Chapter 36

It is unknown whether any of the soldiers or officers of the Vinolian army had imagined the welcome that awaited them upon returning to their nation's capital. As the troops led by General Jeraddin made their way through the cobblestone streets, rose petals were strewn across their paths, while thousands of men, women and children, waved tiny flags and cheered loudly. 

Although knowing what we now know regarding the Conquest of Frigonia, it would be unfair of us to blame the Vinolians of the time for this collective display of patriotic fervor. After all, they had just trampled into the dust, a nation that had been their rival for so long and besides, they needed something to make them forget the terrible fire which had ravaged the oldest parts of the city and despite the best efforts of the fire brigade, had claimed a not insignificant number of lives and a decisive victory over an old enemy would therefore seem as good a reason to celebrate as any..."

- Excerpts from The Reign of Argath I by Pelagius.

******

As he soaked in the hot bath that had been prepared for him, Jeraddin's mind drifted back to a few hours ago, when he had been standing on one of the palace's balconies, looking down at the masses below. After she had pinned a medal to his chest, the Queen had given a speech, praising the superiority of the Vinolian way of life, which was proven by the courage of her soldiers.

"And as your Queen We promise you" she had continued, voice booming. "That those who did not make it home will not be forgotten. They are the greatest of heroes and a monument shall be erected to their honor, so that their names can live on forevermore!"

The Crowd had gone wild, cheering both Jeraddin's and the Queen's name at the top of their lungs.
Had the circumstances been different, this proof of his countrymen's admiration for him, would have caused Jeraddin's heart to swell with pride, but the circumstances being what they were, the lynx could find no joy in it. Still, he had waved his paw in greeting, hoping that his smile would not appear to forced.

Once the crowd had gone silent, the Queen had ordered the King of Frigonia and his uncle to be brought forth, along with a wooden chest. The Two ermines had been dressed in plain, brown clothing, making them look more like peasants than members of a royal family. Nevertheless, despite the defeat they had suffered and the humiliating terms they had to accept, the two of them had held their heads high, ignoring the disparaging words that the crowd had shouted at them.

As he reached for the bar of soap, Jeraddin recalled how much he had admired the courage and dignity with which Frigon and Orloff had faced this ordeal:

The King of Frigonia and the Queen of Vinoli had stared into each other's eyes. Then - his face briefly contorted by rage and humiliation - Frigon had knelt down, opened the wooden chest and from it, had removed the silver crown of Frigonia. A tear had gleamed in the young ruler's eyes as he had gazed upon what had once been the symbol for his authority. With a deep sigh, he had reluctantly offered the crown to Argath. She had accepted it and after showing the crown to her people, had placed on her own head.

This gesture actually caused the crowd to cheer even louder than before; something which Jeraddin had not thought possible and it was with a ringing in his ears that the lynx had taken his leave of the Queen and headed for home.
Home, yes, but only for a few hours. Later in the evening, wearing his gala uniform, Jeraddin took farewell of Albert and left for the palace, where a Victory Feast was to be held, with him as the guest of honor.  Since his new home being located closer to his destination than the previous one had been, Jeraddin had opted to walk there, instead of taking a cab.

It was not just in the palace that a feast was held. Indeed, the entire capital was busy celebrating the capital. From every tavern and every private house loud noises and cheers could be heard and the streets were filled with people, leaving one party to head for the next one. Frequently, some of them would recognize Jeraddin and ask him to join them for a drink, but the lynx politely rejected their offer.

Soon, he arrived outside the palace. He gazed up on the majestic building, as he had done many times before. It looked the same and yet, there was now something ominous about the edifice. Despite there not being a cloud in the sky, Jeraddin half-expected the roar of thunder and a lightning bolt to tear the sky apart.

Oh, well, he thought. At least there's one person in there that I want to see again. In spite of everything.

****

The day after Felix' and Lucinda's dinner with Cornelius, a servant knocked on the door to their domicile and informed Felix that the Queen had invited him over for tea.
 Until recently, Felix would have accepted such an invitation gladly. However, the things he had learned from his older colleague had only solidified his suspicion that Argath had orchestrated the King's death and he feared that he wouldn't be able to be in the same room as the Queen without giving himself away, thus putting himself and maybe his family in danger.

Still, Felix realized that it would be even more suspicious if he rejected the hospitality of his monarch and so, a few minutes later, he found himself  seated in a large, overstuffed armchair, with the Queen herself pouring him tea.

"One lump, or two?"

"No sugar, thank you" Felix said. "Your Majesty" he added, quickly.

Argath shrugged and immediately put three lumps in her cup and proceeded to stir it with a tea-spoon whose handle was shaped like a dragon's head.

"Its good to see that you have recovered from your illness" she said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. You are too kind."

Felix stared at the light-brown liquid in his cup and inhaled its fragrance. The tea smelled delicious. He was just about to sample it, when a terrible thought struck him: What if the tea was poisoned?

Don't be ridiculous! He admonished himself. Why would the Queen poison your tea? She can't possibly be aware of the things you've found out yesterday and besides, you're both drinking from the same pot.
This reasoning seemed sound enough, but, as we all know, fear is seldom ruled by logic. The Idea that his hostess, or someone else, had tampered with the tea was still firmly lodged in the iguana's brain, refusing to depart.

"Is the tea not to your liking, Councilor?" He heard the Queen ask.

Felix hurriedly shook his head, as he desperately tried to think of an excuse not to drink.

"No, Your Majesty, it smells divine, but its a bit hot for me, I shall wait a few minutes until it cools down."

"There's no need for that" the Queen said and, turning her head towards the door she bellowed a name, which almost made Felix jump out of his seat:

"Nasari!!"

Footsteps could be heard outside and soon, the door opened and Nasari entered the room. She stopped in front of Argath, her gaze lowered submissively.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"The Councilor's tea is a bit hot. Blow on it, will you?"

The presence of General Jeraddin's wife in the room had temporarily rendered Felix speechless. He had never really paid my attention to Nasari before, but now, he felt compelled to take a closer look at the female cat standing in front of him. She was quite attractive, Felix had to admit. Not as much as Lucinda, of course, but enough for one to sit up and take notice.

Nasari bent down, picked up the cup and blew; her breath making tiny ripples on the tea's surface. Having done this, she put the tea back down on its saucer.

Felix wanted to say something to Nasari. He wished there was a way he could let her know that he was on her side, but he knew that for the moment, such a thing was not possible.

"Thank you" he said and, praying fervently that the tea contained nothing dangerous, took a sip.

"Delicious" he said with sincerity.

To his surprise, Nasari thanked him.

"You made this?" Felix asked, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

"I did."

Feeling quite sure now that there was nothing wrong with the tea, Felix took another sip. It tasted as good as it smelled. For a moment, the Iguana forgot where he was and in whose company and he closed his eyes as a wide smile lit up his face.

"Excellent" he murmured.

Just then, he was abruptly brought back to reality by the Queen telling Nasari that she could leave.
Bowing, Jeraddin's wife left the room.

On the table stood a tray, made of silver, upon which a pyramid made out of buns had been arranged. Fluffy, golden-brown and sprinkled with cinnamon. The mere sight of these treats could cause one's mouth to water. Having taken two buns, Argath pushed the tray towards Felix.
"Have a bun, Councilor. They are freshly baked", she said and bit into one with relish.

Felix thanked the Queen and took a bun, which he dipped in the tea. Truth was, while there was no denying the quality of the baked goods, the iguana did not have much of an appetite. Although the tea had soothed his nerves somewhat, being in the same room as Argath was enough to make him feel on edge.

Unexpectedly, Felix found himself thinking back to the time when the two of them had first met, in the summer a few years after the death of Felix's father. It was at that time, that Argath had unexpectedly decided to pay a visit to her old friend, Felix's mother, Maja. The future Councillor had only been a child at the time, but the Princess had spoken to him as she would to an adult. At the time, Felix had found this flattering. Now, though, he could not help but ask himself what had been going on in Argath's mind, behind her genial smile and affable disposition?

The Queen wiped the remnants of her seventh bun from the corners of her mouth. She then slung her left arm over the back of her chair, while fixing her eyes on her guest.

"I understand that you and Lucinda paid a visit to Cornelius recently."

"Your Majesty is well informed", Felix said, inclining his head slightly.

"I must say that I'm surprised that you accepted his invitation. Considering your past differences."

"Well, Lucinda and I went there in the hope that the dinner would serve as an olive branch."

"Oh? And did it?"

"In a way, yes. After a few bottles both Cornelius and I had forgiven each other. However, he also admitted to having an ulterior motive for inviting us. He wants to return to court and was counting on me to persuade Your Majesty to let him back."

"Out of the question" Argath said, in a tone that made it clear that this matter was closed, permanently. 

A silence sank over the small gathering. After awhile, the Queen spoke again:

"I have been with a lot of women in my life, Felix" she said, sounding almost wistful.

Felix said nothing, but only nodded politely, waiting for Argath to continue. 

Where is she going with this? He wondered. No, wait, I think I know.

"However, among all those women, there was only one who made my heart sing. That was Maja, your late mother. When I was with her, I felt at peace. A word from her and I would have forgiven those who had wronged me. With her gone, you are the only thing I have to remind me of her and those precious moments we shared together. No doubt that is why I've always looked with favor on you and, by extension, your family as well."

"We are all deeply honored and grateful to have Your Majesty's friendship."

Argath clasped her hands together and nodded. A thin smile danced over her face.

"Do you remember when we first met? I asked you what your favorite subject in school was and you said 'painting'. Correct me if I'm mistaken."

"That's right. Your Majesty's memory is like a steel-trap."

"As for me, my favorite subject was history. As a girl, I studied it passionately and soon, my knowledge of it eclipsed my tutors and as my knowledge grew, something became increasingly obvious to me. Do you know what that was?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty."

"It was the realization that Vinoli is a chosen nation, superior to all others with their barbaric and unjust laws. For example, even today there are nations in which people like old Cornelius or myself can be thrown into prison, or even executed, merely for following our natural  tendencies. I ask you, does such a society really deserve to be called civilized?"

Felix shook his head vehemently.

"Absolutely not, Your Majesty."

"Exactly!" Argath rose from her chair and began to pace around the room, her crooked tail swaying menacingly behind her, like a malformed snake, waiting to strike.

"The World would be a better place if these nations were made to embrace the Vinolian way of life, even if it is under duress. I never voiced my opinions on this matter to the late King, knowing that he would be against it. Now, its different though; I am the head of state now and I intend to turn Vinoli into an Empire. An empire on which the sun will never set."

As he listened to the Queen's passionate tirade, Felix thought back on what he had found out at Cornelius' place. When he had listened to Cornelius reading from his father's journal and learned about the existence of Argeron, the iguana had found himself empathizing with the sister of the long-deceased Prince: From what had been written in the journal, it was clear that Argath had loved her older brother deeply, idolizing him even and Felix could certainly understand that his early death had left her with deep emotional wounds that, in her mind, could only be healed by punishing those she held responsible for his death.

Then and there, although he did not condone her actions,  Felix had understood, why Argath had taken them. Here and now though, seeing the Queen talk about the plans she had for her Kingdom, Felix could not help but wonder: It was clear that this idea of making Vinoli into an Empire had been an obsession of the Queen's for ages.  If so, what would have happened if Argeron had lived and succeeded his father on the throne? Would he have been in line with his sister's plans or would he have rejected them outright? In that case, what would Argath have done?

Felix was brought back to the present by the realization that the Queen had stopped her pacing and was now looming over him.

"Building this Empire will take time. It will also take blood, sweat and tears, but those who stand by my side will not find me ungenerous. In a World where Vinoli is the dominant nation, they will be the elite of this new order. However, for those who choose to stand in the way of Vinoli's destiny, there will be no mercy. No matter who they are, my fire will consume them and their names will be wiped out, so that it was as if they had never even existed. Now, I ask you, Felix: Are you with me?"

"A-absolutely, Your Majesty" the iguana stammered.

"And do you promise not to have anything to do with old Cornelius anymore?"

"I do."

The Queen nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Good" she said and extended her hand, the one that wore the ring with the royal insignia. Felix immediately rose, got down on one knee and kissed the ring. "Then you may leave Us, We shall see both you and your wife at the feast celebrating our victory over the Frigonians."

Felix left the Royal apartments on unsteady legs,  gritting his teeth and hoping that he would find his way to a lavatory in time.