I woke up early in the morning to leave for Rebecca. Rebecca is my best friend's wife. I have known her for a long while before that, we were friends when we were younger. My mother wanted me to marry a rich, French girl, and tried to make something happen between Rebecca and me, but nothing really did. Rebecca married Theodore for political reasons, they are good friends, but nothing romantic. Rebecca is attracted to females, which is horrible for most Catholics, and deadly if they start a rebellion or protest. Rebecca is being spared because she tries to keep it under the radar and has a child with Theodore, again for political reasons, also she is my dear friend. After a few hours of riding on my horse, I finally arrived at the mansion. Rebecca already came running towards me, I smiled at the sight of her. She was like my sister.
"Isaac! How lovely that you could come this fast." She said as she led me inside. I come here once or twice a month, this place feels almost like home.
"I've wanted to talk with you for a while," She started. We both sat down in the living area while the maids were running around preparing dishes and something to drink.
"I heard that the Bordeaux siblings arrived at your court." She said, of course she knew about that. She took her cup in her hands and started sipping while she was watching me. She certainly noticed my facial expressions change at the name.
"That's true." I try to keep my answers as short as possible.
"You're not going to give me more than that?" She stated. I knew that she was thinking something I just couldn't figure out what she wanted to hear. The truth of course.
"What do you wanna hear?" I asked her. Her facial expression changed and she studied my facial expressions for a while.
"I heard that the daughter is quite a catch." She started, ignoring my question. There were a lot of rumors about Victoria, she was mostly known for her skills of strategies, but now that she arrived at court new ones have started about her grace, beauty, compasion, and love. Everybody heard it by now.
"I don't know." I knew very well that Victoria is the prettiest girl in existence, but also the stubborn, wildest, selfless girl at the same time.
"Oh, you know, it's written all over your face, but you don't have to tell me, if you're not ready." I nodded and sipped my tea quietly. We talked about everything for the past few hours, she told me about her marriage, her family, her son, her business, and I listened to all of it. I didn't get a lot in my system because I was distracted and couldn't focus properly on my friend. An hour later after we lunched a guard came to the mansion and gave me a letter.
"What is this?" I asked the guard, I looked down at his height and he gulped audibly. I frowned at the reaction.
"It's a- a letter, your majesty."
"I see that, but from whom?" I questioned him, he was almost trembling by now.
"From the maids, your Majesty, it concerns Lady Victoria." The last words made me rip the envelope out of his hands and cut it open with a knife that lay nearby. I could feel Rebecca's eyes follow me.
My eyes followed the words as fast as they could.
Your Majesty,
Lady Victoria is being pushed into a ceremony, because she disrespected the Queen and the King. The Queen is commanding her head, the nobles will probably follow her desires. Your Majesty is the only one who can help her. We, your people, beg of you, to do something, the ceremony is being held at sundown.
"What is this?" I demanded from the trembling young man. He looked up with scared eyes.
"The Queen believes that Lady Victoria has seduced the King without his consent and with that The Queen believes that she is also disrespected." He whispered out loudly enough for me to hear.
I stood , my fists clenched by my sides, and my shoulders rolled back, glaring at the boy. "Care to say that again?" I hissed in anger.
The boy didn't answer me and I let it go, I can't deal with this now. Victoria. Victoria's life is in danger.I slammed the envelope against the table and turned to Rebecca to explain the situation as fast as I could to be able to leave as soon as possible.
"I understand, go, save her." I would normally let out an annoyed sound at her statement, but she knows. and I can't deny her. I sprinted out to the gardens of the mansion, in search of my horse.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I rode towards the castle. A thin layer of sweat covered the nape of my neck and I darted past people, houses and trees. I couldn’t describe my emotions. I feel somehow ignorant for drinking too much yesterday, for losing control, especially around her. I don’t know what happened and a small part of me doesn’t want to, it’s too scared to know the truth of my actions. I am quite familiar with Victoria, I know so much that she won’t like this and she will definitely not let her faith be put in another one's hands.
As I enter my castle, I am worried, worried about Victoria. In a year of marriage with my wife I have learned a lot about her, and I know that she craves power and attention from me. When I am not available at court Charlotte will receive all the power and can make all the decisions she wants, I have been trying to make her sign a document that will make an end of that disgusting way to steal the power from my hands, but she won’t, not with anything that I am willing to gift her.
My home is in chaos, I see maids running around, guards not standing on their posts, my mother giving me a warning look. I turn towards her. My mother and my siblings are the closest family that I have ever had. My mother always did what was best for us, she would sacrifice herself for us, but she also craves power, so if something would happen to me I am sure that she would steal all the power from my wife and make herself become queen again. But she is still my mother and raised me to become the man I am today.
“What have you done Isaac?” She insisted. I turned towards her and I knew, I knew that Victoria did something. Something was off. She stood still studying me.
“I will tell you something my son, Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase. Victoria came for one purpose, don't make it more than that one.” She uttered, before she walked down the stone path. My mother always knew a way to make me quiet.
I feel like a fool, I am a King, I have never felt the way I am doing now. Victoria just showed up my path and not only have I come to make stupid and ignorant decisions, I also lost control of myself, which is the worst of all. I try convincing myself that this is something that is normal, I am attracted to this woman, but this is getting out of hand. I need to control this, control us.
“The King has returned!”
I stormed into the throne room where my delusional wife was sitting on her throne. I walked towards her without breaking our eye contact. She gulped and chewed her inner cheek, fear was displayed all over her face. William stood beside my throne and bowed before I sat down on the wooden throne.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, wife.” I murmured in a warning tone. I could sense her pulse fasten as she squirmed uncomfortably around in her seat. She turned towards me before swallowing. No answer.
“Your Majesties!” A man came shouting into the throne room. It was one of Charlotte’s men I could recognize out of a million. Charlotte stood up and ran towards him. He was bleeding badly, his ankle wrapped in a bandage that was covered in blood.
“John, what happened? Get the physician here now!” Charlotte exclaimed. I was amazed by her care towards the commoner. This closeness between them certainly isn’t right. Charlotte was stroking his hair by now and held his hand.
“Lady Victoria Bordeaux, she escaped.” This sentence made my breath hitch.