The First Queen (Currently Being Updated)

Chapter 25

"No . . . did she just update after nearly of month of not updating!?"

Yes, yes I did. Hello my lovely readers! Thanks for all the amazing comments and votes you guys are awesome! To show my thanks for your devotion to this story, here is a new chapter before I get off for summer. Enjoy!

Black replaced the blue up above, and clouds soon covered the sky. I stood a few feet from the edge of the cliff. The ships were yellow flickers of light that moved with the waves. It was cold now and the wind did not help. Oh, and it was raining. It was bloody raining. Usually, I enjoyed it when it rained, the grey clouds and the cold air all around me. But right now, I hated it. Worse, I could hear thunder in the distance before bright flashes of lightning struck the sea far beyond. There has not been a storm like this in ages, probably not since I was sixteen years old. Storms like this were omens, bad ones, might I add.

"Your Majesty," said John from beside me as he fought with the wind to keep his hood on and his head dry, "we can wait for tomorrow night to initiate the second air assault."

All I did was shake my head, my mind focused on the sea attack that could end this war or prolong it. With John and I was Francis. Poor man was shivering - I'm not surprised. Torva got more sun than snow, compared to Alendar, which got a fair share of both climates.

I saw Francis shift to look at me, so I averted my eyes toward him as he began to speak. "Eleanor, why not let the second half of the birds fly tomorrow night? Surely there might be leftover fog from this passing storm. If you are worried you will lose more birds I can have some of my bowmen shoot their arrows so you won't have to use all of them," Francis offered, but he saw my bitter look and gave me a frown. It was not him I was mad at, it was the damn storm.

"I will not fly the birds. After thinking about it for a while, if I have them fly at night, the fire will illuminate the darkness and give away our boats that were meant to attack the rebels and it will be all for nothing. And this weather. This god forsaken weather," I shouted, closing my eyes as I turned back to the sea, "is a bad sign. Alendarians have always been superstitious of the weather, well anything, really. A storm like this is been taken to be an omen that something will happen that is so heinous that it will strike quickly and effectively, like the lightning we see now. And sadly, I believe in it. John," I said, turning to my right, "you may go now, thank you."

John gave be a quick bow before heading back to the camp, leaving Francis and I alone with the waves beating against the rocks below and the storm that raged on. My hands went up to try and stir some warmth into my arms. "Why do you believe that such a storm is a bad omen," asked Francis as he came to stand a little closer to me that I swear I could feel the warmth radiating off of him.

"It was the Battle of Carpo, I'm sure you heard of it, no?" Francis nodded his head. "At least a week before the battle, before we even knew we had to go fight at all, a storm similar to this one occured. Over a course of a week a rebel group fighting for worker's rights sprung up like dandelions in a garden and before we knew it, blood stained the green hills of Carpo. What was strange is that the workers of Alendar have more rights and liberties that those in other kingdoms! Yet, just as we were close to winning the battle, my father was wounded from a blow to the back. That man, I tell you Francis, he swung that sword like an executioner would. And the sound my father made as the blade penetrated his flesh, by God it haunts to this very hour. I would have gone to him and prevent it all if I could, but another rebel was fighting me, almost as if he was preventing me from aiding my father. My sword was able to swiftly meet my foe's stomach and I rushed to my father as McCormick slayed the assailant . . . I thought he was going to die in my arms, Francis," my voice broke at the memory, blinking away tears that wanted so desperately to fall.