Chapter 10 #4
Zall’s first carriage entered the massive circle of tents at that moment, and I was struck by the air of their soldiers.
They marched in perfect unison, with steady, beating footsteps and in perfectly straight rows.
They reminded me of the thousands of Unsullied soldiers Daenerys gained control of, and I shuddered to think of facing them in battle.
If they were half as well-trained in combat as they were in marching formations, they’d be a fury to behold.
“I’ve heard rumors of their army,” Carissa whispered.
“Yeah?” I turned to her.
“I don’t know if it’s just a reputation,” Carissa hedged. “They haven’t entered into war with another country in decades, but they say the Zall Elite can strip an enemy army into ribbons in minutes.”
“They certainly look fierce,” Serra murmured.
“I don’t know,” Yori said. “They’re just men.”
“Actually,” Tanell said. “From what I’ve heard, nearly a third of their ranks are women.”
“What?” Serra gasped like she was about to clutch her pearls.
“Nice.” Yori grinned.
“That’s impressive,” Carissa said. “I hope that rumor is true.”
Finally, the carriage containing the king and queen pulled up to the front of the tent that was dyed the colors of sunset. The yellow, orange, and red were beautiful, and the numerous members of staff gathered in equally neat rows as the soldiers to welcome their monarchs to the camp.
The king stepped down from the carriage first, and he turned right around to offer his hand to the queen to help her down.
The pair were physically well-suited for one another, and they made a very striking pair. They both had black hair and narrow brown eyes.
Manolito wasn’t a very tall man, but his long, lean limbs and square, clean-shaven face made him look taller than he was. Lucita was nearly the same height as he was, and she reminded me of a ballerina. She was all long limbs and elegant movements.
They walked past their servants and soldiers as if they weren’t there at all, and it left a sour taste in my mouth, but the staff all bowed deeply.
I wondered if it was a cultural sign of respect or something.
I’d once heard that the highest compliment a Japanese audience can give is complete silence. Maybe it was the same idea in Zall.
Once the king and queen passed any of the servants or soldiers, they stood back up and hurried about their duties.
“They’re so…” Tanell said.
“Rigid.” Yori frowned.
“They carry themselves with grace,” Serra offered instead.
“Yeah, sure,” Yori said. “Rigid grace.”
“They are a little stiff,” Carissa whispered.
I chuckled as Queen Lucita turned her head and spotted us. She tapped her husband’s elbow and gestured in our direction. They said a few words to one another before the king raised his hand in a very mild wave of greeting.
I tried to keep my surprise off my face, and I raised my hand in a similar greeting.
That was all the interaction we got before they slipped inside their tent without coming over to introduce themselves.
“I guess that answers our question,” I said.
“Boo.” Yori pouted. “I wanted to get a closer look.”
“We’ll get our closer look at the meeting in an hour,” I said.
We started to head back into our tent, but a footman in the blazing colors of sunset jogged over with an envelope in one hand. He wasn’t the slightest bit out of breath, even though he’d run a good hundred yards to reach me.
“Greetings from Zall, King Kenneth,” he said and held out the envelope. “My King and Queen look forward to meeting you officially.”
“Thank you.” I took the letter and broke the wax seal.
It was a short note that introduced King Manolito and Queen Lucita and expressed interest in what we had to share at the meeting.
Before I could say anything to the footman, he turned and jogged all the way back to the other tent.
“Oh… okay,” I said to his retreating form.
“What’s it say?” Tanell asked.
“Not much.” I handed the note to her, and the other three women leaned over her shoulders to read it.
“Curious,” Carissa hummed.
“Is this a good thing?” Yori asked no one in particular.
“I think it is,” Serra said. “They’re interested in what we have to say.”
“Yeah,” Tanell said with optimism. “That has to be a good thing.”
“Unless it’s sarcasm or condescension,” I countered.
“Do you think it is?” Serra asked, and her eyebrows knitted together in a frown.
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “There’s only one way to know for sure.”
“How’s that?” Yori asked.
“When they speak to us,” I said. “Come on, we’ve got a little time to kill still.”
The women and I tried to start up a game of Go Fish, but none of our hearts were in it. Mostly, we shuffled cards around the table at a glacial pace and asked questions about what was going to happen that went unanswered.
The tension grew heavy between us, and I could practically taste the anxiety in the women’s hearts. We managed to eat a meager lunch despite the worry in our hearts, minds, and stomachs.
Finally, Anders came into the tent and bowed his head at me.
“It’s time, sire,” he said. “The royals are gathering.”