The unknown woman
“As you can see, my love, it’s not wise to divulge any more information about it. I cannot risk our safety. What I know, only two other people are aware of it. There was nothing wrong in telling you, my love, but someone might hear something.”
King Alcott was afraid that his beloved would confide this information with her servants, which she would undoubtedly do knowing her, and someone would overhear.
No, this won’t happen because he preferred to keep everything in the shadows before warning his enemies, who until now, he was not sure who they were.
The king tenderly gazed at his wife, and with his finger, wiped her cheek. Since he opened his mouth, until now, his queen has not stopped crying. His hard heart could never remain rigid at her tears. They were the queen’s secret weapon to bring him to his knees.
Amberjill felt the tenderness with which her king touched her skin, and she closed her eyes, wishing this moment would never end. The relief she felt when he confessed all, or rather part of it, lightened her heavy heart, extinguishing her fury.
And it’s good that her king decided to do it because sincerely she believed that Lady Abba had gained ground in the heart of her king, making her walk on the edge of the abyss.
Amberjill, between hiccups, released a giant sigh. Happy and hopeful that their marriage would not end. He was her life, and the enormous love and passion she felt for Alcott were immeasurable.
What would she do without him? The queen wondered the same thing many times before, and when a possible answer formed in her mind, her stomach sank. No, no, Amberjill would die without her king. Death was less painful than losing him.
Now that she knew about the danger they were in, more than ever, she will hold on to her love, not letting doubt or intrigue keep them apart. This will not be easy, she thought, and from what Alcott let her see, powerful forces were against them, and fighting tooth and nail was what Amberjill had to do on a daily basis from now on.
The king, as if a magnet was pulling him towards his wife, he crashed his lips on hers, in a passionate kiss, full of longing and agony. Agony, since the mental absence of his queen, tortured him every minute and second of the day. Passionate, because the desire to have her had not ceased, or diminished with time, and holding back for him was becoming more and more painful. Not just for his heart, but for his manhood.
The kiss became a wild torrent, sweeping through both their hearts. Alcott took the back of his queen’s head and laid her down on the bed, gently.
“Your majesty, I am here to escort you to the royal dining room. His Majesty, King Lucian, is waiting for you.”
The guard, who was assigned to this task, waited patiently for an answer. And after a few minutes without a reply, he raised his hand to knock again, but before he could, the door opened; a grumpy King Alcott came out, followed by a red-faced Princess Amberjill.
The guard had to tilt his head back because of the monarch’s height, surprising him with such an impressive physique. But when he reacted, he lowered his head and proceeded to escort the couple to their destination.
Once they reached the dining room, the King of Ruana was already waiting for them, seated at the head of the imposing table that could seat a hundred people. The king, seeing his daughter approaching, smiled, and getting up went to receive her.
“My daughter.” With a smile, the king took her hand and kissed her, but Amberjill didn’t settle for just a kiss, but wrapped her arms around his neck, absorbing his warmth.
She was ecstatic right now, as her loving husband and father were with her. They both loved her so much, and she couldn’t ask for anything more from life.
However, her surprise did not stop there because when they finished the hug, she noticed in a corner of the room that her two beloved servants were waiting to serve her. Both of them greeted her with a big smile.
Amberjill’s heart was full, actually overflowing.
The king took her hand again and led her to her seat, just as King Alcott took his. Once seated, the staff began serving them.
The three monarchs chatted about everything, catching up on almost every topic they could think of. The food was delicious, and the wine from the province of Siempre Verde incomparable.
After a while, King Lucian fell silent, the joy of having his daughter and son-in-law with him was not enough to clear his head. For some reason, the encounter with the Bodoro knight had deeply impacted him.
“Father, father, are you alright?”
“Mm?” His daughter’s voice immediately brought him back, and he looked up at her and said, “Oh yes, let your heart not care for this old man. Everything is fine, and…” But the king couldn’t finish what he was going to say, since a guard entered the royal dining room, bringing news.
“Your majesty,” he bowed, then said, “My king, there are three men wanting to enter the castle. They claim that it is urgent, and they need an audience with His Majesty, King Alcott.”
Alcott stood up, saying, “Who are they?”
“Your Majesty, one is called by the name Shadow, the others are Commander Victor and Commander Ronn.”
“Bring them to me, immediately,” The guard bowed his head and hurriedly left the room.
Amberjill and King Lucian looked at each other, wondering what urgent business had followed them to Ruana.
Alcott did not return to his seat but looked into King Lucia’s eyes. The two examined each other carefully, trying to decipher the severity of what they were about to face.
The tension in the room grew as the minutes passed, until finally, the guard himself returned, with Shadow, Victor, and Ronn following on his heels, but behind them, escorted by two Ruanese soldiers, was an unknown woman. All three of them, Amberjill, Lucas, and Alcott, watched her with great interest and questioning expressions. It was evident from her clothing that she was a woman of noble lineage, but the journey here had not been kind to her.
Her face and clothing were dirty with mud, and her hair was matted, looking like a bird’s nest, covering half of her face. But her expression was what stood out the most from her dirty appearance. Her eyes were filled with fury, which threatened to spill over at any moment.
