Chapter 6 - Calm before the Storm
"Your Majesty," a voice said in a hushed tone as she heard two people hurry to her. She felt a robe being placed over her and another pair of hands raising her to her feet.
"We must leave immediately." Now that she had been distracted slightly from her sorrows, she recognised that voice. That was her handmaiden, Lowie.
Meryl followed closely behind.
Ismena couldn't tell if they had taken their sweet time on the way to her chambers because she was too stuck in her memories of the first night Haron had taken pleasure from others right after he had taken pleasure from her. She knew that he was an insatiable man but many women had told her that he would change after marriage. It was after marrying him that she realised the change they spoke of.
The others would not vanish. No. She would only be added to the list and treated as a priority.
She had been jealous on the first night, and hurt too. More hurt than she had been while she had heard of him with others while they were courting. Seen him with others.
A man cannot stay without finding release, especially not a man of war. While I wait for you, whores will do.
She adjusted the robe around her, as she heard the click of her door behind her. Her sorrow had vanished from her face and she was once again perfect.
"Where is it?" She asked, as she tossed the sheet on the floor, and allowed the robe hang loosely on her shoulders.
There had been a reason why her handmaidens had been on their way to the King's chambers. A part of her had been expecting them and another part was so certain that she would turn them away.
That tonight was different.
"Here," Lowie gave her a small bottle. "I hope we are not too late."
Ismena opened the cap of the bottle but she felt a hand on her arm stopping her from drinking. "Maybe you should let your body have his child, your Majesty."
"What?" Lowie asked in a harsh, hushed tone. "We know that is stupid."
"Maybe if she does, then he wouldn't hurt her so much, Lowie."
"He would hurt her," Lowie moved forward, pulling Meryl's hand away from Ismena, then she ended with emphasis, "and the child."
Ismena smiled, drank and walked to the bathroom. They followed her.
They fused over her, trying to clean her. Ismena was relieved by the bath and soon enough she was out of it.
Her handmaidens followed her still, even as she changed into a sky-blue silky nightdress. It was as if they were afraid to leave her alone.
Finally, Meryl couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Something has to change. You can't keep living like this, your Majesty. You married the King, you must be happy."
"I am," Ismena said as she settled into bed. "You both should go to sleep. You must be tired."
It was uncostomary but Ismena had grown so lonely lately that she had made them move into her chambers. Now they each had a room on her floor.
"The entire castle is filled with the King's bastards." Meryl was speaking again. She tucked the stray strands of her dull blonde hair back into the low bun she had her hair in. "The whores are starting to have a say. Alia will give birth any day now and this time it looks like she will have a son. What will happen if she has a son? That will be the first son of the King."
"A whore's child can never claim the throne. A bastard is no heir," Lowie responded, crossing her hands firmly across her chest. She would deny that she was taking fighting lessons because it was unladylike, but then her physique was starting to betray her. Her muscles were getting more defined, and Ismena was certain that she had cut her black hair because it was getting in her way and not because she had spilled something on her hair and destroyed it.
Other mistresses would punish that, all of that, because it would speak ill of the mistress if their handmaidens were to go against custom. Their handmaidens were a reflection of them afterall.
But Ismena didn't mind. Lowie had seemed happier lately because of it. And Ismena admired her for taking the risk.
As a Queen, taking such a risk on anything that was against custom, yet with the ability to make her happy, was something she couldn't dare take.
The more she allowed it, the more she lived vicariously happy through her.
"But if the Queen has no child—"
"Tell us about the guard that has been sending you flowers, Meryl."
Meryl turned red. "That is not true," she managed to say with a quivering voice.
"What? You told me you had a sudden interest in flowers and that was why you were getting more and more of them lately. So you were lying?"
Lowie was blind like that. In some aspect of a romantic relationship, she would never understand them even if they were to hit her in the head.
"I have always had an interest in flowers," Meryl huffed.
Ismena smiled, glad that she had distracted them and was having so much fun watching them argue. Her eyelids were starting to pull close and their voices were starting to become echoes in the background.
Every part of her was filled with fatigue and she fought herself to suppress the memories of what had made her so exhausted. Instead, she listened to their argument like a lullaby.
"Why did you have to lie that a guard was giving them to you? I told you already, these guards are not to be trusted—-"
"I know but I like this one."
"Tell me his name. I will conduct my research on him. I can't have you crying like last time—"
Their words faded and she slipped into sleep. But then, someone moved her roughly and her head roared with a terrible ache as she pried her eyes open.
Meryl was mouthing something to her and her eyes were filled with fear, as Lowie tried to pull her to a sitting position.
Ismena blinked, trying to catch what Meryl was saying.
She heard a knock at the knock and Ismena looked immediately. Her head pounded with an ache at the sound, and she looked right back at Meryl who was now trembling and had tears in her eyes.
She still couldn't figure out what she was mouthing. Until Lowie whispered the word to her and Ismena froze, her mind crashing everywhere around her, the sleep vanishing from her eyes instantly, the headache hitting even harder.
No.