The Queen (9 page)

“Still at it, I see?” King Ashmur’s voice
broke the deafening silence in the room.

“Father?” Baylin jumped to his feet and
crossed the room to the door. “Should you be up and moving about
already? Does Master Keon think it wise?”

“Stop your fussing, boy,” Ashmur said,
waving away his words. “I’ve been through worse than this.”

Always so strong, even when he knows
everyone knows he lies.
Baylin laughed to himself. “Of course,
Father.”

The King seated himself in front of a map.
“Tell me where we’re at. What defenses have you implemented?”

Baylin told his father of the guards at
Rivermouth and Fagin Forest, how he ordered the villagers be moved
into the mountain and the harvest taken early.

“To bring the harvest in early will be a
risk,” Ashmur said. “Much of the wheat and grain will not be
ready.”

“We will have to make due,” Baylin said.
“Otherwise, not only do we have nothing to keep in our stores, we
would be handing fields ripe for the taking over to Mirstone and
Kardell soldiers.”

“Have you had any word from Ranhold or
Strathen?” the King asked. “Are they with us?”

“Strathen is with us,” Baylin replied. “They
are sending men and much-needed supplies. Ranhold, it would seem,
has chosen to not choose a side.”

“King Lars has always been a bit pitiable,”
Ashmur remarked. “He was only given the crown because he was the
only son. A boy raised by three sisters will never prove to be a
strong man. If only his father had been around to show him how to
be a man.”

“I sent word that if he turns his back on us
now, he will not have our blessing when we arise victorious,”
Baylin spat, thinking of the pathetic King. “He will not be allowed
to reap the rewards when he refused to help fight the battle.”

“You sound like a King already, my son,”
Ashmur observed with a smile. “You are a credit to the Kingdom,
truly. And I don’t just say this because you’re my son. You have
everything it takes to be a great King. You’re not only brave and
honorable, you understand duty and tradition.”

“Tradition?” Baylin whispered. “Like the
tradition that dictates Luana is a bed wife?”

“Well, yes, that is one of the many
traditions we have kept over the years,” Ashmur said.

Baylin clenched his teeth, staying his
temper. “I’m sure you have heard how many would like the law
overturned. She saved your life, Father.”

Ashmur sighed. “That she did.”

“I know you’re tired of hearing about it,”
Baylin pleaded. “But I refuse to give up on this. Luana—”

“Enough, my son,” Ashmur said, reaching out
a hand, patting him on the shoulder. “She saved my life, and
perhaps this Kingdom. I am not so blind as to overlook her
value.”

Baylin’s eyebrows rose. “What does this
mean? Are you—”

“I’m willing to bend the law,” Ashmur said.
“Mind you, don’t get yourself excited. She is still a bed wife and
must adhere to the law. However, I do not see the harm in allowing
her and the other bed wives to walk freely in the castle.”

“Thank you, Father!” Baylin reached out and
embraced him. Usually, he would have been embarrassed to show such
a display of affection to his father, but he couldn’t contain his
pleasure.
It is a move in the right direction. Soon I will be
able to show him we have no more need for the law, and I can make
Luana my Queen.

“I will expect you to keep a close eye on
her and all the others,” Ashmur instructed. “Everyone in the
Kingdom is under enough stress as it is. These young women need to
make themselves useful.”

“We must all do our part to survive,” Baylin
uttered.

Ashmur nodded. “Now more than ever.”

Luana was in the bedchamber nursing the baby
when Baylin came to tell her the news of the King giving his
blessing for her to have freedom within the castle.

Though Baylin’s excitement caused her to
smile, she still felt a slight sting of pain.
No matter what
freedoms the King gives me, I am still a slave.

“He said you can help in the preparations
for moving in the villagers,” Baylin said.

“Perhaps I should speak with Master Keon,”
she said. “I’m sure with so many people in the castle, he will need
help.”

“Won’t that be slightly dangerous?” Baylin
asked. “You could be subjected to sickness.”

“Healing is what I know,” she argued.
“Master Keon knows this. He will see the benefit in it.”

“If you wish, just please be careful,” he
begged.

*****

Luana sought out Master Keon and followed
his instruction on where he would like to set up a temporary
medicos chamber for the villagers.

The mountain was so vast, it housed abundant
catacombs that branched off into halls leading to large and small
areas to provide shelter for the numerous villagers who would be
staying in the castle over the winter.

Master Keon had chosen one of the larger
areas to set up for the sick and injured.

When Luana arrived, several maids were busy
sweeping and dusting, which could not have been an easy task. The
catacombs had been dug as a precaution, but in all the years, they
had not been used for much more than storage, if for anything at
all. Centuries passed without so much as a mouse setting foot in
them, and it showed in the accumulation of dust.

“Ah, Luana,” Master Keon greeted as she
walked in. “I’m glad to see you. I need your assistance setting up
an area to house all my elixirs, and I thought since you’re so
knowledgeable in herbs, you would be so kind as to make a list of
items we might need.”

“Of course.” She smiled at the old man.
It wasn’t a year ago when he seemed to despise me. Now he says
he’s glad to see me and compliments me on my knowledge of healing
and herbs. Maybe Baylin’s right. Maybe people are beginning to
overlook the Bed Wife Law. Maybe there is hope.

She moved jars around, putting them in order
according to use. All the while, Master Keon mumbled and worried
over the whole situation.

“Everyone in the Kingdom pushed together
like this,” he grumbled to himself. “Don’t they know it only takes
one case of illness to cause an epidemic?”

Luana smiled to herself as she listened to
the old man’s complaints.
It must be hard for him to move from
his medical chamber to the catacombs.

“Master Keon,” called a steward from the
door. “We have the beds you asked for. How would you like them set
up?”

“Oh, um…” Master Keon mumbled, looking
around the large empty room. “Well, I suppose… Luana, dear, what do
you think?”

“How about we set up the beds on the far
side of the room,” she said, pointing toward the long wall at the
end. “We can put the herbs, elixirs and instruments here, near the
front of the room. We would need to make partitions for the more
serious cases, in case they need to be quarantined.” Everyone
stared at her in awe. She blushed. “At least, that is what I would
do.”

Master Keon gave her a smile. He waved his
hand at the steward. “You heard the young lady. Get to work. Luana,
would you please oversee this while I head to my chamber to get my
books?”

“Of course,” Luana replied.

She set to work instructing the stewards
where to put beds and chairs, cabinets and tables. She had the
maids gather clean linens and rags. For the first time in a long
while, she felt a sense of purpose again. It was something she had
greatly missed. Even as a goat herder, she felt pride in her flock.
Now her flock consisted of people who looked to her to make things
right.

She was organizing the supply cabinet when
several soldiers came in assisting some men and a woman. “Where
would you like them?”

“Excuse me?” Luana asked. “Who are
they?”

“They’re from the villages. We have started
moving the people inside,” said one of the soldiers. “These were
under the care of their town physician. I guess that puts them
under your care now.”

Luana directed them where to set the people
down on beds and went to taking down information and trying to
diagnose ailments. One of the old men merely had a case of
drunkenness. Luana gave him some herbal tea for his head and sent
him on his way.

As time went on, the room began to fill with
more and more patients. She put the maids to work, making sure
there was a parchment on each patient with their name, their
village and their ailment.

“Make sure if you administer anything, it is
written down on the parchment. Try to keep track of when it was
given so we do not give too much or too little,” Luana instructed.
She was suddenly understanding Master Keon’s anxiety.
With this
many people in the room, we could be exposed to a plague and
wouldn’t know it until it was too late.

Master Keon finally returned, followed by
two stewards carrying books and rolled parchments.

“So it begins,” the old physician
mumbled.

“Don’t worry, I have things under control,”
Luana soothed. “I’ve already taken care of several patients and
sent them on their way.”

“Very good,” Master Keon said, waving her
off as he turned toward the bookshelf in the corner.

Luana walked the aisle between the beds,
making sure everyone had been seen to when she spotted a familiar
face. “Awen?”

“Luana? Is that really you?” Awen called. “I
thought I’d never see you again!” The girl was covered by bloody
scrapes and blue bruises, her brown flowing hair tangled with grass
and dirt.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Luana said,
sitting down on the edge of the girl’s bed. Awen was a year younger
than Luana. She also grew up in Open Shaw and they spent their days
playing as children. Once Luana took over the goat farm, she had
little time to play and rarely saw her.

“You know me, always playing about,” Awen
laughed. “Really, though, I got busted up during the mob.”

“The mob?” Luana asked, taking a damp rag
and cleaning a scrape on the girl’s forehead.

“When they came into town and announced that
everyone would be moved into the castle, it turned to chaos,” Awen
said. “People were certain the war had already begun. Some went to
their homes to gather their things, others went mad with fear and
tore off running down the road toward the castle.”

“Didn’t the guards explain?” Luana asked,
pulling grass from the girl’s tangled mess of hair.

“They tried, but it was too late by then,”
Awen said. “When it happened, I was going back to the house and I
got caught up in the crowd. I tried to push through them but they
carried me on. When I fell, no one even stopped to help. I was able
to roll to the side for most of it, but not before I got stomped
several times.”

Luana’s thoughts wandered to that of her own
family. “My parents and sister… Did you…?”

“No, they moved to Black Hallows,” Awen
replied.

“Black Hallows? Why?” Luana gasped. “What
about the farm?”

“When you were chosen as the Prince’s bed
wife, the Kingdom paid them a great sum,” she explained. “They sold
the farm and bought a shop in Black Hallows selling bread, crops
and meats. It’s a right fine shop. You’d be proud of them.”

“A shop,” Luana whispered to herself. “I
can’t believe it.”

“My mum told me, last she heard, your family
was planning on staying behind,” Awen continued. “Something about
not wanting to leave their shop to vandals.”

“You mean they haven’t come to the castle?”
Luana stood up.

“They might have changed their minds, but I
haven’t seen them,” the girl said. “Do you remember the old
blacksmith shop near Fagin Forest? Old Man Finbar’s son took it
over.”

“Yes,” Luana said.

“You might find him,” the girl instructed.
“He knows your family and would be able to tell you.”

A maid brought over a bowl of water and a
rag to clean the girl up. “Milady, would you like to care for the
girl?”

“I’m sorry, Awen,” Luana said. “I have to go
find my parents.” She turned on her heel and tore through the
doorway before Master Keon could stop her.

Luana ducked through the crowd of people who
had begun to gather in the halls as they moved to the catacombs.
Families with young children, their faces tight with worry. Old
couples with everything they owned kept in a single satchel. The
sight was heartbreaking to Luana, but her goal was to find her
family.

She turned to go into the main corridor of
the castle and smashed hard into Baylin’s friend Ferric, knocking
her to the ground. Pain seared up her hip as she made contact with
the stone floor.

“Luana!” he cried, pulling her up to her
feet. “Are you hurt? I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine,” she murmured, dusting herself
off. She felt heat travel to her cheeks with a blush. “I’m sorry. I
wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“Is something wrong?” Ferric asked.

“Oh no. Not at all. Everything is fine,” she
said, avoiding his gaze. “I was just…” She feared he would see the
lie in her eyes. “Just headed back to my chamber.”

He cocked one eyebrow, causing his forehead
to wrinkle. “Are you sure all is well?”

“Yes, quite well.” She smiled. “I should be
on my way.”

She gave a slight curtsey and turned to go
around him, but he caught her by the arm. “Luana?” His stare bore
through her. “What secrets are you keeping?”

Her body tensed, but she held his gaze. “I’m
not keeping secrets, Ferric. I just… I…” Her body relaxed as she
admitted defeat. “I was looking for a man who knows about my
family. I’ve had word they are in Black Hallows and plan to try and
hold up in their shop.”

Ferric released her arm, his brow furrowed.
“Why would they do that? Certainly they know how dangerous it would
be, especially so close to Fagin Forest.”

“I don’t understand it either,” Luana
sighed. “But you must see that I have to go to them to convince
them they need to come to the castle.”