The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I need to see the king," Elizabeth said firmly.

She stood outside of the king's private rooms, which were blocked off by two massive guards. She stared up at them and squared her shoulders, hoping that the expression on her face intimidated them. Judging by the smiles on their faces, it didn't.

"The king is taking no visitors, my lady," one of the guards said gruffly.

"As we've said many times before, we'll let him know that you stopped by. Once he takes visitors, I'm sure you'll be the first he'll want to see."

Elizabeth glared up at the men who were smirking at her, but unfortunately, it didn't do much to persuade them to let her in. They were paying her no mind, but instead were looking at the crowd of people who were occupying the king's presence chamber, waiting for the moment that he'd show his face again. It seemed that everyone at court wished to speak with the king, and Elizabeth prayed that she would be the first person that the king wanted to see.

The king was still devastated after the previous night's events, and had locked himself away in his room while the queen continued to sleep. In fact, she hadn't woken yet, which worried everyone at court. The physician said it was perfectly normal and that the king needn't worry, but of course, that did no good. Without Queen Elinor, the king would obviously have an issue with creating heirs for his throne, and if she died, he'd have to repeat the tedious process of finding another suitable bride, which he dreaded.

Without another word, Elizabeth spun on her heel, her skirt brushing up against the guards' ankles as she did so. She stormed out of the king's apartments, not entirely sure where she'd go. She simply kept walking, making sure to keep her head held up high, but made a point of avoiding all eye contact. The last thing she wanted to do was start a meaningless conversation with someone she didn't care for, simply because it was considered polite. She didn't feel like being polite anymore.

She rounded a corner and entered into another part of the castle that she didn't frequent often, then spotted Henry, who was speaking enthusiastically with Thomas Dormer, who sported a ridiculous looking grin on his face. Elizabeth sighed and hardened her expression, then quickly looked away. She slowed her pace and considered turning around, but decided that if the two had seen her, they wouldn't be happy with her turning her back on them and purposely ignoring them. She kept her gaze on the wall next to the two, hoping that it looked like she didn't notice them.

I'll walk right past them. Maybe they won't see me.

She squared her shoulders, raised her chin, then proceeded forward without a care in the world. As she passed the pair, she heard the conversation stop, and felt the men's eyes on her. She didn't stop until Henry called out to her.

"Lady Elizabeth," he said warmly.

She cursed under her breath. She wanted to keep walking, but knew that due to etiquette, she had to acknowledge the duke. She turned around to face him, but kept her eyes toward the ground. She quickly bobbed into a hasty curtsy, one that she knew would be seen as rude.

"Your Grace," She mumbled. She then angled her body towards Sir Thomas and gave him an even worse curtsy as a way of greeting. She wanted to look up at their faces to see how they reacted, but kept her eyes on the ground, then hastily began to retreat from the area.

To her disdain, she heard Henry excuse himself so that he could follow after her. The heavy sounds of his footsteps on the floor indicated that he was catching up to her quite fast.

Henry followed close behind Elizabeth, his toes nearly stepping on the hem of her retreating gown. He reached out a hand as if to stop her, then realized that others were watching, and lowered his hand to his side. He quickened his pace until he was standing by Elizabeth's side. His shoulder brushed against her's, and he immediately felt her stiffen. He looked up at her and saw that her jaw was clenched, and her eyes were cold. She refused to look at him.