WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 52

Cleo

Julia was a good student when it came to magic. She was a miserable student when it came to the sword. Or strategic planning, in which two dragons liked to get involved.

One kept asking questions with which he confused Cleo, and the other dragon claimed any strategy was unnecessary. After all, you could just burn everything down. And Julia generally found the topic of war terrible and had already burst into tears twice, overwhelmed.

And things didn't go any better with the sword. Julia had two left feet and played guitar with her sword when Cleo looked away for a second. Of course, her sister did her best, and the silliness probably only served to relieve stress. But still, this droves Cleo crazy. And three times Julia almost died when she tripped over her own feet with a sword in her hand.

And yet, sometimes, Cleo saw a determination that was almost frightening in Julia's eyes. Then, she reminded Cleo of her mother's authority and ruthlessness. Something that Cleo had never thought her little sister could be capable of. In those moments, she almost felt compelled to do what Julia wanted. Only to see her little sister clumsily waving her sword around three seconds later.

Cleo sighed. "Julia? Maybe we need a different approach..."

"And that would be?" Julia sat in the sand tiredly. "I told you. I'm horrible with a sword! And I can't plan strategically. I'm the most useless witch in the nation! Want to save a kingdom, but don't even know the basics!"

Cleo sat down next to her. "No. You're a bit clumsy and strategy isn't your forte, but we can do it. And, I have to admit, you have two dragons. They are worth more than any sword. But what if you get into a situation where you need one? In that case, you have to be able to handle it."

"What I can't do." Julia leaned lazily against Cleo. "It's pretty demotivating. I never wanted to be a princess. I never wanted to be responsible for many lives. And now?"

"I know, sweetie. We change our strategy. Instead of learning the basics of swordsmanship, I'll teach you something more difficult."

"And that's supposed to work better?" Her sister sighed. "Don't you do something simpler if what you've been trying to do is too hard?"

"Normally, yes, but in your case, it might be different. We combine sword fighting with the use of magic! If you can use both together, that could make up for your lack of skill!"

"What?" Julia grimaced. "Both at the same time?"

Cleo nodded. "Exactly. Something for experienced elite soldiers. Only very few have the necessary skill. Those who have it were often trained as shadows."

"We've already noticed that I lack skill!", Julia mumbled. Her friends, who watched the action from the tents, giggled. Charlotte, on the other hand, shook her head in disbelief. Peter nervously clutched his husband's arm.

"Come on. Let's try!" Cleo pulled Julia to her feet and the training continued. She showed Julia how to set her sword on fire without the steel going soft.

After a few attempts, Julia's sword was burning. She smiled proudly. "I did it!"

"Good!" Cleo pulled up her sleeves. "Attack me!"

And Julia did. Cleo used a shield to protect herself from the burning sword, while Julia delivered a somewhat clumsy, but in case of an emergency successful attack. Cleo was proud of her. While Julia stared in amazement at the sword that bounced off the shield. Without this, Cleo would no longer have an arm and would have gone up in flames.

Cleo ended the lesson. "Well done." She stroked Julia's hair. She saw out of the corner of her eye how Marko came running to them.

"Can you teach me how to handle a sword?", he asked excitedly. "I want to learn it too!"

"I think you should teach everybody", Charlotte suggested. "Except Finn, of course. And the two dragons don't need it either. They are dangerous enough without a sword." She looked nervously at Josefine, who showed her sharp teeth with a grin.

"What?" Peter shook his head vehemently. "I'm too pretty for a sword! And in a soldier's uniform, I will certainly look terrible! There is no glamour. No sparkle and shimmer!"

Cleo rolled her eyes. But she liked her wife's idea. "We lack swords for everyone", she objected. "But, of course... That I didn't think of it..."

Julia sighed.

Julia

The next morning, Josefine disappeared. Fiete suspected that she was hunting and therefore did not worry about her absence. The group talked about the dragons in the mountains and hoped that they would soon bring good news. But Julia was worried about her best friend.

Of course, she knew Josefine was strong. Dangerous. But that didn't stop her from worrying. To her relief, the black dragon came back during the meager breakfast. Josef dropped a pile of swords in front of the group and landed next to the tents. The dragon hastily took the form of a human and grinned proudly.

"I have solved the problem with the swords!", announced Josefine cheerfully.

"Fienchen!" Julia jumped up and to her. She hugged Josefine stormily. "I was worried! Where did you get the swords from?"

"You don't have to." Josefine kissed Julia's cheek and pushed her to the swords. "I flew all the way to the border. That's where I found the swords. Look at these! Now everyone has one."

Julia looked at the swords skeptically. "Found?"

Cleo went next to her. "These are swords of our soldiers! Those swords aren't just lying around in the area!" Restless as always, she looked at the dragon girl.

Josefine shrugged. "Neither did they. Humans were still attached to them. No idea what they wanted in the steppe. They had dressed up. Looked like refugees. But the swords! I smelled them from afar! Well, now we have some!"

"And the soldiers?", asked Cleo with a pale face.

"I ate them. They tasted good."

"Soldiers dressed as refugees?" Julia raised one of the swords. "That's not good."

Her mother acted faster than Julia feared. How much time did she have?

Would she have a chance?

Marlon

A servant had come from Marlon's estate to bring him a letter that Queen Agathe had sent. The seal of the letter was undamaged. Marlon smiled contentedly.

Agathe and Keno were way too careful! No one read his mail!

He eagerly read the letter in his spacious room in the castle. He sent all the servants out so that no one could read along over his shoulder. Keno was helping in the kitchen. The thought of a wizard serving in the castle amused the prince.

The beautiful queen suggested that they marry after he had solved his 'family problems, as she described his plan. That was a political cue. King and Queen just passed away, a tragedy, but Marlon marries the Witch Queen and leads his people into better times. After completing his project, she would pay him a royal visit. This visit would then be followed by the wedding. Queen Agathe described many things vaguely, but Marlon knew her well enough by now, to know what she was getting at. After disposing of his unnecessary family members, he would be crowned king. Agathe would pay him an official mourning visit. And then: wedding! Power! War!

She also asked him for the rope, which his parents refused her. At the end of the letter, she wrote him that he should burn the letter to remove the traces. Marlon rolled his eyes. No one would dare to read his mail. So, he put the letter in a drawer. Between his diaries, which he had kept as a child.

He just had to think about how to get enough rope, and how best to send it to the queen unnoticed. But why should he worry over it himself if he had keno for something like that?

He would leave the solution to the dilemma to the servant.

Maybe I'll manage to catch and tame a dragon after all. King Marlon. King over vampires and witches. Tamer of a dragon!

The black dragons are said to be particularly dangerous.

Black looks good on me.

(c: sasi)