The Tyrant's Queen

5: the peasant queen

The prince. The prince? The king-to-be?

Unable to tear her thoughts away from anything but the fact that the man holding her hand was the prince, Thalia only stood as still as a scarecrow, as two men approached Lucien.

One of them seemed to be in his late sixties. Despite his age, he seemed fit enough to go on the battlefield any moment.

With a clean kept grey beard, grey eyes and shoulder-length grey hair, he was dressed in a white robe, his hands folded into his long sleeves. A gentle smile touched his lips.

Before the duo had come closer, the plump woman in a green dress, close to tears, dipped her head, glancing at the two. "I will excuse myself, Your Highness and- and my lady-"

"See you later, Qilla," Lucien quickly whispered, just as she deftly joined a group of maid servants.

"High Priest Yhun," he smiled with equal gentleness, as Yhun approached and bowed. "It has been so long, but you hardly seemed to have aged."

A High Priest. Thalia was hardly surprised. This must be what a man loved by the gods looked like.

There was an immovable placidity about his energy. He must've been a handsome man in his earlier years.

"I am graced by your presence in ten long years, Your Highness. And my lady, I offer my greetings and congratulations to you before the ceremony."

What was an appropriate greeting to offer to the high priest of this country?

Turning her face to Lucien, Thalia smiled slightly, as a sign.

In turn, Lucien lightly inclined his head and nodded.

"Thank you," Thalia muttered, inclining her head with a thin smile.

The man next to the high priest- perhaps around the other man's age- had a slightly slimmer build, but was taller, with long arms and legs, and hair that was cut short to the scalp.

On top of blue silk robes, he wore what looked like an armor.

"General Ikan," said Lucien, offering the same smile.

"Greetings, Your Highness and my lady." The general's voice was gruff, his eyes downcast, jaw firmly set.

Thalia returned the same greeting as before, with only one thing in mind.

The prince. The man next to her was the prince?

"Both of you are a crucial part of the pillars that uphold our nation. It is my sincere hope to be blessed in my marriage and coronation by you."

She did now have sufficient room in her head to wonder just how he could be so eloquent after having downed two bottles of the wine that still left a sharp sting in the back of her mouth.

Yhun's answer came smoothly, warmly. "It is only my pleasure and duty to honor both you and your lady, Your Highness."

His mouth clamped down tight and forehead taut, the general only bowed his head.

As Yhun and Ikan moved away, Lucien turned to Thalia distractedly, pushing back his hair.

"Excellent. Now all that's going to happen, is after everyone gets into position and the music starts, I am going to walk down that aisle, to where the thrones are.

"As I walk, you can start walking, leaving about three steps between us. At the steps below the thrones, the two ladies- the mothers of my late brothers- and the high priest will be waiting.

"We bow to the ladies, and the high priest will offer a prayer. He will recite vows, for both of us, individually.

"To the vow, you only have to repeat after him, and say Iteslia. It means 'May the gods grant the prayer' in old Aesnanian."