Queen Zezanna

Queen Zezanna - Chapter 34

It takes a long time to get everything planned. I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to make sure everyone is prepared for the coming fight.

Ingrell's father, surprisingly, was more than willing to support my cause. Ingrell explained everything, and though the current king has a few doubts, his allegiance to my family runs deep. He's explained to his soldiers what is happening, and is only allowing those who pledge to protect my witch girlfriend to join. Many of the soldiers are more than happy to stay back at home.

Shadi has been sending me reports. From what he has gathered, it seems that not everyone in Asios is completely loyal to Vinill. There are very few who are ok with me, and the fact that I ran off with a witch, but they still don't quite trust their new king.

Will it be possible to plan some type of sabotage? Shadi promises that he's working on it, but can't promise me that anything will come of it. It's the best we can do for now.

It's been tough to figure out who should be on the front lines. Obviously they can't let me fight, since if I die, this all would have been for nothing. Heroth and Brokk, though, are heading straight into the heat of battle. Emma, Hailie, and a few of the king's best soldiers will be tasked with keeping Ysana safe. She won't be at the front lines, but she will try to help in battle where she can. Her magic might just be what wins this for us. And since she has just been resting during her time in Oldport, her magic should be fully charged.

Tzeeru will be sitting the fight out, instead working behind the scenes to help me command the soldiers. Ingrell will be here too, surprisingly. With the three of us here, no matter what happens, we should be able to plan around it.

After several weeks of planning, we send a messenger to Vinill. In just a few short days, we should expect his ships to arrive, and-

"Zezanna, slight change in plans." Shadi tells me.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask, eying the letter in his hands.

"My contacts have uncovered some rather startling information. It seems that Vinill has been working hand in hand with the king of Balazi."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Ingrell's father has been stringing us along this entire time. He knew about you before his son arrived at the castle, and coordinated his efforts with Vinill in order to undermine our efforts. Vinill's troops will be arriving shortly after sun-up. Balazi's troops, stationed far enough away to be out of sight, but still capable of helping us, are actually going to attack us."

"My father sent me here, though. He wouldn't... He wouldn't harm me!" Ingrell insists.

"Your father sold you out, kid. You're out here tarnishing the family name by allying yourself with a witch-fucker, and you expect him to just agree to it all? No. He's going to let your body burn. You are already dead to him."

"N... No..."

"The facts are rough. More importantly, though, it means we are in trouble. The guards tasked with guarding us will instead attack us. They outnumber us greatly, and the first to act will be the ones tasked with guarding-"

"My daughter!" Tzeeru gasps.

"-Ysana." Shadi tells us. "If they can get rid of the witch, that takes away most of our fire power. If they can kill Emma and Hailie, that is a plus for them, but their primary goal will be to eliminate the witch."

"We won't fucking let them!" I growl.

"Good. Then we can start acting now. Right now, they are enjoying drinks at the tavern. The bartender there has been tasked with spiking their drinks. We go in, shop some heads off, and then get on with dealing with the rest of the back-stabbers."