The Wolf and His Queen

Rosalynn's POV: As I opened my eyes, I knew that this was going to be a very long day indeed. I did not want to get up and out of bed, instead, I just wanted to roll back over and go back to sleep. Because of the fact that this was a very nice and large king-sized bed that I was lying in. I knew, however, that if I did not get up, then one of the servants was going to come in and inform me about the tasks that I would have to endure for the day. Despite what I knew I needed to do, I did not want to be told by anyone else what I already knew that I would need to achieve. I did not like being here when I thought about it, but I knew that I was doing what I had to for my very own kingdom. It was like I was on a diplomatic mission, you know, to do the greater good. Despite that fact, I knew that the sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could go back home to the safety and security of all that I had known and grown to know and come to love. I guess the sooner I got started, then the sooner this would come to an end. I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. I then decided that it was time for me to get up and start the day. So I threw back the covers that kept me bound and warm and I sat up. My back started to ache as it did not want to move from its comfortable position when I was lying down on the soft mattress in those wonderful satin sheets. My back continued to complain as I stretched while I turned and placed my feet on the cold stone floor. It was right then that I wished that I would have remembered to bring along my slippers with me on this trip. I forgot how cold these cold stone floors got, even in mid-summer. The thought of it sent a shiver down my spine and at that it made me shudder a bit as I hugged myself and tried to rub my arms to make myself feel a bit warmer than I was after I was uncovered. Just then, I heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” I said as I looked over in that direction. A servant walked into the room with a silver tray in her hands and a blank expression on her face. She almost seemed as if she did not want to be the one who delivered me my breakfast, which I was so looking forward to trying. However, it escaped me why she felt this way. I have never once been known to treat anyone in a lower station with disrespect, so I was not sure about the expression that she wore on her face at that moment. When I thought about it, it really made sense. I bet they were used to being treated as such and ignored by the general population regularly, so they acted like a stiff walking board as if not to be affected by anyone or their comments. She was wearing a simple dress with a light blue apron on, to ensure that her dress was not messed with by her delivering serving trays to the guests of the house. Other than that, it did not concern me. “What is on the menu this morning?” I asked as she set the tray on the side table beside the bed. “Scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns that are lightly golden," the servant started to say plainly, and then she continued. "A packet of Earl Grey tea and a teacup of hot water. There are eight cubes of sugar on the side plate just as you requested. It should have been done." I did not like to admit this to others, but I guess I had a bit of a routine first thing in the morning. I liked my tea on the sweeter side, especially when it was served hot, as it never seemed sweet enough at higher temps. I guess everyone around here knew how I liked my tea. Well, that was at least when it came to the serving staff. When I thought about it for a moment, hot tea did not taste the same as when it was cold. Another thing is, I liked reusing the tea bag so that I got most of the tea. I would just need a second cup of hot water. I thanked her and she gracefully bowed before leaving the room without saying another word. I sat there another moment more before I rubbed my face and then stood up, reaching up to all of my 5' 5" would allow me to reach up in height. I adjusted my silk sleeping gown, which was a very pale light purple, as I walked to the bathroom and washed my hands after relieving myself from waiting so long. When I thought about how my tummy grumbled, I looked forward to eating what was prepared, then I would get a chance to shower before I finally got dressed to start the long list of events that awaited me. I walked back into the room and admired the surroundings. The pillars around the bed were bigger than I thought they were from the night before. We had arrived after dark the night before, so it was hard to see everything that was already lit up by candlelight. Not all the lights worked in this old castle so they used a lot of candles to light up the areas, as I later found out. I guess it brought out the rustic and more serene look of the place. I had a smile on my face and I continued to look around. I admired the place as I tried to take in all the custom wooden carved walls around the rock and stone masonry artwork, to the decorative pillars at each of the corners of the walls. All that went away when I noticed that the lid to the food tray had been moved to the side from where it was, from when the servant first brought the tray into the room. You could still see the steam rising from the food as if the lid had just been removed a moment before I came out of the bathroom. Right then the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I looked around the room again. This time, however, it was to see if anything was amiss. I studied the features of my surroundings to see if anything was missing from where I had previously placed it the night before and found out if anything else was out of place. “Is anyone there?” I spoke loudly, as to try and ease my mind a bit. I was waiting a moment as I listened and hoped that no one would indeed answer my question and that this was just my mind playing games on me at being somewhere else away from my home. I also did not know if someone else had entered the room while I was in the bathroom getting ready to prepare for the day. I knew this old castle had secret pathways but I was informed upon arriving here that they were all shut up and no longer used. They were used, however, back in the old days, but things were not as they once were, so there was no need for them to be accessible anymore. Or at least I had hoped that was the case. I did remember that I had a guard that was supposed to be standing guard outside my door. I knew that he would not let anyone in my room unless they were supposed to be there. Just then I heard something over by the window which was hidden behind the curtains. I quickly looked over in that direction. I spun around so quickly, due to the fact that my nerves were already on high alert, that I almost put a kink in my neck. I rubbed the side of my neck as I walked over to the window. I swiftly pulled back the curtains with both hands and noticed that the window was indeed open. I remember that I distinctly checked it before I went to bed last night and I had ensured that it was shut and locked. I peered out the window to admire the beautiful view. I saw just a few clouds in the sky and felt a gentle breeze brush my soft pale face. I peered downward and could see men walking around as they usually did to ensure that all was well. They did not seem to be in an alarming state, but that did not explain the current circumstances. Despite all that I knew about his place, I could not shake the feeling that I was not the only one in this room and that made me even leerier about my surroundings. I again looked at my surroundings as I quickly walked over to the door of the room. I opened it up with a quick turn of the handle and jumped as I did so. I was surprised when I noticed that the guard that I had placed outside the room door was not there. I did not understand, as everything outside appeared to be in order, yet my own personal guard was not doing their duty when that is what they were hired to do. That got my nerves on edge even more than they already were, as I knew how important this day was and the events to come were important to me and the wellbeing of my very own kingdom. However, that brought me back to the new problem at hand. There was supposed to be a guard at my door at all times and this could only mean one of two things. Either someone attacked the guard, which I found highly unlikely as I knew this particular guard to be one of the strongest on my security detail. The only other explanation was that he had to be taken by surprise. I also didn't want to believe this either, as he was a very highly intelligent and well-trained professional and one of the best as far as I had known. I could not understand why he would just go and leave his post, as he was not usually like him. I concluded that something had to happen to him. I knew that no one was supposed to leave the door unattended, even if it meant that he needed to relieve himself without another one of my guardsmen standing in his place. This whole thing caught me off guard and I stood there stunned. Just then, I heard footsteps from behind me and there was a strange scent in the air. Before I had a chance to turn around, I was grabbed from behind with one arm that went around both of my arms. I tried to scream for help, but whoever this was kept holding me tightly to their chest. They continued squeezing me so tight that it made it hard for me to breathe. As I struggled to gain my freedom, they used their other hand and placed a folded cloth over my mouth and nose. I struggled and tried not to panic as I was forced to breathe in something the cloth was soaked in. I knew I was going to lose consciousness soon and tried to remember every last detail about the person who attacked me before I blacked out. I tried to remember the smell as they got close and how tall they were as they had me pressed up against them tightly. Then everything went dark.