To Keep a Promise

.10.

Lyanna had left in a huff apparently, or so I had heard the maids gossiping about. They also mentioned that once Georgina understood that yes, she had to leave and no, she would not be coming back to the palace this evening, she too seemed a little put out.

Without Estelle around, my boredom grew. Aria and Mason had been thrown into learning about peace and politics, and they claimed to like me enough to not subject me to the boring lessons.

Truthfully I would have found the lessons valuable as peace was not an agenda that my father taught, but I did not push. Instead I spent the first week of being locked in the castle learning the guards schedules, trying to find a possible time to sneak into the training yard and get some exercise.

I had not yet encountered this mysterious Elias, but I trusted that he would reveal himself at the right moment, should I need to be rescued.

Since the King was keeping the others occupied, I also spent a fair amount of time in the library, reading further history on Corisan, Nadora, and the conflict between them. The battle stories were written differently here, and it made me uncomfortable to read of the harsh defeats that Nadoran history books gloated about.

The sun poured in through the largest window as I sat in my usual chair and picked up another dusty book. Even in its rays, I shivered in the cold of the room.

'Should I stoke the fire?

I squealed unexpectedly and slapped my hand to my chest in fright. The Queen stood up from the chair facing away from me, apologizing, "I did not mean to scare you." She strode to the fire place and added a few more logs from the pile beside it.

'Your Majesty, I did not know you were in here or I would have greeted you'

'Well I am glad you came in, I have been terribly bored while William and the children have been learning'

Her candour surprised me, forcing me to realise that perhaps I had not done enough research into the queen. From all outside appearances she was unremarkable, a competent enough ruler and a good mother, but none of our books spoke of her personality.

'Ah, it has been you reading all of our history books' she smiled and reached for the one I had on my lap, 'This is the very first book I read in this library. All the stories of the poor men that died in Battle'

She sat on the chair beside me and open the book, looking for a particular page.
'Ah, here it is. See?' She pointed to a name on the page and I read it 'Sir Mason of Taev, died in battle against Nadora in the 20th year'

She nodded sadly, 'My father. I was only 12 when he died. I had not even been betrothed yet'

'I did not know you were Taevi' which would have meant that her father had most likely died fighting my grandfather.

'Yes, and when the fighting broke out my Father swore that I would marry from a Kingdom that was enemies with Nadora, and my mother made sure to see it through before she died' the words came out easily, like she had said them a hundred times before.

A cold feeling overwhelmed me at the distant look in her eye. I carefully took the book from her hands and got up to put it back on the shelf. 'I did not mean to make you upset your highness'

'Nonsense, it is the past, and we must move forward'

Her words said one thing but her face said another. 'Its funny, I never liked the idea of holding a grudge with a Kingdom. I always thought that my children would be the ones to unite Nadora and Corisan eventually, but then I have heard the Crown Prince is terribly unkind'

Everything in me screamed at me to be careful what I said in this moment. 'Perhaps it is too soon' I suggested, not really sure she was expecting a response.