Sacrificed to the Dragon

8. Queen Anthea

Katherine watches him carefully. He stands there and seems to be debating with himself about what to do. He is fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and one of his feet is tapping a rhythm that she can’t recognise, but the good news for her is that he is still here. He didn’t just turn around and left. It would be his right to do so.

Please stay! She thinks she doesn’t want to be alone, no matter what she said before. He gives her peace just as much as the statue of a queen gives her solace. There is just something about the man that calms her down even with how much he intrigues her because of all the mystery surrounding him. Especially his refusal to let her ask questions and he still hasn’t told her his name.

“I’ll tell you the story of Queen Anthea.” He finally says to her. “But no interruptions and no question.”

“I promise.” Katherine bows to him.

“Come, let us sit down. It is not a short story.” He beckons her to him.

Katherine walks the short distance over to him and lowers herself slowly to the stone bench protruding out of the wall. She is careful not to sit too close to him. She did take Agneta’s warning to heart and she is careful not to give him any strange ideas. He leans back on the wall with a smile and closes his eyes. A small sigh escapes him and she thinks he will reconsider and not tell her anything.

The story of Queen Anthea:

It was not too long ago, just a hundred years,  that she ruled the land of Loredan, but everyone has forgotten her, it seems. I guess it takes three generations to forget someone as wonderful as she was. The benevolent queen was her nickname, because she always helped her people. No matter how small the request it was, she tried to do something. She rebuilt a lot of roads and made that market place in the capitol a grand and wonderful site. She encouraged trade and that is how even the lowest of peasants had a chance at a great life.

Her fair complexion and golden hair were always in a bright contrast to the dark red dresses she loved so much. So she stood out of every crowd she was ever in and she never complained about it. The guards had a tough job, because she let the people close to her. She loved her people. She taught them magic. And with magic, you can do a lot. Building is much easier with magic. That is why all the villages look so grand.

Anyone benefited from her love. Especially the children. She loved them so much, she even adopted a few. They were all grown up by the time the Queen had a child of her own. But the young prince never lacked the friends. Queen Anthea invited all the children in the capitol to attend the palace school. She even taught a few classes herself. She was a great teacher, by the way. Queen Anthea specialised in botany and medical herbs. She was a healer, too.

Her husband, King Athos, adored her and indulged her every whim. That is how the Loredan academy for magic was created. The Queen wanted to give all children the same opportunity to learn the craft. That way all children that exhibited some magical powers got to attend the academy, not only the few selected by the mages council. The council didn’t like her educational plans, but in the end they gave way to her. 

The Elven emissary loved her, too. There was peace between the lands, because she understood the needs of the Elves and tried to help them as much as she could. And she forbade the southern rivers to be overfished, because those run in the land of the Elves, too. And that great lake on the border is off limits to the Loredanians only because the Elves think of it as sacred. Well, I hope it’s still so, Queen Anthea worked hard on that.

There were some people in Loredan that didn’t like the Queen. They thought that power should be concentrated and that peasant children don’t need to be taught magic. They had the idea that magic is only for the upper classes. Their circle grew and grew and eventually they even got the mages council on their side. And the most powerful man in that group was the King's treasurer. 

The man that was supposed to be working for the good graces of all, was greedy and power hungry. The treasurer led the revolt in the palace. It was a long and dark night, that winter solstice day. There was fighting and blood in the corridors. All that were loyal to the King and Queen were killed without mercy. The Queen and King were murdered as well. Their heads were chopped off in the most gruesome way on the stairs of the throne room. 

The silver blood was flowing and sparkled in the light of the torches. The stairs and floor of the throne room looked like they were painted with liquid silver. You see, their blood was silver, because Queen Anthea and King Athos were dragons. And with their deaths, the royal dragon line ended. The era of the mages began on that solstice night a hundred years ago.

Katherine took a deep breath when he stopped talking. She didn’t even realise that she was holding her breath. The story was just captivating to her. She always loved history. But the things he told her were all new to her. There was nothing of a Queen Anthea and King Athos in any of the books she has read in the palace. And he said it was a hundred years ago! That was about the time her great grandfather inherited the throne of Loredan.

She takes a glance in his direction. He is just sitting there, eyes closed and shallow breaths. He could be asleep, but she knows he is not. There is a tear glistening on the edge of his left eye and her fingers are itching to wipe it off. It is so strange to see such emotions on a man’s face. Even stranger, because he was talking about something that happened so long ago. Now she wonders what his connection is to all that. And why he knows of a part of Loredan’s history she doesn’t.

“I didn’t know all that.” Katherine whispers. She takes care to form her sentences, he did say no questions. “I read all the history books I could get my hands on. There was nothing about Queen Anthea. And all those books in the palace library are awfully damaged. It seems to me that someone went to great trouble to wipe her out of history. And I never saw a painting or a statue of her either. Well, before I came here.”

“They really went so far?” He asks suddenly. “Do they even teach about dragons?”

“No. Except that dragons are a myth. The black dragon is the last of it’s kind in Loredan. The only one I heard talk about dragons, as if they were still here, was the Elven emissary.” Katherine tells him.

“Did you attend the academy?” He asks her to change the topic and Katherine thinks that talking about dragons is bothering him somehow.

“No.” Katherine smirks. “I wanted to, but my mother said it’s a waste of time.”

“I just wonder if there is something about Queen Anthea there. She founded the academy.” He says without opening his eyes.

“I can ask the others. Some of the girls are quite good at magic. Maybe one of them went to the academy.” Katherine thinks out loud.

“Don’t bother.” He tells her. “It was just a thought in passing.”

“Thank you for telling me her story. I wish it would end differently.” Katherine says and smiles even though he doesn’t see it.

“Me too.” He sighs.

“I’m glad one statue of her survived. She should be remembered.” Katherine looks over to the statue of Queen Anthea and she can understand his sentiment. “She was a great Queen.”

“Her son carved that statue.” He whispers. “Castle Eiry was Queen Anthea’s summer residence. And all the queens before her. No one could come up here, but the dragons.”

“What ever happened to the young price?” Katherine asks him.

“That was a question.” He suddenly gets up and glares at her. His face is hard and he looks angry. “You broke our deal.”

“I’m sorry. I got carried away.” Katherine apologizes, but in vain.

“Good bye, Katherine.” He bows to her and walks away so briskly that she has no chance of catching up with him.

She did it again. How does he trap her so easily? She used to be good at this game, but he gets her cornered every time. Is it his eyes? Or the golden hair? Ohhh, she slaps herself on the head. THe golden hair! That is the clue. He must be related to Queen Anthea somehow. Maybe a descendant of her son? He didn’t say a thing about the prince, so she assumed that the prince survived the c*****e.

Katherine just sits there in the shadow of the statue. She thinks that maybe the prince was a dragon, too. So, does that mean that the current black dragon terrorising Loredan is a descendant of the Queen? Is this dragon the rightful ruler of Loredan and not her father? Come to think of it, she never knew or asked how her family became the ruling one. So the things she took for granted need to be examined and thought over. Did her great grandfather have something to do with the deaths of Queen Anthea and King Athos? Is that how her family got the throne? By treason? Who can she ask?

Katherine gets up determined to solve this new mystery and goes in search of Agneta. Maybe the castle’s keeper will know something more. Or just direct her to the history books. There is another library somewhere in this castle. That might be a start if Agneta doesn’t know anything.

The office she was told belongs to Agneta is on the ground floor of the castle. Very close to the grand door that is always locked. Katherine has no trouble locating the office and even Agneta is there at this time of the day.

“I’m sorry to be bothering you.” Katherine starts.

“Oh, do come in. I heard about the embroidery mishap.” Agneta speaks right over Katherine’s attempt to say something.

“Yes...that.” Katherine stutters. “I actually came to ask you something else.”

“Do tell, dear.” Agneta smiles. “Don’t beat yourself about embroidery. I knew it was a long shot. We’ll find you something.”

“Thank you.” Katherine nods. “I wanted to ask you about Queen Anthea.”

“Sorry. I don’t know anything about her. She died a long time ago. Where did you even hear about her?”

“That man told me a story about Queen Anthea. The statue in the small graveyard I go to is of her.” Katherine tells Agneta.

“I see.” Agneta nods. “Maybe the library will give you something. The history books are on the top balcony. And the library itself is on the end of the east wing.”