The Dragon Queen

Fault of the Mother

King John of Yot was dead. Lucia had revived the news this morning. She couldn't say it was a shock. He had been ill for ages, it was only a matter of time until he died. But his death left the nobility in a frenzy of chaos. To Lucia's knowledge and everyone else's, there was no heir to the throne of Yot, no brothers, sisters, wife, sons, daughters or even a distant cousin. Lucia could think of no one to take charge of the kingdom. If she wasn't careful, the people would soon rebel and break away from the Ten Realms. Fear and uncertainty were always the best ingredients for madness. That was until Lucia was paid the compliment of a visit from the Queen of Assar. Never had Lucia met with her without Thomas being present and she was quite disappointed when her favourite prince didn't follow after his mother, a playful smirk upon his lips in teasing. Never had the Assar Queen looked so pale and forlorn; she must have known John well somehow to be so stricken with his death, though how was a mystery considering the divide between Yot and Assar that still seethed. There had been no battles since Thomas' near death experience, but it was easy to tell the anger that most subjects held for each other. Lucia quickly ended her conversation with Dominic on poisons and antidotes - according to him the lands across the sea were alive with a variety of plants - and nodded for the queen to approach her throne, well aware of how, by her side, Dominic's hand rested on his ever shining ebony sword. He had become quite the guard dog since his arrival, not that Lucia would dare say that to his face, even in jest. "Queen Lucia" the Assar Queen greeted with an elegant curtsey "I take it you have heard the disturbing news?".

"Of course. Yot is devastated, not to mention confused" Lucia replied with a sigh.

"With good reason" Dominic added knowingly "A kingdom with no monarch is a danger to itself".

"Speaking from experience?" Lucia guessed, making him smirk.

"My kingdom has a monarch" he said, rolling his eyes "But is still a danger to itself".

"I see" Lucia hummed. Dominic would continuously hint that his brother's rule was weak, though rumour had it that the last man to say so had met a brutal end at the hands of the Rogue Prince himself, so Lucia had made sure to warn all those who would agree to keep their opinions silent. "Which is why I have come, Your Highness" the Assar Queen stated "I have a... solution, you could say, for the problem in Yot. Is there somewhere we can go to talk?". Lucia glanced to Dominic, hoping he would take the hint and leave, but he didn't move in the slightest; he simply continued to curiously survey the queen, as if he had every right to be there. Lucia supposed he did. He was her ally after all and she had known him for a few months now. "Dominic can be trusted" Lucia confidently informed the queen at last.

"He has your trust?" she breathed cautiously, eyeing the sword.

"I feel I can trust any man who can catch me miles and miles in the sky" Lucia joked. If she had cared to glance at the prince, she could have noticed the blush that briefly dusted his cheeks, but it vanished as soon as Lucia gave the order for her eagerly listening guards to leave. "What is your solution?" Lucia asked as soon as the great throne room was empty. The queen bit her lip, biting back her words, and nervously toyed with the long sleeves of her gown. Several times she tried to speak and failed, until Dominic rolled his eyes. "The queen asked you a question" he barked sharply.

"One that is clearly hard to answer" Lucia snapped at him with a warning glare. She didn't mind him defending her, if she needed him to that was, but his talent for diplomacy was virtually non-existent, even though she knew he had it in him to be a mask of manners. "It... concerns Thomas" the anxious queen finally muttered.

"What about him?" Lucia asked. As far as she knew, Thomas had nothing to do with the lands in the North, aside from when he had ridden a dragon from there to Saltari alongside her. His shocked gasps at the dragon's wings still caused Lucia to grin when she thought about him. The Assar Queen took a deep breath. "He's... He is the late King John's son and heir" she announced. It was as if a brick had smashed into Lucia's head the shock was so great. For a long time, all she could do was wordlessly stare at the queen. "I don't understand" she breathed eventually, brow furrowed. There was no connection between them, no possible way that her Thomas, slim and elegant and intelligent, could be the son of the ham-fisted King John. "Don't you?" Dominic questioned, watching the Assar Queen with what Lucia desperately hoped wasn't a smug smirk "I take it this Yot king had a secret lover?". Anger and insult instantly wiped away the fear on the Assar Queen's face, her scowl almost as dark as her son's. "Yes, and it wasn't me if that's what you're insinuating!" she snapped furiously.

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning?" Lucia prompted. She was beginning to wish that she had asked Dominic to leave. With a glowering glare at an ever smirking Dominic, the queen conceded with a nod. "Alright" she agreed and so she began on her tale. "Many years ago, perhaps a year or so after Alexander had been born, there was a great war between Assar and Yot. It was devastating to both our kingdoms. But, at one of the final battles, King Bregada came across a baby, abandoned near a battlefield of all places! Anything could have happened to him! He was wrapped up in nothing more than a blanket and a note. The note explained everything. The child was the son of a servant girl from what I could gather, it didn't say her name, and King John, prince at the time. Apparently they loved each other very much but the girl was too scared to admit the truth and tell him what had happened. The note begged for someone to look after the baby as their own son, so that is what we did, Bregada and I. We took him in, named him Thomas and raised him as the brother of Alexander, Prince of Assar". As her story came to an end, it was Dominic's turn to frown in confusion. "I'm afraid now I don't understand" he murmured.

"I do" Lucia breathed, barely believing the queen's words "John is dead and there is written proof that Thomas is his son, along with the word of the King and Queen of Assar. And my word too. I believe you". For that, at least, the pale queen looked grateful. 

"Thankyou" she breathed in relief, but the relief soon faded.

"Does Thomas know?" Lucia asked, dreading the answer as the queen shook her head.

"Your Highness, you know him better than anyone" she hastily mumbled, hands clasped together "He'll listen to you. He'll take it easier from you. I implore you to help me tell him-".

"If I tell him he will hate us both" Lucia firmly interrupted "You're his mother".

"But he l-".

"I believe you should go now" Dominc hissed "There is something I need to discuss with Her Highness". The Assar Queen's eyes narrowed at his words and she acted as though she hadn't heard him, uncertainly glancing to Lucia instead, her eyes shining with hope, but Lucia nodded, dismissing her. In truth, she hated the fact that she knew before Thomas and couldn't bear the idea of how hurt he would be when he found out. She couldn't tell him a family secret. Strictly speaking, without his knowing she shouldn't even be involved. If she were to tell him, she would lose her Thomas forever. She could bear much but not that. When the queen had reluctantly departed, leaving Lucia and Dominic alone, Lucia groaned and placed her head in her hands. She had hoped for the queen's visit to lessen her troubles, not triple them! She almost jumped out of her skin when a gentle hand came to rest on her back, where Dominic's pale fingers caressed comforting circles. When she looked up to him, there was something like genuine sympathy on his face, something Lucia couldn't help but want. "Oh Dominc, what am I to do?" she mumbled hopelessly.

"I'm afraid I'm at a loss" Dominic slowly replied "In my kingdom, this wouldn't matter. A land with no heir would go to the crown, which in this case is you".

"It matters a great deal here" Lucia explained knowingly "I won't take Thomas' kingdom from him. If he is willing, he will be the new King of Yot and I will do everything I can to give him the crown he is owed". He would make a great king, Lucia knew, but she only wished it wouldn't hurt him to reach his greatness.

That night, in his quarters, Dominic sighed, sat at his desk, toying with a vial of clear liquid in his hands. He had hoped not to use this. It was a weak weapon. But desperate times would call for desperate measures. He could not allow Thomas to become a king. Then he would have no chance to win the Dragon Queen.