chapter 21

"I can't love you. what don't you understand. And why is that?. Are you jealous?".

lord Zane knitted his brow. She turned to her side and flashed him a look. Beatrice trailed her eyes but met the breeze. Transparent and empty.

" I'm not yours and you are giving me rules. So if I am you would put me in a cage.". She halted.

"My princess" . Beatrice called from behind hurrying up to her. She looked at Beatrice and heaved.

"I am fine. I worry too much about all the recent happenings" .

"my princess… I really think you should rest". The maid suggested.

"I sure shall" . She looked at Beatrice for a while.

"go ahead I shall meet with Francis".

" Okay my princess. I shall tell him that you will meet him". Beatrice was looking about but saw nothing other than the beautiful flowering garden. She felt something was going on but didn't know exactly what.

It was just the two of them again. Eleanor and lord Zane. He kept admiring her without a word.

"lord Zane you have made my maid believed that I'm insane. How did you do it?. The fact that she can't see or hear you even though you were just here".

"I cast a spell on the garden. This made her to be insensitive. She is not so powerful. She is almost like an ordinary human if not for he magical powers".

"Magical powers!".

"let not go there. Let talk about us". Eleanor gave a deep breath.

"Whenever you are ready come and asked for another thing. Something that I can comply to. Other than my life or love and my kingdom of course, Is a no no. When you ask anything other than this three. Then be sure that I shall grant thee". She thought and walked out of the garden.

Lord Zane stopped following her. He stood disappointed.

Eleanor met up with Francis at where her personal knight, Ken restricted him from entering into the garden until approved.

The princess didn't allowed Ken to go the war. She asked him to looked after her father. Maybe he too would have been death by now.

"My princess". He bowed to her. "This young knight, Francis, the grandson of Duke Williams wished to have a word with you".

The were at the arbor. Eleanor accessed the young knight while he bowed to her.

"My princess greetings to you".

"why are you here?". She asked and walked passed him. He hurried up to walked side by side with her .

"I came to keep you company my princess. I know a lot has happened in our kingdom lately. So I thought you might need one".

The sky was becoming deep blue. It was the evening sky. She led him through the corridors of the palace.

" that was very thoughtful of you. But you should have thought of doing something better with your time. I never told you I needed any company. If I needed one, I would have the whole kingdom line up for me to choose. I am the princess".

"My princess, he turned to looked at her. He was wearing a knight coat and trouser, all creamy colour.

"There is no better thing to do when you are in the picture. I can't forget the fact in a hurry that you are our one and only princess and talking to you now is a rare privileged".

He gulped. His face burned. The princess was not just any girl. She was much more.

" Please Princess give friendship a chance. I have been meaning to be close to you since we were kids but you always shove me aside. Us aside my lady.".

He walked faster and stepped on her way when she didn't respond. She frown at him.

"I talk to real men and not some kid who want to take my crown to the playground. Do you know you are able to stand here and talk to me as if it were your right because the Duke got your back."

"Forgive me my princess". He closed his eyes. "I won't abused this privileged"

"Now what" . She taunted.

" Please permit me to court you". Their eyes locked.

The princess gave him a weird stare. She saws her father in his eyes. Grey and lively. His auburn hair was left to fall freely.

The walls of the corridor was gold and it had different paintings and mural. They was another corridor by their right where they stopped.

The princess lips was parted to talk but she refused and left them hanging. Two men had asked for her consent today. One a demon and the other was right in front of her. He was no way match with the beauty of the demon but he was handsome in his own right.

"Hello" . They turned to the side where the sound came from. It was queen Charlene. She was walking along the corridor by their right.

"Greetings my queen". Francis bowed

She ignored him and focused on Eleanor who stood looking at her. Eleanor was thinking what she might be up to this time.

"My princess… I never knew you had a friend. A male to say. Can he joined us on the dinning?".

Eleanor heard years ago what happened between queen Charlene and the maid who committed suicide in the throne hall. The king had found out that the queen was guilty of the allegations levied against her by the late maid who claimed she murdered her sister unjustly. But he didn't have enough evidence against her. So he dropped the case.

"She was not actually asking that. Was she?". The princess thought.

"How can a complete stranger joined the royal table for a meal when there was no occasion. My father would definitely hate the idea".

"my princess.." queen Charlene called her out of her thought.

She was wearing a brown dress. To matched with every thing brown about her. Her hair which was packed in a bun was brown and shinning. Her skin and eyes were light brown.

"That would be an honour… your majesty". Francis responded happily. Eleanor rolled her blue eyes to looked at him.

"I wouldn't be having dinner right now. I shall when I have the need to". Eleanor said.

This sunken Francis's countenance. The king had sternly warned Eleanor to be careful around queen Charlene. After what happened on that day. She shouldn't be eating from the same table as queen Charlene. She wouldn't know who else is planning to have the queen death.

Since that time and now. They have been very strict with what they eat. And the head cook must taste the food in front of them. That was not a guarantee that anything wouldn't go wrong. But it was a good measure to embraced.

"you may leave now". The princess dismissed Francis.

She turned to queen Charlene. "my apologize my queen. I shall bring him to the dinning some other time. If there is nothing else that my queen shall asked of me. May I please take my leave". She bowed.

Queen Charlene gave her a wicked smirked before nodding her head for her to go. Francis who was stilling lagging behind gulped and looked away when the princess glanced at him. Eleanor ignored them and left.

This two watched her until she was completely out of sight.

"You should stop smiling like a fool and concentrates on your job of winning the princess heart".

Queen Charlene said in a whisper to Francis. She was in the middle of the junction between both corridor's.

"I would have had the opportunity today. A rare opportunity like this in six years since I started this race of 'winning the princess heart'. He lifted his hands in the air and did in quote

"if you didn't come to interrupt what I have struggled to build". Francis told queen Charlene.

"You have wasted six whole yards of years without nothing to prove. I would advise you tried harder or face my wrath. Yes. I watched you always, here or there you wait for too long a time for her. You should have her longed to see you and not the other way round. Except you want me to bring in another to win her heart over".

" the shall be no need for that". Francis crossed the distance between them and spoke with a clenched teeth.

"humm". Came queen Margaret.

"Good evening my queen" . She greeting queen Charlene warmly.

Queen Charlene pushed Francis out of her front and he struggled on his heels. She was smiling deceptively at queen Margaret.

"My queen…" she clears her throat. " I...I didn't see you coming". She said subtly and bowed.

"that was because you were busy with..". queen Margaret turned to look at Francis.

He rotated on a single heel to the side away from queen Margaret scratching a his cheek with just a finger.

Queen Margaret smile. "I see he is dress like a knight. He should know you are the queen and mere knight don't maintained such distance with their queen except he wants his head on a platter". Queen Margaret paused. She left her gaze on queen Charlene.

Queen Charlene eyes was going to and forth. So many thoughts ran through her mind. Her smiles broad for reason unknown to her. Was she blushing. She was trying to place if queen Margaret heard them or not.

"Nothing have the guts without a reason. I hope such reason is pure". Queen Margaret spoke and gave her some time to weighed her guilt before she left.

Queen Charlene slowly let her smile die down. "So she heard us". She thought stilling looking at queen Margaret who was going with her maids.

She turned to Francis. Raised her hands before him. Held it back and left.

***

Eleanor spent most of her time in her father's chambers with her father. She was so scared that she might lose him. In the past ten days she has seen no visible improvement in his health condition.

She never gave up anyways. Always hoping every single seconds that he would wake again.

Most of the time she offered to do what the maids does to keep the king's hygiene highly rated. This was because she didn't want them distracting her time with him. So she offered to do it her self.

King Ephraim lied still on his back on the royal bed. She was still dabbing him, careful not to cause any unnecessary friction.

The princess sat on a chair by the side of the bed admiring every puffing of his breath.

She removed the strands of hair that swept over his cheek. His silver beards almost covered his mouth. They were well arranged passing through her fingers.

Then she dabbed his forehead again. His golden and silver hair gave his smiling sleeping face a radiance. His lashes kept blinking as he slumbers.

This made the princess chuckled. Despite his health condition he still look attractive like the 'yellow ladies' in his garden or more precisely like Eleanor in his garden.

The princess eyes landed on his double chin which relax casually on his neck. She knew it needed a wedge to leave her father's neck alone. She touched it with the piece of cotton in her hands before putting her hands under to directed it to it place.

"My Eleanor!"

She heard it almost inaudible.

" Father!". She laughed and cried. She lift his hands and kiss his palms. " You are awake father".

His face beamed. She hugged him on the bed. After a while she disengaged and went to the bell. She rang it still refusing to take her gaze off the king.

Ms. Edith, the chief maid came immediately the princess took her seat closed to her king.

"My princess you called".

"Summoned the royal physician at once, the king is awake".

" He is!" Ms. Edith said excitedly. This got the princess smiling as she looked at this aged woman before her whose smile was as broad as the heavens. Ms. Edith leap with her hands against her chest. She spread her hands and held her skirt. Her right leg put forward and left sideways. She bowed with bended knees.

"My king, may you lived long to see her grow into a woman". She said still bowing

"He shall" the princess responded so warm with her eyes fixed on her father.

"My princess, I shall be back". She hurried out.

Princess Eleanor heard a knocked on the door. Her eyes and the king's locked. She calculated her stride to it.

As she opened the door queen Charlene shove her gently aside from her pace with the back of her hand.

"Princess!... princess!!...princess!!!... you now sleep in your father's, my husband's chambers".

Princess Eleanor was leaning on the door speechless.

Queen Charlene turned to her with mocking sneer.

"Are you also married to the king?. It surprised me how a beautiful princess as you have no suitors trooping in for your hand in marriage. I wouldn't be mistaken to say you have never courted any man. Not that they is none. But you have never given a chance". She walked up to the princess who was now grabbing the doors handle tightly.

"Give love a chance. Get married and leaved our husband alone. Except".

She turned back and went to the bedside. "you are planning to marry your father".

Princess Eleanor ignored her and walked to the opposite side of the bed. Queen Charlene was the second Queen who replaced her mother, queen Lucy as the first.

"Seeing that it not yet dawn, you should still be in your chambers and on your bed dreaming of your mother". Queen Charlene rant.

The king slowly stretched out his hand and took his daughter's hands into his.

" Don't say a word", he ordered her.

She nodded still searching for something even she knew not of in the king's eyes. She knelt and cover her face in his hands. King Ephraim placed a hand on her head loving the texture of her hair

"I groomed you to be strong and prudent" . His voice was shaky. "You are the heir to my throne, my warrior princess. Don't take her words to heart, she will one day look up to you as her advocate and protector. That is who you are. A woman warrior. A woman king".

Princess Eleanor cried and drooled in her father's hands. He cuddled and told her to help him to sit up.

Eleanor quickly rose and took some pillows to place at the headboard. She made the king sat and gently pulled him up with the draw sheet until he leaned on the headboard.

Then she put another wedge between his head. The king's pained was dissolved in his daughter's love. Seeing her reciprocate his love for her was a rare gift he adored with his life.

He always see her mother, queen Lucy In her. Those dark long hair flows like the ocean and her sweet lavender scent was his medicine. He observed her tender eyes, blue and white like the familiar sky. Arousing feeling with just a stare. The same that captivated him when he first met queen Lucy.

Lucy was the daughter of an old blacksmith. On the day he met with her, he was on a tour to the ends of his kingdom.

To know the hooks and crannies of his kingdom. Then, he was young and a prince, charming and vibrant. Graceful in his gait.

Every maiden wished he could be theirs, but it was only a wish. They go crumbling on the ground when he raised his head or when his carriage halted. They peeled melon with their hands. None ever stared at him right in the eye.

He was confused himself when he saw about a dozen of the maidens showing similar reactions. His chief guard, Rolland saw the confusion smeared on his face.

"My prince the entire maidens of our kingdom are in love with you".

" You called that love. Cowardice. The admired me with their eyes from afar but when I'm near, they are like dolls being tossed around. They have no will of their own".

" But you are a prince. None of this maidens can have a will of their own where you abide. Make a will and they shall gladly follow or they pay with their heads".

He stared at Rolland speechless at his reasoning's.

"So their will of speech is suppressed to nodding to something in their hands. However close I look I see nothing. They act so flurry and useless. How can they be queen if my presence alone intimidate them ".

Rolland smile. He told the coachman to be a bit faster.

"they are peeling melon my prince. That is the slang used around here when a maiden wished to be the lady of a young man. She will often turned pink around him since she can't say it. She expressed it. That singular action my prince is not meant for all. Is only done before the chosen ones".

"Chosen ones indeed". The prince added.

Rolland took a deep breath with his eyes shut. He opened the eyes of his mind to see beyond the physical. He felt the compassion of the breeze. Mild and sticky.

It wasn't a coward like the maidens of Golden Hill. It was auditioning who shall be it date. Rolland screamed from behind that he was willing to go lengths to be it date even if it for a night but their carriages had already stopped near this shop where so many peasants gathered.

"Halt" prince Ephraim commanded. He waited for Rolland to joined him but he was still smiling to himself.

"Rolland!".

"My prince" He turned and everyone was standing on the ground staring at him. They were waiting for him to alight the carriage so they might proceed to their destination.

"Forgive me my prince. I was carried away by the wind".