King Nicholas found himself staying up late at night more and more often. He knew that at his age he shouldn't be doing this; sure his hair wasn't all grey yet, but he could feel the creaks on his bones and the weight of his eyes as time passed. As much as he would have loved to sleep at a reasonable time, he found the thoughts in his mind too much for sleep to handle.
He stared out into the night sky from his private study, hands behind his back. Slowly, he paced back and forth, alternating from looking down at the carpeted floor and then back to the night sky. Too much had been going on for him to even comprehend, and at the same time, too little was being given.
First, there was the aspect of his daughter being in the enemy's camp. It had already been several weeks since he last dropped her off, yet her letters were sparse and didn't have a lot of new information. Anxiety gripped him as he thought about leaving his only child in the hands of a brother he could never trust. His brows furrowed and his hands tightened around each other at the thought of it. What in the world could be keeping Ingrid from sharing even more information?
Second, there was the issue of his wife. The very thought of her still caused an ache to spread from his chest to seemingly every part of his body. Technically she was still the queen, but she had been doing everything that would be opposite of what a queen would do. His ministers had urged him almost constantly to divorce her and find a new queen, but how could he even do that when he couldn't keep track of where she was.
Like a ghost, she went from one place to another daily, never staying in more than one area for longer than 24 hours. Some people said she was with another man, particularly one who was a felon which explained why she was constantly moving to not get caught. Others said she had joined a traveling circus, a few more claimed to have seen her dressed like a gypsy.
Whatever the truth was, she still had her title and he couldn't strip it from her without her being physically present. For the first few years of her disappearance, he would search for her daily, trying to ignore the embarrassment of being left behind. Now, it only caused more annoyance than sadness, and it already was too much to handle.
He sighed and sat down at his desk. It faced a large window that reached from the high ceiling to the floor, the moon's soft light being the only light in the room. It created a spotlight on the king, who now leaned back into his velvet chair and rested his weary eyes on the stars.
After a few seconds, he sat up and pulled out a drawer from the side of the mahogany table, pulling out parchment and ink. He straightened the blank parchment in front of him, dipped his quill into the ink, and began to write before the thoughts in his mind prevented him from doing so.
Dear Ingrid,
I am writing in now to ask you about what you have been doing there. I know that we have agreed on you writing to me once a week with as much updates as possible, however the letters have become more and more irregular. Are they keeping you very busy? What has happened to that underground tunnel that you mentioned? Since you sent that letter I have ordered the captain of the guard to send a few scouts to search around the Adehane border, looking for possible entrances and exits into that tunnel. It would be very important for you to look into more cracks of their armor and see what else you can use against them. Even if it may seem like a small piece of information, it can still be used in our favor so do not hesitate to send me anything new that you find.
To answer your question from the last letter, yes we have been doing well here. I am already requesting the captain to ready his troops for imminent battle. When that happens, the first thing you must do is retreat back to Nerea as soon as you can. I will be sending you an escort to help you back home safely, but you must do the first half of it alone. I wish I could have picked you up myself, but that would be unsafe for both of us. I understand that even if you are incredibly brave, this is still a lot to handle for a girl your age. Know that you are doing more than enough, and our kingdom shall always be indebted to you. I miss you dearly and wish you were home soon.
YOU ARE READING
War of Hearts
Romans[BOOK 2 OF THE CROWNED EROS SERIES] Two warring kingdoms are pressured into a unification by a greater queen. Two heirs, as different as night and day, are forced into a marriage while a deeper, more sinister plot works underneath. One is a headstro...
