The Seven Deadly Kingdoms

Chapter 12

       The door opened with a loud creak, as if it were much older than anything else that had been built on the base. General Toski greeted her with a smug smile that made Adelaide's stomach rumble. Trying not to grimace, Adelaide put on a smile and nodded to her general. She didn't have enough respect for him to salute. One of the general's eyebrows quirked at the subtle jab. "Hello, Miss Adelaide. Please come in." He said to her as if he were greeting her in his own home. Even the way he spoke disgusted Adelaide. Still, she followed the man into the building. As they weaved through the house-like building, Adelaide peaked into the rooms they passed. Most of the rooms had little to nothing in them. Some were decorated like bedrooms. 

      One room they passed stood out to Adelaide. It was covered with various maps of what Adelaide assumed had to be the other six kingdoms. These maps looked much older than most she had seen though. The buildings in the maps, which looked like castles, were layered in their structures. Almost as if they were blueprints. Adelaide leaned back slightly as she walked, trying to get a better look into the room. 

      Toski side-eyed her, causing her to whip back to her original posture a little too comically. He whistled quietly through his teeth and Adelaide heard the door shut behind her. Strange. She hadn't seen anyone in there. 

       After reaching the end of the hallway that made the hut-looking building much larger than it appeared, Adelaide and General Toski stopped in front of a dark red door. It was beautifully made with inscriptions of flowers and vines carved into the wood. Toski knocked his knurled lightly against the wood and cleared his throat. "She's here." He said. Adelaide heard a faint "come in" before Toski opened the door. 

      The door opened to reveal a beautiful office with a desk centered in the room, the queen sitting behind it, much to Adelaide's surprise. "Adelaide, dear. Thank you for coming." She said with a smile. "I don't think I had a choice," Adelaide replied with a laugh. She quickly dropped the joking attitude as she realized no one else had found her funny. "Come, sit." The queen continued, "You may leave, General Toski." 

       Adelaide took a seat in the cushiony chair adjacent to the queen. She didn't know if she should be worried or relieved that it was now just the two of them in the room. The queen sat quietly as she waited for Adelaide to get comfortable. Once Adelaide was seated, she cleared her throat. "Well, for starters, I thought that we might go over your training. I do realize that we were a bit vague with you the first time we met. I apologize. There just isn't much I feel at liberty to say in such an unprotected tent. Anyone might be listening in." She quirked her eyebrow with the last sentence, clearly talking about their first encounter. Adelaide's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, but the queen put her hand up to silence her before she could. Surprisingly, the queen laughed. 

"Sorry, dear. I had to poke fun. No hard feelings for your intrusion. In fact, it proved all the more that you had what it took to listen in to conversations you aren't welcome to, which is exactly what we need from you. Which brings me back to my point. Our training, as Toski said, won't be in the physical sense. You've clearly had enough of that the past two months. I think they might have even placed you in a higher grouping in order to work you more, preparing you to become our little spy. Anyway, I will be personally training you. I don't want those grubby men's hands on you. No no, I want you all to myself. I see great potential in you, Adelaide. For what, I don't know yet, but I am sure you will do great things. And I would love to help be a cause of it. So! First things first, how well acquainted are you with the seven kingdoms' geography?" 

       Adelaide sat still in her seat, eyes wide. The queen was definitely much more enthusiastic than she had been in the ten a couple of nights ago. She seemed to like Adelaide, which was enough for her. 

"Um, well. I must say I'm not terribly familiar with it. I am a very good learner though, your majesty. And I can read maps well." The queen nodded as if Adelaide had just told her a secret. "Ah, good enough to start with. I'll have you study the kingdom's maps in your free time. You'll be having a lot more of that now that you're no longer a training soldier. And goodness, you won't have to sleep under a tent anymore. No no. We will be having your things moved here. This is where all of your peers will be trained as well. You'll still be on a cot, unfortunately, but at least you'll have a real roof over your head. Anyway, I have a few books on being inconspicuous that I would like you to read. They were all written by soldiers of the past who were called to fill the same shoes you now will fill. They will teach you how to blend in with each of the cultures, matching their demeanors and speaking their ways. You will also need to adopt the local accents." 

      By the time the queen finished speaking, she was reclined in her chair with her hands folded neatly on her stomach. She seemed relaxed. Adelaide also noted that she was wearing pants as well. 

       The queen stood up out of her chair and walked gracefully to the large bookshelf built into the wall. Her fingertips grazed the edges of the books until she found the one she wanted. She pulled out two worn books with leather binding. They looked more like journals. The queen swiftly returned to the desk, placing the journals in front of Adelaide. "Study these. You'll learn everything you need to know about your appointed position. The others in your group will be studying them as well, although some of them are already experienced in the field. I suggest you spend some time with them; get some fresh input. Toski told you that nine others were selected oolong with you, but most of the men and women had previously been trained. There are only two that have been brought in with you."

       The only thing Adelaide could think about while the queen was speaking was how much she didn't look like a queen. The middle-aged woman was beautiful without a doubt, but she carried all the wisdom and intelligence of a worn-in soldier. Her jaw was set and her brows seemed at a constant state of being furrowed, as if she were hardened by war. Adelaide supposed she wouldn't have been surprised by anything the queen had gone through at this point. She had her own office at the base, and that had to mean she had spent much more time than just a couple of nights here. She was clearly involved to a much higher extent than she was letting on. And the king wasn't aware of any of it. Said more about him, Adelaide supposed. 

      The whole ordeal was confusing. Why was the queen so involved in the outcome of this war? Did she have something to do with it all? Did she simply view it as a game and find some twisted pleasure in plotting the war? Or maybe she truly did want to help her kingdom when their king wouldn't? Adelaide doubted that was the answer. She didn't know of any royals that had a heart. 

"Adelaide? Are you paying attention, dear?" The queen said, snapping Adelaide out of her thoughts. Adelaide winced at the reality check, she probably should have been listening to what the queen had been saying. "Sorry, your majesty. What were you saying?" The queen let out a grunt at Adelaide's lack of attention, but continued. "For one, please, call me Flora. I can't stand being associated with my title. Besides, it's simply too risky for me to be called by that name here. If any word gets back to my husband of my whereabouts, I have no clue what he would do. And two, I was saying that you should get some rest. Being a spy requires mental strength just as much as it does physical. I'll be needing your mind as sharp as possible. Go with Eugene, he will take you to your quarters. I suggest you begin your study of these books. We will begin discussing strategy in the morning. Also, you are free to come and go from here as you please. You will still be eating at the dining hall with the rest of the soldiers. I don't you to feel trapped here. That is all." 

The queen smiled softly before returning to whatever work she had been focused on before Adelaide's arrival. Adelaide nodded slowly. "Alright. Thank you," She was about the say 'Your Majesty' again before Flora gave her a sharp look. "...Flora. I'll be on my way." Adelaide got up, not knowing if that was the proper way to exit or not. How do you address someone who is in authority over you but doesn't like their title? How do you exit the room? Adelaide assumed it was good enough of an exit because the queen said nothing in response. As Adelaide stepped out of the room, a guard that must have been Eugene greeted her. "Hello, Miss Adelaide. Please follow me." He didn't give her a chance to reply. The guard turned in his place and began to march down the hallway, not looking back to see if Adelaide had followed.