"What happened?" Iria asked as she walked closer to the guard who was kneeling with his gaze on the floor.
"There was an ambush while we were in the outskirts of Celon Province, Your Majesty," the guard replied.
Hearing the news that confirmed her fear, the Queen squeezed her dress with anxiety invading her!
"Several guards died there and His Majesty also obtained an arrow shot wound on his left arm," the guard replied. "Fortunately, Commander Nico and his soldiers were on time and the assassins were killed but... " The guard paused as he hesitated to continue. However, he knew he couldn't do that while the Queen was waiting.
"It turned out that the particular arrow used on His Majesty was poisoned," he continued. "He lost his consciousness right after the incident and he is now treated in the Petrus Army camp by the royal doctor."
Poison... Whenever this one word was mentioned, Iria could only think of one name.
Aryan Tripas.
Was it his doing again?
Nevertheless, the Queen stood still, squeezing her dress as fear invaded her body and mind.
"How is he?" she asked after what seemed to be forever.
"Nothing is certain for now, Your Majesty," the guard replied. "The doctor said that the poison managed to spread in some parts of his body and if it continues... His Majesty will be in a life-threatening condition."
Now, the news struck Iria to the core!
She nervously pressed her hands together before she turned around. "I have to go there."
"There is still more, Your Majesty," the guard promptly said and the Queen halted her movement.
A few seconds passed and she turned around, facing the guard once more.
"Crown Prince Emor is missing with the guard who stayed with him," the guard continued. "When the soldiers reached there, the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen and that's why they seek the help of Commander Nico. When Commander Nico heard that His Majesty was on his way, he was worried and he went with his soldiers to look out for him. It was why he could arrive there to save the King and others.
"The search for the Crown Prince is conducted but there is no news of him until I depart to relay the news."
Iria slowly understood the situation. Then she asked, "Is there news from Nardodia?"
"Commander Nico said that the Nardodians are preparing for war. Alora and Azamet kingdoms are also willing to help the Nardodian King," the guard replied and added, "We believe that the King of Nardodia is blaming us for what happened to Crown Prince Emor. He believes that His Majesty is the one behind everything."
So... Aryan Tripas wasn't the one behind those assassination attempts on Emor?
Or maybe he put on an act just so that he could justify his actions of poisoning Arin and attacking Qalagon!
Arin was sick and the war was ahead of them.
If Nardodia, Alora and Azamet really worked together to wage a war against them, then nothing was certain even with the help of Cedore and Zoris! Azamet was famous for its powerful forces.
Not to mention that the King's situation could greatly affect the morale of the soldiers!
"I have to go there," Iria said for the second time. Though she tried hard, her voice still hinted at panic.
Putting aside everything else, she just wanted to go there and see Arin's condition.
What if... she shook her head as she refused to think further.
He will be fine. He promised to come back.
"What about the war, Your Majesty?" Elian asked her.
The question was a reminder for the Queen. A cruel reminder of how serious the situation was!
With Arin's situation, it was already hard enough to keep herself in check but... she had to deal with the possible war too!
With a gesture from Elian, the guard stood up and left the Queen's chamber.
"His Majesty is sick and that means all eyes and ears are on you, Your Majesty," Elian said to her. "Please... you have to stay strong for the sake of the King and Qalagon. His Majesty put everything in your hands and that means he trusts you enough. We need you to make a decision on his behalf, Your Majesty."
Standing in her place, the Queen fought the pressure and tried her best to clear her mind. Though the disappearance of Crown Prince Emor troubled her, thinking of Aryan Tripas made her clench her fists.
"If Aryan Tripas want a war, then so be it," she uttered in a firm voice. "He dared to come after Arin's life. Then I'll make sure to pay him back."
Elian raised a brow when he understood what the Queen was hinting at. "Your Majesty, you will join the war?"
"I won't allow the soldiers to be in fear because of the King's condition," Iria replied. "This time, I'll make sure to crush Aryan Tripas and end everything."
"But -"
"I want you to go to General Hanson Lorin," Iria said, interrupting Elian from speaking up. "Tell him what happened and I'm sure that he will rush here after that. Summon the officials too. This is an emergency."
As the Queen sounded too firm, the Vice-Captain of the Royal Guards couldn't bring himself to protest. So, he bowed and quickly left to comply with the orders.
Now that she was alone, the former Commander glanced at one corner of the chamber where her armor was placed and on the left of the waist was her sword. Though she used her sword recently, it had been more than a year since she last wore her armor. The mask which was on the face of the armor was no exception.
Her shoulder had recovered a lot and though the doctor asked her to still be careful for a while, it didn't hurt that much anymore. With the current situation, the former Commander doubted that she could wait.
She reached for the hilt of her sword and unsheathed it. Then she narrowed her eyes at the braided bracelet on her left wrist which was still her precious possession even after a year.
"Wait for me," she muttered in a low voice. "Even if it turns out to be the last time I could wield a sword in this lifetime, I won't hold back. I will crush Aryan Tripas so that he won't be able to harm anyone again.
"So, don't you dare die.. I won't forgive you if you break your promise to me."
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶