Silver Rose

The King's Farewell

The palace had been scrubbed from top to bottom. It had taken them two weeks, but it was finally done. Valencia gave the servants who helped the next two days off so they could rest. Now she and her daughters sat down to a late supper.

“I love spring,” Valencia sighed. “Cleaning out all the clutter from the year before makes everything feel so fresh.”

“I still don’t see why we have to clean,” Tierlynn complained. “Most other princesses have their servants do it all for them.”

“Until they are princesses of Chasilin they may do as they like. But I won’t have my daughters sitting around lazily when they’ve got hands and feet.” Valencia retorted.

“Then the ladies chasing Zander and Kaul are in for a big surprise if they succeed,” Tierlynn muttered.

“I heard that Tierlynn,” Valencia said. “But when and if the boys marry, what their wives want to do is up to them. Look at Andrin and his wife, Nisha.”

“They don’t have to clean because they don’t live here!” Tierlynn said.

“Nisha is a very sensible girl. She oversees everything that goes on in their manor. I have seen her personally take care of things to make sure they are properly done.” Valencia said. “You would be wise to watch and learn from her Tierlynn.”

Tierlynn moaned in annoyance.

“She just upset because that princess Augusta laughed at her when she saw her scrubbing the floors.” Elsa said.

“Princess Augusta said that in her country no lady ever does a servant’s work. And a true princess would never dream of actually touching the floor!” Tierlynn cried. “Then she said since I liked it so much, when she was queen she’d make sure I’d always get to scrub the floors!”

Valencia and Elsa giggled.

“What?!” Tierlynn cried. “It’s not funny! She wants to make me her servant!”

“Oh, Tierlynn!” Valencia said between chuckles. “Stop working yourself up. Regretfully, Zander has no interest in those lazy, fainting, snobby princesses anyway.”

“Zander told me he’s not going to marry,” Elsa said.

“You and Zander are so weird,” Tierlynn said. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to marry.”

“I’ve already told you why, Tierlynn.”

“Oh right, you’re to busy being a man to marry one.”

“I can fight as good as man, and race as good, and do anything a man can do as good as any man. But that doesn’t make me a man!” Elsa yelled.

“That’s only because you can’t aim your piss like one!”

Elsa sprang to her feet and jumped on the table. She grabbed Tierlynn’s bowl of stew and dumped it on her lap. Tierlynn screamed. Elsa then leaped off the table, knocking her sister off her chair on the way down.

“Elsa!” Valencia shouted. “Get off her, Elsa!”

“Momma! Help! Help me!” Tierlynn said.

Elsa pinned Tierlynn to the floor. She pulled her fist back.

“Apologize or I’ll mess your face up so bad your suitors will be too afraid to come around!” Elsa shouted.

Tears slid down Tierlynn’s face.
“I-I’m sorry,” Tierlynn said softly.

“Why?!” Elsa demanded.

“I’m sorry I called you a man,” she said.

Elsa roughly let go of her and stood. Tierlynn slowly sat up.

“Momma!” Tierlynn cried, trying to get sympathy.

Valencia hung her head.
“You should not let your temper get the best of you Elsa.”

“That’s right,” Tierlynn chimed in.

“And you shouldn’t taunt others Tierlynn! Your attitude is despicable!”

Sheepishly, Tierlynn looked down at her hands.

“You’re grown women!” Valencia continued. “Elsa you’re 25 and Tierlynn you’re 18. Yet here you are acting like small children. I don’t understand it. All I know is how disappointed your father would be if he were here to see this.”

Elsa and Tierlynn’s hearts were saddened at the thought of their father.

“I hope you can work this out before this feud rips you apart!” Valencia said.

Then she marched out of the room, leaving her daughters alone. Valencia closed the door behind her and sighed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to force the tears back. It hurt her heart so much to see her children treat each other so terribly. Their family had already been broken once with the death of her husband. She couldn’t bear to see torn apart again.

She opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps coming toward her. Seeing her son, she quickly brushed away a tear that managed to escape.

“Zander!” She smiled coming to him.

She wrapped her arms around him and held her eldest child close. Zander had always been the one she could count on. He took care of his younger siblings and they loved him dearly. He had always been mature and intelligent beyond his years. Even when he was a very young boy, she knew he’d grow up to be an excellent king. It was in his blood to lead and take care of his people. After his father’s death, Zander immediately took control. Through that chaotic time, the 15-year-old boy was able to bring a calm to the raging storm. If it hadn’t been for him… well, she feared to think where Chasilin would be.

“Zander, my love,” she said, holding his face, “how has your morning been?”

She waited for him to give his usual reply, “The
sun has arisen once again.” But instead of the grin that normally graced his face, Zander frowned.

“Today marks the 11th anniversary of Papa’s death,” Zander said solemnly.

Valencia’s heart sank. She tried so hard to forget that day. Now every moment of it rushed upon her like a raging river. She saw the great feast spread out in honor of the Brovanian royal family. They had been with them for over a month and would be returning home soon. Alder, her husband, had never fully trusted them. He kept telling her and their advisors that something wasn’t right. He had wanted to cut their visit short, but she had insisted that they make the relationship work. The treaty would have meant trade, an economy boost, and an ally.

“Momma.”

“Yes, my son?”

His eyes were filled with such sadness. All she wanted to do was take the pain away. But there was nothing she could do. For 11 years she watched Zander push his grief aside. In those 11 years she saw him deal with everything in the world, but his father’s death. And she never tried to help him with it all those years.

“Momma, I can’t do this anymore.” He said.

At first she had been concerned, but when Zander stepped up to take his place as king a week later… he seemed so strong, so ready. She knew how close Zander and Alder were. She imagined how hurt he must be. But she didn’t know how to fill in the gap. Becoming the ruler seemed like the best thing for him. So she allowed her attention to be consumed with the grief and fear of the younger children.

“Momma, there is something I must do.” Gently, he removed her hands from his face. “Something I’ve been waiting to do for 11 years.”

“But Zander—“

She should have talked to him about it. She should have made it a point to give him peace.

“I’ve told you about my plans five years ago, remember?” He said.

Of course she remembered. She was the one who convinced him to wait a few more years. She had hoped that he’d be married and have children by now. The more responsibilities he had the less likely he’d leave. He’d never put his life on the line if he had a child to take care of… she was sure of it.

“Momma, everything is ready and it’s time for me…”

“Zander, give up this foolishness. It’s time you thought about the future of this country.”

“Momma.”

“Marry a good woman, have children. You need an heir, Zander!”

“I don’t want to marry right now.”

“But what about Chasilin?”

“I’m doing this for Chasilin!”

“How dare you raise your voice at me!”

“How dare you allow some king to come in and murder my father and get away with it!” He yelled.

Valencia breathed in deeply to calm herself down.
“No one allowed anything to happened. It just did—“

“But it didn’t have to! Papa knew the Brovanians were devious people. If we were more prepared… Papa would still be alive.”

“But Zander, we were fortunate that our men were able to fend them off and drive them back to the Jaladar Mountains. They came to take our country and we defeated them. That is enough.”

Zander looked up. Valencia turned to see what he was staring at. Elsa and Tierlynn stood in the hallway watching them. Sighing, Zander walked into another room with Valencia close at his heels. He faced her as soon as the door closed.

“It’s not enough,” he said. “It was never enough.”

“Zander.”

“Momma! Listen to me. When that so-called-king Elbert killed Papa, he didn’t just deprive us of a ruler. He took our dignity, our honor. He showed the world that Chasilin is nothing but a pushover for everyone to take advantage of. Not only did the Brovanians take our king, but they took the lives of hundreds of Chasilians as they fled the kingdom. There are many 11-year-old children running about whose fathers are Brovanian. What do their mothers tell them when they ask who their fathers are? Do they dare tell them their shame?
“And what of the hundreds of families who won’t return to the northwest because they fear the Brovanians will one day return to finish what they started?”

“But the Brovanians have not returned.” Valencia said.

“Still, there is a chance that they might. And those people refuse to return only to have their homes pillaged and burned, their men killed, their women raped, and their children stolen again!”

“Oh Zander… I know it’s terrible—“

“Do you, Momma?” Zander asked. “You used to be so involved in the governing of this country. You went among the people; you knew what they needed, what they wanted. We weren’t sure if Papa was the ruler or you.

“Now, you stay in the castle. Consuming your time with how clean it is, if the meat is cooked to your taste, how the servants are spending their time.”

“Zander all those things are part of my job as mistress of our home,” Valencia said in her defense.

“I know. But, Momma, once it was only one of your jobs. Ten years ago it became your only job.”

“What are you saying, Zander?”

“All I’m saying is that the people no longer come to you demanding to know when their husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, and children will be avenged. For 11 years they’ve come to me. For 11 years I’ve told them that we will be taking action soon. Yet I’ve done nothing. Today I take action.”

“Action?!” Valencia exclaimed. “What are you going to do, Zander? March up to the Brovanian palace and demand that King Elbert come out and duel? It won’t work!”

“Please, Momma. We both know Elbert is a coward. After all he ran away as soon as there was opposition. No, he’d have me killed before he’d try to fight me.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I have been sneaking men into Brovan for five years. By now there are over 2,000 Chasilians in that country—“

“2,000 armed men will not get passed the Brovanian army.”

“No. But rise in immigration is nothing to concern them.” Zander said.

“Immigrates who all happen to be Chasilian? They’ll catch on if they haven’t already.”

“My men have come from Eknosh and Saunder to the north; Lagaloon and Fleib to the south and from small countries and islands across the Sauyan Sea. From reports sent back to me, the Brovanian government has noticed nothing.”

“So they’re in the country, Zander. They still cannot stand up to Brovan’s army. They must have over 10,000 soldiers not including the men they can order to join them.”

“The army cannot be everywhere at once. I have hundreds of men in each major city. I have men who have gotten jobs in the palace. We have found a mine where the king had put kidnapped Chasilian children to slave away in. They are joining us.”

Valencia caught her breath as her eyes watered.

“They found the children?” She asked in amazement.

“They are no longer children, but yes, we found them. And I am sure we can convince some the Brovanian people to turn against their king.”

“Oh Zander this is too much,” Valencia said shakily.

Zander grabbed her arm as she trembled. He led her over to a chair and got her a glass of wine. Slowly, Valencia sipped until her head stopped spinning.

“I remember when I first became queen, I wanted to make Chasilin the most wonderful, peaceful place to live. I wanted the people to love it as much as I did. I did everything in my power to ensure the people’s happiness and protection.” Valencia laughed. “I fought next to your father in both wars, and any scrimmages. Your father and I agreed to govern the country together… of course he always got the final say. But I never cared as long as everything we did was in the best interest of the people.”

Zander walked over to a window. He looked out at the inner and outer courtyards. He had doubled the amount of guards on watch at the beginning of the month. A few of them seemed to be flirting with a group of girls, but otherwise they were doing their jobs.

“I know Alder’s death upset you, but dear, it was 11 years ago,” Valencia said. “We must move on. We must do what’s in the best interest of the people.”

“As long as Elbert and his family live, our people can never have peace. They need to be assured that their enemy will not harm them anymore. They need to know that the deaths in their families have not gone unnoticed. Justice will reign. And when we are through, our people will have peace… in their hearts.”

“They do deserve peace. But must our men perish when they go against the Brovanian army? Once this happens Brovan will bring their wrath against us.”

“No they won’t,” he said. “We have our own men in their army. They will find who is and isn’t loyal to their king. On this day, a year from now, everyone will be in place. We will kill the king and his family. We will kill their nobles and their families. We will kill every loyal solider we can get our hands on. Every member of their government, every person we come in contact with, their animals, their land… anything we touch will perish!”

“No, Zander, this is foolishness!”

“The very people they wanted to conquer will conquer them!”

Valencia jumped out of her chair.

“What if something goes wrong? What if they find out? They don’t even speak our language! How will you talk to them?” She shouted.

“The maiden, Rosemarie, was one of the children stolen. She came back here with a few others. She has been teaching me their language.”

“That girl?!” She exclaimed. “Is she the reason why you barely look at the princesses and ladies who want to marry you?!”

Zander took a long look at his mother. Then he moved toward the door.

“I suppose we’re finished then,” he said.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to finish packing,” Zander said without stopping. “I’m leaving tonight.”

Valencia stood stunned in the middle of the room. She watched as her son opened the door.

“Zander! Zander!” She shouted.

He held the door halfway open.

“Zander," she said trying to control her anger, "if you leave tonight— you… you can no longer call yourself king. Chasilin needs a leader who will stay here to defend it. Not one who runs away from it. Not one who throws his life away! Not one who cares only for vengeance and thinks nothing of his duty to his country!”

He kept his back to her for a long time. Slowly, he turned to face her.

“Either you call off this silly thing and stay here as king; or you leave and forfeit your crown!” Valencia said.

Zander’s blue eyes looked deeply into her own. She saw his anguish, felt his torment. Her soul wanted to take back the words, but her pride wouldn’t allow it. Zander looked down at the ring on his finger. It was the king’s ring, his ring. The one thing he always wore that identified him as ruler.

Valencia’s blood froze as he twisted the ring until it came off.

“It is my duty to my father, my family, and my country to avenge the wrongs that have been done to them.” Zander said softly, but forcibly. “You may chose whom ever you like to take my place. Elsa is next in line, but perhaps you’d prefer Andrin. He has a wife and two children— there’s your heir.”

Zander stared at the ring that lay in the palm of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he let it drop to the floor.

“Zander Briar is no longer the king of Chasilin,” he said.

He turned and walked out of the room. The loud bang of the door slamming echoed in Valencia’s ears. She was never sure of how long she stood in the middle of floor of that room, but it felt like an eternity. When she finally did move, it was to retrieve the king’s ring from the floor. She stared at the ring she had seen almost everyday for most of her life. Her family, the Briar family, was completely falling apart.