Chapter 16
“Xavier, my sword, please!” Nicole bellowed as she fixed her belt over her waist. “Quickly! We need to move along now.”
Another knight knocked on her door and informed her that her horse is all geared up and ready for her short journey towards the village.
Her most loyal guard entered with her sword on his hand and an obvious concern drawn on his face. He seemed reluctant to hand the sword over when she requested for it, so she plucked it off from his hand. “What?” She asked, seeing that the worry on her knight’s visage did not falter by a bit, she added, “Xavier, now is not the best time for your charades, you know I’m in a hurry, so out with it!”
“I do apologize for my straightforwardness my King, but the Queen is now out of harm's way and is, at this very moment, on her way back to the castle. Must you go and endanger yourself by going to where your mother has been purposely attacked?” The royal guard paused, weighing on the king’s facial expression. He knew that the king’s temperament constantly changes depending on her mood, particularly today that she is quite ill, she gets easily irritable and he doesn’t want to irate her furthermore. “Our knights have secured the Queen and subdued her attackers, there is nothing more for you to do in the village. It’s best for you to stay here in your dwelling, your Majesty, where I can protect you better if another attack was to be made.”
Nicole stood in conviction. “No Xavier, an attack on my mother is an outright attack on my kingdom and as its monarch, I have to protect it and my people– it is my royal duty. What good of a king am I if I were to hide in the shelter of my home? What would that make of me? A coward?”
“But my King…” Whatever remaining of her royal guard’s commentary was left unspoken as the king dismissed him in finality with a wave of her hand.
“Stay here if you so please, Xavier, but I am going. “ And then Nicole left her bedchamber, leaving her loyal knight behind with no other option but to follow suit.
Earlier, subsequent to having been given an earful of reminders on how she’s been placed under her care and having been put to bed by the younger Earp right after drinking her loathed concoction, Nicole received a word that the festive has been besieged by unknown men with an intention to harm the queen. Fortunately, their knights were quick to respond and had secured the queen’s safety and apprehended the assailants without putting any of the villagers in danger.
And as a devoted king that she is, Nicole, despite being under par, wanted to ensure her people’s state and decided to personally tend them and later, to interrogate the attackers as she would like to know who plotted the attack and why. As far as the thirteen years of her rule’s concern, she has never made an enemy, so the sudden strike on her kingdom astounded her.
She was buried too deep in her head, pondering what and who caused the attack that she did not notice Lady Waverly walking towards her. “Where are you going, your Majesty?”
“I have somewhere to be.” Nicole replied as she tried to look away from the younger girl who seemed to forget that she is not in her own abode, wandering around the castle in lesser clothes.
“At this hour? And in your state?”
Not wanting anyone to see the younger girl only in her sleeping gown, Nicole took off her royal mantle and covered Lady Waverly with it – an innocent act yet it felt so intimate. She had to clear her throat as she has become aware of their rather seemingly close distance.
For a moment there, she has totally forgotten about her surrounding, getting profoundly lost in Lady Waverly’s captivating eyes; only when she felt Xavier’s unwelcome presence behind her did she took a step back and averted the younger girl’s eyes. “I- I would so appreciate it if you do not saunter around the castle wearing only your sleeping dress, others might find this a bit indecorous. I do not wish any of them to misjudge your character.”
“My apologies, your Majesty, but I was in a hurry to go to you. I did not mean to come across as unvirtuous, I only wanted to ensure that you are already asleep before I go to slumber, yet here you are, about to head out despite being ill.”
Nicole offered a smile. “Forgive me Lady Waverly, but I really do have to put an end to your playing nursemaid with me, my people needs me.”
“What happened?”
“I shall tell you later, for now I must go.” She walked past the younger girl only to halt as fingers encircled her wrist. She looked back and could not quite distinguish Lady Waverly’s countenance. Baffled, she asked, “Lady Waverly? Is something wrong?”
Nicole has seen various displays of such apprehension and disquietude, mainly from her dearest mother, but she has yet to encounter the look the younger Earp is giving her; she find it quite rather bemusing and heart-wrenching at the same time.
“Lady Waverly?” She repeated, voice full of concern, and then the hold on her wrist slackened.
“My apologies, your Majesty, I should let you go on your way.” The younger Earp stood aside but before Nicole could take a step frontward, Lady Waverly spoke again, “A favor, if you may? If you could, please, inform me of your safe return? I am ignorant of what is happening outside these walls, but I would prefer to know that you are not, in any way, harmed or hurt.”
“I will, I give you my word.” Nicole replied and then she head out of the castle, on the back of a horse, riding at a speed towards the village with a lone thought in mind – to return safely to Lady Waverly Earp.