How about I strangle your evil ass right the fuck now?
As much as I wished I didn’t have to become king, putting this woman in power was not an option. And I knew, that was my second motivating factor outside of granting my father his last wish and taking the throne.
“Know who loves exile? Former queens,” I said, and moved to push past her.
“Don’t you dare turn your back on your queen,” she snarled. “You are not yet the king, and you should take care to remember that.”
I turned on a dime, towering over her, with my arms crossed over my chest. I stepped into her, crowding her space and making her back up. The only way I found her bearable was when she was moving away from me.
“Here’s the thing, Patara. Unfortunately, I know you well. Under your rule, this entire kingdom would be royally and completely fucked. A bonfire for unwanted babies? Mass executions for the aging? Is that your plan for the first hundred days of your reign? No fucking thank you. I actually care about the people of this kingdom and that’s exactly why I plan to be their king.”
The words still felt foreign on my tongue, but my heart warmed with the understanding that doing what was right was not always easy.
“Shut up, you animal. Who will follow you? You’re disgusting. A horrific joke. A half-breed.”
Now I pointed my finger and pressed it into her bony chest. “Watch your language, Patara. You’ll be kneeling before me before long.”
At that, she made a noise that sounded a shitload like an actual hissing snake. “Never.”
“And by the way,” I added, making her back up into a clump of foxglove, which I knew would give her a rash on her ankles. “I know all about your affair with the captain of the Queen’s Guards. And your relationship with the young groom who strangely disappeared two years ago never to be seen in the kingdom again. Or, the many before that…Should we go ahead and tell my father right now, so he can hang you? Or do you want to wait for me to do it?” I lifted my shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. “Doesn’t much matter to me. Either way, I’ll be glad to watch you swing.”
She stumbled back, catching herself on an alabaster column, and pointing at me as she barked, “You bastard!”
“That I am.”
My father was no saint, but one thing Patara knew he would never tolerate is her being intimate with someone else. It was unfair, I knew. My father had his own dalliances, and one such created me, but the queen knew in no uncertain terms there were things he would and would not tolerate.
Ironically, his queen’s infidelity was one of them. I loved my father, but perfect he was not.
Why I’d never told him before now I couldn’t quite understand. I hated her, but perhaps it was the embarrassment it would cause him that held my tongue. Or perhaps it was more the idea of having her blood on my hands, and the fact it felt like stooping to her level.
In its own strange way, her seeing me fight back dirty, the way she would? That felt like a win for her. The royal life is wrought with complexities others may not understand, and sometimes neither did I. But perhaps, somewhere deep down inside me, there was a royal instinct that kept me silent.
I turned to go. But as I did, her demeanor changed. I mean instantly. The hissing, snake-like anger was replaced by a sudden and very spooky calm.
Whatever. Didn’t make shit for difference.
“I’m fucking out of here.”
“You shouldn’t fight battles you can’t win,” she said to my back.
In response, I lifted my hand and raised my middle finger, without turning to face her.
“That’s right, do what you always do, you monster! Walk away. Hide your face!” She shrieked. “And now, hurry back to that little milkmaid whore you’re screwing. Maybe you’ll even get a chance to see my guards take turns raping her!”
I froze. Everything slowed down like I was stuck in a nightmare. Just turning around to face her again felt like it took a fucking eternity. “What the fuck did you say?”
She smiled. “You heard me. I’ve been watching you. Keep your friends close and enemies closer.” She said, pointing at me. “You and your little woman. I sent my guards for her as soon as you set foot in the castle.” Now she took a few strides toward me, with her fists clenched at her sides. “Don’t mess with me, Randal. I will destroy everything you have. I will always win. I’ll always be three steps ahead of you.”
Her words rang in my ears as I near fled the garden. She may be a snake, but she was no liar and she didn’t bluff. If she said her guards were attacking Iris, I had to get back to her.