A Tale Of Queens

A Clandestine Meeting

Three distinct knocks sounded at the back door.

That was the signal.

Sa-Alti heaved a sigh of relief as she opened the door to let Jyaret and the blacksmith in. She had been worried that something would go wrong, that Jyaret would not be able to convince him to come with him. She did not know how he did it but here he was. Confused, yes, disgruntled, yes. But still here.

Vileytna's house was the best place to have this meeting as it had been out of her mother's surveillance for months. With Jyaret's help, they were able to dodge the guards on the way there. Sa-Alti was surprised at how stealthy the he was. Considering his size, he moved like a cat.

********

Dimtu was afraid.

He somehow found himself in one of the houses close to the palace that looked abandoned. The perfect place to dump his body. He was aware that he could never outrun this stranger. How foolish he had been. He was hungry. That did not mean he was ready to die.

His trepidation only ramped up to sky high levels when the man held his arm tightly as he knocked, ensuring that he could not escape. Slowly, the door opened into darkness and Dimtu was more than sure that this was it. Refusing to go down without a fight, he filled his lungs with air and was about to shout when his mouth was covered by a large palm. His heart began to beat sporadically.

Thankfully, a torch was suddenly lit and he was able to see the person on the other side.

The Queen?!

He immediately became boneless and fell to his knees in relief. Surely Queen Sa-Alti would not try to murder him. He noticed that the others were looking at him strangely and he mustered up the last of his dignity to play off his actions as a flimsy attempt to salute her.

Sa-Alti smiled knowingly at him and asked for him to stand. He obliged but could not stop his face from swinging back and forth from the Queen to the man. What was going on? Why was he here? Had he done something wrong?

As if reading his mind, Sa-Alti tried to reassure him. “I apologize for having to bring you here like this. But this matter is urgent and only you can help me.”

“Help you?”

“Yes. Come in, let us take a seat,” she said, opening the door wider and leading them into the living room. She left the torch in the hallway, making the room dim. “Sorry about the darkness. We don't want anyone to know that we are here.”

They all took their seats and Dimtu asked one of the many questions running through his head.

“My Queen, I do not mean to sound rude but what do I  have to do with any kind of assistance you may need?”

“What is your name?”

Dimtu was bothered that she ignored his question. Still, he answered. “Dimtu.”

“Dimtu?”

He could feel the heat running to his cheeks. Yes, his name meant ‘tiny’. Yes, he was in fact, the opposite. This did not mean that he wanted to be teased ba\y the Queen of all people. He had endured too much of that growing up.

Sa-Alti saw the look on his face and felt bad immediately. She had not intended to offend him.

“I apologize. I have just never heard such a name. But look at me; how can I judge you when my own parents were not the best at giving names?”

Dimtu cracked a smile, already deciding that he liked her.

“So, Dimtu, how is work?”

“Well –”