Free The Queen's Curse by Natasja Hellenthal Page B

letter and had regained hope. She had ordered the dungeon guard to treat him well.
    ‘I have noticed he is very proud of you ,’ the queen added. Tirsa shrugged her shoulders, relieved that he was doing fine and then shook her head. ‘He sees me as his great example, foolish boy.’
    ‘Why foolish?’
    Tirsa stroked one hand through the long soft manes of her mount, before she answered,
    ‘He doesn’t know anything about what it means to be a soldier; the wars, the violence, and the suffering; all those lives lost. All he thinks about is the Knight’s Code and honour. He is too sensitive; it will destroy him.’
    Artride looked curiously at the other woman. She didn’t know much about the rough and tumble of wars or about being a knight, but she could imagine and emphasize quite a bit. That ability was important to understand people and essential to lead them.
    ‘Did it destroy you?’ she asked without thinking, but regretted it instantly when she saw the hurt expression on Tirsa’s face.
    She held her head low at the sudden direct question as if she wanted to hide. It was obvious it had startled her and made her think about things that she did not want to think about. Tirsa strained to block her feelings.
    ‘Let’s just say it changed me.’ Her fists squeezed the leather tack of the horse tightly.
    ‘I am sorry.’
    Tirsa looked her deeply in the eyes and her face li t up. ‘Don’t be. I have learned a lot and we accomplished peace, did we not?’
    It is as if she wants me to comfort her by saying : ‘Yes, they did not die for nothing, Artride thought and felt bad when she remarked, ‘Yes, we certainly did, Commander.’
    Tirsa nodded with a tight face and after a while asked her about how her meeting with King Zoltas went.
    ‘Very well, indeed. He gave me his word to relieve all of the men left alive at the border, who were responsible for the fuss, of their duty and train a better company. He will make stricter measures and even asked me about our law system. He wanted some rules as an example to punish any violators! I said, according to the law, we would have let them go as well; however, I did not mention anything about the severe whipping our violators would have received though. I couldn’t …’
    ‘The discharge form service is already a big humiliation among soldiers, my Lady; so it should be enough. I reckon they can never serve the army again?’
    ‘That is part of the punishment for violating a peace treaty; in Zoltas as well. I trust his confirmation that this will not happen again. I have his signature on that. As a king he will be in serious trouble if his army violates the treaty; if he doesn’t want to face a war. But there is nothing to accomplish from warfare, other than land maybe, and riches.’
    The rest of the morning they spent crossing the large open Royal Wood with Tirsa peeking cautiously a bout her, and at noon they reached expansive green hilly fields, leaving the Royal area. Tirsa knew the way by heart, but the queen doubted and stared dubiously on her map the old woman had drawn for her. She was not at all familiar with this area.
    ‘If we cross these hills westwards and ascend the mountain,’ Tirsa pointed out , ‘then we will be at the border river Dunzel by nightfall.’ Artride glanced approvingly at her. ‘I believe you are right. You have a map in your head?’
    ‘I have to, but I travelled so much in these parts I know it quite well by heart. Everyone can lose a map. Never trust on a piece of paper.’ She pointed at her head. ‘But this here is mostly right.’
    They had a quick lunch and rest before riding off in the direction of the high rugged peaked mountains. The sky was clouded with tin coloured clouds and only occasionally, they saw a thin bleak sun. It was the kind of weather that made you sweat when you moved around and shiver when you rested. Artride gave her guard the signal to return while the two of them pretended to head north.
    The remaining