Power and The Queen

Chapter Twenty-five.🟢

"Who is the girl?" Queen Artemis asked straight to the point.

She stared down at him seemingly bored and uninterested.

Prince Zachary was a bit surprised at her forwardness but he did not let it show, his mother would detect that. His parents sent for him at dawn the next day as he expected. He knew his mother would be curious as to who Cora really is.

"Have you lost your tongue, Prince?" she asked, the edges of her tone sharper than usual.

The Prince stood up from where he knelt at the foot of the stairs leading to his parent's throne.

"She is a girl from Ovalon I met on my way here." the Prince said, making sure his exterior was bold and convincing enough.

"Why did you not take a direct route to the Palace?" the king growled.

It was obvious he had more important things to do. The Prince resisted the urge to sigh and spoke.

"My King, Turk, my companion, needed a new sword, and I had promised him a trip to Ovalon back in Teslianna." The Prince knew it was not true, but his parents must never find out what he had done the last few months.

"Back to the girl." Queen Artemis spoke, glaring sideways at the King. "She is odd, too odd for my liking. I cannot read her."

The Queen expressed her discomfort shifting in her seat and from her distant stares the Prince could see it really bothered her.

Prince Zachary didn't know what made his mother's declaration seem funny to him. He almost laughed at the statement but ended up choking in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. She could not read Cora? How was that possible? The Queen could read anyone.

"Since she is a commoner like you put it, I have lost interest. She is free to go back home." Queen Artemis concluded.

"My King," the Prince called. "It is my plea that you grant my wish to allow Cora to live here in your castle as a guest. She is recently bereft and has no knowledge of it. I do not want her to break down from the news."

"Why should you care about the feelings of a commoner?!" the Queen snapped, voicing her displeasure immediately. "It is not your job to care. You will send her home before the sun goes down."

"What has come over you Zachary, has that young maiden blinded your thoughts?!" the King yelled.

"She saved my life!" the Prince found himself shouting. "It is the least I can do to say thank you. Father, you taught me to be generous to those that aid me and I am doing just that."

Silence followed after the ripples of the voices through the halls.

The Prince knew he was reaching his limit behaving this way on the second day of his return but he had to, for Cora, he would do anything. He had to keep her safe. His parents were silent and just when he thought they would finally give their verdict, the door opened with a loud creak, stealing their attention.

Prince Zachary stared in confusion at the figure coming closer to them. The figure was obviously a girl,  judging from the colour she wore and the way she walked. Only when the girl was a few feet away did he take in a sharp breath as he figured out who she was.

His breath quickened, and for the second time since he returned, he felt fear. Fear because he was losing his composure, and that attracted consequences. All this year he thought of her; of how much she would grow to hate him for leaving her, of how beautiful she would become, of how much he loved her.

She was indeed beautiful. He felt his eyes water as she continued her gracious walk each step more perfect than the other. She was dressed in a red flowing dress and her dark hair was styled in a way he was not used to, but it made her look more mature.