CHAPTER 18

Everywhere was so silent and it was in the night in Khitan river kingdom. Few of the Afghanistan armies were at a dark corner, sitting at a corridor there and guarding the palace in case of any attack, with their single handed curve swords and with a gathered fire burning heavily at the front of them and made it to keep the place warm.

The head of the Afghanistan armies was the one that was at the prison with the Head of the armies, guarding the palace and monitoring any strange moments. He was parading around the prison, looking left and right.

The head of the armies was sitting on the floor with his hair scartted and looking at the guard as he was walking around.

The Queen was in the King's small living room, light candles around the room and sitting on the table there. Looking alone and with her husband and son ashes inside two jugs, put one at her right and the other one at her left hand side and looking at it. Remembering their lifetime together, how sweet it was and when it was sad also.

She stood up suddenly, took a knife on the table and went to hind at the back of the door as she heard a footsteps. It was in the middle night so she didn't expect anybody to be working around again than to be in his or her post, mean the person that it could be must have a mission.

She listening careful to the footsteps, wanted to know where it was going to and she was ready to follow it secretly. The footsteps stopped at the front of the room that she was and opening the door.

"Who are you?" The Queen quickly put the knife on the person's neck as the door opened, before she looked at him and saw that it was the Hand of the King.

"Why are you acting like this my Queen! There are many armies in the palace to protect it, so why are so worried!" He said as he collected the knife from her hand.

Dropped the knife on the table, held her shoulder and taking her to the seat. He supported her to sit down and him too sat down on the second chair at the front of her.

"My Queen! Put your mind at rest, you have armies that are protecting you now and the Kingdom!" Said with low voice.

"I don't trust anybody! It's all those armies that joined hand together with other people and killed my husband. So I must protect myself by myself, not by them!" Said loudly.

"Those armies are not in the palace now or you don't trust your Afghanistan armies!" The Queen looked at him and didn't say anything to that.

"What are you doing here by this time?" She asked after few minutes and keeps looking at the ashes.

"Since my house is not far from here, I came here to check on you. Because I don't like the mood you are since the King and the Prince had dead. See now you are not sleeping by this time keeps looking at the ashes, even this is why I came to check on you!" Showing fake cares.

"I want to know who killed my husband? Why they killed him? And the Head is not yet to reply me since yesterday that I have locked him in!" Said with anger showed all over her.

"Calm down my Queen! How did you know that the King was killed? Who told you? Or do you suspect anything from Head of the armies behaviour which makes you to know that he knows something about it?" Trying to find out and pushing some words into her mouth.

"Water was red! I saw it from a water!" The Queen said with herself and not loudly. Hand of the King looked at her. The Queen had power to see something that had happened in the past inside water and briefly of it.

"Talk to me! Or you don't trust me also? Remember I am the most trusted person that the King had, now it's me that you too should be seeing as one. Tell me so that I will know how to fish the person out, what we are told is that it's dragon attacked. Now that you said it's not, tell me!" The Queen looked at him and didn't say anything, she drew the jugs closer to herself and rubbing it.

"I think it's high time you will go and pour the ashes inside water, they had gone so let them rest!" Collected them from her hands and shifted them to the back.

He held the Queen's two hands, looking into her eye balls and predenting like a good man. The Queen was looking at him as well and not happy at all.

"My Queen! Be happy! I am here for you and ready to do anything for you, cheer up. I will be by your side always!" Raised her hands up and kissed them, trying to catch her feeling and building his trust in her.

"Stand up, let go to your room and go to bed. Tomorrow morning we will go together and pour the ashes inside the river, so that the King and your son could rest!" He stood up, the Queen looked at him and said.

"I am not feeling like sleeping yet!" Said with low voice.

"Okay then! Let me go and get wine for both of us so that you could cheer up small!" Leaving the room.

Sound of the door closed as he left and just walked a little by when he met one of the Afghanistan armies, he stopped the Hand of the King and asking him questions.

"As you can see it's King's study room that I am coming from and I am going to the main apartment to get wine for the Queen. You can go and ask her!" Spoke in English.

"As you said Hand of the King!" The Afghanistan army said in English language and the Hand left.

He turned to his right side instead of left which was to the King's chamber, looked everywhere and going to the prison that Head of the armies was. That was the reason he came there just went to see the Queen first for the armies not to be suspicious about him and had something to lie on.

He threw a small ball as he was about to get to the prison and the ball created smoke to everywhere, the Head of the Afghanistan armies fell on the floor as he hailed it and slept off. The Hand of the King passed beside him and went to the cell, bend down as he got there and looking at the army.

"It's because of you that is why I am here by this time of the day. What did you tell the Queen as she arrived that let her be so suspicious about everything?" Said silently.

"Just explained to her how it happened and that is what I have said at the front of anybody!" Said with loud voice and looked at the Hand with bad eye.

"Tell me what you know now? Because how did Queen know or did you like the way you are here suffering!"

"What are you doing here? Why did you came here by this time and asking me, you should have ask at the front of everybody on that day!" Talking in abusive manner.

"I am here to help you out and you are still talking rudely to me!" Head of the armies laughed loudly.

"To help me! Don't help me, if it's time for the Queen to release me out from here, she will do that!" Hand of the King looked at the man and laughed.

"If the Queen release you out, it's on judgement ground she is taking you too and it's killing!" Said with low voice.

"I am waiting for that and if it's time for me to talk, I will!" Said with loud voice and rest his back on the wall.

"Okay then!" Looked at him, stood up and leaving, Head of the armies said with loud voice and Hand stopped.

"It's true that dragon attacked came up but it was you that killed the King. Despite that everywhere was so dark and I was busy fighting with the dragon. I was able to see you clearly as you killed the King!" Hand of the King turned back.

"I later forced you to talk. It's better you keep silent as you have been doing because if you talk nobody will believe you or trust you. Let me tell you, we are many on this and minority can never carry the vote or confuse people!" Head of the armies looked at him and looking at each other.

"Talk or you dead! Keep silent as you have been doing!" He left the place, Head of the armies looked at him still he gone far and breathe in. Head of the armies from Afghanistan woke up and stood up as the Hand left.

Hand of the King turned to his left hand side as he left the prison and entered the King's chamber, opened the King's living room door and entered. Took a wine from the bar there and two cups, left the room and going back to the room with the wine and cups.

The Queen had been waiting for him since, resting her head on the table and she had been feeling like sleeping. Sound of the door opened and closed, he entered and put the wine down on the table.

"It took you so long, Why?" She asked with low voice.

"I am so sorry my Queen, the guard had locked the door so I have to go to their chamber to collect the key!" He lied.

"I am so sorry for the stress you went through. I don't think I can drink anything again, feeling sleeping already!" Said as she was yawning.

"I see! No problem my Queen!" The Queen stood up.

"Should I carry you my Queen!" Predenting for her.

"Not need! Thank you my Hand!" The Queen laughed and leaving the room. Sound of the door closed, Hand of the King looked at the Queen with bad eye and pouring the wine.

×××××××

In the centre of the Kingdom in Khitan. People were at the scattered houses that had been destroyed with dragon's fire. There were few people there whom were injured by dragon attacked, the armies too were there put their camp very closed to that house and guarding the place.

The armies light candles round the house, sitting on a circle table ten- ten and charting. There were few people at a corner cooking for others, hanged a very big pot up and above the fire a little bit.

"Come over here please! Come and help me to check this hand!" One of the armies said as a lady entered and whom was the doctor that was treating them.

She walked closed to him, put the box in his hand down and removing the banged on his hand at the upper aim. She threw the banged inside the a waste bin and cleaning the hand very well.

"It's has been healing! I will have to leave it without banging now and it will be heal soon!" The lady said.

"Okay! Thank you very much!" The lady carried the box and going out, let the army's camp and going to the house.

Few of the people in that house had slept when some where with their relatives preparing their local herb medicine for them. The doctor entered and went to a room that reserved for the doctor and her co.

A woman was laying on the bed, with different wounds on her body and looking straight. Two ladies and a man were with her and they were her relatives.

"You should have sleep by now Mother, so that the medicine will work and you will be fine soon!" A young woman said.

"I will sleep soon when the sleeping start coming!" The woman was Li Qiang's mother and other they were his relatives.

"Please sleep Sister, you see that everybody has slept!" The man said with low voice and sitting beside her.

"I want to see Li Qiang, I don't how he is doing!" Still felt concerned about her son and how he was.

"Li Qiang and Wang Wei are fine! We can't call them home with all this problem that we are facing. If they come home now they will want to start fighting the dragons because of an army that they are, so what if they dead there!" The second woman said.

"That is the reason we don't write any letter to them! So mother rest your mind or you don't want him to be alive!"

"I want my Son and his friend to be fine and be alive!" Said one by one and with low voice.

"So rest your mind! Li Qiang will soon come home!" The man said and calming the woman down.

"Just send the letter and let me know how he is?" Said with low voice and begging all of them.

"We will write a letter to them!" Li Qiang's sister said.