The King, the Kitchen Maid and the Mage

Chapter Five

Simon pulled the hood of his cloak over his face as he made his way to the Southern side of Attica. Although he knew that this was a terrible idea, he simply couldn’t help himself. He needed to see Jenna, he needed to reignite her hope, he needed to assure her that this princess from the East would be nothing more than a palace prop, designed to keep Attica safe and to rescue Geoffrey. Most of all, Simon wanted to present Jenna with the ring that symbolized their eternal love.

As Simon neared his destination he heard a staccato of voices laced with anger and disgust. Curious, Simon quickened his pace and came face to face with a large crowd that was obviously out for blood. Men and women were swinging their lit torches while hurling insults at a kneeling figure whose features Simon could not clearly make out. Anguished screams blared through the chaotic night air. Screams that were preceded by the gut-wrenching sound of a cracked whip. Simon forced himself through the crowd until he was near the people at the front.

In a coarse voice, he asked,

“Why are they whipping her?”

Without hesitation, a gruff voice replied,

“She stole bread from the palace. Do you know how disgraceful it is to steal from the palace?”

Dread suddenly poured itself with great intensity into Simon’s stomach. He abandoned the man who had answered his question and shoved his way to the front. Resolve left his body when his eyes landed on a blonde woman with bound arms kneeling in the middle of the crowd. Two palace guards stood before her, one held bread in his hand while the other held a whip. The woman’s head was inches away from the ground and her bare back was covered in ugly bleeding wounds. She was trembling from both pain and cold. Time seemed to seize moving when Simon spotted the guard bringing down his thick, leather whip. Simon thrust himself forward but was held back by a force his peripheral vision could not see. Still, he lurched forward as the whip neared the woman’s back, Jenna’s back. But he did not move. He watched the whip land on her back, he saw the whip tear into her flesh, he heard the animal-like wail that escaped her throat.

“If someone recognizes you My Lord it will only worsen her case. Let me help instead.”

Simon bobbed his head and watched as Edgar drew his sword and began walking toward the horrifying scene before him. The moment the palace guards saw Edgar, they got on one knee. Someone from the crowd, a puny, slim woman that Simon recognized as Jenna’s sister, rushed to Jenna’s side and helped her to her feet. Once again Simon was overcome with the desire to rush to Jenna’s side but he stopped himself as Edgar’s words echoed in his mind. Simon watched from the safety of the crowd as the pair struggled to get away from the chaos, no one dared to taunt them due to Edgar’s presence.

* * *

“They say she stole bread from the palace to feed her family.”

Simon was back at the palace with Edgar. He had awakened the Kingdom’s physician and instructed him to cater to Jenna’s wounds and any of her needs with the utmost discretion. Still, Simon regretted not following Jenna and her sister to their home.

“Jenna would never do that.”

“I agree.”

Simon glanced at Edgar before taking a swig of wine from his chalice.

“I should have known the lengths my mother would go to ensure that I form an alliance with a powerful Kingdom from the East. I

should have done everything in my power to keep her safe. How is it that I’m the most powerful man in Attica yet I cannot protect the woman I love?”

Edgar gobbled the last contents of his chalice and remained quiet. He knew better than to try and comfort Simon, what Simon had experienced, the helplessness that came with power, was all too familiar.

“How did my mother know about Jenna? We were discrete with our meetings…By gods Edgar if you had not shown up when you did…”

Edgar swallowed the bubble of guilt that had formed in his throat and offered Simon a smile.

“It was my pleasure to assist you.”

Simon brought his chalice to his mouth and took another sip of the bitter wine. He watched Edgar quietly, how had his friend suddenly appeared right behind him? Had Edgar been shadowing him since he sneaked out of the palace or had his appearance been a divine coincidence?

“Well My Lord, you should retire. You have a long day ahead of you. A coronation and a wedding all in one day.”

Simon had pushed both events to the back of his mind for the purpose of sanity. At one point he had even imagined his brother barging into the palace, alive and well, ready to rule Attica. The thought had immediately saddened him. If at all Geofferey was alive, there was no way he was well.

“As soon as these events are over. I plan on getting on a horse and heading North to rescue my brother. It is my hope that you will join me.”

Edgar placed his right hand on the left part of his chest and said,

“Anything for you King Simon.”

With that, Edgar turned on his heel and left leaving Simon with the thought of confronting his mother. Judging by tonight’s actions, Simon concluded that his mother did not respect or fear him as a King or a son. Threats and bellows would not stop his mother from harming Jenna. If Simon wished to protect the woman he loved, he had to instill fear in his mother’s heart.

Tonight’s incident would not go unpunished.

* * *

Simon opened the door to his chambers and allowed the darkness to swallow him. He unbuttoned his shirt and dragged his feet to his bed. Vivid images of Jenna being whipped kept attacking his mind. He was so occupied with his guilt, anger, and sadness that he did not see a hooded silhouette standing by his window.

“So you are Simon.”

Simon leaped to his feet and fetched his sword from the table. Drawing it, he assumed a combat position, as his eyes searched for the stranger in his chambers. The silhouette moved briskly toward Simon. Hearing these quickened footsteps, Simon swung his sword blindly and was pleased to hear a hissing sound from his assailant. Inspired by the surprise win, Simon swung again but stopped mid-air when a ball of fire suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Instinctively he ducked and watched in horror as the fire landed on his strewn clothing.

“Well, don’t just stand there!”

A dazed Simon was forcefully pulled from his room and into the corridor. Shocked and angered, he grabbed the hooded assailant by the throat and pushed them against the wall, and held his sword near the assailant’s neck. The fire behind him illuminated the assailant’s face, a young woman with a tiny scar above her left eyebrow stared back at him. She had intense green eyes that dared him to harm her.

“Here to finish us off? Where is my brother you Klan scum?”

Simon watched as the woman’s dry lips stretched into an amused smile.

“This is the thanks I get from saving your life? If I wanted to finish you off I would have let you burn in your chambers.”

Darkness suddenly swallowed them and Simon quickly realized that the fire had been extinguished. Confused, Simon turned to assess his surroundings. It was then that he noted the presence of yet another hooded figure. What the hell was going on? Where had the fire come from? If these people were Klan assassins, why was he still alive?

“My guards probably heard the commotion. You might as well surrender.”

As if they had been lying in wait waiting to hear these very words, Simon heard multiple footsteps approaching them.

“Why couldn’t you just wait to meet him later today like a normal bride?”

Alarmed, Simon drew his hand from the woman’s throat. Had he heard right? Was he perhaps immersed in a bizarre dream?

“I was curious to know what he looked like and after seeing him shirtless-"

“Annie, I’m far too old to hear the rest of that sentence.”

It took Simon a long time to register what he had just heard. It took him an even longer time to reconcile the events that had just transpired with what he had just heard. When he finally did, a maniacal laugh escaped his throat. His mother wanted him to marry from the most hated Kingdom in all the world, Haram.

His future wife was a witch, an insane witch.