Chapter 15: the weeping Queen
Tia stood on the balcony in the private castle her father had ordered his knights to return her to. She could feel Vengeance purring at her, hoping she could come play with him but she was not in the mood to play fetch with the pet but the creature won't give up until Tia got down on her knees and scooped him up.
"Not now, Vengeance. I am sad. I will play with you later" Tia dropped the little tiger and started walking away when she almost bumped into Maggie. Her countenance was gloomy and sad.
"Maggie, what is it?"
Tia was still waiting for the answer to her question when the door opened and people she would come to know as lords of the seven noble houses entered alongside the Knights and Kingmakers.
"What is going on? Are you allowed in here?" Tia asked in quick succession.
"I am so sorry, Tia" Maggi murmured before the man in awkward clothing yelled for silence.
"I am lord Rupert Cole and I have news for her royal highness. May I proceed?" The man lowered his head as he waited for permission but Tia simply stared at him.
"Doesn't your head hurt, Lord Rupert. It seems to be a rather awkward position for one to be in, don't you think?" Tia asked him after a while.
"Yes, it is your royal highness" Lord Rupert almost snapped at her.
"It seems rather tedious to be doing it, Why not stop?" Tia suggested to him.
"My princess needs to give the decree and I am getting quite tired, if it pleases your highness" Rupert was becoming strained.
"Oh! I Get it now, I control your neck!" Tia seemed excited about it.
"Tia…" Maggi hardly finished calling her name when she found a sword pointed to her throat.
"You shall address her royal highness with respect or pay with your head" the knight told Maggi.
Tia turned to the knight and rushed to Maggi's side. "Get away from my nanny, you brute!"
The knight bowed and took a step back. Tia turned to lord Rupert. "You may have your neck back"
Rupert stood upright and exhaled. He also rubbed his hand on his neck before he started talking again.
"King Cypher and his heirs were attacked and killed an hour ago, your highness"
Tia wondered how she was supposed to react to the joke Lord Rupert was telling.
"Are you also a jester, lord Rupert?" She asked him with a vacant face and an irritated demeanor.
"I assure you, I am not. And as his only surviving offspring and the third in line to the order of succession…"
"Why am I the third?" Tia asked him out of nowhere.
"Because your father made his sons the first and second…" lord Rupert answered.
"That can't be right. The rules of Lamek say the progeny of the first Queen takes precedence and as such, I should be my father's heir from the beginning. It's the whole reason he kept me here for my safety against his enemies. Don't tell me he wasn't just a bad Papa…he was a bad king too"
Lord Rupert waited for a few seconds before he spoke again.
"The king wished it and it was done. And as I was saying, as King Cypher's only surviving offspring and in accordance to the laws of the Midlands, you are now Tiamat Cypher-Dumont, Queen of the Midlands"
Tia watched as Lord Rupert bowed to her.
"All hail the Queen!"
Everyone in the private castle including Maggi all went on their knees.
"All hail the Queen!"
Tia looked at them. They had just told her that her father had fallen and yet, they were not going to allow her time to grief.
She felt the pang of sorrow as it tried to overwhelm her. Picking up her cat she took off towards her bedchambers with Maggie following right behind.
Lord Rupert turned to the lead knight and nodded. He was in charge of the new Queen's safety.
"Leave us, Sir Kean" Rupert told the lead knight and he departed with his men leaving the lords to talk.
"What happened here now just further solidifies the plan in motion, the girl can't be queen. She is naive as a newborn and Midlands will fall in her reign. And according to the laws of the land, the throne of the Midlands can't leave the Dumont bloodline not while a Dumont still breathes" Lord Rupert said to the other lords.
"So, it is certain, we are sending Tiamat Cypher-Dumont, the new Queen of the Midlands to her death and to keep our hands clean, we will trick the highlands into doing the dirty work" Lord Jonah said.
"So who is going to tell the weeping Queen that she needs to attend the ceremony of the kings and Queens in Maverick, Highland?"