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The Slayer Queen Part Four
Sam Perlo-Freeman
A short story based on the world of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, created by Joss Whedon. Some place names are fictitious, as of
course are all the characters depicted.
Rating: 15
CHAPTER 4: THE SLAYER QUEEN
The battle for Amrethus that followed was long, messy and brutal, but from
the beginning there was no doubt as to the outcome. Their king slain,
their human vassals in revolt, the vampires were filled with terror and
confusion, while the townspeople were as if a terrible sickness had been
lifted from their minds and bodies, bathed in the new, healing light of
their miraculous new Queen.
Jareth's assault, which had succeeded in drawing off many of the palace
defenders, was still in progress, though several of the band were down,
and when news of the death of Morthyrus spread to the front of the palace,
as spread it did like wildfire, there too the tide turned. Their throats filled with roars of anger and relief, the
human guards broke off combat with Jareth's band and turned with wild fury
and vengeance on the monsters whose baleful thrall had daily drained their
blood and their souls.
Still the vampires fought, and with their supernatural strength and speed
proved the death of many. But they were no match either for the Slayer or
for the Amrethians, whose long-pent up rage, released as in one monumental
collective shriek, lent them a preternatural strength of their own. Where
they lacked weapons, groups of towns-people would drag vampires out into
the sun to be consumed by its cleansing fire. The marquis constructed at
the entrance gates were torn down, incinerating the guards there.
Buildings playing host to vampires were torched, with indeed not a few of
the creatures' human victims inside.
Within the palace, Artemesia fought with wild abandon, she too suffused
with the glorious and terrifying catharsis that blazed through the city.
Vampire after vampire fell to her stake and her great bronze sword, so
that her progress through the palace could be charted by the clouds of
dust that eddied and billowed in her wake. Antones and the others fought
powerfully too, while Dana and Otanes led a group of guards down to the
dungeons to release the unfortunate, barely living, pallid specimens of
humanity that the monsters had held hostage.
At last, the battle was over and the dust had, literally and figuratively,
settled. Not all the vampires of the town were destroyed, but those that
remained had retreated to bolt-holes and hide-aways deep within the town,
which was now firmly under the control of the living once again. Wherever
Artemesia went in the town, she was quickly surrounded by cheering,
weeping crowds, pressing close upon her, begging her blessing or her help
to find a loved-one, while all around the cry went up, "Hail Queen
Artemesia! Hail the Slayer Queen!"
Eventually she and her group decided the only place they might find some
peace to retreat and discuss what had taken place was back at the palace.
When they returned there they were able to survey the losses they and all
the people of Amrethus had incurred in the battle. Many lay dead. Of the assault party within the palace, only one had fallen, but the diversionary party had lost six men, including, they
were greatly grieved to note, Jareth, his bloody corpse sprawled near the
sundial in the great square outside the palace. Artemesia called together
a group of palace guards, and ordered them to collect the bodies together,
and to have all that showed signs of vampire bites to be burned before
sunset. While other guards held back the throng, Artemesia, Otanes,
Antones, Dana and a few others of the remaining nine who were closest to
the Slayer's inner circle found a room at the back of the palace to meet.
"You realise this cannot be allowed to continue, of course."
began Otanes, "I mean this business of you being Queen."
Artemesia agreed.
"It worked brilliantly to turn the mood of the guard - but I was not
raised to wield royal power. I am, when all is said and done, just a young
girl."
Antones spoke up at this.
"Then what are you to tell all the people out there who are hanging
on your every breath?"
"Amrethus is a broken, grieving town, Artemesia," added Dana,
"They need someone who can offer them hope, offer them light, who can
lead them in rebuilding their city and their lives!"
"Does that have to be me? I am a Slayer, not a ruler! I work by night
in dark alleyways! A king works in glorious sunlight, sat on a gilded
throne! Could it not be Antones? He is young, strong and handsome..."
Antones laughed at this.
"I? King Antones? You honour me far too much! Besides, it was you
that staked King Morthyrus, you who led the people in the great battle!
You, not I are their heroine, their liberator, their ... goddess as near
as can be! How could I rule in the shadow of that?"
"Artemesia is right!" broke in Otanes, "She is the Slayer,
she has a sacred duty to perform and it is not compatible with the burden
of rule. Besides, the Council would never allow it, they would be beside
themselves!"
At this, a man named Forystus spoke up, who had only been part of the
Slayer's circle since the start of the Terror (as it became known), but
who was already a hardened and bloodied fighter: "And where
have this Council of yours been while we've been fighting for our lives here? Egypt you say? I don't even know where that is, let
alone ever been there. What do they know of what we need here, what we've
been through?"
There was a murmur of agreement around the room.
"The Council cannot have foreseen a situation like this."
counselled Dana, "It is true that the Slayer is more accustomed to
working in the dark and on the margins of the human world. But is that not
because that is where her enemies prowl? In Amrethus they have come out
into the open and taken hold of an entire city. Such a thing has never
been known since the world began. When the world is turned upside down so
that a vampires may become king, is it so strange a thing that the Slayer
who defeats him should become queen? Artemesia, Otanes: Antones is right.
Only the Slayer can wield the royal sceptre now! And be not fearful,
Artemesia: you have not only strength, but cunning and wisdom beyond your
years. And with wise Otanes as guide, you will without doubt make a worthy
queen!"
Artemesia pondered this, then turned to Otanes, who sighed, and nodded.
Artemesia stood up and smiled gently.
"And with wise Dana too at my side, and bold Antones, I shall not go
wrong, I hope. Can someone go to the throne-room? I believe my crown fell
off somewhere there in the fight. We will have a coronation to
arrange."
Otanes chuckled. "Very well. I see I am bested. How this will work
out the gods only know, for no Slayer has ever done anything of the sort
before now. But as you say, no Slayer has ever faced what you have faced,
and you have lived up to your calling in a way that would make any Watcher
proud. As for the Council, I don't know. I think it is best if they are
not told of this for now."
*************************************************
Early that evening, a great funeral pyre was lit for the victims of the
day's battle. Dana led the ceremony, giving up offerings of gold and
silver, of cattle and sheep, and of many pungent herbs and incenses to the
gods, pleading with them to cleanse the souls of the dead from the horrors that had afflicted them, and to free Amrethus from
the veil of evil that had engulfed it. All around the city that night, the
people lit bale-fires with their own offerings, to purge the evil from
their midst.
The very next day, Artemesia was crowned Queen of Amrethus in great pomp
and splendour, and took up rule in the royal palace. Otanes became her
Vizier, Dana became High Priestess of Demeter in the rebuilt temple, and
Antones became Commander of the royal guard. As well as the city itself,
the people of the surrounding countryside willingly submitted themselves
to her rule, for her fame had travelled throughout the land. She ruled
wisely and well, in spite of her youth, and the city prospered. Trade
flourished and the land brought forth fruitfully.
At first, Artemesia still went forth many nights to slay, accompanied now
by members of her guard, carefully trained in the techniques of fighting
vampires. Thus they scoured the town for those vampires that had survived
the great battle that ended the Terror. Sometimes also she would venture
forth from the city to the surrounding countryside in response from pleas
from villagers beset by evil creatures. But in time, the vampires and
other manner of demons came to realise that the domain of the Slayer Queen
was not the most congenial environment for the forces of evil, and for a
time the land knew peace, both with the kingdoms of Earth and the legions
of Hell.
As I have said, I believe Artemesia's assumption of sovereign rule to be
unique in the history of the Vampire Slayers. Some of my former Council
colleagues have at times speculated with me that other famous woman rulers
of past times; such as Deborah of the Hebrews, Tomyris of the Massagatae, Antiope of the Amazons and, of course,
the mighty Xena; may have been Slayers; but in my opinion there is no
evidence to show that any of these ever hunted vampires on a regular
basis, though some may well on occasions have faced evil creatures of one
sort or another. Indeed in the case of the Massagatae queen, there are
definite records of at least one other Slayer operating at the same time.
I maintain my conviction that Artemesia is the only Slayer, certainly in
the known world, to have become a ruler of her people.
***********************************************
Now in time, news of Artemesia's rise to power reached the ears of the
Watchers Council of Egypt. Otanes had sent them back for some time the
blandest of reports, stating merely that Artemesia was performing her
Slayer duties in a most satisfactory manner, and making no mention of her
new, exalted status. But the Watchers had become frustrated with the
paucity of news and sent men to Amrethus to see if they could find out
more, which of course it was hardly difficult for them to do, and they
returned to Egypt greatly astonished. Some months later, the Council met,
chaired by the imperious voice of Atemon, High Priest of Osiris. Before
the meeting started, however, there was already a murmur of voices round
the Council chamber.
"Outrageous!" ... "Unprecedented!" ...
"Ridiculous notion!" ... "violation of her Sacred
Duty!" ... "Otanes must be possessed!" ... "can't be
allowed to continue!"
Atemon called them to order. When he had their attention, he began.
"You all know why we are meeting here today. The question is what we
are to do about the rogue Slayer Artemesia and her sacrilegious assumption
of royal authority in Amrethus. I hope I do not need to underline the
gravity of the situation, or that our great Watchers Council now faces possibly its greatest crisis ever."
"We must send emmisaries to Otanes, make him see reason. He is a
sensible man, he will surely put a stop to this foolishness!" said
one Watcher.
"We have sent emissaries!" hissed Atemon. "The first two
were wined and dined and treated with every courtesy, then told by Otanes
that everything was under control."
"There were others?"
"The second two were more forceful, threatening Artemesia and Otanes
with the full wrath and might of the Council if she did not immediately
abdicate and return to Egypt for new instructions."
There was a murmur of approval around the room, before Atemon added,
"Artemesia ordered their right ears cut off, and sent them from her
palace naked!"
At this there was an awkward silence, before another Watcher piped up,
"Surely, Atemon, you exaggerate when you say this is such a grave
crisis - I mean surely Artemesia cannot stand for long against the power
of the Council. When all is said and done, she is just one girl, albeit
possessed of Slayer strength."
"Fool!" thundered Atemon, "Do you not understand that there
is only one thing in this world more dangerous than the vampire?"
Again a murmur went around the room.
"Gruthrurg demons! I've heard they are most ferocious!" ...
"Lord Balthazar... eeeyyy!"
"SILENCE! I mean, of course, a Vampire Slayer. Just a girl, with a
few powers, you say. The Slayer, in case you have forgotten, is imbued
with the most powerful of demonic forces, in an unbroken line stretching
back to the very beginnings of humanity. She draws upon forces raw and
untamed, such as are scarce to be found upon the Earth in these times of
ours. That is why there is only one of her. That is why she is just one
young girl, placed under the careful watching, controlling eye of one of
us, guided always by our Council. That is why she fights alone and in secret, for only thus may we
hope to keep her awesome power under control. It is well indeed that few
Slayers survive longer than a year or two, so that their powers do not get
the chance to fully mature.
"But consider this power, this untold demonic energy, married to a
royal crown, to a palace, a city, an army, a temple cult! How old is
Artemesia? Twentyone? With her Slayer strength she could live fifty, sixty
years, more, in full vitality. She could overthrow kings, conquer an empire, even come to threaten Egypt itself!"
That stunned the room into silence. Atemon continued.
"I hope it is clear what must be done, but this requires a clear
verdict of the Council." Around the room, heads nodded and faces were
set firm.
"Good. Then it is decided. The Slayer is to die."
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