The First Queen *Sample Only*

Chapter 18

"I could hear her screaming from my room last night." I heard someone whisper as a door was shut.

My eyes were barely open; the sun was just peeking into my bedroom through the tiniest of cracks in my curtains. It was too early for any normal human being to be awake, which meant it could only be my maids talking as they prepared my room for the day ahead. In my groggy state I hardly cared, I just pulled a pillow around my head and rolled onto my back, ready to dive back into sleep. But in doing so I pressed my sore flesh against the scratchy material of my bedspread and my eyes burst open. It was then that I realized my maids were talking about me and my punishment. I softly shut my eyes and pretended to be sleeping again, despite my discomfort. I wanted to hear what they had to say about it, if they knew the true embarrassment of the ordeal, or if they had assumed the king had done something more wretched to me.

"Poor girl, but I was speaking with one of the guards and he claimed that many guards offered to go with her when she left. I wonder if she was trying to run away and that is why she refused them." it was the third maid that spoke, the one who was kinder than Lydia and stronger than Isabelle. I believe her name was Jasmine. "If she had taken one of them with her I believe her punishment would be lesser."

"No, she was in the gardens, the furthest place from escape. So I certainly don't understand why she didn't take a guard with her. That surely would've calmed the king down." Isabelle murmured in her usual kind voice.

"Please, did you see the way the king reacted when he thought that someone had been in her room? I doubt that he would have male guards hovering all around her if it weren't proper protocol." Lydia shot back. "From what I heard the king was quite kind to her when he found her. He just punished her to make an example out of her."

And with that the conversation ended. The maids had no more gossip to go off of and all of their opinions countered one another. I had hoped for more. I wanted to know everything I could, even if it stemmed from questionable guards and gossiping. The king didn't seem terribly fond of talking about his ex-wife. Nor did he want to talk about his mysterious war that had been mentioned the first night I was here. He didn't want to tell me about mates or the moon goddess, and my maids were under some kind of oath which forced them to keep their mouths shut, unless they assumed I was sleeping, of course.

However, the maids didn't talk anymore. They all began their duties in the early hours and when I became bored of lying in that bed with my sore backside I pretended to wake up and stretch my body. I couldn't hide under the blankets forever. At least when my maids helped me into my gown for the day- a stunning red dress that was embellished with fine gems- they said nothing about my red backside.

The rest morning was uneventful, but as soon as noon hit two men flanked me in the hallway on my way back from lunch.

"Can I help you?" I asked, though I sensed it was the opposite way around.

"The King's parents requested to meet you." One of them answered gruffly.

It was almost like he expected a fight out of me, though I doubted I had a reputation for being compliant. And in that moment I realized that I had very little authority here, maybe over my personal maids and some sway over James because he liked me but it was clear that the king gave all the orders, not me.

"Oh." I breathed, stunned. It seemed silly in retrospect, especially considering the king and I had talked about his childhood, but I never imagined him really having parents. And I never imagined I would have to meet them. And certainly not by myself. I didn't even know if these people had been at my wedding or how much they knew about my life.

It didn't matter though. The guards made it clear that they were following the king's orders, not mine. I was led out of the castle by the two men and taken to a small manor that took a few minutes to walk to. It felt good to be outside again, and knowing that I wouldn't be punished for it this time felt even better. The sun was glowing in the sky, warming my skin and the air smelt like the flowers that grew nearby. It could've been blissful.