The Red Throne | TUQ Book Two

17 | paradise

          It is warm here. In the air I smell the incense of lavender, and the bed is soft underneath me, as if someone had managed to capture a cloud and brought it down to Earth. It is so comfortable here.

         My fingers trace the delicate embroideries on the silk blanket that was draped over me, and the ceiling above me was painted with depictions of angels and goddesses. Where else could I find such beauty if not in heaven ?

In an instant, I recalled about the horrors I went through in the dungeons, and I immediately jolted awake. In front of me I saw a vast room, and kneeling on the fine marble flooring were three young ladies, barely older than myself, and neither of them dared to raise their head.

Two of them were dark-haired, while the other one had thick, golden hair. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that one of the dark-haired girls was actually asleep, with her forehead already touching the floor, while blonde girl was fully awake and had a stony expression on her face.

Her verdant green eyes then flickered towards me, and she let out a gasp of shock. "Your Majesty!" she exclaimed loudly and quickly hopped onto her feet, while the other two girls were still groggy and half-asleep.

             "Oh, it is such a blessing that you are now awake, Your Majesty !" she beams.

             "Majesty?" I frown. "Wait, who are you people? What is happening?"

One of the dark-haired girls suddenly appeared by my bedside, her face full of joy and jubilance.
              "Your Majesty, the Duke of Cindertrappe has claimed the crown and threw the bad king Edward into exile! It was glorious, Your Majesty! I was just walking around the city with my sister, then we saw the soldiers marching from both the south and the west!"

                "Shush, Argenta," the blonde haired girl hissed before turning towards me. "Your Majesty, I am Lilliana, daughter of the Baron Reinmar. This is Argenta, daughter of the Lady Brewstere," she says, gesturing to the loud and jovial dark-haired girl with brilliant, bright silver eyes. I recognised the name Brewstere, as they were one of the most prominent merchant families in Rhyland, and I immediately felt akin to her due to our shared hometown.

                "And this is Rosamund, sister of Sir Geoffrey Walrich. We were all chosen by Her Grace, the King's Mother, Princess Anna-Sophia, to serve as your ladies-in-waiting, Your Majesty," Lilliana informs me.

I was silent and filled with disbelief. Is this truly happening right now? Am I now the Queen of Phoenicia? I doubled over, my face covered with my hands as a horrible headache decimated all my thoughts.

At that moment, I heard the door being swung open, followed by rapid footsteps, and in an instant I was enveloped in a tight, warm embrace.
 
               "Annie," that familiar voice said, so tenderly, so sweetly, but my heart felt as if it were a lump of hard, cold ice.

I tried to push him away, but his hold on me was far too strong.
               "Let me go!" I yell through gritted teeth, and hesitantly, he loosened his grip. I noticed that all the ladies had left, and at that moment, only Edmund and I were left in the room.

His face was full of confusion, while mine was burning with rage. Here he was, expecting me to receive his hug as if nothing had happened.
       Where was he when I was locked up in the dungeons? Where was he then? And even after what he did with that stupid harlot, Lacey Rivers.

                  "You laid with her," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "That whore, Lacey Rivers."

Edmund looked at me as if I had just accused him of committing murder, and he quickly shook his head. "No, Annie," he counters. "I never even touched her when we were at Winterbourne Castle. Not even once."