Princess Wars Page 4

  "You need one more thing." Vomeir reached into one of his saddlebags and pulled out a white cotton towel. He unwrapped the towel to reveal one of our mother's crowns.

  Mother had three crowns. The Battle Crown. The Emerald Crown. And the Ruby Crown. Bedonna was already wearing the Battle Crown, a simple silver headband with the royal seal engraved on the front of the headband and seven miniature swords that pointed skyward. The Emerald Crown was silver with a string of emeralds embedded in the headband. Instead of swords, it was topped by seven silver stars. The Ruby Crown looked like the Emerald Crown except that it was made out of gold and had a string of rubies embedded in the headband. Vomeir was holding the Ruby Crown.

  "Bless the gods, Vomeir! You stole the Ruby Crown."

  The Queen of Adah didn't choose a successor, but she did let people know who she thought was best suited to assume her throne. That was the purpose of the Ruby Crown. Whoever received it was not an heir presumptive, just an heir hopeful. Possessing it could be enough to tip the balance of power, assuming the late queen gave it to you. I'm not sure what stealing it meant.

  Vomeir slid off his horse and moved toward me. "You wouldn't want the usurper get her hands on it would you?"

  When he said the usurper, I assumed he meant Bedonna. I couldn't help but smile. Bedonna would have steam coming out of her ears if she heard Vomeir call her the usurper.

  When he reached me, Vomeir did something unexpected. He dropped to one knee and offered up the crown, holding it in both hands with the towel still underneath it. "Your crown, Your Highness."

  Sardis, Miletus, and Derbe dismounted and dropped to one knee. Zore, Prentice, her mother, and father, quickly followed suit. I had always figured that Vomeir and the other guards had joined me because they wanted to get away from Bedonna as much as I did. Now, I was beginning to think that they were serious about making me the next queen.

  I took the crown from Vomeir and placed it on my head, not so much because I wanted to wear it, but because I figured it was the easiest way to get these people off their knees.

  "Now you look like someone people would want as queen," Vomeir said, rising to his feet.

  The others stood. Sardis was smiling beneath his bushy mustache. Miletus was nodding approvingly. Derbe and Zore were still gaping at me. For my part, I felt like a little girl playing dress-up. "How long do I have to wear this getup?"

  "You can change back into your riding clothes on the other side of the village," Vomeir said.

  Zore brought the mare over and Vomeir helped me up. I swung my right leg over the mare's back, electing to ride like a normal person rather than sidesaddle. Everybody else remounted and we resumed our trek, heading down the winding road that led to the village.

  "My mother meant this crown to go to the heir hopeful. I can't believe you stole it." Vomeir didn't respond to my comment. "And what am I suppose to say to these people?"

  "Whatever you think is appropriate. I can't tell you how to be a queen. All I can do is encourage you to look and act like one."

  "I'm not sure I know how to be queen."

  “Then let us hope you learn quickly."

  "Because?"

  "The people will not accept Iderra as queen and Bedonna will destroy everything your mother has built. Like it or not, you are Adah's only hope."

  "No pressure there," I said.

  Vomeir smiled. "Just be yourself, Lila. It will be enough."

  We were about to find out if it would be enough, because we had reached the village. The eastern gate was open, allowing us to enter the village. Vomeir rode ahead and said something to Sardis. Sardis rode to the far end of the village, shouting, "Make way for the Queen of Adah."

  To say that he attracted the attention of everybody in the village was an understatement. By the time we reached the center of town, old and young alike had turned out to see what was going on.

  Eventually, the commander of the local garrison approached. He was a burly man with bushy black hair and an equally bushy beard. His uniform was identical to Vomeir's except for the fact that his helmet and breastplate were brass instead of silver. "I'm Botek, commander of the garrison stationed here and that's not the queen."

  "Queen Bella is dead," Vomeir said. "This is her youngest daughter, Lila."

  "That may be so. But who chose her to be queen?"

  "You will. If you're smart."

  "What about her sisters."

  "What know you of her sisters?" Sardis asked Botek.

  "There's a good looking one, a skinny one with a big nose, and one that's as ugly as me."

  The crowd laughed. I sat there trying to look regal. I'm not sure what looking regal meant other than keeping my chin up and not picking my nose.

  "What if we want the other pretty one to be queen?" Botek said.

  "She's dead," Vomeir said. "Killed by the ugly one."

  "You have three choices," Sardis said. "A skinny girl with a big nose that cannot look you in the eyes when she talks to you. A big ugly girl that wants to make war on the Dark Wizards of Sorea. Or a beautiful, intelligent girl that will listen when you speak."

  Botek pushed past Sardis and Vomeir and marched up to me. He looked me in the eyes, and said, "You ain't crazy are ya?"

  "Not crazy enough to make war on the Dark Wizards of Sorea."

  "You ain't gonna raise taxes?"

  "I have no plans to raise taxes."

  "What you doin up this way? How come you ain't in the city talkin to them?"

  "We ride to the Western Palace, where we hope to rendezvous with the Army of the West."

  "And then you'll come back and get rid of the big ugly one?"

  "Then I will come back and get rid of the big ugly one." After what Bedonna did to Salisha, I had no problem calling her the big ugly one.

  "The big ugly one wants to raise your taxes and declare war on the Dark Wizards of Sorea," Vomeir said. "Is that the kind of queen you want?"

  The crowd didn't even think about it, they just shouted a resounding no.

  "Soon you will be able to judge for yourselves," Sardis said. "The big ugly one's men will pass this way, and when they do, you will get a taste of what she would be like as queen."

  "And you will not like it," Vomeir added. "And then you will know there is but one choice for queen."

  I looked at Botek. “Will you and your men take a oath to support me for queen?”

  “There are only six of us stationed here, but we will take an oath to support you.”

  Botek took the oath. Each of his men stepped forward and did the same. The last of his men were as close to giants as I had ever seen. A good head taller than Botek and twice as husky. They had bushy brown hair, which stuck out from beneath their brass helmets. They were both clean shaven and had identical faces, with bulbous noses and deep-set eyes. I figured they must be twins.

  Botek introduced them as Solek and Tolek.

  Solek stepped up to me and kissed my ring. "Queen Bella is dead. Long live Queen Lila." His voice was so deep that it was scary.

  "Your support is acknowledged and appreciated," I said. "We shall not forget you when we assume our place on the throne."

  Solek didn't let go of my hand, didn't step aside. He just stood there holding my hand in his giant mitt and staring at me. For a few seconds I wasn't sure what he was doing, then it hit me. He was looking down the front of my dress. He was tall enough to do it, even with me on horseback.

  I wasn't sure what to do, finally Botek stepped forward and swatted him on the back of the helmet. "That's enough gawken. Try to remember that's royalty you're staring at and not some barroom trollop."

  Tolek stepped forward, took his oath, and did his share of gawking. Botek swatted him on the head and he stepped back.

  Becoming one of the queen's consorts was a dream harbored by many of the young men of Adah. For years, men had lined up to serve my mother in hopes of becoming one of her consorts. I just didn't expect them to look at me the way they looked at her. Of course,
Solek and Tolek didn't seem like the sharpest tools in the shed.

  “Would you like us to accompany you on your journey, Your Highness?” Botek said.

  “They might come in handy,” Vomeir whispered. “Especially if Bedonna's men manage to run us down.”

  “The presence of you and your men would be most welcome,” I said to Botek.

  “You heard her boys, load their cart full of supplies, gather your gear, and mount up. We're heading west.”

  Solek, Tolek, and the other three soldiers disappeared for a few minutes then reappeared on their horses. Solek and Tolek rode two of the biggest draft horses that I had ever seen. The other three soldiers rode normal sized horses.

  "The villagers have loaded your cart with supplies," Botek said, reappearing on horseback. "But they do have one question."

  "What's that?" I said.

  "What do they do when the ugly one's men pass this way?"

  "Don't be here," Vomeir said.

  "The captain is right. Perhaps they can post a couple of boys up in the forest. When my sister's men approach, they can wave a flag, warn the village of her coming. Then everyone can hide in the forest."

  "They won't waste time searching for anyone," Vomeir said. "They'll simply take what they want and move on."

  With six new soldiers to support me, and the woodsman's cart loaded with more supplies, we continued our journey west. The villagers would either tell Bedonna's men about us or they wouldn't. If they remained quiet, we might reach the Army of the West safely. If they didn't, Bedonna's men would probably run us down and kill us.

  When we reentered the forest, I told Vomeir that I wanted to change back into my riding clothes. Vomeir signaled to Sardis at the front of our party. Sardis raised his hand and called for everyone to halt. Zore took the mare's reins while Vomeir helped me dismount. Prentice gathered my riding clothes and the two of us disappeared into the trees. I changed back into my riding clothes and gave Prentice custody of the dress, cloak, and silk undergarments. I returned the Ruby Crown to Vomeir for safekeeping.

  Vomeir wrapped the crown in the cotton towel and slipped it back inside his saddlebag. "You sure you don't want to wear it?"

  "It doesn't go with the livery of a servant."

  "Just for the record. I didn't steal the Ruby Crown. Your mother gave it to me."

  "Why would she give you the Ruby Crown?"

  "A few weeks ago, she called me into her suite, and said, 'I understand you have decided to support Lila when I am gone.' I said that was true. At that point, she handed me the Ruby Crown, and said, 'Make sure she gets this.' Then she made some comment about you finally having enough hair to keep the crown from falling about your eyes."

  Now that I thought about it, how else would Vomeir have gotten the crown? Mother kept the crowns in her suite, which was always protected by her personal guard. There was no way Vomeir could have stolen it.

  I suddenly realized that mother had decided who would get the Ruby Crown a full year ago. The day she called us into the throne room. The day she lectured the others on how to be queen. The day she told me that it was time to let my hair grow.

  A long forgotten memory came rushing back.

  We were still girls at the time. Bedonna was twelve. Salisha was ten. Iderra was eight. And I was six. We were in mother's suite, watching her get dressed for some ceremony. When she put on the Emerald Crown, Bedonna pointed to the Battle Crown and asked her why she wasn't wearing that one. Mother explained how it was to be worn only in a time of war. She told us that she hated the Battle Crown because of what it stood for.

  "I pray that none of you ever has to wear it," she said, flashing a sad smile. "I pray that none of you will want to wear it. And I weep for the one that does."

  Salisha then pointed to the Ruby Crown and asked why she didn't wear that one. Mother smiled, another sad smile. "That is for the heir hopeful. My mother gave it to me, and one day, I will give it to one of you."

  Bedonna and Salisha started to fight over the Ruby Crown, but mother chased us out of her chambers. "Do not be in a hurry to wear that crown, my darlings. The day one of you receives it will be a sad time. A very sad time."

  When we reached the door, mother knelt down and looked us in the eyes. "I want the one that gets that crown to remember this day, to remember when we were a family. When we loved one another."

  "You're crying," Vomeir said, bringing me out of my reverie.

  "Yes." He didn't ask me why I was crying and I didn't tell him. I just mounted the mare and we continued our journey west. I wept as I rode, not trying to stop the tears. I wept for the mother I had lost. I wept for the sisters I was losing.

  Chapter 4

  The Pass of Nod was a narrow valley that wound its way through the mountains. It was less than a mile wide, with tree covered mountains on both sides, mountains that were too steep to ride a horse up. Waist high grass covered the rolling floor of the pass, broken only by a narrow dirt road that wound its way through the middle of the pass. Like the road through the forest, it was just a pair of wagon tracks with grass growing between them.

  When we reached the pass, Vomeir raised his hand, signaling everybody to stop. "We'll make camp here. The horses need rest and there's plenty of grass for them to eat."

  I had never been this far west, but I knew from my geography lessons that the pass was fifty miles long. At the end of the pass the mountains turned to rolling hills. Not rich green hills like the ones we had just traveled, but dry brown hills. On one of those hills sat the Western Palace.

  Like the Summer Palace and the Winter Palace, the Western Palace was built by Issus Bodica Haran, the third Queen of Adah. She constructed so many buildings in the forty years she sat on the throne, that she earned the nickname Issus the Builder.

  From what I had read, the Western Palace was smaller than the other two palaces. Surrounding it was a fort that housed the Army of the West. No queen had been there in over one hundred years, mostly because no queen wanted to make the journey just so she could sit in a too hot house on a dusty brown hill.

  While the others dismounted, Vomeir rode up to me. "Have you had any more visions? Of what lies ahead? Or of Iderra?"

  "No visions."

  Iderra would be lot harder to find than Salisha. She was smart enough not to take refuge with people Bedonna knew. It wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't in Morcesha at all. She certainly wouldn't run to the handsomest man she knew like Salisha had. She would have an intricate plan, a plan that she had put a lot of thought into. Iderra was more interested in saving her life than becoming queen. She was perhaps the only Adan princess in history that was smart enough to survive without ever sitting on her mother's throne. I hoped she did because she was my favorite sister.

  While the rest of us made camp, Vomeir conferred with Sardis and Miletus. Miletus turned his horse around and disappeared back into the forest. Sardis went galloping on ahead.

  "Where did you send them?" I asked Vomeir.

  "I sent Sardis to scout ahead and Miletus to double back, make sure no one is pursuing us." Vomeir smiled. "It's not that I don't trust your visions, Your Highness. It's just that I'm used to doing things a certain way."

  "Understood."

  The sun was setting behind the mountains, casting long shadows on the knee high grass. The woodsman was building a campfire and his wife was unloading pots from the cart, preparing to cook dinner. Zore was attending to the horses, unsaddling them and rubbing them down while they grazed on the deep grass. Prentice was hovering by me, waiting to see if I needed anything.

  "Why don't you help your mother." Prentice curtsied and hurried off to help her mother.

  "Peaceful out here," Vomeir said. He removed his helmet and breastplate and laid them on the ground, but kept his sword strapped around his waist.

  I was about to answer him when I had another vision. Miletus was in the trees, checking the road we had just covered when he came upon thirteen armed men. He drew his sword, but their swords
remained sheathed.

  "We mean you no harm." The leader of the men had a neatly trimmed gray beard and short gray hair. He wore the same gray breeches and green tunic as Miletus, but his breastplate and helmet were gold, as were those of his men. "We search for the heir hopeful."

  I recognized the man. It was Patera LaCere, Captain of the Queen's Guard and one of mother's favorite consorts.

  "What makes you think the heir hopeful is out here?"

  "Do not take us for fools," Patera said. "Rather take us to the heir."

  "You will go no further until you state your business with the heir."

  "We are here to carry out the final command of Bella Justine Haran, the twelfth Queen of Adah."

  "And what was that command?"

  "Defend the heir hopeful."

  Miletus studied Patera for a second, then sheathed his sword and turned his horse around. The vision faded and I found myself back at camp.

  Vomeir recognized the look that came over me. "You've had another vision."

  "Yes."

  "Good or bad?"

  "A little of both." I had no doubt that mother's final order to her personal guard was to defend the heir hopeful. Although I wasn't quite sure how they found us. They must've followed us. It wouldn't have been too hard to pick up our trail. If they left the palace right after mother died, we would've had less than an hour's head start. It was also possible that mother told them what I would do. She seemed to know her daughters better than we knew ourselves.

  While Patera's sword, as well as those of his men, were a welcome addition to our party, I wasn't looking forward to having him and his men around. They were used to a queen that was beautiful and intelligent. There was no way that I could live up to the standard my mother had set. She wasn't known as Bella the Beloved for nothing.

  "I don't understand," Vomeir said.

  "Miletus has encountered the queen's guard. Apparently, she gave them an order to defend the heir hopeful."

  "How did they find us so quickly?"

  "Mother probably told them which way I would go. She always knew what we would do before we ever did it." I signalled Prentice, who hurried to my side. "I need to change into my dress."