The Diary of A King's Mistress

19th January 1668

        The events of today have left me in utter and unimaginable despair. It began moderate and relaxing; I awoke in my thermal quilts and dressed in the prepossessing attire I was able to place together. The weather was fairly nice which surprised me for this time of year. Rebellious and careless, I left my chambers with only the covering of my dress. Soldiers and servants looked to me as if I had gone mad but I ignored their expressions and journeyed down to the lake. The lake was frozen completely over, making the perfect ice pond. When I was before adolescence, my father would take my brother and I to frozen bodies of water and we would run across them and slide. Sometimes father would even chisel a hole and fish. I used to think he was mad for trusting such a fragile surface, but as I grew older I began to forget of the dangers of the thin ice and enjoyed just the feeling of being free. Since I arrived at the castle, I have felt a large feeling of guilt over my chest. But as I touched my stockings to the ice, my worries appeared to disappear. The ice slid under my feet as I slid from one end of the water to the other. As much as I am embarrassed to say so, I fell more times than I could remember and bruised my posterior.

        I should have known by my feelings what was to happen next. Again, I felt as if I was being watched and it made me feel incredibly uneasy. Many things I was but an imbecile was not among these. I was fully aware of the enemies the King had and seeing a girl of my purity and access would cause great stress for the King. Without wasting one more moment, I moved myself across the body of water, only to find it thin in a specific area.

        The ice breaking is a sound permanently present in my mind. I kicked the ice only to find it was more solid underneath than what I had fallen through. The water felt as if it were spikes or possibly even knives. It was as if I was being stabbed or tortured. My mind began contemplating all moments of my life that I could conjure in the remaining time I was conscious. Then I awoke in my chambers with only my hair damp and wrapped tightly in a robe and a silk undergarment. Coals were placed in rags and placed near my feet and hands to warm up what I assumed was hypothermia. My mind raced as I thought for a moment to be dead, I had been numb from my neck to my toes. I was only able to see them but unable to feel. The King ruptured through the entrance and kneeled by my side. He took my hands to his and blew his hot breath upon them, causing me to wince.

        He explained to me the condition in which I was found. Exposed. Hearing him utter the words made my heart stop. I was a modern woman of great modesty and to be found half-dead in hardly if any clothes is a situation of great embarrassment. He continued on saying I had been pulled from the water with my dress torn down the middle by a poniard- which was a dagger used mostly by that of pirates. I was apparently lying on the stone with a quilt draped over me and exposed underneath and was dressed by a maiden of the castle, Lillian Gilmore. I had only seen her on a few occasions but have never properly introduced myself so the thought of her seeing me vulnerable and baring all made me ache with shame.

        My mind raced as the thoughts of who would save me. Who was my hero? Was it a pirate? If so, then why? Was it a servant who felt his reputation may be jeopardized if they were to assist me? Or was it someone of complete social ignorance that I would never know?

        At the late hours of the night, when the moon was at its highest, I winced as I moved from my covers and to my balcony. It was strange how only the lake froze over and not the ocean-possibly because of its size or vastness. My eyes fixated on the pirate ship and wondered if the person who saved me was some how involved in piracy...