The Queen of Dawn

Chapter 5

Azora sat in her with-drawing room among her Ladies and Maddy. She was embroidering another handkerchief, as there was nothing else to do, as she had finished her book.

The servant came in and announced the arrival of the king, and she assumed he had come in to see Maddy, as did everyone else. He seemed to have forgotten about Adelaide, who sat in the corner of the room, with a frown making the corners of her mouth curl down. She glared at Maddy who noticed and gave the younger girl a triumphant smirk. Azora rolled her eyes at the interaction.

The King came in, his entourage of men trailing behind him, eagerly looking for a specific lady. The ladies waited anxiously, hoping for the king to choose them for comfort, but were satisfied when a handsome and charismatic Lord sat next to them and greeted them.

Azora herself ignored the flirting and gossiping of the ladies, and continued to sew, by herself. She dared not look up, as she was scared to see her husband and best friend flirting with each other, but her curiosity got the best of her.

She lifted her head and gazed around the room until she saw Maddy and the King engaged in conversation. It was just as she thought. She listened in on the conversation, though it was hard to hear anything as Azora was separated from the rest of the room on her throne. She watched in surprise as Maddy's eyebrows furrowed and her fists curled. She seemed to be scolding him, and he seemed just as shocked as Azora.

Azora watched as he tried to defend himself from the feisty Maddy, but he soon gave up, throwing his hands up in defeat. He turned his head to Azora and smiled.

Azora felt her stomach churn and she felt her face heat up and turn red, and she quickly averted her gaze to her sewing. She picked up her sewing again, trying to continue her stitching, but her hands shook and she pricked herself. She breathed in sharply, as she tried to treat the wound, and placed her finger in her mouth, trying to suck away the little red beads of blood, but to no avail. Her finger continued to bleed, and she felt her eyes begin to tear up due to the small amount of pain.

"Here let me."

A deep whisper made her jump, and she pulled her finger closer to her body, and shook her head when she lifted head to see her husband. He was knelt down in front of her, and offered his hand out towards her. She shook her head.

He gently pried her hand away from it position, tightly encased in her other hand. Azora felt the pace of her heart skyrocket, and her breathing began to quicken. She scolded herself quietly in her head. She could not be attracted to him, he was a cold man.

But here he was, kneeling in front of her, showing her he was anything but a cold man, and she still wouldn't let herself give in.

"Please don-" she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper, but she was interrupted.

"Don't be silly I know what I'm doing." He said, he was getting a little impatient now, but he calmed when he noticed the frightened Azora, and his face broke out in a lopsided grin. He took a strip of fabric from his tunic pocket and placed it tightly around the small pin prick. He tied a knot at the top and stood back, as if he was admiring his work.

"There all done." He grabbed the bandaged hand and placed a quick kiss on it, before bowing and leaving, with his entourage struggling to keep up behind.

Azora watched as he left, and her gaze lingered on the door, even as it closed behind the last Lord to exit.  She seemed to gaze longingly, but she quickly recollected herself and gazed around the room, putting back her stony exterior.

She noticed the ladies in waiting giggle and gossip. They seemed to glance at her every now and then when they spoke, and she heard snippets of their conversation.

"Pathetic."

"Desperate."

Azora ignored them and instead focused on her friend, who gave her a triumphant smile. Azora smiled back.

Azora felt her heart lift with hope, and she thought about the future.

Having her best friend here might just save her marriage.