If you haven't read the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner and you think you might want to, be warned that my stories will spoil all the great plot twists in the books. I have written a few short fanfics for this series and I will be posting one chapter each Friday.
King Attolis Eugenides was a marvel. He had saved Teleus' life more than once, and Teleus respected him fervently. At the age of fifteen, Eugenides had stolen the ancient stone called Hamiathes' Gift and handed it over to his cousin to secure her position as queen of Eddis; at nineteen he had stolen the heart of the most fiercely independent woman in the known world; at twenty he had stolen authority over Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis; and at twenty-four he had stolen the entire empire of Mede, only to hand most of his power, like Hamiathes' Gift, back over to whomever he deemed the proper ruler of each province or city-state. His only dictatorial decree had been to abolish slavery (though it was going to be a struggle to enforce). Yes, the king was a marvel.
Teleus wanted to shake him.
Teleus had woken, ready for a peaceful orderly day at the royal megaron of Attolia, to find a small scroll on his nightstand. In the king's handwriting, it said:
"Captain, the queen and I are going on a vacation. We have Costis and Ileia with us, and we forbid you to look for us or worry about us, on pain of decapitation. Keep the megaron and the city secure. If we have not returned in two months, then you have permission to worry.
~ATTOLIS"
Teleus rushed to dress and stormed out of his room, swearing as he barged into Costis' room—empty—and then ran across a courtyard toward the king's apartments.
Their Majesties had not made any arrangements for this—their schedules were full of official meetings, and what was Teleus going to say to the Barons and Ambassadors who had traveled here for an audience? Then a worse thought occurred to him: could someone have forged the note, and kidnapped or assassinated Attolis and Attolia?
Surely not...Teleus clutched at reasons to dismiss the idea. First, there was the king's distinctive left-handed writing, and who else could have snuck into Teleus' room when he kept both his window and door locked?
Then, there was the unconquerable nature of both the king and queen. They would not have been taken noiselessly.
Then, there was Costis. Teleus had seen Costis speaking to Ileia, a pretty attendant to the queen, yesterday, and Costis had looked so thoroughly embarrassed that Teleus had assumed there was something going on between them...if only he had known it was a secret of a different sort.
Last, and most convincingly, there was the king's wretched sense of humor. Perhaps, just perhaps, the note was a joke and Attolis was still safely asleep in his room.
Teleus met Phresine in the hallway.
"Are the king and queen here?"
"No," she answered calmly.
"You were granted the privilege of knowing about their 'vacation' before they disappeared?"
"This last week Ileia and I have had the most unusual privilege of altering some of Attolia's old gowns into tunics and trousers."
Teleus tried to picture his queen in such clothing. She would still be beautiful—she could never be anything but beautiful, and she could never look as mannish as Eddis did in trousers—but it was still an odd idea. He shook his head.
"How long ago did they leave?"
"You aren't thinking of looking for them, are you?" Phresine asked wryly.
"No...but what are we going to do? Anything could happen—"
"You aren't worrying, are you?"
"Yes. Yes, I am worrying. I'll just have to hope he takes my head off quickly, and not with a blunt practice sword."