20: Restless night

After hours of questioning Adnan without any luck. Queen Tamira returned to her palace and her chambers. She changed into a pink nightgown and let her hair down.

Her anger burned her skin. She paced around the room, her mind jumping from one thought to another as she tried to figure out where Soren was.

It was dusk and the dragonling was yet to return. Never in history has the male ever slept outside the palace. Queen Tamira hated being in the dark about everything. She was curious about what went down and if it meant that Soren was gone from her life forever.

Such would be a dream come true for her. To prologue her reign and become the Queen that goes down in history for taming the king.

"Why do you pace all the time," The queen mother asked her. If pacing could solve their problems, she would be doing it as well. However, it only adds to making one more nervous and tense. Feelings they couldn't afford to have were they to navigate the dangerous tides that were upon them.

"I can't sit down and do nothing, Mother," Tamira let out. Her heart was pounding against her chest with worry. The two people who knew of what went down between the king and his lover weren't taking it.

"You pacing back and forth isn't helping us," She insisted.

Tamira rubbed her hands against each other. Lost in thoughts. She was at the edge. Javier's mother had given her hope of a life she once thought was out of reach. That hope drove her every day.

There was no telling how far she was willing to go to make that life a reality. Even if it required her to get her hands dirty. She was willing to play all the cards as long as it promised her the position of a true queen.

The queen glanced over to her bed. The King, her husband has never once been to her room let alone sit on her bed. The only bed he dared to warm was Soren's bed.

However, Soren was gone from him now. It was only a matter of time before loneliness leads Javier to her. She could feel his presence in the room, Queen Tamira refused to shower before bed. She didn't wish to erase the king's scent on her body.

Tamira wanted to start getting used to the feeling of having his scent on her. As it spoke of how close she was to attain her goals.

A few weeks ago, she wasn't in a position to hold hands with the king. Today however she got an opportunity to embrace him for a while without him pushing her away.

Day by day the distance between them was being bridged without Javier noticing. And before the King comes to be aware of her plans, they would be inseparable.

Her face lit up.

"Daydreaming of Javier already?"

Tamira blushed.

"I wish I knew what went down when Soren and Javier left the palace. It's driving me out of my mind thinking about it," Tamira change the topic.

She didn't dare to voice her thoughts out loud for fear of jinxing them. She was having a restless night.

The queen dropped on the bed dramatically. Her mind replayed the expression on Adnan's face when she informed him that Soren won't be returning to the palace. The boy was fearful, guilty, and saddened by the news. It told Tamira that he was aware of what transpired between Soren and Javier.

His guilt showed that he was the reason the two might have had a misunderstanding which would explain why the king was punishing him. The queen thought of all the ways Adnan could have played in separating the inseparable couple. Nothing came to mind.

In a decade, many had come and gone from the palace while trying to come between the king and his lover. Each fails in its way. It was hard to believe that a slave who has been in the palace for merely a day could pull it off.

The queen didn't know if she should be grateful for Adnan's presence or fearful. The boy sent Soren away from the palace without any effort. He could easily do the same to her.

Tamira stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Her heart was in her throat. For the longest time, she was fearful of the most powerful being in all of Arendar but now even the lowly slave of the king sent shivers down her spine.

She curled up into a ball and hugged herself. The queen was aware she had no power in the palace. The queen mother's support could only afford her some luxuries and authority but not enough to secure her position in the palace.

This bitter truth was the hardest to swallow. In other noble houses, having your mother-in-law's support was enough to ensure your place in a house. Nevertheless, she lived in a palace where the king's word was law.

They could force his hand once in a while but nothing was long-lasting. "The king won't go after Zarlos," the queen uttered in despair.

"That will be a good thing. We can use that to force him to get closer to you," The queen mother let out. She ambled towards the bed and ran her hand over Tamira's soft hair. "The king will be yours, don't despair," she assured.

Tamira nodded.

The words of the queen mother echoed in her mind. Like a mantra, she chanted internally to keep her hope alive.

"I will retire now. Try to get some sleep and hope a new dawn will bring..."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She was cut short when a knock came on the door. The queen mother narrowed her eyes at the queen. "Were you expecting someone?"

Tamira sat up on the bed, she shook her head. She hadn't made an appointment with anyone at such a late hour of the night.

"Come in," she ordered.

The doors swung open. One of the queen mother's spies entered the room. The imperial queen mother ushered her inside to hear the news she had for her.

"The flag of Arendar has been hoisted in Zarlos by Lord Soren," she dropped the news.

Queen Tamira and the imperial queen mother were left in shock.