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HelpRumplestiltskin
in reply to a message by britto08
UN: Starshelle
King: Robert Lucian III (33)
Queen: Rosabel (21)
-DPrincess1: Junia "Juniper" Catherine (4)
-DPrince1: Robert "Robin" Lucian IV (2)
-Dprincess2/Dprince2: Eloise Marguerite / Leo Cornelius (nb)
Tale: Rumplestiltskin
The birth of healthy twins would normally be cause of celebration for the kingdom of Camoria, but instead the queen spent months in her bed fighting for her life due to the grave complications of their difficult birth. Commoners left piles of flowers at the castle's gate, especially white roses the queen's favorite, and filled houses of worship to pray for the recovery of their beloved queen.
Malachi, the king's personal physician tended to Rosabel through the night and day, even sleeping in the same room on a pull out bed. He had grown quite fond of her over the years, and he was determined to do all he could to help her pull through. In her state of delirium she cried out often for "Eduard" which puzzled the physician.
"Whoever could Eduard be?" The elderly physician wandered out loud. One of the queen's servants, Louisa merely smirked.
He raised his busy gray eyebrows at her. "Do you know, Louisa?"
"Oh he is one of the king's messengers." She shrugged, but the doctor suspected there was more to it than this, yet he was worn out and tired and did not press the servant for more.
One night he heard a knocking at the door, and a young man with curly black hair was on the other side.
"I have a message to deliver to the queen, sir."
"At this late of an hour?" The old man hissed keeping his voice down so as to not wake the sleeping the queen.
"It is an urgent private message from her father, sir." The messenger tried not so subtlety to catch a glimpse of the sleeping queen behind the physician.
"Well, give me the scroll and be off." This boy has some nerve trying to gawk at the queen!
"It's not like that, sir. Her father doesn't know how to read and write so I have to relay the message verbally.
"Then say it then!" Malachi's normally friendly eyes, deprived of sleep glared at the young man. "I'll tell the queen myself when she is lucid. I may be old, but my memory is fine."
The young man sighed, "Look, sir I'm sorry. I don't have a message; I just—"
"What is your name?" He asked him suddenly.
He blinked. "Why it's Eduard, sir."
Oh gods. The pieces fit together. Little Robin has black hair, Eduard has black hair. The queen could have conceived the boy when she was visiting her father for his wedding and not under such watchful eyes.
King Robert had been so happy when Prince Robin was born. The king had practically worshiped his grandfather, King Robert I, called King Robert the Brave, he was one of the most beloved and highly lauded kings in the history of Camoria. He too had black hair and so when Robin was born the king, who had auburn hair, rejoiced, believing this to be a sign of the gods that his son was destined to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Robert the Brave.
"Eduard, how much of a fool are you?" The physician seethed in contempt. If you value the queen's life and your own, you will immediately and find other employment, far away from here."
Malachi grabbed him by the arm to throw him out, but the messenger easily wrested himself free from the old man's grasp and dashed to the queen's side. Eduard could feel his heart thudding rapidly into his chest. Oh he knew his actions were dangerous, but he had to see her again. He couldn't bear it if she died without him being able to see her one last time.
Eduard's winced at the sight of her. His beautiful Rose, once so vibrant and beautiful laid in her bed emaciated, her face drenched in sweat, her hair unkempt. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek, and she stirred in her sleep, without asking she muttered softly "Eduard."
The next thing Eduard recalled was stars as the old man sucker punched him in the face.
Man, whoever would have thought an old guy could hit so hard. Eduard thought.
"Out, out, out! Unless you'd rather spend some time in our cells and face trial for treason?"
Eduard did not need to be told again; he ran out of there.
The old man slumped down onto his bed, trying to catch his breath, his fist ached, and he wondered if he may have broken his bones. Where he found the strength to deliver such a blow, Malachi could not begin to guess.
He could have called the guards, but then that would lead to questions which could endanger the queen and her children. Malachi had never married or had children of his own, he had begun to feel fatherly to Rosabel over the years, and adored the children. More than once he had declared how nice it was to have laughter and sounds of children within these castle walls a gain.
The oldest child, Princess Junia had the brown hair of her mother, but in most other aspects, especially her gray eyes, took after her father. The twins were too young to tell for certain which parent would take after, but the little two year old prince looked undeniably like Eduard, not just in his hair, but his nose, his brown eyes (though Rosabel's were brown too).
How many people suspect? Malachi wondered fearfully. He had not seen Eduard around the castle in awhile. Perhaps that fool boy had had enough sense to stay away until now, but the way her lady in waiting, Louisa, smirked when Malachi asked made him gravely concerned.
The next day Malachi had breakfast with the king.
"How is she?" He asked him at once.
"About the same. Not better, but at least not worse."
"Dear gods, Malachi what happened to your hand?"
Malachi glanced at his black and blue bruised hand and shrugged. "Oh, I'm just a clumsy old man, your majesty. It looks worse than it feels." A lie, but just a small one. Malachi told himself, as it still throbbed with pain though not quite as severe.
"When I visit the children, they cry and ask for her." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I would hate to lose her too. She is a good mother to them."
This remarked surprised Malachi a bit. He always suspected the king had grown fond of and cared for Rosabel on some level, but he built up so many barriers between himself and other people that he treated her with at most indifference and at worst harshly with verbal abuse. The few times she dared to argue with her husband, he nearly hit her, but Malachi would calm him down. Queen Rosabel learned to stage her arguments when Malachi joined them for meals for this reason.
Small wonder she had given into temptation to seek comfort in the arms of a younger, more passionate man that adored her.
"Your Grace, if may make a suggestion, when she recovers, and I believe in my heart she will, perhaps you should tell her how you've missed her and how worried you were for her."
The king scoffed, "Why would I need to state what should be obvious?"
Malachi took a deep breath. "What is obvious to us men is not always obvious to women. They prefer to hear those sentiments expressed with words, and gifts like flowers..."
"Gods, don't talk to me about flowers. Those damn commoners keep bringing them! Why do they think killing plants will do her one whit of good? My guards waste their valuable time having to clear them away so we can move to and from the gate. I still think I should have the guards keep people back and use force if necessary to stop this ridiculous nonsense, but Raphael convinced me such an act would be more trouble than its worth."
Thank you, Raphael! Malachi breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for the king's wiser advisers, such Lord Raphael of Bluebridge, Malachi suspected there would have been a popular upheaval years ago at the too rigid and harsh sense justice King Robert believed to be necessary.
The king finished his meal and with his napkin dabbed at his beard, careful to make sure no crumbs managed to stick.
"After all, when I move forward with this campaign I've been planning, we'll need the support of the people."
The relief Malachi felt quickly replaced itself with fear.
"You are going to try and invade Sunith?"
"I trust you, Malachi, but I can't verify that." Yet Malachi knew this had to be the case. King Robert the Brave managed to successfully defeat and annex the former eastern neighboring kingdom of Demal. The male members of the royal family had been put to death, and the deposed king's daughter was taken by Robert the Brave to be his wife, solidifying his rule over the populace of the new land. Songs and legends were told of the battle to defeat the terrible Demalites to restore peace and honor to lands. The current King Robert would always listen raptly the songs while growing up until he could recite each and every one of them back. He used to sing them as well, but he never sung these days.
Malachi knew the king longed to make his own stamp on history, and what better way to do that than to conquer the pesky Suni? The only other independent kingdom, Kosakova, had been at peace with Camoria for many years. In fact, King Robert had already made early inquiries about a possible betrothal between the Kosakovan King's son and heir, and Princess Junia, but of course such a betrothal would not be made official until the children were older.
The Suni were a different situation altogether. The arid desert region may not seem worth the bloodshed, but Suni raids into the bordering Camoria land constantly plagued the kingdom. King Robert would retaliate, but it did little good. These strange dark skinned sun worshiping people had no king. They did have what they called, "Trials of Fire". The winner would be the one who survived, and he would be their new "Malah" as they called it.
Yet there was no negotiating with the Malah. The Suni do not trust anyone who is not Suni, and exactly how much control Malah wields over the people is debatable as there is many conflicting factions and sects with Sunith. One thing will always unite the people though and have them fight back fiercely, and that would be invasion from outsiders.
The crown jewel of Sunith is the city of Sundome. A city of breathtaking beauty and unimaginable wealth, the city had one of the best natural harbors ever known. The Suni were able to trade extensively with far away lands and Suni spices were well known and coveted around the world.
They were such savages though! They do not agree to fight by the rules of warfare as other men. No, they use black magic, subterfuge, terrorism, poison, and their superior knowledge of the desert to evade capture and defeat their foes. So many kings have tried and failed to defeat the Suni, but they always failed.
The older you get the more history seems to repeat. Malachi sighed as the king rose and left the room. He couldn't do anything to prevent the impending invasion of Sunith, but maybe he could do something to help keep the queen's secret.
More days passed and Queen Rosabel finally shows signs of improvement. Able to eat now, she is still too weak to talk, but Malachi has some guards carry her outside to the garden for some fresh air. They rest her on a blanket laid out on the grass.
"Malachi, can't the children come out here with me? I miss them terribly and want to see them."
"You will be able to see them soon, but I wanted to bring you out here alone to discuss a matter of great importance."
The queen gave the doctor a fearful look. "Are the babies doing all right?"
"Yes, the twins are being well cared for by their wet nurses."
She fought back tears. "Oh, I wish it didn't have to be that way. I wanted to be the one to feed them as I did Junia and Robin."
"I'm sorry it did not work out that way, but they are very fortunate to have their mother alive at all."
"I cannot thank you enough Malachi." She smiled warmly to the physician. "I owe you my life."
"Nonsense. I'm a doctor and did what I was supposed to do. Now, the matter I wanted to discuss with you is a certain visitor you received when you were ill."
"Oh, who was it?"
"Eduard."
Her eyes widen in surprised. "W-why would he visit me?"
"I know why, your highness. You needn't feign ignorance to me. When I saw him, I immediately knew it, and what's worse, your waiting in lady, Louisa, suspects it too."
Though pale from seclusion during her long illness, her face somehow lost more color and she began to sob.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have, but I did, and I regret it. I was selfish, and stupid, and oh gods, Malachi, what's going to happen? Maybe you should have let me die!"
Malachi was glad he had the garden cleared out of anyone but himself and the queen under the pretense of wanting to make sure nothing disturbed her fragile health, for otherwise someone would have surely come running to see what was the matter.
"Shh, there, there." He sat down next to her and put an arm around her.
"Nothing will happen if I can help it. I've sent Eduard away, back to his home in the Garland mountains. He can never return from here, and that will lessen the chances of people seeing him and noticing the similarities."
Rosabel nodded her head bravely accepting the news, keeping the sorrow close to her heart.
"As for, Louisa, that situation is trickier. She is actually the daughter of King Robert II's bastard son. That Robert was most promiscuous and sired my bastards during his reign, but only the one he sired with a noblewoman is of any note. The son King Robert II had with the noblewoman of the former Meirlake House.
His name is Lysander, and he was to be named the king's heir until his wife, after years of being childless finally gave him a son, your husband. Lysander and the rest of the Meirlakes were most displeased by this turn of events, and tried to stage a coup which was thwarted. King Robert II though was a soft hearted when it came to his son. He could not bring himself to have Lysander executed as would have been prudent. Instead he had him exiled and imprisoned in Kosakova.
"Lysander's daughter, Louisa was just an infant at the time, was taken to be a ward of the crown, and though you husband does not like it, his father's last will gave Louisa permanent residence in this castle for as long as she may wish to live here. He adored the little girl, and your husband was quite jealous and bitter at the attention he gave her over him. However, to remove her could be challenging because her mother was a member of another noble house who was not, as far as could be determined, part of the coup attempt."
"Which noble house is this?"
"Dale."
"That's the noble house my father married into!"
"Indeed, it is. The mother was Duke Geoffrey's oldest daughter. She died of the great illness that spread to the kingdom awhile ago."
"I know which one you mean." Rosabel sighed, thinking of the illness that had claimed her own mother's life and that of her younger sister and brothers. "I had no idea about most of this, though. I always thought it strange that Louisa was always so haughty with me, and never seemed to fear recrimination. I appreciated her bluntness at times though, and honestly found her attitude a bit refreshing compared to how overly ingratiating just about everyone else is, you not included, of course, Malachi."
He chuckled softly. "Anyway, I'll suggest that Louisa be found another duty so she is not in such close proximity to you. I doubt she has any proof in which to cause trouble, but I'll keep an eye out. Your secret is safe with me, your highness. I do not wish any harm to come to you or your children."
She hugged the old man fiercely. "I can't thank you enough for your help, Malachi. If there's anything, anything I can do at all to repay."
"Do not give it another thought, my lady. I know King Robert isn't exactly the kindest husband to you, but did you know he expressed much concern about losing you? He truly was distraught at the thought."
"Really?" Queen Rosabel's skeptical look made Malachi chuckle.
"Really, my lady, he told me himself. I would not tell you a lie."
Her face brightened at this news. Maybe, just maybe, he is gradually coming to love me. Oh gods, why did I threaten everything by giving into my lusts? I am such a fool, but he won't find out. He can't. Malachi took care of everything.
"All right, let's get you inside. I know you're eager to see your kidlets, and they've been asking for you everyday. I'll be right back."
The physician walks down the garden's path back inside the castle to tell the guards that the queen needs to be carried in.
"Oh, sir, while you were out, I got this message for you." The guard hands Malachi a parchment seal and he opens it.
He had to squint to make out the poorly scrawled writing, but fortunately the contents were short.
The deed is done.
The physician swallowed hard. All his life he had dedicated and worked to save lives, but now he would have the blood of a young man on his hands. It cost him 1,000 gold of his own personal fortune to ensure that Eduard was discretely murdered. He was a commoner and had no family connections here. No one likely to inquire or really care about where he went. Still, Malachi closed his eyes.
Gods, forgive me. I did what I had to do to keep a kingdom united and to spare the lives of an otherwise good you woman and innocent children.
The physician could not sleep at night, so haunted was he as Eduard's face. Looking upon Prince Robin further exemplified his grief. When King Robert road off to war with Sunith, Malachi sat down. He wrote a long letter to the King Robert, sealed it and left it in his study to find if he returned.
He gazed out of his window one final time. A beautiful night, with the stars glistening in the black velvet canvass. "Perhaps, I shall be among of them, should the gods forgive me."
Malachi drank the poison and went to bed.
King: Robert Lucian III (33)
Queen: Rosabel (21)
-DPrincess1: Junia "Juniper" Catherine (4)
-DPrince1: Robert "Robin" Lucian IV (2)
-Dprincess2/Dprince2: Eloise Marguerite / Leo Cornelius (nb)
Tale: Rumplestiltskin
The birth of healthy twins would normally be cause of celebration for the kingdom of Camoria, but instead the queen spent months in her bed fighting for her life due to the grave complications of their difficult birth. Commoners left piles of flowers at the castle's gate, especially white roses the queen's favorite, and filled houses of worship to pray for the recovery of their beloved queen.
Malachi, the king's personal physician tended to Rosabel through the night and day, even sleeping in the same room on a pull out bed. He had grown quite fond of her over the years, and he was determined to do all he could to help her pull through. In her state of delirium she cried out often for "Eduard" which puzzled the physician.
"Whoever could Eduard be?" The elderly physician wandered out loud. One of the queen's servants, Louisa merely smirked.
He raised his busy gray eyebrows at her. "Do you know, Louisa?"
"Oh he is one of the king's messengers." She shrugged, but the doctor suspected there was more to it than this, yet he was worn out and tired and did not press the servant for more.
One night he heard a knocking at the door, and a young man with curly black hair was on the other side.
"I have a message to deliver to the queen, sir."
"At this late of an hour?" The old man hissed keeping his voice down so as to not wake the sleeping the queen.
"It is an urgent private message from her father, sir." The messenger tried not so subtlety to catch a glimpse of the sleeping queen behind the physician.
"Well, give me the scroll and be off." This boy has some nerve trying to gawk at the queen!
"It's not like that, sir. Her father doesn't know how to read and write so I have to relay the message verbally.
"Then say it then!" Malachi's normally friendly eyes, deprived of sleep glared at the young man. "I'll tell the queen myself when she is lucid. I may be old, but my memory is fine."
The young man sighed, "Look, sir I'm sorry. I don't have a message; I just—"
"What is your name?" He asked him suddenly.
He blinked. "Why it's Eduard, sir."
Oh gods. The pieces fit together. Little Robin has black hair, Eduard has black hair. The queen could have conceived the boy when she was visiting her father for his wedding and not under such watchful eyes.
King Robert had been so happy when Prince Robin was born. The king had practically worshiped his grandfather, King Robert I, called King Robert the Brave, he was one of the most beloved and highly lauded kings in the history of Camoria. He too had black hair and so when Robin was born the king, who had auburn hair, rejoiced, believing this to be a sign of the gods that his son was destined to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Robert the Brave.
"Eduard, how much of a fool are you?" The physician seethed in contempt. If you value the queen's life and your own, you will immediately and find other employment, far away from here."
Malachi grabbed him by the arm to throw him out, but the messenger easily wrested himself free from the old man's grasp and dashed to the queen's side. Eduard could feel his heart thudding rapidly into his chest. Oh he knew his actions were dangerous, but he had to see her again. He couldn't bear it if she died without him being able to see her one last time.
Eduard's winced at the sight of her. His beautiful Rose, once so vibrant and beautiful laid in her bed emaciated, her face drenched in sweat, her hair unkempt. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek, and she stirred in her sleep, without asking she muttered softly "Eduard."
The next thing Eduard recalled was stars as the old man sucker punched him in the face.
Man, whoever would have thought an old guy could hit so hard. Eduard thought.
"Out, out, out! Unless you'd rather spend some time in our cells and face trial for treason?"
Eduard did not need to be told again; he ran out of there.
The old man slumped down onto his bed, trying to catch his breath, his fist ached, and he wondered if he may have broken his bones. Where he found the strength to deliver such a blow, Malachi could not begin to guess.
He could have called the guards, but then that would lead to questions which could endanger the queen and her children. Malachi had never married or had children of his own, he had begun to feel fatherly to Rosabel over the years, and adored the children. More than once he had declared how nice it was to have laughter and sounds of children within these castle walls a gain.
The oldest child, Princess Junia had the brown hair of her mother, but in most other aspects, especially her gray eyes, took after her father. The twins were too young to tell for certain which parent would take after, but the little two year old prince looked undeniably like Eduard, not just in his hair, but his nose, his brown eyes (though Rosabel's were brown too).
How many people suspect? Malachi wondered fearfully. He had not seen Eduard around the castle in awhile. Perhaps that fool boy had had enough sense to stay away until now, but the way her lady in waiting, Louisa, smirked when Malachi asked made him gravely concerned.
The next day Malachi had breakfast with the king.
"How is she?" He asked him at once.
"About the same. Not better, but at least not worse."
"Dear gods, Malachi what happened to your hand?"
Malachi glanced at his black and blue bruised hand and shrugged. "Oh, I'm just a clumsy old man, your majesty. It looks worse than it feels." A lie, but just a small one. Malachi told himself, as it still throbbed with pain though not quite as severe.
"When I visit the children, they cry and ask for her." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I would hate to lose her too. She is a good mother to them."
This remarked surprised Malachi a bit. He always suspected the king had grown fond of and cared for Rosabel on some level, but he built up so many barriers between himself and other people that he treated her with at most indifference and at worst harshly with verbal abuse. The few times she dared to argue with her husband, he nearly hit her, but Malachi would calm him down. Queen Rosabel learned to stage her arguments when Malachi joined them for meals for this reason.
Small wonder she had given into temptation to seek comfort in the arms of a younger, more passionate man that adored her.
"Your Grace, if may make a suggestion, when she recovers, and I believe in my heart she will, perhaps you should tell her how you've missed her and how worried you were for her."
The king scoffed, "Why would I need to state what should be obvious?"
Malachi took a deep breath. "What is obvious to us men is not always obvious to women. They prefer to hear those sentiments expressed with words, and gifts like flowers..."
"Gods, don't talk to me about flowers. Those damn commoners keep bringing them! Why do they think killing plants will do her one whit of good? My guards waste their valuable time having to clear them away so we can move to and from the gate. I still think I should have the guards keep people back and use force if necessary to stop this ridiculous nonsense, but Raphael convinced me such an act would be more trouble than its worth."
Thank you, Raphael! Malachi breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for the king's wiser advisers, such Lord Raphael of Bluebridge, Malachi suspected there would have been a popular upheaval years ago at the too rigid and harsh sense justice King Robert believed to be necessary.
The king finished his meal and with his napkin dabbed at his beard, careful to make sure no crumbs managed to stick.
"After all, when I move forward with this campaign I've been planning, we'll need the support of the people."
The relief Malachi felt quickly replaced itself with fear.
"You are going to try and invade Sunith?"
"I trust you, Malachi, but I can't verify that." Yet Malachi knew this had to be the case. King Robert the Brave managed to successfully defeat and annex the former eastern neighboring kingdom of Demal. The male members of the royal family had been put to death, and the deposed king's daughter was taken by Robert the Brave to be his wife, solidifying his rule over the populace of the new land. Songs and legends were told of the battle to defeat the terrible Demalites to restore peace and honor to lands. The current King Robert would always listen raptly the songs while growing up until he could recite each and every one of them back. He used to sing them as well, but he never sung these days.
Malachi knew the king longed to make his own stamp on history, and what better way to do that than to conquer the pesky Suni? The only other independent kingdom, Kosakova, had been at peace with Camoria for many years. In fact, King Robert had already made early inquiries about a possible betrothal between the Kosakovan King's son and heir, and Princess Junia, but of course such a betrothal would not be made official until the children were older.
The Suni were a different situation altogether. The arid desert region may not seem worth the bloodshed, but Suni raids into the bordering Camoria land constantly plagued the kingdom. King Robert would retaliate, but it did little good. These strange dark skinned sun worshiping people had no king. They did have what they called, "Trials of Fire". The winner would be the one who survived, and he would be their new "Malah" as they called it.
Yet there was no negotiating with the Malah. The Suni do not trust anyone who is not Suni, and exactly how much control Malah wields over the people is debatable as there is many conflicting factions and sects with Sunith. One thing will always unite the people though and have them fight back fiercely, and that would be invasion from outsiders.
The crown jewel of Sunith is the city of Sundome. A city of breathtaking beauty and unimaginable wealth, the city had one of the best natural harbors ever known. The Suni were able to trade extensively with far away lands and Suni spices were well known and coveted around the world.
They were such savages though! They do not agree to fight by the rules of warfare as other men. No, they use black magic, subterfuge, terrorism, poison, and their superior knowledge of the desert to evade capture and defeat their foes. So many kings have tried and failed to defeat the Suni, but they always failed.
The older you get the more history seems to repeat. Malachi sighed as the king rose and left the room. He couldn't do anything to prevent the impending invasion of Sunith, but maybe he could do something to help keep the queen's secret.
More days passed and Queen Rosabel finally shows signs of improvement. Able to eat now, she is still too weak to talk, but Malachi has some guards carry her outside to the garden for some fresh air. They rest her on a blanket laid out on the grass.
"Malachi, can't the children come out here with me? I miss them terribly and want to see them."
"You will be able to see them soon, but I wanted to bring you out here alone to discuss a matter of great importance."
The queen gave the doctor a fearful look. "Are the babies doing all right?"
"Yes, the twins are being well cared for by their wet nurses."
She fought back tears. "Oh, I wish it didn't have to be that way. I wanted to be the one to feed them as I did Junia and Robin."
"I'm sorry it did not work out that way, but they are very fortunate to have their mother alive at all."
"I cannot thank you enough Malachi." She smiled warmly to the physician. "I owe you my life."
"Nonsense. I'm a doctor and did what I was supposed to do. Now, the matter I wanted to discuss with you is a certain visitor you received when you were ill."
"Oh, who was it?"
"Eduard."
Her eyes widen in surprised. "W-why would he visit me?"
"I know why, your highness. You needn't feign ignorance to me. When I saw him, I immediately knew it, and what's worse, your waiting in lady, Louisa, suspects it too."
Though pale from seclusion during her long illness, her face somehow lost more color and she began to sob.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have, but I did, and I regret it. I was selfish, and stupid, and oh gods, Malachi, what's going to happen? Maybe you should have let me die!"
Malachi was glad he had the garden cleared out of anyone but himself and the queen under the pretense of wanting to make sure nothing disturbed her fragile health, for otherwise someone would have surely come running to see what was the matter.
"Shh, there, there." He sat down next to her and put an arm around her.
"Nothing will happen if I can help it. I've sent Eduard away, back to his home in the Garland mountains. He can never return from here, and that will lessen the chances of people seeing him and noticing the similarities."
Rosabel nodded her head bravely accepting the news, keeping the sorrow close to her heart.
"As for, Louisa, that situation is trickier. She is actually the daughter of King Robert II's bastard son. That Robert was most promiscuous and sired my bastards during his reign, but only the one he sired with a noblewoman is of any note. The son King Robert II had with the noblewoman of the former Meirlake House.
His name is Lysander, and he was to be named the king's heir until his wife, after years of being childless finally gave him a son, your husband. Lysander and the rest of the Meirlakes were most displeased by this turn of events, and tried to stage a coup which was thwarted. King Robert II though was a soft hearted when it came to his son. He could not bring himself to have Lysander executed as would have been prudent. Instead he had him exiled and imprisoned in Kosakova.
"Lysander's daughter, Louisa was just an infant at the time, was taken to be a ward of the crown, and though you husband does not like it, his father's last will gave Louisa permanent residence in this castle for as long as she may wish to live here. He adored the little girl, and your husband was quite jealous and bitter at the attention he gave her over him. However, to remove her could be challenging because her mother was a member of another noble house who was not, as far as could be determined, part of the coup attempt."
"Which noble house is this?"
"Dale."
"That's the noble house my father married into!"
"Indeed, it is. The mother was Duke Geoffrey's oldest daughter. She died of the great illness that spread to the kingdom awhile ago."
"I know which one you mean." Rosabel sighed, thinking of the illness that had claimed her own mother's life and that of her younger sister and brothers. "I had no idea about most of this, though. I always thought it strange that Louisa was always so haughty with me, and never seemed to fear recrimination. I appreciated her bluntness at times though, and honestly found her attitude a bit refreshing compared to how overly ingratiating just about everyone else is, you not included, of course, Malachi."
He chuckled softly. "Anyway, I'll suggest that Louisa be found another duty so she is not in such close proximity to you. I doubt she has any proof in which to cause trouble, but I'll keep an eye out. Your secret is safe with me, your highness. I do not wish any harm to come to you or your children."
She hugged the old man fiercely. "I can't thank you enough for your help, Malachi. If there's anything, anything I can do at all to repay."
"Do not give it another thought, my lady. I know King Robert isn't exactly the kindest husband to you, but did you know he expressed much concern about losing you? He truly was distraught at the thought."
"Really?" Queen Rosabel's skeptical look made Malachi chuckle.
"Really, my lady, he told me himself. I would not tell you a lie."
Her face brightened at this news. Maybe, just maybe, he is gradually coming to love me. Oh gods, why did I threaten everything by giving into my lusts? I am such a fool, but he won't find out. He can't. Malachi took care of everything.
"All right, let's get you inside. I know you're eager to see your kidlets, and they've been asking for you everyday. I'll be right back."
The physician walks down the garden's path back inside the castle to tell the guards that the queen needs to be carried in.
"Oh, sir, while you were out, I got this message for you." The guard hands Malachi a parchment seal and he opens it.
He had to squint to make out the poorly scrawled writing, but fortunately the contents were short.
The deed is done.
The physician swallowed hard. All his life he had dedicated and worked to save lives, but now he would have the blood of a young man on his hands. It cost him 1,000 gold of his own personal fortune to ensure that Eduard was discretely murdered. He was a commoner and had no family connections here. No one likely to inquire or really care about where he went. Still, Malachi closed his eyes.
Gods, forgive me. I did what I had to do to keep a kingdom united and to spare the lives of an otherwise good you woman and innocent children.
The physician could not sleep at night, so haunted was he as Eduard's face. Looking upon Prince Robin further exemplified his grief. When King Robert road off to war with Sunith, Malachi sat down. He wrote a long letter to the King Robert, sealed it and left it in his study to find if he returned.
He gazed out of his window one final time. A beautiful night, with the stars glistening in the black velvet canvass. "Perhaps, I shall be among of them, should the gods forgive me."
Malachi drank the poison and went to bed.
This message was edited 3/14/2011, 9:49 AM
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