Chapter 15 Boudicca's Revolt

“Yes, I born at the palace in Illium and raised in the nursery chamber with my little brother Oden. Our nurse was a slave named Gertrude. She was a nomad that was captured by a raiding party and sold to a merchant in Kara. The merchant took her on a trip to Illium to serve as his wife’s maidservant. He met with the chamberlain to sell wares to the king. Impressed with his inventory, the chamberlain allowed the monarchs to view the trunks. Mother was intrigued by the Lotan woman to take her into service as a hand maiden. Gertrude took care of me and took me to play with the pupils of The Hermit. Lexie and Linos would take me around the city to visit temples, the marketplace, and down to the sea shore. They taught me about the secret passages built as quick escapes when the city was besieged. They also taught me the maze of servant stairs that reach every part of the palace. Then Linos left when his stepfather died and remained in Atalissa with his sisters. Then my brother Oden was born and Prince Alaric with his daughters were gone. Gertrude comforted me and took me to temples to pray. Looking out onto the streets, I noticed a group of boys playing in an alley. I snuck out of the palace and asked to play with them. Gertrude naturally assumed I was playing with the guards or with the commander’s children. I made friends with the street urchins who slept under the Baker Street Bridge. They had no family and had no discipline to be taught by the priests in the temple who take in orphans. Next, my brother suddenly grew feverish and Gertrude tried all her remedies to cure him. He died in my arms crying for our parents. They barged into the chamber too late to say farewell. They exploded with emotions and then in a daze walked to their bed chambers with their sevants following them. Then I hear much shouting down the hall and guards announcing to the servants the emperor had been murdered. The intruder was caught and beheaded. Mother demanded Gertrude bring me to her bed chamber to keep me safe. I awoke the next morning to much comotion in the rooms. Gertrude was missing and sailors had told the guards they saw her asking for passage to Lotan to inform Empress Boudicca of the deaths in the royal family. She held a letter with the royal seal claiming to be an emissary of Empress Minerva, but mother never sent her to her mother-in-law.

Life went on and I continued to play with the street urchins to return to the palace for the evening meal. I met an old man claiming to be a sailor who just bought an inn from being too old to fight pirates anymore. My friends and I would help the man with chores and eat their free meal every day. I met the sailor captain Alexis who was the man’s business partner. One day as I was looking for my friends in the street, the man came to me informing that the city was about to be attacked by the ships in the distance. They must leave and hid me inside an apple barrell that was carried onto Alexis’s ship. A man was opening the lid of his barrell when an animal jumped on it and squeaked. The sailor replied “Yes, Captian Linos” and walked away. They sailed out of the harbor as the armada got closer to Illium. They made it to the Island of Larsa in a few days and stopped for supplies. The man revealed himself to be Linos in disguise and explained they were on a Kadacian island with a Blythan colony. The colonists pay tribute to the Kadacian queen and supply the navy ships. They sailed to different islands and met Princess Aphrodite’s son, King Hector. His Majesty was eager to give sanctuary to his cousin during the siege. Minerva is getting what she deserves, he said. I received the knowledge that nobody liked mother. When I asked why, they simply affirmed that she ordered the whole royal family killed. The only reason, it was explained, the Blythans fail to remove her from power is because of their loyalty to me as her heir. Linos informed him that the reason Gertrude left so suddenly was because she was carrying my father’s child and feared Minerva would have her beheaded.

Empress Boudicca took her into service and she was the nurse to Persephone’s daughter Cousin Penelope, my half-brother Kadmor by Kaitlyn, and my half-sister Sabine by Gertrude. Soon sailors came returning to Lotan after sacking Illium. They had shiploads of treasures and food to trade. King Hector threw a gala in celebration of Boudicca’s victory. I met the Amazon Queen Kaitlyn who filled me with stories of my father and uncle Rodric growing up. Men told tales by the fire pit to an approving audience eating the feast. Then Boudicca got up and beckoned me to come to her. She presented a gold bracelet of a snake biting its tail that symbolizes eternity. She said her husband Rurick gave it to her during a celebration once upon time and she would like to give it to me to remember her by. She also gave Kaitlyn a ring given to her by Dion during a celebration. Grandmother insisted I sleep in her bed chamber that night. She was a wonderful woman and I wept for days upon hearing her death a year ago. In her bed chamber, we spoke in Lotan that his nurse had taught him. She asked what Oden was like and he replied he liked to play swords with him. They would pretend to fight pirates on the sea to jump around the furniture. Upon returning to Illium and seeing mother pace around the devasted ruins, I came to her with Linos in disguise. She was worried when the guard who was sent to retrieve me had been found killed in the palace courtyard. She had escaped through the tunnels and stayed at Ashleigh until Boudicca had left. I explained city dwellers grabbed me as they rushed to the ships and this man was the captain of the ship. Linos said he would like to retire from fighting pirates as a guard to Grand Prince Jason. Mother approved Captain Athar as my bodyguard. Linos had confessed in Adea that he was my half-uncle to promise to always protect me. He did fulfill his promise and was murdered later while I escaped.

The vast Blythan Empire shrunk by Queen Anamosa taking territory along the Anasazi Mountians and King Rodric taking territory along the Olin Mountians. The stone walls of Illium stood tall, but the inside rooms and wood roofs were destroyed. We made whitewash out of limestone to cover the charcoal covered walls and artsians got busy replacing tools and pottery. City dwellers returned to their homes to rebuild everything. Soon a maiden from Kadacia appeared at the royal palace asking for an audience with Prince Linos of Blythe. The guards explained he lived in Akaiyah in Lotan. Linos found out from the guards laughing about a maiden asking for him. We left to visit the inns to find her. He revealed himself to Mae claiming to be pregnant with his child. They got married in the middle of the night and she stayed in his inn by the docks. Within a year, much of the city was repaired and he had a new baby half-brother named Vidar from mother. Mother married a commander of the guard who protected her from Boudicca’s ruin. Around this time, Ishtar and Cassandra were born to Lilia only to receive news that Linos was married with a son. Mae had her baby and named him Oskar. The guards who had laughed at Mae for arriving at the palace began to notice her in the marketplace. Why didn’t she leave? They began to question and observe the mysterious guard Athar. Boudicca decided she needed to act quickly to these suspicions Linos reported. She visited her brother-in-law King Xerxes to overthrow mother. His daughter Dinah married with a daughter is more than capable of ruling in his absence. Once his regent duties ceased, he could hold a position in my court. He did too as my finance minister until my wife banished him. Regent Kia sought out my bride from Ashur that turned out not such a great decision. They lived outside the palace and had time to hear about the riot in the palace that killed my uncle Linos. Anyway, on with the story.”

“Xerxes and Kia came sailing down the coast to stay at a fishing village just outside the city walls waiting for news from Linos. Linos never came. Once the commander heard from the guards about the lady looking for Prince Linos shopping in the marketplace, he went down to the inn to meet the lady. He arrested the lady and dropped her son down a well. The basket the baby was in floated a moment before sinking. The innkeeper retrieved Oskar and ran to my regents waiting outside the city. Linos heard from a guard about the arrest and left to confront the commander enjoying a meal in the great hall. I prayed for the safety of Linos, Mae, and Oskar before going to bed. I awoke the next morning to cheering the courtyard and I opened a shutter to see. A red headed woman was holding my mother’s head in the air. Terrified I was to be beheaded next, I hid in my closet.

I hadn’t been told that Linos was planning to chop off mother’s head. I only knew they wanted another regent for me. Linos came up to my chamber.

“I was so scared when I woke up and you were not here. The guards were gone. The servants were gone. I thought the palace was under attack again. I heard noises outside and opened the shutters. I saw a dark haired woman kneeling and I knew it was mother crying. Then a red haired woman with a crown chopped her head off and then took off the blindfold before lifting up my mother’s face. How could you let your mother do that to us?” stammers Jason.

He explained what happened last night leading up to my mother being executed. Linos left the nursery for the great hall and chucked a dagger into the dining table of the commander.”

“If you murdered my son, I will kill you now.” he declared.

“Well, Prince Linos living right under Empress Minerva’s nose. I dropped your son down a well so, yes, I drowned him. Seize him!” cried the commander.

Linos resisted, but was forcefully taken down to the dungeons to meet his wife weeping for their son. They tried to devise a plan for escape before they were executed in the morning. Then Xerxes arrived to release them. They entered the city by ship and every guard they met bowed to the half-brother of Emperor Rurick. Kia entered the bed chamber of Minerva.

“Time to get up, dear.” she said. “This crown fits me better.”

Linos met the commander in his cell.

“Guess you do not get to execute me in the morning.”

The night was spent enjoying victory and at sunrise, the palace stirred awake. The household and guards were ordered outside. The commander was first to be executed and Linos stepped forward for the honors as Xerxes read the charges. Minerva was next and Xerxes read aloud the charges.

““For high crimes of voiding a treaty with Kadacia, murdering Emperor Dion and Crown Prince Wilmar, neglect of troops in a foreign land, allowing Empress Boudicca to burn Illium, fighting against allies, and losing her heir during battle: Empress Minerva is guilty of treason and shall be punished by beheading under the order of King Xerxes”

As Minerva step out, a voice was heard from the crowd shouting if Kia wanted the honors since she is wearing her crown. She took the sword from Linos.

“This is for Dion and Wilmar, you filth.” declares the angry queen and swung with all her might.

She held up the head to hear cheers of the crowd, then gazed upon me at window. I asked them what will happen now.

“Will you give me a chance to love you?” beckons Kia.

“Alright, cousin Kia. If cousin Linos trusts you, I can to.” declares Jason.

“Your grandfather Rurick would have loved to meet you.” said Kia.

They answered I would receive my education from Linos and Vidar with Oskar residing in my nursery. Time went on to see the sailor Treynor marry Alani’s daughter Circe after she turned her prior husband into stone. Prince Theron married a nomad to give us Levi. Prince Nafusi set up his Onoba colony along the Kassia shore to visit first in Illium where Xerxes gave a grand reception to his nephew. Queen Anamosa died to leave her crown to Queen Simone. Eurick and Boudicca’s twin girls Lydia and Ionia were married to Kadacian princes. In time when childhood transformed into a distant memory, I married Princess Jopria of Ashur. Kia adored Jopria and was touched when she gave shelter to her brothers’ family when Ashur nomads burned the capital. Her evil heart was well concealed and many years would pass before I saw who she really was. My street urchin friends grew to be street entertainers, thieves, soldiers, merchants, and sailors. Even though many people asked for favors from Xerxes and Jason, the former street urchins never asked for anything. Kadmor and Sabine got married to Varricks living in Lotan. Kadmor reigned as chief of a village near his mother’s valley. Sabine moved to Dellasburg to marry a Blythan priest. As I took over the reins of my kingdom, Jopria had Dracon. Soon after, the unrest from bad harvests and resentment of foreignors setting up shop in Illium began. Queen Kia became ill and died to be buried in the Temple of Athena. Soon after King Xerxes died and buried beside his wife. I sent the priest Vim to Rosewood Ravine when there were rumors of poison.

Queen Dinah lost her priestly husband and Prince Theron took over Akaiyah in her despair. Boudicca sent Dinah to Illium looking for a position in my court. By then, Ophelia was married to the wind god Aelous and had Addison living on Glacier Mountain. Fearing what would become of Dracon when I discovered the infidelity of my wife, I sent him to Adar with Dinah as the high priestess. Adar belonging to the Lord of Litsy’s estate allied themselves with Boudicca during the Minerva years, but Prince Grigor convinced them to return their allegiance to me. I discovered Dinah secretly married the god Max soon after her husband died, but never publicly acknowldedged their close bond. He taught her magic and I knew she would keep Dracon safe. Prince Grigor I do not completely trust. Soon after, rumors were spread about Linos torturing a general’s son that were a complete lie. A rebellion took place in my palace and Linos changed me into a falcon so I could escape out the window. I heard screaming my name as I saw soldiers stabbing him. Vidar, Oskar, and Mae escaped too running to the harbor. Alexis took us to the Kadacian city Larissa. We took shelter with Princess Lydia who later moved to the Anasazi Mountains with her husband in charge of a fort. Before marrying Jopria of Ashur, I felt admoration for a handmaiden of Kia’s. She became pregnant with my son and banished to Kadacian border by Kia. Princess Lydia living in Larissa took her in as a maidservant. I came to see the banished woman to find she had married and had a daughter. I held my son who just received a tutor. Mae soon jumped off a guard tower to her death. I left Oskar and Vidar needing apprenticeships in Lydia’s care. The path I was to take, they could not follow. Vidar eventually left for Nafusi’s Onoba colony and happily maried to a Kassian woman. I came to settle in with The Hermit because I knew his magic would protect me. Soon his son Laeos married a mermaid named Elsie. Laeos was made god of rain and Elsie is often called the flood goddess when the spring rains of her husband cause rivers to rise so the mermaids can swim easier through them.