Re-edited this first chapter. I noticed I was repeating words. *shudder* I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next one! I've got this one all planned out so hopefully I'll update faster. Please review and let me know what you think!
As my escort and I approached the palace gates, a cry of "Identify yourselves!" came from the wall above. There are a lot of archers up there, I thought, more than there should be.
I drew a large breath and shouted in my deep voice, "I am Lady Cerri, ambassador of Tortall. This is my escort." I took one hand off the reigns and gestured to the ten armed men and women on their mounts around me. The men didn't move to open the gate so I continued.
"We are here on behalf of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet to give their regards to Galla's new queen," I told them. They still did not move and my neck was getting cramped from looking up so long. Finally, the guard who seemed to be in charge responded.
"Dismount and come to the gate, we will open it," he commanded. A tense few minutes passed as I weighed my options. Ahead of us was the palace wall which curved in both directions. To our left and right was a small forest filled with traps and behind us was a wide, paved road that led into the city. Either we turned around or did as this man said. It was foolish to do as he had ordered but on the other hand why come this far only to turn around?
"What do you think, Bogt?" I addressed the captain of my own guard.
"I believe they mean us harm, my lady. I do not think it wise to leave our mounts," he said. I nodded in agreement but I had their Majesties orders to worry about which made debating a waste of time.
"I must do my duty, Bogt," I said solemnly which was uncharacteristic for me.
"I understand, my lady," he signaled for his soldiers to dismount. I waited a second, steeling myself, before I dismounted myself. Thank the Goddess women could wear breeches now, I thought. I would not have the courage for my mission if I were wearing a dress in front of these men. I turned to my horse, Carrot, and patted her nose. Then I carefully slipped a small folded square of parchment into my breast band. At this distance, no one would have seen it from the wall.
"You are great men and women, friends too," I said looking around at all of them. "If we make it through this, drinks at the Dove will be on me for an entire week." A couple of them laughed lightly but they were nervous laughs. They knew when they chose this life that they might be sent somewhere and never return. I sent a prayer to Mithros that they, at least, would go home.
Cautiously, our group approached the gate leaving our horses behind. When we were standing in front of the gate, we heard the hoarse shouting of orders being given above. With a loud screech, the gate slowly rose. My heart beat loudly with each finger length it moved. It nearly stopped when the gate was above eye level and I saw what was waiting for us.
On the other side were thirty soldiers with swords drawn. My own guards drew their swords in response. Blood must not be shed, I thought firmly.
"Captain, have our men drop their weapons. We will not fight," I commanded. He looked about to refuse—leaving the horses behind was one thing but letting ourselves be overwhelmed? Slowly and with trepidation, he raised a hand and my guard dropped their swords. As soon as the last sword hit the dirt of the courtyard, the soldiers swarmed us. I struggled naught as they forced me to my knees and bound my hands behind me. I wondered what would happen now. Would they kill us or would we be brought to the Queen? I glanced around us and saw that we were not in the main courtyard that received foreign embassies, but a side one. We had asked the guards in the city which gate we should use and they had directed us to this one. It seems they never planned to greet us the honest way from the outset.
"Are we to receive an explanation for such rough treatment?" I snapped at the soldier who shoved me to my feet none too gently. He didn't answer. Instead he grabbed my shoulder and directed me to a small servant's entrance. Once we stepped inside I had no time to appreciate the coolness of the corridor we walked into. I was led in one direction while my guards went the other. I hoped they would be all right. I tried not to feel nervous without them. They could handle themselves in a fight, all I knew how to do was think and even that ability fled me at times.
The narrow corridor was dark and barren. There weren't even any windows. Torches were set along the outside wall to make up for the lack of sunlight. Each stretch of the corridor looked exactly like the last except for the occasional set of stairs or door. We passed only the odd servant and none of them would meet my eyes. They hurried along with their heads down and eyes averted. I thought longingly of the palace in Corus where the servants' pathways were alive and cheery.
As we walked, I considered the situation. Delivering that formal letter from the King and Queen to Queen Talis was only half my task. Actually, I wouldn't even say it was half. The Baron of Pirate's Swoop had told me that we might not be received kindly when we arrived. This was owed to the Queen's thirst for war. She was crowned after the death of her older sister, the previous queen, during childbirth. The child hadn't survived the ordeal and that queen's husband had disappeared soon after. It was discovered in a short time that Talis would not be the supporter of peace that generations of rulers had been. She made it her policy to gain loyalty through fear. I was sent mainly to see how her sudden inheritance of the throne would affect Tortall's relations with Galla. I was also to deliver a letter from King Jonathan to the general of the Queen's armies whom the Baron of Pirate's Swoop said was opposed to the new reign. In these circumstances, I wondered if I could complete either of my duties. The point of coming in here was to try, I reminded myself.
Sudden light made me blink rapidly as we walked through a door and out into a decorated and brightly lit main thoroughfare. The ceiling was higher than the length of three men and very long. The door we had just come out of was hidden behind a banner bearing the Gallan royal coat of arms somewhere in the middle of the hall. To the far left was an elaborate foyer and all way to the right were a pair of double doors that I assumed led to the throne room. So I was to see the Queen after all. This corridor had more servants running about but also guards positioned at intervals. So far, there was nothing impressive.
I was led right up to the elaborately carved, gold guilt doors and they swung open noiselessly with the help of two pageboys. Finally, something to admire, was my first thought as I was brought into the throne room. The room itself was nothing to gawk at but the windows that drew one's attention. The windows were all of colored glass with the summer sun shining through them. It bathed the floor and walls with light all the colors of a rainbow. I'm naturally attracted to shiny and pretty things so pulling my attention away was a fight. Eventually, I tore my eyes away from the sight and directed them towards the throne.
The woman sitting on it was noteworthy only for being what a queen shouldn't look like. Compared to Her Majesty Queen Thayet, Queen Talis was a crone. She had a smallish chin, full lips that would have looked pretty on any other person, a hooked nose, and large, green eyes that were bulging with anger. As I was moved closer I heard her furious voice echoing around the room. She was arguing with a man in an elaborate uniform. I could not see his face but I could tell from his posture that he was not afraid of the Queen's rage. I admired the man's ability to deal her obvious temper.
"Your Majesty, it will require another month at the very least to gather enough supplies for a force the size you are demanding," the man said in a tired, croaking voice. The Queen scowled at him. I thought it made her look better.
"If you have to raise taxes again, then do it! I want them ready in two weeks," she shouted. If they were talking about waging war then it must mean the spies were right, this woman was out for blood. I nearly laughed aloud, this woman wanted to start a war?
"The people can't aff-" the man cut himself off as he realized the Queen's attention was no longer with him. It was on me. Oh dear, am I supposed to deal with her now?
"You there!" She pointed to the soldier who was holding on to me, "Tell me, is this the Tortallan ambassador?"
The soldier nodded and brought me forward so I was standing in front of the dais where the Queen sat. I glanced at the uniformed man again and saw his eyes widen in shock. Then he adopted a peculiar look akin to guilt. This must be the general. I wanted to communicate with him but the Queen was watching. Maybe I would have the opportunity to give him the letter later. I looked back to the Queen who was examining me top to toe. I longed to tell her to mind her manners. However, being pert didn't seem like a wise choice.
"Might I ask for an explanation, Your Majesty, for the harsh treatment my companions and I have thus far endured?" I asked tentatively or what seemed like it. By now, I had already figured it out but I had a part to play.
"It's no secret that I do not wish to make peace with any of my neighbors and yet here you are. You are the only ambassador that has been sent since my coronation three months ago. I wonder, is there some other purpose for you being here?" She asked suspiciously. I schooled my face into an offended expression and then a nervous one when I responded.
"My only mission, your Majesty, was to give my regards to you on behalf of the King and Queen of Tortall. The letter they sent is with my horse," I said with a slight quiver. Truthfully, I was a tad bit nervous—just a little—but years of training used it to my advantage.
"I suppose they wish to persuade me to be a gods awful peace lover like my sister," she said with disgust. "No," she snapped, "I will show them that I am serious."
Ah, hear it comes, I thought. She was going to deliver her ultimatum. I knew what was coming before she even said it.
"At dawn, one day from now, I'll have you executed in the main square of the city. Then your spies can deliver the message. I'm declaring war on Tortall and I'm not negotiating," the Queen said with a laugh tinged with madness. I wasn't sure what to think. I may or not be able to get out of this alive. My only hope was that letter. I briefly considered trying to reason with her, maybe save my guards, but it seemed she wasn't quite right in the head. Just like me, the thought was bitter.
The soldier turned me around and pushed me out of the throne room. I didn't pay any attention to my surroundings after that. I was fighting hard to keep from panicking. We knew this could happen. The letter would come through. But if it doesn't…My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. The guard nearly tripped over me with the suddenness of it.
"Get up!" the soldier growled at me. He slapped my face with the back of his hand and my head whipped sideways with the force. My left cheek, where the blow landed, stung smartly and tears welled in my eyes. I struggled to my feet and we resumed our journey. I cried silently the whole way to the dungeon. Only for show, I told myself.
The dungeon was a cruel place. I could see it even through the blur of tears. There was a row of open barred cells along the right wall of the large prison and a cell with a big wooden door with a barred window set into it on the left. A low growling was coming from that one.
Down the center of the room were various torture tools and devices. The whole place stank to the Divine Realms and I retched on the ground in front of me, adding to the awful stink. That wasn't on purpose. I stepped over it and glanced back at the soldier. His nose was wrinkled in disgust as he too, carefully avoided it. He gave me a rough shove towards the bigger cell.
I was starting to feel a prickle of fear as the growling grew louder with every step towards it. Growling? I felt sure that I didn't want to be in there.
The jailer, a beefy man, got out of his chair next to the cell door and took out a ring of keys. The soldier took the binds off my hands while the jailer opened the door. I wanted so badly to run but the soldier kept a firm grip on me. Goddess protect me, I prayed. I was forced into the cell and the wood door closed tightly behind me.
"Oh dear Mithros," I whimpered. I was too afraid to be horrified that I was whimpering. On the other side of the cell was a griffon. He was heavily chained to the wall so I wasn't mincemeat just yet. The chain wasn't long enough to reach me by the door but it came close. Since the end of the chain was in the middle of the wall, I could sit down in a corner on either side and be farther out of reach. As soon as I got over the initial paralyzing fear, I did just that.
Determining that unless I rolled over and into his reach, I decided I could take a nap without getting killed. I wouldn't be able to sleep during the night so the rest of the day would have to do. The griffon didn't even matter. If I could sleep through a brawl at my mother's inn and a late night party at the university in the dorm above me, then I could sleep next to a hungry griffon. I closed my eyes and wished Gainel would bring me good dreams that did not include anything four-legged.
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