content warnings: war setting, mentions of blood and injury, nothing described too graphically.
+
“Are you ready?” Zayn murmured as Lieutenant Davison stepped in between the tent flaps.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Louis said, trying to calm the racing of his heart.
Together, they followed the chief nurse into the tent. Louis was immediately aware of three things. The first was the smell. The sharp sterile scent of medicine mixed with the heavy odor of strained pheromones, sweat, dirt, and blood. Sour and sticky, Louis felt it sink into his nose. The second was that there were so many people, soldiers lying on cots in every direction. Louis stared in horror, unable to count all the bodies. Everywhere he looked, he saw blood.
The final thing was not an observation so much as a realization. There must’ve been over sixty alphas crowded in the tent, some crying out in pain and others wearing blank, distant looks. Most if not all bore visible injuries. Sixty soldiers, and three of them.
“Oh my,” Lieutenant Morrison spoke after a lengthy pause. She turned to them with a grave look. “Get to work, I’ll go and request further assistance. Triage, then the worst first. You know what to do.”
Zayn and he looked at each other, grim resolve settling in each of their faces. “Yes, lieutenant,” they reply. She nodded at them before slipping out of the tent.
“Nurse,” one soldier cried out, blowing their temporary cover. A single voice followed by dozens of others, desperation stark and bitter in the air. Louis felt it in his bones. “Nurse, nurse!”
They rushed forward.
It was as if time seemed to pass in a blur. Louis felt as if he were drifting through a dream, limbs and body working mechanically but relentlessly. He assessed, treated, and transferred, becoming numb to the hollow pleas and curses bombarding him on all sides. Everywhere he looked, he saw more atrocities — mutilated limbs and angry burns. One alpha tried to grab him, fingers clasping at the white of his nurse uniform. Please, he was saying, eyes bloodshot and skin sickly pale, hair matted to his skull. Louis had wrenched himself back, nausea clawing up his throat. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
The smell of blood seemed to embed itself in his skin, breathed in with every breath and woven into his lungs. He wondered if it would slip off once he finally left the confines of the tent and the horrors it encased, or if the smell would stick to him for much longer, haunting him in his sleep. It was impossible to know how long he had been at this already, time fading away as Louis stumbled from soldier to soldier. Davison returned eventually with two fellow nurses in tow, but Louis still felt like he was drowning in patients.
He didn’t realize his hands had started shaking until he nearly dropped a bandage. “I’m sorry,” he blurted, words playing on repeat in his head. These poor soldiers.
“It’s okay,” someone replied, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
But it’s not. He opened them immediately after. There was no time to hesitate — every second that passed was a life that could have been saved. He appraised the patient and was surprised to meet his eyes, a startling intensity and awareness hidden in their green depths. It was as if an electrical current had struck him. Most of the soldiers had been too consumed in their own pain, eyes either clamped shut or widened from shock, not focused on him at all. Brushing it off, Louis’ eyes found the open wound exposed on the alpha’s abdomen, uniform rucked up. A bullet wound, but not deep. There were some small burns spreading up his forearm too, but nothing severe.
“You’re going to be fine,” Louis said, relieved to be able to give some positive news. He gave the alpha a pill for the pain and set to work cleaning the wound, trying to quell the quivering in his fingers. “I’m sorry,” he said again.
The soldier was quiet for a moment, before clearing his throat. “You’re going to be fine too,” he said gently.
It struck Louis deep to his core. He met the alpha’s eyes again, seeing the kindness layered there. His face was streaked with dirt and heavy bags lined his under-eyes, but he was undeniably handsome. Louis felt some of the tension leave his shoulders, offering the soldier a shaky and maybe a little shy smile before returning to his work.
“Thank you,” he said when Louis finished, and Louis had enough time to murmur a “You’re welcome,” before his attention was being called elsewhere.
By the time Louis finally left the tent, it was supper time.
+
Louis felt exhausted as he stuttered through dinner, still wearing his blood-stained uniform. There seemed to have been an unspoken silence amongst the dining hall, some still replaying the scenes they witnessed in the tent and others only imagining. He returned to his quarters and immediately stripped from his uniform, feeling as if he were peeling off all the distress and panic he experienced as well.
It wasn’t until Zayn entered the room and gasped that he managed to pry his lips apart. “Knock next time, will you?” he muttered, slipping his nightshirt over his head. They’d seen each other naked on accident more than once previously, and he didn’t understand what the drama was for.
But Zayn looked pale when he looked up to meet his face. “Lou,” he said slowly.
“What?” Louis said, a creeping sense of foreboding settling on his skin.
“Your stomach,” Zayn tripped out. “Louis, you got your soulmark.”
Frozen in place, Louis was unable to move, words repeating in his head over and over. Soulmark, soulmark, soulmark. It took everything in him to look down, fingers curling around the hem of the cotton and dragging it up.
The sight that greeted him felt like a blow to the heart. A cluster of honeysuckles were inked across his skin, dark and undeniable.
“It had to have been one of the soldiers, right?” Zayn asked, voice dropped to a whisper. “Shit, Louis.”
Louis thought back to the tent full of alphas, faces already blurred in his mind — a sea of suffering. Nausea rose in him. “Fuck.”
“Okay, do you remember talking to any soldier?” Zayn asked desperately. “I think the soulmark only appears if you interact directly. That narrows it down.”
“I talked to multiple –” He trailed off, kind green eyes flashing in his vision. He remembered what felt like a shock that had gone through him. “I know who it is,” he breathed.
“You do?” Zayn said, surprised. “That’s great.”
“No,” Louis said, earlier nausea returning. “No, it’s not great. I didn’t know – I didn’t learn his name. It’s not allowed. He didn’t learn mine either. And now he’s gone, Zayn. What – what am I supposed to do?” The company had left after dinner and Louis had watched from his seat as the mass of soldiers disappeared into the night. He watched as his soulmate walked away.
Zayn looked stricken. “You guys are soulmates,” he said firmly. “You’ll find each other again regardless. That’s how it works.”
“It is?” Louis said flatly. “This is war. A lot of things work differently now.” It occurred to him then that his soulmate was a soldier. He was probably marching to the front lines as they spoke. “He could die tomorrow and I wouldn’t even know,” he whispered, throat dry. “I never stood a chance, did I?” The war had stolen so much from him already, he shouldn’t have been surprised.
Written for my new Countdown to Christmas series. It’s that time of year everyone, let’s get sappy!
Mainly written for @maddiehans who wanted a Madney Christmas fic based off the 3A finale and had them opening Christmas presents. I went off theme a bit, but I hope you still enjoy it.
Word count: 1766
Summary: “honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if you hadn’t gotten me anything. I love you, Maddie, I’m just happy to spend the holiday with you.”
Also can be read here.
-----
The firehouse was lively with Christmas cheer and conversation, as Maddie looked around at the group she’d come to know of as friends and family. She could hear all the kids laughing, playing, enjoying themselves. She smiled at the sound. It was amazing what Karen had done for them and she remembered overhearing some of the kids say this was the best Christmas they’d ever had. It was then that an idea formed in her head.
She ultimately decided to keep the money and cash the check before the banks closed for the holidays, placing it in a separate account from her checking and other saving account. She didn’t need it, she wasn’t wanting for anything, but she wasn’t going to let it go to waste. She decided to keep some in case her family ever needed anything and give most of it to charity. And she knew the first place she wanted it to go. She excused herself and went to her car to grab her bag.
After she returned, everyone enjoyed themselves for another hour before things started to wind down. Shifts were coming to an end and everyone was starting to leave. She received another hug from the mom that was thankful to be back with her son on Christmas. Maddie was thankful she was able to make it happen. Not soon as she they left she saw a woman that worked with the group home director and couple of other employees coming to get the children.
Maddie took a deep breath and walked over to her, “hi, excuse me,” she said getting her attention. “I was wondering do you guys take donations?”
She greeted Maddie with a bright smile and questioning eyes, “we do...”, her words trailed off, obviously wondering were this was going.
Maddie reached into her pocket, pulled out the folded check and handed it to young woman. “Merry Christmas.”
She unfolded the check, eyes widening “holy shit,” words slipping past her lips loudly. She chuckled nervously, not meaning to say it. Buck and Chimney, who had been helping gather all of the children’s Christmas presents came over towards them at the outburst. Peering over the woman shoulder Buck whistled and Chimney smiled at Maddie knowingly.
“This is amazing,” the woman sputtered, “and too much, I mean, $5,000? I- we-“
“Take it, please. I don’t need it and I wanted to do something, hoping it would help.”
“It will. Thank you so much,” the woman leaned in and gave her tight hug.
“You’re more than welcome. I hope all of you have a happy holiday.”
“You do the same. Thank you so much! All of you, for everything.” She folded the check and put it in her bag as she walked away.
Maddie watched them all leave over the railing of the loft, Chimney came up beside her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I see you found a use for that money after all.”
“Yeah, I did,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his side.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, “you know,” she heard her brother’s voice say, “since you’re in such a giving mood, sis, I could use a small loan. A couple of thousand should hold me over.” She shrugged out of his touch and rolled her eyes. She looked over at Chimney to see him doing the same. Grabbing his hand they walked away from Buck and down the stairs. “Oh come on, Madds, I was kidding, unless you wanna give it to me... and you’re still walking away... I’m gonna remember this...” the sound of Buck’s voice started trailing off as they walked further away.
Maddie turned on the light as she and Chinmey walked into his home. After saying their goodbyes to everyone, they went back to his place, as she wanted to go there. They were greeted by the sight of the decorations she had put and finished decorating.
“Wow, did you?” Chimney eyes were wide in surprise not expecting the sight. Maddie simply nodded. “When?”
“I kinda stole your key and came by to finish decorating earlier today. After... I, um, just realized that my healing starts with letting go and learning to move on. I want to do that and, most importantly, I want to do that with you.” She stepped forward to kiss him. “If you want that, too.”
He took her hands on his, “of course I want that. Actually, I want to talk to you about something. And all of this has been the perfect segue into it” He kissed her again. “Hold on,” he said before running towards the back, leaving Maddie standing in the middle of the living room. She walked towards the tree and fiddled with branches as the lights twinkled. She took a seat on the floor near it, spotting her present for Chimney underneath.
Almost as quickly as he left, Chimney returned carrying a small box shaped gift, wrapped in red wrapping paper and a metallic silver ribbon. He wordlessly sat on the floor near her and held out to her. Maddie smiling as she took it. “I thought long and hard about what to get you,” he paused taking a deep breath, “it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I kept warring with myself about if it’s the right time or not and well.., I should stop talking and let you open it.”
“O...kay,” Maddie had no idea what to make of anything Chimney just said. It only served to heighten her excitement and anticipation for what he possible could have gotten her. She untied the ribbon and ripped off the paper not caring that all of it fell to the floor. It gave way to a solid white box. Opening the the top and placing it under the bottom, she found another slightly smaller box, black velvet, an obvious jewelry box. She smiled up at her boyfriend, “Howie, what is this?”
“You’ll see, just open it.” He encouraged. Though, he was smiling she could still see the nervousness radiating off of him.
Maddie did as she was told. As soon as she opened the box she gasped audibly. The rose gold, diamond heart pendant necklace was beautiful. She ran he fingers over it before, “babe, this is beautiful.” Her voice cracked with emotion.
“There’s more.” Chimney said simply.
“There’s more?” Confused, Maddie looked back at the jewelry box. So caught up in the necklace she missed the little note in the lid that said “lift me” and had an arrow pointing to the latch above where the necklace lay. Putting the box down on the ground so she could do this carefully, she lifted the compartment and took it out, finding a gleaming silver key at the bottom. She took it out and held it up. She stared at it for a moment before, the realization hit her, it looked just like his house key.
“I can see by the realization on your face that you’ve figured it out.”
“Howie-” She started and stopped, at a loss for words as the tears welled in her eyes.
“Maddie, I want you to know that this doesn’t mean anything you don’t want it to. I just thought with how everything is going between us and the fact that you’re over here more often than not, your stuff has taken over most of my drawers,” they both laughed at that, “I just thought that I wanted you to have that to come and go as you pleased.”
“Babe, are you- are you asking me to move in with you?”
“Yes, I mean, no. I mean yes, I would love it, but that wasn’t my purpose for giving you the key. I wanted you to have it regardless. I know moving in together is huge and I didn’t want to pressure you-“
“I’d love to.” Maddie jumped in, interrupting him before he got too far.
He looked at her, stunned. “You would?”
“Yes.” She placed the key back in the box and leaned forward to take his hands in hers, “Like you said, I’m already over here more often than not. Plus the lease on my place is almost up, so it works out actually. And it’s something I’ve thought about too, living together. Let’s do it.”
“Let’s do it!” Chimney’s lips met hers. When they broke apart she wiped the tears from her eyes and marveled at her amazing boyfriend. He took the necklace out of it’s place and held it up, “may I?”
She nodded and turned her back towards him. She moved her hair out of the way as the cool metal touched her skin. She dropped it when she heard the small click of the clasp. She turned back towards him, clutching the pendant. She couldn’t believe he had done all of this. It was so simple, yet meant so much to her.
At this point, she was hating the gift she got for him. It was no where near the caliber of what he’d gotten her. It was too late to change now. Reluctantly she reached for the gift she placed under his tree and handed it to him.
“For me? You shouldn’t have,” he said cheekily as she handed him the gift. She rolled her eyes in the jest. He made a show of shaking it, getting a small rattling sound. “I wonder what it could be.” She just gave him a look. “And Christmas Dalmatians, that’s cute.” He chuckled at the themed wrapping paper as he ripped it. She watched as he popped the tape on the light blue box, unfolded the tissue paper inside, and pulled out the brown cashmere, buttoned cardigan that she’d bought him. “Woah, this is nice!”
“Really?” She asked nervously.
“Yes, really,” he ran his hands over, “and feels so soft.”
“You were talking about how much you needed a new sweater and I came across this one. I thought you’d like it.”
“I love it.” He leaned towards her and kissed her on the cheek, “so thoughtful.”
“Nowhere near as thoughtful as your gift.” Maddie grumbled.
“Hey, that’s not true. You paid attention to something even I forgot about telling you and got me something I needed. That’s pretty thoughtful in my book,” Chimney put the sweater back in the box, “honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if you hadn’t gotten me anything. I love you, Maddie, I’m just happy to spend the holiday with you.”
She could feel the emotion swelling again as she said, “I love you, too.”
hey, this is all very sudden, but I’m gonna quit this blog due to my health and some personal stuff
I created this blog because of my love for Metallica and as a way to help me heal and rest during my burnout
I got to meet lovely, like-minded people who brought me happiness and helped me take my mind off of the pain and stress I was experiencing, and for that I will be forever grateful.
I’m bad with words, but I’m genuinely so grateful for all the lovely people I’ve met and all the sweet moments we had together.
thank you @hadestyles, @harryanthus, and @theisolatedlily for tagging me to share seven sentences of my wip!
this is much more than seven, but rules are just suggestions, etc etc. this is from my tangled au which just hit 32k!
There’s a stall selling a bunch of hats that Louis drags Harry by the arm to, immediately picking up an embroidered Bergere which he’s familiar with thanks to his mother’s extensive collection. He places it on his head and gives a little twirl, feeling happiness fill his insides, pulling at the corners of his lips and crinkling in his eyes.
“How do I look?” he asks Harry eagerly.
Harry’s eyes linger on his face instead of the hat on his head. “Beautiful.”
Willing his blush away, he opens his bag to ask Pascal’s opinion. “Yes or no?”
Pascal studies him intently before shaking his head.
His mouth drops open. “Who knew so much judgement could fit into such a small body,” he mutters, shaking his head as Pascal flicks his tail in his version of a shrug.
“Could say the same to you,” Harry says, chuckling.
Louis scowls at him, but Harry just laughs again.
i’ll tag @thepolourryexpress, @raspberryoatss (you know what i want hehe), @soldouthaz, and @rockstarlouis to do this if you want!! absolutely no pressure, as always!
Its another bus night for the band. Everyone was exhausted by a string of back-to-back rituals with very little downtime to collect themselves and recentre in-between and were all ready to crash as soon as the bus set in motion. They had formed a ghoul pile in the back lounge again as they were prone to do when exhausted. They were a tangle of limbs and tails and messy hair all sprawled out on the larger mattress. Every ghoul was included, except Phantom.
Phantom was instead scrunched up in his too small bunk trying to surpass the loneliness enough to catch a few hours of restless sleep. Hed never been invited to the Pack cuddle sessions and was too nervous to even think about if he would be allowed. It was much easier to stay away, even if it made him feel lost and unwanted inside.
The ghoul pile wasn’t as relaxed as usual either. Harsh whispers being passed between Cirrus and Dew were causing an uncomfortable tension to brew in the pile. They were taking about Phantom and his exclusion from the pack piles. It was a topic that many of the recent piles had been ruined by when dew inevitably decides to start an argument with whoever proposes to let the newest ghoul join.
“Dew this is starting to get ridiculous,” Cirrus said, “we can all smell his distress from here and you know that it’s unfair to cast him out like this.”
An unhappy frown had been growing across her face the whole time she’d been arguing with the fire ghoul and she looked positively stormy now.
“Cir why would we want the replacement here?” He spat out in reply, his skin visibly beginning to heat up in his anger.
“he’s part of the pack now whether you like it or not, so you need to suck it up and stop being a dick because he’s very obviously hurting now.” Cirrus replies.
This sends dew into a huffy strop and he turns away from the other ghouls with a growl.
“Whether you like it or not he’s going to join us tonight, Dew.” Cirrus says as she begins to untangle herself from the other ghouls and stand up.
It takes her a few minutes to untangle herself and then she moves towards the bunk space, ignoring the low growl coming from dew. She passes Copia’s bunk first and pauses to check that he’s sleeping fine. A loud snoring noise can be held from behind the curtain so she continues to walk down the aisle until she gets to one of the last bunks. The curtain is drawn but a soft sniffling can be heard through it which only exemplifies how much he should be with his pack instead of suffering alone. Aether would never be able to forgive them if they found out how much they’d abandoned the younger quintessence ghoul.
“Phantom, I’m going to pull back the curtain now because I know that you are sad and I want to help you.” She softly whispers to him before pulling the curtain back. The sight that greets her is pitiful.
The lanky ghoul is curled up as tiny as a newborn kit and has his thin sheet covered completely around him and his head. Cirrus grabs a corner of it and pulls it back to reveal his tear-streaked face.
“Oh no bug.” She sighs out as she reaches forwards to hold his hand and pull him out the cramped bunk. He tries to put up some resistance but the air ghoulette is having none of it. He’s soon pulled to his feet and into the back lounge.
All the ghouls except Dew are still a tangle of limbs, while dew sits in the corner pouting and furious about cirrus ignoring him. She bares him no mind and instead shoves the quintessence ghoul forwards onto the centre of the pile. The rest of the pack immediately move to cover him and cirrus rejoins them all. He looks shellshocked and unbelieving. It makes Cirrus sad. How could they have failed this new ghoul who was hardly even old enough to not be a kit so much.
(Dew continues to rage the rest of the night at the edge of the pile while everyone else falls into a blissful sleep)
In the land of Terok there were many kingdoms. This tale tells of two. Richard Murdoc was the king of Karak. Karak was on an island shared by one other kingdom – Serum, ruled by Richard’s greatest friend, Edmund Fairfax.
In the time of Richard’s father, King Cyrus, the island was merely one quite large kingdom. This was because the royals of Serum were unable to produce heirs, and the family soon died out. Cyrus had only one surviving child, but one morning he got word that his oldest and most loyal servant had died, leaving behind a sick grandchild.
The king took pity on the child and brought him to live in the palace. He nursed the child back to health and became fond of him, deciding to raise it as his own. That child was Edmund.
Richard loved Edmund at first but it didn’t take long for him to become jealous. Though he could rest easy because he would be king one day and Edmund would not, or so he thought.
When Cyrus’ health started to decline he acted quickly to ensure the fate of his legacy. He had Edmund declared as his son and gifted him the kingdom of Serum. It was far more than Edmund had expected but Cyrus had not made the decision lightly; Edmund had all the qualities of a good king.
Richard never spoke a word to Edmund of his true feelings, but while Cyrus was on his deathbed Richard confessed his fury to his father and promised that he would have his revenge. Cyrus died before he was able to utter a word of warning to his adopted son.
Richard and Edmund ruled in peace for years, wed and raised families. Richard was faithful to his wife but Edmund wasn’t at the start of their marriage. His mistress gave birth to a son. The child may have been illegitimate but Edmund wasn’t heartless; he saw to it that he and the mother were taken care of.
Six years after the bastard’s birth, Richard hired a man to kill the boy and his mother. He wanted to be sure that no one could stand in his way.
Richard bided his time and waited for the right moment to strike. Edmund was foolish and careless at times; it wasn’t difficult to assassinate him. Richard murdered Edmund and his wife but kept his heir, William, alive to avoid suspicion. After all, he needed the love of the people for the time being.
Richard raised the boy and grew to love him, but his greed never wavered. He wanted the two kingdoms for himself and always would; he never truly accepted Edmund as his brother. The man didn’t deserve to be king.
It was Richard’s plan to murder William at a later date, but further gain the young man’s trust through his daughter Sybil. Once William was dead and Sybil became queen, Richard would rest assured that his bloodline would carry on being the sole ruler of the two kingdoms. He was going to secure a legacy of his own.
*
Lady Constance de Moy was always well taken care of. She had at least two servants tending to her. Each morning they drew her a bath, curled her long auburn hair and presented her with a variety of dresses. Her greyish blue eyes scanned over what accessories would grace her delicate wrists today.
Her head turned curiously when she heard her servants whispering just outside the door.
“Do you think she knows?” one of them said.
“I don’t think so,” the other muttered, “But everyone’s talking about it. I don’t know how we’re going to tell her.”
Constance crept closer to the door to hear them better.
“It’s not just her we have to worry about, Annabelle! We could lose our jobs.”
Annabelle shrugged her shoulders; they were only two servants. They should be able to find other duties quite easily. “I assumed we would be working for the queen.”
Constance’s eyes widened. What on earth were they talking about? A queen? What queen would be visiting Serum, and why had no one told her of this?
She opened the door and looked at her servants who stood very still. “Clarice….Annabelle…what is it?”
Clarice couldn’t look her in the eye. Constance had no friends at court and the king was far too concerned with himself to tell her the news. This fell to them. “I’m sorry, mistress. King William is to wed. The future queen is en route to the kingdom as we speak.”
Constance was frozen where she stood. Her face was absent of expression and her eyes were unfocused. She had been William’s mistress for over a decade. They had spoken many times of the future and the possibility of marriage. He gave her assurances; he said that he would one day make her his wife. She knew that he was young and immature; he kept putting it off. But she trusted him and had faith that he would marry her when he was ready.
What she felt for him was genuine love. She thought she had seen that in him too. The way he smiled at her, the twinkle in his eyes, the way he took care of her…no one could deny that he had feelings for her.
But then if that was true, why was he doing this? Why had he not respected her enough to tell her himself? This made no sense to her. She had to see him.
Constance strolled through the halls, picking up the skirt of her dress so that she didn’t trip. Servants watched her as she passed them, and though she tried to avoid anyone else seeing her, there were several knights and ladies-in-waiting who noticed her pace.
She stopped to take a breath outside the king’s chambers and waved her hand at the guards. “I wish to speak with the king.”
The guards were apprehensive but William’s voice could be heard through the double wooden doors, and they stepped aside to allow her entry.
Constance crossed her hands before him, hoping to seem less hostile than she felt. She felt many emotions but she couldn’t display them so openly; desperate as she was, she couldn’t let him see. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
William sighed heavily, as if he was the one whose world had been shattered. “I feared your reaction. I knew you would be angry with me.”
“Am I being so unreasonable? You promised the title of queen to me.”
“And that’s all you care about, isn’t it?” he scoffed, “Becoming queen.”
“I didn’t carry on with a boy because I wanted to be queen; I wanted you!” She took a deep breath, frantically blinking away the tears in her eyes. “I love you, William.”
Her words wounded him. He felt guilty for what he was doing but he had no choice; he was king. He had to do what was in the best interest of the kingdom. “I have to consider the future. I need an heir. In all the years when we’ve together you have never conceived a child. I had to take that into consideration.”
Constance’s eyes narrowed. Perhaps she should have bitten her tongue now that she was no longer his, but she would continue to speak her mind no matter how much trouble it got her into. “I wasn’t aware that that was part of my duties. I was your mistress, among others. Have they conceived your child?”
“That isn’t the point!” William slammed his fist on the table, causing a glass to tremble. He didn’t want to be angry, but his patience was waning. He didn’t want to have this conversation at all; it was out of his respect for her that he allowed her to discuss the matter. “The people will not accept you as my queen. And neither will I.”
She didn’t understand. Had they not seen each other last week? How had his feelings changed? He must have been lying to her for a good deal of time, and in the meantime he didn’t mind stringing her along. “Did you ever love me? Tell me honestly. I want to know.”
Contemplating his answer, William stared at her. His piercing blue eyes didn’t give way to his emotion, though he hoped they showed how truly sorry he was. He cared for her deeply. “Of course I did.”
Constance moved closer to him and pushed aside strands of his golden blonde hair. He was genuine. “But no longer.”
He gave a small shake of his head. “No…I’m sorry.”
It was settled then. Her fate was sealed. No man would have her now; no man would want the king’s leftovers. She was old and used up. Ten years ago she would have had a chance, but there was none now. She was doomed to be alone; isolated from any civilization. The people at court only tolerated her because William favored her and the townspeople would not accept her. They were also quite unforgiving. What she was supposed to have done to them she didn’t know; she only sought opportunity and enjoyed it while it was good to her. “What will I do?”
William placed his hands on her shoulders. “You are still a lady of the court; that is your birthright and not even I can take that from you. I will not continue your allowance and we will no longer keep each other’s company. That’s all.”
He said it as though it were a small thing. She would have her servants, her home and all her belongings; the only thing she would not have was him. What would she do with herself? How would she occupy her time? Everything had changed for her. “If that’s what you wish.”
Constance bowed her head and then left his chambers. She hadn’t fully accepted this yet. They would still have to see each other at court. Only now she would have to see him with his new fiancée. Was she really going to give him up without a fight? Surely she must, but he had lied to her; lead her on for years. She wasn’t going to be compliant. It wasn’t in her nature.
*
The house was still as she remembered it. As a child she marveled at how tall it was. It was made of stone that her great-grandfather had dug up from the grounds. In each stone he carved the name of his wife. She loved that story.
The grounds were well kept; the grass was a vibrant green and the roses were in bloom. The trees that surrounded both sides of the walkway were well-trimmed. Thomas was doing an excellent job. It had been a long time since she had been home. Her son usually came to the castle to see her; that was where she had lived through her affair with William.
Thomas was overwhelmed at first but he quickly appreciated the independence it gave him. He worked at the palace and he preferred to live elsewhere. He wasn’t keen on the frivolities though he was perfectly entitled to them; he was of noble blood. His mother was a countess, and he had inherited the title of earl from his grandfather.
He would be happy as a servant. He had no need of such fancy things. It was a comfort but he didn’t see much of a difference between living a wealthy lifestyle or a poor one. It held no meaning to him; he would rather settle somewhere in the countryside with the regular townsfolk. Most people at court were snobbish and he could barely tolerate their company. He didn’t want a marriage like the ones he had seen. There was no love there. Some couples had been in love at the start but then it diminished over time and they sought company elsewhere.
That wasn’t the life Thomas wanted. He was convinced that true love did not exist among the nobles. His great-great-grandfather had been lucky. That was the only romantic story their family seemed to tell.
Thomas caught sight of his mother roaming up the stone path from an upstairs window. This came as a surprise to him as she hadn’t been there for a few years.
He met her at the door with a furrowed brow. “I wasn’t expecting you, mother. Is something wrong?”
Constance chuckled and stepped inside the home of her childhood. “Don’t we have servants, darling?”
“It isn’t difficult to open a door,” he replied. “Besides, this must be a special occasion, worthy of my welcoming you upon arrival.”
Thomas escorted her to the dining area. He was treating her as a guest; he wasn’t used to seeing her there. It threw him off his game, making him forget that she owned the property. “Can I get you anything?”
“No, thank you…” she sat at the table and motioned for him to take the other seat. “There’s something you should know.”
Thomas’ furrowed brow was accompanied by a frown. “What’s happened?”
It occurred to her that, being a friend of the king, he might have already known this information, but she was going to tell him anyway. “William is to marry Princess Sybil. She’ll be arriving soon, and then they’ll announce their union.”
Thomas’ confused expression was replaced with concern. He knew what this meant for her. “I’m sorry…he didn’t tell me.” He would have told her if William had. Friend or not, his family came first. That was why William had deliberately kept it from him. “How long has this been decided?”
“Long enough. He just neglected to tell me about it. I had to hear it from my servants.” She knew Thomas hated that word or even discussing the fact that all people were not equal, but there was no other word for them.
He sighed and shook his head. His mother had been through an awful lot for the sake of the king. She had given up the remainder of her youth, the possibility of remarriage or baring more children. “Do you want me to speak with him?”
Constance’s eyes focused on the table. She wanted to eat something but she wasn’t hungry. She just wanted the distraction. She wasn’t an idiot; this had always been in the back of her mind. She tried to remain positive and trust that William would do the right thing. Now that it was happening she had to reevaluate her life and how she was going to live it. “No. Whether you like it or not you do serve him. He won’t want to hear your opinion.”
“I’m also his friend.” Thomas leaned forward and placed his hand over hers, causing her to look him in the eye. “I’ll speak to him if you wish it…even if it’s only to tear his head off for how stupid he’s being.”
Constance smiled. He was by all definition a good son. His hair was as black as a raven and his eyes were just as blue as his father’s, though his high cheekbones didn’t come from either of them. In fact, he didn’t resemble his parents at all. It was better that way, she thought. “As his friend…you should congratulate William on his engagement. And forget about me.”
“That won’t be easy,” he smiled, his hand still on hers, “You’re my mother. I suspect you’re stuck with me for life.”
She wanted to take comfort in his humor. It was so difficult to do so. Thomas had his whole life ahead of him; he could do anything. But hers was over. William had ruined her reputation. The people at court would whisper about her until they forgot who she was or why she was there at all. That was what she had to look forward to. She would fade away as others flourished. “You have to be prepared. No one will favor me, Thomas. They will shun me, gossip about me and ridicule me until I’ve had enough. Then I will slowly waste away in this house until I draw my last breath.”
Thomas looked at her sternly now. He understood that she was in despair, and she had good reason, but he would not let her be this way forever. “You have always been strong and confident. You don’t need the king on your arm for that. There’s a fire that burns within you; don’t let them take that away.”
Constance smiled at him and cupped his cheek. He was such a wise young man. She was very lucky to have him. She didn’t know how he had turned out this way but she must have done something right. “No mother could ask for a better son.”
“I know,” he grinned as he got up from his chair, “I’m quite the catch, aren’t I?”
Thomas went straight into the kitchen to prepare their supper. He loved his mother dearly and knew that she only wanted the best for him, but he had so many unanswered questions. He used to ask her all the time. She never satisfied his curiosity so he eventually stopped, but it still bothered him.
There was a large part of his childhood missing. He remembered being a child and then suddenly being old enough to make his way in the world. Why was there so much time that he couldn’t account for, and why wouldn’t his mother tell him what had happened?
He always thought it must have had something to do with his father. She didn’t talk him about him either. He thought the man was dead for a long time, but she didn’t talk about him in the past tense, and sometimes she even made it sound as though they were still in contact.
Thomas was a patient man. But he wanted the truth. He could handle it; he was old enough to know. He feared that one day he would be furious enough to start an argument with her about it and she would only confess to him because he forced her to. He didn’t want to speak to his mother in anger, though he also knew it may be his only way of getting what he wanted out of her.
Still, that day was not today. It could wait…though not much longer.
*
Christian watched as William continuously tapped his fingers on the table. It was a most annoying noise. “What on earth are you doing?”
“I’m nervous,” William mumbled. Sybil was the daughter of the man who had raised him after his parents were murdered. They had known each other all their lives but they hadn’t spent much time together, and he had never thought of her romantically. It was strange to think he was going to marry her now.
“About what? Your beautiful queen will be here in a fortnight, you have your health, your friends…what’s troubling you?” Christian was both jealous and envious of him. William had everything. He had the crown. He would soon be married. What could be so wrong for the young king to look so worried?
“It’s just…this isn’t what I wanted.” William had known the man for a little over a year but he trusted him with everything. Christian was a good friend, and he had seriously considered making him the royal advisor. Christian was a mere three years his elder; usually the royal advisor was much older and wiser; it was better that they know the ways and customs of the kingdom. But William was perhaps the youngest man to become king in the history of Serum and Karak, so change was to be expected.
He had the weight of the world on his shoulders. It could always get worse, but his life was changing. He had to marry an admirable woman and create a family while also being the ruler that Serum deserved.
He could not marry for love and his boyish behaviors had to come to an end. He hadn’t taken anything seriously so far; it was all fun and games. He liked to enjoy himself and have a good time, as did those around him. But they could afford that. He was the king; he had to be good and strong. He had to be prepared for things like attacks, pestilence and war. Somewhere among the kingdoms was the killer of his parents. He could very well be their next victim.
William suffered from nightmares for several years, but somewhere along the way he had decided that he wouldn’t be miserable for the rest of his life, so he was a bit careless, selfish and ignorant. Nothing had threatened him so far. He had been lucky. He was sure that he would be tested soon enough, and he had to be prepared.
Christian didn’t always have sympathy for his friend. He couldn’t see the downside to having everything one could ever want or need. William had led a very privileged life and Christian had not, so what could the king be so unhappy about? “Do you know what you do want?”
“I want…” William paused. He had time to dwell on it, but now that he was asked the question it took him a moment to come up with an answer. “I want to marry for love. I want to be able to travel. I want to make my parents proud.”
“And you will!” Christian said encouragingly, “As for love…I’m sure you will grow to love Sybil in time. She’s not difficult to look at, is she?”
It was true; she was a beautiful woman. He had just imagined getting to know someone before proposing to him. Being a king didn’t afford him such a luxury. “I hope you’re right. I don’t want to be miserable.”
Christian didn’t know much about William’s parents. He was just as self-absorbed as his friend. He didn’t think marrying Sybil would be such a sacrifice, but love was not a top priority to him, so he didn’t have much of an opinion. “Do you think your parents were miserable?”
William was young when they died so he couldn’t say for certain. He knew that they had loved each other at some point in their marriage, but something was wrong enough for his father to seek company elsewhere. That wasn’t the union he wanted, nor was it the man he wanted to be. “It’s no secret that my father was unfaithful. I could never understand why; my mother was the best woman I knew. I guess I put her on a pedestal.”
Christian didn’t want to offend William, but his actions weren’t so far from his father’s. “Forgive me, sire. Don’t you have several mistresses?”
He seemed embarrassed. Just yesterday he had said goodbye to his old ways, and just today he had said goodbye to Constance. But he wanted it to be over already, as if it had never happened. It would have erased it completely if he could. “Yes, well…that’s all behind me now. It’s time to move forward.”
“Your future wife will be glad to hear that.” Christian gave a hearty smile. It wasn’t unusual for the two of them to have these heart-to-heart conversations. William trusted him with everything, and he was honored by that. There were only two other people Christian knew of that the king trusted so completely.
But there was also something in him that William had failed to see; something that boiled just beneath the surface. Christian projected one image of himself but he was someone entirely different. He was far more guarded than his friend, and rightly so. His past was a tragic one. There wasn’t a living soul who really knew him.
*
Selena could hear the horse’s hooves a mile away. She was waiting at the door for her friend.
Constance smiled though she didn’t have much reason to. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” They had been friends for a good many years, yet she was still surprised when she was reminded of Selena’s abilities.
Selena allowed her inside and immediately offered her a cup of tea. She had wine as well, but she didn’t think that was a good idea. It took her only a second of looking at Constance to see that something was wrong. “What happened? Is Thomas alright? Does he know?”
She closed her eyes somewhat out of relief that that was not the case. “No, thank god. Thomas knows nothing.” She wet her lips and gave herself a moment to mourn the loss again. “Willaim’s bride is on her way to Serum.”
Selena’s brow furrowed, though she couldn’t say she was shocked at the news. “And you learned of this today?”
Constance nodded.
She shook her head. She was frustrated with the king and she hadn’t even set eyes upon him. “I’m sorry, Constance. I wish I could offer words of comfort. There is no remedy for a broken heart.”
“And I do feel broken…” She brought her hands to her face and began to cry. She refused to let Thomas see her this way, but she was safe with Selena. She could fall apart. “I should have known. I only saw what I wanted to see; believed what I wanted to…in the beginning I thought he would marry me, but I knew. I knew years ago that he wouldn’t.” She had convinced herself otherwise. She had hoped that Thomas would change the course of her life, perhaps soften William’s heart to know she had a son. It changed nothing. It gave him a good friend, and that was all. In William’s mind she and Thomas had nothing to do with one another.
“William is a fool,” Selena said, placing one hand on Constance’s shoulder and the other pulling Constance’s hands away from her face. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He hasn’t had the best example.”
Constance sighed deeply. She couldn’t hate William, not yet anyway. She would miss him. She knew of his tragedy; everyone knew. She always had the sense that while he wanted to fall in love, that he was afraid to. He had been reckless in his younger years. He did as he pleased, and he did behave like a boy.
He was older now. It was as though he had just come to the realization that he was the ruler of an entire kingdom. He was the most important man in the whole of Serum, and he was responsible for everyone in it.
Constance couldn’t imagine the burden he carried. She hoped that she would have been able to help him with it, but he had come away from her. “I’m too old. I’m spoilt. Those were his reasons.”
“His decision had nothing to do with you.” Selena didn’t think much of this man at all. She couldn’t think much of any person who harmed those she cared for. She and Constance were friends before she had taken up with the king, and now she was here when it ended. “You know him better than I do. What do you think his reasons were?”
Constance pondered the question. She was still in love with him so she couldn’t say anything poor about him. Perhaps he was a spoiled, selfish man, but that wasn’t what was in his heart. “I got him through his adolescence. But now he’s…becoming a man. I was a phase in his life and now it’s over. He’s moving on.”
“There.” Selena smiled softly, giving her shoulder a comforting rub. “You see? It has nothing to do with you. It’s him that’s changed.”
She motioned for Constance to make herself comfortable and then she walked over to her fireplace, where a stew was cooking in a caldron over the flames. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“I could eat…” she wasn’t really, but if she planned on devouring Selena’s supply of wine then she would have to take in something of substance.
The door to the house opened and Selena’s brother, Henry, walked over the threshold. “I smelled supper,” he said, “I hope you made enough.”
“Of course I did,” Selena chuckled, “I knew I would have company.”
Henry was a knight and usually wore chainmail and had a sword hung around his waist, but today he was wearing much simpler clothes; brown pants and a cream-colored tunic.
Constance always thought he was quite fetching. His hair was cut a little shorter than William’s, and his features were almost the exact opposite. His hair was the color of his brown pants and his eyes were green, but most days they looked grey. His handsomeness was rugged unlike William’s, which were nearly angelic.
He turned to look at her, smiled and gave a nod. “Always a pleasure, my Lady.”
“It’s good to see you again,” she replied with the same smile.
Henry took a seat beside her at the table. He didn’t know what to say to her. Being a knight, he knew what William had done over the past few days. It was the talk and the joke of anyone who lived remotely near the castle. William was cleaning his slate before the arrival of his wife-to-be. “I hope that you are well.”
Constance knew what he referred to. They spoke every so often if they saw each other at the palace, or at parties. “As well as can be expected.”
Henry was a man of few words even when surrounded by friends. He gave little thought to himself; his life was about the king – protecting and serving. He had no desire for romance or time to himself. He felt fulfilled in his duties.
“Any other news you wish to share?” Selena broke the awkward silence between them and served the stew into three bowls, then sat down to enjoy the meal herself.
Henry felt extremely uncomfortable. The only talk there had been was about the king, his mistresses and what his bride would be like, or if she was aware of his escapades. “It isn’t meant for your ears, sister.”
Selena raised an eyebrow at him. He treated her like she was fragile. She had just as much strength as he. “I made you supper; the least you could do is share idle gossip.”
Henry rolled his eyes, staring back at her with a small shake of his head. He turned to Constance as the subject involved her. “Many wonder what you will do now. They made jokes about whether William will remain faithful during his marriage. It wasn’t very interesting.”
Constance moved around the stew with her spoon, her eyes focused on the food. “Well, when I figure it out I’ll let you know.”
Henry looked back to his sister. Selena’s brow was raised, signaling to him that he needed to be sensitive to Constance’s feelings. He cleared his throat, wanting to roll his eyes at her again. She didn’t need to tell him how to behave. “If it makes you feel any better, he cared about you far more than the others. Ten years…that’s a long time.”
“I know,” Constance mumbled, trying to contain the emotion in her voice, “That’s why I can’t understand how it could be so easy for him to walk away from me.”
There was nothing more he could say. If the king felt any turmoil about the decision he hadn’t shared it with Henry.
Selena had no advice to offer this time. She knew many things but she did not see all.
“What about you, Henry?” Constance said after managing a bite. “How’s your love life?”
“Non-existent,” he laughed, “I like to keep busy. I don’t think a woman would understand what it means to serve the king. I’m hardly at home.”
“Well, perhaps you should focus less on the king and more on yourself.” Selena didn’t take the sting out of her words; she meant it to sound exactly as she had said it. Men like her brother were brave and loyal, but she didn’t want him to spend his life under the king’s shadow and never living a life of his own.
“I don’t see you looking to settle down,” Henry muttered before taking a swig of wine.
“It’s different for me,” she spoke quietly, “You know that.”
There was something in her tone that made him feel guilty for saying it. Selena’s electric blue eyes were downcast; she could be doomed to a life without companionship and there was nothing she could do about it.
She was born a witch, and a witch could only love once. Some went through life without finding their mate, at times because the person simply did not exist in that life, or because the witch was afraid of such a commitment. It was possible to make the wrong choice, but should that happen, your chance at love would still be gone forever.
Their mother had been so unfortunate. She gave her love to their father. They spent twenty happy years together, but then something happened. Their father fell out of love with their mother, something she was not given the same opportunity to do. While he left her and carried on with another woman, she was fated to love him unconditionally for the rest of her life.
Once Selena and Henry reached adulthood their mother disappeared into the dark forest and they never saw her again. It was a terrible place, haunted by spirits and filled with torturous enchantments and traps. Witches would go there to die. No mortal man had been brave enough to enter.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Henry said.
“You didn’t.” Selena pushed all of her black locks to hang over one shoulder and then gathered their dishes. “I know you were just teasing.”
She set the dishes to the side and reached into the cupboard for a better bottle of wine. “Who wants more?”
*
Sybil sat anxiously upon her throne. Her long brown hair was neatly wound into a bun; her crown atop her head. Her hazel eyes watched every man who approached her father, asking him for favors or alerting him of news in the kingdom.
She would have found the activity dreary on any day but it was especially tedious today. She had other things on her mind, mainly her future husband.
William was not an ugly man by any means, and at least he wasn’t a stranger. They had known each other all their lives to a certain extent. She knew his qualities, the good and the bad. She knew exactly what she was marrying into.
Yet there was so much that could not be foreseen. Her father had a plan – one she was to play a part in – and it was being set into motion; starting with her.
She had mixed emotions about it. She agreed that Serum rightfully belonged to them and that William wasn’t half the king that her father was, so she believed in the cause.
The murder did not sit well with her. How many people would they have to silence? She thought that they might have peace if William willingly surrendered, but her father said that William could rise up against them if he was left alive.
Sybil had no choice in the matter. She could sleep through the night at the moment, but having to be near William while also contributing to his doom was bound to cause some sleepless nights.
She hoped that she had the stomach to go through with it. She didn’t want to disappoint her father.
Her hazel eyes snapped to Richard when she heard him call her name. “Yes, your Majesty?”
“Come.” He gestured for her to follow him and she did so without complaint. “Are you excited?”
“No,” she replied, following him down several halls to reach his private chambers. “I’m anxious, father.” They would begin pushing William to his descent immediately after they arrived at the castle. It would not be by her father’s hand that the younger king would die; she would have to give the final blow.
“Everything will be fine,” Richard smiled and kissed her forehead. “Just do as I say. You know I won’t risk you being exposed.”
Sybil took notice of the gleam in his eye. His hues were blue at one time, but now they were dark brown with specks of bright gold. He had become ill years ago and summoned a witch to restore his sight. He had full use of his eyes, though the magic had changed their color.
He was both worn and exhilarated. He had waited years for this.
Sybil knew everything. She knew that he had murdered William’s parents and that the young man was his next target.
She was not the killer that her father was but she loved him; she was loyal to him and she would do anything for him. She understood his motive and thought it just. She wished that William’s death wasn’t necessary, but that wasn’t her call to make.
“Father, are you certain you’ll be able to do this without being caught?” She was concerned for him. He had managed to kill the royal couple without anyone suspecting, but with William dead she feared someone might find them out. After all, he was a king; surely he had friends. This was no easy feat they were after.
“Don’t worry, my dear. I have a plan.” Richard removed the crown from his head and placed it the table next to his bed. As a boy his hair had been blonde and full; now it was brown and thin with streams of grey.
He knew this would not be easy. He was confident that all would go according to plan, and if it didn’t, he already had a plan for that. “Should anyone discover the truth, someone else will be blamed for it. William trusts me with his life, and that will be his downfall.”
Anyone who suspected Sybil would have to answer to Richard, and anyone who suspected Richard would have to answer to William. The young king would have no reason to doubt his loyalty.
Sybil nodded; she had every faith in him. Even if it came to her taking the fall for his actions she would do so.
Sybil was still a child when the queen died. Her mother hadn't known her husband’s actions. But when Sybil was of age, Richard trusted her with the information.
It had come as a shock. It had taken her months to come around, to see his point of view. When she did, and she accepted it, she spoke to him further and he confided in her his plan to overthrow William.
Sybil tried not to think on it. She loved Richard dearly.
She would do whatever he asked. She had no reason to hold William’s life above her father’s. “You’re certain this is what you want?”
Richard had wanted nothing else for years. True, he had raised the boy through the remainder of his childhood. He almost thought of him as a son. But not enough to put aside his greed. “I will tell you if I have a change of heart.”
*
“I think you’re going to need larger chambers,” Christian chuckled, his eyes glancing about the room as he waited for William to dress himself.
“Why would I? She’s just a woman.”
“Just a woman, sire? She’s your future queen! Surely you should want to give her the best.”
William’s head appeared from behind the certain. “What exactly is wrong with these chambers? They’re fit for a king!”
There was a bed, a dresser, a changing area and a place for a bath, a table and chairs, two fully stocked bookshelves…what more could Sybil want?
“It’s not very woman-friendly in here. Where will her belongings fit?”
William joined him in the sitting area with his hands thrown in the air. “Wherever! There’s room for another dresser. She won’t be bringing a lot of things with her.”
Christian laughed. “You’ve never lived with a woman before, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. Have you?”
Christian shrugged. “Not long-term.” He never stayed with someone for more than six months. It wasn’t unusual for him to live with the woman he was seeing since he didn’t have a home of his own.
His current relationship was his longest running yet; it was coming up on two years.
“Oh, that reminds me,” William’s expression changed; he looked uncomfortable with the subject he was about to broach. “I have a favor to ask.”
“You have only to ask.” He didn’t mean that. There were things he would rather be doing.
“I need you to…keep an eye on Constance.”
Christian furrowed his brow. He thought William had practically banished her from his presence, so why would anyone need to watch her? “I’m not sure I understand.”
“She can be unpredictable,” William sighed. “I just want you to keep her out of trouble. You know, distract her.” He didn’t want her to embarrass him, or herself.
Christian didn’t like the sound of this. It wasn’t in his job description to take care of his loose ends. His talents were beyond such trifles. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
William smiled and clapped him on the back. “I have every faith in you. You’re a ladies man, aren’t you?”
He wasn’t interested in having the king’s seconds. It was degrading. He didn’t need William’s leftovers to be satisfied. “I thought she was madly in love with you. She might not want my advances.” Nor did he want to give them.
“Do whatever you must,” William shrugged. “Be firm with her if it’s necessary.”
Christian wished to protest further but they were interrupted by Thomas’ entrance. He stiffened immediately; something about the younger man bothered him. Perhaps it was his undying loyalty to William, something Christian couldn’t fathom.
Thomas eyed Christian momentarily, before William had the chance to notice the tension between them. He was not fond of Christian. There was something about him; something that others failed to see. They didn’t like each other. Though they were both friends of the king they avoided each other’s company.
“Are you ready, sire?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, Thomas.” William turned to Christian and nodded as a means of dismissal. He didn’t want Thomas to be informed of their conversation.
Christian exited the room and Thomas looked around to be sure that everything was taken care of. The future queen would be here shortly; within the hour.
“Something wrong?” William asked him.
“What?” He looked around the room once more, this time panicked that he had forgotten something. “No, nothing I can see…”
“I didn’t mean here. I was talking about you and Christian.”
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean.”
William rolled his eyes. “You two can barely look at one another. Did he bed your woman or something?”
This caused him to laugh and shake his head. The idea of him with anyone was absurd. “No, though I don’t doubt that he would try to steal my woman, if I had one.”
“Well, then what is it?”
Thomas could see that he wasn’t going to give in until he knew precisely what was going on, but the truth was that they had no reason to dislike each other. “There’s something about him, I don’t know. Something’s…not right about him.”
“And he thinks the same about you, and that’s all?”
There was nothing more to say about it. It did annoy him that there seemed to be no reason for it, but it may reveal itself in time. “I guess so. Some people don’t get along; that’s all. We have our differences.”
That seemed a bit strange to the both of them. William and Christian had very similar personalities, and Christian and Thomas didn’t get along because of their ‘differences’. Yet Thomas and William were the best of friends. There was no man more loyal than Thomas, no friend closer to his heart.
But it was no business of William’s and he couldn’t force Thomas and Christian to get along, so he would ignore it. He had more pressing matters, such as the future of his kingdom.
“We’d best be on our way.”
He and Thomas strolled through the hall, smiling and nodding. People gave their congratulations on his engagement and William feigned excitement.
Thomas waited until they reached the grounds, where people couldn’t hear them, to bring up the issue. “There’s still time, sire. You can call it off.”
William’s face immediately fell. He was both grateful and disheartened that his friend could read him so well. “I can’t do that. The kingdom needs unity. How can I give them that if I can’t even commit to one woman?”
Thomas felt proud that his king was maturing. He had seen enough women come and go, including his mother, to scold William disapproving and lecture him o his ways. “You don’t have to do this now. You can wait. You don’t love the princess. You can afford to wait for love; you’re not old and wrinkled yet.”
Thomas’ face now joined William’s. He was saddened now thinking of his mother and what she must think. She was older. She must have thought that her chance at love was over, that she would now die alone because time was no longer on her side. How lonely she must have felt.
William wasn’t insensitive. He thought of Constance and how he had wasted years of her life. He hadn’t meant to. He did love her and had fully intended to marry her in the beginning. But he had changed. Somehow his vision had shifted and Constance was no longer in it. He wished it hadn’t been so; he didn’t want to hurt her. “How is your mother?”
Thomas squinted as they came upon the crowds of people waiting by the road; they were no longer shaded by the trees and the sun was in his eyes.
People were gathered, waiting for Sybil’s arrival. He and William stood at the front. There were people lined on both sides of the street.
“I’m worried about her,” he said. “Beyond that I cannot say. Only time will tell, I suppose.”
“Are you going to give me a lecture?” he hadn’t meant it in a snobbish way; he expected one – he deserved it. If someone had treated his mother that way he would have given them more than a stern talking to. William’s father had been unfaithful, but he had been too young at the time to understand what it meant and the pain it had caused his mother. The situations were not the same but they were close enough.
Thomas thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t want it to affect our friendship.”
William looked at him seriously; he wanted Thomas to know that he meant it. “You can always speak freely with me, Thomas. You’re my friend. Your words hold great value to me.”
Thomas gave a small smile. He was honored to be held in such high esteem, as high as William was in his mind. “I appreciate that. I’ll keep that in mind when I have something to say about it.”
They caught sight of Constance and Selena standing on the opposite side of the road. Thomas waved to them; William tried to pretend he didn’t see Constance, but he couldn’t look away from Selena. There was something about her. Standing next to Constance she was a dark beauty, an enigma.
“Who is that?”
Thomas looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “That’s my mother’s friend. Her name is Selena. They’ve known each other a long time.”
As she felt eyes on her she looked up at William and he quickly looked away. Thomas laughed and shook his head. “Sybil will be here any second and you’re scoping out women.”
“What?” William scoffed, “Am I not allowed to look? Besides, Sybil doesn’t know. And if you tell her I’ll have you killed.”
“Oh, that’s right…you’re the king. I forgot; you can do anything you like.”
“Exactly.” William folded his arms, looking down the road at the far-away carriage that was steadily getting closer. “And if I request your head on a plate served with bread pudding, by god, someone will get it for me.”
Thomas grimaced; the thought was not pleasant. “Do you always eat heads with bread pudding on the side?”
“Not always.” He kept his tone light but his heart beat quickened as the carriage grew nearer. “Sometimes I prefer heads with a nice custard.”
Constance’s nostrils flared. She didn’t know why she was here. Perhaps it was curiosity, or that she didn’t want to simply vanish. She had to prove to herself that her life was much more than William. “Well, he seems to like the look of you.”
Selena sighed. “Men can’t help it. I’m a witch. Whether or not they find me attractive their eyes will be drawn to me. It means nothing.”
She was insulted, not by Selena but by the fact that William could be rid of her one day and let his eyes wander to other women the next. A part of her hoped that he was becoming a better man…and a part of her hoped that he was unfaithful to his wife. “I don’t understand how he can love my son so much and me so little.”
Selena looked between William and Thomas. They were laughing. She saw William’s smile; how it reached across his cheekbones and wrinkled the skin around his eyes. She hardly took notice of such things. A smile was just a smile, but there was something about his. It was different. It was…beautiful. “Isn’t it natural that they would have a bond? It’s been five years. They’re practically joined at the hip.”
“Mmm.” Yes, it was natural for them to bond. As long as neither of them knew the truth then she couldn’t care less. Let them be friends. At least one of them would be in William’s life.
William cleared his throat as the carriage made its stop. His heart was racing. He knew her, but this was the first time he would meet her as his fiancée.
The door opened and Sybil stepped down. She was beautiful to be sure; she looked fit to be his queen indeed.
“Welcome, princess.” William made a bow before offering her his hand.
She smiled at him and took it. “Hello, William. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
People were watching them. He felt the pressure mounting and he didn’t know what to say to her. “Well, I’m sure you’re tired. Shall I show you to your quarters?”
“Yes, thank you.”
The lines of people watched them as they walked – arms linked – to the palace entrance. Most people went about their business after the couple disappeared inside.
Thomas walked across the road to his mother and Selena. “Good morning, ladies,” he greeted them.
“Hello, my boy.” Constance stood on her toes – he made it easier for her by lowering his chin – and kissed his cheek. “It’s a memorable day.”
“It is.” He stood upright and eyed her warily. “How are you?”
Constance didn’t answer. She didn’t have one. Instead she shrugged and looked away.
“Are you two planning to attend the feast?” he asked.
“I’m not,” Selena replied, “I’ve never shown my face at court and I don’t plan to now.”
Constance realized that they were waiting for her answer. It was the last place she wanted to be, but she had to be there. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Selena’s eyes went from one passer-by to the next. Thomas gave her a quizzical look. “I thought Henry would be here. He was supposed to be, wasn’t he?”
Thomas nodded; it was strange that he wasn’t. He was unlike Henry to miss such a thing. He attended every event that was deemed important. “I haven’t seen him yet today. I’m sure he’ll be at the feast.”
Selena was worried. He was a grown man but he said himself that he didn’t have much of a life beyond serving the king, so what could have kept him?
Thomas placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. “He’s fine. William’s probably got him doing a hundred different errands.”
She smiled and nodded. She appreciated him trying to make her feel better but it didn’t help much. “Yes, I’m sure you’re right. Take care of your mother.”
Selena left; she needed to get back home. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Thomas stood beside his mother. He couldn’t read her mind but he knew something was stirring in there. “I don’t think it’ll be good for you.”
Constance agreed with him. It wouldn’t be good for her. She hated Sybil with every fiber of her being, yet they had never spoken. It wasn’t like her to detest someone and keep quiet about it. This was different; this was the future queen. All the more reason to make her uncomfortable. “I have to get used to the idea of it. I can’t do that moping at home.”
It wouldn’t be unlike her to cause a scene. He knew her faults and her temper. He was only thinking of her. “Be careful, mother. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
He left her to her thoughts. He had to oversee the plans for tonight and make sure that everything ran smoothly. He wouldn't be able to do that when he was worried about what his mother might do, but he couldn’t let that get in the way of his job.
Christian had been staring at Constance for some time. He was watching her; sizing her up. He had never met the woman and he had never planned to. The more people he became involved with, the more complicated his life became.
He sighed and trotted down the castle steps, meeting her just as she turned her back to the road. “Lady Constance, might I have a word?”
Constance spun around to face him. She had seen him before but they hadn’t been introduced. She imagined he had heard of her, just as she had heard of him. “What can I do for you, Your Grace?” He was a duke of something or other. She would have addressed him as ‘sir’ but he had shown her respect, so she showed him the same courtesy.
Christian’s words were caught in his throat. She was striking; a little older than his usual choice but still, he couldn’t ignore her attractiveness. She was the mother of a grown man; how old must she have been? “I was…asked to speak to you.”
Constance narrowed her eyes. She wondered if he was just as stupid as he was pretty to look at. The pretty ones were almost always unintelligent. “By the king, I presume.”
So she had brains as well. “Yes, I’m afraid so. He asked me to keep an eye on you.”
A fire ignited in her eyes. How dare William order someone to control her! That’s what it was, wasn’t it? He didn’t want her to cause a scene. Well, by god, no man was going to stop her from doing anything she set her mind to. “You may inform the king that I am not a puppet. He has no control over my being and I will not be ordered about.”
Christian was taken aback. He thought her harmless. He saw now that there was more to her. “He is your king, woman.”
“Don’t call me woman! I have a name!” She was furious. She wanted to slap him and throw dirt in his face. She had some self-control, contrary to William’s beliefs. She would save all her anger for him. “He’s sent you to deal with me, has he? To make sure I don’t offend anyone?”
He didn’t know what to say except, “Yes.”
“Ha! Afraid of what I’ll do, is he?” She wasn’t talking to him now; she was thinking aloud. “I’d best give him something to contend with then.”
He watched her storm off into the distance. He didn’t know where she was going, but by the sound of her she planned to return in the evening.
How was he supposed to watch her? He was supposed to keep her calm, quiet and out of William’s hair. This wasn’t what he signed up for. He could see that this woman was more trouble than she was worth. That had to have been a key factor in William’s decision to disown her.
