“ i am not looking for a husband. “ her voice was cold and stern, certain, leaving no place for debate, or so she wanted it to sound. but how could she, if she was but a young girl, aged barely sixteen, and every single one of the men that now stood before her believed they knew better.
“ as you wish, your majesty. “ one of the nobles spoke, lowering his head. “ but if i may, i do not believe it to be wise. without a king, cintra risks civil war… and you know how cruel civil war can be. especially to the civilians. “ the threat hung heavily in the air… calanthe knew what it meant. she couldn’t risk the lives of innocents, she could not…
she rode through the villages on her white horse, silver armor shining in the sun, reflecting in her ashen grey curls that now, after the battle, were set free. people left their houses to get a glimpse of their savior. their queen, their lioness. riding up a small hill, calanthe faced them finally. women, men and children. all staring at her with something that neared adoration in their eyes.
“ my beloved people… “ she spoke out, and silence fell on the villagers, they drank her words like she was a goddess. “ you are free of nazairian terror. they shan’t ever again kill your children, burn your houses and steal your crops. “ some women had tears in their eyes, she could tell. those were the mothers that lost their sons and watched their daughters defiled. “ you are all my children, and as i swore the day i took this crown before the gods, i swear to you now - as i am your queen, i shall protect you, every single one of you, and no harm will come to you. “
“ long live, queen calanthe! long live, lioness of cintra! “ the people begun to cry out and… gods, did it feel good. she slid off her horse, and turned to vissegerd. her loyal marshal.
“ how many did we lose? “ she asked, her tone sorrowful.
“ just three thousands, my queen. minimal losses. “
“ how dare you. these were three thousands of my men. good men. “
“ my queen, don’t bother yourself with that. our forces were equal, we were looking at losing at least twice that many. “
“ i want to hear no more of this. “ she huffed. “ each of these men, i want their bodies brought back to their families, for proper burial. and then, each family that lost their son, husband, father, whatever it may be, shall be rewarded a hundred ducats. that’s the least we can do. ” the marshal didn’t dare to cut into her word again, only bowed his head and left. with that, calanthe begun to prepare herself for a ride back to the capital, when suddenly someone pulled at her sleeve. she had to look down, for it was a little girl, offering her a sewn doll, old and dirty, so unlike the dolls calanthe used to play with as a child… this girl who had so little, was offering her her toy as a sign of gratitude… it took a lot to keep her emerald green eyes from watering, and she leaned a little closer, hand resting on the top of the child’s head, and she pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
——
“ gentlemen, i have decided to follow your advice… i will find a man suited to become my husband and… a king, to cintra. “ that word barely left her throat, lips curled in disgust. but they seemed pleased with themselves. fuckers. one day soon, she’d have their heads on a silver platter.
