Check Mate

The Queen and I entered empty Council Chambers, while Finley and Alejo stood at their usual posts outside the room. The Swordsmen's training must have run late. King Caderyn was also nowhere in sight. The Queen and I approached the long chamber table.

"Your Majesty, should I move down a seat to facilitate you and the King both being in this meeting?" Where should I sit, being the person of the least importance? Shouldn't that mean I'm furthest from the head of the table?

"No, Sir Jacobson. Please sit where you usually do," Queen Valerie advised as she took a seat at the head of the table. I stood beside my normal chair blinking for a moment. The King would not like that. He would be the one moving chairs instead of me.

The sound of deep pitch laughter filled the hall outside the chamber. I easily recognized the voice of my father. The Swordsmen must be close. The doors flew open.

"Jack! We missed you! You should've seen…" my father turned the corner to see me sitting with the Queen. He stopped mid sentence and mid step. The other two Swordsmen also stopped short, piling up behind my father in the doorway.

"Your Majesty! Is His Majesty sick?" My father's abrupt stop and pale complexion were explained in that one question.

"Oh no, Lord Jacob. I am sorry to startle you. I didn't mean to cause concern. I just wanted to clear up a few things before we send troops north," the Queen explained.

"Oh. Very well then. We are honored you joined us," my father continued, finally breathing in relief. For as much as he makes me practice the task, one would think he'd be an expert at controlling his breath.

"Thank you, please take your usual seats. I would hate to displace any of you," Queen Valerie explained.

Why did we not put The Queen in charge of our battle plans? She definitely knew how to play the game. The three Swordsmen in attendance took their seats and shared a moment of uneasy silence. They knew this was the calm before a storm.

"I am sorry for missing training. What were you going to tell me, father?" I tried to lighten the mood.

"You missed quite the display of force, if I may be so bold," Lord Bleddyn beamed with pride, letting the tension in the room dissolve almost instantaneously.

"It was certainly that!" Lord Garrison agreed.

"We let Cali spar with Benate," my father explained before the other two men could ruin his surprise.

"You let Cali spar during training?" The Queen inquired.

The excitement among the Swordsmen slightly waned. "Although it was on the training field, Your Majesty, the two fighters in question sparred after the troops were dismissed for the day," Lord Garrison explained, hoping to keep out of trouble.

A smirk ran across the Queen's face. "Did she win?"

After spending today with my future mother-in-law, this comment no longer shocked me. The same cannot be said for the Swordsmen. The brothers-in-arms exchanged surprised glances.

"It was a draw!" Lord Bleddyn finally said with a wide grin. "They disarmed each other on the same blow and Benate was not about to go hand-to-hand with my daughter." There could not be a prouder father. Way to go, Cali!

The door swung open, making the room fall silent.

"I'm sorry I'm late," King Caderyn said rounding the door. He was picking at something on his clothing. Perhaps it was hair? He did not look up but proceeded walking toward the head of the table.

"That's quite alright, Caderyn dear," the Queen's melodic voice rang out in the sweetest tone that has ever power played a spouse.

King Caderyn stopped his trek to his usual place. The hair afflicting his clothing no longer mattered. The King slowly raised his gaze to meet his wife's smug expression.

"Valerie, Darling. Am I interrupting a meeting for a party? The Swordsmen and I have a council meeting planned," the King tried to explain away reality. Surely the Queen was not taking over his meeting.

"No, Caderyn. I'm here for the Swordsmen Council meeting. In fact, I would like to run it, if you don't mind terribly my dear. Please take a seat." The Queen motioned her hand toward the open chairs.

King Caderyn looked dumbstruck. His usual annoyed anger became a silent seething rage as he took up a seat next to Lord Bleddyn. It did not escape my notice that King Caderyn was now the person seated furthest from the head of the table.

"Thank you! Swordsmen, I hate to backtrack but, in case we missed anything, can we recap important events that have happened since Princess Alina's birthday? I think the men we are about to send north might do well with knowledge of some of those events," The Queen started her speech looking around at each person before settling into a knowing stare at her husband.

"Wise move, Your Majesty. Knowledge is power," Lord Garrison complemented before beginning his recap of the events from his own perspective.

Queen Valerie listened as the Swordsmen began to share the highlights of everything her husband kept secret from her. Keeping a calm demeanor, she rarely looked toward the King once the meeting began.

That was perfectly acceptable since King Caderyn would not have even noticed. He spent the entire meeting staring daggers in my direction. Apparently it was not that hard of logical progression to realize I was the one snooping around the royal wing today so I must be the one who told his wife everything.

I tried to ignore the ever present feeling of being watched. A few times the Swordsmen remembered details that I did not notice the first time around. With more information about our kingdom's situation, the Queen also remembered another petition that I did not witness.

The short version of the petition was that the petitioner thought the forests near the foothills of the mountains the Norads occupied were being over hunted. Queen Valerie suggested that the men being sent north carry extra rations in case food is scarce.

"We should not send the men until we hear from Lord Holden. Surely we will hear from him soon. If that is all, then we can call it a night," The Queen offered.

The Swordsmen smiled. Having a productive meeting looked good on them.

"Hearing no other ideas, council dismissed! Caderyn, I'm about to order dinner to be sent to my parlor. Please join me there," Queen Valerie did not wait for a response before leaving the council chambers.

The Swordsmen and I got up to follow her. It was good to have an early night. The Swordsmen all scurried from the room, afraid to be the last one in the room with King Caderyn. They left me in the dust. I was almost to the hallway, with my hand on the door.

King Caderyn stopped me, "Sir Jacobson, close the door. We need to speak