Elwanda

Chapter 28 - Straight Goods

Alodie's funeral was marked by the heaviest downpour. The weather seemed to plunge into an equally mournful mood that lasted from the moment his body went into the ground til total darkness took the night sky.

Elwanda sat in her bed and watched as lightning flashed across the walls on occasion. Candles were lit in every corner of the chamber to banish the feel of darkness, yet she felt like one submerged in the deepest parts of an ocean, far beyond sight and reach of help. She felt that if she screamed no one would hear and even if they did, they would not come to her aid.

Alodie's death suddenly reminded her that she was alone. All alone.

She sat still and cried for hours, unsure of what to do with herself. Not only was her heart broken, her mind was doing likewise; it was burdened by too much, teetering between a state of delusion and dementation. Her fear was that, soon, she would be unable to tell which was which.

There was a tray of fresh fruits on the table, a reminder that she had barely taken a bite out of anything all day long. Her appetite was on exile. The one time she tried to eat, it had tasted like birdlime or something else ugly she might've put in her mouth back in Gryf's home. On that note, it was a while ago she concluded her foster family to be history; in the sense that she did not consider them like before. Yearning for her sisters or wishing they would come to her rescue was something she no longer did. She was isolated - always had been from the very moment she was taken into the carriage that brought her to the palace.

To add to that, her marriage had worsened the loneliness. Marrying the Steward was similar to marrying an apparition. He treated her like pestilence, ignored her in public; which often left her knee deep in embarrassment, and neglected her. In fact, he pretended she did not exist all. Her many attempts to speak to him were met with indifference and harshness. He seemed as though he was always on the tip of rage and her presence did nothing but push him off it.

Fylve and Serine tried countlessly to convince her that he was just overtaxed, but it gave her no sense of confidence. Simply put, hatred was the main reason he acted the way he did. He hated her. She could sense it; almost palpably. Whether or not their last encounter was the fueling agent to his behaviour, his aversivenss toward her was nothing new. It had always been there.

And it grew worse with every passing hour.

Elwanda stirred when she realized something odd. Quiet. The rain finally stopped.

She stood up and strolled to the window to push the curtains open and let in some air. The view outside was of the quietest part of the vast courtyard and a road that could lead to the Accord House. Palace attendants hardly passed because it had very little connected access to the rest of the palace.

However, she heard approaching footsteps and low voices.

Gently, she removed from the window and plastered herself to the wall to listen. The conversants seemed to be gossiping servants. Why their discussion should concern her at all was a thing of concern in itself, but overhearing the Advisor's name twice was what captured her attention.

"I think it's honest to say the royal family is completely ruined now," tsked the first speaker. "with no one left to rule. Rauloring will easily come under enemy swords and all other kinds of threat. I fear for us. Our future is bleak, our walls vulnerable."

"I'm sure it will be fine. The Steward is doing a terrific job at keeping the affairs of the kingdom."

As they spoke, they drew closer to the window and their words became clearer.

The first speaker, obviously a female, sighed. "I also fear that that man might turn this kingdom upside down."

"What do you mean by that?" The second harshly whispered.