Hunted Queen

Chapter Sixty Eight • Queen at War

-Jade- 

Summer quickly faded after William's return and autumn had fully arrived with its chilly days and frosty nights. The blissful green foliage and colorful seas of flowers in the gardens had long withered and been replaced with shades of yellow, orange and sharp red where leaves still clothed the bushes and trees. The beautiful haven had turned into a shell of its serene summer greatness. 

The sound of bird song had been replaced with whistling winds and the rustling of almost completely naked trees swaying around Jade as she was half way through her daily walk. The normally soft and soundless steps now left crackling sounds beneath her feet as she walked through dry dead leaves that covered the pathways. There was no use in raking it clean and neat, for cold powerful gusts would soon scatter more leaves in its wake. Leaving the work entirely in vain. Jade had told the gardeners over and over not to bother with the pathways after they had nearly followed her for an entire walk on day, with the kind intent to make her walk more enjoyable by cleaning the pathways for her. Something she had acknowledged and thanked them for before telling them that she found no harm in the gardens being in a non-perfect state for her walks. In truth she preferred them like they were at the moment, ruled and dressed by nature's will and whims.

Despite this drastic change in her favorite place at Castle Eldhen, she closed her eyes in peaceful bliss and inhaled slowly and deeply. Here - in her gardens - was the only place and time her head was not filled with a thousand questions and thoughts about the now dormant war. Dormant might not be the most suitable word since she did not deem it less dire or important than before, the only difference now was that there was no battles being fought and the people seemed more at ease when their king and queen had returned - one should not forget that the armies had taken up semi-permanent residence within the city. Proving some comfort for those fearing that Rowan and his brutal men would storm the gates. So, there might no longer be a fully raging war, at least not on a battlefield, but there was still a war being fought.

Politically however, the war was still very much alive. Intensely so for Jade and William. There were unending meetings to attend with the war council, which she had now taken a place within - to the old men's surprise and shock. William had gladly watched her join the first meeting with the council, mostly because he thought she would make them unquestionably more interesting. At least that was what she suspected. Uldard, had given up his seat on William's right side for her and taken the one to his son's left. Upsetting every man who had to jump one seat away from their king, complaints however, were not voiced when there were not one but two kings that welcomed her so warmly into the council. 

Nearly every day they held audiences with the people and met with emissaries that came bearing whatever piece of news or information they had picked up from outside their own borders. Feeding their royal leaders with every drop of intel that could tell them where Rowan had gone into hiding or what signs could predict his next step in this war. At first there had trustworthy sources telling them that Rowan had in fact locked himself in behind his own castle walls, but as weeks rolled by and turned into months there had been few sightings of the disgraced and defeated king. Now, they had little to go on but mere rumors of his whereabouts. 

He is not behind those walls... She thought as the calmness the silence around her was drowned out by her mind once more. Not anymore. Cannot be...or can he? The spies has not seen any carriages come in or out of those walls, no cavalries riding out with him, not even fresh forces has streamed to his lair. He must be somewhere else. 

"You should not be out here walking, child." She heard Elizabeth scold her some steps behind her, the voice of her governess worried but also irked. The woman was constantly demanding Jade to stay inside, begging her to sit down, pleading for her to take it easy and wear more clothes. Everything she could think of that would make Jade less likely to get sick or drained of her energy. Something she tirelessly persisted on telling Jade that she desperately needed, and would need for when the little one decided to come into this world. Her governess concern knew no ends and it was of course infected by the weak state Jade had been in after the attempt on her life.