The Undefeatable Queen

By Billy Wong

Action-packed fantasy adventure with a butt-kicking heroine.

After warding off Metheld's initial attempt to conquer Casaria, Alfred and Dandelion head into enemy territory to seek the aid of Queen Eris, a monarch known for being a peerless warrior whose kingdom never fell to the dark empire by force. Learning of her reasons for striking a deal with the Dominion, the pair reluctantly work together with a supposed rebel of questionable trustworthiness to motivate Eris and the country to rise up in revolution. But as they look to finally overthrow the empire, the dark lord's forces also prepare to snuff out the last flames of resistance.

A full length novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Billy Wong
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463610992

Billy Wong

Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.Billy lives in Coney Island, Brooklyn and as one can see from the picture, works as a ninja.A Chinese ninja.

Book preview

The Undefeatable Queen

by Billy Wong

Smashwords edition

The Undefeatable Queen Copyright © 2018 Billy Wong

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the Author. Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.

All characters in this compilation are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Credits and author page

Sample of Iron Bloom

Chapter 1

Baron Alfred of Eskee awoke under the gnarled tree to the sound of pained moans, opening his eyes to find the sky still dark aside from the faint light of the moon and stars. He raised his head off the trusty pack that served for a pillow and sat to regard his companion, curled up on her side no doubt around pangs in her abdomen. How are you feeling, Dandelion?

Go back to bed, she said, voice shaky despite her best efforts not to show it. I'm fine.

It wasn't the first time he noticed this over the last months as they traversed the outskirts of the Dominion, larger weapons concealed in their packs to reduce suspicion while traveling through enemy territory, but he'd kept his mouth shut until now. He couldn't avoid expressing his concern anymore, though. You are not fine. You were impaled clean through not a year ago, and it's clear you haven't fully recovered. Maybe we should've waited a little longer.

The powerful blonde in leather armor, a hair over six feet yet stoutly built with it, shook her head. The world can't wait. Another day Metheld goes unchecked is another innocents suffer at his whim. We should stop him as soon as we possibly can.

Images of his wife and young son, carried dead in the arms of black-armored soldiers of the Dominion, made tears swell in his eyes and nails dig into his palms with anger. He pictured himself bending Metheld, the so-called God of the West, back over the throne in the heart of his dark citadel and then slicing open his throat. His warm red blood spraying forth over Alfred's face, sending tingles of excitement through him. It would feel so good to finally kill that giant devil, and take the revenge he long thirsted for. Yet... he had grown to care much for the warrior who helped him since he lost his family, and feared to lose her too. He'd already thought he had once before.

Are you still thinking about that? A sly smirk played across Dandelion's proud, scarred face. So what if I got skewered and fell off a little cliff? I still pulled myself back up after, and even if I have a bit of lingering pain, I did almost kill Metheld since then.

Remembering how she slammed the dark lord through the stone throne of his home kingdom of Casaria, he grinned. They had come close already, and he wouldn't have minded seeing justice served even if it didn't come at his own hand. Still, You probably caught him off guard before. We shouldn't get too overconfident in our approach.

I know. But that's why we're trying to get help from Ronumel, right? The mountain kingdom they sought, which had long flustered the Dominion's attempts at conquest before surrendering unexpectedly. Though they didn't know her true reasons for doing so, they hoped they could convince its queen to reverse her course and aid them in freeing the continent from the empire's cruel grip.

By the way, I wonder how Prince Colin, Sherry and the others are doing. He thought also about his brother, who had been left in charge of the barony while they went to find allies for their country. Though George's cowardly actions when the Dominion invaded infuriated him, he couldn't help a smidgen of worry in spite of himself. While he'd take some satisfaction to hear George struggled with the workload they once shared, when it came down to it he couldn't wish death on him. But he'd hardly vocalize his anxiety in front of Dandelion, lest she think he was growing soft.

If there was such big news as the fall of a thorn in the Dominion's side like Casaria, I'm sure we would have heard it from the travelers we've met. They must be fine. For now anyway. We should really get back to sleep. We're almost in Ronumel territory, and will need to take more care in a populated area.

He bowed his head. You're right, but you seem to be having trouble sleeping. We should pick up some medicine for your pain the next time we pass through a town.

Strong enough pain medicine would dull the senses, which a warrior can't afford. She squeezed his arm. Relax, I'll be fine. What, you don't trust a lifelong adventurer as seasoned as me?

Compared to him, who had only left the comfort of home for an extended time after his family's deaths, she certainly deserved more trust. If you insist. Don't push yourself too hard though, say something if it gets to be too much. And goodnight.

Good night, Alfred. I wish you happy dreams. On occasion these days, he managed to dream of better times with Janice and Brad without the tragedy creeping into them. Though he lamented waking from them, they still rejuvenated him somewhat, which Dandelion must notice.

Despite his continued concern for her, he fell asleep fairly quick after lying back down. It owed in part to the fatigue from traveling nonstop over little trod, often rough ground, which they would soon leave behind for the even more rugged terrain of mountainous Ronumel. When he rose the next morning, he found Dandelion already up, seeming fine although he didn't know how much suffering she hid. Still, it wasn't as if he didn't have hurts of his own, though he'd never been wounded as badly as her. Everyone did what they could pushing through the troubles the world threw at them, with how well they held up being a major factor towards success in their goals. To think of it this way, it was pretty intimidating that Metheld's reign had endured all the threats to it for close to a thousand years. Everything ended though, and Alfred hoped their generation would be the one that found the strength to overthrow it.

They resumed their journey west and south across parched yellow plains, towards the sprawling mountain range whose jagged peaks spread out before them. Publicly, it was said Queen Eris of Ronumel no longer wanted her subjects to live with the constant stress of being at war, but why should she yearn for such change when her people had been at it for generations past? Dandelion suspected she had some other motivation for giving in, and should they find an opportunity to talk with her, they might persuade her to reconsider. If the mighty land long thought impossible to invade could be made to rebel, along with the other countries that now stood against the Dominion, they would certainly stand a better chance. Alfred did worry however about how much Ronumel's military strength had been weakened since accepting Metheld's terms. But in any case, just learning of the Dominion's vulnerabilities from those who'd resisted it for so long should be useful.

Nearing the range, they arrived at a town at the foot of the mountains beyond which a pass deeper into them lay. This settlement belongs to Ronumel and by extension the Dominion, Dandelion reminded him, so don't be surprised to see some black-armored ones around. Make sure to keep your temper under control if you do.

I know. They would just be asking about the queen's status and how one might go about getting an audience with her before moving on, so they shouldn't be spending much time here for something to go wrong.

Passing between haphazardly laid out wood and straw houses, they made their way towards the broad cabin that probably served for an inn. The buildings looked newer, perhaps only having been built recently to replace ones destroyed ages ago at the onset of war. Despite their efforts to hide their weaponry, dirty-faced men and women stared, doubtless because visitors from outside the country were relatively rare much less battle scarred ones like them. At the back of town they could glimpse a small keep which must guard the pass. No matter what, it would be nerve wracking to walk through there under the scrutiny of soldiers loyal to their enemy.

They entered the inn, the strong smell of smoked meat hitting their nostrils along with an undercurrent of booze. It wasn't crowded right now in the afternoon, only a handful of men enjoying a big slab of pork in the dining area littered with empty tables, which relieved Alfred as they would have fewer potentially suspicious eyes on them. When they approached the counter, the heavyset barkeep pouring a mug of ale perhaps for himself looked up. Travelers, hmm? he asked in the abrupt, almost guttural tongue of the Dominion with his double chin flapping. From which part of the empire do you hail?

He didn't sound quite fluent, even to Alfred's ears which had only gained a passing understanding of the language under Dandelion's tutelage, so he might not have learned it until after the nation was absorbed. Still, who knew where his loyalties lay now, so Alfred let Dandelion answer with her much smoother grasp of the tongue. We come from Burselt, to the north. Whiskey for myself and my partner please, to soothe our aches from the road.

More like her hurts from a while back, for which she had already used up their own supply of strong drink, but he kept quiet. They should refill their skins before leaving, since alcohol had practical uses too aside from escaping into drunkenness. The hefty man delicately filled tiny ceramic cups from a pitcher and regarded them with curiosity. Burselt from where the goods flow? Explains why you would have that sort of... mix of accents, growing up in a port like that. It was more from her traveling all around the world according to Dandelion herself, but her quick wit in providing a preemptive explanation for it was admirable. How is the shipping business these days, I hear some countries have been trying to nudge others into trading less with our great empire? Was he trying to flatter somebody he took to be from there or had he truly accepted the conquerors as great?

Dandelion gave a carefree wave. There has been a slight decrease in some imports, but nothing to worry over. The Dominion spans so many lands, we have more than enough access to all resources we need. Anything we can't get from our own territories are but frivolous luxuries.

Don't we know it. Now what brings you to our humble kingdom?

We wish to speak with Queen Eris. Alfred blinked. Well that was a little more direct than he anticipated, but he supposed they'd have to get to it at some point if they wanted information on the queen. Maybe she thought being bold would divert suspicion from them, as they should be more hesitant if they were up to no good. As fighters aspiring to improve ourselves, we would like to meet the one called the Undefeatable Queen and see what wisdom she might share with us, whatever she is willing.

He eyed her bemusedly. So you're those types eh? Doesn't surprise me given the rather prolific scarring on your face, especially for a lady—no offense—but where are your weapons if that's the case? Unless you fight primarily with belt knives, but those hardly seem characteristic of professionals.

Dandelion glanced meaningfully over her shoulder at her tall pack. No need to flaunt our arms when we're not in a fight. So about the queen, do you know if she is home at present?

The barkeep spread his arms. I can't say for certain considering I live all the way out here and she at the heart of our country. But knowing how she rarely leaves her den nowadays, I wager you'd have good odds of finding her there. I'm not sure how easy it will be to speak with her, though.

Alfred took a refill of his cup, mindful not to outpace Dandelion's drinking by too much while she did all the talking. I suppose she hasn't been the most sociable lately? she asked. Perhaps Eris was dissatisfied deep down with conceding subservience to the Dominion—at least, they could hope. I'm sure an old warhorse like her still has some interest in the martial pursuits. If we impress enough with our skills, we may be able to draw her out.

It might take a lot to impress her.

Then I'll just have to hope we're suitably impressive.

After serving them each another helping of liquor, the barkeep told them to call him if needed and walked away to attend to his cooking. That's your plan? Alfred whispered to Dandelion. Drawing attention to ourselves by showing off our combat abilities in public hardly seems the best idea, and who would we show off to if Eris doesn't let us in her palace?

That was just an improvised answer. Of course you're right that displaying our skills openly might be unwise. We'll have plenty of time to come up with a better plan before we get there, or when we do if necessary.

They finished their last drinks, bought refills of whiskey for their wineskins and left the inn, Alfred feeling a tad numb and calmer about braving the examination of the keep guards ahead. Before they got far, they heard a commotion nearby. He looked to see a tanned woman in her forties standing in the door of her house arguing with a spiky-haired man in ebon armor flanked by two helmeted comrades. We don't have anything to give you! she said, eyes wide with fright as she tried to hold her ground. We already paid our taxes last week, what more do you want?

The bareheaded man scowled, though Alfred imagined the blank metal visages that flanked him might be more imposing to the woman. While the rank and file soldiers of the Dominion had never scared him much themselves, his fear more being for his family when he first realized their presence near his home, he remembered the daunting image of inhuman foes which had hidden behind similar masks. Those were taxes for Emperor Androgant! the soldier said. It could be confusing how Metheld called his top subordinates emperors when they might be known as generals in most lands. These are local ones for us in exchange for protection. You do understand what might happen to your family without protection, yes?

But we don't have any more to pay! And the last collector said local taxes would be covered along with the rest.

That's what they told you. Sorry lady, not everybody is trustworthy. We have lawful authority to tax you, so you had better step aside.

She shook her head. "How do I know you're to be trusted? You might be nothing more than bored guards abusing your status to pocket some unearned coin."

Get out of the way! He grabbed her arm and yanked her aside, throwing her to the dirt beside her door. As she rubbed her elbow in pain, he smiled contemptuously and stepped through the open portal, silent companions following. His victim remained on the ground, features despondent as she probably imagined what little her family would be left with.

By now the heat rising in Alfred's chest had grown nearly to the boiling point. Those bastards, he said under his breath, thinking they can do whatever they want! We ought to teach them a lesson.

Dandelion raised a hand. How, by killing them? That'll hardly help the folks who will surely be held responsible at least in part, while putting their superiors on much higher alert for us. Our aim is to topple the entire empire, not risk our goal punishing some low level servants of it. When Metheld's government crumbles as a whole, these bullies too will be cast from their positions of power.

I know. Still, isn't there anything we can do to alleviate the strain on these people right now? Maybe we could follow the soldiers, wait until they're off guard and then beat them down and take their money. If we don't kill them, they might be too ashamed to report being humiliated to their commanding officer. Then we can give the funds back to those they were stolen from.

It wouldn't work. If we spare their lives, don't you think they might suspect they were beaten on behalf of those they took from? In which case, they'll likely seek retribution and they won't be here to stop them.

Maybe they'll be too cowed to try. He didn't feel confident about that though. And I doubt they'll only be robbing this one family. If they've victimized as many as I suspect, they won't know whose behest our intervention came at.

It's still too risky. We have to keep our eyes on the big picture, we can't lose sight of it in the details.

Alfred sighed, deflating. Tsk, I guess you're right. Still, I feel bad for that household. I hope they'll be okay.

At least the man of the house seems to be away, she said as the soldiers emerged carrying some sacks of unknown valuables. If he'd been here and resisted more, it might end up worse for them.

Scant comfort, that. He watched them turn away. They're heading in the direction of the fort. Might we follow them for a bit, since we're already going that way?

We needn't delay for their sake. But don't get any bad ideas.

They trailed the guards towards the keep they must be stationed in. As the trio passed a house, something like the head of a staff reached out from behind, hooked one of the helmeted ones by the neck and jerked him out of view. Alfred stared. What the hell was that? he asked while the other two looked around and at each other, probably thinking similar. A muffled cry sounded from the alley, drawing their gazes.

Looks like somebody might've already had the same idea as you, Dandelion mused. Seems our debate on whether to act may turn out to be irrelevant. The guards vanished from sight as they followed the noise, then a pair of low thuds were heard.

I wonder if whoever it was killed them, Alfred said, looking into the alley as they walked past to find no sign of the soldiers. Are we really going to ignore something like that right in front of our faces?

What would you say if you met them, congratulate them on a job well done? We should just take this as a sign not all of Ronumel is ready to roll over and do the Dominion's bidding.

Those who resist Metheld might make valuable allies.

They could, but I'd assume they want to keep their secrecy and may not view meeting with us as conducive to that—plus, you know, we don't want to expose ourselves. Let's leave things be for now.

He nodded halfheartedly and they moved on, though he still wondered at the motives of whoever attacked the guards. Had they been patriotic rebels like Dandelion suggested or could they be acting out of more selfish reasons? He could picture someone preying on imperial soldiers thinking the locals would be less