The Emotions Within

Counsel

That day had been hectic and she was really tired. It was like a wave of chaos, the storm and the people, especially since she was almost gravely injured. Her servants had been giving her attention the entire evening. She understood their well being, but she was exhausted.

The condition of her kingdom was terrible, according to her judgement. The safety of the roads was not proper. The cart drivers were reckless and dangerous. Also, some people required some financial aid. Trade and business was not doing well. What was the Council of Elders doing?

She did have some suggestions to help improve the kingdom, but the elders as they are, would refuse her reforms saying that they were too unorthodox. Women in the Council were quite common, and quite active. However, the queen was a young maiden, whose job was to produce an heir and take care of the king's family. They would never take her seriously. Moreover as she had experienced, jealously is a twisted emotion that exists.

She sighed and rubbed her head. This wasn't her duty; why should she worry about matters such as these? Might as well consult her husband about these matters after he returns.  She put that thought away and distracted herself with her fantasies, since there was nothing much to do after she had finished her chores.

She was eager to visit that hut once more and spend time with the mysterious man. She felt like she had encountered him, but she couldn't remember where. She could recognize his presence, but it was not the same case for his appearance. She wanted to clarify it that night and perhaps thank and apologize to him about the previous night.

She was excited for it to become night and wanted everyone to get their rests soon. The music was already in the air, but time seemed to go so slow. For hours she stayed in her room, staring towards the west sky. The noises from people started to become quiet and slowed down as the sky turned purple.

"Lieng Makaw." She heard an elderly voice and panicked. She whipped her head around, so quick that her braids hit her face. She had forgotten that she had called for the priestess.

"Ah, my sister-in-law," she acknowledged and offered a seat to her. "Make yourself welcome."

She nodded and accepted the offer. "You have summoned me, my queen. Is something the matter?"

"I would like to place a suggestion to the Council," she said with a firm voice.

The priestess hummed, clearly perplexed by her proposal. She covered her lips with  her shawl, deep in thought. She knew that the Council of Elders was a stubborn bunch, addressing a problem only when a majority of the citizens reported it.

The queen had as much political power over the Council as a normal citizen of the kingdom has. Normally, her duty was to watch over the king's household and birth an heir to the throne.

The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement at the queen's naivety; she was an inexperienced one.

"My queen, I am actually not the person you should consult for these matters. I am a person that deals with religious matters only."

The queen felt her face getting warm and stiffened. A confused expression went up in her face. She tilted her head and fumbled with the edge of her jaiñkyrshah.

"I...didn't...sorry," she apologized. She was sure by now the priestess could see that she was as red as a tomato.

Her sister-in-law chuckled gently, again, her mouth covered. "At least you learnt something from this small mistake."

"Y...yes," she stuttered, gripping the edge of the cloth tightly.

The priestess shook her head and stood up from her seat. She gave a small pat on her shoulder, as a gesture of encouragement.

"You should approach one of the Elders, I'm sure they would listen," she advised. "I have some matters to take care of right now. You see, preparations are already being made to welcome back the king."

"Ah." The Queen bowed slightly, her body and her speech shaking slightly. "I'm sorry for taking your time, High Priestess."

Her sister-in-law could clearly see the apologetic expression on her face. "As your sister-in-law, I spared this little time I have, to warn you."

"Warn me?" She tilted her head. "Of what?"

"Where were you the last two nights?"

That simply question confused her speech patterns, if they weren't already disordered. She was reluctant to answer;  she would be in a lot of trouble if she did. She would be accused of adultery if she said that she had been visiting someone. What to do? What to say?

The priestess sighed and walked out of the room. "Just be careful. I am not certain, but there will be grief in your future."

The queen blinked in perplexion. She sat still on the bed, pondering upon her words. Grief? As if that would be worse than what she was experiencing. Compared to the night she was asleep in the palace, the night she spent outside felt better.

But just the fact that the priestess went and spared the time to just speak to her about it gave her a warm feeling. For the first time, she actually felt like an older sister rather than a revered figure.

About her advice, though, the last thing she wanted to do was interact with a politician. She had heard of the citizens complain about their snobbish attitude. If she couldn't handle a bunch of young gossiping women, she'd definitely not want the Elders speaking that way to her.

Oh how she wanted her love to return! If he were there, she'd be so much happier. Life would be much easier. No disrespect to worry about, no accidents or dangers and she wouldn't have to deal with problems herself. She wouldn't be feeling lonely any longer. She wouldn't have to worry about her ever growing desire for ...lust.

Her mind went to the memory of her being wooed by the prince. That event made her feel the shame all over again. If that beggar hadn't interrupted them, they would have...

She shook her head to get rid of that thought. Her face was heated just by recalling it. She frowned as she clutched her abdomen, trying to calm her growing passion. That was a dangerous phase she was in.

Taking deep breaths, she cooled down her head.

Another mystery creeped into her thoughts. That beggar. He had helped her twice then. That man whom she expressed only disgust towards him. That was a quite cruel way to treat him so, but it was not much of a big deal as most of the villagers did so.

Why would an outcast treat her with kindness, if all she had done was despise him?

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Probably better as it is now edited. :-D
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"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who ill treat you.
If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too;  if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well.
Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for but back.
Do for others just what you want them to do for you."
(Luke 6: 27-31)

*this is one of my favourite verses.