Izzy gave me a brown cape, like hers. She led me through the city. I noticed how people’s gaze slipped off her. She moved like a shadow. Trailing behind her, I wasn’t doing as good a job of staying unnoticed, but almost. People didn’t pay me much attention.

  We walked toward the castle but in stead of going in the main gate we went to the side, to a gate I had not really noticed before. The people using this gate were all commonly dressed, and all seemed occupied with mundane tasks. We walked in alongside a cart of freshly undered linens.

  She walked with me all the way to my room. I lowered my head any time we passed by anyone. Finally we went to my room, where no-one was standing guard. I wondered where Alvar was.

  “Well here we are, Your Majesty,” she said. “I hope you can get some rest today.”

  “Thank you, Izzy,” I gave her a tired smile.

  “Oh, and I forgot to bring you the potion,” she said frowning.

  “It’s fine,” I took her hand. “I don’t know if I’ll need it anyway.”

  Adora had pnned to prepare a rge batch for me to use with Alvar in our days on the ship and first few weeks in the Midway Isles, just so that we wouldn't have any extra things to worry about. Now it was seeming like we would never go after all.

  I closed the door behind me and sat down on the bed.

  Alvar had killed Plinius. He had done it for me. His blood was on my hands. Now Alvar and Titius were fighting, and probably one of their blood would be on my hands as well. I wanted to weep, but I was too tired. I took off my clothes, and gently pced them on one of my chairs. Then I crawled in to bed. Soon one of my dies in waiting would come to wake me up.

  ***

  I was walking through a forest. The trees were unlike any I had seen before. They had massive, lush leaves, and were a lighter green than I was used to. The weather was warm, but I could feel a refreshing breeze blowing in from the ocean. I could hear the sound of my feet cracking on the gravel path, but I couldn’t really feel myself walking. I was holding a basket, in it were empty bottles and empty cups made of a light tree-like material. My arms were bare, and brown.

  I walked up to a pretty little cottage. The door was torn off it’s hinges. I walked faster, trying to see what was happening inside.

  I heard a shout and some crashes. I dropped the basket, now running towards the door. Inside I saw Titius and Alvar, fighting a bloody fight. Titius had a sword, but Alvar only a kitchen pan. I shouted.

  They looked towards me. They were both older, with greying hair and wrinkles. Alvar had a strong tan.

  “Talia!” Alvar called.

  As he did, Titius slit his throat.

  The blood ran down his neck and all over his white shirt. As he bled out he reached his hand towards me. Titius ran past me and away.

  ***

  “Your Majesty,” Lady Agatha was gently touching my shoulder. “It’s time to wake up.”

  I nodded, and sat up slowly. I sat on the bed for a while, staring at the covers in front of me, trying to make sense of everything. My mind buzzed.

  “Yes, sorry Lady Agatha, I slept poorly st night,” I mumbled.

  “Your room smells like smoke, did something happen?”

  “No, I mean I just had the firepce on.”

  “It smells more intense than that.”

  Perhaps it saved me that I was too tired to get nervous, I just looked bnkly at her kindly, wrinkled face. She met my gaze with her round, sky-blue eyes.

  “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter what it is,” she said. “You have a long day ahead of you. You have to take over a lot of the coronation pnning, since the king will be pnning his brother’s funeral.”

  “Right of course,” I yawned. “Sure.”

  As my hand came out from under the sheets she saw the bandage on it.

  “What’s that?” she asked. “Did you hurt yourself, your majesty?”

  “Oh, yeah I guess.”

  There was brown blood crusted on the outside of the bandage, but when Lady Agatha opened it to tend to the wound, it had already closed into a strange pink scar that looked a bit like a butt hole.

  “How strange,” I muttered.

  “Very strange indeed, Your Majesty,” Lady Agathe said sternly.

  Lady Agatha didn’t say anything more about it. She helped me get dressed. Since the day contained a lot of outward facing duties, I had to wear pretty stiff and formal clothing. As she helped me get dressed I asked her:

  “You and the king have been spending a lot of time together tely. What do you two even do together?”

  She smiled softly.

  “You’ll find out soon enough, Your Majesty.”

  It was a vague reply, but I was too tired to press it.

  ***

  Lady Agatha probably did more of my duties that day than I did. She chose decorations, went over menus and organized purchases of wine for the common folk. As with our wedding it was expected that the common people would have days of celebration as well on our coronation.

  I went through the day in a haze, just waiting for a moment to rest. After a long day of pnning and decisions I could finally have a little nap before dinner. I dreamt that I was walking through a lovely forest, but all around me Plinius’s guts slithered like snakes.

  **

  Virtus beamed at me as I walked in to the dining hall for dinner that night.

  “My love, I’m so happy to hear that you’re better,” he said softly as I sat down beside him.

  “What?” I mumbled.

  “Your digestive troubles,” he whispered to me.

  “Right, of course! Yes, I’m much better thank you.”

  He smiled.

  Dinner was served, and we chatted away. It was nice to hear his voice. After dinner he stood up at the same time as me. We walked into the hallway together, where we were alone. He slipped his arm around my waist from behind and whispered in my ear:

  “Will you come with me to my room tonight?”

  I felt the warmth of his body at my side.

  I thought it would be wiser to say no. Maybe Alvar would come to my room tonight after all. Virtus kissed my cheek. His lips were soft, warm, electric.

  “I don’t know,” I said softly. “I’m still a bit tired.”

  He ran his thumb over my back softly.

  “We can just sleep,” he murmured.

  I chuckled.

  “I don’t think that’s what you really want.”

  “No,” he said with a pyful smile. “But you are my commander. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

  “Let me sleep in my own bed just one more night.”

  “All right,” he smiled. “If I can join you.”

  I ughed.

  He grabbed me and kissed me. He held me tight, but his lips were gentle on mine. His fingers pyed on the small of my back. Someone walked past. It was old Baron Rangon, who gave us a shocked look. We both ughed. Then I kissed him. I held my arms around his neck and suddenly he picked me up.

  “Let me gooo!” I ughed, and held on to his shoulders with my arms so that it would be easier for him to carry me.

  “Never! I’m taking you with me,” he said in a pyful tone.

  He carried me all the way to the stairs, where he had to put me down. He panted as he put me down.

  “Oh, no, you’re out of breath. Am I so heavy?” I asked.

  “No, you’re light as a feather, I’m just getting old,” he smiled.

  “Poor old man,” I stroked his face with my hand and he kissed me again.

  He held me from behind as we walked up the stairs, pausing once in a while to kiss the back of my neck. Finally we were at his room door, with Sir Hallio standing guard outside it.

  “Wait a minute,” I smiled. “I didn’t pn to come here.”

  “Too te,” Virtus opened the door.

  I squealed as he picked me up and carried me inside.

  He carried me into the room and put me down on the bed, my legs bent at the knee as they hung down from it. He crouched between them, pushing up my skirts. He pushed his head under my skirts and between my legs. My thighs softly clenched around his head, and his beard and hair tickled me.

  He started to lick me, holding my hips with his hands. I grabbed the sheets at my sides. He continued, pying alternatively with my clit and the sides of my lips. It was frustratingly good.

  “Come oooon, don’t tease me like this,” I moaned.

  He stopped and wiggled his head out from under the big ruffles of my skirt. I looked down to see a cheeky smile from behind my big fluffy skirt.

  “Like what,” he grinned.

  I grabbed his head with my hands and pulled it back between my legs. He ughed as I did it. He started again, seriously this time. I felt the tension building and I grabbed the sheets again.

  “Yes, yes, like that,” I moaned.

  He took the cue and kept going exactly the same way as the tension built up. The heat started where he was licking me, and built up there until suddenly it erupted through my entire body. The sensation took me by such surprise that the air stuck in my throat in stead of producing a scream like it usually would. Then the heat subsided, and a soft tingling sensation remained.

  Virtus paused.

  “Did you come?”

  “Yes,” I moaned.

  “That’s good, but you were unusually quiet.”

  I cmped my legs pyfully around his head. He moved out from under the skirt and on to the bed on top of me. He bent down to kiss me and his lips tasted sour, but not bad. He ran his hand up the side of my body, but I could barely feel it because of my stiff embroidered dress.

  “I’m sorry darling,” I murmured. “It’s going to be a pain to take this thing off.”

  It was. We had to fully stand up, and Virtus had a difficult time even understanding the complex knots Lady Agatha had put in pce to keep the dress on and sitting correctly. We ughed and teased each other as we struggled with the puzzle that was the dress until finally we were able to deconstruct it and pce it lying on the couch in his room. We got him undressed with much more ease. Then I was just wearing my chemise, and he only his underpants. Virtus leaned in for a kiss again, and this time I could feel the erection pressing against my belly.

  We moved back to the bed where he y me down again and moved on top of me. His weight felt comforting. We started to kiss again, and he shuffled his underpants off.

  “Are you ready?” he whispered.

  I nodded.

  He pushed inside me. It felt hot and good. I moaned. His hand wandered up to my breast and he kissed me on the lips. He started to move, and I moaned again. I felt extra sensitive after the orgasm. His hand pushed up my chemise, and our bellies were flush together. He thrust again and again building up tension between us.

  I felt pyful, so I pushed his shoulder, rolling him over on his back. He grabbed my hips as he rolled, so I moved with him until I was on top. I smiled.

  “You’re dangerous,” he chuckled.

  I put my hand over his neck.

  “And don’t you forget it.”

  I kissed him, my hand still on his neck, and then I started moving on top of him. First I did it slowly, moving back and forth over his hips, then I moved up and bounced up and down. He moaned:

  “Let me see you darling.”

  I pulled off my chemise, letting my body be lit by the light of the firepce.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  I couldn’t reply. All my thoughts were consumed by the feeling of him hardening even more inside me. He was close, but so was I. I bounced faster, letting my breasts jiggle and let go of everything. We came together this time, moaning in unison as his hot come filled me.

  Then I let myself sink down to lie on top of him. He pulled out and I wiped a handkerchief between my legs, but we stayed lying like that. Me with my legs spread on top of him.

  There was a knock on our door.

  “Sir Hallio, please open the door!” Virtus called, as he stroked my naked back.

  “It’s me, Sir Alvar!” was the reply. “I need to talk to the queen for a second.”

  My blood froze in my veins. He was here!

  Virtus got our robes, put his on and waited for me to put mine on. I stood up and wanted to walk over to the door, but then Virtus called:

  “Come in, Sir Alvar!”

  Alvar walked in. He looked pretty bad, but better than I thought he would. He was wearing his civilian clothes, with a thick bandage around his shoulder where he had been stabbed. At his side he wore his sword. He was freshly washed, but clearly very tired.

  “Your Highness,” Alvar said in Haverish. “We must go now.”

  “Let’s not speak in front of the king.”

  “It’s fine,” Alvar said. “He doesn’t understand our nguage.”

  “What did you do to Sir Hallio?” I asked.

  “Sleeping potion from our friend. Please make an excuse to your husband and come with me to your room and get your things. You can tell him you’ve got the runs again,” he smirked.

  “Alvar… are you sure.”

  “I can see you’ve been busy,” Alvar gred at Virtus. “But Talia, I love you, and I know deep down you still love me too.”

  I looked back at my husband who looked at us with a confused expression.

  “And remember they’ll murder us here if they find out we killed the old king and the prince. We have to go. There’s no other choice.”

  “You killed my brother?” Virtus asked in accented, but clear Haverish.

  Time froze.

  A million possible lies ran through my head. I don’t know what the guard is talking about, he’s crazy. You clearly don’t understand Haverish, he was saying something completely different. He did it all and threatened to kill me if I told you.

  I couldn’t lie to Virtus, but I also couldn’t tell him the truth, so I just stood still.

  “Guards!” Virtus shouted.

  Alvar grabbed my arm, and started to pull me out of the room. He didn’t get very far before Virtus pulled out the sword he kept near his bedside.

  “Stay right there!” he called and charged in our direction.

  Alvar turned to him and pulled out his sword as well, pushing me to the side. I stumbled away from the two of them.

  Virtus lunged first, but he did it in a way that showed that he was only really used to sparring. Alvar blocked it easily. Then he struck, and Virtus barely dodged it. It was clear from the fight that Alvar was the far stronger contender. They moved with simir agility, but Alvar dealt heavier blows, and went for the kill every time. Virtus had studied sword fighting since childhood, but Alvar had actually had to use it.

  “No!” I shouted, and tried to move between them.

  “Talia, get out of the way!” Virtus shouted, and then he gasped and was silent.

  Alvar had stuck his sword through Virtus’s stomach. I screamed. He pulled the sword out as Virtus sank to his knees.

  “Come on, Talia, let’s go,” he said as he pulled on my arm.

  In the hallway I could hear the footsteps of the other guards running towards us.

  “No!” I screamed, and tried to run back towards Virtus.

  I wanted to try to help him, maybe I could stop the bleeding. Alvar held me by my arm for a moment longer, but as the sound of the guards neared he had to let go and run away without me. He slipped out of the door just a moment before the guards ran into the room.

  I ran to Virtus, and tried pressed my hands against his wound, trying to prevent the blood from leaking out.

  “Can someone please call the medics!” I cried out.

  Virtus stared at me with a horrified expression of betrayal, until his eyes slowly closed.