Friday Fiction Flash: "Warrior Princess"

Join Dottie at Tink's Place for her flash fiction. Every Monday a new picture for the Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge comes up and if you want to join, post your FF on Friday. Check out her site for how to a participate. Enjoy!

Part of the timeline... don't know yet where I'm heading with this. 
"Canyon of Tears"
"Nightstorm"
"The Fury of the Lost"

"Warrior Princess"

It was the third day of festivities at the City of Thess and Anthea decided to take a stroll of the expansive city. She had given orders to her two bodyguards that they were done for the day and should enjoy the celebration their gracious host had prepared for the visiting dignitaries. 

Five delegations from the neighboring cities arrived three days ago to re-affirm their allegiance with the ruling body of Thess. Anthea's entourage from the southeast province reached Thess before the other groups which came from mountainous regions. Anthea had met with the other delegates the other day in an exchange of news and other pleasantries.  


This morning, all the round-table discussions with the ruling body of Thess have reached the end of Anthea's patience and if she was to get her mind on all the documents that were flying before her eyes, she needed a break and with the evening celebration to honor one of the city's historic leaders, Lady Thesia, it was a good time to slip out.

She still couldn't believe her father assigned her this. She knew it was her father's way of punishing her for letting the talks with Lardon deteriorated so severely that, the man withdrew his representative from her father's assembly. Lardon's home province was a prime source of sweet potato. A crop delicacy that Anthea and much of her people love to have and so the task to settle Lardon's nerves fell on her twin brother's calm shoulders.

Anthea wandered around the plaza, nodding an acknowledgement here and there to people who recognized her. She then noticed a wiry-looking city gardener openly battling with a stubborn weed on the blue planter. She stifled a chuckle when the gardener slipped and fell on his back. He was glaring daggers at the weed. Anthea marveled at feeling at peace here in the city. It was much different back home where every now and then, she would be called to the field to snuff bandits bent on wrecking little farming communities.

She and her brother were opposites. Anthea was known to be a skilled strategist with an unwavering courage on the battlefield and possessing a strength that rivaled at least ten men but still that number was guess. Anyone finding the time to challenge her would be thinking of their last meal instead. While her brother resorted to be the behind-the-scenes kind of a person, he moved people with his words, his ideas sparked men to take action and he strove to always have the ear of the people. Of course, he couldn't please everyone but he strove to always find a balance, and his intelligence was said to be unparalleled. She had not said this to anyone but she feared her brother the most if he was crossed he can be very deadly.

A heavily scented breeze wafted into the area and Anthea threw her head back. She inhaled deeply the fragrance and she soon felt relaxed. She knew Thess was renowned for its beautiful botanical gardens and it was one of the attractions that she was keen on visiting. Perhaps her assignment wasn't as dreary after all.