The Queen & Her Knight

Chapter 9

"What does she know, Sire?

"She must think that I have an interest in you. I just don't know how she knows"

"She can't possibly know that, Sire, can she?"

He stands up and starts to pace around the room. Then he stops and sits next to you, holding your hand.

"Lady Winters, I need to know....do you want to be with me as much as I need to be with you?"

You look up at him with your brows knit. You put your hand on his chest.

"Your Highness, this past week made me think a lot about what I want and every time it all circled back to you. So if you're asking me if I want to be in your life and by your side then the answer is yes, Sire"

His face turns again into that beautiful smile you've come to love. Then he gets up and starts to pace again.

"Then, milady, we'll have to distance ourselves from each other. I have a plan to get out of my betrothment but if we don't do it right....there will be no chance for us to be together....ever"

"Sire, are you sure you have a way for us?" He kneels down on the floor next to you. He gazes in your eyes.

"I will do everything in my power to see to it, that I see you every day of every minute of every second and to be able to have you by my side. I have a plan but it might take a while to do it. This plan will require of us to separate from each other and, that, I can swear to you now, might kill me to stay away from you"

You see the earnestness of his words glint in his eyes.

"I understand the seriousness of this plan and the implications of it. Therefore, I have to go now or else, I might never want to leave"

His shoulders drop and his eyes fill with sadness but he doesn't give his feelings away. He doesn't say a word. You stand up and take your clothes to put it on. When you come back he's standing at the window, staring. He doesn't turn around.

"Maybe it's for the best that we leave now. I can't be seen getting back to the castle at an ungodly hour but I would like to ask you for one more thing before you leave"

"Of course anything. What's your wish, Sire?"

He walks closer to you. You feel the beating of your irregular heartbeat. You inhale sharply when he stops an inch from your lips.

"If I may just taste your lips one last time?" Your words come out a soft moaning whisper.

"You may, Sire..."

He starts to kiss your bottom lip and then his soft lips cover yours. His hand comes up to the small of your neck and his hand plays in your hair. Your entire being is filled with passion and need for this man. You get hold of his shirt and grab fists full of it, pulling him closer. He groans and pulls away from you. He put his forehead against yours.

"I honestly don't know how I'm going to do this....not being able to...to...be close to you"

"Sire, I wish we had another way-"

"...but we don't" You pull away from him and walk to the door.

"Lady Winters!" You turn around hopeful.

"Yes, Sire?"

"Please know...that I'll be thinking of you always...."

"Sire, how will I know if your plan worked?"

"The entire kingdom will know but I'll come find you first. I promise you"

You feel the sting of tears threatening. You bow before the King and a teardrop falls on you cheek.

"God...I wish I could just...hold you and comfort you..."

"Sire..."

The tears, come freely now. You see his eyes filled with pain. He walks closer to you but then he stops. You turn and run out the door and onto your horse. He runs after you.

"Lady Winters!!.....angel!!"

You race away with your horse and make your way to your house. Tears are streaming down your cheeks but you know there's nothing you can do. You go to your bedroom and fall asleep, thinking of all the things that could happen.

The next morning after breakfast, Stacey brings you a note from the palace that was delivered to your house. Your heart fills with joy. You open the note.

NOTE:

Dear Lady Winters,

You are hereby royally invited to a Ladies lunch this afternoon to celebrate my new Lady in waiting. Your presence is required.

Her Royal Highness

Princess Catherine of Monaco

END

"Stacey, please send Kendra a message to meet me-"

"Mam, sorry to interrupt but Lady Benette is in the living area"

"Oh, thank you so much" You almost run out of the dining room to Kendra.

"Oh god! Did you get the message??"

"Yes! What are we going to do??? I don't want to be her Lady in waiting???"

"I don't know, honey but what I do know is, that we need to get you a dress to kill for"

"Urgh, I still need to tell you about the King before you worry about the dress"

"Okay, I'm now officially sitting on this chair until you spill everything" You sit next to her and she cries and laughs with you until the end.

"Honey, you have problems"

"I know!!"

"Okay, let's first get you to the lunch. It starts in an hour"

You rush to your bedroom and you go through all your dresses until the right fit.

"Ooohhh...she going to be so jealous"

"Wait! Do we want her to be jealous?"

"Yes of course we do....or I think so, why not?"

"Well, we don't want to poke the bear?"

"But maybe the King will be there?"

"At a ladies lunch?? I don't think so..."

"But maybe he could be there and then we don't want you to look like a dried-up tomato? We want him to hurry up with his plan, don't we?"

"Yes but, but-"

"We got to go, anyway, otherwise we will be late and we really don't want that!"

You hurry downstairs and make your way to the palace. Servants are waiting outside as each Lady gets out of her carriage. You think to yourself that all these ladies are here to celebrate your "lady in waiting" status....or are they also ordered to be here. You walk through the palace doors, into the lunchroom.

The room is decorated with flowers everywhere. You stand in awe, all this was done for you but you can't help to wonder why she would do such a big thing just for you.

(What are you up to princess?)

All the ladies gather in the middle of the room. Then the princess enters. Everyone one bows before her.

"Greetings Ladies of the Kingdom, what an honor to have you all here"

Then the crowd bows again. Your pulse shoots sky high and you try to keep yourself composed.

"What is he doing here?"

"I don't know. I was only joking about him being here..."

The King walks towards the princess and then stand next to her. His eyes find yours and you see only pain. He then quickly reverts his eyes back to the crowd.

"My dear Ladies, it's with great honor that I announce our new Ladies in waiting. Please step forward when your name is called

"Lady Anabel" Everyone gives a round of applause. She steps forward.

You whisper to Kendra"I thought I was the only one?"

"Yes, I thought so too?"

"Lady Elizabeth" You see the King smiling and nodding but the emotion in his eyes are dead.

"...and of course....Lady Winters"

(...of course...what does that mean?)

You see the King's hands turning into fists as he looks at you, trying to control his emotions. You step forward.

"Congratulations Ladies and welcome to the court!" The crowd gives another round of applause.

"King James, if you don't mind saying a welcoming word?" The princess looks at him.

"With pleasure, princess" Everyone bows as he steps forward. "Ladies of the court. It will be a great honor to serve alongside you, to look after our great country of Monoca. May this time in court be fruitful to you and may you uphold our country's beautiful name"

The crowd applauds the King. He holds up a hand, waving. He then locks eyes with you and you see his affection for you, gazing at you. Your heart almost break, not being able to stand next to him and let his hand envelop yours.

"Thank you, your Highness." The princess bows before him and he nods.

"Now Ladies, your first order of business as Ladies of the court, will be, to accompany us on your four-country tour!"

The crowd goes wild and you stand in stock your eyes dart to the King. He looks bewildered.

(What?)

"We're leaving tomorrow morning first thing, so pack your bags and join us!" The princess smiles.

Once again they're applauding and cheering. The ladies are giggling and excited. You stand out like a sore thumb not giving the correct facial expression for the exciting news. You turn around and look at Kendra, who is in as much shock as you are. Then you look at the King, he leans in towards the princess and whisper something to her.

"We want to thank the King for gracing us with his presence but sadly he has to leave us now"

Everyone bows and he gives you one last look. You see frustration crossing his eyes. You give him a smile and you see the corner of his mouth lifting briefly. He turns around and leaves the room. It feels as if your heart left with him.

"Ladies, please join me for lunch!" All the ladies find their seats. You almost run to Kendra.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! What happened just now??" You whisper to Kendra

"Well, it looks like you're going on a tour....a four-country tour...with the Princess and the King..."

"What am I going to do? We're suppose to keep our distance...this is going to be impossible"

"Don't look now, but-"

Lady Denise comes walking up to you "Well, hello there dearies"

"Good afternoon, Lady Nottingham. How are you this afternoon?" You try to keep as much sarcasm as you can out of your voice.

"Very good Ladies, thank you for asking. So you're joining our little Ladies in waiting club?"

"It seems that way, yes"

"You must be very excited....Oh, Lady Benette, so sorry you won't be joining us. You must be feeling so left out"

Kendra comments "Yes, Lady Nottingham, that exactly the words that I would use to describe the feeling I'm feeling right now" You cough hiding a laugh behind it.

"Well....Ladies....it seems you settled in nicely. I'll go and do my rounds. You girls have a nice afternoon" She turns and you giggle as she leaves.

"I can't stand that woman" Kendra smirks

"I swear she has a carrot up her....you know what, or maybe it's the princess that's up there" Kendra almost burst out laughing so loud that everyone can hear her. You cover her mouth.

"Honey, I'm going to miss you when you're gone"

"I know, I wish you could come with me"

"I know, me too. Looks like you're going to have to make friends with the "Ladies"

"Who do you think I should target, they all look so stuck up-"

Lady Anabel comes to greet you "Forgive me for interrupting, I just want to meet you in person, Lady Winters. It seems we're going to be prisoners together" You and Kendra look at each other and smile. Then you stand up and shake her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Anabel. I'm sure we're going to get along just fine. So you were summons too?"

"Oh yes, she invites me for tea, and then the next minute I'm a Lady in waiting. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to be one, I just want to know why she picked me, you know?"

"Yes, you know, that's what's also bothering me" Sarcasm was never so true in that sentence. You carry on chatting with her and she seems like a very nice person. You eat your lunch and you watch the princess closely.

"I'm sure she up to something. I guess I will find out on this tour?"

"This will give you a lot of time to really get to know the princess. I really wish I could go with you. I'm going to miss so much" Kendra looks sad

"I'm sure Lord Harrison will miss you even more"

You finish your lunch party and head home. You start to pack for your trip and you organize that the winery will go on without you being there. Luckily the business was running long before your parents were alive. You wake the next morning and get dressed. Kendra meet you outside. She offered to take you to the train station.

"Oh god, I don't know if I'm ready for this"

"The King will be there, I'm sure he wouldn't let you go through this alone?"

"We can't be seen together. We must keep our distance"

"Okay, but you do have Lady Anabel?"

"I'm going to miss you..." You hug each other. Soon, you arrive at the station and the train is waiting for the passengers. It's still dark outside. You get all your luggage and get on the train. You give Kendra a hug and they show you to your compartment.

"Thank you" They put the luggage down and close the door behind them.

(So this is the place I will be for an entire month. I better get used to living like this)

There's a knock on the door and a note is pushed through. You take the note and read it:

Lady Winters,

Breakfast will be served in the dining car at exactly eight o'clock. Your presence is required.

Regards

Your Royal Highness

Princess Catherine of Monoca

END

(I'm not even on the train yet and she's already ordering me around. This going to be a very long long trip...)

You put the note down on the table and fall down on your bed.

(I wonder if he's okay? I miss his touch, I miss his voice and his gentle nature. I miss him....)

Nine o'clock arrives and you make your way to the dining car. Most of the ladies are already there and some of the Lords also come along for political discussions with the different countries. You see a seat open next to Lady Anabel. She waves you over.

"Lady Winters, over here!"

Then you notice the King already sitting at the table with some of the Lords. He hears your name and looks up from his table to you. You can see the longing mix with pain in his eyes. You look away to avoid any suspicion. You sit next to Anabel.

"Good morning, did you order something to eat yet?"

"No, not yet, was just about to. Did you get settled in alright?"

"Yes, thank you"

The princess comes walking up to you "Good morning, Ladies"

The princess arrives in the dining car and stand next to your table. You both get up and bow. She waves you off dismissively.

"Please, ladies, skip the formalities. We're going to be on this train for a month, you can't very well bow every time we see each other, now can we?"

"Uhm..." Anabel stutters.

"Then it's settled"

(Why? What is she doing?)

"Ladies and Lords of the court. Please welcome the King" She gesture to him and you see how uncomfortable he is with all the attention. He stands up and walks to her side. Everyone stands up and bows.

"King James, won't you address your guests?" He moves around uncomfortably. "Welcome honored guests to the four-country tour. We hope you all found your accommodations acceptable..."

He looks at you with soft eyes as if he needs your approval.

"...our first country on our tour is, Italy. We will arrive there in one day. We hope that you will enjoy this trip with us"

When he says the word "us", he clenches his fists and his knuckles turn white as he turn to look at the princess with a fake smile.

"Thank you, your Highness. Now, let's enjoy a wonderful breakfast"

Everyone claps and starts to talk again. The princess walk passed your table to the back. She looks at you and gives a mischievous smile.

(Oh...my...)

You lift your eyebrows in surprise. The King follows just after the princess and his thigh touches your shoulder. You feel a jolt of heat shoot from your shoulder down to your core. You look up and see him giving you a glance and smile with his eyes. His tenderness and caring nature envelop you. You feel yourself wanting to reach out and touch him but you know you can't. He leaves his musky smell behind and you long for him.

Anabel asks "Why did the princess look at you like that?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, you want to tell me that you didn't see that smile?"

"No....not really"

"Okay, who am I to say different?" You eat and chat, then you hear a familiar voice. You almost choke on your food.

"Lady Winters, what a nice surprise to see you here"

"Lord Dobson, uhm, yes such a surprise indeed"

"I didn't know that you'll be joining us on the tour?"

Anabel answers "Oh, haven't you heard, Lady Winters is one of the Ladies in waiting now"

"That's great news, then we'll see much more of each other"

You mumble under your breath. "Oh goodie"

"I'm sorry, milady, what was that?"

"I uhm...said now I don't have to be moody..." You laugh uncomfortably. He takes a seat across from you.

(Oh god!)

"May I?"

"Of course. So, Lord Dobson, are you into politics?" Anabel seems to be taken by him.

"Yes, Lady Anabel, I'm quite high up in the order. Lady Winters here, knows me very well"

(No!)

You chuckle and try to avoid his gaze on you. You start to eat earnestly. Suddenly you feel his foot against your leg. You jump at his touch and cries out loud.

"Oh!"

Everyone looks at you. The King's eyes stare intensely at you and concern is stricken on his face. He wants to get up but then he sit back again.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me" You lift your hand up. You turn back to your food and try not to blush too much.

(What is Lord Dobson doing)

You speed-eat and then jump up from your seat and excuse yourself. You almost run to your compartment. You get into your room and plunge into your chair.

"What's going on with that guy? How dare he?"

THE KINGS POV

"Sire, did you get something to eat yet?" The princess sits next to the King.

"Yes, thank you"

(Like she even really cares...)

"Lord Walton, shall we talk about the treaty we're going to discuss with the President of Italy? Let's go to the other compartment"

"As you wish, Your Highness" They walk to the sitting area.

(Aahh, a bit of freedom at last)

They sit down on the comfortable couches and start to talk about the treaty. After a while, the princess walks in. "Your Highness, you've been here for longer than three hours. Come and join us ladies for tea and cake?"

"Princess Catherine, we have important business to discuss before we get to Italy"

"Please, Sire, just a few minutes?" He sighs loudly. "Okay, princess"

"Great, thank you" She wants to turn around but the Kings stops her with one word.

"Princess!"

"Yes, Sire"

"Wait"

"Lord Watson, please excuse us"

"Of course, Sire. Will finish it up later?"

"Yes, thank you" He turns and leave the compartment. "Princess, I see you've invited Lord Robertson on the tour?"

"Yes, Sire"

"You must be very happy now?"

"Sire, I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Don't act dumb with me Catherine!"

"James...you know-"

"James? You mean King James!"

"I'm sorry....King James, you know you're the only one"

"Oh, I am? Then please enlighten me as to why he's here?"

"....you know why...."

"No, I don't, princess!"

"He....he's good with communications between countries"

"I'm sure he's good with communications..."

"King James...I...I- "He lifts up his hand. "Just leave me"

She bows and leaves the compartment. He falls back in his chair and stares out the window.

(I wish you were here, next to me. I wish we could enjoy this journey together. I wish we were free to be together. If I could just talk to you, it'll be enough...I miss you....tremendously)

Tracy, one of the princess' lady in waiting walks in "Your Highness, I'm sorry to intrude but the princess asked if you will be joining her?"

"Tell her, I'll be right there" She turns around, bowing and leaves him. He gives a deep sigh.

"I guess duty calls..."

LADY WINTER'S POV

You start to read a book to pass the time. After a while, there's a knock on the door. Another note is slipped under the door.

NOTE:

Lady Winters,

Please join us for tea and cake. Your presence is required.

Regards,

Your Royal Highness

Princess Catherine of Monaco

END

(This is exhausting...Looks like that's how it going to be from now on...I'm like a slave now)