Power and The Queen

Chapter Thirty - Two.🟢

A new day had come for her. She climbed down from the bed and walked towards the vast window, which was the only source of sunlight for her room. The curtains were down and her room bore a dim glow from the veiled gem stones. She opened the curtains, hoping to enjoy the view.

It had taken a lot, but she was slowly coming to terms that staying in the Palace in the meantime was her fate. She thought about her family and what would happen if the Queen hurts them. It surprised her though that the Queen had made no attempt on her life so far, but she was still a peasant worth nothing in her eyes.

The Prince had a plan, and she needed to have her own so that in the end her family would be together and people will not get hurt. Remembering how powerless she was against the soldiers, she used her training to learn as much as she could and to find her way into the boys' camp. Her best strategy would have been to sell weapons, but her father was not here to make them.

Her father's death was something she could not seem to get over, no matter how much she tried. She thought of him while she slept; she thought of him every time she saw a blade with his trademark. Her father was good at his work and he was honest. She prayed to the gods to honour his memory.

The twist of a door nob alerted her, and she turned from the window and her eyes met a startled looking Devka. It was not yet dawn and Cora hoped she could watch the sun come up slowly; she missed doing that.

"Milady!" Devka breathe out hysterically. "You gave me quite the scare there." She added.

Devka let out a nervous laugh, followed by a slight intentional cough. Cora laughed at the display. Her mother would have loved a daughter like Devka. She acted very much like an adult when she was not so far from her age, perhaps younger.

"I alway rise early Devka, I had just been too lazy and other things." She trailed off, scratching her head.

Devka proceeded more into the room to raise the veil of the gem stone giving light to the room. After lighting up the room, she walked toward Cora, finally fit to pay her enough attention.

"ARHH!" Devka screamed.

She had fallen face first to the ground. Devka stood up, hearing Cora's laugher. She turned around and saw that the floors were flooded with books in several corners. She had never been so angry at Cora before.

"I apologise, Devka," Cora said, coming to her senses.

Cora began piling the books in one corner.

"Lord Bathias let me borrow some books from the library."

Devka said nothing but moved to a part of the room that had a table and a chair for Cora's use. She sat on the table and turned away from Cora.

"It is no use Milady, the other servants were right, I'm not fit to be a handmaiden." Devka said.

Cora felt her sadness and went to her side.

"What do you speak of?" Cora asked.

She sat on the floor next to her. The sun had appeared on the horizon, creeping slowly into the room, but Cora listened to Devka.

"My mother was a chambermaid to the Queen after her coronation." she sighed. "She got pregnant and had me, so she was given other important task after I was born. She never had time for me and for that, she took me everywhere and taught me all I needed to know to become a handmaiden. I wanted to be one so that I could take care of her when she could no longer do well, but a few years back she fell ill and died. In other for me to stay, I worked as a servant for the Palace, often getting laughed at because I was so small." she stood up and walked around the room.