The Tale of a Mad King

Chapter 1

Their marriage was a failure. Something that was never meant to be. An arranged ceremony supposed to unite kingdoms and create peace. Not bloodshed. It's not that the marriage was loveless. The complete opposite actually. The problem was neither of them could admit it. One out of fear of rejection. Another out of senseless pride. It's because of this the marriage would not last. This is the story of a very lonely woman and a man destined to lose his mind.

On the day of their marriage, the woman was nervously pacing the length of her room. It would be several hours before the actual ceremony took place. This would be the first time she gets to meet her husband. The first time she gets to SEE her husband. She wonders what he's like. She's heard many amazing things about him. He's supposedly very kind, a strong-willed warrior. He does a lot of charity work. Always giving to the people less fortunate than him. Almost all of his public appearances involve him interacting with his people. Apparently, just last week he helped an old man up who had just fallen in the mud. Also getting himself muddy in the process. He's always seen joking, laughing, and playing with the children of Mrs. June's orphanage. He built them a schoolhouse not too long ago. Also, he's supposedly very handsome. Tall and pale with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a clean-cut beard that contours his face perfectly. That with an amazing build and sense of style he's everybody's perfect man. The woman hoped all of these things were true. She was going to be with him till death do they part. The woman's name was Leah Fawn and the man she was marrying was Alexander William. 

KING Alexander William. King of the great kingdom Halella. The kingdom of Halella was a beautiful place. A winter wonderland in every way. Snow was falling all year round, pine trees as far as the eyes could see. Lakes frozen over perfectly for people to ice skate on. A town full of red noses and sparkling eyes. A beautiful place indeed. Leah was immediately besotted as soon as she laid eyes on the kingdom of never-ending winter. At Leah's request, they are going to meet an hour before the ceremony. So they can get to know each other at least a little before being permanently bound to each other. Looking at herself in the mirror she wonders if the king would like her. She knows she's not the prettiest damsel out there. She's tall and bulky nothing like the petite women she sees all around the castle. She has frizzy brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a round face with full lips. Unlike the townsfolk whose faces are red from the cold, her face is permanently red from rosacea. Along with small breasts, stretch marks, and a rounded stomach. She hopes her dear husband would love her anyway even with all her faults.

It is about time for them to meet. Leah is unable to stop her feet from pacing the floor. She has already moved from her room to the solar. She picks at the seams of her slightly expensive dress. She has not put on her wedding dress yet, not wanting it to be dirtied or wrinkled. She's only been waiting in this room for a few minutes but to her, it feels like hours. From behind her, she finally hears the door open. Slowly turning around, she tries to calm herself by closing her eyes and taking deep breathes. "The king Alexander William has arrived," announces the doorman. As soon as he says that Leah opens her eyes to find a beautiful man before her. This is it. This is her king, her husband standing before her. All the rumors about his looks at least seem to be true. She was in awe at the sight of him. So in awe, she almost forgot to bow. Shaking her head a bit to clear her mind she finally remembers to curtsy. When she looks up from the curtsy, she sees an odd expression on the king's face. He doesn't look very pleased. She hopes it's not because of her. She hates disappointing people.

"It's nice to meet you," Alexander greets giving a slight nod. "It's uhh- very nice to meet you too your highness. I have-um I have been anxiously awaiting this moment," Leah stutters. She doesn't like the look he's giving her. "Shall we sit then," he gestures to the seats just to the left of her. She quickly nods and sits. Resisting the urge to pick at the skin around her nails as she had been doing all morning. He takes a seat right in front of her crossing his left leg over his right in such an elegant manner. There was an awkward silence for a while. Neither of them knowing how to start a conversation. "So, what do you like to do for fun?" Leah asks proud that she was the one to start talking first. "Well, I like to do many things. Horseback riding is one of them. Have you ever rode on horseback before?" He replies seeming slightly more interested in her than he was before. "Oh no, I haven't, but I would love to try it." She says optimistically "great, then we can do it on our honeymoon." He states, they sit silently for a while after that. Him not bothering to ask her any questions, She soon grows very impatient. She doesn't want to upset him but she had to say something. What's the point of meeting like this if they are just going to sit in silence."I'm-I'm sorry my lord but the reason I wanted this meeting to happen is so we could get to know each other. But you don't really seem to want to get to know me."

"Oh really, I'm sorry I guess my minds been elsewhere. What are your personal goals in life?" He asks, her eyes widen. She certainly wasn't expecting a question like this. "Well, I would really like to be a good wife to you. Maybe in the future, I could even try my hand at being a good mother." He looked very bored at her reply "is that all?" "What do you mean?" "Is that really all you aspire for?" This question shocked her even more. What more could she want? Truly that's all that matters. Isn't it? Anything else is surely not as important. "I would like to be a poet. Reading and writing are a big passion of mine." She felt stupid saying this to him. To her neverending surprise, this seemed to interest him. "That's good, It's good to be ambitious. I find women with no ambition quite boring." That being said a long silence overtook them once more. He certainly is not like other men. Looking at him from the corner of her eye she finds she is quite entranced with him. She wonders if he feels the same about her. By the way he's acting she would say not. It's not that he seems completely uninterested but he's certainly not trying very hard. Just as she's about to speak once more one of the servants enter the room. "Sorry to interrupt your highness but the ceremony's about to begin" he informs. Alexander stands "so soon? Well, I best let you get ready. I'm sure you want to look your best." Leah hurries and stands as well when he says this. "Yes, I would very much like that. Thank you for letting me have this time with you sire, I very much enjoyed it." She says bowing her head into another curtsy.

He nods quickly leaving the room. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. That could have gone better. She has no time to dwell on that though. She has to get ready, they have the rest of their lives to get to know each other. As the handmaids pour into the room to help her get ready, she prays with everything in her that today goes well. This is going to be the start of a new life. She has to make sure it starts right. It doesn't even have to be perfect. It just has to be enough.