by C. J. Pinard
“How much longer, Richard?”
Richard replied, “You tell us, Your Highness. It will be your decision.”
A small tear escaped the corner of the king’s eye, but he wiped it away quickly with the shoulder of his shirt. But Mariselle saw it, and she tried not to choke up herself. Mariselle loved animals, and seeing the interaction made her think of her four kittens—who were now full-grown cats—that she’d left back home with her father on the farm. She didn’t want to think about when any of them would pass away. She wasn’t ready for that. She never would be.
Alexander got up, gave Amber a chaste kiss on the top of her head, and then gave his horse one more loving stroke on her mane. He stood, looked at Richard, nodded, and then walked woodenly out of the stable without another word. Mariselle followed quickly behind him after thanking Richard.
Once they entered the castle, one of the king’s servants walked up to the couple, bowed at the king, tipped his hat at Mariselle, and then said, “Supper is ready.”
“Thank you, Andrew.”
The man bowed again and walked off.
“Are you going to eat?” Mariselle asked as they found themselves in the courtyard once again.
He lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I’m not sure I have much of an appetite.”
She took his hand in hers and looked up at him. His eyes were a bit bloodshot and she smiled sadly at him. “Well, will you come and sit with me then? I skipped breakfast and am quite famished.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked through the corridors, greeting the staff as they walked by and bowed to him. A few of the younger maidens smiled hungrily at the king, and Mariselle tried to ignore them. It would be hard getting used to, though.
Once they reached the dining room, they were seated alone at the large table, and it made Mariselle feel awkward. It also made her sad that there was no family to sit around the table and dine with. The memories of the times she and her parents got the privilege of dining with the royals as a child at Castle Rothhaven came back, and it made her realize how important having a family was.
A large roasted chicken with red potatoes and vegetables set on a shiny metal tray was placed on the table by a few servants. Their glasses were filled with water and one of them asked if we would like wine.
“No, thank you,” Mariselle replied.
“None for me,” Alexander answered.
The servants dished up the food and her stomach growled. They set the plates in front of them and then exited the dining room.
She began to pick the chicken apart with her fingers, and as she put a piece into her mouth, she glanced at the king, who was not eating, but running his finger along the top of his water goblet, looking deep in thought.
Mariselle swallowed her bite and wiped her mouth off on a cloth napkin. “Thank you for taking me out to see Amber today.”
“I shouldn’t have let you see me like that, or her.” He looked at the redhead and their eyes met. “I’m sorry.”
The heartbreak in his eyes crushed Mariselle. She set her napkin down on the table, got up from her wooden chair, and sat down in Alexander’s lap. “Don’t apologize. I’m just sorry you’ve lost her. I take it the animal doctors did all they could?”
Alexander’s fingers strummed her thigh over her dress as he looked up at her. “Yes, I brought in the best from all over the country. Horses can get sleeping sickness, they think it’s caused by a mosquito. There is no cure. The horse just gets sicker and sicker, and pretty soon they lose their mind. The doctors tried all the newest medicine they could. Nothing helped. It was too late. I wanted her to die peacefully without going insane, and while she still recognized me. Richard will do it humanely. I just couldn’t be there.”
Mariselle nodded. “I understand. But maybe you should. You could comfort her when she goes. I don’t know how they do it, but she will probably be scared.”
Alexander’s eyes flashed sadly at first, and then he looked down at his lap. He heaved a deep breath and then met her gaze once more. “I suppose you’re right.”
They both stood up to head back out to the stables when Andrew came in, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty, Richard wished for me to inform you that it is done.”
Alexander looked pained and as if he was fighting emotion. “Thank you, Andrew. Anything else?”
“Yes, sir. He wanted you to know that she is at peace and it went very well, with no pain. She will be buried appropriately.”
“Thank you.”
Andrew bowed and left.
“I’m so sorry,” Mariselle said, wrapping her arms around the king. He dipped his head onto her shoulder, and wept.
Chapter 4
Mariselle didn’t quite know how to handle the handsome king after his little breakdown. She, herself, had become emotional at the sight of him like that, and after they’d broken apart, he had retreated to his chambers and hadn’t come out. Not even for the evening meal.
The sun was beginning to set, and as Mariselle, now in her room, looked out her window, she stared at the stables. At least a dozen beautiful horses were grazing, the orange glow of the setting sun on their backs, feeding before they would be put up for the night. She looked at the horizon and could see stars begin to poke out of the navy-blue sky.
Deciding she would go stir-crazy if she stayed sequestered in the room, she put on her slippers and wandered out of the bedchamber, remembering her way to the courtyard, where she was sure she could find her way out and into the field that led to the stables.
She passed a few of the staff on the way out, but none of them said anything except a courteous hello. As she reached the courtyard, she sighed when she saw the beautiful fountain statue of Amber, and was filled with sadness at how her death had affected the handsome king. She thought about knocking on his chamber door, to offer him some comfort, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was brazen at times, but she didn’t feel it appropriate at the moment. When he wanted some comfort, he would come knocking, or send for her, and she would gladly go.
Mariselle ran her hand through the cool, soft water and then looked up to see bright, almost full moon shining down on the courtyard. It was surrounded with beautiful flowers of every kind, and she inhaled deeply with her eyes closed. The smell of fresh flowers reminded her of new life, and that was what she wanted to think about. Maybe, since she wasn’t able to conceive a child with Griffin, Alexander might be the one.
As she made her way out of the courtyard and headed across the grassy field that led to the stables, she, again, wondered what she was doing in the North Haven. Griffin had promised her father she’d be well taken care of; and he hadn’t broken that promise, either. She just missed Griffin and wished she could have gone back to the East Haven Castle with him, and tried some more. She felt Griffin deserved to have the first heir—but it was not to be, she resigned to herself. Although she had little to no experience in sexual matters, she knew all pregnancies did not happen on the first try—and surely he knew this, too. So how come he hadn’t brought her back with him to try some more? Was she left at the North Haven so Alexander could have a go with her? Deep down, she knew it was the reason.
The thought made her angry. She wasn’t some baby factory they could pass around and experiment with. She should get to choose which king she wanted to be with. She should be able to have a husband to have children with.
As her feet trudged over the soft, green grass, she fiddled with the gold cross necklace her father had given her that had belonged to her mother, and thought about the curse that Syracuse was under. Did she really blame the kings for trying to get an heir? The country was in a dire situation. Ten years had passed and no maiden in the entire land had conceived a child. None had even had their menses. Yet, here she was, menstruating like clockwork every month, but with no heir.
What was the meaning of this?
She wished Angelique had not died, so she could confront her herself. While the dark wit
ch had been kind to her as a child, and she had nothing but fond memories of her, she knew Angelique had placed a curse over the entire land because of a broken heart. She hoped, in death, that Angelique had found peace, because the rest of the land was in turmoil—in a panic—because soon, everyone would die off, and there would be nobody to tend to the beautiful country of Syracuse. She looked at the animals and wondered if they would be taking care of themselves once all the humans were gone, since they could clearly procreate with no problems.
When she had reached the stables, Richard seemed surprised to see her.
“Miss, what are you doing out here?” he asked as he dusted off his hat. The stable floors were just a layer of dirt and it seemed to be covering him from head-to-toe.
“A bit bored, I’m afraid,” she said, smiling warmly at him. “The king is quite beside himself about his loss. I just wanted to maybe pet some horses and meet some more of the staff.”
Richard smiled. “Well, we’re mostly closed up for the night. Emily is here, along with James, but we’re about to turn in.”
Mariselle’s brow furrowed. “Nobody stays here at night with the horses, in case they need help?”
He bit back a smile. “It’s not common that the horses need anything during the night. They sleep the same hours as us.”
“I see,” she replied, feeling foolish. She never had a horse growing up, had only ridden her father’s a handful of times.
“C’mon,” he said, inclining his head toward the stables. “Let me take you through. I bet Midnight is still awake. He doesn’t sleep very much.”
Mariselle grinned. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
“He’s a randy old fellow. Always looking for a lady, I suppose.” Much like the king, he wanted to say, but daren’t.
“Lead the way,” Mariselle replied.
They went into the stalls, and then Richard stopped at one where a large, black steed stood. He was beautiful, with shiny, jet-black fur, and a long black mane. The horse blinked a few times, seeming to be staring at her.
“May I?” she asked, putting her hand toward the steed’s head.
“Absolutely. He may be tough, but he loves the ladies. He won’t bite.” Richard winked.
Mariselle chuckled and placed her hand on his mane, stroking it over and over. “You sure are beautiful.”
Midnight made a soft snorting sound and Mariselle smiled. She looked at Richard. “May I take him for a ride tomorrow?”
He chuckled. “That’s the King’s horse, so you’ll have to ask him. But I certainly don’t see why not. He seems to be pretty fond of you.”
“Who? Alexander or Midnight.”
Richard lifted a shoulder with a smile. “Both.”
She smiled demurely. “I’ll take that. But… I thought Amber was his horse?”
Richard frowned. “She was, until she fell sick. Midnight took over for his rides once she was unable.”
“I see,” she said softly.
“You be sure to let me know if the king is all right with you taking Midnight out for a ride, and I’ll have ’im saddled up and ready to go right after breakfast for ya, miss.”
Mariselle continued to stroke Midnight’s mane. “Thank you, Richard.”
Just then, Emily walked into the stable area. “You ready to go?”
Mariselle’s head popped up to see Emily’s face fall.
She quickly recovered and said, “Oh, hello, Miss Mariselle. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“I was just leaving. Wanted to see the horses before bed.”
The three of them walked out of the stables and back out into the moonlight.
Emily smiled tightly at her. “They are soothing.”
“Are you two headed back to the castle chambers?” Mariselle asked.
They both momentarily looked confused, and then Richard spoke. “No, why?”
Mariselle now looked to be the confused one. “Uh, I was just going to see if you wanted to walk back together. Where are you going?”
Emily jutted a finger over her shoulder. “To our home.”
Mariselle looked over her shoulder and saw a small farm-style house with a thatched roof and a flower garden in front. Candles were burning in the windows.
She felt frustrated. She thought all of the staff lived in the servants’ quarters of the castle. She didn’t state this, however; she just smiled and said, “Oh, I didn’t realize you two resided together.”
“Emily’s me daughter. She and I have the house behind the stables. We share it with the other stable hands.”
Mariselle nodded. “I see. Well, you sleep well. I’m heading back.”
“Goodnight, miss,” they said in unison.
As Mariselle made her way back to the castle, she realized that it wasn’t that odd that they all lived together. After all, Emily clearly couldn’t have children, as nobody in the kingdom could, and probably didn’t have a husband, either. Especially since she knew how much she liked King Alexander. She had seen the way Emily had looked at the king, as if he were her next meal. She’d seen that look a lot on the faces of a lot of young maidens in the weeks she’d been in the castle.
The walk back seemed shorter than the walk there, and once she reached the courtyard, she stopped at a lilac bush and fingered the petals of a large flower. Leaning in, she inhaled the scent and closed her eyes. After briefly looking around, she carefully plucked the flower, smelled it once more, and then brushed some hair behind her right ear. She then took the lilac and placed it over her ear. After that, she looked down to see she had plenty of cleavage showing.
Forget waiting for the king to come to her, she was going to go to him. To make sure he was all right, of course.
Chapter 5
Mariselle realized she had a problem: she didn’t know where the king’s chambers were. She wandered the candlelit hallways for over half an hour and grew exasperated. Her amorous thoughts and feelings began to turn into frustration. She didn’t exactly want to ask for directions, and she certainly wasn’t going to go into the servants’ quarters and find Shawna for that tour she’d promised her.
“Think, Mariselle, think,” she murmured as she found herself now nearing the dining room.
She thought back to her time as a child in Castle Rothhaven. She tried to remember where King Edward and Queen Lizbeth’s chambers were. Stopping, she closed her eyes and remembered a time when she and Princess Eva had been playing hide-and-go-seek in the castle. They had been on the top floor, and Eva had been counting to twenty. Feeling panicked but exhilarated, Mariselle had ducked into the first room she’d come upon: A large, wooden door at the end of the hallway. She had realized, too late, of course, that the door had led to the King and Queen’s chambers. A large, hand-crafted mahogany four-poster bed sat in the center and was covered in rich, velvet and silk linens. There were portraits of kings and queens on the walls, and a purple gown laid over a chair, as if in preparation for the queen to wear later. As she ducked under the bed to hide—from not only Princess Eva, but from whomever else might happen in—she held her breath and waited to be found. Fortunately, it had been Eva who’d discovered her and not one of the grownups.
His chambers must be on the top floor, Mariselle thought. She opened her eyes, remembering the staircase was off of the kitchen, and was determined to make her way there. But as her eyes popped open, there stood King Alexander, staring down at her in amusement.
“Are you lost?”
Mariselle swallowed hard. Deciding honesty was the best policy, she smiled flirtatiously up at the infuriatingly handsome king. “Yes and no. I was just looking for you. Guess I’m not lost anymore.”
He cocked his head to the side and fingered the lilac stuck behind her ear. “Why were you looking for me?”
She ignored the question and blurted, “Where are your chambers?”
He stared down at her, his eyes twinkling. “Why? Do you want to see them?”
“Yes,” she replied, nodding. “I do.”
; He chanced a glance around the empty dining room and led her through the now-empty kitchen and to a stairwell set at the back. “Up the stairs, milady.”
As they climbed the stairs, Mariselle went first, and Alexander had his hand on her bum. He seemed to be simultaneously making sure she didn’t fall while feeling her up. It gave Mariselle a secret thrill to have his hands on her in such a way. Her belly filled with butterflies at what might transpire once they reached the top floor.
At the top of the stairs, there was a light-colored wood door, which he pushed open. She stepped inside a vast bedroom and her eyes widened. The dark wood bed was draped in rich purple velvet, and there were ornate sitting chairs and settees flanking either side of the bed.
“This is simply beaut—” Mariselle’s words died on her lips as Alexander spun her around and crashed his mouth to hers.
Moaning in pleasure, she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, just as his tongue thrust into her mouth, demanding entry.
Her slippers fell off her feet as he hoisted her up under her thighs and wrapped her legs around his middle. She could feel his hardness pressed right at her core, and it excited her all the more.
When her back hit the bed, her mind and body were swirling with excitement. This was it; this was what she had been wanting for weeks.
King Alexander’s mouth plundered hers, and she had never felt more alive. Now having known what titillating lovemaking was like, she couldn’t wait to do it again. She felt Alexander’s hand slide up her thigh and then stop when it reached her damp knickers. With her legs spread wide, she broke the kiss and whispered, “Touch me,” into Alexander’s ear.
He grunted and wasted no time sliding his fingers beneath her panties. The hot slickness he felt there made his cock throb painfully.
She is so ready for me, he thought.
She let out a squeak of pleasure when his fingers reached her throbbing bud. After strumming it softly and slowly over and over, and then curling two fingers inside of her hot, wet core, she cried out in his ear, her entire body quivering in pleasure.
