Royals were carefully educated from a young to be able to handle, if not hide their true emotions, especially in front of their subjects. It was a matter of pride and a show of strength as the people who ruled the kingdom. Thus, when the survivors saw the Queen's tears rolling down her cheeks, none of them was able to raise their heads to meet her pained gaze.
Queen Theodora's shoulders shook as she silently grieved for the people who had served her for years. A while ago, she'd been listening to their laughter and silly squabbling over the sunny weather, and in a blink of an eye, everyone was gone. Even her favorite lady-in-waiting, the smart and loyal Bethy, was not spared and was killed in front of her very eyes. At this moment, Queen Theodora did not look like a regal queen, but an utterly shaken and weak woman.
