Read The Sword and The Seven Stones: Diamond Page 13
Chapter 11
William walked to the front of the house while his father took the hens around back to the barn. His mother was in the kitchen making supper out of the little food that was left. They had to kill one of the two chickens that they had left. His father walked in behind him, walked past him, and took a seat at the table. “William, tell your sisters to come down here.” His wife turned around to see William walk back down the hallway to go tell his sisters to come down. “What did the king say about the wood? What is going to happen to us?” Edwin smiled and told her to come have a seat at the table. Elizabeth smiled at her husband as he kept smiling but she knew something was going on. Madeline, Alyssa and Megan came into the room. They took a seat at the table. William stood in the doorway and looked at his family. He would do anything to keep them safe. Even leave them. Edwin told them what happened at the palace and how shocked he was at William. Edwin got up out of his chair and stood behind his son, putting his hands on Williams’s shoulders. “Your brother has secured a place at court for all three of you,” He told them. All the questions flew at once. “Why do I have to go to court?” asked Madeline. Alyssa and Megan started to talk at the same time and William could see that they we’re very happy about going. He looked at his mother and she knew what he had done. She got out of her chair and William walked over into her open arms. “Why would you do this?” William stood back and looked at his mother. “The king asked and I couldn’t say no. Mother, it will be okay and my sisters will have a good chance at a good life. He turned to see his oldest sister run out of the door as the younger two went to pack what clothes they had. Edwin told William to get his things together. William looked at his mother and then left the kitchen and went up to his room in the loft. He knew his mother wasn’t going to like this.
Elizabeth walked over to the sink and looked out the window. The rain kept coming and they hadn’t seen a blue sky or sun for days. “Here I thought our son was going to the box for what he did and he comes home to tell me that he is the king’s personal page. How does that happen?” Edwin was at a loss for words. She looked at her husband and then went out back to find Madeline. Madeline sat amongst the flowers and cried as the rain fell down upon her. Elizabeth walked over to her. “Come into the house. Getting sick won’t change anything.” Madeline looked up at her mother with her long black lashes. Her long black hair looking like silk as the rain poured over it. Her tears washed away by the rain that ran down her face. “I won’t go!” she yelled to her mother. Elizabeth held out her hand. “You don’t have that choice. If the king has given you the opportunity at court, you have to go.” Elizabeth knew that she was in love with John and if this hadn’t have happened, then Madeline probably would have married him. Madeline got up and walked into the house. She went upstairs and gathered her clothes into a satchel. Ten minutes later she was coming down the stairs to join her sisters and brother. The guards were at the door moments later to take them back to the palace. As each of his sisters were helped into the carriage. He got a hand up and sat upon his horse the king sent for him. They started towards the palace and William looked back at his parents once more. His mother buried her head into his father’s shoulder and wept for her children.
Nicholis just finished his supper when the four of them had been shown into the grand hall. William walked up and bowed. “Sire, I would like to introduce my sisters Madeline, Alyssa, and Megan. Each of the girls curtsied as their names were called. Nicholis looked at the girls and they were soaking wet. He stood up and said to the guard who stood to his right, “Please show each of them to their chambers and make sure they get a bath. It is starting to get cold out there and the rain isn’t helping. William, once you are washed and changed I expect to see you in my council chambers. One of the guards will show you the way.” He sat back down and watched as they walked away. The tall one with the black hair turned to look back at him. Her violet eyes caught him and held him there for a moment. Then it was gone and she left the room.
Madeline walked into the chambers that would be hers’ until the king married her off. The tapestries were exceptional. They hung from ceiling to floor. The ones over the windows kept the wind and cold out. The wooden shutters locked against the elements. Madeline put her bag down on the four poster bed and walked over to the window. Opening the shutters, she looked down on the village that she had just left and the one who owned her heart as well. The wind had died down but the rain continued to pour. The lightening was a spectacular show across the sky. She turned at the knock at the door and watched as two men brought in a big metal tub. She had never seen anything like it. Following them were more men who filled the tub with hot water. At the end, a young girl waited until the men left. She made sure the door was closed, then walked over to Madeline. “Hello, my name is Isabella and I am to be your lady’s maid.” She curtsied and then walked around Madeline and started to undo her strings. It was a simple frock and as soon as she had them undone, it fell to the floor. Madeline slipped out of her undergarments and then walked over to the tub. Reaching down, the water was perfect. Getting into the tub, she let the water envelope her. All the while, Isabelle was talking about court gossip. Madeline finally realized it when she started to speak of Alman. The king’s son did what? She couldn’t believe the fool would go out to the west forest. Nobody ever came back from the west forest. Isabelle got her to sit up and scrub her hair with a wonderful oil and then rinsed it off. She continued to talk about this person and that person. Madeline couldn’t keep up. Madeline told her that she just needed a few minutes to let all this sink in. Isabelle stopped and looked at her. “You are one lucky girl that is all I can say. To be brought up from the village and have the king make you a match. A lot of girls in the village would kill to have that opportunity.” Isabelle left shaking her head. Didn’t this girl understand how much power she could have? Madeline heard the door shut, then let herself go under the hot water. She had been cold for days but they had been conserving the wood until the rain stopped. Coming back up for air, the king stood on the side of the tub, looking down at her. Madeline grabbed the cloth from the side table and covered herself the best she could. Nicholis sat down in the chair facing her. She looked at him with astonishment. “Sire, what are you doing?” Nicholis looked at this young woman and knew he made the right choice. “I wanted to get to know you without everyone bothering us.” Madeline didn’t like that he was in her chamber. She looked over to her right and Isabelle stood there with her eyes settled on something on the ceiling. Well, she was glad that she had come back. It would have ruined her on her first day if everyone thought that she had slept with the king. “Sire, could I please get dressed before we talk?” Nicholis got out of the chair and walked over to the window. The rain was starting to let up a bit but the lightening in the distance said that it wasn’t going to stop any time soon. Thinking it was enough time, he turned around just in time to see Isabelle tackle the strings to the dress that he had brought in. It was beautiful on her. “My wife had many fine dresses made for her. You and your sisters are welcome to them.” Madeline looked on the bed to see piles of them. Was she so hearing impaired that she didn’t hear all this while she was under the water. She turned around and faced her king. With her hair still wet and dripping down her back, Madeline put up her chin a bit in defiance and looked at him. “What is it that my sire would have of me?” Nicholis knew she would be perfect for him. He wanted to get to know her better and told her just that. “I don’t want you for myself, Madeline. My wife Rosemele was the only woman who would grace my heart and my bed. I am old and will not be around forever and want to make sure my son marries the right woman.” Madeline looked at him in shock. What did he mean ‘his son?’ As he walked towards the door, he told Isabelle to have her ready to meet him in the great hall within the hour. Isabelle curtsied and told him she would.
Isabelle closed the door behind him and then came running over to Madeline. “Oh my goodness. You and the king’s son. You
are so lucky.” She kept talking but Madeline was still in shock from hearing it from the king’s lips. She sat down in the chair in front of the dressing table and watched as Isabelle brushed out her long black hair. “We won’t have time to dry it so I will put a couple of clips in it and then we will get those beautiful curls into shape.” Isabelle knew that her station at the palace just went from the bottom to the top. When asked who would take his new charges on, she stepped forward when Madeline’s name came out. Now she would be able to lord it over them all. She was going to be the next queen’s ladies maid.
Down the hall, William got out of the bath and put on the new clothes that was left on the bed for him. He knew the king wanted to talk to him privately so he didn’t want to make him wait too long. He tied his belt and put on his shoes and then walked out the door where one of the guards waited in the hall to take him. William looked around as they made their way to the court chambers. As the doors opened the heat in the room was overwhelming. He looked at the King sitting in his shirt and pants, his robes thrown on the chair beside him. “William, come over here and sit down.” He walked over to the chair beside the king and sat down. The king coughed into the handkerchief and William noticed the blood that was left behind. Nicholis saw him looking over and folded the handkerchief up and put it back in his pocket. “William, you are going to be my eyes and ears around the castle. I need someone I can trust. Will you do this for me?” William knew that the king didn’t need to ask him this. William looked over and nodded his head. “Yes Sire, I will do whatever you need.” Nicholis nodded. He knew he picked the right one out of all the villages’ children. He needed someone he could trust because the grown men he knew could not be trusted. A child’s innocence is where trust could be had. He would be the King’s page but to the others he was still staff at the palace. They would talk around him. “Go downstairs and get something to eat and we will talk later. Your sisters should already be down there.” William did as he was told and then stopped at the door. “Sire? Are you coming to get something to eat?” Nicholis nodded and then watched as he left. It had been five days and he still had no word from Gavin or Alman. He had sent out a rider a day and they didn’t return. Looking out the window, he could only wonder if his son was alive or dead.