Power and The Queen

Chapter Thirteen. 🟢

Twenty years ago.....

"You need to leave now!" he said, scouting the area again.

They were everywhere. The soldiers had been chasing them for two days now. Artemis did not wait till they reached their hometown before she began showing her true colours.

"No, leave. Your child is to be brought to this world tonight." He told him.

"I am to serve you, so you should leave now. They will come soon."

"Then you have to come with me."

"They will find us. One of us has to stay. I want to be with my wife too, but you need to leave."

An arrow flew in their direction and many more followed. They were safe by the rock they leaned on. They have been discovered; he needed to leave now or they both die.

"Leave me here! Leave me Grathos! She made you kill the king," he yelled, not minding if he was heard. "when it was unnecessary, she made you kill your friend, your only friend. You gather that anger and leave me!"

Grathos' face fell. He was right. He tried not to think of what he did, but it was impossible. The false Queen made him murder his only friend with his hands.

"Elias," he called, raising his head."Today you are my friend." he said, and with that, he turned and left.

"Is he up?" He asked the healer that stood before him.

She nodded and left Grathos. He has been pacing since the boy arrived, or should he call him a man now? He nursed several arrow wounds and cuts. Grathos could not believe the boy had survived and found his way to the revolution. He lost track of Elias' wife years ago.

"What did you say happened in Medris?" he requested from the boy who followed him. Lord Septimus sat at the table with the boy as he ate. The boy raised his eyes from the bowl of soup it was buried in and swallowed hard. Grathos maintained eye contact with him, telling him he was waiting.

"Soldiers attacked Medris. They killed and injured whosoever fought them, even those who did not. Some men who my brother knew helped us get to the tunnels so we can come here to report. We thought we were safe, but there were soldiers at the end of the tunnel waiting for us. My brother had to fight 'em with little help from me. He directed me here even in his injured state till he found us." he ended, shifting his gaze to Lord Septimus.

"What order are you sending out?" Lord Septimus asked, not ignoring the scowl on Grathos' face.

"Send three message falcons. Tell the men to fall back till the soldiers leave. When they are gone, they should bury the dead and treat the wounded." he instructed.

"That part is for them," Septimus noted, a small smile playing on his lips.

It has been a while since he had fun with all the years he spent grieving and working as a prefect.

"What about us?"

"We hunt down the prefect of Medris and deliver him to the people."

"Sounds fair to me."

                       * * *

This was not fair at all. Cora thought as she landed on her backside for the umpteenth time. The captain was taking pleasure in her pain. She learned his name was Kaden, which she thought suited him. He dismissed the noble sons to concentrate on her alone.

"I did not think it was possible, but you have gotten worse." captain Kaden said.

The mocking in his voice was not hidden. Cora got up and dusted the comfortable attire she now wore. She memorized it to request her mother to make one for her. She had seen something like this before on the lady with the cloak who served the queen. It was a very simple leather tunic that fitted her from her neck and was loose from the waist down, along with black pants that surprising suit her. She wore leather boots with a little heel, which made her uncomfortable. She wore nothing else on her foot except scandals.