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S E V E N
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"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less."
—Marie Curie
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“How can we be sure that is who he saw?” Elizabeth asked. She was doubtful and unless she was sure then she wouldn’t say a word without proof.
“The description matches.” Her former brother-in-law insisted. They were in a small sitting room next to her bedchambers. She’d relieved her ladies of their duties for the time being while she conversed with the Lord.
The gardener had been requested to present himself before the Queen. He was middle aged, though his hair was greying at the sides and his hands were rough and dirty from the dirt. He cast his gaze downward for he knew not to look a royal directly in the eye unless permitted to.
“Tell me what you saw.” Elizabeth commanded. She didn’t care for the mistress, especially since it is suspected that she might’ve been pregnant, but she wanted confirmation from Morton before she ever believed that. However, if the gardener had been correct then Alessandra was in trouble.
“Your Majesty,” the Gardener began, “I was performing my duty in the garden, tending to the flower bed located in the west wing of the castle, when I heard commotion coming from one of the bedrooms. It is not easy to overhear a conversation unless the window is opened, and I tried to ignore it, but the conversation was heated, Majesty.”
“What did you see?” Elizabeth asked impatiently. “Who, in particular?”
“A woman about the age of Her Majesty, and a younger woman about the same age as the Princess Alessandra.”
“Give me the description of the one that was the same age as my daughter.” Elizabeth commanded. She looked to Lord Winston who was just as eager to hear it even though he’d already heard the story.
“She was about the same height as the Princess, a little taller by an inch or two, and she had long blonde hair and she was wearing a pale purple dress. I could not make out anything else distinctive about her because I was so far away. The shape of her head and figure looked oddly familiar. I have worked on the lands of the castle for over a decade, Your Majesty, it is my job to memorize every royal who has residency.”
“It is not enough.” The description was vague and there weren’t enough leads to automatically assume the person Nick was insinuating. She dismissed the gardener. He bowed before he walked out of her sitting room and when they were alone, Elizabeth began to rise.
“Your Majesty, forgive me, but who else do you know that wears purple dresses more than Priscilla? The girl practically has a personal seamstress that customizes all of her wardrobe in entirely purple.”
“Yes, but her father is the Duke. He has more power than me. If he found out then he would undoubtedly make the evidence disappear.” Duke Trescot could kill the gardener and anyone else he told.
“The Lady Lucille was pregnant—“
Elizabeth ground her teeth. She couldn’t stand to hear it. “This is too soon after my husband, Our King, has passed. Why does anyone care about the death of a mistress anyhow?”
Lord Winston crossed his leg over the other and leaned back in his seat. “I know it is news that Your Majesty does not want to hear, but—“
“Enough, Lord Winston. I do not want to hear of this any longer.” She’d given it too much thought. Yes, the woman’s death was strange and it happened coincidentally after the King’s death, but it was out of her hands. She had bigger issues to worry about. “I want to be alone. Tomorrow morning is the King’s funeral and I expect you to be in attendance. Then, I want you to focus on finding my husband’s killer.” She surprised herself with how believable she sounded, but she suppose it was a good thing. It was better to play the role of the innocent than the guilty.
Lord Winston uncrossed his legs and rose. “Your Majesty,” He bowed then he turned to leave. Before he took his leave, he turned back to the Queen one more time. “Should I tell the Duke Trescot about what was reported?”
Telling the Duke would mean that his attention would revert to the issue of his daughter being accused of murder and then he would hold off on the murder investigation of the king. It seemed likely and unlikely that would happen, but Queen Elizabeth couldn’t take that risk. She didn’t want to cause another wave of chaos.
“No. Keep this between us until further notice.”
Lord Winston nodded.
“And one more thing . . .”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“How is the Lady Greer doing?” She didn’t really want to know because she already knew how her niece was doing. Elizabeth kept record of Greer’s movements ever since her mother died because it was her job to look after her family. When she wasn’t worrying about Alessandra, she kept a close eye on Greer. They had tea together a few days before the Christmas party in which Greer expressed that she wished her father was more involved with her affairs. She felt neglected, the same emotion that Alessandra felt from her father.
“She is doing well, I thank Your Majesty for the acknowledgement.” Lord Winston said. He was lying. He hadn’t even talked to her since his daughter returned from whatever damn trip he sent her on.
“Lord Winston, you and I were once family. Since the passing of my sister, I feel as though our friendship hasn’t been well taken care of. For that, I am truly sorry. However, as your Queen I don’t expect lies. You have not seen her daughter, my niece, in weeks and yet you avoid her at every turn.”
“Your Majesty, I—“
“Don’t speak, Lord Winston. I only wish for you to go see your daughter. I know it pains you because she reminds you of my sister, but she has grown into a fine young woman. You would know that if you spoke to her.” She sat back down, dismissing the conversation because there was nothing else to say, nothing else that needed to be said. Elizabeth wanted her former brother-in-law to be a father because being a parent is one of the best experience only a few could have.
Lord Winston didn’t say anything as he walked away. Though her words remained in his mind for the rest of the day.
“Allow me to escort you to the funeral, it would do me great pride that I shall stand by my soon-to-be bride as she says her final goodbye to her father, the King.” Prince Daniel said. He’d hoped not to push her throughout lunch and now that it was coming to a close, he wanted to leave with some hope that he’d impressed her.
“I would love nothing more, Your Grace—Daniel,” she corrected. “But I think I should be with my mother. I don’t want to leave her alone, and I am due to pay her a visit after this.” She hadn’t heard anything from her mother since she left and wanted to simply see if she was all right.
“Yes, of course. At the reception, I shall find you then.” Prince Daniel said.
“Yes.” She agreed.
Prince Daniel pulled the chair from under the seat so the princess could stand. Daniel had heard the rumors, but he wanted to be sure. He couldn’t believe that a woman as beautiful as Alessandra didn’t want to be touched due to a skin condition. He hoped and prayed that it wasn’t true, but when he moved to touch her, she shrank from him.
“I am sorry, Your Grace.” Alessandra said. This was what she feared. Coming in contact with him would only lead to his death; she knew this was too good to be true.
“No, it was my mistake. Forgive me.” Daniel said, eyeing the gloves protecting her hands. She’d kept them crossed on her lap during the lunch and only moved them when she wanted to sip her tea or eat. “I bid you a good day, madam.”
“As well to you, too.”
Alessandra had entered the dining hall with hope in her heart, but she walked away with an overwhelming since of dread. This marriage wouldn’t work; any marriage to her would never work.
No matter how she looked at it, she was damned.
Alessandra decided to check in on her mother before she retired for the rest of the day because she needed the comfort. She needed her mother’s kind words to soothe her.
“Mother?” Alessandra called when she entered the Queen’s chambers. Her ladies were still posted outside of her chamber door and they curtsied when they saw the Queen’s daughter approach. They were quick to let her in.
“I am here.” Elizabeth responded. “How did the lunch go?”
“Daniel is a fine man indeed, but I am fearful.”
Elizabeth knew of her fear because they were the same as her own. She took her daughter’s hand and guided her to a seat. “We will work around this, Alessandra. We will figure this out.”
“I don’t want him to die.” Alessandra said.
“I know, my precious one.”
The princess sighed. “How have you been coping?”
Elizabeth hadn’t been well. She was anything, but calm. She didn’t want to alarm her daughter. “I am feeling sadness, but I am well.”
“The funeral will go by quickly, I hope.” Alessandra said.
Elizabeth smiled, brushing her daughter’s hair behind her ear before she kissed her forehead. She loved her daughter more than life and vowed to continue to protect her until her last breath. That’s why she couldn’t tell her about Priscilla. “Yes, I hope too.”
Despair hung low around Evyon the next morning. Early morning birds began to sing but the remainder was silent. Dew drizzled along the grass outside, giving a bright gleam as the sun rose. Amongst the castle, Hades stood watching in the chamber of the princess. He had waited and he knew that it was nearing time to collect Elizabeth's soul. He could feel the air brewing with her demise and still he watched. As if he would never get to see her again Hades lurked all night. His attention locked on the features of Alessandra’s sleeping figure.
Her white blonde hair splayed on the pillows in loose curls. She slept in her thin sheer gown, which left almost nothing to the imagination when he wanted her with the depth of a god's desire. This time he didn't bother to wear his cloak. He wanted to be the one to comfort his soon-to-be companion in her time of need but he knew he couldn’t interfere. Not as she tossed and turned, unable to rest peacefully. In her head she had nightmares.
He would have to leave before she woke, but until then his slender fingers grazed along the outline of her cheek and jaw, and with wonder she pressed her face into his hand. She was asleep but still she responded to him naturally.
This made him smile. He scanned her face for any imperfections but there were none in his eyes. With a sigh he closed his eyes, pained to leave her side when she needed him most, but alas, his form evaporated into nothing.
"Alessandra, wake up." Queen Elizabeth came to her daughter’s side, shaking her shoulder gently.
Alessandra familiarized herself with her mother’s touch, but soon realized that she felt the loss of something she couldn't place. It was there, in her chest. It pulled her like a weight she didn’t recognize and twisted as if she felt alone again.
"We need to be ready, the funeral starts soon." Elizabeth reminded her.
Alessandra climbed out of her bed and clutched her arms; the chill had set in now that she wasn't tucked under the blankets. Her fire had nearly burnt out in the hearth. Moving quickly Elizabeth pulled out a dark grey dress that would accent the coverage of all of Alessandra's skin like her chest, her shoulders, half her neck, and all the way down to the loops that held the sleeve on the fingers.
After dressing her daughter, she helped her slip the white coat gloves on over the dress clasps that hid beneath the deep grey material.
Princess Alessandra made her way with the crowd that moved to the throne room, where she spotted Daniel standing along the front lines of the gatherers. The Queen would be along shortly as she needed to prepare to lead the formal gathering in the place where the King would be laid to rest and Daniel seemed eager to speak.
"Good Morning, Prince Daniel." Alessandra greeted, standing at his side.
He smiled, "Good Morning, Princess Alessandra. You look beautiful even in sorrowful times."
"Thank you, Your Grace." She adorned him and looked around to see her ladies were here, except for Priscilla was hadn’t been seen since yesterday.
Finally the Queen made her appearance, quite joyful to see the young love blooming between the prince and princess. Her daughter deserved to find love of her own free will.
The Priest was the first to speak to officially commence the funeral. "King James was once our great King. He led us through many great wars and we gained victories. He set us on a bright path that seems to continue on even in death. Let us all go take today to grieve as his spirit finds his way home and he may achieve happiness in the afterlife."
The ceremony wasn’t too long. There was the Priest who preached about finding peace in the afterlife and then the choir sung two songs. The burial service was next, located down at the crypts, it was only attended by nobles and royals were allowed inside the sanctuary.
The weather was timid. With chilled air, frost laid in the thin layer of precipitation of the sky. Each person followed a shoveled out path that winded down to the cemetery out in the far corner of the gardens. Daniel extended his hand to grasp Alessandra's. Their gloves being the only reason she didn’t shrink away from him. Her head spun and her chest felt heavy, heaving nervously as she could see the death of Daniel should he touch her without protection. It was too early to allow touching like this but if she didn’t show some signal of interest he would feel obliged to decline the marriage agreement. She needed this right now; she just feared he would get too accustomed to her touch.
Inside the large stone crypt was a double level stone encasing. The walls were lined with casket sized hollow coves. Alessandra noticed the torches lit along the walls and she could see the different cases for bodies, each evolving a bit more than the last.
Would she lie in a tomb here one day, with Daniel by her side? Or would she eventually go to his kingdom? Evyon was larger in territory and controlled more regions and capitols. The King had gained much favor from the other towns as he always rode to see them without the distraction of a royal son.
“Here lies the king—my beloved husband." Queen Elizabeth sobbed quietly to herself.
The nobles closed in behind the wife and daughter. Bowing their head with respects. Prince Daniel stood right behind Alessandra. He wanted to think things would be okay, but something led him to believe otherwise. This kingdom was falling apart and it was clear to see. If he married her, would it be a wise choice. He would only lose everything he worked to gain with marriage. An agreement, which would only waste time but was he willing to chance it?
Lord Trescot had enjoyed his position under the king. His word made a difference and he could use that to aid in making crucial decisions. He wanted to be a fair man, equal and just to its best degree but he did not feel that strongly about the princess.
Others like Bowden and Dowry, Bevlens, and even Swansburh; didn’t quite trust in the marriage King James had set up. He wanted to prove he had control over his kingdom and he never taught the poor girl how to run one.
The guard escorting them opened the top hatch for the sliding top to come loose where King James petrified position was cleaned up. The blood was gone, his eyes were closed, and his mouth had been sewn shut from the inside to keep it closed. His hair was neatly combed. His dress was at his finest in the first fur shawl he made. Hunted it and skinned it himself.
Memories flitted through their minds, Elizabeth with her first few years of marriage, and Alessandra with the times he showed her any interest before she turned thirteen. Her father taught her to shoot a bow and arrow. It aided her with her first kill to a deer. She had been ten at the time, the snow was cold but she had spotted a buck, his antlers were small with few points but when her father taught her to take it down with swift aim, she had seen a proud look in his eyes.
Elizabeth remembered how he looked on the day of their wedding. Young and daring he appeared to her that day. She knew he would grow to love her and she him, as they didn’t know one another. She was right, until the day Alessandra was born and she couldn’t produce any more. He had changed. It didn’t matter; he was gone now. Her world was nearly over and she had to do it to save Alessandra. Without the King, she had other focuses.
Everyone paid their dues, and left the two family members to grieve alone. Alessandra stood with her hands at her side, even being dead she was afraid to touch her father like Elizabeth had been.
Seeing that they were alone, Elizabeth felt the tears finally draw forward, breaking the walls she had built for years in front of her people.
They spent their time saying good-bye to King James. Alessandra wished she could have done something else. Still there was only one direction to move and that was forward.
"We should go and have breakfast, we have the council to speak to this afternoon." Elizabeth sniffled but dabbed her tears.
Alessandra nodded. She waited and extended her hand to her mother and together they walked out of the crypt, leaving their beloved King behind to rest in peace.