Seren had caught vague glimpses of the woman from the memories she had when she touched the things used by the former Queen. From those scattered glimpses, she could tell that Queen Esther was a gentle and kind person who loved her son the most. Seren regretted the fact that she could not clearly see her face or hear her voice, and all she could catch was the innocent voice of a little boy who could not stop admiring his mother.
“Esther, ah, she was a wise and kind Queen, a loving mother, and a woman who loved her husband the most. You will always see her with a smile on her face, no matter the situation, and that was her strength—facing the good and the bad with a smile. Even if she were to defy her destiny, she would never lose her smile, as if she was telling the people around her that there is nothing to fear and all will be well. Esther was that kind of woman.”
Seren was curious to know more as she listened to her grandmother describe the woman who seemed to be amazing beyond expectations. Seren paid attention to each of her words while the old woman remained immersed in her memories of the past.
“I still remember the day I met her for the first time. She saved me, the Queen of Megaris, from the rebels who attacked in the guise of bandits when I was travelling around the western territories for the summer…”
A certain day less than three decades ago, the then younger Queen Theodora Ivanov had finished visiting the noble households of the western aristocrats and was about to return to the capital city of Blackhelm. After leaving a particular western city, her entourage took a short break by the riverside after passing by a forest in order to rest the horses.
“The sun is brighter than usual today. This summer finally feels like a real summer.”
“You are only saying that because it’s daytime. Wait till night comes, and you will be complaining about the freezing cold again.”
“Stupid girl, of course I’m talking about daytime! Can you see the sun during the night? Can you? Can you? I’m comparing today’s weather from yesterday’s—”
The servants were talking uninhibitedly among themselves outside of Queen Theodora’s carriage, which would have surprised many people if they were to find out about this. The Queen was famous for her proud and strict disposition to people of high society, but towards her own people, she was lenient and carefree, to the point she even saw them like her own family and treated them as such. She would not stop her servants from gossiping as long as they did their work; in fact, she even enjoyed listening to some of the juicy stories passed around them.
Just then, the knight who was leading the entourage rode beside the carriage and called out courteously, “Your Majesty, we will be taking a short break by the river. The horses are good with the cold but are fatigued by the unusual heat, and we will need to let them rest for an hour.”
The woman, who was sitting inside the carriage with a book in hand, heard it and slid the window open to the side. Queen Theodora Ivanov was in her late thirties, yet her radiant skin and delicate features made her look like a young maiden who had just blossomed into adulthood.
“I trust the Captain’s judgment.” Her voice was elegant as she spoke, bearing a hint of the proud royal accent unique to the Ivanovs. “You may stop the carriage by the river.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the captain of her knight brigade smiled, “and pardon for the inconvenience such a delay will cause on our schedule.”
“There is no such thing, Sir Alexis. Besides, to be outside in such fine weather is a good thing, don’t you think?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. I will excuse myself as I should instruct my subordinates to set camp now.”
The stunning woman who looked younger than her actual age smiled brightly as she watched the captain of her knights ride his horse back towards his position at the head of the entourage.
Seeing the sunny weather outside, Queen Theodora kept the glass window open to let in the fresh air inside the royal carriage. Her long brown hair moved along that pleasant breeze as her dark brown eyes shone brightly seeing the greenery around.
As soon as the knight brigade gave the signal that the area was clear, the royal entourage stopped by the river to rest. Queen Theodora stepped out of her carriage to enjoy the view of the river with her ladies-in-waiting around her to tend to her needs.
Not even a quarter of an hour since their group set camp, there was a sudden attack by a group of men with their faces covered in masks. Despite being alert, it took the escorts by surprise as there was no attack when they were travelling through the forest, but it happened in an open space like the river area. “Bandits! We are being attacked by bandits!”
“Protect Her Majesty the Queen!”
“Captain, more men are emerging from the river! They seemed to have followed our route—”
Despite the chaos, Sir Alexis stayed beside the Queen. He was calm as he assessed the situation. “Your Majesty, the attackers are more in number than our brigade. They appear to be too skilled to be mere bandits. I am afraid these are remnant rebels from one of the fallen territories that His Majesty has just conquered. Doesn’t seem like our men will last for long. Please do not leave my side.”
“Get me a sword,” the Queen instructed in a firm manner, and no one questioned the Queen.
The Kingdom of Megaris was a militant kingdom, and a great majority of its noble families earned their peerage through their war achievements. In particular, Queen Theodora was the eldest daughter of one of the generals of the kingdom. Not only was she trained on how to use a sword, but she could also even rival some of the knights with her prowess.. If she were not chosen to join the royal harem at an early age, she would have probably decided to swear an oath of knighthood.
