Two birds with one stone
It was late, and King Alcott was tired and groggy. This particular day was very busy, and for some reason unknown to him the complaints from the citizens of Mahala scheduled to be heard this morning were numerous. As if they had agreed to bombard him with all the problems at once. The king sighed, heading to his chamber.
As Alcott walked the halls, he was lost in thought. Returning to a cold and lonely chamber without his beloved Amberjill was hell for the mighty king. What was the case? He preferred to sleep in the throne room, or the royal dining room. Anywhere was better than being surrounded by the memory of his queen. But how ridiculous would that be? The king wandering his castle, lost, with nowhere to go? No, he had to go back to his room. And speaking of his queen, who, by the way, he hadn’t seen in days was a new record for him. He missed her so much, but he knew that Amberjill resented him immensely, and that was making his mouth sour.
Alcott finally stopped in front of his door, and the guards guarding it opened it for him. The king, without spirit, entered and closed it immediately. Going to his lavatory, the king began to take off this annoying and heavy outfit, until he was left in his breeches. After the king freshened up and changed his clothes for clean ones, he went to his bed. But halfway there he froze, with his heart pounding with excitement. But that same emotion turned into disappointment when it was Abba’s face that emerged from under the sheets and not his beloved Amberjill’s. Naive that he was, to think that his queen was going to forget such a terrible offence and return to him.
But amid all this disappointment, Alcott wondered what Lady Abba was doing here. Has he called her without remembering? No, that was not possible.
But Lady Abba didn’t give him time to ponder his thoughts, as she said the following, “My king,” she threw off the covers and got up from the bed, walking towards him. The king swallowed when he saw her approach since the outfit she was wearing did not leave much to the imagination, exposing her shapely figure.
Being only a few steps away from him, Abba threw herself into his arms and began to cry. This surprised the king immensely because although he did not love her, no one had the right to treat her badly. Alcott did nothing more than pat her back hoping she would finish soon, and when Abba did, she raised her teary face and faced the king.
Alcott was moved by this vision, and in dismay said, “Lady Abba, what is the matter? Has something happened? Tell me and I will solve it immediately.”
Lady Abba was shouting inside her triumphantly that she had got her husband’s attention, even through these tricks. She knew that she had to play her card perfectly and that this was her only chance to do it. Abba strategically removed her hair from her face and with pitiful eyes, she nodded.
However, the king noticed the mark of a hand clearly stamped on her cheek, causing his eyes to widen in disbelief. Who in this kingdom would be capable of mistreating Lady Abba?
Indignantly, the king asked her, “Who dared to lay a hand on you? That person will receive a fit punishment. Tell me who it was.”
Abba shed more tears, and invoking one of her best performances to date, replied, “My king, don’t worry about me, it was all my fault. I inadvertently interrupted the queen’s afternoon. I don’t blame her, you know. I should have requested an audience instead of showing up without following protocol.”
Alcott couldn’t believe what his ears were hearing, in fact, he couldn’t even imagine such a thing. His beloved Amberjill assures him that she will do everything possible to welcome her. He sure didn’t expect that they could have a cordial relationship, it was too much to think about it, but this? Alcott had to know more.
“Why would my queen do something like this? Did you do anything to make her react this way?” But Abba cried harder, shaking her head.
“No, my king, I did nothing, I visited my queen to ask her to authorize a banquet which is a tradition in my home country when a woman joins her husband’s house. But she told me she wouldn’t. She flatly refused, arguing that here, was not Bodoro, and that she would not spend palace resources on someone like me.” When Abba finished, she lowered her head and placed it on the king’s chest, increasing her crying.
The king didn’t know what to believe, but at the same time, he didn’t want to confront Amberjill. Things between them were bad, and if he intervenes in Lady Abba’s name, things would only get worse. No, the king thought of solving it himself.
Taking Abba by the shoulders, he gently nudged her, “Lady Abba, my queen must have been at a bad time, don’t take it personally. I’m sure she will reconsider and regret what happened. In the meantime, I will authorize the banquet, if it is a tradition in Bodoro, I don’t see why not allow it this time.”
Abba could not contain her joy, and rushed towards the king, entwining her arms around his neck. Her performance won her an award if there is one. But the king, a bit uncomfortable, untangled his wife’s arms, leaning back a little. The only time he touched her had been necessary, but no more. King Alcott had only one woman in his heart, and being with another tasted bitter to him. Alcott turned his back on her and went to his desk chair, sitting down. He took some documents from his drawer and began to read, but after a few moments, he looked up and noticed that Lady Abba was still standing in the same place.
“Oh, I’m sorry Lady Abba, I need to continue with my earrings. You can retire with the assurance that you will have your banquet. Good night." Saying that he returned to his documents and began to read.
Lady Abba was perplexed, wondering what was wrong with the king. How could someone pass up the opportunity to lay in bed with her? But there was nothing she could do, the only positive thing about this situation was that she had got away with it, and had deceived the king. That was all she came here for.
Abba, making a courtesy, turned around and left the king’s room. Upon her departure, the guards made a courtesy and returned to their position. But at that very moment, Sandra, the queen’s servant, was passing by, carrying a basket of clothes. Seeing Lady Abba leave the king’s room, her stomach turned sour. The servant curtsied, since she had no choice, and continued on her way.
Lady Abba smiled, congratulating herself on how well this evening went for her. She had killed two birds with one stone.
