The Knight and the Peasant [FIRST DRAFT]

Chapter 29

Angelica sat on the bedside next to Benedict, waiting for the prince to wake up. He had been found at the Altar of Mikkael, windows shattered and the room a mess. The prince had been unconscious on the floor and a poor nun who must've witnessed everything was too afraid to say anything. When his eyes fluttered open, the prince seemed startled.

"Angelica?" His voice still slurred from sleep.

"Yes."

"What are you doing here? What happened? Where is my mother?" She almost snorted at the last question.

"Calm down there, Prince Benedict. That's a lot of questions."

Benedict's eyebrows furrowed. "No, just three."

Angelica smiled a bit. "I went to Montsant not soon after the Seneschal was murdered. I came back just yesterday when the Lord Constable and Arch-Cardinal had arrived―"

"They're here?" the prince interrupted.

Angelica gave him a sour look. "Didn't I just say that?"

Benedict sighed. "Well, they can't crown Francisco king until my father dies and he's been holding―"

"Benedict," Angelica said softly, grimacing slightly.

"What?"

She gave him a sad look. "The king is dead."

His reaction was nothing like what she expected. No crying. No shock. No hurt. Just a little bit of sadness that glinted in his eyes like a dying candlelight. "So it begins," he said ominously.

"What does that mean."

The prince looked at her. "I want to convince you, Angelica. I want to convince you that Sersalvon can be real. That this kingdom can unite."

"What does this have to do with your father's death?"

Now did Benedict's eyes shine in pain. It was foreboding as if he was hurting over something he had yet to do. "I can't let Francisco take the throne."

Angelica wrung her hands. "You know?"

"Of course."

Silence.

"How will you stop the coronation? Francisco wished to be crowned immediately but my mother convinced the Arch-Cardinal to wait till Quiesné." The Day of Peace. It was the day every Sersalvonian king had been crowned.

"Two days," Benedict noted.

"Yes."

"What does your mother gain from a delayed coronation?"

"I don't know."

More silence.

Angelica stared at the prince and he stared back. Their eyes met and locked in an invisible battle. Who would break first? They spoke of dangerous things... treason. Or was it really? After all, it was Benedict who was the rightful heir to both the Serpent Crown and Throne.

She broke first. Asking a question she was afraid to ask. "Do you truly believe you can fix this kingdom?"

"Yes." No hesitation.

"Do you ever worry you could break it beyond all repair?"

"Yes. But I have to try, or no one will."

"Where did all this confidence come from? But a month ago you were still a nervous, spineless boy. You lacked resolution but now... now you're different."

The edges of his lips tugged up in a smile. "The angels have granted me strength, I guess."

"What happened at the altar?" she questioned.