Intrigue and Music.....

The first part of the plan had worked....BARELY. Malin swears to his gods that while he had known that Queen Astra was strong minded, he hadn't figured that she was strong enough to almost....ALMOST.....broken free of his magical spell!

Only shouting the Words of Power four or five time (thank the gods he'd had his room magically sound dampened!) was he able to bring her back under enough! Then, using a rather coaxing method, Malin was able to convince her majesty to see him again for further sessions (despite the fact that she would be somewhat miffed at him for some reason). Repeated sessions would eventually make her easier to control (he shivered at what had almost happened when he'd nearly overstepped himself).

Still needing something to placate his orcen ally, the mage had tried to wheedle out information on troop positions and such and was horrified to find out Queen Astra only had the vaguest of ideas about such! It seems, by asking softly and delicately, that the Queen had developed a deep distrust in her own abilities in matters pertaining to military strategy and such with a defeat that still silently haunts her by the forces of Duke Drederigo D'Honairee. She hides it well but had come to the conclusion that while she might be able to be queen OR a general leading troops, she couldn't be both. Despite her warrior training she'd been groomed more for being queen, not a general. She'd known the basics, but not really the deep strategy of it. Her sister, Astra 8, had arrived on the scene and had fulfilled a much needed position in Aqualaria. Astra 8 had been trained on her world to be more of a leader in war than in ordinary situations. In other words, due to the social structure back there, Astra 8 had needed to be more of what would be considered a general than queen. Back on Astra 8's world, Queen of the Amazons meant more of what Astra and Malin would consider Warrior Queen. Times had changed her on Terra Prime long ago and there hadn't really been need for such for decades....so the role of queen had fallen more in line with modern times....with more of what was expected of....say....a king. In other words, the position had become more....civilized and specialized.

Basically, Queen Astra had been delighted to give the title of general over to her analog sister (a person who her heart told her, through it's special connection to analogs, that this was a person she could trust implicitly). She had chosen her over others because of what Astra 8 said, when answering when asked discretely by the Queen, what should have been done over instead of what Queen Astra HAD done when she'd failed to defeat the invading army of Drederigo D'Honaire. Astra 8 strategic knowledge had impressed Astra D'Honaire immensely and thus Astra 8 was now a general.....but not just any general but what some would call on another world as a General's General. Basically, Malin would still be able to learn the things he needed to insure the Orcs victory....but not as swiftly as he had hoped.

He silently cursed the queen for her paying attention to the Ethiopian mages and ignoring him to such an extent.....not keeping him abreast on such.....

In reality, the mage had been to thoroughly involved with another project that the queen had ordered him to handle.

1. The former "plaything" of the now deceased Drederigo D'Honaire had proven most.......challenging to make right.

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