To My Love

To My Love: Esra Mackenzie

After an eventful night and a body buried in the field where we once made love I think it is time to get serious. This is a lot dangerous than we thought. I came to my room and pulled out the little stained piece of parchment. The paper my mother gave to me. It had the name Esra Mackenzie still on it. A little faded but also still readable. There was nothing more than just a name. It left me clueless and sent me spinning. Who could this be?
If there was any way I could find this man it would be with James. I looked for him in his room and then looked for him in his study. He sat there with his head hung low. "James?" I whispered. He woke up abruptly. "Yes!" He shouted not knowing he did. I jumped at his surprising reaction. "Are you alright?" I asked. He looked up at me with purple bags under his eyes. "James have you not slept?" I asked this time concerned. Could it be because of me? He looked up at me and a tear rolled from his eye. "I will not let anyone hurt you again." He said firmly. It was because of me. I began to cry for him. I did not want him to fear my safety as if it was his fault. None of it was his fault. It was mine. I needed to tell him why I knew that man. "Oh James, please don't do this." "Not for me please." I pleaded at my knees. I sat in front of him as he sobbed into my shoulder. It was time. Time to tell him why it wasn't his fault.
"I knew the man...before the party." I pushed myself to say. His sobbing became faint and slowed. He looked up from my shoulder. "What?" He whispered, as if his heart had sunk to the bottoms of the ocean. I began to cry a little harder. My shame was painful. "When I was with my mother, before she passed, we had to...prostitute ourselves. I slept with that man for 3 shillings." I covered my face to hide my shame. I sobbed and spilled out all my tears. I could feel his stare. But then I could also feel his hand placed on top of my head. He rubbed my hair and hugged me. He held me so tight. He picked me up from my knees. "Dance with me." He said. I looked up from my wet palms. I sniffled at him. And he smiled. His smile.
He pulled me into the middle of the room and swayed me. Back and forth like it was a daydream. He held me close and moved my body with his.

We swayed closely together as if we could never let each other go. The music of Mozart played in our heads. Just a dance. "I love you." We both said at the same time in sync.

The next hour after we had settled into chairs and began to start a discussion for the taking of my throne. "Esra Mackenzie." I announced. James looked at me with confusion. "Who's that?" He asked. I pulled the piece of paper my mother gave me out of my robe pocket. I slid it over to him on the desk. James picked it up and looked it over. Turning it over to find no more information. "So?" He shrugged. I looked at him and smiled. "So, it means something. My mother gave it to me before she died so this person must be important and they must want to help." I explained. James gave the paper another good look and again found nothing. "How do you know your mother wanted you to take the throne? Didn't she hide you from it?" He asked while leaning over the table. I rolled my eyes as if he hadn't listened to anything I had ever told him about my mother. "Don't you ever pay attention to me? My father hid me from the throne, my mother wanted me to take the throne so that she could reign vengeance over the queen mother. Just like you she wanted to use me for her own power." I explained once more. James rolled his eyes as if he's heard this before. "I'm not meaning to use you Ruth. I just need to take what's mine." He said. I looked at him with a plain look. And then I began to speak again. "What is yours?" I asked.
"My fathers land." He said. "The tax collectors took it when he couldn't pay for it anymore. My mothers grave is on it and so is my fathers. Along with my brothers and sisters." I looked at him with sympathy. I had no idea he lost so much. I owed this to him. To help him get back his land and to be able to visit his family's graves. I could tell he was hurt from talking about it and it hurt me just as much. "I will take the throne for you." I insisted. He smiled at me and began to write a letter to the detectives he hired for the cue. Find Esra Mackenzie.

The next morning we got a letter from the detectives about Esra.
"Dear Lord James,
We have gathered some information on your requested persons report, Esra Mackenzie. Esra Mackenzie is a blacksmith in a small town in Chesney. He comes from the royal line. The kings brother. He was usurped from any title and cannot set foot on kingdom ground, Law by the Queen Mother. He was Associated with a Mary Mackenzie in 1763 as her husband. They were inhaled by the church because of adultery." My heart sunk. It was buried deep in the soil of the ground beneath the house. My mother was married to the kings brother and had a child with the king. My mother said he was dead. How could she lie to me? "Do you know what this means?! He can give you his title. He is the rightful eir to the throne he can't set foot in the kingdom and he doesn't want to! He can give you his throne!" James reassured me. He was right. Esra could give me my throne and my mother knew it. I had to find Esra.