The Mad Queen

Chapter Fifty-Four

My father sits in the gardens, hidden behind a small building. Next to him sits Tristain, the gardener's son.

"You're my best friend, I am not going to forget you. I'll be home before you know it," my father tells him. Tristain looks away from him and sighs.

"I think it is time you and I faced reality," he finally says.

"What do you mean?" my father asks with a frown. Tristain looks at him.

"You and I cannot be friends. It just doesn't work," he tells my father. He shakes his head.

"Why? I can be friends with whoever I chose!" he almost shouts.

"No, you can't!" Tristain shouts back. "Don't you understand that? You are about to go to the royal castle with the nephew of the King. It won't be long before you make new, powerful friends and I will be nothing but an afterthought. You are going up in the world. You are being groomed to be King! I am nothing but a thorn in your side. There is no place for me in your world," he says. My father sits wide-eyed.

"But..." he begins, though can't form the words. "I don't want to lose you," he finally whispers. "I am not going to let them change me, Tristain." Tristain smiles but there is no humour behind it.

"I don't think you're going to have any choice in the matter. You're going to turn out just like Lord Leander. Entitled, cruel and manipulative."

"No I'm not!" he shouts, standing up. "How can you say that after all these years we've spent together?"

"Because you won't have a choice. I don't think you really understand the world you are going into," Tristain doesn't raise his voice. In fact, his tone is that of defeated compliance.

"I won't let them change me," my father says again. Tristain smiles softly and stands up.

"Goodbye, Master Matthias," he says.

"No, don't call me that," my father pleads as the boy walks away. My father begins to cry as his friend walks away.

"Matthias!" he hears Leander shout. My father closes his eyes and quickly wipes away the tears. He neatens up his silky green jacket and steps out from behind the small building.

"Yes," he asks.

"What's up with you, have you been crying?" Leander taunts. My father sends him a cold glare.

"Of course I fucking haven't," he snarls. The older boy holds up his hands and chuckles. As my father walks toward him, Leander swings his arms of Matthias' shoulders. An uncomfortable look passes of my father's features, but he does not go to move the boy's arm.

"Oh, Matty. We have a lot of fun ahead of us. You are going to love the castle and you get to meet the princesses. Are you excited?"

"Very," My father replies. Leander laughs.

"Good. I can't wait for you to meet all my friends. We are going to show you exactly how everything works." My father gulps at the malice behind those words and I shudder.

The two of them get into a carriage. My grandfather doesn't even say goodbye to my father. Instead, he just stands with his head high and mutters "don't embarrass me," as the door closes. Then, the carriage leaves out of Baylon Manor and begins its journey to the Capital.

We race through the countryside, not stopping for anything. We've been riding for three days straight and have covered a lot of ground. As night draws in, we set up camp. We don't bother erecting tents. We do build a large fire which now has the meat of a deer roasting above it. I sit next to Nianzu and Merissa. Zoran, the Mer prince, swims happily in the river not far from our camp. He hasn't been out of water for this long for a very long time. I can't help but watch the shimmering Mer prince as the firelight makes his golden scales glitter.