The Last Warrior Queen

Chapter 21

I came face to face with a blond woman dressed in a fine gown with a smirk on her face. She was flanked by two other women who had the same mocking look. It was obvious they didn’t see me as anything more than a silly girl from the south. And they might not be entirely wrong.

“I am Queen Sylvia” I replied in a loud clear voice, hoping that I made it clear I would not be stepped on so easily. “What are your names?”

The blond in the center gave a slight curtsy and replied “Lady Diana, best woman warrior in combat, daughter of Goran.”

“Lady Gies, daughter of Vardan” the brunette on the left said.

“Lady Elsa, daughter of Pieto” the other brunette on the right replied.

Not wanting to make enemies on my first day I put a smile on my face and asked “Are you here to train?”

Diana laughed and said “Of course. Here in the north we train every day. Do you even know how to fight my Queen?”

“I know some self defense” I replied carefully.

Diana snorted and Gies and Elsa laughed along with her.

“What kind of queen do we have? One that can’t even fight properly? What a disgrace” Diana said. With that she pushed past me and made her way to the training ground. She and her friends disappeared behind a shed-like structure and returned wearing clothes more suitable for combat.

I watched them spar with each other for a bit, and I had to admit that they were all quite skilled. I made note of each of their weaknesses before turning to Olga.

“Let’s go and find Ann.” Olga nodded and as I turned I almost bumped into Gala.

“Oh, pardon, I didn’t see you there!”

Gala curtsied and with a cool expression she replied “A queen apologizes to no one.” I nodded, unsure if her words were intended to be hostile or not.

Before I could dwell on it, she said “I am Gala, Queen Sylvia. King Halvor’s top advisor.”

“A pleasure to meet you Gala. Are you here to train too?”

Gala shook her head. “I don’t work on the battle field, I do things behind the scenes to help win wars.” I nodded, not entirely sure what she meant by that.

“Are you here to train my Queen?” I shook my head.

“I am unfamiliar with the procedures, so I think it’s best if I observe for now.”

“A queen in this kingdom must always be ready to fight in order to protect herself, her family and her land. It would be best if you show any fighting skills sooner rather than later.”

I nodded “Thank you for your advice Gala. I will take that into consideration. I appreciate your help.” I gave her a genuine smile to show her that I really was grateful.

She smiled back and said “I think you could be a great queen. You are smart and thoughtful. King Halvor can be aloof and cold at times.” Before I could respond she curtsied and continued on her way. I wasn’t entirely sure if was really concerned about me, but I welcomed the advice anyway.

Eventually I found Ann, setting up things in a small house by the barracks. All married elite warriors had small houses just outside the castle by the barracks - but still within the castle walls. The noble warriors, like Gunnar, were granted rooms within the castle. I once again was amazed by how large this place was.

“Oh come in Sylvia!” Ann called as she opened the door for me. The house was small, but somehow seemed perfect for Ann and Eric. Ann led me in and we sat at a small table that was near the fireplace.

“So how are you settling in?” Ann asked.

I filled her in on my encounters so far.

“So do you think Gala is also King Halvor’s mistress?”

“I’m not sure, but she seems to want to help me at least. And we already know that Halvor probably has many mistresses. He’s too handsome not to.” Ann nodded in agreement.

“Well I hope Diana is stupid enough to challenge you. She needs to be put in her place.” I laughed and replied “Olga said that challenges to the nobility don’t happen very often, so I doubt your wish will come true.”

Just then Eric burst through the door and hastily bowed once he saw me sitting with Ann.

“My apologies my Queen, but the King is looking for you.”