The Queen

Chapter 10

             Maeve could remember quite vividly the first time she had seen the prince. She had just arrived in the capital city of Vreur, a maiden of nineteen with some money to her name and no place to stay. It had been the day of shin*( a day where the past Kings of Vreuer are remembered and commemorated)while the ceremonial parade was commencing She had seen him, a boy her age with a life that was as different from hers as the day was from the night. That day she made a promise to herself that one day she would be the one to stand beside the prince, she didn't know how it would happen but she would make it happen. She had worked so hard to get to the position she now held, she had suffered so much humiliation for so long not to get stuck in the position of a mistress but to become queen but now when it seemed like all hope was lost Maeve couldn't help but wonder if all her efforts and sacrifices were worth it. Maeve was many things but she definitely wasn't a coward, she had devoted many years to achieve her life's ambitions and she refused to let some silly girl who knew nothing about life get in her way. The words retreat ceased to exist in her mind the day she gained her ambition and she only knew how to forge ahead and if someone decided to get in her way they would undoubtedly be hurt.

                  Yoren sat in his chamber staring out of the window into the star-studded sky- something that had become a tradition to him since he became king- pondering about nothing in particular. The former king had died at a young age while his son was even younger. At the tender age of 13, Yoren was forced to go to war against the people he once called family in order to maintain his position as heir to the throne. He quickly lost the eyes of a child and was forced to be a man -a king- As a result, He realized quite early in life that trust was a myth. People always approached him with different intentions none of them ever truly sincere working for their gain. Life had been bleak, he was a great king but a terrible human but then Maeve came and even though he wouldn't trust her, she had aroused in him human emotions he hadn't felt since his father's passing. She had healed his soul but now that she stood in the way of his responsibilities as king she would have to be let off. It would be hard but nothing and no one would become his flaw or hinder his path after all he had learned to discard flimsy emotions in the hardest of ways. It was something that would have been done eventually better sooner rather than later.

               Maeve spent an entire hour preparing herself like she usually did whenever she was informed that the king would visit her apartments. The news of his visit had lightened her mood greatly as it meant that she was still important to him. She had been feeling doubtful about their relationship ever since the witch from Carveiq arrived and to make matters worse she had to spectate while everyone ran helter-skelter planning a wedding that should have been hers. The door opened and the first thing that she noticed was the look in his eyes; it was one she'd never seen before. She had known Yoren for over five years and they'd been friends before they were lovers, she had seen him at his best and his worse times but she had never seen this look his eyes now held. It made her feel cold and scared and she didn't like it one bit.

"Maeve, what do you think of my wedding," he said feeling that that would be the best way to start this conversation. He'd liked Maeve for many reasons but mostly because she was fierce any woman in her position would be whining about how unfair it was but she didn't show any flimsy emotions. He knew that she also held ulterior motives for being so patient but she was only human after all.

"what do you mean my lord" 

"I mean how do you feel about me marrying someone else"

"My Lord, I don't think it is my place to make any opinion on your actions as you are my king "

" I have given you permission to speak so tell me your thoughts"

" In response to your question my lord, I long for nothing but to serve at your side and If supporting your decisions is of service to you then I do not mind"   Yoren wasn't surprised at how she'd manage to beat around the bush without answering the real question.

" I  am not asking about your duties to me but about your emotions surely you are not comfortable with this " 

" You're right, I do not like it but it's something you must do. As long as she doesn't hold a place in your heart then I will be fine" she smiled at him, sincerely, Yoren noted.

"Maeve, there is no easy way to say this and I don't want to drag this any further, when we began this we both knew that this day would come as every good day comes to an end. You can choose to remain at the palace as a guest for as long as you would like or if it causes you discomfort, you may retire to one of my summer homes. You will be well taken care of.  " Yoren said without mincing words

Maeve immediately had all the colour drained from her face, It felt like the entire world had come down; crashing on top of her. All these years of careful servitude whilst enduring the jeers of the palace folk 

"Your Highness, what do you mean it's over have I displeased you in any way?"

"No you haven't but it is as you said previously, it is something I must do. Although I bear no feelings for her in my heart, I refuse to become one of the cheating scums I despise so much" Yoren wasn't expecting what happened next. When he decided to end the affair he hadn't known what to expect but her reaction was one he probably wouldn't have thought of anyway.

 Maeve dropped to the floor and started bawling. She had known that things would change for her because of the king's Marriage but she hadn't expected such a drastic change. She had always considered herself dear to the king and He had-on more than one occasion- proved that she was dear to him. So, why was it so easy for him to end their relationship without giving her a second thought?

Yoren hated tears and felt no need to provide consolation to Maeve. She had a strong personality and would eventually get over it. It wasn't like she loved him anyway.                                 He quietly left the room.

Maeve wiped her tears and sat at the foot of her bed. She couldn't believe that he hadn't been moved by her tears. "what a cold man" she thought to herself "But if he believes that he can get rid of me just like that then he doesn't know me"