Fourteen

A little more than a week had passed since the sneak attack. Celestria, though still limping occasionally, continued to train around the clock. She made sure her warriors were also training hard, not letting them slack off now. Because she was throwing herself into training, Sigourney and the commander didn't see each other very often. The only exception was when she came to check in for her night patrols. King Stephen had become even more obnoxious and snobbish around the queen. It was kinda pathetic. 

Sigourney would pay him no mind. Her thoughts were on Celestria, even though she didn't want to think about the blue-haired girl. In the small moments she would see her, her eyes would linger on her sharp features, her lip scar, the blade strapped to her right thigh. Everything about her was so alluring. And the queen hated it. Before she just felt annoyance every time she was around but as she learned more about behind the commander's haughty demeanor; she began to actually crave time together. 

She had zoned out again during another of the king's monologues of how Vykon would rue the day they went against Ardon, how they'd bow to him. Sigourney found it kinda ridiculous. In her kingdom, if she wanted to conquer someone, she simply did. Her army was infamous for being undefeatable and now she was here, helping an idiotic king try to overthrow another idiotic kingdom. 

"Queen Sigourney?" 

She snapped back to attention, blinking as she remembered why they were there. "Yes?"

"You weren't listening."

"Of course I was. You were saying something about how you're even more certain there's a traitor among your men," she replied, fighting back a yawn. It was always the same lecture about how he'd "weasel out the little traitorous rat," but never about how he'd actually succeed in that. 

He gave an unsatisfied grunt before continuing to eat his dinner. That night the kitchen had prepared a chicken and picked dozens of pounds of grapes. They were one of the very few fruits thriving in the greenhouse, along with strawberries and tomatoes. Though they weren't necessarily thriving. They were growing, but there were so few fruits that they went to the king and Sigourney. Occasionally, if there were leftovers, they'd go to Celestria. At least that's what Stephen believed. The queen knew better. 

At that moment, the commander had walked into the room, dressed in her armour. It was clunky and loud, with the kingdom crest painted on. The crest was a royal purple coyote. The coyote represented the strength of the kingdom, and the purple showed the riches Ardon had to offer. 

Celestria strode through the room, making her way over to King Stephen. She hadn't even spared a glance at Sigourney. Their relationship was strictly being allies, and she didn't have to interact with her if it wasn't necessary. The queen watched the other with a serious expression, but she did wonder what was going through her head. 

"Your Majesty," she addressed him, bowing her head. "I'm here to check in for my patrol." 

She was about to head out of the room, but the king stopped her. Sigourney looked at him, confused. He never stopped her, she just came to say she was going onto patrol then left, that was always the entire exchange. 

It was obvious that the commander was suspicious of the change, spinning around on her heel to face him. "Yes?"

He plucked a grape from the delicate dish before him, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. "I already have Benjamin working the night patrol. So no, you won't be checking in." He looked up at her with a grin. There was something off about it, but Celestria couldn't quite put her finger on it. He made an inclining gesture towards a chair beside Stephen. It wasn't as grand as the king or queen's, but it did have soft red cushioning, probably more comfortable than any of the townspeople had ever experienced. 

She hesitated, furrowing her brows. She didn't like the way the king acted, but she sat down anyway. Her armour clanked against itself as she sat down. It was loud, but she didn't really mind. She was used to it. 

Leaning back against the chair, she watched King Stephen's expression as he spoke. 

"You won't be working the night patrol, because I have another job for you. I want you to escort Queen Sigourney back to Lyndonori."

"What?" the queen and commander exclaimed in unison. 

The king seemed unbothered as he popped the grape into his mouth. Sigourney looked over to see Celestria's expression. She seemed so baffled, her mouth agape. But the confusion was gone so fast, the queen almost thought she saw wrong. 

"What exactly do you mean, your majesty?"

"I mean," he started, eating a second grape. "We must gather as many troops as are available to us. The queen has more soldiers back at her kingdom. So you two will fetch them."

Sigourney objected, slamming her fist down on the table. It annoyed her that King Stephen had just assumed he could use her warriors without even consulting her first. She didn't mind helping, of course, since this was an alliance and she'd always been true to her allies, but it was just inconsiderate. "With all due respect, King Stephen, but we never discussed this. What makes you think you can just ask for my army with no warnings and just expect me to be perfectly fine with that?" 

Celestria was sure to interject before things got too heated. "I'll do it. By the next hour I'll have the best captain and crew to take us there." 

King Stephen's face twisted into a smug grin. If looks could kill, both the king and commander would be dead by now as Sigourney glared at them. The warrior turned to watch her, seeing the ball of fiery anger in her grey eyes. It wasn't often Celestria actually saw emotion expressed behind those doll-like eyes, so still and unexpecting. She was always excellent at hiding what she was feeling, not wanting anything to be taken as weakness. 

"Good. I want more troops by next week. We don't know when Vykon will attempt another attack. For all we know, they're getting reinforcements as we speak."

"Yes sir, I understand." Celestria stood up, pushing back her chair in the process. She spoke to the queen for the first time in days, not turning to her. "Meet me at the training grounds at sundown."

Without waiting for a response, she left the room, the large double doors slamming closed behind her.