The Divorced Queen

Chapter 7

"Your majesty, I apologize for my rudeness but I'm kindly asking if I may be excused for the night to check on my family they live in this town." he asked me with a bow.

"Mikhail, is it?" I asked to make sure.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he answered nervously. "Yes, your majesty." He seemed shocked that I knew his name. I had asked my personal knight, Sir Aaron, his name when I saw him earlier today.

"The woman with a baby you were speaking to earlier that's your family, right?" From the way he held the woman earlier I could tell she was someone close to him. Mikhails eyebrows shot up once again. He also hadn't expected me to have noticed him.

"Yes, your grace. I apologize for leaving my duties at the time." He apologized bowing his head again. "That was my wife and our baby that's a few months old." A pained expression then appeared on his face. "Ever since she gave birth she hasn't been feeling too well. We have no other relatives to take care of her so I was worried about her when the flooding occurred but I couldn't go to help her."

"Is that why you were eager to join me on my tour?"

With his head now facing down in embarassement he responded, "Yes."

I hadn't realized how much pressure the kingdoms' knights were under. When the flooding occured many knights were needed in each affected town and city to control and maintain order amongst the people. For example, to organize the temporary shelters that were set up, help in the distribution of food, etc. Their assignment was random so many of them weren't working in towns or cities they live in and they weren't going to be able to take days off until the whole situation had died down. So many were separated from their families during this time.

With so many knights being used for this relief task the prior duties performed by the knights were going to be short staffed take for example the knights that worked in the castle where Mikhail had been stationed, in order to compensate for the missing work force they would have to work longer hours and couldn't go on leave either. I'm sure a support plan for the knights had been established but perhaps it didn't help to this extent.

"I see. You may be excused." I gave Mikhail the permission to go.

"Thank you, your majesty." he cheerfully responded before bowing once again and leaving my tent.

My eyes were fixed on Mikhail as he left the tent a bittersweet smile on my lips. A feeling I couldn't quite explain having come over me. The image of him affectionately talking to his wife earlier came to mind. The concern he had for her, the way he held her. Is that what it was like to have a caring husband? Osric then came to to mind and a scoff escaped my mouth. Would Osric even spit on me if I was on fire?

It took me a moment to realize but I was...jealous, I suppose. Of what Mikhail and his wife had. They seemed like a beautiful young couple in a loving relationship and had just come from having a child. I realized I would never know what that was like.

I was expected to give birth to an heir one day, but I couldn't imagine it. Especially since Osric had never once spent the night with me ever since the first night after our wedding 2 years ago. It was custom for a newly wed couple to spend the night after the ceremony. I'm sure if it wasn't compulsory he probably wouldn't have done it, considering he's never again spent the night with me.

It's not that I was eager to sleep with Osric. Memories of that first night came to mind and a shiver went down my spine. It had been highly unpleasant, no passion or love, just purely formal.
I didn't care about Osrics' feelings for me anymore. I was just interested in fulfilling my duties as Queen. We had to produce an heir after all so I would conform and do it.