Celestria fell onto her bed with a sigh, eyes closing. Vycon, the kingdom they had fought with, hadn't hurt her as bad as those in the hospital, but she was still too exhausted to even take her armor off.
Her room was the biggest of all the quarters, and everything in her room was expensive. Celestria never enjoyed being spoiled, and she hated how she was better off than the poor people in Ardon. So, she'd often get any food she wouldn't eat and give it out to those who wouldn't afford it.
Her eyelids grew heavy and right before she could fall asleep, a royal guard came barging into her room.
"Commander! The king requires your presence in the throne room!"
Celestria got up as the guard left, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She turned to her mirror, fixing herself up to look presentable. Once she deemed herself appropriate, she left her room.
● ● ●
The throne room was humongous. It could hold all of Ardon. A large crystal chandelier hung from the center of the room, lighting up even the darkest corners. The throne itself looked to be made of solid gold with velvet red cushions. A small glass pedestal with a dome on top held the king's crown, emerald and sapphire jewels adorning it.
The king, King Stephan, was standing there along with an unfamiliar person. She was tall, but a few inches shorter than Celestria, and her body was elegant and dainty. Her grey eyes and bitter expression could pierce through any tough act.
Except for Celestria's. She just gave a bow to the king, keeping a wary eye on the stranger.
She looked back at the king with a straight expression. "My king. You summoned me?"
He nodded, gesturing to the stranger. "This is Queen Sigourney of Lyndonori."
Celestria held back a gasp. Lyndonori was unbeatable. They destroyed any kingdom in their path.
She thought back to any ways that Ardon could've upset Sigourney. She brought her attention back to the queen, bowing her head. "Your majesty."
The queen inclined her head in acknowledgment.
King Stephen then gestured to Celestria. "And this is Commander Celestria Albimbert."
Sigourney kept watching Celestria. She was attractive, she couldn't deny it. She couldn't help herself as she kept looking at Celestria's scar. It was on the right side of her lip and was about an inch long. She wanted to know where and how she got it.
She let out a soft hum before speaking. Her voice was soft and buttery sweet, mystery laced into it. "A pleasure to meet you, Commander Celestria. I have a proposal for you."
The warrior furrowed her eyebrows. "A proposal?" She echoed.
Sigourney nodded. "I've spoken to King Stephen. He said that it was fine but wanted to run everything over you first."
She stepped towards Celestria, her long black gown sliding across the floor. The commander was taken aback by the queen's close presence, but she held her ground. Sigourney circled Celestria, sizing her up. She was fit, and an outstanding warrior. It appeared as though she would rise to the challenge if a dilemma struck her. She finished circling her and came to a stop in front of Celestria. They were only inches apart.
"I heard about your recent failure against King Calvin." Celestria cringed at the words. She hated losing. Her father taught her to win. "I've been planning on how to bring his kingdom down for a long time now. I figured that with us working together, we're guaranteed success. With your strength and my intelligence, taking him down should be a piece of cake."
The commander stayed silent as she thought about what the queen had just proposed. She wanted the king dead, and she wanted to watch Vykon crumble. Them becoming allies seemed like a great way to accomplish victory. But she still had to keep in mind the downsides of this. Sigourney may already be sided with King Calvin. This could just be some elaborate trap to bring her kingdom down. There was also a chance that Sigourney could simply turn against them after she used them to defeat Vykon. She looked to her king to show her concern about the queen with her eyes, but she quickly realized that it was no use. She noticed the way he looked at her. Anger rose within her. Men. They always think with what's between their legs instead of seeing reason.
Celestria looked to Sigourney, still only inches away. As she studied her, she saw no signs of deceit. Her grey eyes showed no signs of a future betrayal. But one can never be too sure. Celestria told herself to make sure she always kept a close eye on her, no matter how genuine and truthful she acted.
She turned to the king once again. "Her proposal sounds as good as any, your highness. You made a good call by accepting it." A hopeful grin spread across the king's face as he looked at Queen Sigourney, and the commander had to bite back her laughter. She'd gotten good at telling whether a woman was or wasn't interested in someone, and it was quite obvious the queen was not interested in King Stephen.
Sigourney smiled at Celestria. "I'm glad to hear that you approve." She moved back away from her before continuing to talk. "I also heard that your army isn't doing so well right now. So in the chance that King Calvin attacks during recovery, I have ordered my soldiers to follow you."
Celestria stiffened. She wasn't used to someone guarding her. And she certainly wasn't used to someone saying that her army "isn't doing so well." Saying that was as good as insulting her. She wasn't just going to let that slide. "With all due respect, your majesty, my army and I don't need your protection. We are very capable of watching out for ourselves."
The King opened his mouth as if to speak, but Sigourney cut him off. "Is that so?" There was a bemused look on her face. The queen wasn't used to someone turning down her help.
But she just nodded. "I understand. In that case, at least let me treat you to dinner."
Celestria agreed. Going to dinner with her would be an excellent opportunity to study her further and see the type of person she was. The queen smiled as if she had just won some sort of bet.