The Dying

2

"Lady Aurora, please, don't drink that." The man's voice halted her action of lifting the drink to her lips. She had thought that no one was watching her place the poison in her cup or would care.

She turns to face the man, "Who are you?" She had been there almost twenty-one years, during that time she learned the names of very few of the Lords. Very few and he wasn't one of those few. She could however, name each and every one of the servants of the palace.

"My name is Marcus, please, don't drink that. Trust me to take care of the problem. There will be no reason for you to kill yourself."

The female, Aurora gives a bitter smile to the man talking to her. "You want me to trust you, Lord Marcus? Why should I? I've lived here nearly twenty one years now and not once have I seen you or met you. I have no reason to trust any one of your race." Her words hide the bitterness that she feels here, but the man gives her a sympathetic smile any way.

"I know that you have little reason to trust me or my people, but please, trust me for a short time and let me prove that I am worthy of said trust. Give me an hour, my lady, and if within that hour I am unable to take care of the problem then I will not stop you from drinking your wine and I will take your daughter to safety."

The female glares at him, "My daughter is safe..." Aurora trails off as Margaret joins her at her side. She turns white.

The man is quick to speak, not wanting her to faint on him. "The men you sent Lady Margaret to safety with, they weren't as loyal to the queen as she believed. They had actually taken her to a location that Garrett likes to take his female companions to. He would have raped her as soon as he heard that you were dead."

With those words Aurora nearly loses what little of the evening meal she had managed to eat.

"I will have her taken to a place that Garrett won't be able to touch her. But that is only if I fail in protecting you both. Please, just give me one hour?" The man is near begging and Aurora is still too sick to be able to think of an alternative to getting them out of the situation. She nods with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Margaret, I failed you." She manages to whisper to her daughter before the man leaves them and heads to his target. Marcus grinds his teeth in anger at her words. She hadn't deserved any of the treatment she's received since she came here, none of the females had.

He still remembers the day his father had pulled her from the other females that were on the ship and brought her to the officiant. She was so young, so scared. She hadn't known what was going on and his father hadn't bothered to tell her. He will never forget her face when he had followed his father with the others to watch him force the young girl to have sex with him afterwards.

The others had left with his father laughing and congratulating him, leaving the poor girl naked and alone and bleeding far more than she should have been. It was him that called in the doctor. The doctor stitched her up and gave her medicine that would knock her out.

That night he was angrier with his father than he had ever been. It was bad enough how he had treated Marcus's mother all those years ago, but to do this to a young innocent and scared, no terrified girl, that was unconscionable.

Marcus had lost all respect for his father with those actions. The only redeeming thing his father did was place her in Marcus's protection. 

And protect her he did. For the last twenty years he made sure that the other males didn't touch her. They didn't talk to her either, but that was an unfortunate side effect of the warnings he'd given. The only one that dares to defy his orders, Garrett.

Marcus takes himself to a location that Garrett can't fail to see him. "Garrett, your time is up. I have given you twenty years to prove your little experiment that you are indeed the rightful heir to the throne. I gave you an extra ten years when the first ten weren't enough. You've had twenty years to get your wife, two mistresses and two favored servants pregnant, as well as the others that you've taken and yet, you still have to provide a child. You are unfit for the throne even the throne rejects you."