WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 63

Marko

Wolves did not belong in the air.

It was bad enough that Finn wanted to accompany them, but Marko wasn't a flying-wolf. He wanted to get back on safe ground as soon as possible. He wasn't a high-up-wolf either! He was sure that this experience would join all his other nightmares.

He leaned uncomfortably against Peter, who tried to inspire Marko for the landscape. In vain. Marko never wanted to fly again! And staying on a flying dragon was anything but easy! But every now and then he heard Finn laughing and his mood improved immediately. Julia promised Marko to take good care of Finn before they took to the air. And they had secured Finn as much as possible and wrapped him softly. This calmed Marko down a bit. With Julia, Finn was always safe.

Sometimes it amused Marko that Julia thought others would only consider her a little girl. A small, shy, anxious girl. Weak. As if she had no authority whatsoever. She lacked self-confidence. That was all. She was one of the strongest girls he knew.

Again he heard Finn laughing. Marko remembered Finn telling him that he would like to be able to fly. He was happy for him. Finn's laughter meant the world to him.

And he immediately wanted to feel solid ground under his feet again!

Julia

Leopold sat tired behind her. Finn, wrapped in a soft blanket, was in front of her. They had secured him as best they could and cuddled him up softly in blankets to protect his bones. In addition, Finn was freezing slightly. Much faster than Julia. She hoped all that would be enough.

The three enjoyed the view. Nature was beautiful. And Julia loved flying! She looked at the vast mountains and the bright blue sky. In between, they saw the river meandering through the mountains. Birds flew past them. It was wonderful. Finn laughed happily.

"I love it!", he exclaimed. Josef grumbled in amusement. For him, he flew slowly and gently. Carefully, he glided through the air. Still, Julia was worried. Was it the right decision to take Finn with them? But in the end, she didn't know how far the road was. Maybe it would have come to a terrible end if she had left Finn and Marko with the dragons. Were Cleo and Charlotte doing well?

She was glad that Cleo had decided to help her. She had whispered that to her again as a farewell. Her mother had managed to make a fool of herself with Cleo. Otherwise, Cleo would still be the Queen's loyal soldier... Or not?

And she had seen Fritz and Paul with the rebels. What was the situation like in Julia's home country? Cleo hadn't said much about it. Did Julia's siblings want the throne? She was the Queen's youngest daughter. She had the least claim to the throne, didn't she?

Would Julia be a good queen?

She never wanted to be queen. But now, everything was different. She no longer dreamed of helping Paul in the bakery. No. It had always been a silly, rebellious dream...

Was there anyone better suited? Fritz would be a good king. He was gentle and fair. Assertive. And Julia?

Could she stand against her mother? How far would she have to go to stop her mother?

What do I have to do? Julia sighed. She didn't want to kill her mother. She didn't want to send her dragons to burn down the kingdom. If she wanted to do that, she could have done it long ago. Josefine also devotedly preferred this variant. But that would have harmed the people. Those she wanted to protect. It would have caught the innocent and the guilty alike. But wouldn't that also be the consequence of the war they were moving towards?

And now there would be weapons against dragons... Should she have acted sooner?

Julia loved her mother, even though she was a cruel queen. When Julia was little, she sometimes read to her in the evening. This was rare, as the queen was always busy governing. And Julia's father? When Julia was born, he began to withdraw frequently. Sometimes he had played with her, but often he was just absent. She had never had a close relationship with her father. Rather with her mother. And most of all to Sophie.

Julia missed Sophie.

Could she govern a country? Julia did not like to decide about others. A queen. A queen was a strong, strict, authoritarian person. Had Julia inherited enough of that? Or was it possible to govern a country differently? She could not be considered weak, or she would get exploited. Her mother had once explained that to her. Weakness attracts the wrong people.

She could not be weak.

And Julia couldn't be like her mother.

Lea

A quiet weekend in her estate. This was exactly what Lea needed. She sat in her old rocking chair in the conservatory, drank a cup of tea, and enjoyed the sight of her garden, which slowly turned orange and brown. In the last few weeks, it had rained enough that everyone hoped that next year would be a good harvest year.

Heaven! They all needed a good harvest. Over the past three years, prices for cereals, fruits, and vegetables had risen dramatically. Three very dry years. Lea had enough of it. In response, much of the food at the academy was rather monotonous and sometimes a bit sparse. The students complained about too little bread and too thin soups. And the Queen?

In the castle, people ate as if food were not scarce. Lea's servants were instructed not to serve excessive meals when she was on her estate. Like now. She did not want to eat lavishly at the expense of the poor. In Lea's opinion, this was an absurdity. Especially for a princess.

She was also worried about her two charges. Chloe and Benjamin also didn't want to tell Shay what exactly had happened. 'It wouldn't do any good', was the only answer he got. Lea remembered that Chloe's cheek was flushed when she and Benjamin were brought to her. Had she been beaten?

By whom?

Maybe she had to ask the other employees or bound servants about it? She couldn't possibly force her two children to talk. Lea would never do that. The two were currently spending a lot of time in the library, reading fairy tales, and adventure stories.

Lea, therefore, considered buying them new books. Shay liked the idea. He liked to spoil the two teenagers. And they deserved to be pampered. As soon as Lea knew what had happened, she would punish those responsible. Someone would be fired. That much was already clear!

And she wanted to visit Fritz to ask him about the rebellion.

(c: sasi)