Desires of the Crown

39 - The Twist of a Dagger

          Alliar

I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. With everyone else preoccupied I had been confined to my room so that I was protected without having to be watched. Henrietta of course was the only set of eyes watching me today.

She was very jittery today. One of the maids down stairs had just given birth to a baby girl and according to Henrietta she was the most beautiful baby she has ever seen. I rolled my eyes tuning out the topic of conversation. I wasn't overly found of babies. I loved my sister Kaya as she was a baby, but other babies, well I wasn't as comfortable around.

"... And she had the rosiest little cheeks." Henrietta rambled on.

Oh merciful gods please shut this damn woman up!

"Her cute little fingers wrapped around mine as I held her. Such a strong little girl. She will survive the winter for sure."

Survive the winter.

Yes, I heard people talk in corridors about the young and old 'surviving the winter'.

Horick, Jonathan's own guard, was a little concerned about his youngest daughter. She was barely almost three now and although his eyes had danced as he told me about the little girl he loved so much, there was a fear in his eyes as well. She was still recovering from a bad flu that had circled around the noble born children, and while she had visited her father in the castle she had caught it from them. Jonathan had allowed the girl to see Kodak – the North's best physician if I was to believe the rumours. She had recovered. But she was still weak. Too weak for the blistering cold winters in the North that claimed the life of new-borns in their cribs, in the lower town and the castle alike – the winds didn't discriminant.

Jonathan had given Horick a room in the castle, told him it was his to use at his pleasure but had advised him it would be a good place to keep the girl until winter was over and spring flowers began to bloom.

His family had moved in only yesterday, a few rooms down the hall from the Kings in the warmest part of the castle – the natural caves allowed the warmth from hot springs below to heat the stone and take the edge off the cold.

"And then she sneezed."

Oh dear gods!

"That's it!" I finally snapped. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I quickly stood on my feet. Henrietta technically had nothing to do here apart from watch me since she was not allowed to clean as much as she liked – she wasn't allowed to touch anything that belonged to the King, and if she did, the man would know, I tried it myself to see if he noticed.

"I need air." I didn't wait for her retort as I strode for the door.

Yes, good lie.

Only Horick stood guard outside the doors but I knew it wasn't to guard, it was mercy. To give the man a few extra minutes in close proximity to his family. He was in the corridor itself and not behind the fake walls where he usually remained, his oldest daughter stood next to him.

She had blond hair, almost like white gold and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. She would be beautiful when she was older, just like her mother. At five-years-old the little girl stood guard with her father, her face set in a determined line that made me smile.

"Little Miss." Horick bowed his head a little, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Horick." I returned the gesture and patted the little girls head as I walked by.

With no guards, I wondered through the seemingly empty halls of the castle.

It was strange.

So damn strange.