The Queen

Chapter 5

Manstërilch (capital city of Vreur).
In the dark corner of a smelly back alley two figures could be seen conversing .One was definitely a woman and the other-a smelly old bard.
" They owl has been unmasked" the old bard said exhibiting a toothy grin with his half rotten yellow teeth.
"Good" the woman said handing him a pouch of gold coins before walking off. She turned off the main path and completely disappeared. She appeared again at the back alley winding into the castle, marching frantically to the quarters of her mistress.
"Monique what have I told you about entering unannounced" a red-haired lady complained.
"I'm sorry my lady, I was just so excited I forgot to knock" she said moving towards the four poster crucian bed.
" I take it you have good news for me then" The red haired lady asked with eyes full of anticipation.
" Yes, my lady. The old bard has confirmed her death, that Carveiq girl will no longer be a threat to you" Monique said smiling.
" Wrong Monique" the red haired said grinning suspiciously
" What do you mean mistress? " Monique asked as she was quickly becoming confused
"That Carveiq girl was never a threat to me but she was an obstacle which is why she had to die" the red head said jumping off the bead with budding excitement
"Monique ask my lady maids to help me clean up I must visit the king"
" Yes my lady" she said leaving the room.
Yoren Morgen tsala, king of Vreur sat in his dimly lit chambers, his eyes full of thought. The subject of Banter in his mind being love or duty which to hold dear. Before he met Maeve, Yoren had considered love a squirmish emotion,one that consumed too much effort and had little return. These thoughts however, changed when he met Maeve.
Maeve was unlike any lady he'd ever met she was smart and talented and she aired her opinions freely.She was unrestrained and unafraid.She had inspired him to make a lot of positive changes to the court. Although, he had known from the onset that their love was unacceptable, impossible even he still went ahead and gave her the status of a mistress which was a stretch considering she was an ordinary kitchen girl not even a noble lady.The entire court had been appalled by his decision but he chose to ignore them,he was king after all.Maybe that was why they conspired with his mother to force him into taking a wife or maybe it was just the right Time but either ways duty was binding and it always came first.
He dreaded the coming moments but he had promised his mother that he would take care of his internal affairs before the arrival of his bride speaking of his new bride,He had heard a lot about her beauty and intelligence but he felt they were exaggerated. No one could compare to Maeve be it with beauty or in intelligence and ladies from noble families were usually dumb as rocks and only ever useful for producing heirs.
A knock disturbed Yoren's train of thoughts.
" Come in" he said without bothering to confirm the person's identity, only Maeve would dare to knock on his door at such an unholy hour.
"Your Grace, " she said bowing slightly before moving towards Yoren. She stood beside him for a moment before speaking again.
" Your Grace, is there an issue? Your eyes are filled with anxiety" she said flashing him her angelic smile.
At this point, Yoren ought to have told her the truth and put an end to everything but he just couldn't. Yoren had never been one who was prone to cowardice but for the first time he couldn't attack an issue head on. He sometimes felt scared of his relationship with Maeve because she made him feel vulnerable in ways he'd never felt before but at the same time she made him feel special.
Victoria and Tim had been stuck in the tunnels for what seemed like eternity Even though it was probably just a few days. They kept turning around in circles, moving past the same areas multiple times and finally Victoria couldn't take it anymore she broke down and sat on the floor sobbing quietly.She had made a resolve when she left home that she would be strong but how could she maintain her strength when life kept pushing her into crazy situations.
Tim who was a novice at comforting people never having done so himself sat there watching her quietly. After an hour or two of quiet solitude Victoria broke the silence.
" What do we do now " she asked trying hard not to cringe at her previous show of immaturity.
" Let's rest for a bit and continue looking for a way out" he said trying to comfort her.
They sat quietly for another while before she spoke again
" Tim..?"
" Hmmm"
" Why didn't you ever respond to the letters I wrote to you when you initially enlisted" she asked in a near whisper.
" Oh,...." at this point Tim could have told her about the previous misunderstanding,about how he never received any letters from her and later found out that they had been intercepted before they could reach him instead he said
" I didn't see the point of it, and we had come to an age where such interaction was deemed inappropriate" He didn't want to hold on to the hope that they could have something, if they survived this tunnel she would marry the King of Vreur, she would be a queen and he would be her aide.
Victoria was disappointed, maybe a little devastated by his thoughts, she suddenly felt like the tunnel was too small for both of them.
"Let's go on maybe we'll be out before the end of today" she said walking away.
They walked around for what felt like an eternity before they discovered an opening in the wall and it took a while to chip a hole big enough for them to squeeze. Victoria was pleased to be out of the tunnel but she felt very uncomfortable not because of the awkward tension between Tim and her but because of the prospects of what lay ahead.