Chapter 9

This chapter was transferred as-is without further editing.

~*~

The girl was far from what Galant went for, normally. She wasn’t… unique. Besides the obvious scar on her face, she was typical. Pretty, sure, but not remarkable. The king used to be pickier with his dalliances, not chasing whatever walked past him.



“Yes, I suppose she would do. Pretty enough to bear an attractive child, smart enough to keep her mouth shut.” Malene commented. They were in the king’s bedroom.



The king sat back in his chair, slightly amused. “You know, while the idea of a new wife tickles me, why aren’t you considering yourself for the position? You’ve never been one to turn down powerful positions before.”



Malene picked her words carefully. “Being a mother has changed me. While I do love every drip of luxury I can, and your palace is impressive, I’ll be there soon enough. See, my son has become my world-” she smiled to herself, “- and I want what’s best for him. Which is why if I were to become queen, he would have no title. He would never rule the kingdom.”

“That’s easy enough to solve. I could simply adopt him and call him my own.” the king said.



“Please, my son is 2 years old and I haven’t been secret about it. And you and the queen, as separate as you have been lately, are obviously not divorced. You’ve been public enough. The plan would completely backfire and my son would be called a bastard son. I won’t have it, he deserves better.” Malene turned back to the girl standing infront of her. “Which is where this maid comes in. With any luck, you'll bear a daughter together, and she will be crown princess. She will get married to my darling boy, and because she is a woman, and the Church says it must be so, she will have to listen to obey her husband. If all else fails, she will have to share the throne with my son. And then he will be the most powerful man in the whole world.”



“It’s not a bad plan.” exhaled the king, surveying Miss Cupshire. “But my wife still lives. How should we deal with her? The Church, though I can sway one or two members, I cannot sway the whole institution. Though I could just have her killed, I suppose.”



“I have another sister who is a priestess with the Church, she has the ear of the High Priest. He is the one in charge of interpreting the laws of the Church, let her take care of it. In the meantime, this girl and the queen should be under constant supervision. If she either of them breathe a word of this to anyone, the person told should be imprisoned and the person who told should be locked up as well. I’m sure that the front lines are always wanting new hands to join the fight, we can send the people who know to join the battle” smiled Malene.



The girl’s eyes opened wide and Malene laughed. “Did you really think that we would let you go and tell everyone what you heard? That would be treason, my dear. Think of this a safety precaution against you harming yourself. But first, Galant,” she turned continued to look at the girl. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t try to start your lineage before you are married. The legal proceedings shouldn’t take too long, and it can take a while to get a pregnancy right.”



“With pleasure, Malene. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening.” he stood from his chair and showed her out of the room, leaving him alone with Anwyn.

~*~



“I still need help in the kitchen. While you all play at your schemes, I need assistance.” Mrs. Frogwater scolded. “The girl who I requested hasn’t been showing up for work as much as I would like, and that’s just not good enough. If you want good food, I need more help. Send her once more, and make sure she comes this time!”



“I’ll see what I can do.” grumbled the page. He trudged up the stairs, looking around for the girl. There were even more women here than normal, and still she asked for just that one? What did the other women do all day? Did the queen need two women to help her dress everyday? How complicated could that be?

“Miss Cupshire, you’ve been summoned. Miss Cupshire,” he said half heartedly.



Quietly he saw the door to the king’s room open, and the girl came out of it, looking shaken. “Miss Cupshire, you’ve been summoned. The cook wishes to see you.”



The girl looked at him with wide eyes. “Yes, I suppose I would be. I just have to change, I’ll be down as soon as I am able.”



The page looked at her with suspicion and a it of concern. “Are you alright, Miss? You seem out of sorts.”

“I’m… I’m not at my best today. I should be ready in just a few minutes.”

“Very well. I will let the cook know.”

He watched as the girl went up the stairs, nearly tripping once. He faintly heard her open the door to the maids’ quarters, and while he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hear her walking around, he still waited for the sound. There was something not quite right, but he couldn’t lay a finger on it. She was normally busy, moving from one thing to another like a bird flitting from one branch to the next. And she was coming from the king’s chambers, perhaps she was his new mistress? It doesn’t concern me anyway, there is no reason for me to be concerned. Besides, her father probably deserves this. Always riling up trouble… And with that he went off to find something to occupy his time.

~*~



Anwyn sat down on her bed and felt like she should never get up again. There was no happiness in her anymore. She was being assaulted, now being forced to become queen. She would never be able to get away, this would be her life forever. There was no one she could tell, otherwise she would be imprisoned, and the person who knew would face almost certain death. The front lines to the North were a wild place, news from the front was never good. More people dying, more people killing, more people having their lives turned upside down…

Mrs. Frogwater would want to see her shortly, she had no time to ponder. As Anwyn stood from her bed, she felt like her joints didn’t want to move. Everything in her body said to stay were she was, don’t move, stay still. She felt hollow.

She removed the robe and put on her normal clothes, wearing a normal dress. It felt so familiar she felt like she could cry, like she could hear her mother in the next room telling her to clean the dishes and help with dinner. That she was so close, if she turned her head she could see her walk around the corner. She now felt like she would probably never see her again, and that made her feel terrible.



I have to move on from this, I need to move. I need to feel useful…

Anwyn tied back her hair, smoothed her skirt, and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.



Mrs frogwater was there, stirring something on the stove. “It’s about time! I need you to hand me-” she looked up at Anwyn.”My girl, what’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, and that’s my job!”



A tiny smile appeared on Anwyn’s face. “You see ghosts?”



“That isn’t relevant to your condition. Why are you so pale? What has happened? I don’t see you for two days and you come to me looking like death.”



“I- I can’t talk about it. Under orders from the king.” Anwyn managed to say.

“From the king? Well, I know what he likes to do for fun.” the cook pondered for a minute. “I’ll put a brew in his food this evening. It should stop you from becoming pregnant.”

Anwyn’s eyes lit up at that. Of course it wasn’t what she had been hoping for, maybe if he died or choked on his food, that would be different, but at least she wouldn’t have to carry his child.



The cook turned back to her work. “Then again, it only lasts a year, or so I’ve been told. You should be fine for that length of time though. Alright, stop standing around and give me a hand! Dinner is supposed to be in two hours and this roast isn’t going to make itself!”
At that moment Sir Rhayde entered the room, standing in the corner.



“What do you think you’re doing here? I don’t want anyone that I didn’t invite in the kitchen. Get out.” the cook chastised, but Sir Rhayde just looked annoyed.

“I wish I could, but I’ve been given a new assignment, to look after Miss Cupshire and make sure she doesn't spill some sort of secret. So get used to it, I’m here.”

“Then you can cut the vegetables.” he didn’t move, instead he just stood there and looked at his nails. The cook looked up from the stove and at the knight. “What are you waiting for?”

~*~


{Whoops, wrong dress! I changed the dress, and I had her sit again, but I didn't take the picture? I have no idea how that happend)

Anwyn was told to wait in the massage room while the nobles ate dinner, but she couldn’t sit in the stale-aired room. It felt like a prison. Every wall in the manor felt like a prison, and she needed to get out.

She stood up and walked to the front door. The grounds were walled in as well, but the sky had no limit. She went looking for a cozy place to lay down and look at the sky, hoping the weather held. She had changed her gown to something a bit lighter as the night was a warm one.



The sky was peaceful. The birds were quiet, sleeping in their nests. Could she hide out here for a few minutes? A few hours? Surely they would search the grounds and as soon as they saw she was missing, and she would be questioned thoroughly. If only her guard was Sir Reed, he seemed to be the kindest of the group.

She heard steps on the gravel behind her, and she resigned herself to having to be escorted back to the manor, but then a figure laid down beside her at a comfortable distance. “I forget how pretty the stars are out here, where there aren’t lights blocking the light out. The fairy lights are a bit strong, but not that bad.” Sir Reed claimed.



Anwyn smiled. He had come when she thought about him, as if summoned. “I forget they exist as well. I become complacent, and I forget they light up the sky most nights. They are beautiful…”



They laid that way for a moment, then Sir Reed broke the silence. “I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve done me no wrong,” stated Anwyn definitively, knowing what he was talking about.

“I should help you, I know I should, every fiber of my being says that I should help you, but if I were to help you, the punishment is too severe. I would smuggle you out, get you as far away from here as I could possibly get you, but I fear it wouldn’t be good enough. The king is unrelenting, and he would find it to be entertaining to hunt us both down.”

“And you can’t save my whole family, there are too many. No, this is my burden to bear, and I will shoulder it.” she paused. “I wish I could speak about it, but I would put us both in danger. The king has ordered me to never speak of it.”



She stood up quickly, remembering something. “You can’t be out here after dark! We need to get you inside!”



“I think I can defend myself, she’s an old woman. And Sir Rhayde is lamenting the loss of your sister and drinking his woes, so going in there is probably not a good idea… you look like your sister.”

Anwyn thought for a moment. “Mrs. Frogwater is not someone you want to underestimate. And the longer I’m out here the more suspicious I will be to the king, so it’s in our best interest to return.”



“Very well, I will escort you.” Sir Reed offered.

“And I you.” the pair walked towards the manor once more, wishing for good luck.



They opened the door and peeked their heads in, listening for people. Anwyn figured she would go up to her room and sleep and not be disturbed by the king tonight. If she could make it that far before she encountered him…

“And I miss that woman! The waist on her, I could have wrapped both of my hands around it and nearly had my fingers meet!” Sir Rhayde could be heard in the dining hall, but the sound of chairs being pushed in could also be heard, and that meant that they would be coming out soon. If she were going to be undetected, she would have to move quickly. The stairs were too open, you could see people going up and down them-

“Quick, in here!” Sir Reed pushed her into a curtained alcove, and then stood casually against the wall.



“Oi!” Sit Rhayed addressed “HAve you seen the girl? I’m supposed to watch her, and she isn’t where I left her!” he was entirely too loud.



“Yeah, I think I saw her outside by the fountain earlier.” Sir Reed said simply.

“Oh, thank you! I’m going to go and get her, maybe her sister is out there too!” and he barged through the door and out into the night. With any luck, Mrs. Frogwater would find him before he gave up looking for Anwyn.

Sir Reed looked around again, and slid into the alcove unnoticed. “That was a bit closer than I would have liked. I think that we should be ok, though I don’t know what route the king has in mind.” he whispered. “The curtain to the steam room isn’t as sheer as it appears, and I think that you should be able to sneak up the stairs. I’ll distract them if he comes around.”

He went to walk out the archway, but Anwyn caught his arm. “I- I want you to know that of everyone here I find you the kindest.”



He smiled. “I try my best to stay human.” and then he was gone.