Fire and Ice

CHAPTER 7

Queen Joselyn quickly made her way to her chambers to change her clothing, outside her doors was a guard holding her knives. Upon seeing her he immediately put his head down due to the amount of skin she was showing. She walked up to him and with his head still down he said “We retrieved your daggers as commanded My Queen.” She took her knives and responded with authority in her voice, “Thank You. I will need you to accompany me after I am presentable. Wait here.” “Yes my Queen.” He stated with his eyes still to the floor. Queen Joselyn walked into her chambers and straight to the fireplace. She placed a poker in the fireplace while she grabbed a bottle of laudanum. She unwrapped her bandage and tilted the bottle up taking two large gulps of the liquid. She then grabbed the poker, took a couple of deep breaths, then she placed the hot poker to her wounded flesh to cauterize it. The searing pain almost made her faint, but she held her screams in so as not to alarm the guard outside her door. She placed herbs she kept in her room around the cauterized wound and rewrapped it. Queen Joselyn managed with much difficulty to change into a modest Queenly dress. With the pain in her arm still killing her, she walked out of her chambers and met the guard. “Follow me.” “Yes My Queen.” The guard replied. Queen Joselynn and her guard that followed went straight to the chambers of the man who saved her life. She walked in with the guard, looked at him and said “I need to cauterize his wounds. You will have to hold him down.” The guard immediately responded, “Yes My Queen. Just tell me when you want me to hold him.” The Queen nodded as she went to the man’s right side. She saw blood had already soaked the cloth she wrapped around him. She placed two pokers in the fire and began unwrapping the cloth from the man’s side. The guard helped her lift him a little so she could fully unwrap him. After the cloth was completely off, she turned to the guard and said “Hold him.” The guard immediately complied while Joselyn grabbed a hot poker. She stuck it to his side but the man only winced in pain, trying to hold in screams. She placed the first poker back in the fireplace and grabbed the other one. The wound went down the length of his side and it took two of them to completely cauterize the wounds quickly. She stuck the second poker to the other half of his side completely closing the wound. Even though he was no longer bleeding she performed the same treatment to him as she did to herself. She grabbed fresh herbs, placed them on the wound, and wrapped it once again. After Joselynn was satisfied with the mending she turned her attention to his leg. She unclothed the wound and realized it didn’t need to be cauterized. So she applied fresh herbs and a fresh cloth. “Hopefully, this will help him” she thought to herself. She realized it had almost been an hour and she needed to meet Rowan in the court hall with her head advisor. She got up to make her way there when she stopped suddenly and looked at the guard. “Bring the rest of my advisors to the court hall immediately.” “Yes my Queen.”

Joselynn reached the court hall to find Rowan standing guard next to her head advisor with other guards along the main court hall. In a regal manor she took her seat on her thrown with her crown on her head. Court was tomorrow, but she appeared as though she was about to begin today. “We have the other advisors on their way, when they arrive we will begin.” She said to Rowan. “Did you put that man’s head on a pike?” “Yes my Queen. It is in front of the castle walls.” “Thank You Rowan.” The head advisor was unclear at first as to why he was summoned. He now was putting it together and became wide eyed with fear. “My Queen,” he began to say, but Rowan punched him in the face with the back of his sword, breaking his nose. “The Queen hasn’t spoken yet. Do not open your mouth.” The Queen looked down at Rowan and nodded. After a few moments, the rest of the advisors were escorted in by guards. Queen Joselyn stood and addressed the room. “I don’t believe I need advisors who try to have me killed and give me worthless advice. Slit all of their throats except for the head advisor.” Several guards immediately stepped forward drawing their daggers and slit all of the advisors throats except for the head advisor. Joselynn rose from her throne and walked down the stairs to face the head advisor. He was scared and shaking. Around him lay the corpses of his fellow advisors. The Queen stood in front of him and her eyes never left his gaze. “You were given an order not to send messages unless I was aware of them. You not only broke that command, but you also sent out a message to the King of Doran to formulate a plan to have me killed. Why would you commit treason against your Queen?” Her head advisor looked at her cold eyes and began to speak. “I don’t know what you are talking about my Queen. All I have ever done was try to help you.” “You do realize I left one of the men alive who were sent to kill me. He is no longer alive now, but before he died he named you specifically and how you told the King of Doran where I would be everyday outside the castle walls.” Her head advisor was sweating nervously but would not admit defeat. “He is a liar, My Queen and was put to death rightfully so.” Her advisor stated. By this time, the Queen had grown tired of hearing excuses and without any ounce of emotion in her voice she said to her Head Advisor. “Do you remember when I told you if you sent any more messages without my knowledge I would kill you myself? Not only did you still send a message to an enemy, but it was intended as a plot to kill me.” The Queen pulled her sword from her compartment in her dress. It was the first time her advisor seen it or even knew she carried one. “Now, I am going to kill you, and your head will also be placed on a pike.” With that being said she pushed her sharp blade through his neck and watched him fall. She stood there until he made no other noises and the life went out of him. “Rowan, place his head on a pike next to the man’s you interrogated.” “Yes My Queen, Rowan replied.” “The rest of the advisors can be buried.” “Were they aware of the message sent to the King of Doran?” Rowan asked. Queen Joselyn slowly looked at him and said, “I don’t know. But I won’t have to worry about a traitor if they did know. Hurry with his head on the pike. Have your guards burry the other advisors. There is still business that needs to be attended to.” Rowan nodded at the guards to take the other advisors bodies to burry while he took the head from the head advisor and ripped it from his body. Another guard retrieved what was left of the body and took it to be buried with the others. Rowan didn’t like seeing Joselyn like this. She has been like this before and it makes him uneasy. She is unpredictable and makes rash decisions. When someone has crossed her in a manner like this she will kill anyone she feels is a threat. The other advisors probably did not know about the plot to kill her, but they lost their lives anyway. Rowan, shook his head as he carried the advisors head to the pike. Thankfully, he is able to sometimes calm her down. He wasn’t sure he would be able to this time.

When Rowan returned to the court hall he found three messengers with paper. “We are sending out invitations to our allies for a ball to take place in 3 months. This should have already been done; it was a lack of leadership on my part.” The Queen said. Rowan looked at her then at the messengers. The invitations had already been written out and the messengers were awaiting their instructions. The Queen looked at the messengers and her look said it all. They immediately left the castle on separate paths to give the invitations to the Kingdom of Leonise allies. “What is it Rowan?” Queen Joselynn asked. He hesitated then said, “Joselyn I don’t like to see you like this. You have no emotion when you hand down your judgement. I agree with you about the death of that prisoner because he tried to kill you, and with the head advisor because it was his plan. But the other advisors may have been innocent, and you didn’t give them a chance to speak.” Josselyn listened and thought about what he said. The only thing she felt was hatred and the want for revenge. She tried to bring herself back to thinking like a Queen. Rowan was right; she let her emotions overrule her head. “You’re right Rowan. I should have let them speak. I wouldn’t have trusted their words though.” Rowan was relieved to see Joselyn was still there and hadn’t completely abandoned reason. “I am angry over what happened too. It is my responsibility to protect you and I didn’t. I’m sorry.” Rowan said with a lump in his throat. Joselyn looked at him and said, “Rowan, you were right and I was wrong. I should have let you go with me to protect me when I left the castle walls. You tried every day and I wouldn’t let you. From now on I will listen to you when you say you must come with me to protect me. I’m sorry I didn’t before.” Rowan was stunned at her words. “My Queen, I do want to protect you and keep you safe. I will not tell you to allow me to accompany you. I will still always ask for your permission, and hope that you give it.” Joselynn looked at Rowan and respected him more than she already did. She nodded and said, “I am going to check on the man who saved my life. Court is tomorrow. I may need a favor from you.” With those words she walked to the man’s chamber.

Joselyn’s arm was still throbbing in pain as she entered the man’s room. She tried to hold back her pained expressions as she walked to his bedside. His eyes blurred open a little, and she asked him, “What is your name?” He was barely able to get the word out, but he managed to say Marcus. “I want you to rest now Marcus. I will keep watch over you until you are better.” Joselyn then began redoing his bandages. She knew he was too weak to eat or drink anything, so she would wait until tomorrow. Marcus lay there and through blurred eyes saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. She was kind and he could hear her telling him she was going to watch over him and take care of him. He could feel her light touch on his side as she redressed his wounds. He was so tired, the last thing he remembered was an angelic voice telling him to rest. He fell back into a deep sleep with that voice in his head.

The next morning Joselynn went to check on Marcus. He was sleeping heavily and didn’t stir as she redressed his wounds. She was determined to make sure he was given the best care possible, even if it came from her instead of a royal physician. As Joselyn dressed the wounds on Marcus’s side she realized today was court. She didn’t want to preside over it; she wanted to be there in the event Marcus woke up. She was mulling this thought over in her head when she had a brilliant idea. She sent for Rowan. She knew it was unorthodox and had never been done before. It also may not be favored by her people, let alone other Kingdoms. They may see her as weak. However, she had other pressing matters. Rowan entered the guest chambers and Joselynn spoke, “You will be presiding over court today.” Rowan’s eyes immediately widened as he said, “Joselyn, I am not royalty nor capable of presiding over court proceedings.” Joselyn looked at Rowan and said, “I will explain that you will be hearing the cases and passing judgement. I will also stay with you for the first case. This discussion is over Rowan, you will do this job today.” Nervously, Rowan said yes My Queen.”