Daughter of Death -Chapter 2 (Patreon)

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 CHAPTER TWO

Young Princess Reina grew up being told all about the long awaited arrival of a royal child which had been fulfilled in her and about her mother whose life was lost in giving the child to the world. It made the princess feel special and important.

However, Reina could not fill the heart of The King her father. A piece of him had been lost when his wife had died and he found it difficult to face his young daughter knowing the cost for her life.

The King remarried following the thirteenth anniversary but The Princess and his new wife never took to one another. For years the relationship between Reina and her father and new mother were very distant. This allowed Her Highness to become rather independent and take on her own hobbies and interests without being interfered with. One of her favourite past times became riding through the forest adjacent to their castle. She would sometimes be gone for hours at a time before returning flush-faced and smiling happily from her freedom.

On her sixteenth birthday, Reina escaped again to the forest for an hour and returned to prepare for and attend her birthday celebrations. All who saw her that day complimented her on her appearance. She had always been beautiful with long dark hair, bright turquoise eyes, rosy cheeks and a beautiful charming smile but today she appeared even more so— shining with happiness from being celebrated, doted upon and still allowed freedom to roam the forest as she wished.

“The Princess is growing into a fine young woman!”

“Her father will be considering marriage arrangements no doubt shortly for her...”

“She has such an elegance about her...”

Many whispered amongst themselves that evening as the festivities played out in the grand hall of the castle.

The King and his Queen too spoke about young Reina:

“Your daughter is looking radiant tonight, My Lord.”

The King had long grown used to his wife’s way of speaking; addressing him as ‘My Lord’ more often than ‘Your Liege’, ‘Your Majesty’ or even merely ‘Arnaud’. “She looks very happy and beautiful, yes,” he agreed though there was a hint of sadness in his tone.

“You see Queen Imogene in her,” his new wife murmured knowingly without needing to ask. She had long gazed at the portraits of the woman who had been his wife before her. Edeline sometimes wished to be as lovely as the late Queen appeared; Imogene didn’t seem to have a harsh line anywhere and neither did her daughter. Queen Edeline had much more angular lines in her cheeks, her jaw and the straightness and narrowness of her nose. Most of the people of her former kingdom did, in fact. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a bit of an outsider knowing how much her husband cared for the beautiful Imogene and though it was virtually impossible she wished he harboured even half the amount of admiration for her and her looks as he did for his first wife.

The young queen absently touched her almost dull cinnamon brown hair and smoothed a tiny strand back into place. She wished to be young and vibrant as the young princess. When she had been Reina’s age, her hair and her cheek shone as brightly if not more-so in the sunlight streaming down or even the lamplights of the evenings. Now with middle age approaching, things were not as vibrant as they once were.

King Arnaud was silent as he watched his daughter dancing with the other courtiers. “I’ve so long neglected her,” he murmured suddenly, “I barely know her tastes. How am I to think on her future if I know not what drives and passions she harbours?”

Queen Edeline was silent for a moment. “Perhaps then you ought to ask her; get to know the young woman. I’m sure she has many. Why, she rides almost daily in the forest. I often hear the grooms speaking about keeping her horse ready at all times. I’m sure there is not a horse in all the kingdom as well cared for as hers considering all its attention...” she remarked.

“That is considerable,” he nodded at his wife’s wisdom. “I shall need to know her other passions. If she is to be Queen, she will need to lead our people and do well by them and I want to know in what direction she would do so by. Also it would help in choosing then a husband for her.”

“You would marry her off so soon?” Edeline questioned.

“She can take the throne following her eighteenth birthday as is this kingdom’s laws. I would prefer to hand off the throne when she is married with a good match for her and my kingdom and although I might not do so until she is older than a mere eighteen years, I would still like to consider her future for her now. Marriages should not be arranged and forced although they can be. But I want my daughter to be happy in her match; in her life as I had— have been,” he spoke gently. “Therefore a match takes time. Time to consider, time to spend with a suitor and so forth...and then love may foster.”

Queen Edeline nodded with a small smile. She and Arnaud had taken this time in their match however she knew it was only fondness and a slight affection and not love that had grown between her and The King. They had married out of comfort to have a partner and companion and she also a little out of desire for security of an easily managed life and marriage where her expectations were not as high as they might have been should she have married a man of her same station.

In her kingdom, she had been of high nobility which made her a good match for many men of her kingdom and the surrounding ones but she had never properly secured a match until King Arnaud who found her wonderful company and her likewise in him. They decided mutually to pass the rest of their days then as companions; husband and wife. It was not entirely loveless but both knew it would never be a marriage of passion.

“I’m sure your daughter will appreciate the thoughtfulness and the pains you will go through to ensure her happiness.”

King Arnaud smiled at his wife –his hazel eyes softening as the lines of age around them crinkled up. “I hope you too know that I appreciate your pains towards my happiness. And I hope you are happy here too.”

“I cannot think of anything that would make me more happy in my life here,” she admitted. This was of course a lie; she wanted to be younger and wanted her husband’s love neither of which she knew were possible. But he had provided her a life of calm and comfort and therefore she could manage feeling unequal to her predecessor as The King’s wife.

“I will ask my daughter tomorrow,” The King decided. “Let her tonight enjoy her festivities.”

Enjoy them she did. Princess Reina danced and socialized until well past midnight –her parents retiring an hour before her to enjoy a quieter evening.

Finally, The Princess announced that she would retire to her chambers and so after she departed, the remaining guests filed out and the servants began clean up of The Grand Hall that it might be spotless by morning’s light.

The young woman’s ladies-in-waiting helped The Princess undress and after carefully rearranging her hair into a more manageable plait to sleep with, they retired from the room; done their duties for that night.

About a quarter of an hour later, the servants outside The Princess’ room swore they heard voices within; more than just that of Her Royal Highness. They wondered whether they should alert someone –for who could have snuck into the room unannounced? No one certainly had come through her chamber doors but the castle did have hidden passageways and so forth; perhaps there was one in her room as well.

Alarmed, the guards sent one of the servants to fetch the major-domo who was filled in quickly then accompanied the man to an audience with The King.

“Your Majesty, there are voices coming from your daughter’s rooms. We suspect someone may be inside.”

“Her ladies in waiting?”

“No sire h— The voices— the voice sounds male.”

His Majesty immediately gave a start. “And what of my daughter? Did she sound alarmed? Could you hear her?”

“Yes sire,” the reporting servant replied, “She was conversing with whoever it was. The voices sounded out normal conversation.”

King Arnaud paused digesting this information. “Send two guards to enter the chamber and secure whoever they find within. Leave my daughter with the regular guards posted outside and report back to me.”

“Yes sire.”

The King’s words were put into action at once. The guards who entered The Princess’ chamber however found the young woman in bed, asleep, and no other persons within nor any sign that Reina had not been alone. The guards who stood outside the chamber and who had not left since The Princess had entered her chambers reported that the sounds of conversation had ended mere minutes after the servant had gone to report the disturbance to The King.

His Majesty decided to let his daughter rest that night and question her the next morning. 

“Father? Whatever are you talking about?” The Princess responded. “I sang to myself as I got into bed after my chamber maids retired but I was not up long as I was tired from all the celebrations and there was certainly no one else within,” she assured.

The King didn’t know what to say.

“May I please retire now? I am not feeling well,” Reina followed up with after her father remained mute awhile. Both The King and his Queen noted that Reina was looking rather sickly pale and so her father agreed.

However, not entirely convinced of his daughter’s story, he summoned one of the chamber maids and one of the ladies-in-waiting to alternately sit in with Princess Reina and report on anything suspicious that day. They reported back that she did indeed lie in bed resting and they did not see or hear any signs of anyone else trying to come or go.

The next day, it was reported that Her Royal Highness was again bedridden. And as the day before, her father had her and her chamber secretly watched. 

In fact, Princess Reina kept to her room for the better part of a week following her birthday. And despite The King’s reservations, by all appearances his daughter truly was just ill and recovering. No voices or odd conversation was overheard and all suspicions about the initial incident began to ebb away.

How was anyone to know that the man who had indeed been in The Princess’ bedchambers was now long gone?

If only they’d known what had gone on that night perhaps they would have prevented what came next. For The Princess’ fate was to reveal itself again and this time the person to suffer its cost would leave a lasting ripple throughout the kingdom of Bayern.