Fate | Baldwin IV

judham II

Baldwin's POV

I closed the door behind me, the voices of the maids inside my chambers muffling into the background. The guards stood on both sides, their presence barely noticeable in the dark and quiet corridor. I turned to Raymond standing beside me, his hair and attire all disheveled from the rain. "What is the meaning of this?" I demanded.

"My lord," he began, letting out a weary sigh. "I was going about my business when I found her crying outside. I urged her to come in but...she was acting mad. She didn't tell me what was going on."

I took a deep breath, trying to process what had just happened between us before the maids arrived. "Why did you bring her to me?"

"Well," he raised his brows, clearly taken aback. I, myself, was also taken aback by my harsh tone. "I thought your majesty would be able to calm her down."

"Was she hurt?" I pressed, the unrest within me growing with each passing moment.

He shook his head, his expression stiffening. "I suppose not, as far as I could tell there was no one else around."

"I see." I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities. "We must get the physician to examine her regardless."

"Do you think that would be necessary?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Raymond. It is necessary." I looked up at him, as if having heard the most ridiculous question. "We don't know what happened out there."

He lowered his gaze, almost embarrassingly. "Yes, of course." He clasped his hands behind before continuing, "My apologies. Would you like me to fetch the physician now?"

I gave him a dismissive nod, gesturing for him to go. Raymond bowed slightly and quickly departed to call for the physician, leaving me alone in the corridor. I began to walk around in slow steps, my mind churning with worry and questions. The flickering torchlight contrasted the darkness surrounding the palace, mirroring the storm outside. It hadn't rained this much in a while, if at all. The weather was unpredictable around this time of the year, by tomorrow it could be dry and scorching hot once again.

But what really bothered me was her. Why was she out in the garden crying? The girl that's always calm, collected and graceful... The girl that could stand her ground in front of the eyes of men that saw as a prey... The intelligent girl that I admire... What could have possibly been the cause of it?

As I paced around waiting for Raymond to return, the door to my chambers opened and the maids began to file out one by one. Her own maid, Aisha walked out the last and stood in front me, her head lowered in curtsy. "Lady Y/n is asleep in your majesty's bed, my lord." she reported.

"Thank you." I replied, my tone softening as the tension in my body eased with gratitude. "Thank you for coming in so quickly, Aisha. The rest of you may leave."

"Of course." She lowered herself to a deeper curtsy while the others quickly dispersed with my command.

I took a step closer to her when we were left alone in the corridor. "Now, do come back to open all the windows and air the room once the rain dies down. I don't want her to catch anything from me." I instructed with a lowered voice, part of me feeling ashamed that I even had to give such instructions in the first place and cause further trouble because of my damned condition. "I also want you to make sure that her clothes are disinfected and that she is properly cleaned when she wakes up."

"Yes, my lord. I will see to it," Aisha replied with a nod. To my relief, she didn't seem to mind the extra work.

"Good. You can go now," I said, dismissing her with a wave of my hand.