Three Fold

Part 7

“Henri. I don’t want to work here!” she yelled as the maids dragged her away. I rarely saw my sister after that. What seemed like months of endless work I finally saw the king and queen. The king was going away for battle while the queen kept everyone in order. The queen was kind and beautiful every time I saw her I thought of my own mother and Catherine how they all looked like goddesses in my eyes.

“Henri you’ve worked well today go have fun in the castle but don’t go beyond our quarters.” he patted my head and I ran off to go find something to do. Everyone was working so I had the halls to myself as I ran from room too room pretending letting my inner child out. Interrupted by a clap and the sound of metal clinking on the floor.

“Well done Henri you’ll make a fine knight.” Remy was leaning against the door as I slid off the bed post and hit my head.

“Henri. be careful.” he ran over to me and held my face in his hands and smiled.

“just a scratch.” pushing back my hair he patted my head and helped me up.

“Come on. care to go horseback riding with me?” I ran back to the stables and we picked our horses and rode around the country side, till Remy decided to have his horse jump the fence into a farmers field.

“Come boy!” he laughed and rode off ahead. I’ve never jumped a horse but surely this one did and I felt joy for the first time in a long time.

-Lake-

I found Remy by the lake taking off his armor and clothes.

“Get lost did you?, ah I used to come here a lot when I was a boy going for a swim.” he jumped in and I just watched as he resurfaced. His hair came undone, matted to his face as he laughed.

“Surely. Your not staying there come jump in!” he splashed me and went off swimming. I wondered why he was so child like to be a knight. I saw girls in the distance washing clothes they giggled and pointed at him before running off.

“okay.” we swam for hours before it started to get dark, Remy got out and built a fire and wrapped himself in a blanket he had on his horse. I stood shivering.

“Henri. Come dry off.” he came over to me and wrapped the other half of the blanket around me, I looked up into his green eyes and he smiled.

“if you catch a cold I wouldn’t hear the end of it from the stable master.” he chuckled as I felt his muscles rise and fall I just wished I was as strong as him. Remy lay his head on mine like papa used to do.

“You remind me so much of my son.” he whispered I felt water hit my shoulder . I looked up and saw him crying. His arms wrapped around me so tight I couldn’t breathe at first.

“Henri. I’m sorry, y-you look like him and act like him. I thought the first time I saw you, you were my little boy.”

“you had a son. He must have been great.” I mumbled.

He let me go as a snap from afar was heard. He stood quickly and grabbed his sword and went to find the noise, but soon came back disappointed.

“an animal perhaps.”

-Morning-

I woke hearing the clops of horses hooves and steady breathing.

“Henri your awake.” He smiled as I sat up sitting between him and the saddle. As the horse trotted into the stables. My boss and guardian stood shouting in some language I didn’t understand, as Remy helped me down from the horse and stopped my boss In his tracks.

“I’m sorry for keeping Henri so long, I’ll pay you.” that shut him up and he went off to the knights quarters all the way on the other side of the castle.

“He…is. A bad news. Henri must stay away!” he flicked me in the head and I got to work. This didn’t stop me from training with Remy and having fun when the sunset, every now and than some of the other knights would whisper to each other as we passed them in the stables. Once I caught a conversation or two.

“Remy spends a little too much time with him. You don’t think it’s happening again?”

“hope not. He got suspended the last time and his wife left him.” the other spoke patting the horse before getting on it.

-4 years later-

Remy and I sat in the stables talking. He had gotten a letter from the Queen to escort the king back to the castle. He looked upset.

“What’s wrong?” I bit into an apple and looked up at him.

“I wont see you for a few months…the king is coming back.” he mumbled.

“Well, I can wait. Cant you?” he looked away at this and came over and scooped me in his arms and held me tight. This usually happened all the time since we spent a lot of time together. I dropped my apple and hugged him back.

“Remy don’t worry you’ll be fine.” I gave him a smile as his hands reached up to my face he smiled caressing my cheek and pressed his head to mine.

“I will be strong for the both of us.” his hot breath reached my neck and I felt his lips on my skin sending chills up and down my spine.

“W-what are you doing?”

“it’s alright…just relax.” he cooed as my body suddenly went limp, I’ve never been so suddenly tired in all my life. The world seemed to spin as I felt the hay underneath me.

“Henri..”

His eyes were pure black or that’s what I imagined as I felt cold and sudden pain. I couldn’t scream nothing came out. My hot salty tears mixed in with the dirt on the floor he looked like the monster my sister dreamed about constantly when we were together. I couldn’t take much of this any longer and darkness came upon me.

-Morning-

I heard water running, and people talking.

“Henri…” my eyes snapped open and I let out a howl in pain as a bunch of woman surrounded me holding me down.

“poor boy.” I couldn’t move anything I just sat there and cried.

The Queen herself came in and made sure everything was alright, she wore a lot of jewels and had her hair out in curls.

“Did anyone find who did this to my stable boy?” she looked around stern and came back to my side smiling.

“you’ll be just fine relax and let the doctors do their job.”

I drifted off to sleep.