Gwen remained by the wall outside the Marble Room, listening to her parents bawling, blaming each other when truly she was the one at fault. She peeped through the door and saw them seated together in a close embrace.They had lost what little comfort they had when they chose to keep her as their child, and now what little dignity they had managed to keep would soon be destroyed because of her. The king had called her his friend, how could he do this to her, and her family?As she watched the pain etched upon their faces, Gwen felt a surge of determination rise within her. She knew that she could not undo the past, but she refused to allow her family to suffer any further because of her.With guilt and desperation heavy on her heart, Gwen ran to her room and settled down at the desk. Her hands shaking with emotion, she grasped a quill and parchment to scribble a letter to her sister.Perhaps Beth could offer guidance or assistance. With her sister's wisdom and resourcefulness, and Lor
The doors of the throne room were pushed open. Edmund entered and bowed before Alexander, then announced. "Your Majesty, Mr. Harry Goldwing from the nation's archives is here.""Send him in." Alexander commanded, his focus remaining steadfast on the parchments laid out on his laps, the weight of his duties evident in his demeanour. There was no hurry to finish them in a day but he wanted to. One less job for the morrow was not evil."Yes, Sire." The manservant departed and swiftly returned, ushering in a fairly tall man who had too much jewellery on and not enough hair to cover the scalp of his head. He stopped halfway, bowing, before continuing on to meet Alexander."I received your note, Your Majesty, and devoted the better part of the night scouring through the archives for the names you wanted." The man began, his voice carrying an air of diligence and urgency. "I was determined not to delay your reason for the search."Alexander's brows furrowed slightly and a weary sigh escaped
"Lady Fitzgerald." Alexander addressed the wife directly, sensing her hesitation. "I ask once more: tell me what weighs heavily on your mind." He knew it, but they must tell it.She hesitated for a moment. "We fear for her future, Your Majesty. She is young and unmarried."Alexander's smile widened at the woman's honesty and concern for her daughter's welfare. He was glad to know Guinevere had received a fair amount of love from them. "Return home now, rest assured, Guinevere's future is safe." He noticed Guinevere's countenance of unbelief."Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. We shall depart at once." Lord Fitzgerald expressed his gratitude, bowing respectfully.Alexander nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention to his manservant. "Edmund, assist Lord and Lady Fitzgerald in their departure." He instructed, then turned to Guinevere with a warm smile. "And as for you, Guinevere, allow Edmund to guide you to your bedchambers.""Your Ma-jes-ty?" Lady Fitzgerald turne
***Paula helped Gwen prepare for dinner and, together with Reginald, escorted her into the dining room. The king was already seated at the head of the table when they arrived. Gwen stopped as soon as she entered and bowed to him. "Your Majesty." She greeted, giving all possible best not to look at him with scorn. Paula bowed too, before quietly leaving the room to stand outside with Reginald, closing the door behind them.The king was seated with an air of ease, relaxed into his chair. He gave a casual gesture, inviting her in. "Take a seat." His tone was calm, it irked Gwen. She walked to the left side of him and sat down, eyes away from him. She walked to the left side of him and sat. "It is not a good virtue, lateness. And more so even wrong to keep the king waiting."Gwen bowed again and murmured. "I am sorry." She was not. In truth, she had been preoccupied with thoughts of how to avoid dining with him altogether. When no credible excuse presented itself, she reluctantly decided
"Not in the way you intend for them to earn it." She replied sharply then remembered in whose presence she was. Comporting herself properly, she asked "Do you honestly believe they'd be content accepting money from you after you've taken their daughter away from them?" Her mother would be devastated. She might just about die. "For permitting me to remain…" "Permit? They permitted nothing, dear Guinevere. I commanded it." His smile was gone for a moment. Then, "Am I to believe that Carlisle does not provide them with financial assistance?" "My sister is Lord Carlisle's wife!" She cried. She was his hostage. He paused, his expression pensive. "Hmm, I understand." What did he understand? What was he thinking about? "Do not ask for any check to be sent to them. Send nothing. If you are so eager to send something, send me back." Alexander snickered. "Eventually Guinevere, as I intend for us to spend a very long time together, you will come to understand that sometimes when you utter t
Alexander stepped out of his bedchamber, leaving the maids to their morning chores of seeing to the tidying of his sleeping quarters. After a deep inhale and an even stronger exhale, he strode past Edmund who had been waiting for him."Your Majesty, three ministers from your court have arrived." His attendant informed him."Very well, I shall attend to them immediately." Alexander replied. The day had only just begun and already the demands of his courtiers required his attention, leaving him without the luxury of breakfast.The morning was beautiful, much like the woman who had come to him the previous day. If he so wished, he could make his ministers wait while he shared breakfast with her, but he refrained, despite the temptation. She needed her privacy to mourn over the fact that she was away from her family, and he would let her have it. For now.Alexander walked briskly to the courtroom, his steps echoing crisply against the marble floors. The sooner he attended to them, the soo
Alexander finally moved his gaze, shifting it away from Guinevere, to focus it squarely on the daring minister who, it seemed, had forgotten his position. He was a hidden ally of Denney, though not as easy as he thought, and if he moved to annoy, Alexander reckoned he would have been the proper reason to dismiss him from the courtFeatings persisted. "A lady in waiting? For a king? Why do you have a lady in waiting?" His tone dropped. "Or is there something more to her esteemed position?" His words were masked enough to be seen.Guinevere's head snapped, eyes turning to Lord Featings. She bit her lower lip, pressing her hands into the other. Alexander saw her distress. He did not like it."I find the tone of your voice quite insulting, Featings. Take a care how you speak to me, lest you find yourself subject to a royal inquiry for daring to question your king." The man swallowed hard, stepping back into place.How dare the lowly placed man demand an answer from him? He was still king
Alexander's expression softened. "Your words hurt me." Untrue. He had been expecting the question. "Why entertain thoughts of departure so soon when you arrived only yesterday?" He waved her forward, gesturing her towards himself and she obeyed by a few steps. "We have shared pleasant moments together, have we not? I, for one, have enjoyed our time together." He relaxed his tone. "Did you not find joy in our dinner last night? And the comfort of the soft beddings, surely they were to your liking?"Guinevere averted her gaze. "Would you not retain Lady Farrington as your lady in waiting then?" Her voice was almost a whisper but he heard her."Why shouldn't I?" Alexander asked with a hint of amusement. Her gaze returned to him and he waved her forward again, this time, commanding her to stand by his side. She complied, climbing up to join him, though she maintained a cautious distance. "My uncle was gracious enough to offer his help, it would be remiss of me not to accept."Guinevere to