Category: Queen's Thief
Rating: M
Couples: (at least mention of) Canon ones
Warnings: AU, potentially smut, Character death
Chapter: 13
Copyright: Characters & places © By Megan Whalen Turner, Plot & OC´s © by me
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"Ghasnuvidas is ailing noticeably now." Irene mused, reading some of the first reports her spies were delivering from the Mede Empire. Even in the outlying cities where they had made stops or set up, people were starting to whisper about the Emperor's poor health.
Considering how tightly the Medes controlled information, he probably was already in the grave with one foot. It almost made her vengefully happy. Politically it was also good news, since it meant that soon the Empire would be too busy with settling their new ruler to consider another assault upon the Hephestian Peninsula. With the previous defeat, they could hope that Naheelid's rise to power would be a rocky one at best.
"We will have to hope his heir isn't stupid enough to try and shore up his wobbly succession by winning a war." Eugenides was already on her bed, arms crossed under his head while looking at her. "History has shown that to be a precedent."
"I'll throw you at him if he tries." She chuckled softly. "He'd be closer than the Pentian King, no?"
"So, so, so." He chuckled as well, rolling over without breaking eye contact. "I thought I am indispensable and must be kept safe?"
"You survived getting blown up… a Mede castle in turmoil would be nothing." Putting aside the reports, she crossed the room to stand beside him, reaching down to card her fingers through his hair. "The Continent fears you after that threat you made to Yorn Fordad. It is only right the Mede Empire should learn to fear you just as much."
"Ah… my vengeful queen." He closed his hand around her wrist. "There is the terrifying Attolia I married."
She sat down beside him, smiling warmly down on her husband. "Worried you would have to carry the full weight of terrifying people now?"
"Perhaps..." A laugh bubbled forth from his chest, shaking the bed.
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There was still a stain of blood on the stones in the garden, she could see it even from the high women's walkway. The prisoner had been removed so that he could be treated and recover enough to actually stand on his feet by the time that Ghasnuvidas would succumb to his sickness. It was after all necessary that he could at least do that, which would still be something of a miracle if her uncle would continue deteriorating as quickly as he had been these last few days.
"Mistress?" The slave stood her obedient few paces aside, eyes demurely downcast as she spoke without having been spoken to.
"Yes?"
"Mistress has an appointment in a bit. If she wishes to fresh up beforehand..." Nahine threw one last look down into the gardens at that statement before turning to return to her quarters. For her brother's coronation-gift she had decided to make him a whole outfit, fit for the elaborate feasts of their court. But she could not leave the palace without a family-member to escort her and since her only family-member capable of doing so was he himself, she had to resort to summoning traders into the palace for the necessary materials.
Today there would be two traders for embroidery-thread and other decorative objects she could put on the robe when she finished sewing it together.
"Afterwards, go see how the Attolian is doing." She looked at her slave while changing her outfit into something more appropriate for guests, even if those risked death if their eyes so much as strayed anywhere near her. It was the principle of the matter. She just had to hope that the mercy she was showing the Attolian – even if done for purely selfish reasons – would be enough to keep her somewhat safe if and more likely when the wrath of the Gods truly broke over her family. But considering there would be a rather large fallout, she probably was not really doing anything that'd save her.
"As you command." If anything, what she was doing would just get her in trouble with her own family if they found out. Her uncle had very clearly intended to slowly torture the Attolian Captain to death, but her sneaky night-time care had allowed him to endure and survive. The moment one of them realized this, she might well be executed as a traitor.
But she had learned well to keep her emotions in check, so for now it seemed neither of them were anywhere close to that and now that Ghasnuvidas was practically on his deathbed, both were far too busy with other matters.
The matter of their prisoner slipped from her mind once the traders arrived and she spend most of the day fully focused on her project until her slave returned from wherever the prisoner had been brought – she didn't ask how the golden-chained woman had managed to find him without raising suspicions – and informed her that he was currently fighting off some infection, from what the physician had told her.
"He will not make the games, will he?" The only full sister of the future emperor groaned softly into her wrap. Gods have mercy on her…
She didn't ask for him, since that might well be succumbing to the infection and dying before he had to participate in the games, which would infuriate her family and probably make an even worse mess of things.