by A. J. Bell
I sent a quick glance to his father and smiled back at Richard. “I got busy. Maybe we can try again some other time?” I teased, running my fingers softly over his lips. “Good day, My Lords,” I said, winking at him. I enjoyed teasing him, but the fun had to end somehow. Orman followed me until we reached the King’s table.
“Your Highness,” I bowed to the King alone.
“I’m glad you could join us, please sit down, both of you,” said the King. He waited for us to be seated and then stood up. “I’ve an announcement to make,” said the King, taping his wine chalice with a fork. “Princess Camilla has made a request that I’m happy to grant. She has requested that Lady Elle of Andora take her place, officially, in this court as her First Lady-in-Waiting.”
What? I looked at Victor in alarm, but he simply shrugged with a small grin. This was news to me, and I felt as if I had fallen into an icy river again.
Orman noticed my reaction. “Force a smile if you need to,” he muttered.
I took in a deep breath and smiled as if I had been expecting to hear these words all along, but the truth was that I wanted to dash out through the nearest door and not look back. Why? Oh, why has this happening? What a terrible fate awaited me. And more important, how and when will I get out of it?
Chapter 30
The King clapped his hands together and two young boys came forward, holding a pillow on which rested a necklace bearing the Royal Seal, even bigger than the one Victor had given Orman and with more precious gemstones covering it. I couldn’t reject such an honor without insulting the Royal Family, so I knelt down in front of His Royal Highness. He took the emblem between his fingers and gave it to the Princess who put it around my neck to show everyone present my new station. At the same time, I made an oath to become her First Lady-in-Waiting, faithful and willing to serve her until she willfully released me of my charge or death may win the battle and take me along – in other words, an eternal servant in the castle under her command. There would be no move the Princess would make without me being there to assist her. This is not good. There was no leaving the castle now, but I maintained my forced smile on my face as I took my place next to the Princess, watching my new nightmare begin.
Before the meal was over, I had already done at least twenty different things for the Princess. Stupid little things, like picking up her napkin that she kept dropping on purpose by the look of things. Of course, every time she did, the Queen would smile mischievously, as if she was enjoying all too much seeing me a servant. I still remembered when she told me to never look up to someone who was worth much more than me, and finally, I had become another servant in the castle.
When I was able to get away from Her Highness, Orman and I decided that the best course of action to take was for him to return to Andora and tell my parents what had happened. He took Stardust with him, since there was not much to be done for me now. Before the night was over, I had moved to my new chambers, located between the Princess’s personal chambers and the Queen’s. How much more bad luck could I have? The Princess would decide now what I was allowed to wear and do. In essence, I had lost my freedom. I’d be living like a prisoner in a golden cage, or was I going to literally have to fight my way out and run away? Maybe I would have to hide among the Gypsies. I was sure Valdo and Vince would be fine with me staying with them for as long as I needed. In that instance, what would happen with my parents and those who I left in Andora?
“I’m thirsty,” repeated the Princess, apparently for the third time. I filled up her glass one more time. “Make sure my bed is ready before you retire to your quarters,” she said. I bowed and then stepped out of the room, fuming. I stumbled across Richard, Victor, and Dorian discussing something in the corridor. The few words I heard were related to Gypsies and me. I took a deep breath, trying to go past by them as if I hadn’t seen them, but as I was passing by, Richard took me by the arm.
“Stay,” he said.
“There is no need for her to be involved,” said Dorian. I looked at him, hurt.
“What is the matter, My Lords?” I asked, my curiously peaked after Dorian’s words.
“There has been a new threat issued by the Gypsies, asking the King to give up the Crown,” said Richard angrily. “How deep does your friendship run with them?” he asked.
“What exactly do you want to know, Sir Richard?” I asked.
“The threat didn’t come from Surien,” said Victor. I didn’t understand. “It came from those who live in the Haunted Forest,” he concluded.
“I see.” I didn’t know what else to say. “What’s going to happen now?” I asked, worried about my friends in the forest. I was certain they were being unjustly accused.
“If we don’t find a way to settle this matter soon, blood will be spilled,” said Dorian, concerned.
“You promised them safety if they didn’t steal from the Royal Caravans anymore,” I said to Victor, firmly. “Have you forgotten that?”
“No. However, they’ve forgotten their end of the bargain,” he replied, furious that I called him out.
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
“Two caravans have been plundered. A letter with a message for my father was pinned to one of the wagons.”
“It wasn’t them!” I said sharply.
“Are you defending them? Those were my men that were attacked. They’re not lying to me,” said Richard, outraged.
“My friends, as you rightfully called them, are still in the mountains of the Gardenhills, and they’ll remain there until spring. Whoever attacked your men weren’t friends of mine. Do you want proof of that?” I walked towards Dorian and ripped his shirt from his neck to his shoulder so that they could see his scar. “This was done by my friends about two months ago. They could have killed him, but they didn’t – they’re better than that, and they aren’t blood thirsty men. If you want an excuse to start a stupid war between the Gypsies and the Everlands, find another one. My friends made an oath, and they are keeping it! I bet my life on that!” I let go of Dorian’s shirt and walked away.
“Elle, wait,” said Victor. “Are you sure it wasn’t them?”
“All I know is that if there were Gypsies involved, they weren’t alone.”
“What do you mean?” asked Richard.
“She means someone from the Everlands told them what was being transported in those boxes,” said Dorian. I nodded.
“So now you think it was them?” asked Victor, confused.
“No. All I’m saying is that if the cargo was so precious, other measures must have been taken to prevent it from being stolen, were they not?”
“The packages were disguised as boxes of vegetables,” explained Dorian.
“But there weren’t vegetables, were they?” The three of them nodded in silence. “The Gypsies are poachers. You are correct on that. But they’re able to keep their gardens growing. I’ve been there and seen them harvest their crops, so they’ve no need for stealing yours.”
“They knew what was inside those crates,” said Victor. “But how did they?”
“We’ve been betrayed,” said Dorian.
“Your Majesty, if you would like to see it with your own eyes, I could take you to them. My friends are not enemies to the Crown.”
“Then we’ll all go,” said Richard.
“No. You’re no friend to the Gypsies, My Lord, and these in particular.” He waited for me to explain. “They were the ones chasing me when we first met by the river.”
“I promise to behave. You have my word,” said Richard.
I was reluctant, but this could be my chance to escape. “Then if Your Highness can speak to the Princess about releasing me from my charge, we could leave as soon as you wish.”
“That’s going to be a problem,” said Victor. I stared at him in disbelief. “She really wants you around so I can’t ask her to let you go.”
I looked at Dorian and Richard and then back to Victor. “May I have a word with you in private, Your Highness?” He nodded and wa
lked with me towards the end of the hallway.
“Are you crazy? I can’t stay here! You know well the reason why!” I said.
“I think it’s actually great. Here, you don’t need to hide in John’s shadow. Here, you can be you,” he said, content with his words, as if he had actually done me a favor.
“John is expected to look after Andora–”
“I’m sure your parents can take care of that,” he interrupted.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you all right with me being humiliated? What did I do to you to have you act like this?” I was raising my voice. I was so angry.
“You’re acting as if serving my wife is a punishment, when it’s not.”
“If you think it is such a blessing catering to her every spoiled need, why don’t you do it yourself!” I yelled.
He raised his tone of voice as he gave the command. “Leave! You will no longer speak to me like this, I had enough of your disrespect.” Then he turned his back on me.
I lowered my gaze for one second, and then began to walk away, not looking back. I heard Dorian’s and Richard’s reproachful words towards Victor’s reaction, but he silenced them also. He was a changed man, and it didn’t seem that it was for the better.
Even though my new room wasn’t luxurious like Queen Kyrah’s chambers, it was still comfortable. The bed was soft and cozy, but the burning in my eyes wasn’t letting me sleep. I had started to cry from the moment I shut the door behind me. Perhaps he was right and I had pushed the limits too far, but I still couldn’t stop the tears from coming.
After our conversation last night, the King and the other members of the Council spent countless hours discussing the attacks by the Gypsies and the possibility of a traitor among them. Accusations were made and withdrawn. In the council room, there was chaos. Once in a while, the Princess would make me stand next to her and watch how the knights talked about each other and about ways to finish the Gypsy problem once and for all. Every time something like that was said, Dorian would shoot a quick glance in my direction, as if expecting me to say something. But I kept quiet, since it was my duty to remain silent unless my mistress had asked me a question.
Since her new husband spent most of his time at the Council meetings, her Royal Highness Princess Camilla would bore herself to death by spending all her time with the Queen, and listening to her wonderful stories of how she came to own her jewels and gowns and all sort of mundane things. On such occasions, she’d let me wander alone through the castle or have a few hours to myself, since they had the Queen’s maids with them. I would go into my chambers and wait to be summoned again, wondering how things were back home in Andora.
It had been five days since I had spoken to the Prince. I taught myself to call him for what he was – a Prince, and not the friend I thought I had. Even in my mind, when I thought of him, I no longer referred to him as Victor but as the Prince.
It was early in the morning of the sixth day since my new title had been bestowed upon me that I was urgently summoned to Her Majesty’s chambers. The Princess wanted me to do her hair as quickly as possible, and even though I didn’t mind doing it before, now it felt dreadful. She was enjoying the attention, and she really enjoyed seeing me rush to her as if her needs were a matter of life and death. I had no other choice, since the Princess won’t release me and the Prince won’t advocate on my behalf. I prayed to be able to control myself and not snap at her as I had done with the Prince so many times. I’d doubt she would show any mercy towards me. She seemed to be very fond of her mother-in-law and follow the Queen’s path. She was talking and behaving like the Queen did. Princess Camilla was certainly making the Queen proud of her new disciple.
“We’ll be going into town, and you’re coming with us, Elle. I need someone to carry my things,” she said.
Five of us left in the Royal Carriage, including the Queen and two of her maids besides the Princess and me. They had plans to purchase new gowns, jewelry, and some new shoes for the Princess. We would visit Timothy’s shoe shop.
Unlike the time when I visited the town with the Prince and everyone was cheerful, this time people bowed until their bodies allowed them to bow no more, and they kept their eyes down. The Queen made that impression on them. If you dared to look up, she would have your back shredded to ribbons. Flogging was the Queen’s favorite punishment.
After a long day in the market, tasting everything that was in there but buying nothing, the Princess decided to go to the shoemaker. I saw my old friend Timothy in there, and it bothered me how he had to keep his face to the ground and walk in his own house as if the floor was made of Abilene glass. When last I saw him here, he had made the best boots I had ever worn. Now Princess Camilla was mocking everything he showed her, finding even the smallest thing that would make a certain shoe an abomination for her feet to wear. Of course, she was encouraged by the Queen in her attitude towards Master Timothy.
I tried to keep quiet by looking down at the emblem on my chest, but their behavior was wrong! Royalty shouldn’t behave like that. I kept hiding my eyes from Timothy, who seemed to understand that I had no power now like once we both thought I had.
My spoiled mistress decided not to purchase any of the trash that Timothy had to offer. Instead, she decided that maybe a trip to Naricia would be a perfect fit for her. Since they had the best lace, they might also have the best shoes.
As we were about to leave Timothy’s house, his oldest son came out running, being chased by his younger brother. Their faces and almost their entire bodies were covered in mud, as if they had been playing in the pig pen. Once I smelled them, I had no doubts about where they had been.
Sadly, misfortune followed them. As they ran past me, I saw them crash into the Queen, who was just outside the door. The impact was so strong that it made her fall to her knees in a puddle of water outside Timothy’s house, splashing her gown and her face. Anger filled her face as she stood up with the help of her personal guards, waiting for us to come out of Timothy’s home. She pushed the guards aside, then took little Timmy by the hair and struck him on the face – once, then twice. Ready to strike again, she raised her hand one more time, but I stopped her hand in midair and pushed her back.
“You won’t touch this child again!” I warned her.
She approached me with a revengeful look on her face.
“How dare you?” spoke the Princess. “On your knees! Now!” she commanded.
“No!” I said and stood my ground, but motioned with my hand for Timothy to take his sons inside.
“You’ll get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, or I’ll make you do it the hard way,” said the Princess.
“I’d rather die here and now than to put up with you and your ill-mannered, spoiled ways anymore!” I said, ripping off the necklace hanging from my neck and tossing it to the ground by her feet.
“I’m the Queen of the Everlands, and you’ll respect me!”
“Then you’re the Queen of nothing because without its people, the Everlands is nothing but an empty city. And its people don’t serve you; they serve King Tobias and his son, Prince Victor. Long live the King!” I yelled, “so that Queen Umah will never have to rule!” I said full of defiance. Her flaring only fueled my fire. “I know who you are, I know where you came from, and I know what would be your end, Umah of , and it’s not sitting on a throne!” I told her.
“This time, you won’t be saved by my son–”
“He’s not your son!” I yelled. “He doesn’t even like you.”
Some of the spectators gasped, and their reaction only increased the fire burning in her eyes. “You’ll pay for your insolence with your life, you fool!”
This time, the Princess gasped together with the multitude around us.
“Arrest her!” The Queen commanded, and just to add more to her pleasure at my demise, she approached me and whispered in my ear, “My dear Eleazar would be very pleased to see you.” I knew who Eleazar was, but I called him Mr. Crooked Nose and
I knew exactly what she meant. “Take her to the prison and carry out the sentence: Death by flogging. Whiplash after whiplash until all her blood has drained from her body and the light has been extinguished from her eyes. Only then, I want you to bring her lifeless body back to the market square, where the birds will feast on her flesh. This will serve as a lesson to all those who think they’re above the Crown. Take her away at once!”
I would lie if I said that I expected the Prince to show up to save me from my fate. I had asked for it, when I decided that life was more a punishment for me while death was a welcomed release from it.
The Queen was right about Mr. Crooked Nose who was working in the prison. He was euphoric to see me in shackles and couldn’t wait to let my back feel the full strength of his arm.
There was no speech as to why I was being punished, since we all knew that very well. The Queen had it in for me, and I had just given her the perfect reason to end my miserable life – miserable, at least, for the last year or so. I used to be happy, but happiness was hiding from me now.
Without hesitation, Eleazar ripped my dress to pieces, leaving me wearing only the bottom half of my undergarments. He moved my hair to my front, giving me at least some decency during the process of annihilation. However, it wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart, but out of the rottenness of his spirit. He wanted to be able to admire the workmanship of his lashes. He wanted to see every little drop of blood that would run down my back.
It was going to be a slow and painful death, so he wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as he could. I was chained to the ceiling, both hands bound together high above my head and my feet not touching the ground, so there was no way for me to use the ground to brace myself before the whip hit my naked skin. Eleazar ordered the other guards to stay outside the torture chamber and guard the door. Nobody was to interrupt him as he carried out the Queen’s orders.
“You’ve been a very naughty woman,” he said playfully, touching the scars on my back with his nasty fingers. “Someone tried to teach you a lesson before. Lucky for me, you didn’t learn it. Scream for me, Beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.
