Alexander was haunted by the image of the man he saw at the lake the whole night. He had a dream and in his dream, he was with him. He smiled brightly in his sleep. It was almost morning and the queen visited her son to wish him good morning before she goes to bed and turns to a dragon.
She went into his room and found him sleeping. "Aya, the prince is sleeping and the sun has not risen yet. Call the physician to see if something is wrong with him," she said to her servant. She was worried, the prince never slept during the day.
"But my queen, everything seems to fine with him. He is even smiling," she said taking a quick look at Alexander.
"Smiling?" the queen asked and moved closer to her son. "What is the reason for his happiness?" she asked and the servant remained quiet, she had no answer for the queen's question.
"Call Arnie for me. He must know why my son is so happy today."
The servant walked out of the room and went in search of Alexander's manservant. She asked around and found out that he was preparing dinner for the prince. She went to the kitchen and found him instructing the cook on how to serve the prince's food.
"The queen is asking for you in prince Alexander's room," she said upon reaching him not wasting any time. The queen hated to be kept waiting so they both made their way to the room immediately. With hurried footsteps, they raced to the room with Arnie being careful not to drop the food in his hands.
They reached the room and went inside and stood next to Alexander's bed in line waiting for orders from the queen. "What happened to my son today that he can not contain his happiness even in his sleep?" she asked him.
"I do not know my queen. He left early in the night and went to the forbidden forest and he has been in his room since he returns," he replied with his head bowed and looking at the ground.
"Has he received any visitors today?"
"No my queen, his first wife had to sort him out but he rejected her invitation," he said.
"Rejected her? Did they fight, he never refuses anything to that witch," she muttered.
"No my queen, they haven't fought."
"That is strange. My son didn't fight with his wife but he still refused to see her. He is smiling like a crazy person in his sleep. Send Marcel out, he needs to find out who it is that my son had met that has made him so happy. Whatever he finds must be brought back to the palace immediately," she instructed.
Aya bowed to the queen and left the room. "Wake him to have his food and give him my wishes," she said and walked out of the room in a rush to see the king.
"Yes, Queen."
Arnie set the food down and left the room. He didn't dare wake the prince and have his head cut off. Alexander had made it clear that he should never be disturbed unless it was urgent. So he let the prince sleep because the food was not an urgent matter. He should know because that is the reason the king's last servant was removed from his job.
The queen rushed to the King's chamber and the guards opened the door for her. She went inside and found her husband working. "We have a problem," she said drawing the king's attention.
Those four words uttered by the queen always got the king to stop all his work and attend to her. The King of Arimelari king Alexandria was a feared warrior and ruler but when it came to his family then he was nothing more than a softie. He loved and adored his son and feared his wife, she was the only that scared the life out of him. The world considers him lucky to have found such a beautiful and kind queen but only he knows how kind his wife is.
"What is wrong?" he asked walking to her side.
"Our son, he is acting very strangely..."
"Did something happen to him? Is he in any danger or did a witch do anything to him," he asked her so many questions all at once. His heart was racing in his chest out of fear of anything happening to his son.
"I am not going to bother answering those stupid questions. Like I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, he is acting strangely. He is sleeping right now..."
"What? sleeping? Did you call the royal physician to check on him?" he asked her. The queen slapped the king on his cheek very hard and glared at him.
"Will you please let me speak after that you can panic and ask whatever you want. He was smiling like crazy and even refuse to be his first wife despite her asking for him. I think that he has found someone he likes," she stated with a smile.
"Well don't you have something to say? You seem to have a lot on your mind a minute ago."
"How do you plan to handle this matter?" he asked knowing the only reason he was being informed about this is that she has some plan cooking up in her mind.
"Do you what this could mean, it means that I can finally get my son out of the clutches of that witch that calls herself his first wife. If I get this new interest of his on my side then I can get that girl out of his life."
"But you have tried that with seven girls already and it didn't work," he stated.
"That's true but those girls were forced upon him by me. But this one is his choice and of his liking, he won't be to pay attention to that which once I get that girl here," she said and he nodded.
This was his wife, she was more terrifying than the enemies he fights on the battlefield. She was cunning and had a way of getting what she wants. It might not happen immediately but it always went her way. She always had a scheme on her mind and someone's doom is usually on the other end of her plotting.
He went back to his work while she stood at the window watching in the distance as the sun was about to rise. "A new dawn and a new ray of hope to answer my prayers," she whispered and got ready to go to bed.