Two weeks later, Danika was seated beside the riverbank on the bench that overlooked the beautiful view of the river. But she wasn't watching the soft turbulence of the water or the beautiful view of the yellow evening sun that stood out loud above the water. Instead, her eyes were watching the king lovingly. He stood with five men, all new guards who were training to be professional archers. He was teaching them.
In the past few months, Danika had come to understand how strong King Lucien was physically—how much of a warrior he was. No wonder he was able to raid a coup against her father and get his people out of slavery.
Five men aimed their arrows at the practice board in front of them. His hands together behind him, he instructed and directed them.
"Aim for the head. Do not overthink your aim. Assume a relaxed stance. Do not go stiff. Hook your arrow right. Do not croak it. Grip the bow correctly. Do not squeeze so tightly."
Danika's eyes followed all his movements with a small smile. Her back was aching, and her feet were swollen. She was happy he allowed her to be here while he taught the new guards.
Something had changed in the past two weeks, but she had no idea what it was. The king still treated her with much care and was very protective of her and the child she carried. He also made love to her some nights, and during those times, he was very careful and gentle with her, especially since she started having back aches that wouldn't abate.
He made sure she ate chicken broth—which she didn't like, but he was always patient and even spoon-fed her from time to time.
And yet, she couldn't help thinking that something had changed.
His eyes. There was a new sadness that was so tangible it hurt to see. Was it sadness or pain? She had no idea what it was. She also had no idea how to help him with it. When he thinks she is not looking, he looks at her with those eyes. When he thinks she's asleep, he is always awake, staring at her...with those eyes.
And the way he looks at her collar these days? That look is one she doesn't understand. She has no idea what was going through his head. She has wondered countless times if it was because of what the mistress did. Or did it have anything to do with their lovemaking in the library? Did it have anything to do with the words she'd blurted out?
I love you; I love you, I love you, love you so much!
She squeezed her eyes shut at the reminder of those words. Heavens, she still couldn't believe she'd blurted it out like that. Did he hear her words? If he did, he hasn't said anything about it. She didn't know if she should be relieved or sad.
"That is all for today."
His voice pulled her back to reality. She watched the men bow to him. They packed all the training equipment and began walking back to the palace.
Automatically, the king turned towards her. Danika smiled and waved at him and he acknowledged her with a little nod of his head. It did not matter if he never smiled at her, Danika thought as she watched him stride towards her. She could smile for both of them.
She was still beaming at him as he walked closer, but a feeling nagged her gut. The same feeling that had been there for the past two weeks. It did not feel like a good feeling.
It felt like she would lose him.
.
.
The fresh breath of the evening air surrounded them. Birds flew overhead. The sound of the soft turbulence of the water. The caress of the wind on their skin as refreshing.
Two lovers were walking along the beach towards the forest that leads to the palace. A big, powerful man in a gold and red coloured garment, his dark hair held in a small clip at the back of his head. And a woman in a plain but well-ironed grey gown that dented at her middle because of her swollen belly before pulling down to her ankle.
They walked together, their steps measured, even they walked like aristocrats. But all is not as it seems because one is a king and the other is a slave.
King Lucien was too quiet again. Silence had always been his motto, but these days his silence made her uncomfortable.
“So how was your day in court today, Your Highness?” Danika asked, trying to make conversation.
“It was nothing special, just the usual minor cases. Two privileged fighting for a piece of land, and a couple having problems in their marriage. I was mostly a judge today instead of a king,” he responded, taking another step forward and into the forest.
She matched his steps, a smile ghosting her face. “Being a judge is so nice. Your people love you so much, my king. That is why they can come to their king with any problem. If not, there would be so much bloodshed for a lot of people because they take laws into their hands.”
“I agree too.”
“Isn't the weather so nice?” she asked, a wane smile on her face.
He looked up and around. It must be beautiful if she says it is, the king thought. To him, the world looked so bleak. Too bleak. He nodded his head reluctantly and continued walking.
They walked in silence the rest of the way until they arrived at the palace. They got in front of the hallway that led to the storage and the dungeon, and he stopped. Danika's feet automatically stopped moving too. The king stood staring at the empty space. The dungeon. The mistress. Could she be the reason why he's been in that unidentifiable mood for the past two weeks?
People had been pleading with him to bring the mistress out of the dungeon because it was a traumatizing place for her. Having spent most time in that enclosed space for ten years, most people of Salem had a deep aversion to the dungeon.
Baski had pleaded with the king several times to let Vetta out. He could keep her under house arrest in her bedroom while he decided what punishment to give her for her offense, the older woman had pleaded.
But the king remained silent on the issue and dismissed Baski. Even Chad had pleaded too. He'd refused.
Was Vetta the reason he looked so bleak?
He turned away and began walking away. He said nothing.
Danika matched his steps. She didn't try to start a conversation again because she knew he really wasn't in the mood.