PROLOGUE
“The Astrakhans have declared war on us,” King Nathan declared as he entered his fellow king’s office. An office which seemed like it was an extension of the library. It was a well-known fact that the King Gorham was a bookworm. Gorham had just come back from his diplomatic mission from the Kingdom of Adenjar.
“How did that happen on your watch, Nathan?” King Gorham growled at Nathan looking up from the appointment book to plan his next day.
“It was bound to happen sooner or later…”
“I would have rather had it at later. I go away for a few days and here we are at the center of a war.”
“Alice cannot be controlled.”
“She wasn’t supposed to hold the position in the first place but given that she was given it against all my advice you had to deal with it like I did,” Gorham pointed out to Nathan.
“I was wrong.”
“It’s too late to be wrong Nathan. Now we have to deal with this.” Gorham sighed then stood up.
Nathan continued to pace back and forth. Finally he stopped and turned to Gorham, “We need a new queen.” “We have Alice.”
“No we don’t. She ran away two days ago.”
“She what?” Gorham almost roared. His mind had already started working on a solution which only hinged at Alice being there and making her apologies to the Astrakhans however humiliating that would be.
“She ran away with Joel when it was rather obvious that war was imminent.” “Diane always said Alice was a coward.”
“I know the mistake I made backing up the proposal to make Alice queen but at this moment we need a new queen.”
“And what do you suggest I do about that?” he asked cynically “Not you. Sidney. She has the power to summon Wendy back.”
“How in the world could you possibly know that?” Gorham asked raising his eyebrow in curiosity.
“I just know.” And at the incredulous look Gorham gave him, he added, “I do read at times.”
“And you think Wendy would come?”
“No one can avoid a summons if it is done right.”
“I won’t ask why you are sure about that but still, she won’t be easy to convince given that she hasn’t ever tried to regain her throne. She won’t just go there and sit on her throne with all the hostility that would come from the council.”
“The council agrees with me on this. It is a time of war, we need a warrior queen, a powerful queen and we all agreed that should Wendy come back and take up her throne then we will stand behind her.”
“So the only part I have in this is to convince Sidney to summon Wendy and convince the latter to be queen whether she likes it or not.” Nathan just stared. Gorham frowned, “What are you not telling me?”
“The army needs a leader, our people need a queen. Just in case you should not succeed, the council will be forced to appoint someone else who does not have the support of the people nor the army and we cannot remain without a queen or we will be considered weak. But everything has a price, even good actions. Have a goodnight Gorham and pass my greetings to Sidney and the children.”
Gorham stayed in the silent office thinking of what to do next when Sidney walked in. Looking at her made his anger slide away to be replaced by peace. She never smiled as much as she used to before she got her powers back but what they felt for each other was still the same, maybe even stronger. She locked her eyes with his and asked, “What did he want?”