The Voice of the Nightingale

Part III

Ash sat up in her bed and yawned. Her clothes lay on the stool at the foot of her bed. She had stayed up late last night. Theodor would probably shout at her after today's meeting. He seemed to love reasons to get mad at her.
The Queen got up and prepared herself for the day. She put on a wisteria purple gown and the same crown and jewellery from yesterday.
She headed out of her room and to the hall. This morning, she was much earlier than normal. The only person there was her husband.
"Well, your here early." He said.
She gritted her teeth. No hello or good morning.
"Good Morning to you to, husband."
"Please call me Theodor. The council isn't here, don't be so formal."
"Ok, Theodor."
"So, Ash, how late was it before you came back to the castle?"
Ash hated how her husband paid attention to her every move. She had gotten back a long while after sundown. She could lie, but that would get her in more trouble. Judging by the King's face, he already knew the answer.
"A little bit after nightfall."
"Isn't curfew... nightfall?"
Ash clenched her teeth. The King and Queen were both meant to be in the castle by nightfall. It was an old rule that had been made many years ago. This rule was meant to keep the monarchs out of danger, however, Ash had been accompanied by two guards, had been carrying a weapon and had still been in the palace grounds. She only realised it was dark when it was too late.
"I was on the palace grounds, with my guards. I was in no danger."
"Still, you broke a rule, why shouldn't I be mad?"
"My god! I'm your Queen, can't you learn to be nice to the person you are married to?"
Before Theodor could answer, the council walked in. Ash took her seat, not even glancing at her husband. She sat there, for the whole two hours, not saying a thing. There was no point. She would just be ignored.

The council ended and the King left before Ash could say anything. When Theodor got to the door, he said, "Get ready, we're going to the Clemonte's house. Don't embarrass yourself."
Ash clenched her teeth. She walked out of the hall and her guards followed.
The Queen walked to her chambers and began getting ready. She put on an under layer. It was a white dress with long sleeves reaching down to her wrists. From her closet, she sourced a dress with a long slit at the chest. She pulled it over her head and laced up the front. It was a Byzantium purple, Ash's favourite shade. The Queen did not wear purple as it was the colour of her country, but because it was her favourite. When she was little, her mother told her that she looked like the queen she would become with a purple gown on.
Ash walked out of the door and, like always, her guard accompanied her.
"My Queen," Nicholas said, the only one brave enough to speak to her. "To get to Tendelvel, you will be riding your horse. The carriage is under repair."
"Get Ivory ready, make sure she has the royal saddle and bridal on."
Ash did not want a repeat of what happened when she wore the Nightingale seal. She had been riding through the Northern areas of the country, to get to Bidcambrough a month or two ago. Here, her family wasn't necessarily the most popular.
Nicholas signalled to the other guard and he left.
"You seem to be very much in charge." Ash commented when it was only her and Nicholas in the corridor.
They made their way down to the stables where there were several horses all ready to leave. Ash's white mare, Ivory, was there, wearing a saddle with royal purple trimming. Her reigns sported bunting like triangles of fabric, all with the Bidcambrough crest on it. There were several other horses, mostly golden brown, with the odd grey. Next to Ivory, only a few metres away, was a horse with the same saddle and bridle as hers. It was Ebony, Theodor's midnight black stallion. He was rough and ill-tempered, always acting like a caged bird. This was very different to Ivory, who was amiable and obedient, but had her own free spirit.
Theodor came out from behind his stallion.
"Your here. We were waiting."
"Sorry." Ash curtsied, her smile disappearing when her face was out of view.
The King and Queen jumped onto their horses. They went in front, at each other's side and their four guards behind them.
A small cart, holding a few boxes, followed as they left through the gates of the castle.

After an hour of riding, Ash decided to try to talk to her husband. It's hard to stay married when your husband hates you.
"What are those boxes for?"
Theodor looked over. He wasn't exactly happy to find that his Queen was speaking to him.
"It's our belongings, and a gift, for the Clemonte family, as they were so kind to invite us."
"That's very kind of you, my King"
The conversation ended there. Ash's husband didn't seem to be interested in carrying it on any further.
After riding south for several hours, the sun was nearing the middle of the sky. They neared the town of Tendelvel. It was three quarters of the size of the capital and surrounded by a stone wall. They walked to the gate and the guards let them through without question. The citizens gaped as their horses trotted down the main road : it wasn't a normal occurrence for the King and Queen to walk through town.
The Clemente house was in a large park owned by the family itself. The King and Queen got off their horses and the doors of the house opened. A woman with brunette hair and a kind expression was in the doorframe. She welcomed them and thanked them for coming. "Welcome, welcome! It's so nice of you to come to our humble home."
"No need for thanks, Lady Clemente," Theodor said, "We are grateful you invited us."
Lady Clemente guided them in and the cart was taken out to the back. Two of the guards left with the cart, while the other two accompanied their King and Queen.
"You must be so tired," said their host. "Let me take you to your room. You can rest there for the time being."
"Thank you ever so much." Ash replied. It was the first sentence she had spoken in the past hour.
They were guided through a hallway and to a bedchamber with large doors. Lady Clemente opened it and a large room was revealed. There was a four poster bed with lilac sheets, obviously prepared just for the King. The wall opposite to the door had large curtains, which their host opened to reveal a large balcony. All the windows allowed white light to shine in, making everything in the room seem to glisten.
"Welcome to your room! We have lunch in an hour and we can't wait for you to be there. Rest : you've had a long journey."
They stepped in and the guards positioned themselves next to the door. Ash then realised that this room was for the both of them. A few nights ago, she would have been gleeful, but now she dreaded it. She couldn't imagine sleeping in the same bed as her husband. Ash had thought she wanted this, however, she was wrong. Before the Queen could say anything, her host disappeared and she was left alone in the room with her husband.