The White Rose

On Wings of War: Silver Ridge Palace

The months grew warm again and the King with his men went off to war after we spent a week in Brierley together. The little Prince was growing fast and I saw in twice before he went off to war. But now he was three months old and a joyful little child. The sixth month of the year was a warm one and the king has this past month been at war.
I was proclaimed at council as the Queen regent and so I sat on council meetings discussing taxes and the roads and the positions of guards and new Pages that would be coming up into training in the eighth month as always. When I was not shut in doors for hours working on papers or speaking with councilors i was riding with my ladies or hawking in the woodlands near Silver Ridge. My body was again slender and lithe as-it was before and I took delight in wearing silks or the flowing gauze linens that cost 50 gold suns the el.
One day as I was sitting with my councilors going over papers a letter was passed my way and I read it.

To your most magnificent Majesty,
I am writing to you in due haste as I have been called to war with his majesty. Though now I am writing for my daughter to come to court. She is seventeen years old and has shown great interest in serving your Majesty in any position you deem her fit. I hope that this letter finds you well indeed and if by your will she should come I shall sender with an escort at your requirement.
My daughter is a maid of extreme virtue and has oft spoken of serving in the religious life. However her other request of going to court has her mother and I wishing this so that she may serve you in that you might help her decide if Priesthood is for her or not.
I your servant await your commandment. As to my daughter's accomplishments. She is a fine singer and was in our home town seen as one of the best and helped sing in our temple choir during feasts from time to time. She is good with the needle at her embroidering and sewing and has made many a shirt for the poor. She is well learned in five languages besides our own and has an intelligence that would I hope you find pleasing.
In humility's then do I ask for you to write if it be your pleasure.
Your humble servant,
Sir Alek Levorice of fief Cantry

"I just received that two days ago your majesty." Said lord Wolrick, an elderly man who could not go to war on account of his age. In fact many of the lords who served me were of such an age. I minded not for the castles and palaces we visited were warm during these hot summer days. I felt a light headedness and felt my stomach clench unpleasantly. "Majesty are you well?" Asked the Lord, "I think so."I said praying my meal of good meat and bread would stay down where it belonged. "Does anyone know of this Sir Alek Levorice?" "Indeed." "What he says of his daughter is true, she is a maidenly girl virtuous and religious and indeed modest." "She is indeed well learned." "Does she have any patron?" I asked breathing slowly. "No none for she is the daughter of a knight and not a noble herself." "Sir Alek Levorice was knighted by the king as part of his new program of being patron to those who are fifth or sixth or fourth sons of lower nobles who may have a drop of noble-blood but not the funds." "Then see to it, write in my stead." I had to gulp, "that I accept." With that bolted out of the council chamber and made-it just in time to see my meal come up.
I came to myself as one of my ladies placed a cold cloth on my neck while another wiped my face and helped me rinse my mouth. I gasped in a deep breath and sat down, head between my knees.
The king had been gone since shortly after the Prince's blessing. He had said two months but he had to hurry out as the Purthians were taking advantage of the laxness in the east where the Baronetcy of DeShonce was.
That night we supped in the great hall as was my wish thrice weekly. the rest of the time I dined-in my privy chamber. "The Purthians are being defeated." Said one of the Lords, "I hear theKing has been in battle and has made-himself a good accounting there." Said Another. I rose shortly after though pleading illness and fled to my chambers.
I could not rise from my bed for three days and I had a great fever. On the fourth day the lords of the council were urging me to sign the act of succession as I was queen regent. I dared not however and when I was not delirious with fever I was weak and lay there for hours as if dead. Days passed and I felt slowly better and then I got a relapse of the illness just as the seventh month was ending. The rains had not come and the fields lay dry. I had been feeling much improved and was still abed but seeing the council again from it, my decisions of rule quickly solved. AsI was thinking of rising the next-day my throat became so painful it was hard to swallow. Again-my fever raged and I lost weight. I woke one night feeling very very odd. "There is something wrong." "Feel." I sat up then and felt warmth between my legs.
When I looked there was a quantity of blood, "no." I said with great sadness. "Your majesty has lost the babe in your womb." "The illness you took must have caused it to also grow ill within you."
It took me another month to recover fully and it was in the ninth month that I resumed my place on the throne again, much thinner and still weakened.
I was still saddened at the loss of the child. What would the king say? I was supposed to deliver him sons and here I was. "Majesty." Said countess Ailshum, "it is all too common that a woman loses one or another of her children." "But i was to have had another son for his Majesty." I said in tears one night. "I know but you will again be with the king." "I wanted to surprise him when he came home from war." I wailed, "It would have been most wonderful, but you have been ill and if you had not lost the child perhaps it would come out sickly and die." Said another of my ladies, "Take heart your Majesty you will have another child again, and just think the little Prince will perhaps be old enough to enjoy his little brother or sister."
"I will go to see my baby the Prince." I said, "He is well." "Indeed he-has been most well indeed majesty and he is it is said to recognize people-now."
"YOur Majesty." Said one of the messengers coming into the hall, "A message from-his majesty." "Oh." I gasp as I clutch my hands, "the king tells you that he has taken a wound and for some time taken illness from it." "No." I say, "But he is much recovered and ready to come home." "He will be here in the eleventh month." "He says that it would be a good thing, a morale boost for our soldiers to see you." "So he bids you come to Valdore  where he is with the Prince and where the wounded and the new arms men are encamped." "Then says the king he and thee will come back to the capitol together just in time for the death Day fest."
We rode into Valdore and-watched as knights, soldiers, and-other men at arms trained-in encampments. There arose such a clatter when I arrived, my banner waving that I was glad to-see them. After all my father had been a warrior at Purth same as any of the men who'd served both this king and his father. We'd been at war with Purth for several years now and three generations of knights had bled and-died in keeping-the Purthians out of our kingdom. "It is said majesty that they are driven by fervor of their God Zathura." "When the King converted his entire court did." "Then it became illegal to be other than a faithful Zatine." The clash of sword, the men's voices, the campfires all filled my eyes and ears with the sounds of war.
Then I saw-the King's banner and then, I-saw him riding up to me. I dismounted and curtseyed to me. then he-dismounted and together we-walked up the drawbridge into-the castle court itself. Even-here there was sword practice, "My love."He said as we walked arm in arm." We walked into-one of the rooms silent of servants and closed the door. We heard-the sound of-marching men and knew this door was well guarded. "My love I have something to tell you." I-say in tears,"Oh my sweet what is it?" "I have lost our child." The king looks-confused, "The Prince is well indeed and-safe and-a wrong goodly little chap." "I was with child, when we spent our week in Brierley." "I fell ill." He embraced me and held me, "Oh sweetheart, it is all right." "I heard of your illness." "We shall have man many more children." "Do not worry so my love." "I thought you would be disappointed." "No." said the king. "Now come, dry your eye's, the soldiers expect their queen to give them comfort."