The Seventh Queen

Darius

A/N: can anyone give me some feedback on how they think the story is progressing? Is it easy to understand? Are the different character storylines confusing or interesting? Please let me know and help a fellow author out. Thanks to everyone who has read
The Seventh Queen and voted.

"That fucking bitch" I shouted out in anger to my empty state room.
I had hardly had time to use it seeing as the Queen demanded my attendance on her, in her own suite, at all times of the day and night.
It had been a month since I had been able to see Liliana for more than a few snatched moments, and I was dangerously close to losing my carefully cultivated cool. Liliana was angry, understandably, since my plan was taking longer than I expected it to.
The Queen's barons turned out to be more loyal than I had thought possible. Not a one had acknowledged my opaque comments on her ineptitude to rule, slyly murmuring that a man could do a much better job at ruling as proved in ancient times gone by.
Caressing the steel blade of my dagger, after I had withdrawn it from its jewelled sheath, went some way to calming me, before I again thought of what the Queen had asked me to do tomorrow afternoon.
A visit to her brat, the spoiled little Crown Princess.
"Ayda" I spat out the name, like it was poison in my mouth.
Rage enveloped me again,
"Owww" I moaned, as the sharp point of the blade stuck itself into my fingertip.
Crimson blood oozed lazily from the wound, as I raised my finger to my lips, sucking the metallic tasting liquid to stench the flow.
"Why would she think I would wish to spend my afternoon taking tea with a child?"
Inserting my blade into its sheath, I vowed that before this new month is over, I would have what I and Liliana both desperately desired.
Ayda's corpse in a ditch and her precious child a slave in the galleys of the Landless pirates sailing the Endless Sea.

"Your Majesty, it's time for your appointment with the Queen and the Crown Princess".
A smooth hand shook my shoulder gently as I lay in a fitful slumber upon my state bed.
I must have fallen asleep, mentally exhausted from pretending to care for Ayda and having to fake smile my way through her daily courtly rituals.
'Arggghhhh' I raged internally, whilst smiling up at Lyander, my steward.
A loyal servant of the Queen, his family had had the role of steward to Kings of the Grass Kingdom for centuries.
I hated him with a passion.

"Shall I arrange another set of garments for you Your Majesty"
Lyander said, his inscrutable grey eyes taking in the creases upon my silk doublet.
Without any indication from me, he went to my great wardrobe stacked with the finest, most expensive garments. Silk doublets made from the silkworms that lived only in the Lake Kingdom, the finest cloth of gold spun in the Desert Kingdom, most of the garments were interwoven with the famous jewels of the Ice Kingdom.
His choice of light blue silk doublet and dark blue trousers were acceptable to me so I changed and donned them as quickly as I could. The quicker to get this day over with the better.

"Mama" the little brat called out as she ran to Alia, when we arrived in the Royal Nursery at midday.
The total opposite to her mother as the sun and moon, Ayda's dark black hair contrasted mightily with her mother's white blonde as they hugged each other in greeting.
The saccharin scene between mother and child nauseated me, oh how I wished I were anywhere but here.
I lost my self in comforting thoughts of how and when I would kill the Queen as the scene continued to play out.
"Your Majesty, welcome to the nursery" the six year old turned to me, curtseying and stating as if she were a twenty-six year old. Precocious and annoying. I groaned behind a smile.
"Thank you for the invitation Your Highness" I answered bowing low in exaggeration.
I could see the Queen looking between me and her daughter from the corner of my eye. I needed to make a good impression.
"The Queen has informed me you like horse riding, maybe I could take you on a course around the city some time. Would you like that?" I asked the small Princess, her dark brown eyes wide with unadulterated joy.
Turning to her mother to ask permission, at her mother's nod in acquiescence she turned back to me, her wide grin showing the slight gap between her two front teeth.
"Please, please Your Majesty can we go tomorrow?"
Ayda jumped up and down, her polite manners all but forgotten in her excitement.
"We can go anytime you wish" I stated, already regretting that I had asked.
The smile on Alia's face, as she regarded our interaction told me I had done exactly what she wanted me to do.
If it helped my plan in anyway I was happy to oblige. Very happy.
So I smiled another fake smile and returned to making small talk with the Queen and her daughter.
She not didn't realising that she had placed the viper closer to her own bosom without any help from me at all.

HI READERS
JUST WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE READ THIS SO FAR. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.