𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 | Choni

Thirty eight

Cheryl tried to control her breathing as they moved closer to where her parents were waiting. The one thing grounding her in that moment was the feel and occasional added pressure from Toni’s reassuring hand in her own.

She was grateful that there weren’t too many Serpents around to witness what she could only imagine will be quite the show. F.P. was the first person Cheryl looked to as she rounded the corner to the camp fire to see if he felt betrayed by their deceitfulness. She found none, she could almost see understanding in his eyes; he offered her a nod. Cheryl returned it before finally looking to her parents who were looking at her for any damage. To their reputation or to her, she thought unjustly.

“Cheryl!” relief flooded out in Penelope’s exclamation.

The Queen made to rush forward to pull her stubborn daughter into her arms but was stalled by two things. The first was the hand of her husband on her shoulder, and the second being the hand that was securely clasped in her daughters. She didn’t run away for Anton, but for Antoinette. Everything fit even more perfectly into place now.

“Are you okay?”

Before Cheryl could even take a breath in to begin to answer that question, the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath consumed the air around them.

The King had stepped forward now with his sword raised. It seemed to happen in slow motion, he advanced on Anton who was equally quick to raise his hands in desperation. The young man had even screwed up his face as he awaited the cool iron that would soon be embedded in his body.

“Step away from my daughter now!” The demand was clear, spoken at a volume that left no doubt of its intent.

Cheryl could see her mother hesitate to step in as she saw the scene unfold in front of her. She looked to her father with his face full of sheer terror, not what she was expecting. She didn’t have long to dwell on it though as she next watched Toni, her Toni, drag her brother backwards by the hem of his shirt. Catching him as he stumbled, still with his eyes closed. She then pivoted shielding him from the King and the weapon pointed at him.

It was second nature to the redhead as she took the small step needed to protect her lover. She looked her father square in the eye to challenge him, to show him that she would never let him hurt the people she loves.

“This scoundrel has made a mockery of this family. He has besmirched your honour and now he must pay.” Clifford was acting like a mad man; the man now stood in front of her was no one she’d ever known.

Cheryl could barely comprehend her father’s actions when she felt a familiar hand land on her shoulder. The redhead turned to see that Toni had turned her back to her brother and now stood defiantly behind her.

That didn’t last long as she stepped out from behind the redhead and began to address the King regardless of any sword being aimed at her, “it wasn’t my brother; it was me.”

It was such as simple statement and yet it stopped the King dead.
The utter confusion that contorted his face and consumed his mind caused him to lower his sword a fraction, “you? But we trusted you; all this time you’ve been seducing my daughter!”

Cheryl forced her father to now look to her as she reached her arm out in front of Toni and stepped in front again, “I wasn’t seduced, I fell in love!” The redhead declared to the man she could hardly recognise.

“That’s not possible.”

Cheryl didn’t want to admit it but she thought she saw disgust on his face.

“Clifford.” It was as if a magic word had been spoken. The power the Queen resided over her husband was phenomenal. He looked to his wife as she moved over to him and lowered his sword completely.