The War of Queens

Chapter 39

Raynor

 “How big do you think their army is?” Raynor asked as he followed Raymond through the barrack corridors. The old war veteran carried himself with pride and confidence in this place, more at ease than he had been at court. Raynor, on the other hand, flinched at the sound of swords hitting each other, and the bare thought of a battlefield made him sick. You’ve killed before, he reminded himself. You can do it again.

 “I would say that it’s hard to calculate,” Raymond told him thoughtfully. “With the Renell family on their side, and the heritage to King Eric, I think it is safe to say that the North will be very supporting. The question is whether or not they have House Bonney on their side, as well, not to speak of House Valior. I would say between two hundred and five hundred men, depending on those two houses and the size of the Yaguar army.”

 Raynor gulped. Those were many men. “And the royal army?”

 “The Royal Arms counts to nearly five hundred men in training, of which four hundred have been trained for years. We expect another hundred or two to be brought in for battle, but they were simply unable to leave their lands unaccounted for.”

 He frowned. “I did not think there would be so many.”

 Raymond led Raynor through a door to a small, private room. “The North has suffered great losses. Last winter was colder than ever, and their harvests have not been good. Meanwhile, the South has flourished, and the large generation born after the rebellion has grown up now.”

 The more they spoke, the more Raynor realized that he knew next to nothing of warfare. “Why did the population grow?”

 “Because of the rebellion,” Raymond said simply. “After times of war or starvation, the people tend to get more children for some reason.”

 Raynor chuckled. “Living life to the fullest?” he said suggestively. He clapped Raymond’s back. “Thank you for showing me around. I never thought I would be King, so I only took my time to learn what interested me - something I regret now.”

 “I was a second son, too,” Raymond reminded him. “I did the same.”

 “Well, I have to go now. The Lord of Eugene’s daughter is here to offer her family’s support officially,” Raynor explained.

 Raymond nodded. “Lady Amalia? She’s very beautiful.”

 Raynor lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, you noticed?”

 His uncle chuckled and shook his head. “I am too old for escapades, but I can still notice a woman’s beauty.”

 Sybil was waiting for him in the throne room when he arrived. Together, they walked to the thrones and sat down. An announcer step forwards. “Presenting, the Lady Amalia of Eugene,” he shouted as the woman stepped forth.

 Amalia carried herself with pride, her back straight and her face raised to face her King and Queen. Her dark hair was pushed back into a braid and she wore an emerald circlet around her head. Her face was long, her nose straight and her eyes wide and beautiful, and her full lips were curled into a smirk. It was a smirk that drew his eyes to her; it made him think that she somehow knew all his thoughts and desires, made him believe that she was playing with the thought of fulfilling those desires.

 “Your Grace,” she said, and her voice was clear for all to hear, but in a melodic way. It was as thought she sang every word, and still not. “My father sent me here, to offer his allegiance in the oncoming war.” She gestured around her as she spoke, drawing in the entire court.

 “Your house is small, but one of the oldest in this kingdom, and it has a considerable amount of influence in the Branches,” he complimented.