The message for the queen
King Lucian read the letter carefully and silently. When he finished, he walked slowly to one of the chairs at the table where the war plans and a gigantic model of all the kingdoms were on display. The frustrated king took a seat at the head. Lost in his thoughts, and with the letter from his beloved daughter still in hand, he sighed.
“Your majesty, do you still want me to summon the generals?” Lucian raised his head when he heard his scribe. “No, there will be no war.” The king tossed the letter on top of the model, and continued, “I don’t know what that daughter of mine is thinking. That treacherous King Alcott deserves my wrath to descend upon him. Ha!!! Not only him, but the damned kingdom of Badoro is also his accomplice. What are they on about? Forming an alliance behind my back, and in such a grotesque way?” The king scratched his head, trying to understand the reason for King Alcott’s actions. It wasn’t like the Mahala kingdom needed Badoro’s help.
“Why did they have to settle for a marriage? Why? Having other diplomatic and commercial channels?” But Lucian couldn’t think of anything feasible. Thinking with a cool head is what the great king must have. This matter was not as simple as it seemed. The king, defeated for the moment, turned his attention to Aurora. “My daughter, in her letter, told me everything. But I want to know the truth. How is she?”
Aurora’s eyes watered, and with a breathy voice, she replied, “Not well, Your Majesty. The queen pretends to be fine. But inside, she’s broken. This blow came without warning, and out of nowhere.” Aurora wiped away her tears and desperately continued, “I’m afraid it’s the end for them. The king really betrayed my queen’s trust. He did not consider that the queen would refuse to be part of a harem.” The last word came spitting out of Aurora’s mouth with disgust.
“NEVER, not in any way, My daughter is second to nothing, nor anyone.” The king, with fire in his eyes, got up from his chair and walked towards Aurora. Placing his hand on her shoulder, the king said, “Deliver to the queen this message that I am going to tell you. She begged me not to intervene. I will consider her wishes. But tell her that I give her a month only to settle her affairs in Mahala, and return to Ruana. On the contrary....” The mere glance of King Lucian was enough to convince Aurora that he will unleash hell on Mahala.
“I understand, your majesty.” Bowing her head, Aurora answered. Lucian nodded, and said, “Go, freshen up, my girl. As soon as you recover from this tiring journey, you must return to your mistress at once. One of my royal knights will escort you to the edge of my kingdom. It would not be convenient for one of my soldiers to cross the border without requesting permission from the Mahala kingdom.” Lucian winced at the word Mahala but smiled slightly after, then said, “I’m so sorry to place this burden on your shoulders. But more than ever, Ruana needs you.”
Aurora’s eyes sparkled with purpose. She knelt before her king, and said, “Your majesty, I am to serve the kingdom of Ruana, and the house of Bastermor.” Aurora lowered her head, taking her promise with her.
∞∞∞
Meanwhile, at Relish Castle, in Mahala. The queen was touring the royal gardens, accompanied by her servant Sandra, and two guards assigned by the king for her protection. From time to time, she glanced back, over her shoulder, to discreetly spy on the guards who followed her around. Asking herself if they also thought badly of her. The courtesans, the pages, and the castle workers did their best to hide the looks they couldn’t hide when they saw her. Everyone was curious to know firsthand how Queen Amberjill was faring. ”The fall of the queen”, is how all the people referred to King Alcott’s wedding day with Abba.
Simply, Amberjill knew that she was the mockery of the realm. She had arrived in Mahala two years ago with airs of grandeur, but the women rejoiced when the king no longer viewed her as so grand. She discovered shortly after having settled in the castle the reason for their displeasure. They envied her pale skin, contrasting with her electric blue eyes, and her silver hair. Amberjill now no longer saw those attributes as beautiful as before.
Mahala’s women were common and plain. White skin, and dark or brow hair. Nothing made them stand out. And compared to Amberjill’s delicate silhouette and angelic appearance, they felt that the queen had been punished by the heavens for her beauty. According to them, the queen did not deserve to have the love and respect of their king. Many were happy. The queen wasn’t so high and mighty after all.
Amberjill knew that but experiencing it was another matter. She always wondered when the kingdom of Mahala would drop those prejudices, and accept her as their queen. After this low blow, it will never happen. Alcott hasn’t even given her a reasonable explanation for his actions. Alas, put aside a reasonable explanation, not even a simple explanation. Everything was falling apart in the queen’s perfect life.
Amberjill took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions that were about to boil over in the middle of the royal gardens. The queen managed to recover her emotions until she and her companions walked to a beautiful dining area in the middle of the rose bushes. Sandra immediately set about preparing the picnic she had been carrying in a basket.
The selection of appetizers for the queen were raspberry jelly sandwiches, cut into small delicate triangles, pistachio-filled marzipan candies, and some crackers with duck pate. All this, accompanied by the finest green tea that could not be found in the kingdom of Mahala. Courtesy of the wonderful King Lucian.
The queen took a seat, and the guard handed her the basket with the embroidery she was so intent on finishing. She took advantage of the time it took her servant to prepare lunch to work on her task.
∞∞∞
A few minutes later, Sandra was pouring the exquisite liquid into the fine china cup that King Alcott ordered especially for her. ”The best for the queen”. Those were the words of his beloved king. When love had not left his heart yet. “Thanks, Sandra.” The queen smiled at her faithful servant and proceeded to take a small sip, revealing the intensity and rich flavour of the tea. But before Amberjill could take her second sip, a voice she never wanted to have heard stole her thoughts, causing her hand to shake, spilling a few drops of the contents on the saucer. “Your Majesty,” Abba’s childish and extra sweet voice rang out all around. Amberjill, recovering from the shock, put her teacup down and looked where the voice came from.
