Page 7 of The Forgotten Throne

“Go, Cass, I’ll deal with the rabble.”

“Thank you. I knew you’d have my back.”

The sound of cursing and growling behind me made me smirk to myself, knowing that Vasin could be intimidating to others.

“Your Majesty, are you sure you’re alright?” Izel asked as he walked beside me.

Glancing at him, I nodded. “No harm done other than being irritated I wasted so much time arguing with someone that wasn’t going to do me any good. I just snapped when he badgered me as if he wanted to provoke me into fighting with him. What good would that do anyone?”

“I should have warned you that there is a group of zealots among the people who believe we should choose our own ruler and break forever from the mercenaries completely,” Zan informed me. “Let me take you to the village hall where viceroy works. There are three of them who guide us as a people or handle issues that arise that cannot be handled between peers.”

“Please tell me they are going to be more willing to hear me out before they write me off.” I sighed as we approached a simple stone and wood building with a bell tower attached to it.

Zan turned his head in my direction and offered a comforting smile. “Lawrence and the others are good men who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Dragon Queen. They are our scholars as well as our leaders. You can’t advise the future if you don’t know the past.”

“I like these men already.” I grinned.

As we made our way up the few steps, a guard at the entrance nodded to Zan before he opened the door, allowing us to enter. The building was dimly lit by lantern light, making shadows dance on the walls. But instead of it being spooky, it was comforting. Much to my surprise, the building was a library filled to the brim with books and scrolls, along with desks for you to read at or work from. Already, I was fantasizing about getting lost in this place, discovering everything it had to tell me.

“I’m sorry, but we are not taking any more audiences for the day, but we will be of service tomorrow after eight bells,” a soothing voice called from somewhere in the row of shelves.

“If Thomas let them in, then it must be important,” another man said.

“Eleazar, if we make an exception for one then we will have to for all. These are the rules we have established, and we must follow them,” the first voice countered. “I’m sorry whoever you are but Thomas shouldn’t have let you pass. We will speak with you in the morning.”

Hearing the two men bickering made me smile and set me at ease. “What if the person is the Dragon Queen?” I called out.

There was a pause then the shuffling of feet as two men appeared out of the shelving, wearing robes with hoods covering their faces. The man in the green robe with gold stitching headed towards a set of armchairs by the fire where a man in a blue robe was sleeping.

The sleeping man spluttered awake, his arms thrashing about as he fought off his supposed attacker. “What the bloody hell, Lawrence? It better be important for you to wake me up after I just fell asleep.”

“Mathew,” Lawrence hissed as he pointed at us. “She’s here!”

In the course of waking up, Mathew had knocked his hood back, and I saw he was an old man with a wrinkled face and short white hair... well what was left of it. He shot to his feet with surprising ease for a man of his age and brushed out his robe before pulling the hood up once again, collecting himself. Then the two of them were joined by the man in the red robe who I would guess to be Eleazar before they approached me and fell to their knees in front of me.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor to be in your presence,” Lawrence said, his head bowed.

Shocked, I looked at my guardians, but Zan just shrugged while the other two seemed as caught off guard by the whole interaction as I was. Thankfully, I didn’t sense any danger from them. I reached out and touched Lawrence on the shoulder. “Please, there is no need for this, but I’m humbled by your greeting.”

Lawrence looked up at me, hope shining in his hazel eyes that didn’t match his weathered face and thinning beard. “I can’t believe you came. Zan wasn’t sure if you would, but we prayed to the gods they would guide you to your true place and destiny here.”

“There is much that I want to ask you and hope to learn, but why don’t we find a more comfortable place to do that,” I suggested, hoping they would listen to my request this time.

Thankfully, the three of them rose and pulled back their hoods so I could see their faces better. Each of these men had experienced a long and full life, but the glint in their eyes told me they weren’t to be underestimated. “If you will follow us, we can’t talk in the meeting chamber,” Lawrence offered, leading the way.

Chapter Five

Truth and More Surprises

The meeting room was an office of sorts with three desks and a small seating area with a couch and a few armchairs and a roaring fire to keep the chill out. I took a seat on the couch with my guardians standing behind me while the viceroy sat in the armchairs opposite of me.

“Are you hungry, thirsty? I imagine the trip here was a long one if what Zan told us is accurate,” Mathew asked, reaching a hand out to a bell on a small table next to him.

“Something to drink would be lovely. Flying always seems to make me thirsty,” I answered, giving them a smile at their thoughtfulness.

Mathew rang the bell and a few moments later a woman appeared, wiping her hands on her apron. “Working late tonight again? Do I need to make supper too?”

“Ann, if you could bring us something cool to drink for our guests as well as some bread and cheese to tide them over before dinner,” Mathew requested.