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Adrianne
Adrianne sat by the table in her chambers, letting the simple pearl necklace run through her fingers like she had done only a little over a week ago, at home in her own chambers. She tried to imagine what her life would have been like, had the King never died. Would she be sitting in the Stone Garden, where the only trees that grew were planted in pots, looking across the ocean and guessing what lay beyond the seemingly endless desert of waves?
That had always been her favourite thing to do, especially in the evening when the setting sun coloured the black and blue water in shades of fire. When she was younger, she would sit there with her parents and her brother but as she grew older, she went there alone as well. She would sit on the bench beneath the peach tree which was planted in a particularly large and beautiful pot and dream of her future. Sometimes, Alex would join her and they would laugh about the creatures they imagined to live in countries far away, across the water.
“Your bath is ready,” Miriam’s voice sounded from behind her, drawing her back to reality. She let the necklace slip down onto the mahogany with a slithering sound of the silver chain curling around itself.
Adrianne lifted herself from the chair and smiled to Miriam. “Thank you.”
By the bathtub, Miriam helped her out of her clothes and let her hair fall free from the braid. So much had happened since she had arrived, yet this engagement seemed to have arrived so quickly. In just a few hours, she would be standing in the Great Hall with all the most important people in the kingdom watching her every move. Judging her every move.
The water was hot, so hot that she took some time getting used to it before slipping into it fully. While Miriam washed her hair in various soaps and added oils to the bath that would clean her skin, Adrianne’s thoughts wandered to that day when Thomas and the Servant had approached her in one of the gardens.
It was Thomas who puzzled her the most; she still did not know what to think of him or his advice. He was only half a man, after all. Never had she seen a man as comical as him, she thought and smiled to herself. He walked in a funny way. But when you were only half the size of a man, were you also only half as honourable? Half as clever? She shook her head mentally; he did have a large head, so maybe he was as clever as anyone. And his advice was so close to her suspicions about the Queen...
“Leave me,” Adrianne said once Miriam was finished. “I would like to be alone for a little while.” Miriam nodded and left her without a word. She would not be much alone for the rest of the day. Soon enough, she would be sleeping in the King’s bed. He was not king yet, of course, but he would be by the time they had married.
The wedding night was just another reason to worry. Frowning slightly, one of Adrianne’s hands went to cover her breast. She knew that men found women’s breasts... fascinating. She wondered if Raphael would like hers. What would she do if he didn’t?
She relaxed her arm once more and it slid down her stomach to rest on her thigh. The feeling of the water around her was a feeling that she had missed. Bathing in the sea was another thing that she had done often and another thing that she missed from home. She closed her eyes and imagined that it were the waves of the Warm Sea that covered her naked body. It brought some sort of comfort.
She had spoken to Miriam about the acts of the wedding night, briefly and awkwardly, but often. Apparently, it would hurt the first time. And the act seemed so strange – she could not think of it as anything but appalling to have that part of a man inside of her. But Miriam had told her with an assurance that made Adrianne’s view of her change slightly that it was not always a bad act. That sometimes it could even be pleasurable.
Still, it was how you made children – and giving the King children was the most important of her duties. She had to give him an heir.
With a sudden interest, she moved her hand across her thigh and touched the inner part of her thighs. Since her bleedings, she had not wanted to touch anything close to that part of her. In that moment, she just needed to know. So she defied her disgust and ran a finger across... it.
Her lips parted slightly, mostly in wonder, when she felt the pleasure. It wasn’t much, just a little bit. She was even more surprised by what her hand felt; never had she thought that she would be like that down there. She ran her finger across once more and felt the pleasure again; this time, there was more.
It was pure instinct that led her index finger to the right point. As her finger paused, she furrowed and bit her lip hesitantly. She looked around her quickly, making sure that the room was empty. Then she bit down on her lip even harder and pushed up.
There was no pain. Not much pleasure, either, but no pain. It felt so different from what she’d expected; she could even feel her muscles moving. Clenching and unclenching as she got used to the feeling. With a gasp, she pulled out the finger. What am I doing? The water splashed around her as she rubbed the finger with her other hand, harder than needed. Then she jumped out of the tub, suddenly convinced that the water had gone dirty with whatever had been on her finger.
“My lady?” Adrianne jumped at the sound of Miriam’s voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around. Somehow she felt guilty, as though Miriam had caught her. “Are you done bathing?”
It took her a second to realize what she was talking about. Then she nodded frantically. “Yes,” she said, “could you clear away the bath? Quickly, if you please?” She couldn’t wait for the bath to be out of sight.
Miriam smiled and Adrianne began to realize who was standing in front of her. It’s just Miriam. “Do you not want to be dressed first? You would not want to catch a cold, not today of all days.”
“No.” Not today of all days. “You’re right.”
The handmaiden smiled understandingly and rushed over to pick up a light shift. She helped Adrianne into it and tied it together on the front. “Are you nervous? About tonight?” Adrianne nodded silently as the silk wrapped around her pleasantly. “That is understandable. Go sit on the bed, if you please. Relax for a while.”
Once more, Adrianne nodded and walked past Miriam. When she reached the bed, she collapsed on top of it. Her knees were weak and the thing between her legs was still aching. She hoped it would stop before the feast.
“Are you feeling right?” Miriam asked when she had finished clearing away the bathtub. “You look pale, and your cheeks are blushed.”
A hand flew to rub her cheek, feeling the heat beneath her skin. She was sweating a bit as well. Perhaps she had caught a cold. Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad. “I am fine,” she said, unsure if it was a lie. She did feel... strange.
“Good.” Miriam looked her over once more before turning around and opening a large chest. The dress she pulled forward was not a dress that was unknown to Adrianne; she had tried it and retried it a thousand times by now.
It was sewn in golden silk, two shades of it, in vertical stripes that made her look even taller. The shoulders were puffy and beautiful, and the sleeves that were attached separately matched the colour of the dress perfectly. Intricate embroideries were attached by hand, not a single one the same as the other. It fit as perfectly as it had some days ago, when she had tried it on for the last time before the feast.
“You look like a queen,” Miriam whispered into her ear. Adrianne smiled and repressed a giggle as she turned around in the mirror. After a few twists, she turned around to face Miriam.
“Do you think Raphael will agree?”
“He already does.” The handmaiden was practically beaming. “Why else would he put a crown on your head?” It is not he who would put a crown on my head, Adrianne thought sullenly. It’s my father, and the dead King. Miriam put two fingers beneath her chin and lifted it. “But if you wear a frown like that tonight, maybe you will change his mind.”
She swallowed solemnly. The words had been meant as a joke, but there was much truth in them. I must be perfect tonight, she thought to herself, furrowing, I must be perfect.
When it came to her hair, no one could question her perfection. The easterners were renowned for it; for their rich clothing and intricate hairstyles. They so often received guests from faraway lands, willing to trade their knowledge of both beauty and of other things. Once, there had arrived a woman along with a ship, whose hair was done in a thousand tiny braids. They said that she never undid them; she had worn them for so long that she had forgotten how real hair felt like.
Of course, she was not to wear a thousand braids tonight. Instead, her hair was first collected in a golden net at the back of her head. It was decorated with the same pearls as those one her bodice. Then Miriam attached a large ring around the bundle of hair. It was golden as well, like the lighter shades of the dress, with darker lines on it, and more pearls.
“Now, this,” Miriam said once she had finished, “will make the Prince ache for your wedding night.” The word ache sent a blush creeping to her cheeks.
Once she had finished preparing herself for the feast, there was not much else to do. Her brother came briefly to her chambers. He had smiled at her and told her how beautiful she was, but Miriam had not let him hug her in fear of ruining the dress. Then her mother had come; she, too, had smiled and stroked her cheek and told her how proud she was. In the end, she was only waiting for her father.
Once you were a woman, traditions said, there were only two occasions where you would arrive accompanied by your family – and even then, only by your father; betrothal and marriage. When he arrived, he looked her up and down, smiled and nodded. He knew that she had had enough words. Simply slipping her hand through his arm and letting her lead her, as he had so often done before, felt more reassuring than thousand words picked and put together by a singer could ever have.
It wasn’t until they reached the double doors that led to the Great Hall that her nerves returned. Her heart went fluttering with anxiety as a small man stepped forward to announce them.
“Presenting Henri Lamarck, lord of Tibera and the East, and his daughter, Adrianne Lamarck, lady of the East and from now on, the future Queen of Etheron.” He stepped aside and let them pass as the entire court and its guests stood up from their seats, clapping. They were all looking at her, she realized and straightened her back.
Even the Queen Regent was standing, smiling in a way that looked so, so true. She was no longer wearing her mourning clothes, but she could as well have. The only thing bright on her was the necklace; a cross with the sun ring rounding it. The Black Queen.
She stood to the left of the Prince, as handsome as ever. To his right, an empty chair was placed where she would sit. She would sit to the left of Raymond Turell, who was slouching, his eyes already glazed over in drunkenness. To his right stood Sir Thomas Bonney, Head of the Royal Bank. He had to be standing on his chair. Who could blame him?
As she made her way around the tables, she nodded to those that she passed. Some of them she knew; Lord Jon Bonney, who had just recently lost his wife to a fever, surrounded by his sons; Lord Jacob of Middlehall with his kind wife; Carolina Renell, with her son and his wife and their newborn. She even saw the second branch of her own family, standing out with their hair, even brighter than her own. Amongst them she saw the poor girl, their youngest. Celeste would have been beautiful had it not for the birthmark that covered a good part of the right side of her face.
Adrianne found her place beside Raphael while Henri sat by his own family. She envied him; in fact, she envied all the men. They would never have to leave their family. Raphael barely spared her a glance after they exchanged courtesies, and she found herself tearing up as she watched her own family laugh and talk.
Raphael was very quiet; he didn’t even speak to the Queen. While that was to prefer compared to the filth that left the mouth of Raymond and the dwarf, it still did nothing to calm her. At some point, the man apologized on his brother’s behalf. Apparently he did not find it very ‘kingly’ to leave one’s betrothed in silence. She had politely told him that there was nothing to apologize for.
Just before the music began, a tall pale man with a trace of a beard above his upper lip stopped by her table. She stood up when he cut in and let him take her hand in his while he presented himself to her. “Your Grace, my name is Jonathan Baker. I am the Representative of the People at the King’s Council. I thought I should introduce myself before it got embarrassing.”
He spoke in a sly way, but somehow he was also very charismatic. She reminded herself to smile at his joke, but was cut off before she could say anything by Raymond. “Representative of the People,” he said jokingly. “If that is what you call it.”
Jonathan laughed right along with him, but Adrianne could do nothing but stare between them. The joke was lost on her. “That is what the King called it.”
“Well, the King was the King,” Thomas joined in, much to the amusement of the two other men. Jonathan seemed to realize her confusion.
“They are just making fun of me. I own a brothel, you see.” Adrianne found herself staring at their still joined hands. What else had they touched? He smiled and removed his hand from hers. “I apologize if I have offended you, my lady.”
She quickly shook herself and smiled as brightly as she could. “Not at all. I am honoured to meet the Representative of the People. I am sure it must be a great honour to sit at the King’s Council, especially when you’re...” She stopped herself.
“...the owner of a brothel?” Jonathan finished suggestively. “It is not my only business, I assure you. Not my first one, either. Now I must excuse you. The dance is about to begin and your betrothed is beginning to look impatient.”
And he was, she thought shamefully. He stood up, smiling reassuringly at her but she couldn’t help but feel that she had failed. She smiled back and placed her hand lightly on his up-turned palm, letting him lead her. The musicians spotted them and began to play. Their music alerted the people and soon, the Great Hall was silent but for a few whispers and the music. She needed to remind herself to breathe when she stepped into the square that had been cleared in the middle of the room.
They stepped into the clearing and the dance began.
Raphael was a good dancer, at least as good as herself. His grip on her hand was light, almost too light, not quite leading her. She needed to pay extra attention to his signals. Her entire focus was on their dance and she didn’t even notice when other couples joined in. She was just thinking of how good it was that this dance was so strict, that way she was almost sure they would not dance into the others when they were so focused on their own dance, when her foot caught in something.
Her heart skipped a beat and she fought to regain balance, tugging at Raphael’s hand in a way she knew would shame her later. Just as she thought she had regained balance, her weight tipped and she fell forward. The ground neared her face and her arms flailed in front of her while she fought not to scream. Just don’t scream, or they’ll all look at you. Don’t scream, don’t scream...
She managed not to scream, but it didn’t matter. When she looked up, all eyes were on her anyway. Do not cry. She had to stand up, so she did. The Great Hall was even more silent than it had been when they walked out to begin the dance. Whispers began to spread, along with a few suppressed giggles. Do not cry. A woman’s hand reached out to help her. “I am so sorry,” the owner of the hand said. She had black hair and large lips. “My lady, it was all my fault.”
Adrianne straightened herself. She wanted most of all to just run away and bury herself in the ground, never to rise again. She wanted to die, or return to Lionhall and never, ever leave again. That, however, would only have made the situation work. Instead, she looked at the woman and then spoke as tactfully and evenly as possible. “Do not worry yourself. It was not your fault.” Then she turned to the Prince. “Thank you for the dance, Your Grace.”
Raphael looked at her, then towards the Queen. “I shall accompany you back to your seat, my lady,” he said, “if it please you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” She did a courtly bow before lifting the hem of her dress from the floor and letting him lead her away from the dance floor. They had not yet sat down when the music began again.
When they did sit down, the Queen turned to her. “I trust that you are not harmed?”
Adrianne shook her head shamefully, unsure if it was a mockery. “No, Your Grace.”
“That is good, very good.” She looked at her eldest son pointedly.
“I agree,” he said quickly. He seemed to think about what he said for a moment. “I am glad you are not harmed, my lady.”
Adrianne nodded as gracefully as possible, all the while thinking about how she should escape this place. “Thank you, Your Grace. If you would excuse me, all this dancing has made me tired.”
Raphael stood up and kissed her hand courtly. The Queen stood up as well, kissing both her cheeks in farewell. Adrianne ignored the worried looks from her family on her way out.
It wasn’t until she was out of the room that she realized what had happened. Her breathing became shallow and tears trickled down her cheeks. She had to get out of sight, so she made a run for it. She ran all the way from the doors of the Great Hall, up stairways and down corridors until she had lost her way twice. Only then did she find her chambers.
Miriam wasn’t there. The room was dark and empty, except for a lonely candle by her dresser. She walked to it and became aware that she was stumbling, heaving for her breath. It felt as though no air came in when she drew in. When she reached the dresser, she lost balance and fell across it, sucking in air, but it was as though she had forgotten how to.
Her noise must have awakened Miriam, because in the next second, the dark-skinned maidservant was there, her hands all over Adrianne’s body. “My lady, what is the matter? What happened?”
“The dance...” Adrianne trailed off as her body began to scream for air. Her hand fumbled with the lacings of her dress but never really got hold. “I can’t breathe, please...” Tears were now flowing from her eyes. “I can’t... help me.”
“My lady... just a second, I’ll get these clothes of you.” Adrianne didn’t know how it happened, or how fast, but suddenly the clothes were not there anymore, and her corset was loosening. “I knew it was tied too tight, but I know how proud you are of your figure and...”
Finally free of her confinement, Adrianne fell to her knees, gasping and coughing. She was pulled to her feet and lain down on the bed by Miriam. “Lie here,” the servant said, “I’ll get you water. Lie still. Try to breathe.”
When Miriam returned, her breathing had almost returned to normal. The glass of water was brought to her lips and she swallowed it quickly. “There you go,” Miriam said calmly. “Shh, try to breathe. Like that.” Adrianne hiccupped as tears once more welled out. “What happened? Tell me what happened.”
“We were about to dance.” Adrianne sobbed and more tears ran when she remembered. “And he wasn’t a very strong leader, so I had to focus on him, and it wasn’t my fault...”
“What wasn’t your fault?” Miriam was stroking back Adrianne’s hair.
It took her a moment to collect the courage to say it out loud. “I fell,” she cried, cramping together as more sobs overtook her body.
“Oh...” Miriam took her in her arms. “Shh, it’s alright. It could have been anyone.”
“But it was me.” Adrianne buried her face in Miriam’s clothes. She smelled of home. “It was me.”
It took Miriam several hours to calm her down. More than once, she had calmed almost to the point of sleeping and then suddenly been reminded of what had happened. Finally, she felt as though she was calm enough to talk.
“Miriam?”
“Yes?”
“The other day, I... I was approached by Sir Thomas, the Head of the Royal Bank.” Miriam nodded in recognition of the name. “He told me that the Queen is opposed to me. He said that there’s only room for one queen, and that as long as the Queen wants to be that, she will work against me. Do you remember Jeffroy? The Servant I told you about?” She felt Miriam nod. “Thomas told me that he works with Lucretia, that he’s just a pawn in her game. Do you think it’s true?”
Miriam thought about it for a while. “You never know. But it seems to me that the Queen has been very generous with her hospitality. Maybe Thomas has a quarrel with the Queen. Maybe he is just trying to create a fight where there is none.”
Adrianne furrowed. “Why would he want to do that?”
“You never know what people would want to do, or why. Especially not here. They all do the strangest things for the strangest reasons.”
Miriam kissed Adrianne’s forehead gently and laid her head back on the pillow. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered as her eyes closed shut.
“I’ll stay here all night, my lady.”
Adrianne felt her hands caressing her head, stroking the hair away. “No. Stay here forever.”
Miriam didn’t answer, not while Adrianne was awake at least. The tears had made her tired and when she slept, it was a deep sleep. When she awoke, she had forgotten her dreams but the pillow was wet. Her arms trembled when she lifted herself up to sit. Outside the window, the sky was red.
“You’re awake?” Miriam stood up from a chair. Her hair was a mess and she looked as though she hadn’t slept for days.
“Did you not sleep?” All of a sudden, Adrianne felt guilty.
“How could I?”
“Do I have to get up right now?” Her body was still heavy from shame and sleep.
Miriam smiled. “Stay in your bed a little longer. I’ll get you when it’s time for breakfast.”
It wasn’t a long time that she got to rest, but it was long enough for her to fall into a light slumber. Miriam helped her into a simple dress and swept the front of her back into a braid. Then they walked together from her chamber to a small dining area in her father’s quarters. Her father and brother were there, but her mother was absent.
When Adrianne entered, the two men gave her a long look before bidding her a good morning. They both knew it couldn’t be further from the truth. She sat down silently and asked for some eggs. A good breakfast makes a man strong, and a woman fat, someone had once told her. It wouldn’t do for a queen to be fat, so since then, she had been careful about what she ate in the mornings.
“How are you, sis?” His eyes were worried.
She swallowed down some eggs. “Good.”
“Good,” he echoed. “The Prince has invited us to join him on a hunt today. I am sure he would be glad to have you join him.”
“After yesterday, I’m sure he won’t.” She picked at the food on her plate, unable to eat much more.
“Don’t slouch,” her father chided. “And speak up, or you’ll be sure he won’t.”
Her head snapped up, shocked. He was right, though. “Pardon me, father.”
Henri smiled warmly. “What happened yesterday is in the past. You can’t change it, but you can learn from it. And you can still fix it.”
Adrianne nodded, mostly to herself. She could still fix it. And she would.
She had never received much training in riding, or hunting for that matter. It wasn’t very popular in the east and she’d never taken any particular interest in it. In the west, it seemed, it was very different. By the stables she was met by an enormous group of people, both men and women. They were a mixed group of lords and ladies, knights and men to lead the dogs. The Queen was nowhere to be seen, but both her sons were there and their sister.
Constance was a beautiful young lady, her hair as dark as her skin was pale. Her lips were very red and her cheeks were a bit flushed, and Adrianne wondered if she was still a bit sickly. She didn’t get much time to think because in the next moment, Raphael’s eyes landed on her and he excused himself from his siblings.
“My lady Lamarck,” he greeted as he walked towards her. “I feared you wouldn’t join us. Your lord father told me that you were not much for hunting.”
His courtesies made her smile as she did a small curtsey. “When it is the Prince who invites me, how can I say no?”
He laughed and held out his arm, inclining towards a young, thin man with a dark face who was leading a horse. “I assume that most of your horses are still in Tibera.”
Adrianne’s smile grew into a beam. She heard Alex shift nervously beside her; there was only one horse. “You were right, I’m afraid. Thank you, Your Grace.” The stable boy had stopped some paces behind Raphael, waiting anxiously to be called forward. “She’s beautiful,” Adrianne whispered.
The horse was tall and slender, but muscular. She could see the muscles move beneath its skin with its every motion. Adrianne knew nothing of horses, but she could guess that this one was a fast runner. “Her name is Echo,” Raphael told her as he took the reins from the stable boy and handed them over to Adrianne.
In a lack of words, she simply repeated the name that he had told her. “Echo.” The skin was soft and golden, like the grain on the fields. On its forehead, there was a white star.
“Max here will help you mount.” He nodded to the pale stable boy, who nodded his head frantically and mumbled something. “We ride off in a few minutes. I’ll get your brother a mount.”
“Thank you again,” Adrianne said as the Prince led her brother away. The stable boy helped her as she saddled up, his hands awkward and unsure in where he was allowed to touch her. Once she was up, though, she thanked him and searched for her brother.
Alex decided to ride in the head of the column, while Adrianne preferred to stay back. The hoofs made dangerous sounds against the woods as they crossed the western Sister. She wondered how the bridge could hold so many horses, and their riders. Usually she wasn’t afraid of water, but the stream beneath her seemed strong and she would definitely prefer not falling into it.
The Kingswood was said to be thrice the size of the Queenswood, through which she and her family had driven on their way to the Capital. It looked dark and dangerous. She never liked woods; she always felt closed in, as though an enemy could attack from all sides and she’d have no way of knowing it. So she was very relieved when the hunting party stopped in front of the looming woods to part into smaller groups.
A part of her hoped that she would end up in a group without the Prince or his siblings. That way, she could make some excuse after she was out of sight from them and before she had to enter the trees. Unfortunately, the Prince made sure that they would ride together. You should be happy, she told herself, at least he is not angry about what happened yesterday. But her mind wouldn’t listen.
In the open land, she hadn’t felt how unaccustomed she was to riding on a horse, but as soon as they entered the narrow paths of the forest, she began to feel unsure. On both sides, the forest seemed to bend over her with its long branches, like fingers. She wondered if there wolves this far south.
At first, they kept the horses in a slow trot, but soon enough an animal caught someone’s eyes. The dogs were sent out and the horses were urged into a gallop. It wasn’t long until they were riding too fast for her. She kept trying, as the wind blew forward tears in her eyes and her legs grew tired of straddling the horse.
Then suddenly there was a log. The others jumped across it, but Adrianne slowed her horse. They made it seem easy, but she still couldn’t make herself do it. Instead, she pulled at a rein and urged the horse to the side. It trotted towards the log slowly, but it wouldn’t go around. When she kicked at it, it simply turned in a circle. She could see the backside of the last horse turn around a corner.
Desperately, she let out a hiss, which turned into more of a scream, of frustration. She kicked the horse hard, but it wouldn’t move. “Echo,” she pleaded, but the horse wouldn’t listen. “It’s just a log, please. They’re getting away.”
“Are you having trouble?”
Adrianne almost jumped off her horse in surprise. The voice was gruff and the pronunciation seemed lazy. Her heart was beating hard and fast in her chest as all the worst scenarios entered her mind. When she turned around, she saw a man as unrefined as the voice.
He was wearing a loose tunic, which must have been something close to white once, along with simple breeches. His forehead was shining with sweat, his dark hair was wild and he seemed not to have shaved in a while. “Don’t look so scared, milady,” he said in a voice that she was sure was meant to be reassuring. When he stepped towards her, her breath caught in her throat.
“Do you want money?” Her voice was high pitched.
To her surprise, he just laughed. “Some money would be nice, if you’re offering.” She just kept staring at him, wide-eyed with her heart in her throat. “Don’t worry, milady, I won’t hurt you.” His voice sounded a little bit reassuring this time.
“Who are you?”
“Samuel, if it please my lady.” Hesitantly, he walked towards her. “Can I come closer?”
Adrianne cleared her throat. “My horse won’t go around that log.”
“They can be stubborn, those horses.” Something about his voice sounded almost humorous. He was close to her now. “The hunters are far away by now, though. I doubt you can catch them.”
Despair washed over Adrianne. What wouldn’t the Prince think? “How far is the edge of the woods?”
“Not very far.”
That, at least, was a relief. Still, they had taken many turns and she doubted she could find her way back. “I am not sure if I will be able to find my way back,” she admitted.
He smiled wryly. “I can take you, if you wish, milady.” Adrianne blinked. He had seemed kind enough up until now, but... “I just need to bring my axe back home."
“Axe?”
He smiled. “Don’t you worry.” He walked back to where he had appeared from and went through the undergrowth for something. When he straightened himself, his muscles flexed from the weight of a large axe. “I’m a woodcutter, in the King’s service. I won’t hurt you.”
“The King is dead,” she reminded him.
“So he is.” He shrugged. “My job hasn’t changed much, though.” Adrianne furrowed and looked at him. He was a strange man. “Do you want to wait here? I recommend that you go with me, however inappropriate it may seem. There were thieves in these woods. It isn’t safe for a lady like yourself to be alone.”
“And I would be safe with you?” Adrianne inquired.
“Safer.” He gave her a long look. “Are you coming?”
It took her another moment of thinking to kick her horse forward. He looked at her movement and shook his head. “What?” she said pointedly.
“You shouldn’t kick it like that.”
“What should I do, then? I want it to go forward.”
He inclined his head in some weird way she didn’t quite understand. “Use your body.”
“My legs are my body,” she pointed out. He just shook his head and began leading her through the undergrowth.
His home wasn’t far away. He lived in a small wooden cabin. A small dirt road led up to it. “Why do you walk through the woods when there is a road?”
Samuel chuckled. “It’s faster through the woods.”
“Do you live alone?” she asked as he let the axe fall down unto a log, which tilted from the weight of his axe when he let go. She couldn’t help but be impressed by his strength.
“Yeah.” He clapped his hands together a couple of times. Suddenly she felt sorry for him; to live alone, in the midst of these woods. Sometimes, she liked to be alone, but never for long.
“It must get lonely.” She looked around her. It was so quiet, except for the occasional bird, or a movement in the woods caused by a deer.
“A little,” he said carelessly. “There’s a tavern close by.” He began walking down the dirt road. Her horse easily kept up with him, even though his pace seemed a bit hurried.
“A tavern...” Adrianne remembered the filthy conversations that some of the men at court had about tavern wenches. She wondered if it were as easy for a commoner to bed them as it was for a highborn. The smirk that Samuel gave her told her that it was, at least for him.
It really wasn’t that far to the edge of the woods from Samuel’s cabin. The dirt road became a larger dirt road and they didn’t have to turn a single time on the way. Once they were there, she thanked him in an as heartfelt way as possible.
“What’s your name?” he said just as she was about to go. He was squinting his eyes against the sun and she noticed that they weren’t as dark as she thought.
“Adrianne, of the house Lamarck,” she told him.
“Ad...” Then he stopped, realizing. “Adrianne Lamarck. It... it was an honour, milady.”
Adrianne smiled, thinking about how much of a difference it made that she was to be queen. For some reason, she was glad he hadn’t known her name from the beginning. “Thank you.” She was unsure what to say next. “I will be sure to tell my betrothed how helpful you were. What is your second name?”
“I don’t have one, milady.”
She furrowed for a moment in confusion before realising that he was a peasant. Most peasants only had one name, or a last name that indicated their profession. “Very well. I will tell him as soon as the opportunity arises. Thank you again.”
He gave her a bow and then she rode away. When the hunting party returned, she made sure to stand by the gates. Raphael didn’t seem as worried as she would’ve liked, but at least he was not angry when she lied and said that she had felt ill. When she went to bed that night, she was strangely calm in spite of everything that had gone wrong that day.