Queen Zezanna

Queen Zezanna - Chapter 10

"Zezanna, we've got a serious problem on our hands!"

Nothing will wake you up faster than a loud man screaming about a serious problem that you'll have to deal with. I bolt upright in bed, and look over at him.

"What?"

"You know how we warned you to be kind to the nobles during your conversations with them?"

"Yes."

"Well," Heroth sighs, "It seems that you weren't quite fooled by your false compassion. Sir Kiero, Sir Herbert, and Lady Yrgon have declared all out war. They claim that the crown is being run by a teenager who doesn't even have any idea how to run a country."

"Woah, hold up! War? Are they out of their minds?"

"Perhaps, but we need to take this threat seriously. A group of peasants are marching towards the castle under Sir Kiero's flag. It seems that the three nobles will work together."

"You know what you have to do." I tell him.

"Brokk is already on it. They won't even get close to us! Meanwhile, I need to get you to safety. Come with me."

I don't even bother changing out of my pajamas. I follow Heroth out of the room, and towards the back door.

"Where exactly are we heading?" I ask him.

"You will see. There's only one place where we can be sure that you're safe."

We leave the castle, and head towards the back gate, on the far side of the garden. There, Emma is waiting for us.

"All clear up ahead." She says. "There are several of our guards there making sure that it's safe for us to head this way. Brokk thinks that Heroth is out of his mind, but thankfully he didn't have any time to argue."

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Heroth didn't fill you in on where we're going?" Emma asks.

"No. Where the hell are we going?"

"You'll see!"

I don't like this.

"These are a bunch of peasants, how tough can they be?" I ask as we take a break under a tree.

"It's a bit more than just that." Heroth sighs. "They have hired a few assassins. The first place they'll check is your room. If they can't find you in the castle, they'll have a hard time finding you outside of it. You could have headed off in any direction."

"But what about our footprints?" I ask.

"Our guards are heading out in several directions, and the guards that have patroled this area have obscured our footprints. Unless they bring out some bloodhounds, they won't be able to find us. The guards should be able to find the assassins before they find us."

"But what if the assassins do find us?"

"That's where plan b comes into action."

"And plan b is?"

"You will see soon. Just have patience." He begs.

"I don't want to walk around blindly! I don't understand why you're not telling me what you have in mind! It's fucking annoying!"

"I know, but I'm not sure if you'll like it, so-"

"Hold up!" I say, as I realize where we must be going. "We're on the edge of the forest where Ysana lives. We're not heading there, are we?"

"Ysana likes you. If we get overwhelmed by assassins, running to her for help might be a good idea."

"Or she might kill me!"