Sinfully Right

Chapter 1- Ave Maria

A strong scent of old rocks, burned candles and wine arbored the small chapel of the city, one of a thousand in the kingdom but always the King's favorite place to finally rest his mind in the deep silence.

His knees pressed against the wooden support of the bench, his elbows resting on the backrest of the bench ahead and his hands joined tightly, his forehead resting against his thumbs. The only sound in the chapel being the quiet murmurs escaping his lips as he prayed, for what ? He never knew but he was taught to put his trust in the Lord when things were going south.

The sudden calmness in the chapel suddenly broken by soft and timid footsteps entering the chapel, the King slowly turned his head until his shoulders followed, his eyes finally catching a glimpse of who decided to disturb the his peace in the middle of the night.

A lady, a young lady.

Her hair seemed hidden under a white veil, her pale skin contrasting with the darkness of her eyes when meeting the King's, a hint of defiance drowned with utter respect towards the Majesty.

As she realized the King himself was the man praying in the middle of the night, her stepsstopped immediately.

-" My apologies, your Highness, i shall not distrub you during your prayers." the lady murmured, her voice echoing against each stone walls around them. She bowded respectfully, revealing the patern of her white veil to the man, flowers, leaves, and small details he couldn't even bother noticing.

She turned on her heels, the same small and timid footsteps she entered with were heard when she started leaving the chapel.

-"My lady." The King almost exclaimed. Her steps stopped and turned her hed toward the man once again. " May i know your name ?" He suddenly asked.

Stunned, was the right word to describe how she stood there after the King's question, starring at him almost in horror, the King's circle was very small to the point where any of his questions felt like a knife to the throat to any of his people.

-"Hildr." The young lady answered almost hesitantly which caught the King's attention.

-"You weren't born here, my lady." He affirmed immediatly. The surname quite surprising coming from him.

-"Bergen" The lady replied with an elegant bow of her head to affirm her origines.

the King took more time than expected to register the information, he knew that city, a commercial pillar of the Nordic Kingdom and a strategical harbor for their King. This must be the reason she is here, a simple sales visist to the country before going back to work in her own. But something didn't seem right, there is only few Nordics ever crossing their borders to sell their goods into Jerusalem or it's surroundings.

-"You did not came here for business, did you ?" He suddenly asked. To which she quickly shook her head.

-"No, your Highness, my father and i sailed to your land in hope of avoiding the war in Bergen." She admitted. it wasn't too rare of Jerusalem to welcome people escaping the wars around them, as a sacred land they owe the people a safe place to live.

But again, Nordic people would rarely come to Jerusalem as there is thousands of empire closer to Bergen that would gladly welcome strangers.

-"May i demand why Jerusalem ?" He immediately asked.

-"My father is a priest, Jerusalem being the sacred land..." Hildr justified.

The King nodded almost as if he finally understood the meaning of this whole encounter. Slowly, using a hand of the bench to help himself standing up, his eyes seemed to never be able to leave her. The King's shoulders were still tense, wary of the lady standing in front of him.

-" We heardyou were sick and-" The lady tried to explain until a gravely voice yelled from the chapel's doors.

-"Hildr !" A man came in almost running and stood behind the lady, "Your Highness, my apologies I let her out of my sight and she came in to disturb you." He quickly followed by.

The King's eyes narrowed at the man's arrival, but by the way he spoke and was dressed anyone could only guess he was the lady's father, worried her daughter's shenanigans might have disturbed the King's peace.

-"Do not worry yourself, she did not disturb me although she is a very interesting lady." He joked, which made Hildr giggle discreetly to not face her father's wrath, the King hoped his words would have calmed the father's anger but it did nothing like that.

Instead, he grabbed his daughter's arm tightly and started pulling her towards the door, mumbling a lot more of apologies to the King even though his mention of Hildr being an interesting creature, her father did not seem to care.

Their departure left the chapel empty, apart from the quick glance from the lady before forcefully crossing the doors, an almost sad, remorsefull glint could be seen from the King's perpective.

The moon was finally set up in the sky, the King sat on the chapel wooden bench with a slight hope Hildr would return to light up a small part of his evening with a simple smile, anything that could get his mind out of his own misery for a long minute. The loneliness of ruling the people and his own sickness would never fade from his life, it can only be dimmed by something or someone so full of light they could light up a cave.

Maybe the light will never return.