AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I matched her step and looked at her. I decided to be bold. “And what are my motives?”
The Queen Mother lifted her eyebrow amused. “That’s what you need to figure out,” she said. “Because if you’re going to make a difference in this world, you’re going to have to be honest with yourself.”
We arrived at the library. Gilded chairs were arranged in small conversation circles, and pillars adorned with statues and carvings lined the walls. Gold shelves stretched from floor to ceiling. Some ladders led up to the higher shelves, and there were globes and maps scattered around the room. The library was partly built under the water as waves lapped at the stained glass windows. It was breathtaking.
She led me to a particular section of the shelves. It was full of books on Elvish history, but we passed these shelves. Instead, she led me to a portrait of her dressed in full regalia. A rose crown rested on her head, and she wore a beautiful red dress. In her hands, she held a scepter and an orb. The rest of her family was there too, but they were all in the background.
It was an impressive painting, but I didn’t understand why she wanted me to see it.
“This was painted shortly after my husband passed away.” She proudly looked at it. “It was a difficult time for me and my daughter. We had to learn how to function as a family without him. And we had to learn how to run the kingdom on our own.” Her eyes turned sad.
Its meaning became clear to me. It showed the world that the House of Finardsil was not broken. That the Good King hadn’t lost his power after his death, and that his daughter would take over.
“It’s difficult being a ruler. You have to make decisions that will affect the lives of others, and you have to sacrifice your happiness for the greater good. But it’s worth it because you have the power to make a difference.”
I swallowed as my gaze rested on Prince Maedras, who proudly stood behind his mother. His hand resting on her shoulder. “It must have been hard.”
“It was,” she said. “But we managed. And we became stronger because of it.” She pointed to a figure in another painting, a young girl running around in a forge while her father worked. “That’s me.” She stopped before the painting. “I was always full of energy, and I loved to watch my father work. He was a blacksmith, and he used to let me help him sometimes.”
The painting was beautiful, but I didn’t know what she wanted me to see in it.
“You must have been very close.” I inclined my head in respect. “What lesson are you trying to teach me?”
“That you should never give up on your dreams,” she said. “No matter how difficult they might seem. You have the potential to make a difference in this world, and I believe in you.”
I stared at her for a moment, and then I nodded. “Thank you. I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” she said. “Just remember what I said and never give up on your dreams. I wasn’t part of the nobility till I married my husband. And even then, I didn’t fit in. I was always too loud and too opinionated. But my husband saw something in me, and he loved me for who I was.”
“And your daughter?” I glanced down before looking at the Queen Mother. “Is she like you?”
Was she as dangerous as you? The Queen Mother was famed for her temper, and her ability to put people in their place.
“She’s a lot like me.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “But she’s also her own person. She’s a lot more level-headed than I was at her age, but she has the same solid core of gold in her as I did. I’m very proud of her.”
We walked out of the library, and she led me to a small sitting room. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, and there was tea set on the table.
I sipped on the tea. The delicate porcelain cup warmed my hands, and the tea was bitter and sweet all at the same time. “How did you do it? How did you learn everything?”
“Be willing to learn,” she said, as she folded her hands on her lap. “There’s so much to know, and it can be overwhelming at first. I had a lot of help and I made a lot of mistakes. But I always got back up, and I never gave up. And that’s what you need to do if you want to make a difference in this world. My husband was my gold, the love of my life. But I had to find my silver, my strength. And I did. And so can you. But I will do the same for you till you are ready to shine on your own.”
“Thank you,” I said, touched by her words. “I will never give up.”
I couldn’t. I had to succeed or else we would all be doomed.
A look of understanding crossed her face. “Now, let’s get started, shall we? What is it you like to do? What do you wish to accomplish? Because Thimsal within Elvish culture, ladies like yourself cave out their niche. There are no strict rules about what you can or cannot do. You make your path, and that is the beauty of it.”
“I like that,” I said thoughtfully, as I placed the cup of tea on the table. “I like the idea of creating my path.”
It allowed me the freedom to reach the ones I needed the most. The common people.
“That’s where we’ll start then,” she said. “Creating your path. But first, you need to learn about the world around you. And that is what I can help you with.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling more hopeful than I had in a long time. “What did you do? When you first arrived in the Eternal Court?”
“I’m a weaver,” The Queen Mother looked behind me. “I weave cloth, and I make clothes. It’s a useful skill to have, and it’s something that I’m good at. So when I became a Queen I organized the other women in the court, and we would have weaving circles. We would weave cloth for the court and the kingdom. It was a way for us to bond, and to feel useful.”
It also allowed her to monitor the other women in court and to make sure that they were happy. It was a laborious task, but she managed it.
