King of Griffindale

Chapter 7 - The Thorn In Your Flesh

    The queen had wondered what the reason was behind Tarquin bringing these men to her study room. But since he had assured her that it was going to be to her benefit, she had chosen to listen. 

    The man in the middle was the one doing the talking, while the other two behind him [Sir Kendrick and Sir Kingsley] remained silent. 

    “Before we go any further, we would like to know for sure: Do you intend to be the Crowned Queen and paramount ruler of Griffindale in place of your husband?” asked Sir Nickson. 

    “Yes, Sir Nickson,” she said to him, “I do intend to rule as the supreme Crowned Queen.”

    “Good,” the elder said. “This would make the conversation a lot shorter. Long story short, we have a proposal for you.”

    “A proposal?” she asked, already trying to hypothesize what the endgame was. 

    “Yes, your Majesty,” Sir Nickson replied to her. “In case you haven't noticed, I and these others also wish for you to be crowned queen as well. Not only that, but we also wish for your rule to remain perpetual until you bear the legitimate heir to the throne.”

    When the Queen heard Nickson say this, she glared at Tarquin with disgust. 

    “You snitch!” She cursed angrily. She did not need to wonder how Nickson had come to know of her pregnancy, as there was only one person whom she had told about it—Tarquin. 

    Nickson raised his hand towards her, “Don't be hard on him, your Majesty,” he said to Regina. “After all, it is thanks to the information he shared with us that we will be able to help you.”

    She was furious that Tarquin would reveal such details to them. She confided in him on things like this, and this made her wonder what other secrets he had made known to the world just like this one. 

    But now was not the time to internalize that, so she turned back to the elders. 

    “Help me? What do you mean by that?” she asked. “Why would I need your help? Doesn't the law determine that I am supposed to be the next ruler of Griffindale?”

    “You are right—the law does determine that you will be the Crowned Queen of Griffindale,” Nickson replied. “But you do have a thorn in your flesh, don't you? It is a thorn thrust so deep that if it doesn't get pulled out soon, it would cost you permanent access to the throne in less than two years. Isn't that right, your Majesty?”

    Queen Regina fell silent, not knowing what to say. She wondered just how much confidential information Tarquin had shared with this fellow, as it felt like the elder was reading her mind seamlessly.

    “What are you getting at, Sir Nickson?” she asked, getting tired of hearing him beat around the bush.

    “I want to propose to you a better means of getting rid of that thorn in your flesh,” Sir Nickson said to her, obviously alluding to her plan to send the bastard on a wild goose chase that would ultimately cost him his life. 

    At this point, the Queen was no longer taken by surprise, knowing that Tarquin had revealed everything related to this matter to them.

    The severity of the punishment he would get would be based on the productivity of this meeting. If this encounter doesn't end up being fruitful, she would have Tarquin whipped severely for breaking her trust, but if this discussion does prove to be productive, then perhaps she would reconsider that decision. 

    Either way, he was in trouble. 

    “I don't want to make assumptions, so I will ask you the question directly,” Nickson said to her. 

    “Go ahead,” she approved. 

    “Tell me, what do you plan to do with the royal bastard once you come into power as supreme queen?” asked the elder. 

    Regina briefly looked at Tarquin before replying. “I intend to publicly send him on an impossible test, one from which he would never be able to get out alive,” she replied. “That way, he would no longer be a threat the moment he embarks on the impossible quest.”

    Nickson stroked his long beard, and from the look on his face, he was clearly unimpressed by what she had just said. 

    “With all due respect, your Majesty,” he replied in a polite manner. “I don't think that is going to work.”

    The Queen arched her brow; “Why don't you think so?” she asked. “What is wrong with that? Is it not allowed by law?”

    “Yes, there is nothing judicially wrong with that,” the elder said. “But you fail to take something else into account.”

    The Queen was sensing faint signs of disrespect from the elder but let it go due to the context of the conversation. “And what would that be, Sir Nickson?” she asked. 

    “Your plan does not account for the fact that the bastard has a large following supporting him,” Nickson replied. “Or are you unaware of this?"

    “A following?” Regina asked as she looked at Tarquin, who remained silent, seemingly as dumbfounded as she was. “Since when did the bastard have a following?”

    “My sources reveal that he has a high number of followers among the Kingdom's military, especially among the elite knights of the King's Diamond. He has so many followers that even he doesn't know about, and that is quite dangerous,” Sir Nickson said to her. 

“With such a high following, what do you think would happen if you sent him away like that? Don't you think that a huge chunk of those people might choose to leave with him? The fact that they root for him to become king means that they have considered having you as ruler but found you wanting. So, in other words, they want him and not you. So do you think publicly doing what you plan to do would be a great idea?”

    Regina paused, silently pondering over what he had just said, as she had never thought about it that way. Realizing that she would have made a mistake if left to do things her way, she turned to him and said, “I see. So what is your suggestion, then?” she asked. 

    I suggest you do this instead: Privately arrange a meeting with the young bastard and charitably offer him a choice, one that would make him feel like you are offering a gesture of goodwill in memory of your late husband. 

    “Tell him the natural benefits of choosing what you would want him to choose, and make it sound like an honorable thing to do,” Sir Nicholas suggested. “Don't do it in public, as doing so would attract unwanted attention. Make sure everything associated with the issue is kept secret, including his response to it. That way, his decision will be his and his alone, with no external influence or wisdom behind it. It will be a quick and immature decision, one that is based on your terms and conditions—in other words, no matter the outcome, you win.”

    Regina frowned, being in awe of his consideration of the issue. She could not have come up with a better solution herself, and it was remarkable.

    Then she thought of something.

    “Alright, I think I have a better plan...” she said, but got cut off by Nickson.

    “Shh! Don't say it! Not even I am supposed to know about it,” he said to her with a finger pressed on his lips, signifying for her to keep silent about it. 

    “Like I said, everything related to the assignment is to be kept secret—between just you and the bastard alone. Nobody else is to hear of it, not even a servant.”

    Regina nodded in agreement.

    “Alright then,” he said to her. “With that being said, as Tarquin must have told you, there is nothing for you to be worried about. Your coronation will go smoothly without problems, and you already have the support of the majority of the King's Court.”

    Then he looked back at the other elders, and they nodded in agreement. “Alright then, with nothing else to be said, that will be all for now,” he said to her. 

    Then he courteously took her by the hand and planted a kiss on it. 

“Have a good night's rest, your Majesty,” he said with a smile before turning to leave with the others. The others bowed as they turned to leave as well, and within seconds, they had all left, with the last one closing the door behind him.

    Regina looked at Tarquin with her frown restored, and he bowed respectfully in fear. 

    “I'm sorry, your Majesty. I didn't mean to break your trust!” he said to her.

    “If that encounter had turned out to be less fruitful than it was, I would have had you flogged,” she said to him. “Let this be the last time you snitch on me, Tarquin. Or I will kill you.”

    “Y... Ye... Yes, your Majesty!” Tarquin said to her, glad that she didn't go harder on him.

    “Now get out!” she said, and the man quickly took a bow and left.

    Then she looked out the window and smiled, unable to contain her growing joy any longer. Knowing the circumstances surrounding Cyrus' birth, she knew what would get him pumped up for a wild goose chase, even if it proved to be fatal. 

    Without even talking to him yet, she knew she had him in the palm of her hand, ready to do as she wishes. He was the illegitimate son who was always eager to prove himself and prove to everyone that he was more than that, even when it was largely unnecessary. 

    She would capitalize on that aspiration to his detriment, and through his insecurity, she would get rid of him once and for all.