Queens & Liars-Sequel to Three Broken Kingdoms (Completed)

Chapter Two: Enemies Turned Allies

The dim of fighting filled the harsh cold air in the hidden camp of the valkyries. The new nine-year-old trainees, secreted away from the Keeper cities, were taking to the weapons with joy.

Since they had been four, they were powerless. Voiceless. They had been forced to watch as their mothers and sisters went to the mines deep within the mountain and come back wearier and more broken every day. Those who didn't meet their quotas didn't come back at all.

Most of the children had never seen a weapon in their lives. For them it symbolised an end of helplessness. An end to being able to do nothing as the adults around them suffered and died.

And when they saw Kestra, their seventeen-year-old Queen, whether in her human form or her fox one, the phoenix mark on her neck no matter which she wore...that was a symbol too.

A symbol of a beginning. A symbol not of hope, but of something to hope for. A symbol not of a chance to fight back, but a chance to fight for something.

A Keeper Queen and with Rose, who if not technically crowned, certainly seemed to be a War Queen in soul. Something that the people of Miras never thought they would see again. Not with the Empress searching the necks of each baby from the sea for a hint of a phoenix tattoo and killing any child with a strong valkyrie gift of war or a powerful animal form.

She had found only one Keeper Queen so far. And she had killed her.

That was a loss Kestra would never forget. Not a day would go by without her remembering that nameless baby, that queen-who-might-have-been.

There were others Kestra would neither forget either. Viktoria and Vera murdered by the Empress. A thousand nameless others that had followed them in the terrible half decade since.

And her mother. Her mother, rotting deep within Dorgon, probably believing Kestra dead long ago.

And as the Keeper Queen strode into the makeshift camp, it would be Myra's rescue she advocated for-even if she had been calling for the rescue of the War Queen for months and months without any success.

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"We know you miss your mother," Nala said gently. "But the amount of lives we would lose trying to get her out of Dorgon..."

"This isn't about me missing my mother," Kestra hissed, snapping Nala's hand away. "This is about getting a legendary general and strategist out of Dorgon. With Myra Isidore, we might stand a chance of opposing the Empress."

"And the Elfin Queen," Maia supported. "A symbol. A leader. Somebody who can inspire Asriel."

Kestra smiled slightly at Maia's support. She respected the eighteen-year-old rebel, and she certainly respected the lightning that had defended them over the past years. But she and Maia had become friends when they started working together on advocating for Layla and Myra's rescue.

"Myra and Layla didn't seem to do much during the last war," Zara, Vivienne's Second muttered. Before Kestra could yell at her, Rose went red and screamed at the elf:

"Six hundred thousand of them. Sixty thousand of us. And Myra Isidore still led us to victory against the Kallians." Rose hissed. "I didn't see anyone else doing the same."

"My sister was thirteen years old, and not even aware of her crown. You can't blame her for not being on the battlefields!" Maia agreed.

"Enough," Nala mediated. "The Dragon and Queen's value is undeniable. None of us stood a chance last time. "However, there is no chance we get Myra out of Dorgon. And before someone asks, we don't have a chance of getting the Elfin Queen out, either."

"Well, there is one way," Rose suggested.

"What?" Nala replied.

"Her."

"What do you mean, her?" Kestra asked. "Oh. Oh, no, no, no. You can't mean-"

"I do mean."

"Her?" Kestra croaked out.

"Just to clarify," Zara asked. "We are talking about-"

"Her." Rose smiled grimly.

"As in-"

"Yes. Her."