The New Kings Pet

Chapter 7

I couldn't fall asleep that night, the weight of his arm across my body and his breath on my neck as he slept left me lying awake with conflict on my conscious my eyes wouldn't stay shut. I watch his face again with the moonlight that shines through the window, something about him looks familiar to me but I can't quite recall. "Were we together in a past life?" I question him thinking this the only reason my heart leans towards him, even after he has done all those things to ruin my life. "No my princess, we were soul mates, we still are" he answers giving me a fight.

"I wasn't aware you were awake" I mumbled looking at him so our eyes met, he had a sleepy smile on his face. "You had promised that you wouldn't forget me, you said that each and every lifetime we meet" he frowned and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, "you broke your promise, each and every time" I almost felt bad for him but I couldn't rid the image of his malicious smile towards my parents dead bodies.

"I'm sorry" I find myself whispering softly feeling remorse. He smiles weakly at me, "it's okay my princess, as long as our souls reunite each lifetime I will forever forgive you" he kisses my forehead gently and closes his eyes once more. I fell asleep a little later when my mind finally let me rest, but throughout the night I would wake up to what I thought was strange noises I heard but when I woke up it was gone replaced with the gentle sounds of crickets. One time when I woke up Henry was not fast asleep beside me, I looked around the bedroom finding it difficult as there was no immediate light for my eyes to see anything.

I got out of bed deciding to go and find him, he couldn't have gone too far I thought to myself. I grabbed a nightgown making it tightly wrapped around my waist I walked off in the dark of night into the hallway. I could hear the faint sound of chatter coming from the room adjacent to the ballroom, the room I spent most of my childhood doing my royal studies with Master Richard. The memory of his death makes me want to cry but I shake the sad memories and replace them with my determined plan.

"King Henry with all due respect but I don't think it would be such a good idea to expose Queen Julia to this news just yet" a familiar voice trembles as I stand just opposite the closed door. "Who are you to be saying this about my Julia, I know her best out of everyone in this damned Kingdom, I do not think you have a right to talk about her with me" his hard voice replies and even I flinch, just hearing his voice as menacing as it is. "I'm sorry my King I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries" the voice trembles again.

I lean my ear on the door trying to decipher who the trembling voice belongs to when the door suddenly opens and I fall into a body, I mumble my apologies as I get off the person to find my handmaiden and she has a black eye and a cut lip. "I-I'm sorry my Queen" she apologises avoiding my eyes as she stares at the ground. I was surprised at first to see her apologising when I had seen this woman as a mother to me for most of my life, I was angry to see the injuries on her and I immediately strode up to Henry. 

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her ever again" I slap him and he stares at me with shock before his eyes flame with an anger and he raises his hand to slap me back, I flinch closing my eyes waiting for his hand to come in contact with my face. His jaw slack and it seems as if he's fighting his mind, but I don't smirk just yet when he slaps my handmaiden instead. She sobbed as she ducked behind me.

"Don't mess with me Julia, I may not hurt you but I will not hesitate to hurt those you love, and you know that" he growls pushing past me and leaving me behind with my handmaiden. "Are you alright?" I asked her getting on my knees to examine her cuts, she nods her head slowly as I help her up and we walk out and towards the infirmary. "I'm sorry," I say as we get to the infirmary, I awkwardly stand there and watch her walk around grabbing the things she needs "if I hadn't acted on impulse, this wouldn't have happened" I gesture to her putting gauze on her wounds.

"Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself I am at fault I should have not angered the King the way I did,"  she says as her hands tremble to put the medical kit back into the cabinet. We stay in a silence before I excuse myself telling her that I grant her days rest tomorrow as I notice the sun slowly creeping up into the sky, she nods her head in response I give her a sad smile as I make my way towards the Kings Chambers a plan in mind.

"Henry?" I walk into the bedroom, I see his figure standing at the bedside he freezes at the sound of my voice. "Yes, my princess" his voice is hard and emotionless, "I-I'm sorry about earlier" my voice wobbles as tears form around my eyes. I walk slowly towards his side of the bed and wrap my arms around his torso my cheek pressed against his back. He sighs and unwraps my arms and turns around he hugs me back, his chin rests on the top of my head. "I'm sorry too, but I can not have anyone thinking they can overtake me" he kisses the top of my head and I close my eyes enjoying his embrace.

My one-second of love for him without a guilty conscious.

_______

And I know that somewhere inside that cold, lifeless exterior there's an actual human soul

Peace out, Ty