“We heard you took off running after leaving Elias, and no one has seen or heard from you sense. We’ve been looking everywhere!” Milly adds.
“I was speaking with Tobias,” I say.
“The physician?” Adelina asks.
“Are you feeling alright?” Milly asks, as she comes up to me, reaching for my hands.
“No, nothing like that,” I sigh. “I have a lot to tell you both.”
I tell them about the man who came to me, warning of the danger I was in. How he practically begged me to keep the dagger close to my side at all times. I told them of the dream I had of Marjorie’s death, and how there was nothing I could do to stop the horror I had witnessed. I explained in graphic detail this time, for Adelina had not yet heard of my nightmare. The way Elias murdered her, and how he took her back to the castle, slung over his shoulder like a prized animal. I told them when I woke up, Lucien was there, holding me tight in his arms as I screamed with grief. And I told them of the conversation I had with Elias. How he wanted me to give up my claim to father’s throne, and how he thought it’d be a good idea if Liam took my place so I could focus all of my attention on him and serving the people of Cryptshiere. They stayed silent all the while, their eyes filled with horror, faces going more pale with each word that slipped from my mouth.
Once I was finished, I looked between the two of them, neither one of them saying a word for a long moment. They just gaped at me in disbelief and fear.
Milly spoke first. “Blair…what…he wants you to give up your claim to your father’s throne?” She asked shocked.
“You can’t! How could he even suggest such a ridiculous thing?” Adelina asks in disgust.
“I told him just that,” I say. “I told him it was ridiculous and that I would never give it up. That’s when I stormed out.”
“And the dream, you think it’s real?” Adelina asked skeptically.
I feel irritation rising in my gut at her tone. She was always so logical, never expecting anything bad from anyone. “I don’t know. Like I told Milly, it felt real.”
“I think it’s real,” Milly says, her eyes wide with fear.
“You think everything is real,” Adelina says. “Remember when you were a child you thought you had a troll living in your wardrobe?”
Milly huffs. “I was a child! Leave me alone about it!”
I grumble, I can’t deal with their bickering right now. “Girls, enough,” I say sternly. They both go silent, afraid to say anything more.
I stand from the chair and smooth out my dress. “I’ll figure this out. But in the mean time, I need you two to stop bickering. It does not help my nerves any, okay?”
They nod, still not daring to speak. I don’t apologize this time, I need them to know I’m serious. If I continue to be soft with them, they’ll never take me seriously.
I stride over the the window, looking out over the gardens. In the distance, I can just barely make out the clearing beyond the hedges, which held the beautiful pond. I let my mind wander to Lucien, as it reminded me of when we first met. I take myself back to the moment I first felt his hand touch mine, the way my body tingled in anticipation as his lips softly caressed my hand.
My gaze goes to the courtyard now, where I see the maids and servants scurrying quickly as they go back and forth between buildings, serving food and doing laundry. And then I see Randolph, still swinging his wooden sword in the air. I snap back to reality when I realize I promised I’d play with him.
I turn back to Milly and Adelina, they’re keeping themselves busy, tidying up the room, glancing up at me from time to time. “I’ll be back later,” I say, as I scurry from the room.
I know I’m a queen now, and I have my duties to fulfill. But that could wait until later. Now, I had to play ‘knights’ with Randolph.
Chapter 14
The next few weeks pass by quickly as I finally settle in at Cryptshiere, making it feel like my home. I’m beginning to realize that I must be doing something right as queen, for all of the people seem to like me. I spend most of my time looking after the homeless children, who have nowhere to live but the dirty streets. Most of their parents have died from plague years back. And the others have families, but they’re living homeless as well, with no means to support themselves. I give them what little food I can manage, and spend my days talking with them, trying to lift their spirits.
Elias and I have been getting to know one another, and he has been surprisingly pleasant. Our evenings are spent having dinner together, and our days consist of walks in the woods, stopping along the way for a picnic. I haven’t forgotten the ‘dreams’ I’ve had. They’re still in my mind every day. But Marjorie hasn’t returned to me since the night I saw her death. She has gone quiet, making me wonder if she was ever real in the first place, or if it was just my way of riling up the fears that already resided within me. For all I know, I could have seen a picture of her before, and I subconsciously put it together.
Elias has made no attempts at consummating our marriage, just as he promised. And though we’ve been getting to know one another more, I haven’t made any attempts at getting close to him. I haven’t kissed him, or even thought of kissing him since that first night. I’m still not sure why I did it to begin with. I feel it only gave him hope that I could be interested in him in that way. Sadly, I am not. I’ve been trying, though. I really want to feel something for him. I know I have to at least muster up even a morsel of attraction for him if I’m to lay with him. But it has proven to be a difficult task. I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll begin feeling something for him. I just had to be patient, and hope he could remain patient as well.
“Blair, lets play again!” Randolph says as we sit in the soft grass in the courtyard.
I let out a teasing huff. “You’ve already beaten me twice! You’ve proven to be the strongest knight in the land!”
Randolph has taken to me over the weeks, and I to him. We play ‘knights’ as much as I can, whenever I decide to take a break from being a queen for awhile. He helps to keep my inner child in tact as I feel I’m beginning to lose all sense of what I once was.
“Please?” He asks, puckering up his lip. He knows I can never say no to him when he does that.
I sigh with a smile. “Fine. But just one more time, okay?” He happily agrees and he lifts his sword, swinging it back and forth.
We clank the wooden swords together, as we hop around the courtyard, trying to avoid getting ‘stabbed’ by the rounded ends of the sticks. Randolph screeches loudly as he finally gets me in the stomach. I fall to the ground, lying on my back, pretending to be mortally wounded.
“Spare me, my prince. Have mercy!” I cry as I close my eyes.
Randolph giggles loudly as he runs around the courtyard, celebrating his victory.
“Your majesty.” My eyes pop open, and I see Lucien standing over me with a wide grin on his face.
I quickly sit up, regaining my composure. “Sir Lucien,” I say. “What brings you here?”
“The same as you, it seems,” he says, still grinning. His sword is holstered to his side, as he gently grips the handle.
I begin to stand, and he takes my hand, helping me the rest of the way up. “Right, of course.”
I’ve been keeping my distance from him the best I can, but my heart still leaps to my throat whenever I see him. Since the night he held me in his arms, I haven’t been able to keep him from my mind. His gentle touch, as he softly caressed my arm. The way his breath teased my ear… Everything about him, really, made me go week in the knees.
Lucien lets out a laugh that he had been trying to suppress. “Are you having fun?” He asks.
I straighten a little, and look into his heart warming eyes. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Though, I’m not as good a knight as Prince Randolph, over there,” I say, looking over to the boy as he has distracted himself with picking worms out of the ground. He looks up and smiles at me, as he hears the compliment he has just received.
&
nbsp; “Ah yes, he’s undefeated it seems,” Lucien says. As he looks back to me, he says “Perhaps I could give you lessons sometime.”
My heart quickens as I see the way his eyes are piercing into mine. The passion between us in undeniable, and I try with all my will to not feel the things I do. But I can’t seem to help myself.
“Perhaps,” I say, with a smile.
“Blair!” Adelina calls to me. I look over to her to see she’s waving and smiling. That’s my queue. I must get back to my husband, for it’s almost dinner time. My heart sinks at the thought of leaving Lucien to go be with Elias.
“Well, I must be going,” I say to Lucien.
“Of course, your majesty. Until next time,” he says with a bow, before turning to join the group of knights.
“Randolph, it’s time we go inside now,” I say. Randolph comes running over to me and we walk to Adelina together.
“Go play, now. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say to him as we reach the steps. He reaches up to give me a hug, and I give him a kiss on the cheek.
“See you tomorrow, Blair!” He says, as he goes running off.
“It’s nice to see him take to you so,” Adelina says with a small laugh.
“He’s a special little boy,” I say.
“You’ll be a great mother.” Adelina smiles warmly.
I stay quiet, for the thought of being a mother terrifies me. Not so much being a mother, but more so who the father will be if I become a mother.
“I’m sorry,” Adelina says as she looks to the floor. “Has he talked anymore about you moving to his chambers?”
“No, he’s been very patient, just like he said he would be. But how long will that patience last?” I ask. There’s going to come a point where he’s fed up with his wife not wanting to share a bed with him. Anyone would.
“I know it’s hard. And I don’t know if I’d be able to do it myself if I were in your situation. But I think you have to try,” Adelina says cautiously.
I give her a sideways look, so she continues. “It isn’t my place. I’m sorry,” she says.
“No. Please finish what you were saying.”
She stays quiet for a long moment, contemplating whether or not she should be talking about such things with her queen. She lets out a huff and continues. “Well, you’re queen of Cryptshiere now. And unfortunately a big part of being queen, is to produce heirs. Not only for her king, but for herself as well.” She quickly glances at me before looking away again.
She’s right, of course. What did I think would happen when I became queen? That I could just have a husband, but not perform the way I’m required as a wife? The main reason for marrying as king or queen is for the alliances. But the next big thing is heirs. It was required, and I had no choice in the matter. The people and the church would start asking questions soon. They were all expecting, waiting in the shadows, not so patiently for us to have an heir. It had nothing to do with us, and everything to do with the future of Cryptshiere. And Myrkdovia. Who would take our place as rulers when we were gone, or incapable of doing so any longer? It would cause chaos as men slaughtered their way through the castle, trying to prove they were the best fit for king. There would be blood shed, and a lot of it. The innocent people of our countries did not deserve to have that happen.
“Blair?” Adelina says, snapping me from my thoughts.
“Yes. You’re right. I know I have to somehow put on a brave face and just get this done with.”
“Milly and I are here for you always, you know that right?” She asks.
I smile at her, knowing without a shred of doubt, that they’d always be here when I needed them. “Of course I know.”
I stop, just outside the door as we reach my room. “I’m going to unwind for a little while before dinner with Elias. I can get myself ready,” I say.
“Oh! It completely slipped my mind as we were talking. King Elias will be dining alone tonight. He said to tell you he’d see you in the morning,” Adelina says.
“Dining alone? Did he say why?” I ask. We haven’t dined alone since I’ve arrived here. This will be the first night in weeks.
“No, he didn’t say. I wouldn’t worry though. Maybe he just has a lot to catch up on, or maybe he’s tired.”
“Of course,” I say. “You’re probably right. I’ll just settle in for the night then.”
“I’ll bring you dinner,” Adelina says.
“No. I’m really not all that hungry. I had a big lunch. I’ll just see you in the morning,” I say to her, as I step inside my room.
“You’re sure?” She asks.
“Yes, I’m sure,” I smile, as to show her I’m fine, and she has nothing to worry about.
The truth of the matter is, I just want to be left alone for the rest of the evening.
Now that I’m alone, I decide I just want to settle in for the evening and maybe go to bed early. It was a relief not having to make small talk with Elias tonight. We still haven’t found anything of substance to talk about. It’s always “how was your day?” And, “What are your plans for tomorrow?” It was exhausting that, no matter how much time we spent together, we could never really get to know one another. It’s not that we didn’t try, we’ve been trying for weeks. It just couldn’t seem to happen. Our time spent together, even as we were out for our walks or picnics, was filled with tension and discomfort. We really didn’t know how to act around one another, and I didn’t care to know. I often wonder if it’s my attitude that makes it difficult for us. I know, I can be stubborn, and sometimes standoffish with those I don’t feel comfortable around. He hasn’t given me a reason yet to make me uncomfortable, and the rumors that had been floating around, have proven to be completely false. He was a gentleman, there was no denying that. He has never shown an ounce of anger or resentment toward me. And I’ve never seen the anger in his eyes that Marjorie told me about. If she were real, I feel she was doing nothing more than planting a seed of doubt that I’d now carry with me always. And I resented her for that. I never had a real chance to have an unbiased opinion of him, for I was led to believe he was a monster from the moment I arrived to him.
I try to push all of the negative thoughts aside, telling myself over and over that he isn’t at all the man I was lead to believe he was. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t unsee the things I have seen. Every night when I close my eyes, I see Marjorie’s body lying limp on the ground, her pleading eyes looking up at me as I stand there, watching it happen. He has shown me that he isn’t that man, but I can’t help but feel there’s more to him than meets the eye.
I settle myself into bed, feeling safe and warm under the bulky blankets as they swaddle me closely. I begin to fall into a blissful and much needed sleep as someone lightly taps on my door. My eyes pop open, and I look around, unsure of what it was that I heard.
Tap tap tap. “Your majesty?” It’s Lucien.
My stomach flutters with excitement as I sit up. “Yes. Come in,” I call.
Lucien enters my room, quickly bowing his head. “Your majesty, King Elias wishes to see you in his chambers.”
The excited feeling quickly fades into dread. In his chambers? What could be possibly want at this time of night?
“Oh..um..alright. Thank you Lucien,” I say. My breath catches in my throat as my heart beats faster.
I stumble out of bed, and quickly compose myself. Lucien gazes at me, passion burning hot in his eyes. It only lasts for a moment before he turns his head to the floor, his face turning a shade of red. I look down at myself, realizing I’m mostly naked. I only have on a small, lacy, and practically see through night gown, as it tightly hugs the curves of my body. My breasts bulging out of the low cut top.
I grab the robe from my bed and quickly wrap it around myself. I look up at Lucien again, realizing I don’t at all feel embarrassed. I didn’t care that he saw me. I wanted him to see me. Excitement built up in my stomach again as I watch his eyes quickly gaze over to me again. He just couldn’t help himself.
“Shall I walk you?” He asks in a low voice.
I walk up to him, lingering closer to him than I probably should. I can feel the heat of his body radiating through me. “No, I’ll be fine. Thank you.” I say in a half whisper as I gaze into his eyes, refusing to look away.
He lets out a soft breath, visibly shaken by my close presence. He draws a step closer to me, his gaze going to my mouth. I instinctively nibble my lower lip, before finally turning away.
Lucien composes himself, stepping aside to let me through. “Your majesty,” he says, bowing his head to me one more time as he opens the door.
I don’t know what just happened between us, and I sure as hell don’t know why I’m so bold around him. I’m usually so shy and reserved around men. Especially ones that are as good looking as he is. But it wasn’t like that with Lucien. There’s just something about him, that has drawn me in so deep, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to crawl my way out. The worst part of it all, I don’t care. I should care. If Elias ever found out that I’m attracted to another man, he’d probably have Lucien killed. God only knows what would happen to me. But I couldn’t stop the way I felt around him, even if I tried.
Not to mention, he’s a knight. And I’m a queen. Even if I weren’t married, I could never be with him. How would that work? How could I make a man, who has no royal blood in his family, a king? Father most certainly would never allow it to happen. He’d have a stroke if he thought his daughter, a queen, wanted a knight.
But why am I even thinking of this? You are married, Blair. Get a goddamn grip.
My heart pounds ferociously in my chest as I lightly tap on Elias’ door. I can’t imagine what he would want at this time of night. A late supper since we didn’t eat together earlier? Or maybe he just missed me and wanted to chat a little before he went to bed. I try not to let myself worry too much as I slip through the door. He’s standing by the fireplace, gazing at it lazily. A glass of wine is tilting in his hand, threatening to spill on the floor.
The Deadly Alliance (The Deadly Alliance Series Book 1) Page 8
