Traitors of the Realm - Kingmaker Book 1

Millie - A Woman's Cry Chapter 16

It was before dawn, when Millie Crow heard a loud banging on her bedroom door. When Millie heard the noise she pulled her blanket over her head while little Skyler covered her ears with her pillow.

"Open the door Millie," shouted her mother. "I have exciting news to share with you."

"Go away mother," Millie shouted back, "I shall hear of your news when the sun comes out." As Millie kept her eyes close she heard another loud bang at the door. Skyler removes her covers angrily, then she sat up before removing Millie's blanket from over her face.

"Your mother is still by the door, if you don't open the door for her I'm afraid she'll break it down," Skyler warned.

"Go ahead," Millie whispered, "open it and let her in."

When Skyler opened the door, Myra came rushing in with a lit candle in one hand while carrying a neatly folded paper in the other; that carried a seal that looked like a tiny red hand, stamped at the centre of it. She sat beside her daughter with a smile upon her face. Skyler tried her best to ignore them, climbing back up unto bed, pulling her blanket over her head.

"What is it mother?" she asked wiping the gunk off her eyes. "Must you disturb my rest?"

"Break the seal and open it," replied her mother. "It's your marriage certificate along with the extension of your new name, it's been approved by Aleister Cornwall, the town's master. You are no longer Millie Crow my sweet child."

Millie took the paper away from her mother, taking her time as she cracked the seal. She opens it out and at the top she saw her old name next to Micah's with the word Man and Wife written near it. Down at the bottom she saw a piece of writing with her new name written near it.

"From this day forward," she read aloud, "you will no longer be known as Millie Crow but by law shall be called Mrs Summers."

"How do you feel?" her mother asked. "Do you like your new name?"

"It feels strange," Millie admitted, "I don't know how long I'll be able to wear it for. My husband has been gone for more than a week, he could be dead and I wouldn't even know. Is it wrong to not care if he ever comes back home?" she asked her mother.

"My brother isn't dead," said Skyler as she removes the blanket away from her face. "He's safe and well and he'll be back soon. He promised and he never breaks a promise."

"Your brother loves you," Millie said giving her a hug. "I'm sure he'll do whatever it takes to come back home to you."

"He's coming back home to you as well," little Skyler told her. "I know he doesn't love you as much as he does me but he will when he gets to know you as well as I do."

"You're a good child," Millie told her. "I'm glad I have you as my new little sister."

"When he comes back," Myra spoke, "give him time to adapt to his new role as husband. He'll grow to love you and he'll treat you like the queen you are."

"And what if he doesn't?" Millie asked.

"If he doesn't," her mother answered, "then you'll be stuck in a loveless marriage. You will however come to terms that it was all your choice and no one else's, and you'll regret it until the end of your days."

"Is that your best advice?" Millie asked.

"No," Myra answered getting up from off the bed. "Love him with your all and hope he loves you back." Her mother then walked out the door leaving her alone with her thoughts while Skyler covered her head again hoping to regain her rest.

It was close to midday when Millie stood at the front of her class writing on her black board the word, "History." "Which one of you," she said staring at over sixty children, "can tell me, was the only people to have named themselves King in Valtray?"