Free Web NovelChapter 46: Episode 46: Get to know each other.
Tyara sat in her wooden chair and watched the older woman cry.
The massive throne room was very quiet, except for the loud, wet sobs echoing off the high ceiling. Tyara looked at the sobbing woman without any feelings. She did not feel sad. She did not feel angry. She just felt tired of the noise.
"Please," the woman begged again. She pressed her forehead against Tyara’s heavy boots. "I will take her away. We will leave the capital today. Just do not let her die in the dark."
Tyara picked up her quill. She tapped the feathered end against her wooden desk. The small tapping sound cut through the crying.
"Stand up," Tyara said.
The woman did not stand up. She kept her face pressed to the boots. She kept crying loudly.
"Stand up," Tyara repeated. Her voice was flat. It carried no anger. It carried absolute authority.
The older woman slowly pushed herself up from the floor. Her expensive dress was badly wrinkled. Her gray hair stuck to her wet cheeks. She looked very small standing in front of the heavy mahogany desk. She wiped her red eyes with her shaking hands.
Tyara leaned back in her chair. She looked at the woman with a blank expression.
"You are terrified," Tyara noted. "You think I am going to cut your daughter’s head off, and her little life would be cut short."
The woman flinched. She swallowed hard and nodded. Her hands shook wildly.
"You are living in the past," Tyara explained patiently. She spoke like a teacher talking to a very slow student. "My mother, Queen Roxann, built this world from dirt and blood. My uncle helped her secure the borders. They built this kingdom with a lot of mercy. They forgave people. They gave second chances because the beast tribes needed to learn how to survive together. They had to be soft so the wild tribes would trust them."
Tyara set the quill down. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"But this is not my mother’s era," Tyara stated. "This is my era. The kingdom is already built. The tribes already trust the throne. I do not need to be soft anymore. I need to keep the house clean. Your daughter is making a mess in my clean house."
Sienna’s mother wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Sienna is just proud. She is young. She does not know any better."
’older than me, yet...’ Tyara rolled her eyes internally.
"She is a spoiled brat," Tyara corrected simply. "And that is entirely your fault. You raised her. You gave her silk and jewels. You let her believe the pack owed her something because her father used to sit in a nice chair next to my father. You should have taught her better."
The older woman looked down at her shoes. She knew Tyara was completely right. She had let Sienna get away with everything for too long.
"I failed," the mother whispered.
"You did," Tyara agreed. "But lucky for you, I am not a monster. Sienna is not going to be executed today. I am not going to let her rot in a dark hole until she starves."
The woman looked up quickly. A tiny spark of hope appeared in her puffy red eyes. "You will let her go?"
"No," Tyara said. "I am going to teach her the lesson you forgot to teach her. She is going to learn how the real world works. She is going to learn actions have consequences."
Tyara looked at the royal guards standing near the heavy double doors.
"Escort her out," Tyara ordered.
The guards walked forward. They gently took Sienna’s mother by the arms. The woman did not fight them. She let out a long, shaky breath of relief. She bowed her head to Tyara and let the guards lead her out of the throne room.
The doors clicked shut. The pavilion was perfectly quiet again.
Tyara stood up from her desk. She gathered the trade reports and stacked them neatly. A messy desk meant a messy mind. She walked down the steps of the dais. She walked out of the pavilion. The palace halls were bright and sunny. Servants bowed quickly as she passed. She did not stop to chat with anyone.
She reached her private chambers. The guards opened the doors for her. Her room was simple. It did not have gold statues or heavy velvet curtains. It had a solid wooden bed, a large woven rug, and a tall mirror.
Tyara walked over to her wardrobe. She reached up and unclasped the heavy royal mantle from her shoulders. The thick fabric fell to the floor with a heavy thud. She unbuckled her thick leather belt. She pulled the dress over her head.
She stood in her simple underclothes. She looked at herself in the tall mirror. She did not look angry. She blew a kiss to herself, then grabbed a plain, light brown training robe from a wooden hook. It was made of rough cotton.
It did not restrict her movement. It had short sleeves and a loose tie around the waist. She slipped the robe on. She tied the belt securely.
She sat on the edge of her bed and pulled off her heavy leather boots. She reached for a pair of soft, flexible training shoes. She tied the laces tight. She rolled her shoulders. Her muscles felt loose and ready.
She walked out of her chambers. The guards looked surprised to see the Matriarch dressed for the training yards. They stepped back and let her pass without saying a word.
Tyara walked toward the back of the palace. The bright sunlight slowly faded from the high windows. The warm air turned cool and damp. The polished marble floors turned into rough, gray stone. She was heading underground.
The entrance to the prison block was guarded by two massive bear-shifters. They stood like giant stone walls in front of a heavy iron gate.
"Open it," Tyara said.
The bear-shifters blinked. They looked at her plain robe. They did not ask questions. They grabbed the heavy iron rings and pulled the gate open. The thick metal hinges groaned loudly.
Tyara stepped into the prison block. The air smelled like wet dirt and old rust. Water dripped from the stone ceiling, making soft splashing sounds in small puddles on the floor. Torches burned on the walls, casting long, dancing shadows across the cold hallway.
She walked down the long, narrow corridor. The prison was mostly empty. Tyara kept the kingdom very safe, so there were very few criminals. The few prisoners sitting in the dark cells backed away from the iron bars as she passed. They felt her cold authority pressing down on them. freewēbnoveℓ.com
At the very end of the corridor, a single guard stood outside the last cell. He was a tall wolf-shifter. He held a thick, blunt wooden training sword in his hands. He used it to tap against the iron bars to keep the prisoner awake.
Inside the cell, Sienna sat on the damp stone floor.
The spoiled noble looked terrible. Her expensive hair pins were gone. Her hair hung in messy, dirty strings around her face. Her plain under-tunic was covered in mud from the courtyard. Her cheek was swollen and dark purple where Tyara had slapped her.
Sienna hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She shivered in the cold air. She looked up when she heard footsteps approaching.
When she saw Tyara standing outside the bars, Sienna’s eyes went wide. She scrambled backward until her back hit the cold stone wall. She looked terrified.
"What are you doing here?" Sienna asked. Her voice was shaking. "My mother will come for me. You cannot keep me in this dirty hole. I demand to be released."
Tyara did not answer her. She looked at the wolf-shifter guard.
"Give me the weapon," Tyara ordered.
The guard looked surprised. He looked down at the blunt wooden sword in his hands. He quickly held it out to the Matriarch.
Tyara took the wooden weapon. It was heavy. It was made of solid oak. It did not have sharp edges, but it could easily break bones if used correctly. She swung it once to test the weight. The thick wood sliced through the damp air with a sharp whistling sound.
She looked at the guard. "Unlock the cell."
The guard grabbed a large iron key from his belt. He shoved it into the heavy lock. The mechanism clicked loudly. He pulled the heavy iron door open. The hinges squeaked into the quiet prison block.
Tyara stepped inside the small, dark cell. The air inside was freezing cold.
Sienna pressed herself flat against the wet wall. She looked at the heavy wooden sword in Tyara’s hand. Total panic filled her eyes. She pulled her knees tighter against her chest.
"What are you doing?" Sienna shrieked loudly. "You are the Queen! You cannot beat a prisoner in the dark! My family will hear about this!"
Tyara stopped in the center of the cell. She lowered the wooden weapon, letting the blunt tip rest lightly on the damp stone floor. She looked at the terrified, spoiled girl shrinking in the corner.
Tyara did not yell. She did not look angry. Her eyes were perfectly calm and entirely unbothered.
"I believe it’s time for us to get to know each other, Sienna."
