I did everything that was asked of me for the next few days. I would quietly eat my suppers with the king in the evenings. Sometimes he would force small talk; sometimes we would sit in silence. Either way I only spoke when spoken to and I always answered his questions as promptly as I could without being rude. Every morning I was forced into a dress, yet I would never leave my bedroom unless the king consented.
I was slowly learning to sew with the help of my maids so I could pass by the dull days. Lydia didn't seem to care much for the idea of a maid teaching me such a skill, but the smallest maid, Isabelle, was delighted to teach me. I wasn't much good at it, and I spent much of my time yelping and fussing over my damaged finger tips but it certainly passed the time. In addition to this, it made me feel less alienated. I knew I wasn't truly royal, only by marriage, but I was also above my maids. Having time to stitch might've brought me further away from my royal title but at least I had company.
James stayed far away from me during this time and I couldn't say I blamed him. The king had shown a very violent side of himself that morning, one that had terrified me. I didn't doubt that James was also worried, perhaps even more so than I was. His job and life could be at stake just the same, but he had the training and the upbringing to know better. My ignorance may serve as a heavy excuse. Or maybe he was less worried because he understood the nature of the king more intensely than I did.
I still did not understand what marking was and I was too scared to ask, but I did not want such horrific events to be turned onto James. He was the closest thing I ever had to a friend and I wanted to keep him safe from the king, even if that meant he had to stay away from me and I had to remain in the dark about werewolves for the time being.
But while James stayed very far away from me, the doctors were always hovering around. I was seen by one doctor in the morning and another in the evening after supper every day. They would ask me the same questions about my neck, unwrap, inspect, then rewrap my wound. One was still rude, the other was kind and gentle. Regardless, they both seemed to think I was healing okay. Occasionally I thought their actions were tedious, but then I reminded myself of the extreme and debilitating pain I had been in when the 'marking' had occurred so I said nothing and let them work as they pleased.
One day, when I was stitching with Isabelle I finally gave up on maintaining silence. It was too much, my mind was drowning in boredom and I feared that I would go crazy soon if I had no purpose other than healing my wound and stitching.
"Are you a werewolf as well?" I asked, peeking up from my messy work. I made sure the other maids were too far away to hear, busying themselves with cleaning my armoire and scrubbing the already pristine floor.
Isabelle froze for a second, her hands no longer hemming a pair of breeches that must've belonged to the king. They were too fine of material to belong to anyone else.
"We aren't allowed to discuss such matters." She answered quietly. Her soft eyes remained intent on her work, so I wasn't even able to read an expression.
"Why not?" I challenged. I leaned towards her, eager to hear every word that came out of her mouth. I wanted to unravel this mystery more than anything.
"The king forbade it among staff. He does not wish to have a divide between the humans and the werewolves. He says that we must all work together so personal matters are to be left for the home." She explained.
"I see, so he's worried that many people would have prejudices against one another and the flow within the palace would be disrupted." I set aside my stitching and straightened my back in the leather chair, "But you and I do not work together, therefore the rule doesn't directly apply to us. So tell me, are you a werewolf or a human?" I asked again.
"Queen Willow..." Isabelle begged, finally raising her eyes to me. I finally saw that she was quite afraid to answer my question and that she was literally pleading with me not to force her into answering.
It disturbed me to think that the man I had married had done this. I wasn't sure what he threatened these women with or what he threatened the rest of the staff with but clearly it was enough. Isabelle was becoming more of a friend than a maid and I did not wish to upset her, so I let the conversation drop. In addition to this I did worry that King Archer would not be so kind if he found out about her sharing her secret, regardless of her species or my loophole. And this wasn't the first instance that I saw my husband cause fear. I remembered very well the way my maids reacted when I tried to defy the king the first time. Even Lydia had been terrified.
I didn't want to cause those kinds of consequences anymore. I had been a slave. I knew what it was like to have someone always looming overhead, someone who cared less about your survival then they did about their boots. It was horrifying. I would not put that on my maids, or any staff member, to satisfy my own curiosity.
So when it became too boring to sit around and stitch all day I told my maids that I would be stepping out for a while. Lydia nodded her head respectfully at my words, but Isabelle still looked anxious. When I exited my room I was greeted by two guards, James and his usual partner. Both of them offered to accompany me, but I refused and told them I would be back soon enough. Like Isabelle, James looked anxious. He too knew the restrictions the king had put on me.
I paid their worrying glances no attention and kindly dismissed any other guards that wanted to join me on my journey. I just wanted to be alone for once, not trapped in my bedroom while dealing with an intense and uncomfortable silence. Even being lonely with my own muddled thoughts was better than that.
I eventually navigated my way through the various halls and rooms and made it outside. I almost laughed a little. I spent so much time in the outdoors when I was a slave. I hated the sun in the summer and desperately wanted to hide away from the heat in the little stone house. When the winter blew in and the cold nipped at my skin I wanted the same thing. But now that I lived in a house, a palace that was more gorgeous than anything I could've ever imagined, the only thing I wanted was to be outside, to not be closed in. When the sun hit my face I tilted my head back and sighed before descending down the beautiful stairs.
After a few more steps I entered one of the most magical places on the grounds. Each time I scouted the gorgeous gardens from far away windows I would long to be outside. All of the colours, the textures, and the scents. It seemed like such a wondrous world, so far away from all of the heartache and confusion that filled the palace. It was the most stunning haven.
I spent a good amount of time weaving around the grounds. I never strayed far and I always made sure I was in the view of the guards. I knew the second I drifted out of their sight there would be an alarm raised and every solider would be galloping around the country looking for me. I didn't want to give the king another reason to be on edge, I needed him to trust me for any escape plan to work. Still, I enjoyed the gardens.
Never in my life had I seen such a stunning assortment of flowers. Yellow buds were poking up beside beautiful purple flowers. It was all a whirl of pinks, reds, oranges and greens. It was one of the most spectacular things that I had ever seen. Hedges were perfectly trimmed into intricate designs and statues dotted the perfectly green grass. Stone paths guided me through the floral maze. Every time the wind blew I breathed in as deeply as I could, enjoying the sweet smell of nectar. At one point I was so happy to be outside in the open that I picked up the skirt of my dress and twirled myself around and around until I got dizzy. It felt freeing, though it looked childish, so I enjoyed every second of it, not worrying about a single thing. My mind was filled with a colourful whirlwind and with my head spinning I laughed at my own antics while unknowingly stumbling into someone.
"Oh my goodness, I am so terribly sorry." I giggled, straightening up as I brushed my hair out of my eyes. And with my line of vision clear I realized that I had stumbled into my dear husband. "Oh, it's you."
The king looked down at me with those intense brown eyes for a long time. I desperately wanted to squirm under his gaze, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. So I stared at him without uttering a word or batting an eyelash. I absently wondered if he knew how much he intimidated me or if I was actually capable of acting like I was unbothered by him. Then I was struck by the thought that he had gotten a little pale. Perhaps he needed to be spending more time outside as well.
"I do recall giving you strict orders to stay in the palace until further notice." He said sternly, offering me his elbow.
I ignored his offering, but did walk beside him as he moved through the gardens. When he realized I was being defiant he clasped his hands behind his back, appearing to be the epitome of self-control. It was far from the small outburst I had expected.
"I was bored." I answered.
"You could've asked me for permission or at least allowed a guard to come with you." He countered.
"I didn't want one of my guards to get in trouble. I made the choice to disobey and I didn't want anyone other than myself to face the repercussions. And I didn't ask you because I knew that you would say no." I explained hotly. I knew this man would overrule me every time, but I still hadn't learned how to go down without a fight.
"Every one of the working staff knows the restrictions that I have placed on you for the time being. If I don't punish you I will be viewed as weak and incompetent. In addition to this I did warn you that you would be punished the next time you broke the rules."
"I understand." I stated, but dread was already pooling in my stomach.