The Last Warrior Queen

Chapter 20

Halvor set a grueling pace and we made it to his castle within three days time. Castle seemed like an inadequate word to describe the structure. It was huge, bigger than anything I had ever seen.

The outer wall seemed to go on for miles, and it looked to be an impenetrable fortress. Set against a mountain, they only needed to defend three sides. The castle itself was against the mountain, but it was built in such a way that it looked to be part of it. As if the mountain had given birth to the great stone structure.

The castle was almost as tall as the mountain, casting its own large shadow over the smaller buildings below. When we entered there was loud cheering from thousands that was almost deafening. I was stunned at the multitude of people within the walls. Right before we approached the castle, Halvor made me dismount from Gunnar’s horse and ride with him. I’m sure it would have been embarrassing to show up from his wedding journey with his wife riding with someone else.

We were greeted by many servants and led to the banquet hall. It was much grander than I had expected. The stories I had heard of the barbarians were ones of ill-mannered people who had no idea about any comforts or luxuries. The scene before me showed a vastly different reality.

We feasted, with Halvor and I at the center of a large table. Running down the length of the room were several long tables where everyone else sat. I was introduced to multiple nobles, whose names I knew I would be expected to remember. The nobles all looked like warriors, and I soon learned that in order to be a noble, you had to prove yourself in battle. Titles could not be bought here and there was something reassuring about proving your worth instead of bartering for it.

There was also a woman seated nearby who was strikingly beautiful. She had hair so blond it was almost white, and piercing violet eyes. I wondered if she was the woman that was rumored to be by Halvor’s side constantly. I suppose I would find out soon enough.

Eventually Halvor stood up and everyone in the room stood as well.

“We will take our leave after such a long journey. Please continue to enjoy yourselves” Halvor announced. Everyone bowed and Halvor offered me his arm, which I quickly took.

He led me down a maze of hallways to a grand staircase. We climbed to the second floor and again walked down multiple hallways. I couldn’t believe how big this place was. Eventually we arrived at two heavy oak doors and Halvor pushed them open with ease.

The doors opened to an opulent sitting room with a large fireplace, fur rugs and luxurious furnishings. On each side were doors to other rooms. Halvor led me to the right and to my surprise the door opened to a bathing room with a large brass tub in the center. To the left was the bed chamber, which was just as opulent as the sitting room. It had a huge bed, two dressing tables, and a large desk. I noticed my trunk had already been brought up.

Halvor called for a servant to bring water for bathing and we each bathed separately. I lingered in the hot water, enjoying my first bath in a while. We both readied for bed in silence. As I climbed into the huge bed I felt as if I was laying on a cloud. I had never laid in a bed so soft. I had no trouble falling asleep almost instantly.

When I woke the next morning, Halvor was already gone. I quickly jumped out of bed and dressed, but soon realized that I had no idea how to find my way around the castle at all. I opened the door to the sitting room and found a maid standing near the fireplace.

She curtsied to me and murmured “My Queen.” I smiled at her. After an awkward moment she said “I am here to be at your service my Queen. Whatever you need, please let me know.”

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Olga my Queen.”

“Thank you Olga. If you could show me down to the dining hall for breakfast I would greatly appreciate it.”

Olga curtsied again and showed me the way. Along the way I passed the beautiful woman who was at the banquet the night before. She curtsied to me and before I could ask her name she was on her way again, quickly making her way down the hall.

“Olga, who is that woman?”

“Oh, that’s Gala. She helps the king with matters of war and strategy. She’s his witch.”

My eyes widened at the word witch. In the Southern Kingdom, witches were feared and persecuted. It was a shock to hear that word spoken so openly here. Her cold manner towards me made me think that perhaps she was also his mistress. I reminded myself once more that it was good to have some distance between myself and the king, and mistresses meant less time he would focus on me.

I saw Ann eating at one of the tables in the dining hall with Eric. I quickly made my way over to them. Everyone stood as I entered and bowed. I nodded in acknowledgement and went to greet Ann and Eric. Olga cleared her throat right before I got to their table and said “My Queen, your place is at the head table.” I glanced over to the large table Halvor and I ate at last night and made note that he wasn’t there.

“Ah yes of course. Thank you Olga. I’ll just say hi to my friends and then I’ll take my place.”

I continued to Eric and Ann to greet them before going to my lonely place of honor. Olga brought me a plate of cheese and fruit that was surprisingly fresh. Olga stood behind me, waiting to tend to my needs.

“Olga, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course my Queen.”

“What is expected of the noble ladies here? What do they do to occupy their time?”

“Ah, well most spend their time weaving or making clothing, training in combat or raising their children.”

I nodded, realizing why Halvor said that none of my skills at the nunnery would be useful here.

“After breakfast I would like to see the training grounds.”

“Yes my Queen.”

I ate quickly and Olga showed me to the training grounds. I was slightly surprised to see many women training alongside the men. And they were all quite skilled, which made sense for a kingdom known for winning battles. Many people were sparring and I could hear many issue challenges to others.

“Olga, what are all these challenges for?”

“A challenge is issued for a higher place in the ranks for warriors. A formal challenge may be issued for noble titles, but there are specific terms and it must be witnessed by King Halvor. Even his position can be challenged by anyone brave enough to do so.”

I gasped at her words, not realizing that was the case.

“And can anyone challenge me for my position?”

“Well sort of. You will always be Halvor’s wife, however anyone can challenge you for the title of Queen Consort and become a consort to the King. You would lose your right to sleep in his bedchamber and your place, but not your title of Queen. Unless of course you were killed during the challenge, then the challenger would become Queen and not just Queen Consort.”

“And do people often die during challenges?” Olga nodded and replied “They are challenges to the death, however for many challenges the opponents only aim to disarm, especially the challenges warriors issue for ranks.”

“And has anyone ever challenged Halvor?”

Olga laughed and shook her head. “Most don’t issue formal challenges for nobility let alone a king. The person who issues the challenge is forced to follow the terms of the person they challenge and the king would obviously make terms to his advantage. He is also the most skilled fighter here, so no one would be that stupid. King Halvor is a good king, so no one has a reason to challenge him. It’s usually only done for a poor ruler.”

I nodded and let out a small sigh of relief. I don’t know if I could handle the stress of worrying about challenges for my position every other day.

“So this is the queen from the south is it?” I whirled around to face the voice that rang out behind me.