he was wrong. When there was nothing else, there was always hope, wasn’t there?
He would come home, he had to. I watched Isabel as she sat innocently on his lap. I wondered if she knew something was wrong, if she could sense her father’s fear. She must be able to. She had seen him half bloodied before I was finally able to make him change. I didn’t want them to be afraid. If it was going to be their last night with their father, I wanted them to enjoy it.
As Isabel sat on her father’s lap, she looked at him the way all little girls look at their fathers. He was her hero. My heart filled with joy when I realized it. I had often worried that his duties took him away from her too much, but I could see now, that she hadn’t been affected by it. She loved both of us all the same despite our absences. She understood that we didn’t want to be away from her so much, but that our duties required it. Maybe she would be a good queen after all.
I tuned back into the conversation as I listened to Williams laugh. As I studied him I realized that over time he had become less like his father, and more like the King. Everything from the way he carried himself to the way he laughed had begun to become like the King.
I loved the King’s laugh more then I loved anything else about the King. He had one of those laughs the rumbled from deep down within his belly. It had been the first thing that attracted me to him, because you couldn’t hear him laugh, and not laugh as well.
I had been a commoner when I first met the king. My father was a cobbler, and I was working in his shop when the King came riding into our village. I remember hearing the hooves, and thinking that we were being attacked. My father rushed to the window and turned white.
“What is it Father?” I asked.
He grabbed my hand. “Come quick,” he instructed me pulling me out of the shop.
I practically fell into the street as I followed my father. When I saw the King for the first time I could hardly believe it. That was when I heard him laugh for the first time, and that was it for me. I was in love.
I tried repositioning myself as he talked to people. I wanted him to notice me, but he seemed to be noticing everyone else but me. Frustrated, I had given up and returned to my father’s shop to continue my work. I thought it was hopeless anyways. What would a King see in a commoner like me?
That was when it happened. First his guards entered, and then the King. At first I was in so much shock, that I could hardly move. It didn’t seem possible. I fell on the floor to my knees, with my head down, too afraid to look up.
I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“I would like to buy some shoes,” a voice boomed. I remember thinking that his voice was so low it sounded like thunder, and sent chills through my spine.
I looked up at him, trying to form words but they wouldn’t come out.
He looked at me curiously. “ I can get shoes here?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Very well,” he said. “Are you going to help me?”
“Of course, “I finally managed to say, stuttering.
He smiled. “What is your name?” he asked me.
“Joan,” I said.
My father came into the shop. “Your majesty,” he said kneeling.
The King turned around to face my father. “Is this your daughter?” He asked.
My father nodded.
The King thought for a moment, and then looked at his guards. “I would like your permission for your daughter to come to the palace as a lady in waiting to my mother.”
I was floored.
“Of course,” my father said. I left the next day for the palace. I remember saying goodbye to my father and thinking it was the hardest thing that I had ever had to do. Of course, later, when I had become engaged to the King, my father had come to live with us at the palace. Later, the King admitted to me that he loved me the first time he said eyes on me. Up until this moment, it felt like I had truly lived the fairy tale.
I loved the King, not because he was the King, but because of the man he was. It wasn’t just his laugh, when he smiled at me, I could feel the warmth from deep inside. He was also smart, and selfless, and warmhearted. He was everything that I had ever wanted.
I looked at William once again, the boy who was beginning to take on so much of the King’s likeness. I listened to the boy laugh from deep down within his belly. I wondered if that laugh would bring me pain or comfort once the king was gone. It didn’t matter. Whatever happened, I promised myself, I would bring the boy up to be as much like the King as possible. The world needed more men like the King. And I promised myself, if something happened to the King I wouldn’t let the kingdom fall. I would do everything within my power to protect it, even if it meant that I had to go into battle myself.
After the children had fallen back asleep, Mary and Charles returned to their quarters, and the King and I to ours.
He poured himself a glass of brandy.
“You should get some sleep,” I said.
He shook his head. “After tomorrow, I’ll have all eternity to sleep,” he said.
“Please stop talking like that,” I begged.
He put his finger to my lip to silence me. Suddenly I felt overcome with emotion, and I felt my chin quiver.
“Please don’t cry for me my love,” he said. “I’ve had a good life, and tomorrow I will lay it down fighting for my family and my kingdom. Please don’t mourn me, but celebrate me. We have had more love together in the last fifteen years, than most people have had in a lifetime.”
I nodded. “I wanted forever,” I cried.
He sat down next to me and put his arm around me. “ We will have forever,” he said. “Don’t you see, with all the preparations I’ve made, I will still be here providing for you and protecting you, even when I’m gone.”
I nodded.
“I need you to know what happened today, and you’re not going to want to hear it.” His face grew grim. “Harold, has made an alliance with the oar demons.”
“No,” I said shocked. “Is that even possible?”
“I didn’t think so, but somehow, they are working together. It’s almost like he’s trained them to attack us.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “I thought that….”
“I don’t understand it either. But during the battle, we were attacked by dozens of them. We were slaughtered by them. They attacked only us and not them. It was too much. We were overwhelmed by them.”
“Then don’t go back tomorrow,” I begged. “ You can escape with us.”
He shook his head. “No, I have to try. I would be a coward to try and not defend my kingdom.”
“Then, I will stay here with you,” I said. “ I don’t want to live without you.”
“If I’m killed tomorrow, you have to stay here until all hope is lost. You have to hold on to our kingdom for as long as possible. Once you get word, you have to get out with the children.”
“No,” I said. “Owen will get them out.”
He shook his head and cupped my chin. “I would not be able to rest in peace knowing that you died to be with me. Promise me you’ll get out, promise me you’ll take care of our children.”
“But I want to stay with you,” I begged again.
“Our daughter needs you,” he said. “Promise me you’ll get out, for Isabel.”
I sat silently crying.
“If the children are lost, so is all hope for our kingdom forever,” he said. “As long as my heirs live, there will still be hope after I’m gone. Promise me for the sake of our kingdom you’ll go on without me. Promise me for the sake of everything that we’ve worked for you’ll carry on.”
“I promise,” I finally agreed.
He leaned forward and kissed me. When I woke up in the morning he was gone. I never even got to say goodbye. Perhaps it was better for both of us that way.
I crept into Isabel’s room where she and Catherine were still sound asleep.
I heard the door open to the commons room, and walked out
to see who it was. It was Mary.
“If it’s ok with you, I’d like to spend the day with you and the children again,” she said.
I could see that she had been crying. “What did Charles tell you?” I asked.
“Everything,” she sobbed.
We held each other and cried for what seemed like the longest time. Finally we released each other.
I sent for some tea, and we sat down.
“It seems strange, that soon we could be living as fugitives,” I said.
She nodded. “I still can’t believe that any of this is even happening.”
We heard footsteps in the hallway, and then the heavy door opened. It was Charles followed in by a number of guards. He was badly wounded.
“Charles!” Mary exclaimed running forward.
He leaned on Mary.
“We need to treat him now,” one of the men said from behind.
“Of course,” I said. “You can use my bedroom.”
“You’re majesty,” he said, his voice weak.
“Charles not now,” I said. “You need to get some help.”
He held out his hand to me.
“What is it?” I asked.
He lowered his eyes, and I took what was in his hand. My hand flew up to my mouth, and I gasped. It was the King’s wedding ring.
“No,” I said.
He nodded.
“Your majesty, we need to treat your wounds now or you could die,” A man said from behind him.
I sank back on the chair in pain. The rest of them seemed oblivious. I wondered if any of them even knew, or if Charles had made sure that I was the first.
Sir Owen
When I came upon the apartments to relieve my guard it didn’t seem like anything was out of the ordinary.
I knocked on the door, and no one answered. Alarmed, I entered to find the queen sitting silently in a chair.
“Your majesty?” I asked.
She didn’t answer.
“You’re Majesty?” I repeated.
This time her head snapped up.
“Sir Owen,” she said.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
She nodded but didn’t say anything. As I got closer I could see the track of the tears on her face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s…it’s,” she finally held out her hand revealing a ring in the middle. “It’s the King,” she finally managed to say. “He’s dead.”
“No,” I said stunned. “It’ can’t be.”
Fresh tears flowed from her eyes. “It’s the King’s wedding ring. Charles gave it to me.”
“Where is Charles now?” I asked. “Maybe it’s not true, maybe you misunderstood.”
She shook her head. “No. The King told me that if he ever died in battle, he would make sure to send his wedding ring back to me. I’m not sure any of them in there know yet,” she said. “I think Charles wanted to make sure that I was the first. Maybe it’s better that they don’t know for now. Maybe it’s better we let people think the King is still alive for as long as possible.”
“Is there anything that I can do for you?” I asked.
She nodded. “Will you just hold me for a little bit?” She asked.
I nodded. It was strange to see her that way. I kept trying to find words to comfort her, but I couldn’t find them. I had never known the Queen to be weak. I don’t think that I had ever seen her shed a tear in the entire time that I had known her.
I tried to keep my own emotion at bay, but I could feel my heart cracking…shattering. It was the most intense pain that I had ever known, and a part of me felt like I couldn’t breathe. The King had been like my father, and now he was gone. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I had never had the chance to tell him how much he meant to me. I wondered why I hadn’t told him. I had so many chances to, and now I would never get that chance again.
Isabel tip-toed into the room, with Catherine behind her. “What’s going on?” Catherine asked.
“My father’s dead,” Isabel said.
The Queen wiped tears from her face, and Isabel came to her. Both of the girls crawled into the Queen’s lap, and cried. Suddenly the Queen was no longer crying, but comforting the princesses. I could hardly believe the transformation.
“Everything will be alright,” she reassured them. “The King loved you both very much, and he saw to it that no matter what, you will both be alright.”
She looked over at me. “Will you tell William? I think he might handle it best coming from you.”
“Of course,” I said.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him. I was barely even able to control my own emotions. I struggled to fight back the overflow of emotion as I walked towards his room. I tried to remain clam by reminding myself that the others needed me to be strong for their sake. I couldn’t show how upset I was.
The truth was, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that the King was gone. I wished that I had more time to talk to him. I wished that I could see him one last time. In a way it didn’t even feel real. It felt like I was in some awful dream, and I kept expecting to wake up.
I pushed my thoughts away. If I thought anymore I would lose control of my emotions for sure. I pushed open the door for William’s room. I found him sitting up on his bed reading a book.
His eyes lit up when he saw me. He rushed out of his bed, and gave me a hug. It surprised me, and I realized the boy was becoming quite attached to me. It made what I had to tell him even more difficult, because in realizing the boy’s attachment to me, I began to realize my own attachment to the boy. I wasn’t sure when, but at some point, I had started to see the boy like a little brother.
“Good morning William,” I greeted him.
“Good morning Sir Owen,” he said. “Have you come to play more games with me?”
I swallowed the lump that was in my throat. “If you like we can play games later,” I said. “I need you to sit down. I have something that I have to talk to you about.”
“Ok,” he said. He sat back down on his bed, and waited for the news that I knew would break his heart.
I paced back and forth for a second trying to collect myself as he eyed me suspiciously. “It’s, the King,” I finally managed to say. I felt the tears starting to flow, and I tried to fight them back, but was unable to. “He’s dead.” I sat down next to him and he threw his arms around me. For a moment we both sat there and cried, until I managed to pull myself together.
“What’s going to happen to me now?” William asked after a few minutes. “Will someone else raise me?”
I shook my head. “The Queen will continue to take care of you.”
“What if she dies?” He asked.
“Then I’ll take care of you,” I said.
“But what if you die? It seems like everyone that I love is always dying.”
I wiped a tear from his face. “I am not going to die,” I said.
“Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
“Knights honor?”
“Knights honor,” I smiled at him. “You know William, the King was very proud of you.”
He shrugged. “Are you sure? He was mad at me when I saved Isabel.”
I smiled again. “I’m sure that he was very proud of you. Even though he was mad that you disobeyed, he was grateful that you did. If you hadn’t disobeyed, then Isabel might not be alive. The heir to the throne is the most precious thing that a kingdom can have.”
He nodded. “I know. That’s why I did it. Honestly Sir Owen, I don’t like the Princess that much.”
I laughed. “That’s because she’s like your sister,” I said. I found myself happy to have the boy to talk to. Spending this time with him eased my heart ache. “Do you know what would make the King really proud right now?” I asked.
“What?”
“If you went into the other room and tried to comfort the Queen.”
“I don’t know if
I can,” he said. “What if I get upset and start to cry?”
“ You might,” I said. “But its ok if you do you know. You loved the King, and because of that you might be one of the only people who can bring the queen some kind of comfort,” I said.
We walked into the main apartment together. The Queen was sitting with Lady Mary and the girls.
“How is Sir Charles?” I asked Lady Mary.
“His injuries are serious, but he’s expected to recover,” she said.
It was just then that I noticed how much William had improved in the last couple of days. It barely even seemed like he was injured anymore. How strange, I thought. A couple of days ago he could barely even stand. Then I noticed Isabel. It was as if she had never been hurt at all, even the cuts on her face were fading into scars. I realized that if we had to go into hiding, her scars might be able to conceal her identity better. Maybe it had been a blessing in disguise that she had been attacked by the oar demon.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. Lady Mary looked drained, like she hadn’t slept in weeks. I knew all of this must be taking quite the toll on Lady Mary, and the Queen. With the king dead now, and Sir Charles injured, the responsibilities of the whole kingdom fell on their shoulders.
There was a knock on the door. When I opened it, there was a messenger who was standing there half out of breath. I recognized him, his name was Calvin. He was a knight that was about my age, and like me had been one of the orphans.
“What is it?” I asked him.
“It’s Harold’s army. His army broken through our defenses, and is inside the palace gates.”
“What about the palace?” I asked. “Is it protected?”
“It is, but only for now. Our men will be overcome within a short period of time.” He looked over at the royal family. “For their safety, I would implement the escape plan now,” he said.
I shook my head. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I looked over at them. “Get everything you need right away,” I said. “I’ll be back within a matter of minutes.”
I left the room with Calvin. I needed to fetch the others that had been chosen for this mission. I had chosen them for myself, but I had never actually thought we would need them. My whole body was shaking. It was too much to take in all at once.
When I found the others they were all playing cards. “Get your things,” I said. “ We need to move now.” I walked over to a safe that was built into the wall and opened it. Inside, was a satchel of weapons and food provisions that would last us a few days. I began to throw bags of the food at the men, and we carried what weapons we could.
“Has anyone seen my brother in law?” I asked.
The men looked uncomfortable.
“Someone better tell me where he is,” I said.
One of the men stepped forward. “When we got word that the villagers were being attacked, he went home. He said he had to get his wife and baby.”
“When did he leave?” I asked.
“Yesterday,” the man replied.
I silently prayed that he had gotten to them in time, and that he was safe.
When I got back to the apartments, the family was looking at us with fear all over their faces. Something was wrong and I knew it right away. As I looked around I realized that Isabel was missing. I clutched the sword at my side. I met the Queen’s gaze, and her eyes drifted towards the corner of the room.
I sensed motion behind the curtain on the wall, and glanced back at my men. The confrontation was