The letters
“My queen, please have something to eat. Your skin doesn’t look good, and I’ve noticed that you’re losing weight.” The queen, without taking her eyes off the window, through which she has spent the day admiring, gave no sign that she had heard her servant. She was still in shock.
“Your Majesty, please.” Her servant Sandra stood in front of her, then kneeled. Amberjill finally turned toward her servant and saw those sad eyes, similar to her own. Sandra, seeing a glimmer of hope, said, “What would your brave father say if he saw you like this? Surely the king would blame me, and ask for my head for the third time this week. Or even worse, he would send me to the stables to clean.”
Amberjill, imagining such a thing, could smile and laugh out loud, but her smile was faded, gone. She understood that her servants and friends were worried about her health, and they would throw her beloved father on the road to compel her to react. And the incredible thing about this is that they were achieving it. The great king Lucian did not raise a weak and powerless daughter, no. Amberjill had to get out of this depressive state and take control of her life, which was in tatters.
Instinctively, the queen turned towards the chest that some of the king’s personal guards gave her this morning, making her spirits drop again. In this came the blue dress, the silk veil, and her beloved crown.
King Alcott kindly returned her belongings, spotless, perfect, and immaculate. Fortunately for Amberjill.
Turning her attention back to her servant, Amberjill nodded, and Sandra wasted no time in helping the queen with her food before she changed her mind.
Half an hour later, Aurora entered the queen’s chamber, carrying a basket with the usual mail. Although the queen had no power in Mahala, social relations had to be maintained without fail.
Amberjill looked at the basket without encouragement, and then at her servant, but what struck her as odd was Aurora’s hopeful face.
She moved closer to Amberjill, still holding the basket, kneeling at her feet. Aurora deposited it on the ground and began to take out some envelopes, and when she got what she needed, she looked up at her mistress, handing her the bunch of selected letters.
Although Amberjill was still eating, she looked at them with interest, but when she recognized one of the stamps, she abandoned what she was doing and not very gracefully snatched them from Aurora’s hands, feeling a kind of anxiety she had never experienced before.
Amberjill stood up from the table and went to her desk, letters in hand. Her gaze remained fixed on them for a moment longer as she sat down. In spite of this, she took out a letter opener from her drawer and began opening the most important letter.
This one came from the council of Mahala. They are the authority that counterbalanced the reign of any King in Mahala. The four noble families represented it.
The Astors family is in charge of running the kingdom’s economy. They are the administrators of all the nation’s wealth, and providers of strategies to solve any problem related to shortages of funds, products, or in cases of natural disasters. Their main function is to keep the kingdom running no matter what.
The Molenarg family are large-scale merchants. This family negotiated trade treaties with neighbouring nations or kingdoms. Always seeking the best interests of Mahala. Thanks to the excellent commercial relationship that they have maintained abroad, Mahala has flourished immeasurably, enriching its population with what cannot be produced or found locally.
Elginna is the family that commands the army. They are closely linked to the monarchy since they require the representation of the king for any military strategy or confrontation. Alcott is the head, but his general, the Noble Sir Baron Elginna, is the one who commands and authorizes. Nothing can be done without his approval. Even the king has to discuss it with him.
And finally, the Olivansis. Founders of the city. People said to be the oldest family on record to have settled in the territory that is now Mahala. Their tentacles are so integrated into the kingdom, that the past kings had no choice but to include them in official decisions concerning the infrastructure, new projects of new constructions, and maintenance of old ones. Roads, ports, and schools among others. Aptly named, the architects of the people.
Together, they rule alongside the Relish family, the royal descendants. But they are independent, designed to prevent a king from becoming a tyrant.
The current regent must abide by their verdict, although he may challenge it and present his arguments. Time would be needed for that, but it could be done.
The queen opened the letter and began to read it. After analysing its content for a while, she closed her eyes filling immense sadness taking over her heart. It was done, Amberjill had succeeded in her plan.
But that success tasted bitter, and her stomach felt like acid.
The queen read again, memorizing the date the council will give her audience, and the king will be notified at the same time of their decision. Knowing very well that this will be the end for both of them. Thinking about this, Amberjill's heart tears. But she is a queen, and she must do what is best for everybody.
She folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope, tucking it away in a drawer.
Her eyes were drawn to the other letters, which had been written by the heads of the noble families, regretting her departure and wishing her all the best for the future. As if they themselves were not the ones who destroyed her.
Amberjill pocketed the rest of the letters, and faced her servants, who were eager to know the outcome, but who waited patiently for her majesty to acknowledge them.
The queen only nodded, letting them know they had got what they set out to do. The maids sighed in relief as if the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders. The enemies of his queen will no longer have excuses to attempt against her life. And for Sandra and Aurora, it was just a matter of returning to their beloved Ruana. Easy to say, but, will it be the same to achieve it?
