During the day, Kat had many things to focus on, the army only one small piece of it. She glanced at the books strewn across her table, Leila's words about the state of the kingdom ringing in her ears. She'd always loved reading, even when she was a poor, starving peasant girl in Iride. It brought her solace, and it could bring a bit of joy to everyone else.

"We should open more schools," she said.

Leila frowned. "Schools?"

"Yes. You mentioned that more than half the people of Endir can't read. That's something I want to change. Proper education is the cornerstone for a better life."

"Oh. Yes, maybe."

Leila's reluctance regarding this felt a bit odd given that it was such an obvious necessity, so Kat pressed on. "Don't you think it's a good idea?"

Leila heaved a sigh. "Don't get me wrong, Kat. It is a good idea, but education is for times of peace and abundance, not the brink of war."

"That's not true! During wartime, the people should have something positive to distract them, and books can often provide such an escape."

"Educated people are harder to control."

Kat narrowed her eyes. "I'm not looking to control my people, Leila."

She groaned as if Kat was being unreasonable. "That's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that you need their support for this, and you wouldn't be able to have it if they could question your every decision."

That was not how Kat wanted to rule. She didn't want to be a tyrant or someone who would profit off the ignorance of her people to manipulate them. But then again, she had met no resistance so far, so maybe it was the lack of opposition talking.

"We can always make a plan to open schools once our people are fed," Leila said.

"Yes, of course." Kat nodded in agreement, but she was already making plans for the future. She also made a tiny mental note regarding what could and could not be discussed with Leila. Apparently dreams, imagination and comfort were not among acceptable topics.

Why did she want a war so badly? Come to think of it, so did Keith. So did Kat from time to time, especially when the pain inside her was at its highest. But there were certain moments, like right then, when she knew there was more to her than a bloodthirsty ruler.

In those moments, she wished she could remember everything about her past, not just random, clinical information. She wished for the moments of joy, the laughter, the disappointment, even the pain. Because those were all part of who she was, what made her her.

The rest of the time, she was grateful that she had nothing to linger on and she could focus on her current tasks. And those days were more numerous than the others.

It was how she met the local lords and forced them to contribute to the war effort with both men and resources. How she put harsh punishments in place for deserters or those who stole resources. How she handled the reports she received regarding the state of the kingdom.

In many ways, Leila was right. It was easier to handle every aspect of ruling if she had no opposition. Even if she hadn't even come close to leading anything before, she instinctively knew what to do, as if it was all in her blood. Maybe it was, seeing her claim to the throne and Lucille's help.

With every passing day, the army became more organized. The resources were better spread out. Everyone in the palace and outside it knew what to do. However, winter was coming and her people were on the brink of starvation. And all Kat had was ice.

As the weeks dragged on, she found herself looking towards Iride in both states of mind. She needed to make a move, and fast.

⚜

"Your Majesty!"

Keith interrupted morning court, rushing towards the throne. Kat glanced from the family of farmers before her to the captain of her guard. He reached the dias before the throne and dropped to one knee, in a deep bow.

"I am sorry for interrupting, but matters of the greatest importance require your attention."

She could sense the urgency coming from him, just like she could sense the disappointment of the people who had come asking for extra food. Many of them did, and Kat had to turn them away. She had made plans and calculations and the current rations were the most fair and sustainable. Even so, it was hard to say no, so she'd come to apreciate the days in which she felt more detached from herself and could easily refuse any obnoxious request.

But that was all court was, anyway. Common folk and nobles coming to present issues and ask for favors. Sometimes, she wished she could say yes to everyone. Other times she just wanted to be left alone. Fortunately, the thin crown of white gold upon her head helped her focus and do what needed to be done.

"Yes, commander?"

Keith glanced left and right. "Could we retire to your council chamber?"

Kat rose from her narrow throne. It was made of crystal which looked like jagged teeth of ice. It was oddly fitting and she took it as a sign that this was indeed her destiny. The hem of her fur-lined white dress fell to the floor, covering her glass slippers. When she'd first donned the attire, she'd felt like a little girl dressing up like a fairytale princess. There was no way anyone expected her to wear that. As it turned out, everyone did. The more splendid her gowns were, the more haughty her demeanor, the more people seemed to respect her.

Leila encouraged her to take care of her appearance, spending every morning braiding her hair in complicated fashion before she were to attend court and meet her people. Kat wasn't sure she liked it, but could nod deny the advantages her queenly appearance brought.

"Of course, Commander. I apologize, but court will be cut short today."

No one let out a sound of protest or dissatisfaction, even if it was clear it wasn't in their favor. It pushed down on Kat for some reason she couldn't identify. At the moment, however, she had other priorities so she led Keith to her council room.

Once there, she sat behind her desk. It was still filled with official documents and books, but there was no room to push them aside.

"I'm listening," she said.

"King Fherras is dead," Keith announced at once.

Kat's eyes widened. "What?"

"We've heard this from our agents in the border villages. The new king has not yet been crowned and Iride is in a state of disarray. Now would be the perfect time to attack!"

"We are not ready to attack, Commander." But even as the words were out, her mind was on something else. Ferdinand was dead, she remembered that much. Who was king? A nagging feeling at the back of her mind screamed that she should know this, but the memory wouldn't come to her. "Do they know the name of the new king?"

"Not yet, but from what I understand, it's an usurper. They may have civil war on their hands soon enough."

"You are right. This would be the perfect time to strike." And she wished she had the forces for it. However, winter was approaching and sending her armies into the mountains would be suicide. They would die of cold as well as hunger.

"Your Majesty?"

"I unfortunately can't see us being successful. I will consider this news and think of another way to work this to our advantage."

Keith seemed appeased by this. Sometimes, his trust in her was disconcerting, especially since he should have known that she had no experience ruling a country or organizing the military. Yes, somehow, she knew what needed to be done, but he never questioned how she did.

"I will continue to gather information and come to you. Maybe a skirmish is all it takes to tip the scales in our favor."

"Agreed. New information might make that more obvious and we will reconsider our tactic then."

"There is... One more thing."

Kat tilted her head, wondering why he'd left this particular piece of information at the end and why he seemed so wary. "What is it?"

"We've captured two people we believe could be spies. They have been locked up in the Circle. I will be interrogating them soon."

This was interesting news. "Iridian spies?"

"That's the thing." Keith now looked confused. "She is Endirian and he appears to be Talian. They shouldn't be spying for Iride."

Something stirred inside Kat, a long forgotten memory of flames and sea breeze. "Take me to the Circle. I will question them myself."

⚜⚜⚜

Almost forgot to update there. Whoops. Also that last bit doesn't sound good at all, does it. What happened?

I'll leave you on that cliffhanger until next time!

Thank you for the support and every vote and comment are greatly appreciated!