The Ambition to Reign

Chapter 17: The Raven

Several days later...

"Your Majesty, we must do something!" Silas cried. "Their forces have already defeated some of our battallions. We can't afford to lose more soldiers."

"We must attack back! Send some soldiers to Enasia," one of the others implied.

"No! Peace will be the only way. We must negotiate," said another.

The royal council was in its worst state ever as no one knew what to do in this situation. All the queen could hear was yelling and shouting. She had enough of it.

She raised her voice. "Silence!" They all stopped talking. "All you babbling arses keep talking and I can't hear myself think!" she exclaimed.

"Where is Lord Phillip?" she asked one of them.

"He is still missing, Your Majesty."

"He would have handled this much better than you lots."

In her mind, she was beginning to worry. Where are you, Philippa? she thought. I need you.

Philippa had been missing for several weeks. There was no trace of her since she left the castle. People in town would have recognized the eccentric knight in red - not a plain woman in pink. If she were dead, it would have just been added to the countless bodies of the poor whom, unfortunately, noone pays attention to.

"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" asked Silas.

She thought hard about it. "We must stop them. We will send soldiers to attack their forces before they reach the castle. Have them stationed outside of the city to prevent them from coming inside."

"They have already entered the city, Your Majesty. They must be on their way to the castle at this moment."

"Then have more soldiers to defend the castle! Put every last one of them around it. I need everyone to guard me well."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Anything else we need to add?" she asked the group. No one dared to defy her orders. They did not want to die - not today. They shook their heads.

"Good. You are all dismissed," she concluded. And they all left the room hastily.

She sighed. "I need some time to myself."

~~~

Alyssia stood at the balcony once again, but this time with a violin in one hand and a violin bow in the other. I want to spend the last days of my life doing something that I enjoy, she thought sorrowfully. She yearned for freedom, but this was the closest thing to freedom that she will ever have.

She held the violin up and placed it on her collarbone with her chin resting on it. She lifted the bow and gently rested it on the strings. She took a deep breath and started playing.

It was the same tune as the one she envisioned in her dream; Recercar - La Strangetta by Jacob Obrecht. Even though she was slightly rusty, the feelings she caressed were genuine and substantial. There was regret, along with grief, with some traces of nostalgia. But the feeling she most embodied was longingness. She was filled with longing for her past childhood days. She used to feel love, kindness and family. Now she almost forgot what they were.

While she was playing, she thought about her life up until this point. What has become of her after the death of her parents and the disappearance of her brother? She was left with nothing and therefore grew into nothing. Her soul was empty of compassion and only craved for power.

After she got power, what did she do then? She craved for more power. Her thirst for it was never quenched. Once she had ahold of what she wanted, she forgot about all those things that she needed. Want was better than need, was it not? All those negative emotions were being bottled up inside her. How would she release them? She would lash out against all those that went against her in the kingdom. It was fairly easy since she lacked compassion.