WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 94

Agathe

The vampires celebrated exuberantly.

A new king had been crowned before the eyes of the most important nobility. They toasted his reign with sweet champagne and blood. And they cheered for his queen. The wedding had also been watched with benevolence. The crowd applauded happily as she and the stupid boy were declared husband and wife.

Agathe sat smiling on a golden chair next to her new husband. They looked from a simple yet magnificently decorated pedestal at their celebrating guests in the ballroom. Marlon had given a short speech in which he promised his people a new age. He wanted to lead them to new lands and new riches. Agathe almost started laughing. Her three centaurs knelt in front of the podium the entire time. As a pretty decoration, to a pretty speech.

Agathe had listened to him with amusement. A new age? That would certainly happen. She couldn't wait to see binding spells on the vampires' wrists. But she tolerated it. The silly vampire prince still had his worth. The little Kingly.

Princess Annemarie danced with a baron whose name Agathe had already forgotten. Marlon had told her some of the names, and she was sure that this baron had been among them, but she wanted to deal with names another day. She wouldn't need them for long. A few months, perhaps?

Certainly not more than a year.

Fritz and Lea did not show up for the celebration. The two apologized with letters. Something that more than angered Agathe. She gave birth to them! And now, they weren't at her side? Instead, she got silly excuses. Fritz had a lot to do with his hospitals, and Lea had to take care of the disappearance of students... And?

Agathe wanted to conquer the world! They should cheer for her!

And her little Julia? She had not yet been found. Another slap in her proud face. But there was a lot to do. She could not spend her time with worry, no matter how much she hoped for her daughter's return. The next day, all soldiers were to be called upon to get ready for battle. The soldiers of the vampires, as well as her own. In a few days, she and Marlon would be on their way to her castle. That's where it should start.

Marlon had proposed to divide the troops. His soldiers were able to conquer the steppe, while Agathe's troops cut down the rebels. But Agathe's visions suggested that she would lose if she divided up the soldiers. And then, what would she gain from the conquest of the steppe? Nothing!

But the steppe should belong to her.

"And if we capture more centaurs? And let them fight as soldiers?" Marlon suggested. He was terribly impatient. The boy couldn't wait to play war.

"Marlon..." Agathe sighed. "Not now. Not at the wedding ball. That's not right."

"But, my Beauty! The centaurs! Maybe in your kingdom?" Marlon snorted. "If we attack the steppe first, then they could increase your army."

"Marlon... I've already explained it to you!", moaned Agathe, annoyed. "That would be strategically unwise!"

Strictly speaking, it was just strategically unwise, for her own plans. But of course, she hadn't explained it to him that exactly. She didn't know exactly when her castle was attacked. All she saw was snow. Therefore, she could not risk withdrawing soldiers from her kingdom. In addition, there was still a lack of enough magic bracelets for all soldiers, which meant that an attack on the steppe was hopeless at that moment.

Marlon rolled his eyes. "Let me finish! So! If we send a small troop to the steppe to capture centaurs, we can use their strength for our war. And the centaurs will fear us. Having crushed the rebels, all we have to do is get the rest of the steppe. There should be enough bracelets by then, right?"