Chapter 3
We surrounded the woodsman and demanded that he take an oath to serve me. The woodsman took the oath, but when we informed him that he would have to come with us, he balked. Turned out he had a wife and a sixteen year old daughter living in a cabin just off the road.
Like the woodsman, the wife was short and stocky, with gray hair and a weathered face. Their daughter was slim with long blond hair. She wasn't as beautiful as Salisha, having fewer curves and a wider nose, but she was pleasant enough to attract the attention of Zore.
Vomeir made the woodsman's wife and daughter take an oath to serve me, then had them unload the firewood from the cart and reload it with food, blankets, and anything else we might need. He appointed the woodsman to be our guide, his wife to be our cook, and his daughter to be my handmaiden. With that done, we continued our journey west.
"Is it wise to bring these people with us?" Sardis asked Vomeir. "The more our party grows, the slower it will move."
"Wiser than leaving them behind," Vomeir said. "Besides, the princess wouldn't let me kill the woodsman."
"Few would support a queen that kills the innocent," I said. "Fear her, yes. Support her, no."
We rode in silence for the rest of the morning, following the narrow road through the forest. Around midday, we left the forest and found ourselves overlooking a small mountain valley. The valley separated the forest covered hills that lay behind us from the rugged snowcapped peaks that lay ahead of us.
In the middle of the valley lay a village of maybe five hundred people. Like all of the cities and villages in Adah it was walled. The wall surrounding the village was made out of logs. Four soldiers manned the top of the wall, two watching the road that headed east, two watching the road that headed west.
"This isn't good," Vomeir said.
"You didn't know there was a village here?"
"I've never been this far west. I've hunted in the forest a few times, but never much beyond Cross Creek."
"Until today, I hadn't even gone into the forest." I looked at Vomeir. "How big do you think the garrison is?"
"For a village this size, a dozen men, maybe less."
“We could just circle around the village.”
“We could, but they'd see us. When Bedonna's men pass this way, the men stationed here might tell them about us. They could even send someone to tell her you passed by. Like it or not, you're going to have to talk to them, convince them to support you for queen.” Vomeir untied a bundle from the back of his saddle and tossed it to me. "You need to change, Your Highness."
I looked at what he tossed me, wrapped inside a wool blanket was a red velvet dress. "A dress? Vomeir, you can't be serious?"
"You have to make an impression on these people. Bedonna's already got the warrior look nailed down, so we must try for something else."
"Like stupid? Because that's what they'll think when they see me riding through the mountains in an expensive gown like this."
"If we can make them like you enough, they'll be more inclined to support you and less inclined to help Bedonna's men when they come this way. And they will come this way." Vomeir could tell I thought this was a dumb idea, so he continued. "If you want to defeat Bedonna, you must make the people love you, you must make them want you to be queen. Unless of course, you don't want to be the queen. If that's the case, there's no reason for any of us to be following you."
In truth, I didn't care whether I became the queen or not. I just wanted to survive. But I knew from history that princesses that just wanted to survive never did. They were always hunted down and killed. Like it or not, the only way for me to survive was to claim my mother's throne. "You think my wearing a dress will make these soldiers believe that I'm the best choice for queen?"
"No, but looking like a queen will make it easier for them to believe that you're the best choice. Plus, it will give you a chance to practice what you want to say to General Dacus and the Army of the West. If we reach the Western Palace, you'll need to convince them to support you.”
I collected Prentice, my recently acquired handmaiden, and doubled back into the forest to change. Once in the trees, I looked at what Vomeir gave me. In addition to a red velvet gown, there was a pair red silk stockings and a pair of red silk briefs.
I grabbed the stockings and briefs and marched out of the trees, holding the garments in front of me. "Vomeir, there is no way I'm putting this stuff on. Not out here."
Sardis, Miletus, and Derbe looked at me and grinned. I realized what I was holding up and quickly lowered the garments. At the same time, Vomeir dismounted and strode over to me.
"If you dress like a queen," he said. "You'll feel like one."
"This stuff is impractical." I preferred my cotton chemise and drawers, not to mention my warm wool socks.
Vomeir grinned and remounted his horse. "Nobody said being queen was easy."
I didn't expect the dress to fit me, figuring Vomeir had snatched it from Salisha's closet, but it fit perfectly. I knew the dress didn't come from my closet, which could only mean one thing. He had the dress made specifically for me. That meant he had been thinking about this, planning this, for some time.
The red velvet dress had an ankle length flared skirt, long sleeves, a scoop neckline, and a built-in corset that laced up the back. Gold lace circled the hem of the skirt as well as the neckline and the sleeve cuffs. The neckline was cut too low to wear my cotton chemise underneath, so I slipped into the undergarments that went with the dress. I felt naked in them, wearing only the skimpy silk briefs and a pair of stockings held up by frilly gold garters. By the time Prentice finished lacing the dress up, I was showing as much cleavage as Salisha usually did.
"Hard to breath in this thing," I muttered. I wasn't used to corsets. I didn't like them, I didn't need them, so I didn't wear them.
"It fits perfectly, Your Highness."
Prentice seemed delighted with her new job, but what sixteen year old wouldn't be excited, going from woodsman's daughter to princess's handmaiden. I wondered if she would be that excited if she knew about Bedonna. Probably not.
Not that I thought she was in danger. Bedonna would kill me and anyone that stood in her way, like Vomeir, Sardis, Miletus, and Derbe. Zore, Prentice and her parents were safe as long as they didn't get caught in the crossfire.
In addition to the dress and undergarments, there was a pair of red silk slippers, and a red velvet cloak. The cloak had gold lace around the hem and the hood.
I didn't have a mirror, but the red probably provided a nice contrast to my black hair and green eyes. I had a small turned up nose, high cheekbones, small ears, and a sharp chin. I wasn't beautiful like Salisha, but I wasn't homely like Bedonna. I had Prentice undo my braid, which reached just past my shoulders. For most of my life, I wore my hair short, not as short as Bedonna's stubble, but almost as short.
About a year ago, mother called my sisters and I into the throne room. There was no one there other than the five of us and her personal guards. One by one, she told each of us what we needed to do to become queen.
She started with Bedonna, lecturing her for a full hour on the need to temper strength with compassion. Salisha's and Iderra's lectures lasted nearly as long. She lectured Salisha on how inner beauty was just as important as one's outward appearance. She told Iderra that intelligence is wasted if a queen can't touch the hearts of her people.
When it was my turn, all she said was, "Lila, it's time to stop cutting your hair like a boy." I was mad at her for giving me so little of her time, for thinking I was so insignificant that nothing else needed to be said. Even so, I did as she said and let my hair grow.
Once I had the entire getup on, I looked at Prentice. "So?"
"You look lovely, Your Highness."
She had a big goofy grin on her face, but what did that mean? She was used to coarse wool skirts dyed in blueberry juice. I needed more objective opinions. Like the looks on the faces of the men when they saw me.
I strapped my sword back on--having to tighten the belt another notch because the corset had made my waist ridiculously small--then marched out of the trees. Vomeir and Sardis smiled when they saw me. Miletus's eyes widened. Derbe's and Zore's jaws dropped.
Okay, so maybe Prentice wasn't lying when she said I looked lovely. I wished I had brought some makeup with me, a little charcoal for the eyes, some rouge for the lips and cheeks. I just never thought I'd need makeup when I was running for my life. Salisha probably brought makeup with her and look where it got her.
"Much better," Vomeir said. "You almost look like a queen."
"Almost?" I was still angry over having to wear this getup, although the looks on the men's faces did mollify me somewhat.
"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.