The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

21 | the bad king

Edmund left for Lecarre a week after our last encounter, and my brother Gilbert went along with him. I was more worried about my twin rather than my betrothed, since I knew that Edmund had years of military experience and was tutored by some of the best swordsmen in the realm. My brother, however, was taught in the arts of politics and finance by my father, and we were visited by multiple teachers in the past who taught us foreign languages and music.

Although Gilbert wasn't entirely oblivious to the horrors of the battlefield, I was certain than he would not handle it well. The knight who trained him had called a wimp, and the kind old archer who taught us both archery had said that he never saw someone with such a bad aim. I was deathly worried about him, and I worried that this war might take him away from me. Each day, I watch the king dilly-dallying with his multiple mistresses and down bottles of fine wine, while our soldiers were out in battle. I think of the poor Lecarrians, whose positions would soon be in jeopardy because of the greed of two mindless people, King Edward, and Antonin du Terre, the king of Terrawyn. Young men were forced to don armor and venture into the vast battlefield, while their mothers and wives struggle to make ends meet, praying for their beloveds to return home alive and intact. And here, I see the cause of all their misery, happily coddling between the thighs of a whore.

For the first two months, I heard nothing from Edmund, although news spread that our forces had captured the westernmost regions of Lecarre. The kingdom itself was full of vast plains and deserts, without any landmark in sight. Lecarre was larger than both Terrawyn and Phoenicia combined, but a vast majority of Lecarrians live in their own clans, detached from the rest of society, while power struggle brewed in the capital. It would be easy to invade them, but our soldiers, who grew up on the warm, fertile lands of Phoenicia were unused to the harsh terrains of Lecarre.
I served Queen Jane faithfully, tolerating her ever growing paranoia with grace. She would claim that the food-testers had already acquired an immunity towards poison, or that the food contained toxins that would only harm pregnant women. Her behaviour irritated me intensely as the days passed, and my patience grew thinner. On the third month, I received a letter from Edmund.

To my dear Anne,

The past few weeks had been dreadfully harsh, especially for our soldiers. These poor lads had never lifted a sword in their lives, nor have they ever felt the burning heat of the desert. We are now camping in the Vadim Desert, and it is cold, almost freezing at night. At daytime, however, it is so hot that it feels as if the sun is an inch away from our heads. Our rations are running low, and I had to watch as my men succumb to the heat and collapse. We could not waste any more time in the desert, so we had to abandon them to rot. It was horrible Annie, but what else could we do?

Your brother Gilbert is holding on remarkably well though, so do not worry. He did complain about the sand getting in his boots, but other than that he is fine.

Is everything alright over there in the capital, Annie? Do tell me if the queen mistreated you. I must know. I do not know when I shall return, and Lecarre's capital feels so far away, Annie. I try to appear strong in front of my men, but I too feel just as exhausted as they are. But I do promise that I shall return, and you must remain strong until I do.

Yours truly,

Edmund de Chauvelot

I sighed heavily as I closed the letter, wondering about the terrible conditions that my betrothed and my twin brother were living through at the moment. In my pocket was a bottle of ointment for the queen, who appointed a masseuse to massage her back and feet every night. Last night, the masseuse had used rose-scented oil, and Queen Jane said that the scent was too strong and made her dizzy. Therefore, she ordered me to go to town and purchase a bottle of lavender-scented ointment. In the meantime, the bodies of dead young men were being abandoned in the middle of the Vadim Desert because they did not even have water to drink.