Chapter 4.

Eventually, they got to the border that connected Elywoods to the Kingdom of Meadowland.

There, the guards sadly left Renelda and returned to report to the King.

Helpless and alone, the disgraced Queen stood at the border and sadly let her eyes fall upon her kingdom, one last time, before she turned her back to the sight of her once peaceful home.

Alone with the crying baby, Renelda walked the forests of the Kingdom of Meadowland. A kingdom which was ruled by a King and Queen who were allies to the Kingdom of Elywoods. She found herself thinking about visiting the castle of King Liam and Queen Elaine. But she immediately remembered that they were part of the guests invited to attend the ball.

Although at the time that she had been present in her former home, King Liam and his Queen had not still arrived. Perhaps, they might have arrived after she left and must have been informed of her disgrace.

Sadly, Renelda trudged on, grateful for the peasant boots that had been handed to her.

It was already noon, from the shine of the sun in the sky, when Renelda arrived a humble shelter. Located on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Meadowland, Renelda eyed the shelter, warily.

She saw no smoke coming from the shelter, so she assumed that it was abandoned. She pushed the wooden door and it gave in with one small push. The door creaking, stirring the quiet.

Entering inside the small wooden house, Renelda found a pot of warm soup brewing on a low hearth. There was fresh bread on the table and other foods. They looked warm and tasty, from her observation. And there were serving bowls equally set on the table.

As soon as her eyes saw all the foods, a grumbling sound floated in her belly. She was hungry. Her belly ached from not eating for hours.

She cooed her uneasy baby and walked towards the table to sit on the chair.

Oh, she knew that as a royal, she wasn’t supposed to sit at a table, uninvited.

But she was no longer a royal now, was she? She was a peasant.

The King had made sure of that.

Just as she shifted the baby in her arms, so that she could reach for one of the small loaves of bread and cut a piece, the door opened. Renelda looked up, alarmed, as an old woman, bearing baskets of berries, walked inside.

Renelda jumped in her chair and gave a loud yelp. The woman stared at her, amused and came forward to drop her baskets on the table. As she came closer to Renelda, Renelda noticed that the old woman, though old, was strong. She wasn’t bending or shaky. She was sturdy.

“Do not be frightened, Queen. Sit down before you wake your babe,” the woman softly said.

Renelda stared at her, shocked. She called her Queen. How did she know? Renelda thought.

“Do you know me?” Renelda asked, afraid.

Who was this woman? She didn’t know her.

She was old, with slight wrinkles on her face and she had her gray hair held in a braid behind her back. She was gentle in the eyes and watched Renelda, quietly. Renelda found her stare, unnerving.

She answered Renelda,

“I know you. I was expecting you and your wee one. So I made fresh food and left the soup cooking on a low fire, so you wouldn’t be hungry.”

She turned to the baby in Renelda’s arms and reached for her.

Renelda pulled her baby protectively to her side. She glared at the woman, shifting away from this strange woman. But the woman kindly looked at Renelda and smiled. She shifted away and went on to check the brewing soup. Renelda, quietly sat and watched the woman. Her earlier tension, slowly abating.

For a while, not a word was shared between them as the woman went about serving the bread and soup. The soup smelled nice. The scented herbs, drifting through Renelda's nostrils.

When she brought it before Renelda, Renelda’s stomach grumbled again. The woman chuckled humorously.

“You should eat. You would need all your strength for the coming days,” she said.

Then she sat down as well and ate her food.

Renelda, feeling safe as she watched the woman eat, reached for the food and began eating. They are in considerable silence, the birds tweeting in the distance.

Soon they finished their meal and sat down quietly. Renelda, suddenly grew tired and spread her cloak to lay down on the straw covered floor. All the while, the woman said nothing. On my watching Renelda and the baby.

***

“Hear ye! Hear ye!” That was the sound that woke Renelda from a deep sleep.

She opened her eyes and found the woman sitting close to a window, watching quietly. She turned to her baby, who was sleeping soundly, before she rose from the floor to join the woman.

“What is going on?” Renelda asked, softly.

The woman turned to her and smiled.

“It’s the King’s town crier. The King has a proclamation,” the woman said.

Renelda stood closer and saw that people were already gathered around.

“The King has proclaimed this Royal message from King Edmund of Elywoods! That hence forth, Queen Renelda of Elywoods shall no more be Queen of Elywoods! In her stead, Queen Neriah shall now be the new Queen of Elywoods! All kingdoms far and wide must adhere to the new rule! Hear ye! Hear ye!”

Renelda gasped in horror. The woman beside her, unfazed by the dreadful announcement. She only stared through the window. Renelda broke into harsh sobs, unable to speak. She felt sad.

After the town crier left, the woman turned to Renelda and embraced her, asking her to stop crying.

“Stop crying, Queen. That which was deceptively taken, shall be restored.”

Renelda raised her crying eyes to look at the woman, puzzled at the meaning of her words. Curious, she asked.

“What do you mean? And you called me Queen. You heard the King’s servant, I am no longer Queen.” Renelda cried.

The woman gave her a sympathetic smile.

“You are still Queen. But for now, let Neriah have her victory.”