Heir

Chapter 2, Scene 3

Leitha looked out the window and saw her husband, Prince Seimon, in the courtyard of the castle. It was late afternoon, and he was conversing with a messenger that had just arrived on horseback from Highcastle. Seimon’s expression was grim as he read the small scroll the man had handed him.

“Get this man food and lodging for the night.” He suddenly directed an attendant standing nearby. “And have a horse saddled for me at once.”

Leitha wondered what message had roused her typically relaxed husband to action. They had heard of the king’s illness, so she suspected it might have something to do with that. She wondered if the illness had grown worse, or if her father-in-law had expired. She hoped it was not the latter. Leaving the window, she made her way towards the courtyard to inquire of her husband what had happened. He met her in a corridor, looking calm, but his worry showed clearly in his eyes.

“What is the matter?” Leitha asked.

“My father’s illness grows worse.” Seimon confirmed what she had suspected. “He has summoned all of the princes to Highcastle.”

“Should I ready the boys to travel?”

“There is no time. I must leave at once.” The prince responded. “I will send for you if it seems prudent that you and the boys come.”

Leitha’s heart ached for her husband. She thought how painful it must be to anticipate the death of his father. She was also sorry to be away from him, but she understood the need for haste. At the same time, in the back of her mind, there was that itch again. The idea popped into her head that with Seimon absent, perhaps she could steal a peek between the covers of that mysterious book they had encountered the day before. She tried to force those thoughts out of her mind, realizing how inappropriate it was to be pondering such things while her husband was in distress over the state of his father.

“I wish you a safe journey, Dear.” She said, giving Seimon a tight hug. “Please write to me as soon as you know what the situation is.”

“I will.” Seimon gave Leitha a firm kiss on her forehead and then he was off. Leitha followed him back to the courtyard and watched as him and two soldiers mounted horses and rode through the castle gates, leaving Ebonwood for the capital.

After Seimon left, Leitha felt restless. She walked the halls of the castle for a short while, trying to act as if there was nothing on her mind. She ended up back in her familiar library. She pretended to peruse the books on the shelf and those stacked in piles all around, as if looking for something to catch her eye, but deep inside her she knew that she was there for one thing only. Eventually, she stood still near the center of the room, with her eyes transfixed on the cabinet in which Seimon had locked the mysterious book - that book which she could not stop thinking about. As if in a trance, she moved towards the cabinet and tested the handle of the door. It would not turn. Of course it wouldn’t: it was still locked.

Compelled by a force much stronger than mere curiosity, Leitha made her way to her husband’s chambers where his personal writing desk was. The desk was strewn with books and loose sheets of parchment. Some of them were ledgers, some were letters, and others contained lore on various subjects. She had to find the key to the cabinet, and she suspected that Seimon might have kept it somewhere on this desk.

She began carefully lifting papers, scrolls, and books, and shuffling them about, searching for any sign of a key among the clutter. She saw nothing. Her search grew more desperate. She began inspecting the nearby shelves, checking behind his favorite volumes for anything hidden. That nagging sensation in the back of her mind grew stronger and stronger, becoming all-consuming. Overcome with the anxiety of wanting desperately to get to that book but lacking the means to, Leitha suddenly cleared an entire shelf of its contents. There was a thunderous noise as heavy, old books fell hard on the stone floor.

“Is everything alright, Milady?” A voice suddenly brought Leitha back to her senses. It was the voice of Imrich, the Steward of Ebonwood. He was a stately man, nearly as old as the king.

“Yes.” Leitha spoke quickly, not sure how to explain what had just happened. “No… It’s the king. His health is fading quickly.”

“Of course.” Imrich’s face showed genuine concern. “We are all upset about it. Shall I help you clean these up?”

“Thank you.” Leitha said gratefully. “I would appreciate that.”

The two of them quickly returned the books to the shelf, making sure that none of the pages were trapped bent between the covers.

“Imrich, I was looking for the key to the cabinet in the library.” Leitha said casually once they had finished. “Do you know where my husband keeps it?”

“I believe Prince Seimon keeps that one on his person, Milady.”

“Thank you.” Leitha acknowledged. She wasn’t surprised really. It seemed there would be no satisfying this itch in the back of her mind. She would just have to force that book out of her thoughts.

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