Welcome to Zelle

We didn’t know if Kassora still had troops inside it, and even if it did, there was nothing left there for us. We simply stared at the town that lay in the distance. Cassel was shaking a little.

“I really can’t believe it… every time I pushed for the executions, every time I supported Jovik… I was just playing into their hands…”

He took a deep breath.

“I hated Zeya. When I hit her with my crossbow… It wasn’t an accident! I really hated her that much! And now she’s gone and saved us all, I can’t even apologise? I’ve done nothing but make mistakes!”

I put a hand on Cassel’s shoulder. “I was the one who picked Jovik out during the shooting practice. I should have known he was too accurate not to be cheating a little.”

“There’s no point thinking about the past… If we want Zeya’s words to live on inside us, then we need to make it to Zelle,” Cordelia replied, clearly holding back tears and not fully taking on her own advice.

Cassel nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t call me Your Majesty. I don’t deserve to be called a queen when I let this happen to Kassora… To Zeya…”

“...”

We trudged along the muddy path in silence, our journey lit only by the moon. None of us had got any sleep. We knew there was no time to waste. Despite everything, I felt a strange comfort that the rain had finally stopped. Even as my clothes and shoes were stained by puddles and mud, I felt a hope in my heart that things would finally get better.

We walked throughout the night, saying nothing, but thinking about everything. With the death of Archmage Audra, was Sylvanus going to make his move? No doubt he would take advantage of the fact he was the last Archmage standing. I knew very little about what his powers were, but I hoped there was no way he would be more dangerous than Audra.

I just didn’t understand why Jovik didn’t see any hope in the rebellion. If he knew the Hydromancer would have tried to defeat us like that, then why didn’t he trust me to find a way? Why did he give up and sell himself out?

Well, I suppose he never believed in the revolution in the first place.

Finally, after hours of walking, we finally heard the rumbling of wheels, and the trotting of horses.

“A carriage?”, asked Cassel, as he turned to face the traveller heading in our direction. A lantern dangled in the light, and we soon saw that it was a full trading caravan, loaded with wagons. Half exhausted, I started jumping and waving my hands.

“Hey! Hey! Stop!”

The man at the head of the caravan looked at us with a raised eyebrow. He was dressed in a cavalier hat in the style of merchants from the Republic of Caluzza, and had purple hair just like mine. He ordered the horses to slow down, and turned to me.

“My my! What are you doing in a place like this! You’re far from home, my friend!”

He then glanced at Cassel and Cordelia, and upon seeing the dirt on her dress, he shook his head.

“And this fine lady, you’ve let her get filthy! A gentleman should be carrying her to keep her dress clean!”

I turned to face him. “Nevermind that! How much do I need to pay you for three of your horses?”

He shook his head. “My friend, these are Caluzzan Thoroughbreds. They’re far too valuable for me to give up.”

Remembering the small treasure box that Zeya had given me, I looked for the smallest gemstone inside. Finding a beautiful small emerald, I lifted in the air, as it refracted the light of the lantern like a kaleidoscope. The merchant’s eyes opened very widely indeed.

“Oh, oh, my friend! My friend, take the horses! Take any of the horses you like! Yes, yes!”, he said, dismounting, and removing some of the horses from their harnesses. He handed me the reins, and I placed the emerald in his hands. Even as the smallest gem in the box, it was deeply impressive.

“It’s a shame,” I said, turning to Cordelia. “It made me think of your eyes”. With a small grin, I placed the emerald in the merchant’s hand, and he practically jumped with glee.

I gave the other two horses to Cassel and Cordelia, all whilst the merchant was bowing incredibly deeply at us.

“Ciao!”, I said to the Caluzzan merchant, as I mounted my horse and set off. We quickly realised why the merchant had been reluctant to sell them - I’d never rode a faster horse in my entire life!

Despite my tiredness, the pure thrill of riding through the night filled me with adrenaline. It was incredible! All the time spent managing the logistics of a revolution and the production of cannons and guns… It had its charms, but nothing felt more freeing than riding a horse in the glorious moonlight!

We rode all night, and I started to wonder if I had perhaps dozed off for a couple of minutes during the journey. I had to pinch myself to keep my eyes open, exhausted from both the physical exertion and the lack of sleep. I couldn’t believe that less than a day ago, we had stared down Audra at the front of Kassora.

Now, the City of Zelle was staring down at me. The thick walls made Kassora’s ones look like paper in comparison. An enormous fortress stood in the middle of the city, topped with an enormous spire. Flags were waving with the same emblem that was on the ring Zeya gave me, and I started to realise what a truly noble family she came from.

“We’re nearly there,” I grumbled to the others, trying my hardest to stay awake. My eyes kept closing as I rode closer to the city. I finally got near the gates, and as we approached the guards, we stopped our horses.

“Stop! Nobody gets in without approval from the Lord-Mayor!”

I groaned, tiredly gesturing to Cordelia. “She’s literally the leader of the rebellion!”

The guard shook his head. “I’m sorry. There’s been rumours of a traitor in the rebellion. We can’t open the gate without the Lord-Mayor’s permission.”

“I’m tired! We rode all night! I’m going to fall asleep right here!”, I grumbled.

“Can’t help you, ma’am. And you’re not allowed to sleep here. You’ll disrupt traffic.”

Shaking my head, I showed him the ring on my finger. All of a sudden, he bowed apologetically.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were the family of the Lord-Mayor! Open the gate, open the gate!”

“Opening the gates!” yelled a guard on the wall, and the gates opened to reveal a bridge with a moat and a second gate behind it. Zelle must truly be an impregnable fortress. Squinting my tired eyes, I shambled inside on my horse, feeling something like a zombie.

I looked at Cordelia and Cassel to my side, who looked just as tired as I did, and I smiled. We had managed to survive the night, and I was too tired to think about anything else. We trotted slowly into the town square… and saw everyone in the town looking at us!

“HURRAH! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!”

People were rushing from their homes to see us, and the streets slowly got more and more crowded… But I had been awake for nearly 30 hours, and was struggling to stay on my horse… much less wave at people. They seemed not to notice what a terrible condition we were in

After some time, the commotion seemed to have reached the Lord-Mayor, who was rushing down the fortress steps to see us. The crowd cheered louder as he appeared, and he looked up at me as I rode on my horse.

“Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived! Does that mean Audra is defeated? You have done us a great service, greater than any we could have hoped for! Let me honour your victory with the finest Zellean hospitality!

He continued eagerly. “If you have any wish, anything at all, as long as it’s in my power… I’ll do it for you!”

I was trying my hardest to come up with a polite response, a smile, anything! But it was like I couldn’t control my facial muscles anymore. It was a triumphant moment for the revolution, and yet, there was only one thing in the entire world that I wanted. My eyes felt so heavy…

“...Seraphine?” he asked.

“Zzzzzzz….”