Chapter 8

This chapter has been transferred as-it without further editing.

~*~

Sir Romeo and Liam sat in the Guards’ room, getting ready for the day ahead of them, neither of them saying anything. Sir Romeo looked at Liam with unease, forming words to use to convey what he was thinking without hurting Liam’s feelings.



“You how this works,” he started. “Don’t get involved.”

Liam looked up from his boots. They didn’t have to wear their armor today, and he wore a breezy top. “What are you talking about?”



“With the king and the girl. Last time you got involved you were on the front lines for three months. If you get involved again and fall out of favor with the king, it could be a year for all we know. The front lines are no place for you. They’re no place for anyone.” he threw on his shirt. “Stay out of the affair, that’s an order.”



“That’s hardly fair. I’m simply offering my friendship to the poor girl.” Liam objected.



“Sure, that’s what you said last time as they caught you sneaking her out of the castle dressed as a knight. I don’t know what happened to her after that, but it wasn’t good. She never saw her family again, she was traded to the south like a common slave. Do you want that to happen to this girl?”

“Of course not-”



“Good, because the king isn’t subtle in his demonstrations. They only escalate. If you favor this girl, you’ll wait until the king has released her.” With that, he left the room to go and eat breakfast with the rest of the nobility, leaving Liam to sit alone.

~*~

Anwyn didn’t get up for breakfast. She laid in her bed, not wanting to remind anyone that she was there. If she didn’t make the floorboards creak, if she didn’t eat with everyone else, if she didn’t leave the room, no one but the serving women would know she was there. She would be able to disappear…



Of course it wasn’t going to do anything. What had happened had happened, and the king wanted to see her tonight as well. Still, she had hours before that was even an issue, so she may as well live while the sun was out. Maybe she could go and tend to the garden. She always enjoyed that, it was simple work. Slowly she sat up in bed, heart feeling like a weight in her chest.

“Only way forward is to put one foot in front of another,” she said to herself, quoting her mother.

~*~



“My king, I have a sister in law from my late wife who has always wanted to meet you and the queen. She lives not far from here and was hoping to visit while you were her to make your acquaintance. Should I send word that she is welcome?” Lord Ludovico asked in a begging manner. He was always begging. If he wore a hat, it would be in his hands from sunup to sun down. A man should have more dignity.



“Of course.” the king said. “Your wife was an interesting woman, I’m sure that any sibling of hers would be a welcome distraction.” he went back to his sun bathing. “Invite her for dinner. I’d like someone else to talk to. Say, have you seen the maiden, Miss Cupshire, today?”

“No, sire. I don’t normally pay attention to the women here, beside Melinda. Then again, I’m not used to all the people here. Which one is Miss Cupshire again?”



“Ugh, go away, Ludivico. You are not helping me.” the king dismissed.

“Yes, sire. I’ll summon my sister-in law and her attendant immediately.”

~*~

Ludivico’s manor was tacky. Everything was out of date, the air always smelled of mildew, and Ludovico was a coward. Didn’t he know that in the world of nobility there was were the remembered and the forgotten? Ludovico was one of the forgotten, if it weren’t for his beautiful gardens and sprawling fields his tenants occupied.



If she owned this place, it would be the jewel of the south of the nation. It would be bustling with servants, entertain foreign dignitaries, be the best it could possibly be. But Ludovico didn’t care for any of that, lest they discover what he kept in the basement. He could always be manipulated by that simple fact, his daughter was a mermaid. Not mature, but a mermaid nonetheless. They were just as bad as those barbarian northerners, destined to be smited out of the better society.

Malene wasn’t coming to her old brother-in-law’s disappointment for the amenities, she was coming to win favor with the king and queen. She had trouble in the past winning over the queen, but men are much… easier… to convince, especially one as selfish as the king. The queen was more faithful than her husband, and even though her attendant’s best efforts proved in vain.



The queen wanted a legitimate heir to the king’s throne, even if he didn’t seem particularly rushed to tie down a family. The wedding of the two nobles was a tie between two nations, but the matchmaking was terrible. She was a prude, he was a playboy. The Church was the only thing that kept them together, as divorcing your spouse was a banishable offence. Having different living quarters wasn’t though, apparently. According to the king, he had no interest in his wife, no matter how exotic she may be.

Still, Malene always wanted more power. She had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, married the golden plate, and had an heir of her own to wield the power of. He had to marry even better than she had, and that meant marrying a princess or crown princess. He was still young, so there was still time to plan his match, but with these things you could never start too early.

And that meant that the king had to have a daughter. The king had to have an heir, which meant that the queen had to bear a child. If she could get close enough to the pair to light the spark, that may just do the trick. But how do you light a pile of wet blankets on fire with just a spark?

~*~



“My dear Galant! It’s so good to see you again. I’m sure you remember my attendant, Rémmy. I can’t go anywhere without him! Say, where is Rosa? I had hoped to see her again.” Malene exclaimed when she met the king outside the manor.



“I’m afraid that the queen is… Out on a walk right now, with her ladies. She takes quite a few of those these days, it’s good exercise.” the king answered.



“Good exercise for who? A baby?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

The king awkwardly laughed. “Ha, no. It is hard to bear a child when there is no contact. She will hardly let me near her.”

“That can change. Come, let’s sit.” she sat down with her voluminous skirts, surely the newest fashion from the capital. The king didn’t pay much attention to fashion; he was more interested in what was underneath.



“Galant, do you want to start a family?” Malene asked. She always was direct with him, a trait he valued in her. She didn’t hide what she was thinking with him, was upfront in showing her opinions and questions, unlike many of the people he knew.

“I think I would. I’m starting to show my age, my joints don’t have the vigor they used to. I feel that I should tell you, I have a new muse, but I knew her when she was a small child. You remember the family who thought to stand against the local government and we took their youngest daughter? She’s here and beautiful. I almost feel like I’ve watched her grow, but I also see how much time has passed by. If I hope to have a family, I’ll have to start soon.” the king rolled out.



“Then lay with your wife! Romance her again! Surely she still loves you, you’re the king, the most powerful man on this continent. There is nothing you can’t have. And if that doesn’t work, force has always been your strong suit.” Malene observed.



The king sat quietly for a moment, surveying the landscape. “There are a few problems, of course.”

“And what could those be?”

“The queen no longer can bear children, and I cannot divorce her. The Church won’t allow it. If I don’t have an heir, I will not pass on my lineage.” he paused and sat back in his chair. “That, and children are a bore. For nearly 2 years they can’t even talk, they soil themselves several times a day. I couldn’t see myself being a father.” the king puffed.



“Do you think I saw myself being a mother? When I became pregnant and my husband died, I thought my life was going to be changing diapers and waking at every hour of the night to the cries of a baby. But that’s what maids and nurses are for, my dear. You don’t need to see the child if you don’t want to. Send it to another manor if that pleases you. But you need to have an heir, no matter what you do with it once it arrives.”

“You’re right, as always. But what do we do about my wife?” The king asked.



“That’s the easy part. The harder part is who do we replace her with?”

Things are getting spicy in here! Well, they were already weird, but now they're getting schemey! Time to see the lengths that some will go to to acquire power.