotten from House Amalone. It was the brightest red she'd ever seen on a fabric-and one of them said the dye was made from a beetle farm on the far end of House Amalone. She tried not to think about it. It was a beautiful dress, with the same patterned cut-outs and off shoulder sleeves as the last one, only it was made of a fabric she didn't recognize- smooth and soft.

When that was over with she fastened the sword back around her waist and had Renard do the same with his. By then the watermelon was cut, the sweet potatoes had been boiled and crushed with butter and sea salt, the crab was done and the fish roasted. It was served with Dedorian grape wine, not as good as Cralonese- but better than elderberry.

After everyone had been served, Nara stood. They took a moment to go silent, but once that had happened- they listened.

"Soldiers-" Nara paused. "I should specify- Kroban soldiers, this may be a feast to you but to the men of Dedor it is just food. If I am to be your queen.... I must be honest about what you've gotten yourselves into."

All 1,352 of you if our count of dedor's soldiers was correct- Nara thought.

"It will be some time before an all out war, that is true." Nara said. "But when that time comes, I want you to understand this: Ebon is a beautiful and brutal place. Depending on the time of year, the cold can be unforgiving. The only produce you'll find from back home will be in jars. Some of you will probably freeze to death... but after I have taken the world, each and every one of you will be rewarded...."

For a moment, Nara forgot all about Fenthos's prophecy.