PRICE OF ROYALTY

8. Sentry

Chapter 8

“You will show respect to her because she is your Queen,” Theo’s bold voice thundered through the silent camp and one could see he commanded a great sense of authority among his men. He was friendly just about enough to get them close to him but also stern enough so they would not take advantage of him.

“She will never be the Queen of Varci!” The first man spat in disgust. His utter revulsion for me was not something new. From my childhood, I had been despised and cussed out for being a bastard and a royal one. I never fit with the commoners because I was too royal for them and the other royals never accepted me as one of them because I was a bastard miser with no royal standing to them.

“You will be beheaded for this treason,” Theo was already raging.

“No. No one is getting beheaded,” Theo looked at me in surprise when I spoke.

“But they tried to poison you, Princess. That in itself is treasonous and the punishment to treason is death sentence by hanging on a spike at the break of dawn. Let me hung them at the first light of dawn,” he offered.

“And I said no. It was my life that was threatened Prince, not yours and I would very much appreciate it if you let me handle this myself. I will be your Queen soon after all, won’t I?”

“Of course, Princess,” He clearly hated not being in control and being challenged by a woman, a royal bastard to be precise, clearly did not augur well with him.

I stood up, ran my gaze over the other men who had the looks of anticipation on their faces. They were all waiting to see what my verdict would be and then judge me for it. I had to be careful of the next move I made and still show them who was going to be their queen. My gaze sauntered back to the two men, reading them. The first one, was fearless, baring no sign of fear. His jaw was set, his hands hanging on his side and only arrogance that would be easily be mistaken for pride painted his orbs. The second one, however, reeked of cowardice and it would take someone with a sensitive eye to notice his Adam's apple bubbling up and down, or how his fingers were slightly shaky. Looking at the second me gave me the answer I needed. They did not do this on their own volition. Someone else was involved and I was going to find out who, no matter how long it took.

“You are free to go,” I announced with a simple smile. Gasps rent the quiet, night air and I could not blame them. In another lifetime, I would never have let a man who tried to kill me so openly, get away with it but I knew I needed to be smart and precise. Being a queen meant knowing what to do when to do it and how exactly to do. If I ordered their execution for attempted murder on my life, I would be losing any chance of the people of Varci liking me.

I turned to walk back to my tent, knowing very well Prince Theo would be on my heels and I was right.

“With all due respect, those men tried to murder you, Princess. How could let them go free?” He questioned but I was not going to answer that. I did not trust a single soul in this camp beside myself.

“Please do post as my sentry outside my tent tonight. After all, you are quite good with swords, aren’t you Prince?” I was tempted to smirk at his face but instead, I walked inside my tent, letting out a shaky deep breath.

Getting rid of my clothing, I sat on the bed, with my eyes running wildly around to make sure there was no threat. I counterchecked every c***k before I retired on my bed, pulling the covers to my neck. My eyes remained open and nor did I shut off the candle lights. If someone out there was trying to kill me, then I wanted to see their face and fight them till my last breath. Time crawled by slowly and all I could think of was the attempt on my life.

“Princess? “I heard Theo’s voice just outside my tent.

“I’m fine Prince, “I answered, a slight smile curved up in my lips.

“Then may your night be filled with blissfulness from the gods,” He said.

“May you stand sentry till morning comes and with the blessings of the gods protect me from any harm that may befall me,” I answered back.

“As you wish,”

“Can I ask you a question, Prince Theo?”

“Yes. I’d be willing to answer,”

“When do I get to have my own handmaid? Never in my life have I heard, a royally married bride travel alone in the company of men,”

“You do not have to worry Princess. By the time the light shines entire over the land, we would have reached the village of Nagra where your chosen handmaids will be waiting for you alongside a bigger convoy from Varci to escort us for another day and a half till will we reach our destination,”

“I suppose that should make me feel better,” I spoke.

“I would not count on that. People in Varci are quite the judgmental type and you being their queen is not something that sits well with them. You’d need luck, favor of the gods and to win my brother’s heart. Without Leon’s heart in your control, you are no queen,” he advised and fr the first time, I agreed with him.