The Queen That Finds Ways Part 10
Chapter 10 Patience is a Virtue
The next week Ivara got crowned in a small ceremony with no royal guest, only the Tyrohlenic nobles were present.
Another week later congratulations arrived from the neighboring kingdoms.
And in between all this? Iona and Radek learned to handle their powers. Radek with more ease than Iona since she had to stay away from too much noise. Hers was curse and blessing in one in Ivara’s opinion and the glances she caught from the others stated the same.
At the end of week three a letter arrived with no known seal. It was on top of her correspondence of the day when Ivara sat down to answer it that morning with Wyborn on the other side of the table reading a letter from his mother. Most likely a congratulation to be Ivara’s Wayfinder officially now.
Without thinking much about it she broke the seal, made clearly with a signet ring she didn’t recognize, and frowned when she spotted only a few lines. Turning the paper around in her hand she froze.
“Iva?”
Wyborn had noticed her change in behavior right away, his blue eyes resting on her waiting for a response.
“This is from Odard.”
She heard his chair squeaking across the floor followed by his warmth behind her as she read the few lines.
To Her Majesty Queen Ivara of Tyrohlena, Blue Rose of Heln and Wielder of the Sunstar
I found myself quite surprised how fast you acted and how thoroughly you swept the floors of your castle. You found all but one who came back to me to report what happened.
I have to admit I underestimated how loyal your people are to you. A mistake I won’t do again. The time of hidden knives is over. I will gladly meet you on the battlefield when the time has come.
Yours sincerely
King Odard of Fenvil, Descendant of the Talons of the South
Pulling her lower lip in, she narrowed her eyes at the letter and read it again. Wyborn’s hand on her shoulder grounded her to be able to concentrate.
“What do you think?”, he asked as she put it down.
“First I want to know who is missing. Second, he tells me with this there will be no more conspirations against us because he sees me as an equal opponent.”
“You believe him?”
Her head tilted aside, she pressed a kiss on his knuckles and looked up.
“I do. As I said that day, he had a chance to kill me at the wedding. He didn’t. He seeks the game and wants me as his opponent. You read along?”
He nodded with a confused look in his eyes.
“Then you know he didn’t expect me to find the traitors so fast. He didn’t plan for you, Nynette and our friends to be part of this. All of you tilted the scale to my favor.”
Smirking Wyborn bent down and kissed her cheek.
“And that you are more Wayfinder than royal now.”
“Maybe I always was. I spent every free time with Aleera, Leandra and Iona, tried to learn from them just by watching until my mother caught what I was doing and did her best to prevent it.”
“And it didn’t work in the end.”
The amused tone in his voice let her smile a little as well.
“Thankfully and heavens be thanked for the kingdom. Otherwise, we would all be screwed now.”
“No, thanks the heavens we have you, our Wayfinder Queen. The one who stood on both sides, the one I love.”
A weight she didn’t even knew it was there lifted from her shoulders as he picked the letter out of her hand and put it on the staple of letter that would not need a reply before picking a new one and placed it in her hands.
“You keep the kingdom running and we keep you safe until the day comes we confront that so called king and show him what you are made off.”
The smile got wider on her face, and she pulled him down on his shirt to kiss him for real. When breathing became a need again, she chuckled.
“You know how to motivate me.”
“I learned from the best.”
“Nyn.”
“Nyn.”
Both laughed as she opened the letter that was sealed only with wax and no seal. The moment her fingertips brushed over the wax when she opened it, her body went stiff and she felt the dooming headache of a vision. Her hands grabbed the edges of the desk, and she closed her eyes against the onslaught of pictures.
Either she got slowly used to it or the vision wasn’t that strong. She saw a couple of Wayfinder training down in the castle’s halls with their powers under Radek’s watch, two twin girls about six watching with curious eyes, felt the weight of a child in her own arms, saw a young Wayfinder she knew was only twelve right now being way older and part of the group, Cadoc training a group of children under Serilsa’ laughter. The anxious glances to Aleera who kept watch on the door.
Then everything was gone. Ivara breathed in deep as if coming back from underwater and opened her eyes.
“Ivara? Another vision?”
“Yes, but…”
Her eyes fell back to the letter that initiated it. She picked it up again and read. It was from one of the women her dearest idiot cousins got pregnant. She had given birth a week ago and didn’t see herself to be able to raise twins.
Ivara didn’t need to know the rest. It was a plead to take the children and she knew it were two girls. Her first fosterlings. A serene calm came over her.
“Care to fill me in?”
A crooked, almost amused smile played around her left corner of the mouth.
“I just realized we have years to get ready. Odard won’t attack first because he won’t underestimate me again.”
Wyborn looked at her with doubt in his eyes and the slow though rising in his eyes she was getting crazy. Instead of an answer she gave him the letter.
“I know the twins are girls. And I saw them around Wayfinder training along with other children here in the castle.”
In disbelief, he shook his head.
“This vision thing will make me crazy one day.”
“I hope not.”
At the meeting with Kyohl the next day she told everyone about the letter and the vision and it was unanimously decided to take the little children in as fosterlings of the crown and start looking for a wet nurse, along to use the knowledge of the vision to plan and prepare accordingly.
Once the meeting was over Ivara still saw Kyohl shaking his head amused and went over to speak with him.
“You seem amused.”
“I heard the staff saying you feel more like a Wayfinder, but now I see they are right. Those last years among them shaped you into a different person.”
His soft eyes smiled as he spoke.
“It taught me I have the freedom to do what I think is right. I always thought my dear male cousins should learn to take responsibility.”
“Indeed, they should. What do you plan to do now?”
“Exactly what we planned.”
Her brows furrowed at his ask, but he gently shook his head and lifted it back to the letter she brought to the meeting.
“I mean about this, about your cousins.”
Her head followed his gaze and Ivara began thinking. Kyohl was right. Those man whores wouldn’t stop that was for sure.
“I will think about it.”
“I am sure you will find an appropriate way.”
The little hint of a smile on the old man’s face gave her an inkling he would love whatever she came up with.
In the afternoon she finally found time to spar a little with Aleera. It was a nice change from fighting against the others and would give her time to talk with her a little. Dressed in more comfortable clothes suitable for sparring she walked down the small training hall with Nynette next to her.
“You are glowing.”
Nynette’s statement made Ivara laugh and both their laughter filled the halls as they entered the small training’s hall where Aleera already warmed up. Two short swords laid ready on the side and gave Ivara the subtle idea this was meant to train her with swords a little bit.
“You have a plan?”
“I heard you focused on daggers which was smart so far but with a war ahead you need to wield a sword. Therefore…”
Aleera’s hand moved to the two short swords with a raised eyebrow.
“I know at least the basics, but I guess I need a refresh.”
“We will see. Warm up, and I can see how much you still know and how well Radek trained you.”
With Nynette’s help Ivara warmed up. The well-known motions and the calming stretch of her muscles started to put her mind at ease after the whole stress of the last weeks. Her whole being literally itched to move, to punch something. A part of her mind noted getting more equipment and maybe change the whole set up and relocate the trainings place to a different room with the number of Wayfinders at the castle.
When she picked up the short sword, she immediately understood why Aleera decided on them. It was a good compromise between the daggers she got used to and a sword. Weighing the balance in her hand she went on the matted area and rolled her shoulders.
“Alright, I am ready to get my ass handed.”
Aleera snickered at her and rolled the short sword in her hand.
“That is the spirit.”
Like Radek trained her, Ivara went into basic stance and waited for Aleera to do so as well. And then everything changed. The way Aleera attacked her was different from anything Ivara ever saw and ever got trained in before with the straightforward moves that made flowing curves to the side only to attack again. It looked more like a dance, a deadly one, nonetheless. The only thing she could do was evade every attack of the older one and parry those she couldn’t evade or dodge.
After the sixth attack, Aleera stepped back and smiled satisfied.
“Your reflexes are fast, and you adapted well to an unknown style. That is good.”
“I never saw you fighting like this”, Ivara stated a bit out of breath.
“Because you never saw me fighting with a short sword. The smaller weight and the reach allow a completely different fighting. I will teach you if you want, or we move on to a regular sword.”
“Teach me.”
That was nothing Ivara needed to think about. A small voice in her head sang to since the first attack. Aleera’s gaze went to Nynette and Ivara looked over her shoulder to find her girlfriend with an excited gleam in her eyes.
“I guess, I should get a third one.”
@abalonetea @writingamongther0ses @writernopal @dreaming-goblin @kitcatling @cljordan-imperium @eternalwritingstudent @ashen-crest @tabswrites
